Winchester journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1862-1863, 1863-04-24
VICTOR HUGO AT HOME.

| VICTOR hugo llHeS now IN beCiuSlOH ~
Hauteville House, Guernsey, surrounded
by happy domestic circle which fate, so
cruel toward him otherwise, has left him
as palladium and consolation in his
many trials. His cherished wife still
lives-she whose love he once awakened
BY his ineIpressibly tender lyrics; his
daughter, generous and worthy of her
father, still is The staff and stay of his
age; with pride he looks upon his two sons,
Charles and Francis. one OF whom, rs an
inspired translator of Shakespeare, has
won already fame and distinction. He
still loves children as of old. Every
Wednesday he gives a dinner-party TO
fifteen little boys and girls. selected
among the poorest Of the Island He
takes pleasure in attending himself to
their little wants during the meal. Thus,
as he SAYS in one Of his letters, che tries
to make equality and fraternity under
stood, If only in his immediate neighbOr-
hood" Some other French exiles who
live on the island often visit him; they
have become members Of his family.
Now and then an old friend will come
from France to press his hand and to
cheer him in his solitude.
/ The coup d'etat ruined Victor Hugo's
fortune; he was scarcely able to save
some debris of his former wealth; and on.
" the greatest efforts enabled him NJ
first to MAINTAIN himself in the foreign
country. Only the four hundred thou
J sand francs he received for his recent
book, "L.s Miserablrs," made him q
rich man again. although, as he deePly
regrets, not rich enough to CRAFTY his
charitable and benevolent inclinations "a
their full extent. The purchase OF
Hautevile House has procured him the
invislable rights of an English citizen
| His house is his castle, and the Emperor
Napoleon would be unable now 10 drive
him from Guernsey, as he before caused
his exclusion first from Belgium, next
from Jersey. The great exile Of "Napo-
leon the Little" has thus known TO Sc
cure himself against fourth place OF
banishment; and he has at least the CON
ISOLATION of living now in the midst Of a
people half French, and in full view oil
the shores of his ardently beloved coun.
try.
Victor Hugo has dogs, birls, flowers
he always loved them; in the solitude OF
his punishment he doubly loves them
Soon he will add to them horse and =
carriage to drive through the green mead
Ows Of the island-through the garden.
like luxuriance Of the fields, and along
the shores of the roaring waves. For our
poet is growing old, and the walks of the
sea shore, which used TO form the delight
of his heart. cannot be as far extended as
ne would like And vet he is hale and
/ hearty. and full of elastic vitality. 81
rise early he wrote US lately, "woIk the
whole day, and 80 early to bed. / do not
smoke, but eat roast beef like an En-
glishman. and drink occasionally a little
beer; which," as he adds plavfullv. "doe,
not prevent the EspanG, an ultramon-
tame journal Of Madrid, 10 assert that
there is no Victor Hugo in cxistance, and
that the true name of the author of Les
Miserabiss' is Satan"
In favorable weather he works in his
beautiful garden, and his tautueiI there
is fat rock with charming view of the
sea- Let US add, also, that Hugo love'
! the worthy and industrious little people
in whose midst be lives, and that his al
fection is very generally and ardently re
ciprocated. The inhabitants of Guern.
sey, without exception. honor and love
the great French exile, who has beer
among them now for over seven years.
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