The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-02-06


-[Hnpe.'s Magazine for FeI,uo,p
GEORGE ELIOT'S NEW NOVEL.
"pANrEL pERoNpA"-A GERMAN GAMBLING
SCENE.
George Eliot's new novel, Daniel De
ronda." will be published simultaneous
ly I'M London and New York, Februar,
1. The first book will be given entire
as separately published In London--ir
the forthcoming number OF Harper!
Magazine. The following lines form the
motto OF the book:
Let thy chief terror be Of thine own soul.
There, mid the tllrCng OF hurrying desires
That trample DER tho dead to seize their spoil.
Turks vengeance foot tl;,5 Irresistible s.sti,,
And ocr the fairest troop Of captured joys
Breathos pallid pestilence.
The story then opens abruptly with q
portrait of the heroine and picture 81
the German gambling salon In which
she Is introduced
Was she beautiful or not beautiful
and what was the secret Of form or ex.
preston which gave the dynamic quail.
ity to her glance? Was the good OF
Probably the evil else why was the ef-
feet that of unrest rather than Of undis.
turbed charm? Why was the wish 70
look again felt as coercion, and not as a
longing In which the whole being con-
SCENTS?
She who raised these questions in
Daniel Deronda's mind was occupied In
gambling; not In the open air, under q
Southern sky, tossing cQppers against q
ruined wall, with. rags about her limbs ;
but In one OF those splendid resorts
which the enlightenment Of ages has
prepared Tor the same species Of plea
sure at q heavy cost OF gilt holdings.
dark toned color, and chubby nudities,
all correspondingly heavy = forming a
suitable condenser Tor human breath be-
longing, In great part, to the. highest
fashion, and not easily prOcurable to be
breathed In elsewhere In the like pro-
portion, 1T least by persons Of little
ashton.
It was near 4 o'clock on September
day, SO that the atmosphere was we'll
bfewed to visible haze. There was deep
stiffness, broken only by q light rattle, a
an occasional monotone In French, such
as might be expected to issue from an
fingeniously constructed atltOmaton.
Round two long tables were gathered
two serried crowds OF human beings, all
save one having their faces and atten-
tion bent on the tables. The one excep-
ton was melancholy little boy, with
his knees and calves simply In their
natural clothing OF epidermis, but for
the rest Of his person In fancy dress.
He alone had his face turned toward the
doorway, and fixing on It the blank gaze
OF bedizened child stationed as a mas
Querading advertisement on the plat
form OF an itinerant show, stood close
behind q lady deeply engaged at the rou-
lette table.
About this table fifty or, sixty persons
were assembled, many In the outer rows,
where there was occasionally deposit
of new corners, being mere spectators.
only that one Of them, usually woman,
might now and then be observed putting
down five franc piece with a simpering
air, just to SEQ what the passion OF gam
bling really was. Those who were
taking their pleasure ut n higher
strength, and we're absorbed in play,
pean type; Livonian and Spanish,
GRECO Italian and miscellaneous Ger
man, English aristocratic and English |
plebeian. Here certainly was striking |
of human equality. The |
white bejeweled fingers OF an English
were very near touching bOny,
yellow. crab,like hand stretching a
barred wrist to clutch heap Of COMA
hand easy to sort with the square, gaunt
face, deep set eyes, grizzled eyebrows,
and ill-combed, scanty hair. which
seemed q slight metamorphosis Of the
vulture. And where else would her
BIT by that dry-lipped feminine figure,
old, withered after short
bloom, like her artificial flowers. hold
ing q shabby velvet rcticule before her.
md occasionally putting in her mouth
Tho point with which she pricked her
ard? There, too, very near the fair count
,ss was o respectable London tradesman.
blonde and soft handed, his sleek hair
parted behind and before,
OF circulars addressed to the
nobility and gentry, whose distin-
rushed patronage. enabled him to take
lis holidays fashionably. and to a GER ,
ain extent in their distinguished com
ANY. Not his the gamblers passion /
hat utilities appetite, but a well-fed
eisure, which in the intervals OF win '
ing money in bushes and spending {
showily, sees no better source than
1inning money In play and spending IL G
ct more showily-refecting always ]
hat Providence had never manifested
ny disapprobation Of his amusement, a
nd dispassionate enough to leave off IL
ne sweetness OF winning much and see a
ng Others lose had turned to the sour ]
ess OF losing much and seeing others {
'in. For the vice Of gambling lays in 4
)sing money at 1t. In his bearing there 8
light be something Of the tradesman, {
ut in his pleasures he was fit to rank I
18th the owners of the Oldest titles. c
landing close to his chair was hand O
ome italian, calm, statuesque, reaching v
cross him to place the first pile Of ma
oleons from a new bagfull just brought &
i'm by an envoy with a scrolled mus
lche. The pile was In half minute q
gshed over to an old bewigged woman Il
it'll eyeglasses pinching her nose. D
here was a slight CLEAN, a faint numb Ii
ng smile about the lips of the old wo- D
IAN: but the statuesque italian re- b
lained impressive, and probably secure O
an infallible system which placed his a
'ot on the neck Of chance Immediate l.
prepared new pile. So did man IL
18th the air OF an emaciated beau or in
orn-out libertine, who looked at life Ell
trough one eye-glass, and held out his al
and TREMENDOUSLY when he asked for II
lange. 1t could surely be no severity r.
system, but rather some dream Of 81
hite crows, or the induction that the n
ghth Of the month was lucky, which q