New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-03-12

room at the university. Over the plan
hung the portraits of Beethoven, Hande
and Mendelssohn, exactly those ha
chosen for myself In one corner 60,
the Venus of Milo, which / had Away
considered the most beautiful statue q
antiquity. Here upon the table lay vol
umes of Dante and of Shakespeare. Tau
ler's Sermons, Theologia Germanica
Ruckert's poems, Tennyson and Burns
Carlyle's "Past and Present" tn
books that were in my room, and all Q
which had had in my hands but shor
while before. began to be thoughtful
yet I cast off my thoughts again, and wa
just standing before the picture of the lat
Princess when the door opened, and tw'
bearers, the same had seen so often as
child, brought the Countess upon he
couch into the room. What vision! Sh
said nothing, and her face was as placit
as lake, until the bearers had left tn,
room. Then she turned her eyes on me-
the old, deep, unfathomable eyes. He
face became more animated every moment
and at last her whole countenance smiled
and she said:
"We are old friends; I think we hav,
not changed. can not say 'sie,'* ant
If I may not say 'du' we must speak il
English. Do you understand me?"
I was not prepared for this reception
yet this, l saw, was no masquerade. Here
was soul that longed for soul; here
was greeting as when two friends recog
nize each other in spite of their disguise
in spite of their black Mosques, by a sim.
pie glance of the eye. I grasped he,
hand, which she extended to me, and
said:
when one speaks to the angels one
can not say Sic"
And yet how strange is the power Of the
forms and customs of life; how hard it is,
even with kindred souls, to speak the
language OF nature? The conversation
tagged, and We both felt the embarrass-
ment Of the moment. I broke the
silence, and said what was just passing
through my mind
"N1en are accustomed from youth up
ward to live in cage, and even when
they are in the free air they do not ven-
ture to move their wings, and fear that
they will strike themselves against every
thing if they were to fly"
eyes, said she, "and that is well, and
can not be otherwise. We wish some-
times that we could live like the birds
that fly in the woods, and meet upon the
aud sing together without be-
ing introduced. But, my friend, there
are among the birds, owls and sparrows,
and it is well tina: in life we can
pass kby them as if we did not know
them. Yes, it is in life, perhaps, as in
poetry: and as the true poet knows how
to say the truest and most beautiful
things in verse, so also should we know
how to guard freedom of thought and
feeling, in spite of the letters of society. !"
I could not help reminding her of
Platen:
Whatever IN all places
Itself eternal proves,
That, though in fetter red phrases,
A boundles spirit moves"
Yes said she, with friendly and al
most roguish smile, ''but have a priv
lege, that is my suffering and my solitude;
and often pity young girls and young
men, that they can have no friendship and
no intimacy with each other without their
linking or their relatives thinking for
hem, of love, or what they call love. By
his means much is lost to them. The
girls know not what slumbers in their
soul, and what might be awakened therein
y the encouragement Of a noble friend,
md the young men would regain so many
mighty virtues if women could be the
Instant spectators Of the inward battles Of
heir souls. But that would not do, for
owe always comes in, or what is called love;
he fast beating of the heart, the stormy
waves of hope, pleasure in pretty face,
weet susceptibility, perhaps, also clever
in short everything that dis
urbs that calmness, as of placid sea,
which is the true picture of pure human
ove."
Here she interrupted herself suddenly,
nd an expression of pain passed over her
ace.
Il must not speak any more to-day"
aid she, "my physician does not wish it.
should like to hear song by Mendels-
duet. My young friend could
lay that many years ago, could he not?"
1 had nothing to say, for just as she
eased speaking and folded her hands as
f old, I saw on her hand ring-she
'ore it on the little fnger-it was the
ing she had given me, and that had
iven her. My thoughts were too many
" words, and I seated myself at the
iano and played.
As soon as I had finished I turned
round and looked at her, and said:
eff one could only speak in tones and
ithout words"
some can" said she, 81 understood it
i. But to-day I can hear no more, for
18th every day grow weaker. Now we
lust become accustomed to each other,
nd q poor, sick hermit may well expect
ldulgence. We shall meet tomorrow