PAGES 3 AND

Tom Rouvière is with his friends, They are before the fire. Mme Dupuis is telling M. Rouvière that she thought M. Dupuis Was crazy, for he was shouting ‘‘Its Tom! Its Tom!” But she thought she had good ground for believing it was M. du Luc. M. du Luc never went through Saint-Sauvour without biddiug them good day. But M. du Luc had a new carriage and his own horses, and Tom had taken the stage. Was it more natu, al to expect to see M. Rouvière ‘han their neighbor? Thoy had not heard of him for more than vhirty years. Butheis here now, and they are sit. tingattt le. They are eating the pure mutton of Miels, the genuine } salé, but the cutlets are covered with bre. ‘rumbs. Poor Mme apuis is mortified, for Rouvière tells her that people do not cover the pré salé with bread crumbs any more. So she offers him a littlesole. Tom tells them that a week ago he was in Dublin. That then he was in London, and then in Jersey. In

Jersey the idea came to him to come and sce his old companion. And there he is.

PAGES 5, 6 Rouvière said to himself that it was at Saint-Sauveur that his friend lived of old. He would 80 and ask dinnerofhim. But he is an odd fellow, and as he has been on the road for thirty years,

like the Wandering Jew, he has eaten strange, unheard-of things,

44 COMPOSITION EXERCISES, not eaten. Ho is an Unceremonious guest, aud finds fault with

snipe, but those he eats at Mme Dupuis’ have a defect. They are too recently killed, and they have not been sprinkled with fine

M. Dupuis remembers that Tom has lived in Italy, and he gets macaroni made in the Italian fashion. But Tom says one might as well chew organ pipes. It is not Italian macaroni, He will have the grocer arrested. Mme Dupuis begs him to taste the rico pudding. Then she hears the angelus, and goes to get her mantle. Mme Dupuis is a little over-pious. Every evening she goes to church, whatever the weather may be. But she leaves her husband at peace in his lukewarmness. And she bids them good-bye. Dupuis asks Tom whether he thinks his wife very country-like., Poor woman! What could be expected? She never goes out of her nest. And Tom's arrival excited her, She talked at random. She showed herself in her most unfavorable light.

Poor Puss! Marianne takes her away, for her master will throw her out of the window, or have her drowned, if she stays (rester). Dupuis tells Tom what he does with his evenings. In

fine future before him. He was going to acquire the practice of a lawyer in the court of appeal, but he came to the country. It took him by the collar and held himfast, Likea piece of gearing it seized him, and drove him on from one draw-plate to another.

De VU CO.

ta tttte

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Ve PAGES 11, 12,

M. Dupuis was caught by the charm of country life. He married and bought his father-in-law's practice. He remained thirty-five years shut up in Saint-Sauveur. He had the plan of selling his practice after fifteen years, but he had to keep his practice in order to give a suitable dowry to his daughter, Then he was too old. And nowhois a grandfather. But Tom has been as free as à bird. Frecd from family ties he rushed into space. He followed tigers and elephants in the bamboo forests of India. Then he arrived at Canton, in the midst of fires of & thousand colors, where the arrival of the emperor was being celebrated. The temples of porcelain were shining in the distance.

Tom, having travelled for several years, came down from Canada to Brazil. Ha stayed longest in Peru. There, the attraction of the gaming table is groat. You see there the sparkle of gold, and all

the treasures of land and sea are mingled. Whole nights are but minutes. But everything

whaler to the South Pole.

Then he sailed for Europe.

goeson trips. He resides in Europe. He goes from one town to another. Europe is his—Naples with its bay and Paris with its

Poor George! Ho has eaten and slept, and he has gone down in the scale of beings! Tom found him rusty. When he set foot in George’s house he thought he was going into a deadhouse. The gloomy neatness made his eyes sad. He remembered George’s

46 COMPOSITION EXERCISES

saw. George's language surprised him. But now he will speak of something else. George has performed his duties. Nothing

Tom will tako George to the museums and theatres whilst they are waiting for the close of winter at Paris,

George loves music and he will take his flute with kim. Inthe very first days of spring they will cross the Pyrences. They will visit the capitals of Germany. George feels that this scheme opens heaven to him. He has lived long enough for others. He owes duties to himself, He will not let the sacred flamos of intelligence and imagination be snuffed out. But he does not wish to leave this evening. The night threatens to be rough. Heisnt afraid of anybody, but he had counted on two or three days to get ready. But Tom will not put off their they will never start, Tom wishes to

. But Tom Tom will tell her to be

George will not abandon his friend, he will not desert during the fight. He will 80 this night at nine o’clock. Tom's principal object is to oblige George, but he will take (avoir) pleasure in casting a thundeïbolt into the midst of his wife’s calm. Before he had seen her, ho had &uessed what she was, The arrangement of her furniture, the stuffod bengalee, the barometer, the spun glass gave him the measure of her personality. He was sorry for a clever man like George. What must he not have suffered under

| NW 0

COMPOSITION EXERCISES, 47

suchayoke! It'sa tkirty-year martyrdom! But she will find her master, Tom remembers the Indian Fury. But Madame enters, speaking to her cat, which had beon driven out. She has noticod that the scapegraces have bcen smoking. Tom and George

were 80 absorbed in their great project that they had not noticed it.

Mme Dupuis can guess riddles: Tom is going to take George away. He is seizing the opportunity of Tom's hasty departure. Tom will carry off his body, but will leave his heart with his wife. And Madame’s collection will be enriched with objects of art, But Madame hides her face in her hands and weeps. And that embarrasses Tom. It is not fair, What is the trouble, after all? À journey is not the death of a man! You get over it, Tom will not take her husband tothe wars. Her despair is out of proportion to the occasion. She will see her George again. What do the wives of sailors do ? Their husbands come back again.

Poor George is not accustomed to fatigue, and Tom will take good care of him. He will bring him back fresh and rosy, and there will be no more tears. Really, Mme Dupuis’ affliction had no justification. She would live nicely with her daughter, and George would only be half absent, But there are sorrows which Tom cannot nnderstand. Hislifohas been different from Georges. His heart has not been entangled in those ties whose strength cannot be known. Tom does not value the hearth-stones of a common life. This trip will cast anxiety into Mme Dupuis’ present. She has often asked herself whether George was happy. She felt that she was far below him. But Tom says that her distrust of herself is extreme. The better he knows her the more he

appreciates Georges choice. She tells Tom that she cursed him a long time ago.

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Mme Dupuis soon noticed that Tom's name represented for George the pleasures of youth. She was the prose of practical life. Do what she would, Tom was the stronger one. But God gave her her daughter, and Tom was conquered, Tom has come back, and her daughter has gone, and she will not be able to retain her husband. And even if she could keep him she would not. His silence, his ennui, would irritate her. But she expects that Tom will make his absence as short as possible. Marianne thinks it is a very odd idea which takes M. Dupuis to go to Rome, And she lets the trunk roll downstairs. M. Dupuis is not pleased, and dismisses Marianne. ;

If George does not revise his decision, Madame will dismiss Marianne. But he is not a weathercock. He will not allow his servants to read him a lesson in his own house. Madame would like to have a look at her husband's trunk. Men don't krow much about clothes ! Dupuis thinks his wife has taken the thing very well. She was afraid of Tom. At first she was excitod. But she was courageous and intelligent. Dupuis would not have married her if she were not so (te). She has defects, but what is that beside affection, sense, and the most unobtrusive piety ! Dupuis will not forget the good qualities of his wife, but it remains none the less true that he has been living in his shell. Hohas had too many narrow (=parochial= de clocher) cares.

Fe 45 À PAGES 29, 80,

Dupuis insists more than ever on this trip. His.hesitation is gone. He does not fear the impression his departure will make on his wife’s mind. He will not embarrass his friend, The horses are ready. They gird their loins. They will sleep in the carriage. Buta window is broken, and they will be very cold. They will have cashmere shawls to put round their necks, They will remember their promises, and write to their daughter. Five years ago Tom wasillinaninn. It was the twelfth of January. It was a trial which he will not easily forget.

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It was in an inn at Peschiera, Tom wns in delirium for a weck. He awoke with a foeling of woakness. Ho recalls the scene with clearness of mind. He saw in his room people who were chatting. Their carelessness moved him to the depths of his soul. He looked all round, He looked for something which might speak to his heart. Ho had some curious reflections, He lost some of his pride. He read in the true book of life. The word duty was written iu it. He had thought he would snatch from ordinary human existence great blessings. But God sells us selfishness ata high price, He remembered the death of his father, He saw all those who were present at the last moment. His mother was there ; the old doctor too, and tho white-haired priest, And they all smiled through their tears u pon his father,

His father’s house and George’s are alike—tho little work tuble, the great armchair at the chimney corner, the family portraits on the wall. His father and mother were happy. And heshould have learned from their example. As s00n as they had disappeared, he sold their house. He s0\d the room whero he was born. And he cannot buy back the house where he first saw the sun. Tom and George will not go now. Tom will accept a place at his friends hearth. And Mme Dupuis will forget her husband's ingratitude. Marianne will get a bed ready for Tom in the blue bedroom, and Mme Dupuis will call back hor cat, They will rid Tom of his cursed selfishnoss.