The Progress., 1893-03-11
NJ INA.


which the Partisan griSette visits regu
Iarly in order to los e her heart-and no
infrequently her r. sy cheeks and the
freshness of her yout ii.
Harcourt pretende d TO study medicine
and it was among these pretty girls
sellers of flowers, EN- brolderers OF linen
and painters models that he managed
10 forget the terrors tine hospital and
the scenes q the surgi cal amphitheater
Charles Harcourt ha, / just arrived a;
the time of life when Ssoft down shows
on the lip, when Low e knocks at the
breast, and when the h cart resembles
lusty tree, full of vigor, from which has
fallen as yet neither lea nor fruit.
The trOmbones of the orchestra roar,
like thunder on a stol my sea; the vlo-
Inns scream like sea ulls above the
waves: the music rolls and growls Ike
some hungry beast. A j Is confusion.
White shoulders and g, ia lace CLEAN
through the heavy air. The innocent
and the guilty dance to gether N me
same delirious motion.
While the dancers tur and whlTl,
advancing wildly and as V mildly retreat
ing, far in q corner sits slender glri
watching the dance with air Of sad
ness. Her mOurnful eyes follow the
crazy motions of the crowd with aston
ishment, and a light sigh moves the
folds of null on her breast.
In the midst of this III descrlbable
confusion, this pellmell of igures and
voices, appears that of han sisome boy
Of twenty-five, remarkable for 'hls vivac-
&c l.
gesture. Finally, when the vi 0llns have
ended their agonizing cries and the
lamps are dying before the incoming
daylight, this boy, whom his fl 1ends sa-
Lutte as Harcourt, leaves the baiS, new
conquest upon his arm-n is the tsiender
brunette of the corner.
Charles Harco1rt appeared MO more
at the balls OF the Latin quarter. but
spent his days at i Ecole de Medicine,
passing his first examine ttions with dis
finction. In e,sf these fascinating
little houses-sncb are Beranger pre-
tends to have inhs bited at twenty
Charles made his home, harding ieal-
ously the dangerous happiness of a
union contracted without the help CT
lie marie and which is called tmorganatio
TO avoid the use of a less deli cate phrase.
His conquest of the ball was named
Nina. She was COCO and ipffeetiOnate
child, and in spite of the anacreontic
quadrilles Of the Latin luarteF, she was
innocent. She had kept her sheart in
tact. It was her sole seonOmy. Charles
and Nina loved one another lik 2 two of
La Fontaiue's doves Bat Nina was
consumptive, and Charles read with af
fright the death of his happiness IN the
paling face of his beloved.
His care Of her was unti1.ng; buN this
implacable, malady never zeleasest and
soon in a ks Charles received his mis-
tress's last SIGH. Nina died n the hos
pital; her lerc illness having exhausted
their feeble resources, and CT aries had
the cruel courage to deliver the body of |
his beloved to me investigations of TIE |
pathologist. He wished to pursue, even |
in the flesh, this rival who had xii I'D |
her. He made Use of a cynical usage TO |
preserve the skull. This, with a plaster |
mask nodded upon the emaciated body |
of the dead giyl was all that remained
40 him.
Mina's loss affected Charles lrofound-
careless, devoted only to coarseA pleas
ures, had grown a deep and serioua los 2
This honest and generous affection had
stified the germs OF evil Nina dead !
he was seized as by q vertigo, an6 he
plunged into the abyss. He found khn
self face to face with evil, and threw, to
this mopster the rest Of his youth.
In this ocean of false pleasures the re.
membraHce of Nina was drowned. and
petulant, little grisette called Mariette
took her place. One night in Ncvember 7
Marietta an, one of her friends Charles.
and one of hSs companions were together
IN little house on the Rue Ores The
might was cole and sinister; MASSES of
heavy clouds Were driven across a gray
sky, the moon showed her mouEful face
only at intervals sudden showers best
upon the windows and the wind aowle6 i
at the cracks.
These four young people drank and
sang, unaffected by the storm and THEN
strange environment. X was the strange .
medley CT the students Life that showed
in the small room-hers signs of work.
and there the broken bottles Of a drink {,
ing bout A small table held dried 6
tlbia, pile Of medical works, some {
empty wine bSttles and some articles of {
the toilet. There, too, was the plaster
cast of the dead Nina, figure slender !
10 meagerness, the eyes cavernous and I
empty, the lips dissorted into paseful !
smile, the plaster diseelored by the kisses J
placed upcn those lips in eternal fare !
well. Upon the chimney were candle, 1.
a small clock and human skull At ,
one side tiny couch, on the walls racks
for pipes and some cheap Autographs. +
Mariette and her friend Rose lounged | [.
about in untidy dishabille. Earnest !,
made pretense of study, while Charles, .
dulled by the warm and heavy air of n
the room, leaned on the long table in 2
silence. II was group worthy of the e
brush of Cabot. !;