The Ottawa free trader., 1871-05-13
@iSeellamp.
A FOURTH HAND.

about nifty, named Raymond Ducourt. he WAS,
both morally and physically, the strangsst man
imaginable He was Of an almost uuending
high. The tallest students in the Academy
were obliged to raise themselves on tiptoe to
view horizontally the acute angle OF his chin.
He bore closer resemblance to tree than to .
human being. He was an oak, in the full &C.
ceptstion Of the wor6 a thunjerboit might tear
him up by the roots, but the most furious gale
coald never make him bend.
One evening" last summer, as We were seated,
two of my friends and myself, before the Cafe of
the Luxembourg, eating ices, We saw enter the
garden. coming from the rue de Vaugirard, our
old tutor or rather his phantom, but stopped,
90 cmaciated, so changed, that We hardly recog.
nized him. He looked hundred years!
We involuntsrily t-embled as in years agone.
When he had passed: 'Ap,vpos my distn.
@uished young Iriend,' said one of my comrades
70 me- you have frequently desired to learn the
story of that mans misanthropy?'
No less now than ever before replied
Then listen And he related the following:
The Count Raymond Ducourt de la Fresnaye
h,d son whom l knew at the College Henry
Nv. lie was tall young man, of a fine blond
complexion; brave fellow enough, but of u
boastful skeptical turn, and, above all, lazy to
the last degree. When he left college his father
consented to let him follow the bent of his own
inclinatioEs.
He had a suit of apartments in the rue de
10urn0n-one of the most charming abodes one
could imagine. | met him one evening, coming
out of the Odeon, and he pressed me so hard to
call and see him that actually resolved to pay
him visit. l called ON him eight or ten DAYS
after our encounter. I found him stretched on
adivsn, aanked by his three college cronie., and
tanned by young woman, who seemed never to
have any other occupation.
How they smoked! Why my dear follows,
we never smoked, and fervently hope we never
may smoke as they did in that room The at.
mosphere was infested with tobacco, surchargsd
with tbs fetid miasma from the foul pipes of
those inveterates. 1t was with great difficulty
l was enabled to distinguish them through that
midst of nicotine, and l did not, in the least,
dissimilste the disgust felt on catering
Shall fan monsieur p said the young woman,
approaching me and agitatiag her tan IN my
face.
On seeing her approach me-beautiful as a
dream, though of that beauty which hides moral
ngliLsss-snd observing the familiar ooquetry
with which she waved her fan before me, 1 felt
blush of shame, and was about to reply, when
young Raymond cut me short by presenting the
young woman. whom he took by the hand
Permit nae to present my wife = said he.
The shame which had risen in my cheek
mounted to my brow. I blushed for him.
MY compliments, madame said I, bowling
coldiy. Then turning to Raymond, I added :
Il did not know you were married. Have you
fulfilled all the formalities p
oh yes he replied, we have made the final
summons
What summons ? asked, not understand ding
him.
why, tho respectful summons to our dear
father
Your father has refused his consent, then p
Quite naturally enough Fathers seem abso.
lutely to be created for no other purpose than to
refuse the respectful demands of their children. ,
Then you have surmounted his objections.'
Most respectfully, added he, with a cynicism
that terrified me- :.
But you are not major : 1 urged.
Beg pardon; some six months
'humph! You have lost no timev
he has lost just six months = said tho three
friends in chorus, 1t the same moment emitting
snch thick puffs of smoke, that almost believed
myself in some grimy center Of Manchester or
Ghsxov. The sight of those four lazy rascals-
the cynisism with which son spoke Of his faith
r-the physical beauty and moral ugliness of
tht yousy womSn-the impurity Of tho stmos.
paere-e'eryth. before my eyes inspired me
With snch an invincibls disgust, that took nv
leave - quick ~ possible.
One morning, when reading tho paper, l saw
ih the miscellaneous items paragraph, couched
IN these terms:
The last heir of one of tho most illu,trious
fsmiiie: OF Brittany, Young Raymond, only son
OF the Count de Ia Fresnaye, has put an end to
hi. days. The cause oi the suicide i. not
known
Was it pride or shame He has killed him.
self from disgust and shame at his life, | argued
-i'h myself, and from that cause alone or he
h', .ot killed himself at all
One day, recently, while coming out of the
CW"Iqnc, one of my friends, distant relative of
the Fre'naye family, drew my attention 20 our
old tutor, who was passing, and related his his
tory to me. That history cleared up all nv
doubts as to the death of yoany Raymond, and
explained the misanthropy of tutor Here
it ls in brief
My son. the father had said, by your blazon,
by your name, by your mother, 1 implore YOU
not 10 marry that woman
Ny fAther,' Raymond had answered, by our
blazon, by my name, by my father, by my moth.
or, by all my noble ancestors, | will marry the
woman | love- justifying III this, as IN all other
circumstances, our proud device: htat y0lu1tus
meu.'
'Well,' replied the father, we shall see which
of us will be the more faithful to that motto'
Young Raymond married, and the old count
reducSd the couple to the verge of famine. But
such proud device is not respected with mpu.
nifty. Tho bailitf did not long delay in knock.
ing at the door of the last scion Of the house of
La tresnaye.
Grief uame, nnd made its home by the Rreside
al the poor count One evening he received "A
letter with black seal. He recognized the
hand "vitiuI oi his son
'Wha' is th's| said he to his old valet. "A
le'ter nom my hoy, with black seal Has he
thr h"nor 70 iuiora! me Of the death of the priu.
c..e ot Limn = lIhus lie styled his sons wife
Pardieu Jnhn will asslst with pleasure at her