Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1886-04-22
"Six weeks, counting from to-day"
"And how much money!
"Two hundred francS.n

'1That is shameful, it is criminal! Tw
hundred francs for traDslating book of thi
size!-it is unheard of! Anything paid il
advances"
Nothing. That's the worst feature of tn
case NJ. Beauvais did not offer, and coul,
not bring myself to ask. dare say, whe1
he looked at my coat, he thought he risket
enough in letting me carry the book away"
'Who is NJ. Beauvais:"
"a member of the Institute, very rich. ap
parently He lives in the Rue d'Anjou, Eau
bourg ST. Honore. He knows all the eastern
languages but does not read English. S,
much the better for us. You must take YOU
share of the translation, Paul; then we shal
do it in half the time"
with all my heart. But how are we t,
live meanwhile! Can We exist for thre
weeks without food-granting we can do j
without fire. i have not q SOU in the world
nv wardrobe my bijouterie, my books-evel
NV law-books-are all at the pawnbroker's
and my allowance is not due for eight weeks
l believe. You might as well try to bleed
stone as to extract money from my worthy
parent before the precise day and hour; ant
borrowing becomes more arduous every day
| That is my position. And yours?'
''The same exactly, my dear Paul, excep
that have these two francs fifty centime
which you see, and that no allowance come
to me at the end of eight weeks!''
'Two francs fifty centimesl That will no
tide us over the three weeks Until this terrible
translation is finished. And how are we tt
buy paper pens and ink e
Raoul did not speak for some moments; he
| had suddenly grown thoughtful and serious
We had been talking in a half-jesting tone
but when next he spoke his voice was grave
"It's not the prospect of a little more cold
and hunger 1 am thinking of, i" he said at last
mo doubt we shall contrive to dine at least
every second day, and we can lie in bed a
good deal, as we have done before But to
morrow, my friend, is Christmas, and this
day week is New Years day"
"Wenr
"Well-don't you see what that means!
On New Year day we give gifts to those we
love"
''Ah!-Gabrielle! ] did not think of thatr'
'My dear Paul, you never Think That is
why l love you. But Just see how | am
placedl You know that, if she chose-if she
took back her word to me-Gabrielle might
have presents dresses = jewels what you
will! And II shall walk with her round
the Boulevards; the windows are full of
pretty things; she will scarcely look at them,
for fear of vexing me; and l shall not be
able to turn my eyes from them, for thinking
of what should like to buy for her. l shall
see the people crowding in and out, laughing,
joking, happy in giving and receiving-and
for Gabrielle, nothingl Even the booths on
the edge of the pavement we must pass
even the most trihing keepsake, cannot give
it her! That is what happens on New Years
day to the poor man who has sweetheart"
''lf had only something left to send 70 the
pawnbroker!"
The exclamation escaped me unawares, /
was SO moved by Raoul's evident pain of
mind. 1t made him laugh, however; he de-
clared that was my instructive resource.
And, indeed, there was some truth in this,
confess it.
"Let us look things in the face" said at
last; "surely there must be some resource, if
we can only think of it. / shall go to Levi
Jacob tomorrow; shall demand loan;
shall tell him"
''That your friend Raoul Girard wants to
buy present for his affianced ON New Years
day? That won't soften the flint that does
duty for heart with Levi Jacob, my dear
PAUL. And besides you owe him too much
already"
'"Too true And can you, then, think of
nothingT'
''Nothing. You know that since LIE Petit
Monde stopped no other journal has accepted
my articles And my wretched salary as
critic for LIE Drame is already overdrawn;
they will advance me nothing. / had some
hope when the editor of The Monde gave me
that letter to NJ. Beauvais. l thought he
might have paid us something in advance.
But that hope has failed"
For some time we both slipped our coffee in
Silence. / had never before seen Raoul thus
in open rebellion against mis- poverty had
never before seen that shadow ON his brow
which darkened it tonight.
''Our only hope now,n said at last, gloom
lily, ''seems to be in miracle"
Say at once-in letter from the director
Of the Odeon"
''And why not? Only I would not call that
a miraclel You know what 1 said of your
comedy at the time, Raoul-you know what
Tisson, of LIE Drame said of it."
81 know, my dear Paul, that if you were
director of the Odeon the rehearsals would
begin tomorrow. But evidently NJ. Des-
nouette's opinion is not ours. 1 wish he
would send back the manuscript; l could
make short story of it."
Raoul spoke lightly, but l knew that this
particular failure had bitterly disappointed
him. Six months hard work had been given
to that comedy. There were scenes and situ-
ations in it that-but this is quite needless
DEPRESSION. a..
''Have L not heard you speak of a r-al.Ns
Of yours living in the Quarter" r'en.e
to say; ian uncle, was it not, ho % LILLE
Perhaps he" L.,
ssUseless to think of it, he Is rlcn-how
rich nobody knows but Amself. But ne Is
miser: he grudges hiy-sef every mouth1ul ne
eats and every faoot he burns. he must be-
lieve that tbero are pockets in the winding
sbeetl You remember that day III the gar
dens of the Luxembourg last summer"
"Ouite well. We were sitting under the
frees. feeding the birds with the crumpib iboh-
over from our breakfast. An old oat Tt was Il
bled past and frowned at us.
he said to you, Raoul!' .nover eiva AWAY
"'Young man. h s. NAV T want vorrself,
what some dfnanl never vet have asked
And that i him for myself. Twice went
enyth'When my good uncle at Provins-his
toi brother-was lying i'll and ia Want.
Rather than give me roney-rather than
part with his cherished coin, he actually gave
ne one or two things he had about him, al'ti-
,ies OF vertu--to sell!'
81 remember. What singular mani"
''He is a cur; I can call him nothing else!
When my poor uncle at Provins died went
to him again. 1t was about the costs OF the
funeral Pay for all, he said; then bring
an exact account to me- l paid for all;
partly with what l could scrape together,
partly by loan from you. W hen L went
back found that my worthy uncle had
given strict orders to the servant never on
any showing to admit me again. That was
year ago, and he owes me the money to this
/. (