The Washington critic., 1890-02-09

unreserved, and, without any attempt
on my part to draw him out, he had
elucidated, with frankness that must
have satisfied the most inquisitive,
whatever small points Of his recent his
tory and present position he had
previously left in obscurity. The con-
versation began so soon as the cloth
was removed and the guests had de-
parted, by jesting allusion on my part
to his filtration with the actress and to
her gracious reception of his attentions.
1T is no mere flirtation," said Van,
gravely. "My intentions are serious.
You may depend Mademoisclle Sendel
understands them as such"
"Seriousl You don't mean that you
want to marry herr"
"Unqueslionably l do. 1t is my only
chance"
Your only chanccl' repeated, con.
siderably puzzled care you about to
| turn actor, and do you trust to her for
instruction in histrionicsT'
mot exactly. l will explain. La
Sendel, you must know, has just termi-
mated her last engagement, which was
! at salary of 10000 florins She has
already received and accepted an offer
of new one, at $4,000, from the
| Vienna Theatre. Vienna Is q very
| pleasant place. Fifteen thousand florins
are $4,000 francs, or 1000 of your
English pounds sterling. Upon that
sum two persons can live eXcellently
well-in Germany, at least"
Unable to contradict any Of these as
sertions, held my tongue. The Dutch
man resumed:
"You know the history of my past
life; will tell you my present position.
1t is critical enough, but shall inn
prove 1t, for here" and he touched his
! forehead, "is what never fails me-
This letter" (he produced an epistle of
mercantile aspect, bearing the Amster-
dam post.mark), II received last week
from my eldest brother The shabby
Schelm declares he will reply to no
more of mine; that his efforts to ar.
range matters with my father have been
fruitless, and that the old gentleman
has strictly forbidden him and his
brothers TO hold any communication
with me, command they seem willing
enough to obey. So much for that.
And now for the finances. "
He took out his pocketbook, opened
and shook it-a flimsy, crumpled bit of
paper fell out. 1t was a note of the
Bank of France for 1000 francs.
my last" said he. "That gone, I
am beggar. But it won't come to
that, either, thanks to Fraulein
Emile"
Surely" said I, "you are too recl-
less of money; too extravagant and un-
J rejecting. Six months ago you told
me you had twenty such notes"
"Ay, twenty-five exactly at the end
of January when / left Amsterdam.
But whittier was / bound? To Paris,
and who can economist there? I've
had my moneys worth and could have
had no more had 1 dribbled the dirty
10000 tlorins over three years instead
of three months. take great credit
for making it last so long. Such sup
pers, and balls, and orgies, with the
pleasantest fellows and prettiest ac-
tresses in Paris. But the louis-d or roll
rapidly in that sort of society. One
must be Russian prince OF q French
.teutlletoatSte to keep it up. never
flinched at anything so long as the
money lasted Then, when l found
myself reduced to the last note, | got
into the Frankfort mail and came to
rusticate at this rural roulette table. My
next change will be to conjugation and
Vienna"
'But if you had only 1000 francs
on leaving Paris, and have got them
still, how have you liv ed since?'
You don't suppose these are the
same? There are not many ways of
getting through money here unless one
CANDLES, which do not; but coin has
somehow or other a peculiar aptitude
to slip through my fingers, and the
1000 francs soon evaporated. Mean,
while, | had written dozens of letters
to my brothers, who seldom answered,
and to my father, who never did.
promised reform and respectable life
if they would either get me a snug
place with little to do and good pay, or
make me a reasonable yearly allow
ance, something better than the paltry
5000 forms they doled out to me when
| was in the artillery, and on which, as
] could not live, was obliged TO get in
debt. They paid no attention to my re-
quest, reasonable as it was. The best
offer they made me was five francs a
day, paid weekly, to live in a Silesian
village. This was adding insult to in
jury, and left off writing to them. A
few days afterward, taking out my
purse TO pay for cigars, dollar
dropped out. 1t was my last. paid
it away, walked home, lay down upon
my bed, smoked and reflected. My po-
sition was gloomy enough, and the
more looked at it the blacker it
seemed. From my undutiful relatives
there was no hope; the abominable
Silesian project was evidently their ul
timatum. l had no friend to turn to,
no resource left. ! might certainly
have obtained the mere necessities of
life at this hotel, where my credit was
excellent, and have vegetated month
or two as man must vegetate without
ready money. But | had no fancy for
such an eXpedient, a mere protraction
of the agony. / lay Illuminating for two
hours, two such hours as | should be
sorry to pass again, and then my mind
was made up. had brace of small
travelling pistols amongst my baggage;
these loaded and put in my pocket;
and then, leaving the hotel AMI the
town, | struck across the country for
some distance and plunged into a
wood. There l sat down upon q grass
bank, my back against an old beech
II was evening and the solitary little
glade before me was striped with the
, last sunbeams darting between the
tree trunks | have difficulty in defining
my sensations at that moment. | was
quite resolved, did not waver an instant
in my purpose, but my head was dizzy,
and had sickly sensation about the
heart. Determined that the physical
i i