Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1859-11-18
MIS- c Il l. l. AN Y.
THE PARIsIAN MoNEy-LENDER.
A Tale.


II would be dlHicul, to ono accustomed to
sco the open unwallqd towns OF ihi. peace
lul country to have a correct idea OF Gus.
trim and It's warliko environs Cu.uin is
Acknowledged to be one or The .,ronges, for
ii6caiion, in Europe. En,ircly surrounded
BY water it is approached only by success.
sion Of long, narrow, wooden bridges. which
extend nearly round the town, aud. after
numerous winding'. at length land you
within the massive gates. It's interest is
chiefly derived lgom its hstorial rscollec.
tiop.. It's the state prison Of Prussia,
aud has held many an unhappy victim.
had an Opportunity of inspecting ,hOso
dismal reecptAeIc., bclrs accompanied in
my inspection by physician OF the town,
10 whom bad letter Of introduction.
IIc pointed ont to me the nom 10 which
Frederick the Great was incarcgra.sl two
years by b.. h.her. anl the eoar. yard, Ia
which biz friend was hanged, whose cIccu.
ton 10 was lJrSed. by the express orders Of
hi, batbaric parent, TO witness, until be
swooned away in tha eIccs. VI his agony.
After going through the various cham.
b,r. oftbo castle, my friend iLc physician
LED me to HE own house, situated without
the principal gate, and forming Ons OI a
struggling row Of mansions Of transparent
whi,snc.', and surrounded by pleasant
,hrubbsrie.. lie insisted upon my staying
70 dine With him, which tho more readily
agreed TO %, since discovered in him y
tinsc OF tie intellectual melancholy which
!. - frequent IN Germany, but which %
ollen brsaks out ina brilliant bar't " imag.
nation, tie more ligh,lul. since it's 50 un.
expected. Ills tone ofyoicc, his mann n, were
thossot deep feeling and of great ssasibility.
Aiior We had pAriaken OF dinntr. and
wbils. we at enjoying the evening bcsels
in an arbor Of honeysuokle no said to me:
81 regret my wife /, not at home !
should have wished to have introduced you
81 her. She is a native Of France, and our
frs, acquaintance 'prans from a strange
circumstances. You may think it odd that
a young Parisian beauty should have fol.
lowed mc - ar, and - 50 secluded a hab-
isaii5n. 1, i. thin; to wonder at
hc continued nu'ins.
Ilayins ny curiosity eIci,od by these re.
marks, sntrcatcd him to relate the event,
hc alluded to, anl. after some delay seem.
ins to spring into animation, hc thus pro-
csedei
In my youth I s,udied medicine a. Par.
i' for some years, and as my finances were
low, lei \ very secluded lie. The only
friend had in iha, modern Babylon was a
parsonage OF whom !, would be dificul, for
you 20 form an idea hc was money len
der. Can you picture such u character to
yourself? lie was Of c5mroxion pale
and lsldsn or II may b, allowed 10 say 80.
ola saffron sllyer Ills hair was straight,
and oiAn 'shy gray his eountsnance a. 10.
dednabc a, tha, ola diploma,isi; HE iea.
tures secmed as feat ia bronze; hi, cyc,
yellow as the f,rra,''. had no lashcs his
nose was a, peaked and his liTs contracted.
liz wa. man who ,pok. low. in a snail
voice, aud allowed Of no excitement. lie
assisted bis sunkcn eyes with pair Of old
green speeiaeles. llis dro.s was blaok-his
age q nys,sry. Tie apartment Of this saw.
age being was was chilly and di'consola,e.
In winter, never saw his crate Gllsl tho
Gre emitted sn5kc, bat no flame, uuce it
wac smothsrcd beneath load Of cinders.
Thi. man moved through life as uoiselss.
and silent as ,hc sand OF an snci0n, boro.
losue. llis actions were all regular, aud
hi, hour OF rising wa. no, more GIed than
that at which bis 81 OF coughing came on.
After tho fashion Of Pontenelle, no sought
TO sconomisc he vital action, aud coneeu.
,ratc all feels AMI sentiments In self S5ae-
tino' It's victims protested and exclaimed
agaius, him but h0 was unpro5okcd, anG
behold such excitement ia calm indifference,
K Up till seven o'clock In tho evening 10
was grave, bat towards eight. the man OF
bills was changed into an ordinary h,ins :
i. was the mystery II the transmutation Of
metals cxemplled in tho human heart. 1t
was then he rubbed his hands, and indulscd
in species Of SaiSty, extending even to a
Thin and withering smile bu' in his great.
es: joy, his con,ersation seldom exceeded
,ho monosyllabIe. Such was tho nogh Dor
whom chance afforded mo in in the Rue des
Gres. II was a drsary and damp house,
which having no court, was supplied with
light only from the narrow street The
division Of the building into chambers OF an
equal size, with a single opening leading
into long corridor, where tho sun never
penetrated showed sufficiently tha, /, had
formerly been part Of u convent. The ap-
peanncc was sad and gloomy enough to
chill the heart Of an asrirant OF discounts
oven before he entered tho apartment
Of the Lsurer himself. There no sat. dark
and inexOrlbIc. Tho only being with whom
hO held intercourse, socially speaking was
myself. lie came to seek ere from me
he borrowed book or newspaper. aud in
return ior these small courtcsies in the
evening was the only one whom he per.
rnil,ed to enter bis place OF abode. and to
whom he talked Of his own accord. These
proois Of bis confidence were the result ofa
five years ncighbOrhOod. Had he relations,
frtendsP I kneV M, la ,.-ar .,.n