The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1866-05-11
Victor Hugo.

Victor Hugo rises, winter ahd sum
mer with the sun. He lights b fire
and makes his coffee; then he writes,
reads or composes until eleven, and
during that time no one troubles him
in his meditations AT eleven, what
ever the temperature may be, be goes
out on the terrace of the house, which
is on the same level MS his room, and
makes long aaulations with cold wa.
ter. Then comes the breakfast hour
devoted to family chat and the
reading OF newspapers and letters
This meal generally lasts for an hour
and half Then the poet takes long
walks across the island. He works
while walking, and often stops before
points he specially adnires. lie is
not much given to eating. His table
is simply set, and he is always salts
fled with the dishes before him. Al
though he has n good appetite, he is
moderate, and no one can say that
he has cen him commit the least o.
cess. Victor Hugo goes to bed early,
generally before ten o'clock. Pens,
ink and paper are placed on table
nigh him. Often, in his broken sleep,
he jots down the thoughts that cross
his mind. Sometimes he writes in
the dark and makes hieroglypmcs
that in the morning he alone can de-
cipher.
The following anecdote OF Victor
Hugo's literary habits, published in
the Petite Herue, in Paris, was related
by neighbor of his, as long ago rs
1913, when both had chambers on the
Palace Royale, and occasionally met
at one Brassier's, barber and hair
dresser Of the quarter.
Going TO lie shaved ono morning,
| said, We'll, MonsieurBrassier, how
is business to-dayY excellent, sir, ex-
cellent; in fact, almost more than /
can attend to. Balls and parties eve
rywhere. Here, you see, is list of
thirty ladies, whose heads are to be
dressed between now and evening.
Dropping IN at Brassier's Il few DAYS
after, | asked, and how did YOU Get
on with your thirty lady customers
the other day. Don't speak OF it;
couldn't attend to more than half of
them, and just lost a dozen or So of
good customers, MI along OF Mr. Vic
tor Hugo But how did Victor HUI
go have anything to DO with it?' Why,
this was the way of 1t, sir: Five min
utes after you left in he came, and
seated himself in this very chair. Il
put the napkin about his neck, and
was on the point Of putting my brush
to him, when, suddenly waving off my
hand, he cried out wait minute.
And with that he took out his pencil
and began fumbling in ali his pockets
for something he did not find Then,
all at once, seeing sheet of paper on
the table there, he took possession OF
1t and fell TO writing. In spite Of the
hurry, l was willing to wait for him
to finish, but he, without paving any
more attention TO me than though /
had been at the other end of the Town.
kept scrdtt hing o., stopping now and
then to bite the end OF his pencil |
Write away, said | to myself, but If
you can read it afterward you are IL
lucky one. 1t was horrible scrawl, |
Sir, you may believe me. And they |
pretend he is good writer Then
/ said to him, respectfully, When you
are ready, Sir. In second, says he,
and on he goes with his scrDble, stop
ping for II minute to look at the cell
ing, and then at 1T again; l, mean
while, you understand, with brush and
III hand, and ready to bdrst.
Finally, | ventured to say; Beg par
don, sir, but L am extremely busy to-
day %, busy, are you?' says he, so
am |, and with that he got up ana
went out. You have forgot your hat,
sir, said l. why, to be sure, says
he, with a smile, and clapped it on,
and went away without beng shaved.
Now, boys, called to my journey
men, you have not minute to lose,
you Will go straight to the addresses
/ give you. The list here-but where
is the list? What have you done
with the list 2 1T was ON tho table
there a moment ago, said one OF the
boys Are you sure? Perfectly
W III YOU DcliCNC ~ Ndo Oli tilt
back OF that list that NJ Victor Hugo
had been whiting; and he carried 1T
off with him all covered with his quail |
tracks, and that was the way he lost
me my customers.
What the lovers of poetry and liber-
ty have gained by Nj. Brassiers loss
the narrator of the anecdote is not
able to tell us. According to another
Hugo's present method OF
is scrupulously methodi- !
cal, and admits numoerless changes,
prunings, and polishings OF
sentences and single words !
between outline draft and manu-
script ready for the printer Balzac's
processes of reworking the first proof
with additions, eXcisions, etc, to the |
extent of making it worse for the
printers than an original manuscript, !
are well known. The author OF the
Vie dc Cesa, not being Republican OF
Letters, but owners of an Imperial
press does not trouble himself with the
ordinary technics of proof-reading, but
corrects the first copy printed in
broadly separated lines, by interim
ing and full marginal writing, as the
humber ones so over their manu-
script.