, 1884-11-27
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1t was towards the end OF November; the
Imperial garden Of Vienna was deserted, a
sharp breeze was whiriing the saffron olored
leaves, shrunk up by the early cold; the rose
bushes, tormented and broken by the wind,
let their branches drag in the mud. Still,
the grand alley, thanks TO its covering OF
sand, was dry and passable. Although dew
astated by the approach OF winter, the I'm
perial garden was not without a certain
melancholy charm. The long alley prolonged
far away its reddening arcades; beyond, the
view stretched over the Prater and Danube;
it was such a promenade as a poet would
have desired
A young man was striding up and down
this alley with visible signs Of impatience;
his costume somewhat theatrical in its ele-
gance, consisted of n frock-coat of black vel
vet with gold facings and bordered with fur,
gray wooden pantaloons, top boots with tas-
sells coming half why up his legs He might
have been q or % years OF age; his pale
and regular features were full OF flnesse, and
irony lurkcd in the creases aroand his eyes
and the corner Of his mouth; Mt the uni
verity, which he appeared TO have quilted
recently, for he still wore the students cap
with oak leaves, he must have plagued the
philistincs and shown in tho front ranks OF
AbN hANLhl AlAa AZ AQADna
The narrow limits within which he cir
9nmscribed his walk showed thai he was
waiting for some one, probably a lady, for
the Imperial garden OF Vienna In tho month
OF November is hardly propitious to business
rendezvous. Soon a girl appeared at tho end
Of the avenue; n turba Of black silk covered
her rich'blonde hair, whose long ringlets had
been slightly uncurled by the dampness OF
the evening; her complexion, ordinarily OF
wnxen whiteness, had taken n rosy tint from
the bite OF the cold. Grouped and wrapped
as she was In her mantle trimmed with
marten skin, she resembled ravishingly the
statuette Of Ia Frieleuse: a little terrier &C
companied her, n convenient chaperon, ON
whose indulgence and discretion you could
count
"Imagine, Heinrich, said the pretty vi
tnnese, taking tho young mans arm; AIhave
been dressed and ready to go out for moro
than an hour, and my aunt kept on with her
sermons on the danger Of waltzing, on re-
cipes for Christmas cakes and carp with blue
fauce. / went out on the pretext Of buying
some gray boots, of which Ihnven NJ need what
ever. 1t is for you, Heinrich, that l tell all
these little lies which / am constantly re-
GREETING and constantly beginning over
again. What al idea IL was u you 10 axe
the stagei What vas the good Of studying
theology 50 long at Heidelberg My parents
liked you, and we might have been married
to-day but for that Instead of meeting on
the sly under the bare trees Of the Imperial
garden, we should be seated side by side be-
fore a fine porcelain stove In u nice warm
room, talking Of the future Of our children.
Would not hat be a happy lot, HeinrichF
"Yes, Katy, very happy" replied the
young man, as he pressed under the satin and
fur tho AirnpIaf arun ~ the r..aftsr VI.
but I cannot help It. The theatre attracts
me invincibly; l dream Of It by day, / think
Of II by night; / feel the desire to live in the
creation Of the poets; | seem 10 have twenty
existences. Every role that l place makes
me a new life; all those passions that | OK
press l feel. / am Hamlet, Othello, Charles
Moor. When one is all that, he can with
difficulty resign himself to the humble con-
dition Of a village pastor.
"That is very noble. But you know that
my parents will never have an actor for a
son-in-lRw.n
mo, certainly not an obscure actor, a poor
ambulant artist, the puppet of nag
and the public, but a great actor, covered
with glory and applause, who earns more
money than a minister, they will not refuse,
however scrupulous they may be. When l
shall come to ask your hand In u handsome
JNAeN epnNhf IN hthAaA "a WHICH VIII Do
able to serve as a looldng-glass for the aston
ished n~eighbors, and n tall lackey covered
with gold lace will let down the steps for me,
do you think that they will refuse mef'
u do not think they will But who says,
Heinrich, that you will ever come to that.
You haVe talent, but talent is not sufficient,
you must have much good luck besides. BY
the time you shall have become the grand
actor Of whom you speak the best time OF
your youth will ave passed, and then will
you be ready TO marry Katy, grown old,
when you nave at your disposal the loves OF
all those princesses of tho theatre, so Joyous
and 30 gayly deckodF'
That future" replied Heinrich, Is nearer
than you think have an advantageous
engagement at the theatre of tho Carinthian
Gate, and the manager is so satisfied with
the manner in which l played my last role
that he has made me a present Of 1000
thalers.n
"Yes,n replied the young girl, with a seri-
Gus air, that role OF a demon in the piece.
l confess to you, Heinrich, that l do not like
TO SEQ a Christian assume the mask of the
enemy Of tho human race and pronounce
words OF blasphemy. The other day l went
To sec you at the CarinthiAn theatre, and at
every moment 1 was afraid that a veritable
hell-fire would issue from ono of the traps
where You were swallowed up in flames OF
spirits OF wine. returned home all con-
fused, and l dreamed horrible droams.n
My good Katy, that is all imagination;
tomorrow, too, will take place the last per-
Torrance, and l shall no longer put on tho
black and rod costume which so much dis
pleases you
$50 much the betterl for my mind is a
prey to a vague feeling of alarm, and l fear
that the role which has been so profitable TO
your glory will not DO profitable to your sal
walton; l am afraid, too, that you will con-
tract bad habits in the company Of those
horrible comedians l am sure that you
no longer say your prayers, and l dare wager
that you have lost the little cross that l gave
you
Heinrich justified himself by showing the
little cross, which was still shining on his
breast.
Whilo they were talking thus the two
lovers had arrived at the Thabor strnsss In
the Lcopoldstadt in front OF the shoemaker.
who wns famous for the perfection Of his
gray boots; after chatting some time at the
door, Kate entered, followed by her terrier,
not without having abandoned her pretty
slender fingers to the pressure OF Heinrich's
hand
Heinrich tried once more TO catch a
glimpse of his mistress between the dainty
boots and shoes that were symmetrically ar
ranged on the brass rods in the window; but
the fog had silvered the glass with its moist
breath, and he could only distinguish a con-
fused silhouette; then, taking n heroic reso-
luton, be turned on his heel and vent with
deliberate step 10 the inn Of the Two-headed
Eagle.
Il.
That night there was a numerous company
at tho Two-headed Eagle; the guests were Of
the most mixed description, and the caprice
Of Cabot and hat Of Goyn could not have
produced an odder amalgAm OF characteristic
types. The Two-headed Eagle was ono OF
those blessed cellars celebrated by Hoffman,
with steps so worn, 50 greasy, 50 slippery that
you cannot put your foot upon the first one
Evarv cmolar chnrf1 fr~ ttItttla