The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-05-16

flesh has a directly favorable influence
over the disposition OF the person On
whose body they accumulate. J have in
variably combatted both these absurd
assertions by quoting examples ofx fat
people who were as mean. vicious. and
cruel. as the leanest and worst of their
neighbors. | have asked whether Henry
the Eighth was an amiahle character?
Whether Pope Alexander the sixth
was good man. Whether
Mr., Murderer and Mrs Muir
.deress Manning were not both unusually
stout people. Whether hired nurses. pro-
verbslly as cruel a set or women as are
20 be found in all England. were not. for
the most part. glso AS fat a set 81 WON
en- as are 10 be found I'm all England?-
and so on. through dozens OF other ex-
amples. modern and ancient. native and
foreign, high and low
Holding these strong opinions on the
subject with might and main. I do al
this moment, here, nevertheless. is Count
Fosco, as fat as Henry the Eighth him
self. esta blshed in my favor at one days
notice, without let or hindrance from his
own odious corpuence. Marvellous indeed,
Is IL his face that has recommended
him?
II may be his face. He is a most re
msrkahls likeness. on large scale. Of the
great Napoleon. His features have Napo
Icons magnificent regularity: his expires
sion recalls the grandly calm. immcvable
power Of the great soldiers face. This
striking resemblance inly impressed
thing in him besides the resemblance.
me, 70 begin with but there is some
thing in him besides the resemblance.
which has impressed me more. think
the influence / am now trying 10 And. is
I'm his eyes. They are the most fathom
BILE gray eyes | ever saw, and they have
az times a cold, clear. beautiful. irresist-
ihle glitter In them which forces me 10
look az him. and yet causes me nsatlons.
when | do look which I would rather
not feel Other parts OF his face and
head have their strange peculiarities His
complexion. for instance. has a singular
sal How fairness, so much al variance with
the dark brown color Of his hair that ]
suspect the hair cf being a wig. and his
face, closely sfaven all over. is smoother
and freer from all marks and wrinkles
than mipe. though according to Sir Per
civals account of him) he is close on sixty
years Of age. But these arc not the promi-
nent personal characteristics which dis
tinguish him. TO my mind, from all the
men / havesever seen. The marked pc
cuiarity which singles him out from the
rank and file Of humanity, lies entirely,
as far so I can tell ar present. in the ex-
traordinary expression and extraordinary
power OF his eyes.
His manner and his command Of our
! language may also have assisted him, in
some degree. 10 esta blish himself in my
good opinion, He has that quiet defer
! ence. that look OF pleased attentive inter
est. IN listening 10 a woman. and the
secret gentleness Of his voice in speaking
10 woman which. say what we may.
we can none OF US resist. Here. too. his
unusual command Of the English language
necessarily helps him. l had often heard
of the extra ordinary aptitude which many
Italians show In mastering our strong.
hard northern speech. but, until I saw
Count Fosco. I had never supposed II pos
sible that any foreigner could have spoken
English a he speaks II. There are times
when il Is almost impossible 10 detect. by
his accent. that he is not countryman
of our own; and. for fuency, there are
very few born Englishuen who can talk
with as few stoppages and repetitions as
the count He may construct his sen
tences. more or less. in the foreign way;
but | have never vet heard him use n
wrong expression. or hesitate for n mo-
ment in his choice OF words
All the smallest characteristics OF this
strange man have something strikingly
original and perplexingly contradictory in
them. Fst as he is, and old as he is. his
movements are astonishingly light and
easy. He is as noseless I'm a room as
any Of us women: and. more than that,
with all his look OF unmistakable mental
frnness and power. he Ia as nervously
sensitive as the weakest Of us. He starts
at chance noises as inveterably as Laura
herself He WINGED and shuddered yester-
/ day when Sir Perciyal beat one OF the
/ spaniels. so that felt ashamed Of my
/ own want OF tenderness and sensibiity
| by comparison with the count.
The relation OF this last incident re-
/ minds me Of one OF his most curious pc
! culiarities. which | have not yet men,
! toned-his extra aordinary fondness for pet
animals.
Some Of these he left on the continent.
but he has brought with him TO this
| house a cockatoo, two canary birds and
a whole family Of white mice. lie attends
TO all the necessities of these strange
favorites himself. and he has taught the
| creatures 10 he surprisingly fond Of him
| and familiar with him. The cockatoo. n
most vicious and treach herous bird toward
every one else. absolutely seems to love
him. When he let's IL out of its cage,
IL hops on 10 his knee. and claws its way
UP his great big body and ruhs It's top
knot against his sallow double chin in the
most caressing manner ina ginable He
, has only 10 set the doors OF the canaries'
| cage open and TO call them; and the pretty
little cleverly trained creatures perch
fearlessly on his hand. mount his fat
I outstretched fingers one by one, when he
tells them 10 go upstairs" and sng to
gether as II they would burst their throats
with delight when they get up 10 the top
| finger His white mice live in n little
pagoda II gayly painted wire work. de-
/ singed and made by himself
They are almost as tame as the cana
res. and they are perpetually let out.
/ like the canaries. They crawl over him,
| popping in and ont OF his waistcoat. ana
.N.ls Ii
| capacous shoul1ers He seems 20 he
oven founder of his mice than OF his other
/ pets smiles at them and kisses them.
and calls them by all sorts of endearlng
names II II he possible 10 suppose an
! Englishman with any taste for such child
/ ish interests snd amusements as these.
| that Englishman would certainly feel
rather ashamed of them. and would he
anxious 10 apologize for them. IN the com
! pa1y OF Frown-up people Bat the Count
/ apparently sees nothing ridiculous in the
J amazing contrast between hts colossal
] "a fran lie WOuli