, 1885-10-31
was gallant man as she led the Way

the dtawing-room
When my visit was at an end a
paradise behind me and returned to avs.
after writing two %sonnets. expressive Of
my sentiments. in the album upon
madame the duchess little boudoir table.
and exchanging snuff boxes with the lille
Able Surin. madame's direcieur and the
dukes fast friend and librarian Tho
first thing | did. after going to my stall.
was TO visit the National library and the
Mazarin library also, and look at the
copies of Nillon there treasured Three
copies in all. quarto. one in sheep. moth
eaten; two in vellum. a tltle-page missing
from one. but each In true macaronic
style, 'Franscois Nillon, Poesies. 1889.
BIessp exit. Edito J. Carolo.' / con.
suited all the Biographies; J. Carolus was
not noted as having published any
but this one book as Blois. nor were his
successors mentioned. The street OF the
shop was not given | went to Blois. ]
searched through all the musty archives
OF that ancient city. There were j.
Caroluses. j.. Carries, J. Chasles. j..
Charles plenty. n~otaries, MERGERS. shop
keepers, goldsmiths, wine sellers. a string
Of names through -four centuries. but the
Carroll book. sellers were not, nor the
Carroll publishers.
Il did not despair. | took the Caro-
luses in order, as far as they were extant
in the fifteenth century. The eldest and
most respectable branch of the name was
the notary family. There were records
OF deeds executed by Johannes Carolus
from 1850 down to 1718, in a continuous
series; Johannes Carolus for 100 hun
bred years, then Jehan Carries. Charles.
Chasles. indifferently. always at the house
l, Rue de Tours After 1T13 this house
was occupied by the Fripiers, n~otaries
st i'll. until 1918. when 1t was pulled down
to give place to the Restaurant du Midi,
Martin, cuisinier. | searched the records
still further. In 1903. Jean Fripier married
Joanna Charlotte. sole daughter OF Maitre
Jean Chasles, notary. II was likely. then,
That Fripier was Chasle's successor in the
female line. Who knew anything about
the old house, IL Rue de iTours9 What
had become of the furniture, the books.
the rubbish There had been an auction
sale, Martins old servant told me. and |
found the books OF Brunei, auctioneer of
that part Of Blois for 100 years, he and
his ancestors; in the books a page con
tanning the sale bill of articles knocked
down on Feb. 8, 1918. One lot OF books
to Cordonier. Paris. one lot Of books to
Baron Nignaux. ditto, Maitro Fripier.
lls; ditto, Mime. %Saintonge; one lot waste
paper and manuscript rubbish and odd
volumes. Piesse.
81 continued my search. hunting each
lot down. Cordonnier, an antiquarian
bookseller. like myself, had bought all the
law books. none others: Baron NignauX.
n collection of songs and vaudevilles. with
original music, curious. but nothing 10
my present purpose; Fripier, fills, only
theology; Nine. S%aintonge, ditto. Who
was Piesseg What did he buyY Piesse
was a rag and bottle man. who lived in
Tours, kept a cart dragged by a dog. l
hunted Piesse up; he was dead. but his
son lived, in n tumble-down cellar in
Tours, close by the River Cher. A sot Of
90 years, his face all abloom with Nantes
brandy, his hand palsied, an uncommuni-
catiye rogue. under the ban Of the police.
nothing-for money nor naught else.
When at last l left the house, a slattern
woman. with a haggard face, followed
me around the corner. asked me If |
meant Piesse any harm, what / wanted
to find out, and would | pay for informa-
tion-there was nothing TO eat in the
house. Satisfied on these points, she told
me to come again at night. at 10 o'clock.
when / did come, the woman led me
up stairs into a wretched garrett 'Piesse.
she said. and his father. for all the
wreck you see around you. were men Of
method. They kept close books. Here.
on this shelf, Is what remains of the
rubbish bought at the Fripier sale. There
is a memorandum. Of one last will, sold
to Maitre Nicole, 500 francs: a volume
of written verses, bound, sold to Mere
Gobriot. 20 sous; some old letters, to the
Toulouse library. The rest Is before
you. The rest waG nothing. save
proof that | was on the right track.
Mother Gobriot Who was Mother
Gobriotg l inquired for the dame with
nanornoca xrra told MT ~ ~ 20 Mo-.
Gobriot's-she was a witch-a bag, who
lived by herself in a tall. solitary house on
the road to Loches. kept staghounds and
a blunderbuss. and dressed like a fisher
man of Minizan. However, | determined
TO nave an interview with Mere Gobriot.
She lent money on pledge and mortgage.
and ] used the fact to get access to her.
Truly a nag, who undid a chained door
and received me with arms akimbo, two
gaunt, savage hounds keeping her com
pany. She was 20 years old, bent, with
face, dreadfully pock marked, n pilot
coat on. What do you wantl'
she shrieked, 1 I'm a Paris book
seller-I want TO borrow some money
What security? What pledgey old
books. rare, precious Give me names
-editionsr Il have a princcps Nillon,
said /, on a venture, for the hag looked
like one of our trade She interrupted mo
with a shrek; What Franscois Villon-
1882 'Blessae exit. Edito j. Carolo. >
/ added You lier she screamed. there
is but one outside the libraries. and | have
that. and Nillon's manuscript. too 4
will give you 1000 crowns for each, L
said in rapture. She grinned horribly.
My boy, 1 viii not sell them for a mill.
ion. They are my dot-they shall adorn
my husbands libraryl I will marry
you for them. 1t is a bargain. Come
in-we will seal the contract with "A glass
Of Chateau Margaux.
Would you believe 1t. she had the
Nillon. the manuscript, too. and many n
rarity besides. and would not even unlock
the case until | married her. Such a life
as she led When married she would not
surrender the precious Villon; so | stole
1t don't mention this, and sent 1t too my
beloved duke Of Saint milion. When
the book was missed my accursed Mime.
Goujet grinned n sardonic smile, and
said The receiver Is as bad as the thief.
May my curses light upon both
In a months time from the dukes re-
ceiving the book. a lovely family was
stricken with the small pox-frst the
duke. then the duchess, frightfully
Scared. but the little doyes-ah. two died.
and one was blinded for life. That bag
and her book
II detected her reading the news in the
Gazette de Loire, and chuckling over
il. | threw the manuscript volume OF
Nillon behind the fire. to express my ex-
e~cration of the wretch. 'Fiend,i she
cried. there are so, 900 francs in notes
under that bindingr Then she fell into
commissions. and afterward %springing up.
shrieked. Murderer of the infants OF
Saint Emilion. l will denounce you
She rushed into the street, and | fed and
camo here, where l have been ever since
l do not know where that woman Is, nor
whether she is dead or alive A lady
comes 10 see me once q month and brings
me books TO read and bon-bons. They
call her the duchess de Saint Emillon, but
l do not recognize her. She Is very kind.
but my duchess was a lovely woman. and