FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150  
151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   >>   >|  
ry still claiming him as the dungeon's own. Now it chanced that the _Cigarette_ had passed some years of his life in Egypt, where he had made acquaintance with two very bad things, cholera morbus and pashas; and in the eye of the Commissary, as he fingered the volume of Michelet, it seemed to our traveller there was something Turkish. I pass over this lightly; it is highly possible there was some misunderstanding, highly possible that the Commissary (charmed with his visitor) supposed the attraction to be mutual, and took for an act of growing friendship what the _Cigarette_ himself regarded as a bribe. And at any rate, was there ever a bribe more singular than an odd volume of Michelet's history! The work was promised him for the morrow, before our departure; and presently after, either because he had his price, or to show that he was not the man to be behind in friendly offices, "_Eh bien_," he said, "_je suppose qu'il faut lacher votre camarade_." And he tore up that feast of humour, the unfinished _proces-verbal_. Ah, if he had only torn up instead the _Arethusa's_ roundels! There are many works burnt at Alexandria, there are many treasured in the British Museum, that I could better spare than the _proces-verbal_ of Chatillon. Poor bubuckled Commissary! I begin to be sorry that he never had his Michelet: perceiving in him fine human traits, a broad-based stupidity, a gusto in his magisterial functions, a taste for letters, a ready admiration for the admirable. And if he did not admire the _Arethusa_, he was not alone in that. To the imprisoned one, shivering under the public covering, there came suddenly a noise of bolts and chains. He sprang to his feet, ready to welcome a companion in calamity; and instead of that, the door was flung wide, the friendly gendarme appeared above in the strong daylight, and with a magnificent gesture (being probably a student of the drama)--"_Vous etes libre_!" he said. None too soon for the _Arethusa_. I doubt if he had been half an hour imprisoned; but by the watch in a man's brain (which was the only watch he carried) he should have been eight times longer; and he passed forth with ecstasy up the cellar stairs into the healing warmth of the afternoon sun; and the breath of the earth came as sweet as a cow's into his nostril; and he heard again (and could have laughed for pleasure) the concord of delicate noises that we call the hum of life. And here it might be thought that my
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150  
151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Commissary
 

Michelet

 

Arethusa

 
highly
 

imprisoned

 

verbal

 

friendly

 

proces

 

Cigarette

 

volume


passed

 
delicate
 

public

 
covering
 
noises
 

shivering

 

suddenly

 

companion

 

pleasure

 

calamity


concord

 

chains

 

sprang

 

magisterial

 

functions

 
stupidity
 

traits

 

letters

 

thought

 

laughed


admire

 

admiration

 
admirable
 

breath

 

afternoon

 

longer

 

ecstasy

 

cellar

 

healing

 

carried


warmth
 
strong
 

daylight

 

magnificent

 

gesture

 
appeared
 

stairs

 
gendarme
 
nostril
 

student