TheParisoftheNovelists 10099964

THE PA R I S OF
T H E N O V E L I S TS
BY
ARTHUR B A RT LETT M A UR I C E
“
Author of The New Yor k f
o the Novelif tf ,
“ ” “
F iftk Ave nu e, B o ttled Up
I n B elgiu m, etc .
G A RD EN e mf NEW Y RK O
DOU B LE D AY , PAG E 8: COM PANY
I 919
C O PYRI GHT , 1 9 1 9, B r
Do v nu z A GE
mw , P C O MPA NY
AL L m m s R E S E R ED I N mm o r
'
o V CLU DI N G
,
m ns u r x o x z w o r o ns
'
c LAN G UA G ES
cm o ms SC A N D NA AN
I VI
PART I
P AG E
I . TH E TRANSATLANTI C JOURNEY IN
FI CTI ON
The Point o f Departure— The Transatlantic
Trip in Fic t io n— The Smo k ing Room in
“ ”— “
Captains C ou rageous Their Silver
”—
Wedding Jou rney Tales o f Romance and
Intrigue—Th e Suggestion o f th e Horizon
Mc An —
Point f V iew G ateways o f
’
d re w s o
App roach The English Countrysid e—Along

—
th e Southerly Route Th e Road Th rough
-
’
the Lowland s The Pilgrim s Personal Mem
-
i
o r es .
II . TH E PARI S O F V I C TOR H UGO

The Astonishing Hugo—The Publication o f
“
Les M is erab le s —The Rue d e Clichy ,
Hugo s First Pa ris Home— Associations o f

’
—
th e Southern B ank Hugo s Marriage ’
“
Hern ani — Han d I s la nd e
“ ” ’
Bug Jar -
” — ” —
gal The Writing o f Notre Dame The
Place des Vosges Residence—The Tra il o f '
— “
E smerald a The Sou rce o f Les Misérables ”
—The F light o f Jean Valj ean and the Pursui t

o f Javert .
vi C ONTENTS
P AG E
I I I TH E PARI S OF THA C KE RAY AND
.
DI C K E NS
“
Th e B allad o f th e Bouillab aisse — Te rre s
Tavern — “
A C aution to Travellers — Th ack
c ray as Art S tudent and Correspondent
The E arly M arried Li fe— Mrs B ro o k fi e ld
.
“ ” “
The Paris o f V anity Fair , The New
”
and The Adventu res o f Philip
“
The Paris o f Dickens s ATale o f Two C ities
’
—Dickens s D ays in Paris

’
.
i v THE T RAI L OF THE M U S KET EE RS

.
AND OTH E RS
The Personal Alexand re Dumas —The
“
Novel M anu fa c t u ry
”—
From V illers Co t
-
t e re t s to Paris— E arly Paris Homes — The

—
C h ateau o f Monte C risto D u ma s s Death at
’
— —
Dieppe Th e City o f the Valois The Streets
o f the Mus keteers .
V TH E PA RI S O R HONOR E D E BALZA C
.
Th e Paris o f Opening Paragraph s— Th e Rue

—
Les dig u i e res The H a ppily Forgotten Novels
— B alzac as Law Student and Publisher— I n
—
th e Rue V isconti The S ecret o f Achievement
“ ”—
Th e Hotel des H aricots
-
The Hidden
” —
Ch ambers — Les J a r die s
“
Th e “
Maison
” —
Vau q u e r Th e Faubourg S aint Germ ain-
—The Rue d u Doyenn é — Th e H aunts o f

C es ar B iro t t e au
.
CONTENTS v ii
PA GE
VI . S INI STE R STREETS
S lums O f Paris An cient Streets— T
— he Old
”—
Cit é o f Les Mysteres d e Paris The Per
s onal Eugene Sue— Les Myst eres
“ ”
,
and
“ ” —
Le Jui f Errant as Serials The Under
—
world o f I 84o Caverns in the C ours la
— —
Reine Paul de Kock His Amazing Fopu
—
la r it y Th e Tribute o f Major Pendennis
The Paris o f E mile Gaboriau .
VI I .ABOUT PARI S WITH ALPHONS E

DAUDET .
The Rue M o u fi e t a r d B aud e

— t s First I m
’
'
p ressions o f Paris— I n th e Latin Quarter

—
and th e Marais Scenes O f S apho — “
Les
”—
Rois en Exil The G enesis o f the Story
—
The Rue Monsieu r le Prince I n the Paris
G hetto—Originals o f the Daudet C h arac
ters .
V I I I BOH E MIAN TRAILS

.
The Migration o f Bohemia La Vie d e

Boheme and “
Trilby —
”
Henry M u rg e r
—
and his Contempora ries Youth a nd g e A —
’
Bohemian s Ex pense Book o f the Forties
“ ”—
Trilby The Studio in the Place St Ana .
—
tole des Arts D u Maurier and Henry James
— D u M aurier in Paris and Antwerp Trails
-
”
o f th e
“
Musketeers o f the B rush —Origi
n a ls o f th e Ch aracters
.
v iii C ONT E NTS
IX SOME O F TH E LAT E R E N G LI S HM E N
.
The Lesson o f Laurence Sterne—The F rance

”
o f Kipling s
“ ’
The Light Th at Failed — Th e
”
Trail o f Stevenson R L S in Pa ris . . .
,
i —
F o nt a ne b le a u and Grez C onan Doyle s
,
’
Sherlock Holmes and B rigadier Gerard

”— ’
The Re fugees Leonard Merrick s Tri
cotri mand H is H aunts — The Paris o f Arnold
— “
B ennett The Writing o f The Old Wives
”— “
Tale W J Locke s The B eloved V aga
.
’
bond and S eptimus —M r Locke o n H is .
Own C h aracters .
’
X ZOLA S PARI S
.
\ The B itter Years o f App renticeship The -
World S een from a G arret— Employment

a t H achette s — First Published Books At
’
—
F laub ert s Table —The Story o f th e House
’
—
at M ed an Paris Streets and the Novels o f
th e “
Rougon M ac q u a r t
”—
D ram S hop s
-
,
Markets and Dep artment Stores

, .
XI TH E PARI S OF G UY D E MA U PAS SANT

.
—
The Real B el Ami The Key to the C h arac
-
—
ters M aupa s s a nt s Heritage and Training ’
—
The Years o f Achievement The Day s Work ’
—The V alet F ran c ois—The G athering S had

,
o w s —The Down fall .
XI I TH E PARI S OF SOM E AM E RI CANS

.
I rving and C oo per—Poe s The Mystery “ ’

C ONT E NTS ix
” “
o f
Marie R oget ,The Purloined Letter ,
“ ”
and Th e Murders in the Rue Morgue
—
Digression Paris in the Books o f Archib ald
Clavering Gunter Marion C raw ford and W
, .
D Howells M ark Twain Henry James

.
, , ,
E dith Wh arton Rich ard H arding Davis

, ,
Owen Johnson Louis Joseph Vance F

, , .
Berkeley Smith Cleveland M o fl e t t G uy

'
, ,
a — “
Wetmore C rry ll H L Wilson s Ruggles . .
’
”— “ ’
o f Red Gap Booth Tarkington s Th e
” “ ”
G uest o f Quesnay Th e Beauti ful Lady
, ,
“
and His Own People — Frank Norris in
—
,
Paris An 0 Henry Paris Trail

. .
PA RT I I
ABOU T R U RAL F RAN CE
X II I TH E MA G I C OF TH E S EIN E
.
Between Paris Quais— The Parisian Afie ld

The Musketeers in th e Environs The River —
and Guy de M aup assant Meudon and —
“
Trilby ” — “
The Trail o f Peter I bbetson ”
S amuel B rohl e t Cie —Versailles — The

— “
Forest o f F o nt aine b le a u D a u d e t s S a pho ” ’
Ville d Av ray Ch aville and th e Lake at Em

’
, ,
gb ien .
XIV CH IME S O F NORMANDY

.
The Romance o f Old Names— C alais and

“ ’ ” —
Th ackeray s Desseins Boulogne and
“
The Ne w c o me s
”
Conan Doyle s Uncle
-
“ ’
Bernac ” — F ecamp Etretat and Guy d e

, ,
—
Maup assant The Real Maison Tellier
“ ”
H avre Pierre e t Jean and Henry James s
, ,
’
“
Fou r Meetings — ”
M au pas s ant s Literary
’
— “
Creed B alzac s Modeste Mignon ’
— S ands
o f Trouville— Ouid a s
“
Moth s —Ta rking
” ’
“
’ ”
ton s The Guest o f Quesnay The Kings -
o f Yvetot— Mont Saint Michel— Rouen and -

C ONTE NTS xi
P AG E
Mad ame Bova ry — —
The Real Y The
Style o f Gustave Flaubert— B el Ami and
“
-
,
Boule de Sui f - -
s "
Conrad in —
Merrick ’ “
”
Quest o f H is Youth .
XV A ROUNDABOUT CHAPTE R
.
Carcassonne— The Land o f the Fading Twi

light— Mademoiselle d e Maupin
“ ” “
Ma
” —
non Lescaut With B alzac in Touraine
The Home o f Eugenie Grandet—The C oun
“ ’ ”—
t ry o f Scott s Quentin Durward Abou t
France with the C om é die Humaine C on —
’
carneau and B lanch e Willis Howard s
,
“
G u e nn — Pierre Loti s Pécheu r d I s land e ” ’ ’
— Belle I sle e u Mer and the Death o f Por

- - -
“ ”
thos Ind ret and D a u d e t s Jack
-
,
’
.
XVI A PIL G RIMAGE TO TARTARIN

.
The Rails o f the P L M —At the Emper “

. . .
c urs — —
Streets o f Tarascon The B aob ab
V illa—The Castle o f King Ren e— The B ridge
—
to Beaucaire The Writing o f Tartarin d e
”
Tarascon .
XV I I ME DIT E R RAN E AN WATE RS

.
Ville me s s ant and Dante s Escape Th e ’

-
— “
Magic o f Marseilles C onrad s The Arrow ’
”— “ ” —
o f G OId Dickens s Little Dorrit Dau ’
dc “ ’ ”
t s Tartarin and S a pho — R H Davi s .
and Marseilles—The S hadow O f Monte

”—
C risto The C anne bié re and the C atalans
x ii C ONT E NTS
P AG E
—
Quarter The C h ateau d I f and Its S tory
’
The Island o f Monte C rist o —Th e Real E d

—
mond D antes M a q u e t s S h are in Writing
’
“
Monte Cristo — —
Zola in Marseilles Along
th e Riviera— De Maup assant and C annes .
XVI I I WH E RE TH E WALL O F ST E E L
.
H ELD
—
In Flanders Field The Heritage o f Disaster
—
Th e F iction o f the Young Republic Th e
-
Napoleonic E ra—The War o f r 87o —A St ev

e ns o nia n Proph ecy— The G reat C onflict
.
XIX TH E OLD-WORLD OPEN ROAD

.
—
Th e Trail o f th e Musketeers Th e Jou rney
to —
E ngland S eventeenth centu ry
-
Inn
— —
Names C rossing th e C hannel Old-World
Hostelries —Wine and Water— Proverb s fo r
Travellers —The Cost o f Travel .
XX MY OLD E U ROP E
.
IND EX
FU LL PAGE ILL U STRATIONS
Th e F ifteenth -century C hurch o f St M é d a r d .
F r o ntix pie c
e
Old Paris fro m Da me

“m
The Old Pont Neu f 72

Paris Was Born l n the Isle O f t he Seine
.
88
Th e Morgue 1 20
The Rue d a H a u t Pave Looking Toward the

,
Pantheon
Most o f the Streets Were very Narrow and H ad
”
no S idewalks
The V ieux Port O f Marseille s
I LL U STRAT I ONS I N TH E T E XT
The P assage des Patriarches A B it o f Old Paris

.
S kirted by Jean V alj ean and C osette in th e

“ ’
F light from Javert V ictor Hugo s Les
.
Mis erables
The Rue St Dominique o f ihe Old F aub o
. urg St .
G ermain In This Street Was the Hotel

.
d e F lorac o f Th ackeray s The Ne w c

“ ’
o me s
”
C ourtyard o f th e C onciergerie Whence S idney

.
“
Carton Went to Execution Dickens s A .
’
”
Tale o f Tw o Cities
Meung Where D Ar t ag nan First C ame u pon
.
’
iii x
LI ST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
A
P GE
the Scene o f F iction D umas s The Three

.
’ “
Musketeers
D Art a g nan s Lo d g mg m the Rue Tiq u e t o nne
’ ’
.
“
Du mas s Twenty Years A fter
’
Th e Rue Visconti Where Honore de B alzac

.
Established the Printing Press Th at Ruined

Him
The M aison Va u q u e r Where Pere Goriot Lived
.
and Died and Trom pe la—

, Mort Plotted -
.
The Rue Neuve S ainte G e ne y iev e I s Now the

-
“ ’
Rue Tourne fort B alzac s P Ere Goriot
.
“
A Sinister Street o f Old Paris S ue s Th e .
’
Mysteries o f Paris
Th e Rue d e V enise A Quaint Old World Pas
.
,
sage Still to B e Found Near the H alles

Centrales
The Old Temple M arket S ue s The M y s
’
.
t e r ie s o f Paris
The Old Mont S ainte G e rie v 1 e v e C rested by

-
.
the Church Th at Links th e Present and th e

Romantic Past
“
A Montmartre Street o f R L Stevenson s New . .
’
”
Arabian Nights , and Leonard Merrick s ’
“
Tr ic o t r in St o ries
“ ’
Th e Old Rue St Martin C onan Doyle s The
. .
Re fugees
’
The Genealogical Tree o f Z ola s Rougon M ac -
quart Family
The Cab aret o f the Assassins An Outpost o f the .
’
City o f Na ples O f Montmartre Z ola s .
L Ar g e nt
’
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS XV
A pproaching the B asili q ue d u S acre Coeur -
The Parc Monceau A Favou rite Setting o f Guy

.
de Mau passant
A Map Indicating th e Invasion O f France by
Certain English and American Works Of
Fiction
The Ancient Norman M o unt o f St Michel . .
M a u pas s ant s Notre Cc

“ ”
’
e ur
The Seine at Rouen Flaubert s .Madame ’
Bovary .
“ “ ’
Ry the Y o f Flaubert s Mad ame Bovary
,
The Walls o f Carcassonne

The Old Aub erge d u Cheval Blanc Abb é Pre .
“ ”
vost s Manon Lescaut
9
The Chateau d e Ve lo rs the Home O f Balzac s,

’
E ugenie G randet
A Map Indicating the Rural France O f B alzac s ’
“ ”
Comédie Humaine
King René s C astle Where the Montenegrin
’
.
”
Prince Was a Guest o f the State D a u d e t s .
’
”
Tartarin o f Tarascon
The Rhone B ridge from Tarascon to Beaucaire ,
Over Which Tartarin Went to Exile Daudet 3 .

’
”
Port Tarascon
Th e Ch ateau d I f from Which Edmond Dantes
’
Escaped in the Shroud o f the Abb é Faria .
“
D u mas s The Count o f Monte Cristo
’
INTROD UCTION
ESTE RDAY there w a s a familia r fa nd much

'
h ackneyed saying to the effec t that all goo d

Americans go to Paris when t he y d ie To d ay
’
-
.
it does no t come s o readily to the lips Somehow about .

,
it there is a flippant even a j arring note Yesterd ay

, , , .
,
fo r most o f us the city by the Seine stood for the light

,
ness and the gaiety o f li fe for the glitter of sp aciou s ,
boulevards fo r th e splendour o f open S paces fo r t he

, ,
“ ”
beauty o f monuments The ple a s a nt land o f France
.
as a whole meant th e pla ger o f Trouville o r Deauville,

—
q uaint fi shing villages o f B rittany largely p opulated ,
by aspiring p ainters in striking raiment w ho spoke

F rench with a delicious mid western nasal twang t he ,
-
,
Chatea ux o f To u mine the rich vineyards o f th e Ca

’
, te d Or ,
“
symbol o f th e im prisoned l aughter o f th e peasant girl s
”
O f France th e semi tropical warmth O f the Riviera .
,
-
It is t o a d ifi e r e nt Paris and a France which Paris rep

'
,
C
resents b ut which must never b e wholly j udged by

,
Paris th at the eyes o f millions o f Americans are tu rned

,
to— d ay .
Above all it is th e stones o f F rance th at to o u r coun

, ,
t ry me n and count ryw omen are taking on a new mean ,
ing We understand better now th e stately P ant heo n

.
th at crowns the Mont d e Paris Aux gr a nds hammer .
la p a tr i e r eco nna is s a nte NO longer will the great ceme

.
x v ii
xviii I NTROD UC TION
t aries o f Montmartre and O f P é re Lach aise b e merely
sp ectacles TOO close to o u r hearts are thousand s o f
.
si mple mounds th at peasant tended stretch from the

, , ,
F le mish lowlands to th e Vosges mountains along the ,
line where the Wall o f Steel held With newly awakened

.
’
eyes w e are beholding France s mighty p ast The .
c enturies that are gone now h ave thei r significance .
Yesterd ay Reims w a s a city unknown in the United

States s ave t o the travelled few TO d ay there is .
-
,
h ardly a village b etween the Atlantic and the Paci fi c

th at does not th rill to the name .
It w a s th e writer s p rivilege t o b e in th e F rench

’
S en a te th e d ay o f the formal announcement o f the

ent r ance o f the United States into th e World War ,
and later t o witness th e arrival o f the advance guard

o f th at vast army from across th e s e a th at was to be
such a factor in th e turning o f the tid e Subseq u ently .
h e h as seen th e new s pirit reflected in scores o f soldiers

letters Th at s pirit h as been o ne t o put t o shame the
.
O ld frivolity the o ld inade q uate a pp reciation o r even

,
recognition o f the things th at are vital and th at endure .
Face t o face with the G reat Adventure thousand s o f ,
those b oys turned t o the stones o f France fo r the sto ry

and interpretation o f her civilization her history her , ,
literature and her art

, Their footste ps are likely to be
.
followed by th e tens o f thousands o f mothers and fathers

and s isters w ho will make the pilgrimage in the years
t o come .
It i s an unwieldy p ast that formal histo r y at best , ,
presents The essence the colour the romance o f the

.
, ,
w orld th at is g on e h a ve e ver been best interp reted by

x x INTROD UC T I ON
It is a matter O f great interest if it h appen s t o be the
structure where Mrs Rawdon Crawley (nee Miss Re
.
“ ”
b ecca Sh arp) lived o n nothing a year The o ne .
d ominant im pression o f the Ch arterhouse will ever b e

To m Newcome answering Ads u m when
“ ” “ ”
O f C olonel
his name was called and standing in the p resence o f his

,
master There are certain men and women o f fi ction

.
w ho a re real and material whereas those w ho actually

,
h ad a b rie f existence o n this earth are b ut d ust Their .
n ames h ave cre pt into o u r d aily t alk It is enough to.
“ ” ” “
H e is a Pecksniff o r a Ta rt ufl e o r a Dr
'
s ay : , , .
”
Jekyll and Mr Hyde. .
NO city and no land is so rich in literary sh rines as

are the city and land with which this volume h as to d o .
There is h ardly a street o f the Paris o f th e p resent o r ,
o f the Paris th at is gone but which still lives th at is not ,
reflected in th e p ages o f th e imaginative writers o f

F rance Acros s the city o f 1 8 30 lay the sh adow o f
.
B alzac Th at memory alone i s enough t o people the

.
houses with a hund red vivid types The greatest .
setting o f the scene in all his b ooks the Maison Va u q u e r

,
“ ”
of Le P et e G oriot is still to b e found p ractically
, ,
“
unch anged since t he d ay when Tromp e la -mort -
t empted Ra s t ig nacin its garden The towers o f Notre

.
D ame are much the s ame as when the hunchb ack

Quasimod o looked down from them o n the labyrinth
O f streets b elow .The Little Pic pu s w as the re fuge
o f Jean Valj ean a fter his fl ight from Javert Th rough .
the Ma rais o ne m ay t rack the people o f Alphonse Dau

“ ”
de r s Fromont e t Risler
’
A vivid fancy will serve
.
t o identi fy the ve ry W indows o f the study o f Anatole

I NTRODU CTION xxi
’
France s Sylvestre Bonnard There is no need to stir
.
from the boulevards t o find the men and women w ho

peo pled th e pages o f G uy d e Mau passant .
This book h as been in mind and in h and for many

years The writer fi rst saw France as a boy o f eight
. .
He was there many times in the course o f the imp res

s io na b le teens It w as when he was in the early twen
.
ties th at th e literary associations began t o t ake hold O f

him when he fi rst found a delight in t ramping from
,
street t o street t rying to reconstruct Paris a s it w a s

,
’
when the King s Musketeers crossed sword s with the
Guards o f the Cardinal ; o r hunting fo r th e Café Momu s
“ ’ ”
o f Murger s S c enes d e la Vie de B oh eme o r th e studio,
o f Taffy the Laird

, and Little Billee o f Mr d u Mau
, .
“
’
r ie r s Trilby In later visits he h as O ften ignored th e
.
Louvre but there h as always b een found time fo r r e

,
newed intimacy with the literary trail No r h as it .
been a matter o f Paris alone Once fo r example .

, ,
enthusiasm fo r a certain delight ful creation o f Daudet

carried him t o Tarascon thence to the wh arves o f
,
Marseilles and thence by a French t ramp steamer o n

, ,
which he was the only passenger acros s the M e d it e r ,
r a ne a n to Algeria in the pursuit o f his beloved Tartarin .
To the regions where the wall o f steel held he w a s

close in th e terrible d ays when th e guns were b lazing
d eath and the gri p o f th e invad er o n the l and had not
yet been b roken The uni forms in tho u sands about him
.
were o f the Teuton field gray fo r it was the G erman line

,
that he was behind his b usiness there being as o ne o f

,
the American Commission fo r Relie f in Belgium and the

north o f France It was the o ne time when the literary
.
INTROD UC T I ON
t rail w as little in mind B ut in the years to come it is
.
his ardent hop e to s ee o ften again the H avre jetée where ,
M a u pa s s a nt s Pierre and Jean s at in the d arkness ; the

’
Ch ateau d I f o f the b ay o f Marseilles where Edmond

’
Dantes beat hi s head against the dungeon wall ; the

E splanade O f Tarascon where Ta rtarin told o f his lion
,
hunts and his ascent o f th e Jung frau ; and t o wake in

th e mo rning to the hum o f Paris going t o work Then .
,
in the spi rit in which Robert Louis Stevenson called to

“
the sh ade o f his adored D Art a g na n : h e will s ay : C ome
’
once more with Eug ene de Ra s t ig na ct o th e heights o f

P é re Lach aise and the ch allenge : A no u s d eux ma i nte n
‘
, ,
a nt ”
. Th at frankly is the s pirit o f the narrative : and if
, ,
this b ook is o f aid t o o ne American read er in fi nding the

t rail and better understanding its ch arm it will no t h ave
b een written in vain .
A RTHU R B ARTL ETT M A U R I C E .

PART I
C ON CE RNIN G T RANSATLANTIC
JO U RN E Y
I . C ON CE RN I N G THE TRANSATLANTI C
JOU RNEY
The P o i nt of Dep a r tur e The Tr a nr a tla ntic Tr ipi nF i cti o n The

S mo k i ng R o o m i n Cap
“
ta i n: Co nr a ge o u r
”
— “
The i r S ilver Wed
d i ng j o u r n ey
”
— T a ler of R o m a n ce a nd I nt r ig ne— T h e S u gger ti o n
of the Hor z n i o — M n d r ew
’
r P o i nt of Vi e w — Ga teway: of Ap
p ro a ch— Th e E nglis h C u o n t r y r i d e— A lo ng t he S ou ther l
y R ou te
The R oa d thr o u gh t he L o wla nds —The P i lgr i mr P err o na l M em

’
or ier .
H E R E is no need to wait until the liner o r t he

channel boat o r the landing lighter scrapes the
wharves O f a French port o r the t rain stops ,
fo r the custom-house examination at the French frontier ,
in order to greet the romance o f fiction No m atter .
the method O f app roach selected romance if o ne has , ,
eyes t o s ee it lines the way F rom the very moment

, .
o f emb arkation when th e clanging bell commands im

,
pe rio u s ly the sep aration o f those really about to travel

from those w ho with mingled emotions are merely
, ,
”
wishing them G od S peed fiction offers a wide Choice
,
o f motives ambitions and com panions Perha ps

, , .
your tastes are sed ate and selfishly masculine and th e ,
most ench anting S pot o n shi pboard is a corner o f the

smoking room In that case there is no better book
.
“ ’
t o which t o turn than Rudyard Ki p ling s Captains
”
C ourageous , t he fi rst chapter O f which p resents the
3
4 TH E PARI S OF TH E NOVELI STS
finest picture o f a transatlantic liner smokin g room th at
h as ever been shown in fiction a picture cont aining s o
,
many vividly illuminating touches in s o b rie f a space

that one s instinctive and admi ring comment is to the
’
effect th at nobody in the world b ut Kipling could h ave

’
written it .
But perha ps the point o f view from which o ne r e

gard s li fe and Euro pean t ra v el is o ne which holds too
assiduous p atronage o f the smoking room and its grossly
material j oys in ste m dis favour Then there is fo r
.
,
“
example Mr Ho w e lls s Their Silver Wedding J ou r
, .
’
ney . With a ch aracteristic love o f detail Mr Howells .
h as played about the t ransatlantic j ourney First .
there was the trip to Hoboken fo r the p relimina ry visi t

t o th e H anseatic boat th e C o lma nnia th e long dis ,
c u s s io ns about th e co mp arative merits o f th at vessel
and the N or u mbia the weighing o f p roblems o f

,
b aggage and equi pment th e amassing o f ma ps and

,
g uide books The

. Marches were deliberate and well
ordered peo ple and all this was the afl a ir o f a month
'
, .
Even a fter the actual e mb arkation o ne hund red page s

,
o r more were needed t o convey them without seriou s
mish a p o r exciting incident across the Atlantic a l ,
though twenty fiv e p ages s u fli c

-
e d to retu rn them to
America .
Perha ps it is the atmos phere o f myste ry int rigue , ,
deck ch ai r courtshi pth at is d esired Casually o ne may

-
.
Offer the conventional novel o f the George B a rr Mc

C utcheon typ e with its elusive Princess o f Graustark
,
and its highly endowed thou g h undeniably int rusive

American hero a kind o f tale which 0 Hen ry h as
, .
6 TH E PARI S OF TH E NOVE LI STS
o f
’
Kipling s A Matter o f Fact the Ra thmi ner ,
from Cape Town th at h as witnessed in South Atlantic

,
waters th e d eath o f th e s e a serpent and the agony o f

“ ”
it s mate blind white and smelling o f musk
, , It , .
may b e a boat o u t o f Gloucester o f a James B C onnolly .
sto ry ; o r the ship o f William M c “

Fe e s Casuals o f the
’
”
Sea ; o r a cra ft o f th e nautical romance o f Frank T .
B ullen o r C utcli ffe Hyne o r Morgan Robertson o r

, , ,
Albert So nnic hs e n o r even C lark Russell ; o r th e

,
h aunted ship o f the Marion C rawford ghost sto ry ,
Man Overboard o r at th e b eginning o f the j ourney , ,

“
the incoming Dimbu la ( The S hi pThat F ound Hersel f) ,
“
crying Oyez ! Oyez ! Oyez ! Princes Dukes and , ,
”
B aron s Of th e High S eas ; o r if th e white cli ffs o f
Albion b e very close at h and a little vessel hailing from ,
the Wap ping Old Stairs o f th e yarns O f W W Jacob s . . .
B ut a fter all there is really little need to follow with

screwed u p eyes o r th rough glasses di ffi cult t o focus
-
, ,
smudges o f smoke o n the skyline Romance i s nea re r .
at hand if w e are willing to accept th e testimony o f

Mc “ ”
And r ew s the dour S cotch engineer o f th e poem
, .
R o manc
e! Th o se fir s t c
l as s passe nge rs the y like it v e ry w e ll
-
,
P ri nt e d an b o u nd in littl e b o k s ; bu t w hy d o n t po e t s t ll ?
’ ’
o e
I ms i c
’
k o f all th e i r q i r ks n t u rns—t he l v e s a nd d o v e s t h y d re a m
u a
’
o e
Lo rd s end a man lik e R o bb i e B ur ns t o s i ng t he S o ng 0 S t e m!

’
, a
Sup pose th at o n the road to F rance you h ave crossed

the Atlantic by a line th at makes Plymouth th e fi rs t
port O f call I n the war zone years it would h ave b ee n
.
-
F almo u t h incidentally the inspiration o f th e line :

,
”
Every p rospect pleases and only man is vile ; and ,
TH E TRANSATLANTIC JOURNEY 7
there would h ave b een long hours Of delay in a d read ful

wooden shed by the waterside and rigid scrutiny by ,
Scotland Yard and the military authorities ; and the

vessel by which yo u ha d travelled a fter a period o f wise ,
d etention would h ave made its w ay by a circuitous

, ,
j ourney consuming six o r seven d ays west o f I reland ,
and north Of th e Orkneys to its home port o f Rotter

d am B ut the happier times o f peace are b eing con
.
s id e r e d
. A tender deposits you and your b aggage at
th e dock and a fter a custom house examination Of the
,
-
s uper fi cial O ld -world England kind you t ake your seat

, ,
in the carri age for the seven hour jou rney t o Lo nd o n

-
.
At a certain point o f that journey you take out th e guid e

th at sh all h ave replaced the familiar red bound books -
o f other d ays and thence derive a vast amount O f more

,
o r less use ful in formation You learn that near by are

.
th e ruins o f a fine abbey church Of the twel fth centu ry ;

th at o ne mile from the j unction is a new town a creation ,
of the G reat Western Railway with engineering works ,
occu pying an area o f two hundred acres and em ployi ng ,
twelve thousand workmen ; and that a town o f

inh ab itants a fe w miles farther o n is well know n fo r
, ,
it s corn and cheese markets and possesses manu factures

,
o f cloth churns and condensed milk

, , .
No w it h a ppens th at in o ne o f Rudyard Kipling s

’
“ ”
earlier stories My S und ay at Home
, there was ,
emph asized the ve ry s cene to which allusion is made in

the ab ove q uotation An American physician is mak
.
ing the j ourney He is essentially a practical man and

.
,
yet it is neither th e cheese market nor the churn manu

“
factory th at stirs his interest SO this is the Tess
.
count ry h e says
, . And over there somewhere t o th e
,
’
north is Stonehenge where s he died I don t wonder
, , .
”
p eople write novels about a place like this S O o n th.e
journey from Plymouth to London it is worth while to
take along as a companion the spirit o f t he American
“ ’
physician o f My S unday at Home H e will point o u t
.
o n the way much that is not to b e found in th e conve m
t io nal guide b oo k
-
. Devonsh ire will b e t o him th e land
O f Mr Eden Phillpotts and if h e h as a taste for lighter
.
,
fiction he will p eer o u t O f the train window over th e

Tors fo r a glimpse o f C onan Doyle s spectral Houn d ’
o f the B askervilles Miles to the le ft and north h e

.
,
will tell y o u lies th e V alley o f the D o on e s the scenes

, ,
o f the st ruggles b et ween great John Ridd and the sinister
Carver Doone The fact th at B ath lies in a certain

.
direction will remind him o f the wanderings o f Henry

F ield ing s Tom Jones and perha ps p rom pt him to e n
’
quire whether you are addicted to lighter fi ction and i f ,

“
so , wh eth er you h ave read Booth Tarkington s Mon ’
”
sieur B eaucaire and recall the s cene in the Pump Room
where the sup posed b arb er emerges in all the splendour
o f a French Prince o f the Blood Royal Finally as he
.
,
takes leave o f you in the Paddington Station he may ,
flippa nt ly remark th at it was from this very station th a t

Sherlock Holmes and Watson started to investigate t he
mysterious dis appearance o f th e favourite fo r the Wessex
“ ”
C u p a s narrated in the story o f Silver B laze .
He is a fter th e Pilgrim s heart— th at America n phy

’
s ic
’ “ ”
ia n o f Ki pling s My Sund ay at Home H ad th e .
road led over the S ussex Downs his talk would have
”
been o f the scenes and peopl e O f Rewards and F airies ,
THE TRANSATLANTI C JOURNEY 9
'
’
and Puck o f Pook s Hill and An Habitation En ,
”
forced o r o f ch aracters O f Dickens o r Th ackeray or
,
’
Trollop e o r O f C onan Doyle s vigorous novel o f C orin
,
thian England and th e h ard faced men o f the prize -
“
r ing , Rodney Stone .
There is wh at is known as the southerly route Th e .
P ilgrim c on fe s ses to great ignorance o f and little inter ,
e s t in the history o f the Azores

, As these lines are being .
reread in man u s c r i pt th e eyes o f the civilized world are

o n the islands fo r there men o f the United States Navy
,
are making a é ria l history B ut the sight o f Pont a .
Delgad a is cert a in to sti r him to chuckling memory o f

“ ’
th e dinner described in Mark Twain s The Innocents
”
Ab road ; the rep ast at th e end o f which the astonished
and emb arrassed American voyagers were con fronted
with a bill reaching startling figures in mysterious
milr e ir E ight h u nd red miles more and o n the le ft
.
,
rises th e rock o f Gib raltar and o n the right across th e , ,
strait Tangier lying white in the sunshine At th e

,
.
rock th e mighty Tartarin was landed a p risoner a fte r

the disast rous attempt to colonize Port Tarascon ; and
th e narrow C limbing streets o f Tangier played a part
,
“
in th e t ales o f A J D awson s A frican Nights Enter
. .
’
”
t ainment and were the scenes o f Ri chard Harding
,
“’ ” “ ”
If
’
Davis s The Exiles and Th e King s J ackal , .
the line b e o ne that the Pilgrim has fo r the moment

afl e c
’
t io nat e ly in mind the ship s course will lead first

’
,
to a Sicilian port reminiscent o f novels O ld and new

, ,
“
and o f the poem beginning : King Robert o f Sicily ,
b rother o f Po pe Urb ain and Va lmo nd Em peror o f , ,
Allma yne thence to the B ay o f Na ples where IOW ,

'
IO TH E PARI S OF TH E NOVE LI STS
lying Pompeii recalls the most famous o f all the B ulwer
Lytton stories ; then past Corsica and the Island o f
Mont e C risto from which the romance o f Alexand re
Dumas drew its title ; and fi nally into the harbour o f
Marseilles rich in swarming li fe and rich in fi ction
, .
Suppose the route is not the southerly route nor t he ,
route direct to F rance nor o ne o f t he s everal routes

,
that carry th rough England o r Scotland b ut a rout e

~
,
that h as at the end o f its s e a j ourney the port O f Rotter

d am o r the port o f Antwerp With th e li fe o f Hollan d
.
the works o f Maarten M a a r t e ns and O f Louis C ouperus

h ave m ade many American readers recently familiar .
B ut with th e exception o f the name o f Maeterlinck

, ,
fo r the S pirit o f the Lo w la nd s fro m t he North S ea to th e

" ’
F rench frontier it is the very unusual American w ho

,
turns to b ooks o f Dutch o r B elgian origin I t i s th e .
“ ”
land o f C harles Re a d e s The C loister and th e H earth
’
with its gorgeous pictures o f th e men women and , ,

’
manners O f the Middle Ages It i s th e land o f Ouid a s
.
“ ”
)
’
( O therwise Louise d e la Ram ée s A D o g f F landers,

o
“
and Tw o Little Wooden Shoes It i s the land o f
“ ”
La Tulipe Noire o f Dumas It i s th e land o f those
.
“ ”
stupendous ch a pters o f Les Mis é rables in w hich
Victor Hugo pictured th e B attle o f Waterloo I t is th e .
’
land th at Henry Esmond visited t o fi nd his mother s
grave Above all it is the land invaded by a timid little
.
,
English girl o f Russell S q uare whose fate w a s somehow

bound up in th e sweep and rush o f the imperial eagles .
A memory frankly intimate Tw o years ago me as u r

.
,
ing time from th e moment th at these lines are b eing

written the Pilgrim was behind th e G erman b attl e
,
TH E TRANSATLANTIC JOU RNEY I 1
lines a s a member o f the American Commission fo r

Relief in Belgium and the North o f France In the .
great house in the Avenue Louise o f B russels in which , ,
h e was quartered there was a l ib rary com posed o f many

b ooks in many languages indicating the cosmopolitan
tastes O f the owner o f the house who had fled be fore the ,
tide o f G erman invasion O ften o f nights in the d im

.
, ,
“ ”
light th e Pilgrim would turn in V anity Fair t o th e
, , ,
p ages dealing with B russels Perh ap s the description

.
would b e o f the Duchess o f Richmond s b all the night ’
be fore Waterloo ; th e moment when Willi am Dobb in

goes to George Osborne flushed by drink and whispers :
, ,
“
Th e enemy h as crossed the S ambre Our le ft is a l .
ready engaged and we are to m arch in three hours

, .
That d ay very likely the Pilgrim h ad climbed the

, ,
a ctual staircase O f th e scene th at was crowded with,
B elgians heart heavy at the fear o f deportation and

-
,
lined by sullen faced men in t he green gray o f th e

- -
Imperial G erman Empire Or perhaps the eyes would

.
b e s kimming the sentences telling how th rough th e ,
open windows came a dull distant sound over the s u n

, ,
“
lighted roo fs t o the southward how : God d e fend us , ,
”
it s cannon ! cried Mrs Major O Do w d and h ow a
’
.
’
,
thousand p ale and anxious faces might be seen looking

from oth er cas ements . Something would disturb the
reading ; a dull distant sound o f the present and not the
,
past borne by the night wind ; th e echoes o f the guns o f

a b attle besid e which Waterloo seems a border skirmish .
There i s th e memory o f o ne d ay O f following the

literary trail when the Pilgrim w a s not alone but in ,
comp any the most congenial and delightful fo r th e pur

12 TH E PA RI S O F TH E NOVE LI STS
pose It was a d ay very near th e end when the d eclara
.
,
tion o f war by th e U nited States was imp ending a nd ,
the fate o f the Americans behind th e German lines

seemed t o b e h anging in th e b alance Th at d ay th e .
Pilgrim lunched at the American Legation in th e Rue

d e Tr eves and a fterward in comp any with the Minis
, ,
ter started o u t to p rowl among streets O ld and new

, .
We sought the house where Byron h ad fo r a b rief time

lived th e structure th at sheltered Hugo in political
,
exile and the one that sheltered D umas in financial

,
exile At the th reshold O f the dwelling th at Charlott e

.
”
B ronte once inh abited we discussed V illette and ,
” ’
The Pro fessor and the demure little Englishwoman s
,
in fatuation fo r M H eger and th e unutterable b oredom

.
,
which the unresponsive p ro fessor o f th e Pensionnat d e

Demoiselles su ffered in consequ ence App roxim ately .
we placed the hotel where Lady B areacres and her dia

monds were mocked by Reb ecca C rawley o f th e b aleful
green eyes and th e street down which Jos S edley
,
clattered o n horseb ack in his flight t o G hent At th e .
flower market in the Grand Place w e pictured E mmy

leaning proudly o n her husb and s arm th e awkward ’
,
’
Dobbin d ancing attend ance and th e red faced O Do w d
,
-
and his ridiculous but kind h earted wi fe Fo r a few

-
.
brie f hours the green g r ay uni forms o f th e invaders

-
,
and the P i chelha u be n and the flag O f black white and

, , ,
red flying over th e Palais d e Justice were fa r away .

I 4 TH E PARI S OF TH E NOVELI STS
boulevard ? An entire q uarter ? Finally the d aring
suggestion : Why should not Paris hersel f be hence
“ ”
forth known as Hugo ? Without a smile the great
“ ”
man nods grave ap proval Who knows
. h e says ; ,
“
perhaps it will come to th at An Englishman visit
.
ing Hugo with a letter O f introduction and with many ,
courteous apologies venturing t o suggest that in future

“ ”
editions th e name Tom Jim Jack b e changed to a -
“
more p rob able designation Wh at gives you the right
.
” “
t o criticize a master p iece ? My admiration fo r it ,
and the fact th at being an Englishman mysel f I know

, ,
th at th e name y o u h ave chosen fo r you r princip al

C h aracter is a name that is quite i mpossible Th en .
Hugo d rawing himself u pto his fu ll height and waving

,
t he v is it o r to the door :
_
Yes you are an Englishm an
, .
— ”
B ut 1 1 a m Victor Hugo ! Th e poet fi nding himself
o ne d ay i n a railway train in com p any with t w o English
w o me n w ho s poke French
'
The fact th at Hugo despite

.
,
his years o f residence o n Englis h territory the years ,
O f his exile in Jersey and G uernsey did not know a word,
o f English leads t o the sugge s tion th at th e condition

,
must b e inconvenient fo r t ravel in England To wh ic h

.
“
the great m an replies : When England wants to talk to
”
me s he will learn my language It was Hugo h imself
.
“
w ho told th at story adding : From thei r amazement
,
at this answer it was evident th at they d id no t k now

”
w ho I wa s The E mperor o f B razil exp ressing a wish
.
“
to meet th e poet p ersonally Hugo s aying : . I do not
” ’
visit em perors which resulted in Dom Ped ro s courte
,
“
o us : Let not th at b e an obstacle to o u r meeti ng .
M V ictor Hugo h as the advantage over me o f age and

.
THE PARI S OF VICTOR HUGO 1 5
’
superior genius I there fore will visit him
. Hugo s
, , .
proposal when the Germans were besieging Paris that

the issue rest o n a personal encounter between him and
“
the King o f Prussia We are both Old He is a . .
powerful sovereign I am a great poet We are there

. .
fore equal Why should w e no t d ecide by single combat

.
the quarrel whic h d ivides o u r t w o nations and thus

”
spare many lives ?
Adol phe B risson the s o n in law o f Francisque S ar
,
- -
cey has written the story o f ho w the Belgian L a croix

, , ,
“ ”
became the p ublisher o f Les Mis érables It was in .
1 86 1 ,when Hugo was in exile livi ng at Hauteville ,
House Lacroix w ho h ad heard th at the boo k had j ust

.
,
been finished vowed th at h e would h ave it and wrote

, ,
Hugo a lyric letter declaring himsel f ready t o acce pt

,
“
any conditions and adding : , G enius is not to be
b argained with A fter considerable negotiation La
.
croix was invited t o the C hannel is la nd w he r e a fter a , ,
b usiness interview he bound himsel f in writing to s pend

,
vast sums o f which he h ad not a single penny To .
“
quote B risson : Where should he find the
francs to b e p aid o n the delivery o f the manuscri pt ?
How should he arrange with th e publishers Re nd u e l ,
and G osselin w ho h ad contracts giving them the right

,
‘
to exploit the first t w o volumes o f Les Mis érables ? ’
And if th e Empero r should forbid the appearance o f

,
th e work in France wh at then ? As h e was,
about finally to sign Lacroix was seized wit h a strange

s cru ple H e s aw upon the table a vast pile o f black
.
, ,
ened sheets It was the manuscri pt o f the first two

.
‘
volumes Only fo r a glance at the t reasure ! May
.
16 TH E PARI S OF TH E NOV ELI STS
I examine a little ? ’
—
The h and o f H ugo his B urgrave
—
h and fell h eavily u pon th e sheets and in a h ard ,
tone h e s a id : NO it is im possible
‘
, Th en h e ad ded .
’
by way O f pleasant ry though the h urt p rid e w a s

,
discernible under the ba c li na ge : S u ppose it is ‘
blank paper I have pu t my name there Th at

. .
A street that has ch anged less in th e course o f a

h u nd red years th an most Paris st r eets i s the Ru e d e
Clichy which b egins by the Trinit é and runs north to
,
the exterior boulevards It is a thoro u gh fa re familiar to

.
many thousands O f Americans a s the home o f a numb er

ofp e ns i o ns th at h a v e c a tered to English s peaking V isi -
to r s in Paris In the Rue d e Clichy a t NO 2 4 was

.
, .
,
the first Paris ho me o f Victor Hugo The house like .

,
most o f those in which the poet s pent his early d ays h as ,
b een entirely destroyed and its site is now p art O f th e

,
s quare surrounding the Trinit é C hur c h It was th e .
first place o f residence o f which Hugo h ad any distinct

recollection To the end o f his d ays h e retained th e
.
im pression o f a goat in th e courtyard o f a well overhung

,
by a wee ping willow and o f a cattle trough near the

,
-
well Then there was a move to th e southern b ank

.
o f the river to NO, 1 2 Im passe des Feuillantines

. an ,
isolated mansion with a big garden and fine t rees .
There is a Rue des Feuillantines not fa r from the Luxe m

bourg Gard en in the Paris o f to d ay but Victorien -
,
“
S ardou h as written : Through these gardens th rough ,
these silent streets s o pro pitious to q uiet labour and ,
scenting o f lilacs and blossoming with pink and white

TH E PARI S O F VI CTOR HUGO 17
chestnuts new road s h ave b een cut : th e S aint Germain

,
-
and S aint Michel b o u levards the Rue d e Rennes and

-
,
Gay Lussac the Rue Monge wh ich caused the demoli

-
,
tion o f the rustic cottage whe r e Pascal died in the Rue

S aint Etienne itsel f; and the Rue C laude Bernard which
- -
,
d id away with the Fe u illantines where Victor Hugo , ,
as a C hild used to ch a se butterflies

, The American ,
B enj amin Ellis Ma rtin recorded twenty years a g o ;

, ,
By a curious coincidence at NO 1 2 Rue des F c

, uil .
—
la nt ine s which must not b e con fused as it is O ften ,
con fused with the Imp asse o f the s a me name— there

,
stand s j ust such an O ld house in th e midst o f just ,
such gardens s h aded by j ust such O ld trees as

, ,
H ugo describes in the pathetic reminiscences o f his

youth .
Then there w a s a migration o f a mile to the west to the

still exi s ting Rue d u Cherche Midi which ma y be in
- -
,
d ic a t e d by its p roxi mity to th e Conseil de Guerre or - -

,
b etter still as b eing within a block o f the g r eat de part

,
ment store dear to the hea rts o f American shoppers

, ,
“ ”
known as the Bon March é All th is time Victor s
.
’
father Ge n eral Hugo h ad been with the French

, ,
armies o f occu pation in S pain H e made a b rie f a p .
p e a r a n ce on the scene d uring th e H u ndred D ays b ut ,
his child ren seem to h ave been entirely under the influ
ence o f their Bourbon loving mothe r and one o f Victor s
-
,
’
fi rst literary effus ions was a denunciation o f Na poleon

Bonap arte as a tyrant usu rper written a fe w d ays a fter
,
Waterloo wh en th e boy was in his fourteenth year

, .
A fter a short period at a boarding school in th e Rue

S ainte— Marguerite Victor entered the Lyc é e Louis le -
18 THE PAR I S O F TH E NOVE LI STS
G r and , —
which th en stood as it stands now though the ,
t u t —
s r c ure h as been rebuilt facing the Rue S aint
Jac q ues between the Sorbonne and the Panth éon In
, .
“ ”
1 8 1 8 when Victor was writing
, B ug Jargal Mad ame -
,
Hugo removed to the neighbourhood o f the Institute

o f France to a house in the Rue des Vieux Augustins
,
-
,
long since torn down its site no w a part o f the court

,
yard Of the Ecole des B eaux Arts Three years later .
a ch ange w a s made t o NO 1 0 Rue des Mezi eres which .

, ,
in its p resent form runs from th e Rue d e Rennes to the

,
Rue B ona parte Ab out this time Victor began to

.
c ause some stir in the world C hateaubriand sent fo r .
“
him and w a s su pposed to h ave dubbed him Th e S ub
”
lime C hild ; and Lamartine described him as a studi
o u s youth with a fine massive head intelligent and
t hought ful —a man
, , ,
” “
whose pen c an no w ch arm o r
”
terri fy th e world .
Mad ame Hugo died ; V ictor p roposed marriage form ,
ally t o Ad ele Foucher and was accepted ; h e fought a

, ,
d uel with a guardsman and w a s wounded in th e arm ;

h e went to live o n the t o p fl o or o f NO 30 Rue d a .
Dragon near S aint Germain des Pr é s existing o n 7 00

,
- - -
,
francs a year an experience which h e was later to d e

,
“ ”
scribe in connection with Mariu s o f Les M is era b le s .
Then he and Ad ele were m arried and th e young cou pl e ,
went t o live fi rst in the Rue d a Cherche—

,
Midi a nd ,
later at NO 90 Rue de Va u g ir ard In the latter house

. .
“ ”
Han d I sland e was w ritten and the immature
’
,
Bug Jargal rewritten A more commodiou s r esidence

- .
was found in 1 82 8 in the Rue Notre Dame des C ham ps ,

“ ”
and there the y remained un til the success o f He rnani
THE PARI S OF VI CTOR HUGO 19
brought s o many noisy admirers to the door th at th e

landlady in formed the Hugos that their p resence had
ceased t o be desirable With the exce ption o f that first
.
home in the Rue de Clichy all o f Victor Hugo s early

,
’
residences are associated with a particular quarter O f

Paris To follow the trail as well as it can be followed
.
a fter the many years is a matter merely o f a fe w

hours .
In 1 831 the Hugos crossed the river and went t o live

at NO 9 Rue Jean Goujon in the C hamps E lys ees
.
-
,
-
,
then almost an outlying district Hugo h ad contracted .
“
some time be fore with a p ublisher fo r Notre Dame de
”
Paris b ut h ad failed to live up to his written agreement
,
in the matter o f time A new understanding called fo r

.
the delivery o f the manuscript within five months .
Hugo b ought a great gray woolen wra pper th at covered

him fr om head to foo t ; locked up all his C lothes lest he ,
S hould b e tempted t o go o u t ; and carrying o ff his ink ,
bottle to his study applied himsel f to his labour j ust as

,
if he h ad been in p rison He never le ft the table exce pt

.
fo r food and s leep and the sole recreation th at he

,
’
allowed himself w a s an hour s talk a fter dinner with
some friend w ho might d rop in and to whom he O C ,
c a s io na lly read the pages th at h ad been written during
th e d ay As a result o f the r eg im
. e by which it was
“
written he once thought o f calling the story Wh at
”
C ame Out o f a Bottle O f Ink Prob ably very fe w.
persons remember th at about th at time Hugo p ro

je c t e d a work th at w a s never written but which a p ,
“
pa re nt ly w as t o h ave been a kind o f se q uel t o Notre
“
Dame fo r it was to h ave borne the title : Le Fils de
,
la Bossue although the identity o f the female hunch
,
b ack is a m atter fo r conj ecture .
Then in the autumn o f 1 8 32 th e Hugos moved to

, ,
the house which more than any other remains assoc ia ted
with the Hugo legend It i s the structur e a t NO 6
. .
Place des Vosges now the Hugo Museum where th e

, ,
poet lived from 1 832 till 1 848 Within these walls .
the romance o f French histo ry as well a s th e romance

o f French fiction h as e v er l u rked The u s e o f the .
structure by Du mas as the home o f th e s i n is ter Milady

“ ”
Of The Th ree Guardsmen belongs to another C h apter .
B ut Marion Delorme lived there and D e V igny de ,

“
s cribed it as it was in her ti me in his Cinq Mars ”
-
.
Both Dumas and De Vigny made u s e in fiction o f thei r

personal knowledge O f the b ack entrance th at still
leads toward the Rue S aint Antoine by w a y o f the -
Imp asse G u é méné e Actual u s e o f it was m ade during

.
the st reet fighting o f the 1 848 Revolution by National

Guardsmen who bound from the Rue S aint Antoine
, ,
-
to head o ff the soldiers O f Louis -Philip pe in th e square

’
b eyond invaded Hugo s deserted a partment Th e
, .
story is told th at the leader o f th e b and found some

written sheets o n the t able and read them aloud to hi s
,
“
followers It w a s the manuscri pt o f Les M is era ble s
.
”
,
just begun but not finish ed until sixteen years later

, .
There is another story connected with th e a partment

to the effect th at Hugo in his vanity used to s it o n a
, ,
th rone o n a d ais under a canopy and extend his h and

, ,
to b e kissed by his admirers An absu rd story ; but not .
altogether an unnatural o ne .
A fter Louis Phili ppe lost his th rone Victor Hugo

-
22 TH E PARIS OF TH E NOVELI STS
edifice o f Les Mis érables Of the former tale Robert .
“
Louis Stevenson h as written : We forget all that
enumeration o f palaces and Churches and convents
which occupies s o many pages O f admirable descri ption ,
and the thoughtless reader might b e inclined t o conclud e

from this th at they were pages thrown away ; but thi s
is no t s o : we forget indeed the det ails as we forget o r ,
do not s e e the different layers o f p aint o n a com pleted

picture ; b ut the thing desired h as b een accom plished ,
‘
and we carry away with us a sense O f th e G othic pro
‘
file o f the C ity o f the surprising forest o f pinnacles
’
,
’
and towers and bel fries and we know no t o f wh at rich
,
and intricate and quaint And th roughout Notre .

,
Dame h as b een held up over Paris by a height fa r

greater th an that o f its twin towers : the C athedral is
present to us from the fi rst p age to the last ; the title
h as given u s th e d e w and already in the Pala is d e
,
Justice the story begins to attach itself to th at b uildin g

by ch aracter a fter ch aracter It i s p urely an c fle c
'
t .
o f mirage Hugo h as peopled this Go thic city and

.
,
above all this Gothic church with a race o f men even

, ,
”
more distinctly Gothic than their surroundings .
Stevenson s insistence o n the Gothic aspect o f t he

’
“ ”
Paris o f Notre Dame is a direct reflection o f Hugo
himsel f w ho felt in penning th e t ale th at h e should
, , ,
act as a kind o f interpreting guid e to the readers o f his

“
generation and to that end wrote th e ch apter A
,
”
Bird s Eye V iew o f Paris in which he reconstructed
’
-
,
the o ld city O f Quasimodo and E smeralda Of th e .
fi ft e e nt h century Pa ri s he said :
- It w a s not only a
beauti ful City ; it w as a uniform consistent city an , ,
Old P a r is fro m No t r e D a me D o mi na nt InF nc
h li t t
re e ra u re as in
F nc
re h h r rs o ry h av e be e n t he To w e rs of No t D m B l cH
re a e . a z a , ugo ,
D m mo ng t he t h d esc th
em Of H g
’
u a s a re a g ra n s w ho av e n be d u o s no v e l
i ng t h
.
be ar e Ol d Ca th e d ra l ’
s na me St e v e ns o n ha s s a d :i Wh t Q
“
a IS uas r mo d o
bu t an a mma t e d g a rg o y l e?
”
THE PARI S OF VICTOR HUGO 23
architectural and historic product o f the Middle Ages ,
3 chronicle in stone It was a city formed o f two

.
s trata only
— the b astard Roman and the Gothic ; fo r
the pure Roman stratum h ad long since disa ppeared ,
except in the B aths o f Julian where it S till b roke ,
through the thick crust o f the Middle Ages G othic .
Pari s w a s complete fo r an instant only Since then the .
great C ity h as grown d aily and d aily more de formed .
Gothic Paris which swallowed up the Paris o f the b ast

,
a rd Roman p eriod vanished in its turn ; b ut w ho can

,
s ay wh at m anner o f Paris h as replaced it ?

—
Dumas found o r what is far more l ikely o ne o f his
, ,
a rmy o f collaborators found in th e a rchives o f th e ,
F rench s ecret police th e crud e plot u pon which The

,
”
Count o f Monte C risto was builded To the s ame .
“
source Hugo owed the suggestion o f Les M is er a ble s ”
,
fo r Jean V alj ean like E dmond Dantes h ad an original

, ,
in real life The record O f this man whose name was

.
,
U rb ain Lemelle was taken from the notes o f M

, .
Moreau C hristophe th e C hief Ins pector O f Prisons

-
,
under Na poleon I I I Like Jean Valjean Lemelle was

.
,
th e ab andoned C hild o f a drunken father In his early .
youth h e w a s sheltered by a kind hearted p easant and -

,
s ix yea r s o f his life were p assed in taking care o f cows
and s hee p At th e age o f fourteen h e determined to

.
b ecome a s ailor and began as cabin boy on a boat from

,
Angers Three years later for a trifling theft com

.
,
mit t e d at the instigation o f a comrade he was con ,
d e mne d to s even years penal servitude

’
.
D uring the term O f his punishment Lemelle proved

—
an exemplary p risoner industrious resigned and t e , ,
lig io u s A fter h e had p aid what h e considered his
.
debt to society he returned to Angers resolved to lead

, ,
a worthy li fe He found all doors C losed against him ;

.
all em ployment denied him One d ay while roaming .

,
th rough the country he stopped to rest in a field where,
there were horses at liberty The idea entered his hea d .
to borrow a horse rid e to the seaport thirty miles away

, , ,
and emb ark fo r the New World where he would b e free ,
to begin a new li fe Witho u t s addle o r b ridle he rode

.
all night reaching his destination in the early morning

, ,
and turning the hors e loose b e fore entering th e town .
In the town h e was arrested o n suspicion b ut managed ,
to escape and made his way to Nantes where h e found

, ,
that his lack o f pa pers made it im possible fo r him to

e mb ark He returned to Ange r s w a s arrested for th e
.
,
’
the ft o f the horse and sentenced to twelve years penal
,
servitude in B rest At the end o f four years he escap ed

.
,
m ade his way to Paris and there by dil igence int e lli , , ,
gence and integrity rose step by step to p rosp erity

, , .
He married and acquired a certain position One .
Sund ay seven years a fter his marriage he w a s walking

, ,
with his wi fe in th e suburb s O f th e city when h e wa s ,
recognized by his Javert a policeman who had been a ,
former convict Lemelle was d enounced arrested and

.
, ,
sent b ack to B rest t o finish the e ight years he still ha d

to serve in addition to su pple mentary years fo r th e
,
crime o f esca ping A fter serving p art o f the sentenc e

.
he was pardoned by Louis Phili ppe at th e intercession -

,
o f M Moreau C hristo p
. he w ho h ad learned his story
-
, .
“
Practically all O f Les Miserables was written in t he
period o f exile a fter many years absence from Pari s
,
’
.
TH E PARI S O F V ICTO R HUGO 2 5
It was the Paris o f his youth the Paris which he ha d ,
religiou s ly carried away in his memory the Pari s o f ,

“ ”
which he s poke as his mental birth place th at he put
into the story B ut o n memory alone he felt that he
.
could not rely with a certainty o f absolute accuracy ,
and s o in b eginning those marvellous cha pters d e s c

, r ib
ing the flight o f Jean V aljean and Cosette and the pu r

s uit by Javert a nd his men he le ft a loo phole by the u s e
,
-
“
o f the word s : It is possible th at at the present day
there is neither street nor house at the s pot where t he
‘
author pro poses to lead the reader s aying : In such a ,
street there is s u ch a ho u se If the readers like t o take

.
’
th e t rouble they can veri fy As fo r him he does no t .
know ne w Paris and w r ites with o ld P a ris before his

,
”
eyes as an illusion which is precious to him .
The fl ight b eg a n in the neighbourhood of th e Go b e

lins which fo r th ree h u nd red yea r s h as b een the st a te
,
manu fa ctory o f the fa mous ta pest r y o f the name The .
“
G o r b e a u house which at fi rst sight seemed small as a
,
cott a ge b ut which in reality was as large as a cathe

,
”
d r a l was j ust where H u go placed it o n th e site o f
, ,
No s 5 0 and 5 2 Boulev a rd d e l HOpit a l al mo st directly

’
.
,
op po site th e Rue d e la B a r r i ere d e s Go belins no w - -

,
c a lled th e Rue Eagon To find to d ay the exact spot

.
-
oc cu pied by th e O ld tene ment go to the little m a rket ,
place that is se pa r a ted fr o m th e Place d I t alie by th e

’
Mairie o f t he XI I I A r rondis s e ment Wh ile living in .
the Go rb e a u h o use Je a n Valje a n us u a lly went to S a int

M é d a r d which was th e ne a rest ch u rch G eorges C a in
, .
,
“
o f th e C a r na v a le t h as w r itten o f it as Gloomy rat
, ,
gnawed , and poverty stricken ”h aving left far behind

-
,
its d ays O f mi racles Little ch anged th at church still
.
,
s t a nds near the northern end o f the Avenue des G obe
lins C oming o u t o f S aint M é d a rd o ne evening Jean

.
-
Valj ean gave alms t o a beggar and recognized the face

,
o f Javert .
At different times the p resent Pilgrim has attempted

to follow the subsequent t rail On o ne such occasion
.
h e wa s m a t e ri a lly
helped by notes o f a
similar search made by
B enj amin Ellis Martin .
That occasion w a s in
the early summer o f
1 9 1 7 and the C hanges
,
th at he found then
were substantially th e
ch anges th at M r .
Martin h ad recorded
in an investigation o f
some eighteen o r
twenty years be fore .
Taking a winding w ay
to the Seine th rough
,
the deserted region b e

A STR E E T O F ALJ EAN s F L G HT
V
’
I tween the Jardin des
Plantes and Val de -
G r ace Jean Valj ean wisely doubled o n his track At

, .
o ne point he w a s almost in the sh adow o f the structure

’
in which B alzac s P é re Goriot w a s perhap s living at
the ve ry moment He described several labyrinths in
.
the Quartier M o uffe t ard which w a s as fast asleep as if it

,
I I I TH E PARI S OF THA C KERAY AND
.
DICKENS
The B a lla d of the B o u illa ba is s e —Te r r e s Ta ver n A
Tha c
”
C a u ti o n to Tr a ve llers lee r a y -
as Ar t S tu d e nt a nd Co r r e s
— E a r ly M a r r i e d Li e — M rs B r o o /efi e ld— The P a r is
po nd e nt The .
The Ne w c
” ”
o mes ,
f
o Va nity F a i r , an d The Ad ve nt u r es o f
P hilip — The D ic
” “ ”
P a r is o f ke ns
’
s A Ta le f
o Tw o Cities
Dic
’
k e ns s D a ys i n P a r is .
A s t r e e t th e r e is in P a r i s fa mo u s ,
Fo r w hi c h no r hy me o u r l ang u a ge yi e l d s .
Ru e Ne u v e d e s P e tit s C h a mps it s na me is ,
The Ne w S t re e t o f t he Littl e F i e l d s .
And th e r e s an inn no t r i c h a nd s pl e nd i d ,
’
B u t s till in c o mfo rt a b l e c as e ,
The w hi c
h in y th I ou o ft a tt nd e d
e
To e at a pl at e of bo u ill a b a i se
s .
HE genial Laird one o f th e Three Musketeers ,

“ ”
o f the B r ush o f Mr Du M a u rie r s Trilby .
’
tossed o n a bed o f fever while kindly Frenc h ,
n u rses in attend ance we pt as they listened to th e

reverential voice in which he mumbled over what they
c “
onceived to b e his praye r s B ut these prayers ”
.
,
strangely enough always ended with allusion t o

,
Re d pe ppe rs , g ar li c , ro a c h , a nd d a ce,
All th e s e y o u g e t in Te rré s Ta v e r n
’
I n th a t o ne d i s h o f bo u ill a b a i s s e .
28
PARI S OF THAC KERAY AND DICKENS 29
T housands of other S cotchmen , and tens o f thousand s

o f B ritons and o f Americans h ave thrilled , as S and y
Mc Allis t e r O f C o ck pe n did , over the verses into whic h

Thackeray , writing in a vein o f assumed lightness ,
p oured s o much o f the feeling o f his lost youth As .
“
oetry The B all a d o f the Bo u illab aisse is not to
p ,
’ “ ”
b e r a nked with Keats s Ode o n a G recian Urn Neither .
’ ”
i s Ki pling s Mand a lay Thackeray himsel f wrot e
.
many better verses b ut none which ha s s o delighted th e

,
ear and the palate o f posterity and which is so likely ,
to endure Every now and then its vit a lity is attested

.
by some new Col u mbus who discovers in a Paris re s

t a u r a nt to his liking the original o f Te rré s Tavern
’
.
For exam ple there was the American Julian Street , ,
w ho S ix o r seven years ago in a little book called Pari s

,
” “
5 la Carte wrote : Those who remember Thackeray s
’
,
‘
B allad o f the Bouillab aisse will fi nd the restauran t ’
the r ein celeb rated a fe w blocks b ack o f the Ca fé La

perousse near the C hurch o f S aint Ger main d e s P r és
,
- - -
.
I do not know that bo u illab aisse m ay still be h ad there ,

”
but I ho pe s o Perh a ps you will find out
. .
Now as a matter o f fact the restaurant o f Mr Street s .

’
discovery actually h as certain Thackerayan associa

tions Thackeray dined there o ften when he w as an art
.
student and to this d ay there h angs o n the wall a

,
p ortrait o f the no v elist at t able and an a p p ended note,
setting forth th e facts o f his fame and his patronage .
But it never was Terr é s The site o f the lair o f the

’
.
bouillab aisse is not o n the south S ide o f the river at all ,
b ut is almost within a stone s th row o f the great boule

’
v a r d s and the fa s hion able sho p s o f the Rue de la Paix .

30 TH E PARI S OF TH E NOV ELI STS
’
Soon a fter Thackeray s Pari s d ays the Rue Neuve d es
Petits C h amps became the Rue des Petits Champs It .
is th at t o -d ay running from th e Rue de la Paix upon

, ,
which its western end abuts diagonally across the

,
Avenue d e l Ope r a b ack o f th e gardens o f the Palais

’
,
Royal and almost to the Place des Victoires Th e

, .
numb er o f the building occupied by Terr é s Tavern w as ’
originally 1 6 The structure th at no w occupies the

.
s 1te 18 o f conventional typ e and architecture and may ,
b e identified by the sign o f a b anking house that pro -
je c t s at right angles over the sidewalk .
The imp ression o f one o f the many w ho came in con

tact with the personal Thackeray and a fterward wrote
about it w a s that he spoke the most b eauti fu l French
that the visitor h ad ever heard from the li ps o f an
Englishman That encomium was q ualified by Th ack
.
’
e r ay himsel f when he con fessed to a foreigner s limita
tions in j udging the S tyle o f George S and whose s e n ,
t e nc e s nevertheless i mp ressed him with thei r ch arm ,

“
seeming to him like the sound o f country b ells
p rovoking I don t know wh at vein o f musing and
’
meditation and falling sweetly and s adly o n th e ear

, .
Perhaps French was not q uite a second mother language

to him as it w a s to Du Maurier and h as been to h alf a
dozen other E nglish men o f letters B ut the Paris o f
.
his d ay was as familiar to him as were his o w n Pall Mall

and Russell S q uare ; and with that part o f him which
was not wholly belligerently B ritish he very much ,
pre ferred it to the London o f fogs and o f the intolerant

eyes o f the Lord Fa rint o s he s and th e Sir B arnes New
comes
PARI S OF THACKERAY AND DIC KENS 31
It was not exactly Thackeray s fault th at his novels

’
were no t written from a detached point o f view He .
sim ply could not help being autobiogra phical Ho w .
much o f himsel f he gave in th e making o f Arthu r Pen

dennis is a matter o f general knowledge The Paris o f .
his youth and many o f his aspirations and heart aches

,
“
are reflected in the p ages o f The Adventures o f
“ ”
Phili p . The first chapter o f The Paris S ketch Boo k
“ ”
is entitled A Caution to Travellers The moral it .
conveys is o ne o f th e oldest o f morals The story was .
told t w o thousand years be fore Th ackeray Ten .
years ago o ne o f the cleverest o f American tale s pinners -
was retelling it with conspicuous success A hundred .
years hence and five hundred years hence the same

,
plot will p rob ably again b e p resented with little or no

vari ation It is the innocent traveller who falls among
.
gilded thieves In th e Th ackerayan version th e name

.
o f th e victim h appened t o b e S am Pogson ; th e fa s c

ina t
ing lady called herself fo r th e time b eing la B aronne
Flo rv al Derval and her accomplices were a mythical
-
,
b aron and a s o n o f th at E arl o f Cinq b ars w ho was

’
ubi q uitous in Thackeray s p ages And the p articular .
s cene o f the fleecing was an ap artment in the Rue Tait
bout B ut the point o f the m atter is th at the experience

.
w a s o ne that Th ackeray in his callow d ays — and he

s eems to h ave h ad q uite a faculty fo r playing the fool
h ad sh ared with others e q u ally guileless and imp res

s io nab le Even though h e never d ropped his h s he ’
.
,
h ad been S am Pogson fo r a day .
I f e ver there w as a book made by a book review it

“ ”
was V anity F air The fi rst numbers d ragged as
.
,
32 THE PARI S OF THE NOVELI STS
Pickwick ha d d ragged be fore S am Weller c ame upon
t he scene . The B ritish p ublic w a s slo w t o recognize
th a t a new sta r was beginning to glitt e r in the literary
fi r ma me nt Then ca me Ab r a h a m H a ywa rd s swee p ’
.
ing trib u te in th e E d inbu rgh Rev iew fo r Janu a ry 1 848 ; ,
a nd with it th e doors were o p ened and Th ackeray ,
p a ssed in t o take his p lace among th e a cce pted m a sters

o f English fiction I n int rod u cing th e man H a ywa rd
.
,
r e called finding him ten o r twelve years be fo re d ay a fter

, ,
d a y eng a ged in the Louvre c o pyi n g pictu res in ord er t o

qu ali fy hi msel f fo r his intended pro fe s s ion o f a r tist Th e .
g a llery o f the Louvre as much a s the C ha r t e r ho u s e o r

'
, ,
Cambridge w a s a school that played a conspicuous

,
part in Th a ckeray s intellectu a l develop ment It was

’
.
no t th a t th e re he le a rned to d r aw — he never d id th at
b u t th e re under th e in fl u ence o f th e mighty d ead h e
, ,
com pl e ted his education in the h umanities .
It was in J u ly 1 8 33 when h e was twenty two yea rs

, ,
-
o ld ,
and acting as Pari s corres pondent o f The Na
t io na l S t a nd a r d a nd j o u r na l of Li t er a t u r e Sc i e nce , ,
lll u s ic l e a tr ic
,
a ls a nd the F i ne Ar ts
,
— a little p a p er
fi r s t edit e d a nd subsequently pu rch ased by him— th a t
“
h e wrote to his mother Mrs Ca rmich ael S myth , . I
h ave b een thinki ng very seriously o f turn i ng artist I .
can d raw better th a n I can d o anything el s e a nd cer ,
t a inly I sho u ld like it b etter th a n any other occu p ati o n ,

”
s o why should n t I ? In a nswe r t o th e questio n h e
’
t rudged o ff to s pend the ple a s a nt and profitable d a ys

in a room— hal f a mile long with as m a ny windows as ,
Aladdin s pal a ce—o pen fr o m sun r ise t i ll evening and

’
,
free t o all manners and v a rieties o f study where th e ,

PARI S O F THA C KE RAY AND DI C K E NS 33
b rethren o f the b rush though they slee p perh aps in a

,
garret and dine in a cellar h ave a luxury which s u r

, ,
asses all others and the enjoyment o f a p alace which

p ,
all the money o f all the Rothschilds could no t buy .
Th acker a y s fi rst Paris was the C ity he h ad visited as a

’
wide eyed boy

- His second Paris was the Louvre
. .
Then c a me the Paris o f his marriage and his honey

moon On August 2 0 1 8 36 h e and Miss Isabella
.
, ,
G e t he n C reagh S h awe a d aughter o f C olonel Matthew

,
S h awe o f a Bengal regiment were united in the B ritish ,
Emb assy and went to live in the Rue Neuve S aint

,
’
Augustin h ard by Terr é s Tavern There is an echo
, .
“
o f that p eriod in certain lines o f the j B alla d o f the “
Bouillab aisse
Ah me ! ho w q u i c k t he d ay s a re fl itting !
I mi nd me o f a ti me th at s g o ne ,
’
Wh e n h e r e I d s it , a s no w I m s itti ng ,
’ ’
I n thi s s ame pl a c e
—b u t no t a l o ne .
A fa i r y o u ng fo r m w a s ne s tl e d ne ar me ,
A d e a r, d e a r fa c e l o o k e d fo nd ly u p ,
And s w e e tly s po k e a nd s mil e d t o c h e e r me

— Th e r e ’ s no o ne no w t o s h a re my c up .
No F or many yea rs there was no

. to sh are his cup o ne .
There is no need to dwell at length u pon the tragedy

o f Thacker a y s b rie f married li fe o r the long p eriod
’
,
during which he w a s practically a widower It was the .
Paris o f his youth that was associated with his fi rst great
aff air o f the heart ; the Paris o f his maturity played a
part in his second j ourney into th e realm o f s erious
sentimental attachment Fo r when th e lady in th e .
case w a s exas peratingly friendly and exas peratingly

34 TH E PARI S O F TH E NOV ELI STS
discreet it w as to Paris th at the great man repaired
, ,
there t o b rood over his in fatuation and t o write letters ,
in which the tone ch anged ab ruptly from assumed

lightness t o violent recrimination Thackeray s eem s .
t o h ave fi rst met Jane Octavia B ro o k fi e ld about 1 8 39 ,
th ree years a fter his marriage and soon a fter the ,
separation en forced by Mrs Th ackeray s menta l .

’
trouble The husb and Reverend William H Brook

.
, .
fi eld h ad been known to Th ackeray in the undergrad

,
uate d ays at Camb ridge A C h ance meeting led to .
’
B ro o k fi e ld s t aking Thackeray home unexpectedly t o
dinner when there happened t o b e nothing in t he
house but a shoulder o f cold mutton and the em ,
b a r ra s s e d hostess was obliged to send a m aid to a neigh

’
b o u ring pastrycook s for a dozen tartlets The fi rst .
letter in wh at i s known as the B ro o kfie ld c

“
o r re s pon
”
ence which was kept s o long a mystery and fi nally
,
given t o the public early in 1 9 1 4 w as o ne written by ,
Thackeray to M C az at i in Paris asking the latter t o

.
,
d o th e honours in the French capital fo r Mr B roo k .
fi e ld . Some years elapsed however be fore the novel , ,
is t s attentions began to caus e comment B ro o k fi e ld

’
.
himsel f seems to h ave b een a complaisant husband and ,

“ ”
Jane the b read and b utter cuttin g C h arlotte o f -
”
The Sorrows o f Werther ; b ut in 1 850 the lady s ’
uncle Henry H allam w a s moved t o p rotest at the fre

, ,
quen e y O f Thackeray s visits So th e greater p art o f

’
.
1 8 50 ,
Th ackeray w ho about the time w a s writing
,
“ ”
Pendennis spent in Paris To indicate his a ffl uence
, .
and extravagance it is necessary merely t o mention th at

,
h e stayed at th e Hotel B ristol in the Place VendOme , .

later years the B aroness Bernstein o f Th e V irginians
, .
A fter Waterloo th e Rawdon C rawleys lived in Paris for

—
a time little Rawdon being put o u t to nurse in th e
—
suburbs and departing le ft behind them innumerable
,
debts In The Ne w c
.
“
o me s
”
from the Hotel de la
,
Terrasse which w a s o n the Ru e d e Rivoli Clive wrote ,
to his friend Pendennis telling o f his firs t w a lk in th e

,
“
Tuileries G ardens with the Chestnuts o u t the statues
, ,
”
all s hining and all t he windows o f the palace in a blaze
, ,
and recording th at the Palais Royal h ad ch a nged much

since Scott s time It wo u ld h a rdly h ave been Th ac k
’
.
e r ay s fi s t if th e Louvre h ad not been b rought in to p

’
lay
an early p art in the narrative There C live fell in love.
with the most beauti ful creature that th e world h as

“
ever seen . S he was standing silent a nd m a je s tic in, ,
the centre o f o ne o f the rooms o f the statue gallery and ,
the very fi rst glim pse o f her struck o ne b reathless with

the sense o f her beauty I could not s e e the colou r o f
.
her eyes and h ai r exactly but the latter is light and the
, ,
eyes I should think are gray She may b e some t w o

, , .
and thirty years old and s he was born about two thou
,
”
s and years a go Her name is the V enus o f Milo
. .
Then C live and his father went to dine wit h the V i

comte d e Florac at the C a fé d e P a r is which was cer ,
t a inly not where the restaurant o f th at name is to b e
found to d ay ; and then in a house in the Ru e S a i n t Do

-
,
-
miniq u e— the Th ackerayan vi s itor o f the pr esent Anno

Domini may select the edifice th at best fits his o w n
mental picture — “
Tom ”
Newcome again s aw his
’
Leonore a fter all the years To Clive s eye s that tender
.
and ceremonious meeting w a s like an elderly Sir C harles

PARI S O F THA C K E RAY AND DI C KENS 37
Grandison saluting a middle aged M iss Byron It i s
-
.
’
the most beauti ful o f all Thackeray s love stories Later .
another love story ran p art o f its troubled course in the
RU E S A I N T-D O M I N I QUE
Hotel de Florac and the little garden behind There .

,
under the kindly cha peronage o f the sweet French lady ,
Clive and Ethel were closer in communion o f heart

than ever be fore o r a fter s av e possibly in that fable
,
land at which Thackeray hinted as lying beyond the

“ ”
horizon o f Finis . About the Hotel de Florac there
was an American fl avour fo r when Clive fi rst s aw it
, ,
“
the u pper part was rented to Maj or G eneral the Hon -
”
o r a b le Zeno F Pokey o f C incinnati U S
.
, , . .
Though his metier w a s not the melod ramatic school ,
there are plenty o f great moments in Thackeray An .
’
t ho ny Trollo p e held Lady Rachel s disclosu re o f Henry s
’
“ ”
legitimacy to the Duke o f H amilton in E smond
to be the greatest scene in English fi ction Wh a t .
38 . TH E PARI S OF TH E NOV E LI STS
reader can forget the pursuit o f the Prince to C astle
“
wood o r G eorge Osborne lying o n his face d ead with
, , ,
”
a bullet th rough his heart o r Becky admiring her , ,
“ ”
husb and strong b rave and victorious ? Once
, , ,
Th ackeray reached heights in a comic scene in th e b at ,
tle between th e B ay ne s e s th e B unches and the Mac

, ,
W hirt e rs in the C h amps Ely s ée s pe ns io n o f Mad ame

,
-
“ ”
Smolensk The Petit C h ateau d E s pag ne w a s the
.
’
sonorous name o f the pe ns io n in q uestion and t he full ,
title o f th e p rop rietress which Mrs B aynes used in

“
, .
letters designed to im press her friends was Mad ame la ,
Gé n é rale B aronne d e Smolensk B ut save as indicating .
a general type o f pe ns io n that fl ourishe d in the streets

adj acent to th at p art o f the C hamp s-Ely s ée s th at lies
about th e Rond Point in Th ackeray s time it is pra c ’
,
“ ”
tically certain th at the Petit Ch ateau d Es pag ne ’
was never more th an an imaginary structure .
C loser to reality were th e bohemian h aunts o f Philip

Fir min Like some o f the ch aracters o f B alzac F i rmin
.
,
w a s in the h abit o f dining at Flic Flic

’ ’
o t e au s o t e au s .
was an actual restaurant of th e Paris o f 1 840 which ,
stood o n ground now occupied by o ne o f the newer

buildings o f th e Sorbonne There for an expenditure .
,
o f seventeen sous Philip s a t down to the enj oyment o f

,
the soup th e b ee f th e rOt i th e s alad the dessert and

, , , , ,
the whitey b rown b read at discretion He would h ave

- .
b een poo r in the Rue de la Paix ; he w a s wealthy in the

Luxembourg q ua rter His h abitation w a s th e Hotel
.
Poussin in the Rue Poussin where there w a s a little

, ,
p ainted wicket th at opened ringing ; and th e p assage ,

’
and the stair led to Monsieur Philippe s room which ,
PARI S OF THA C KE RAY AND DICKENS 39
w as on the first floor as was that o f Bouch ard th e , ,
p ainter who h ad his a te lie r over the way Besides

, .
Bouch ard who was a b ad painter but a worthy friend

, ,
the Hotel Poussin sheltered Laberge o f the second floor ,
the poet from Carcassonne who pretended to be study ,
ing law but whose heart was with the Muses and whose ,
talk was o f Victor Hugo and Al fred de Musset ; and the

suspiciously wealthy E s c as s e ; and o ld C olonel D ujar r e t ,
w ho had been a prisoner of war in England ; and Ty mo w

s ki sighing over his Poland
, No such street as the Rue .
Poussin now exists in that part o f Paris It debouched .

,
according to Phili p into the Rue d e S eine which wind s

, ,
in back o f the Institute o f France from the Quai Mala

quais and runs t o the south crossing the B oulevard
, ,
S aint G ermain The Rue Visconti where B alzac h ad

- .
,
th e printing press th at ruined him o r the Rue des

-
,
Beaux Arts both little ch anged in the course o f three

,
q uarters o f a century will give the visitor the fl avour

,
o f Philip F irmin s environment To Th ackeray the

’
.
Hot el Poussin was more than a corner o f the City h e

loved s o well I t w a s Bohemi a ; it w a s the careless
.
,
light laughing youth o f which h e had sung in his ad ap

,
“ ’
r ation from B é r a ng e r s Le G renier .
The littl ro o m w ith p n i v ye I v ew

e e s e e s r
Wh e re in my y th I w th d it o lo ng ou ea ere s ,
W ith w il d mi s t s
a t a nc
h f i nd t w
re s , a s u r e or o,
And li g ht h t till b ki ng i nt s o ng
a e ar s re a o .
M ki ng m c
a k f li f and ll it c
a o ao e a s re s ,
Ri c h in t he g l ry f my i i ng n o o r s su ,
Li g htly I lt d U pf p i o f s t ai s
v au e o ur a rs r ,
In t h b e d ay s w h n I w as twe nty o ne
rav e e - .
40 THE PARI S OF THE NOV ELI STS
F rance is in Dombey and Son and it is in Little ,
”
Dorrit But fo r the P a ris o f the fiction o f Dicken s
.
“
the natural and inevitable turning is to A Tale o f Tw o
” “
Cities which was first in its author s mind a s One o f
,
’
” “ ” “
These Days then as Buried Alive then as The
, ,
” “
Th read o f Gold and then as The Doctor o f B eau
,
” “
vais . A Tale o f Two Cities which And rew Lan g ,
held t o b e o ne o f the three most enthralling stories ever

“ ”
written (the other two bein g Quentin Durward and
“ “ ”
Twenty Years and B arnaby Rudge were
’
Dickens s only ventures in the fi eld o f the historical
novel and the preparation o f the scene o f the former
, ,
es pecially was a work o f great care and el aboration

, .
The Paris th at h e personally knew was th e City o f th e

forties and the fi ft ie s To e nsure topographic al
’ ’
.
accuracy h e spent d ays in poring over o ld ma ps and in

laboriously consulting documents essays and Ch ron , ,
ic
“ ’ ”
le s
. To Mercier s Tab le au d e Paris which h ad ,
been p rinted in Amsterd am h e turned fo r the picture ,
o f his Mar q uis Rousseau was his authority fo r th e

.
peasant s shutting u p his house when he h ad a bit o f

’
meat ; in the tax tables o f the period h e studied th e

general wretched condition o f the proletariat in th e
years when the storm o f revolution was gathering .
”
These records Forster a re interesting intimations
, ,
o f the care with which Dickens worked ; and there is no
instance in his novels exce pting this o f a deliberate, ,
and planned departure from the method o f t reatment

which had been pre e minently the source o f his po pu
' '
” “
la rit y as a novelist Also Carlyle s French Re v o lu
.
’
tio n h ad recently appeared and Froude tells us o f the ,

PARI S OF THA C KERAY AND DI C K E NS 41
tremendous hold it took o n Dickens s mind He ’

.
carried a co py o f it with him wherever he went .
It was the S aint Antoine quarter seething into revolt

-
, ,
that was almost the protagonist o f the early Paris ch a p

ters o f the book There in a street the exact identity
.
,
o f which is a m a tter o f no particular i mp ortance wa s ,
the winesh o po f Monsieu r and Madame De fa rge It was .
“ ” “ ”
hagg a rd S a int Antoine ; clamorous S aint Antoine ;
- -
S aint Antoine a vast dusky mass o f scarecro ws heaving

-
” “
t o and fr o ; S aint Antoine s houting and d ancing his
-
” “
angry blood up ; S aint Antoine writing his crimes o n
-
” “
fl aring sheets o f pa per ; S aint Antoine slee ping and -
”
d r eaming o f th e fresh vengeance o f the morrow Then .
the note changed A new figure came to replace S aint

.
Antoine a hideous figure that grew as familiar as if it

,
h ad been be fore the general gaze from the found ations

o f the world — th e fig u re o f th e shar p female called La
Guillotine . It was the pop ular theme fo r jests ; it w as
th e best cure fo r head ache it in fallibly prevented the
,
h a ir from turning gray it im parted a peculiar delicacy

,
to the com plexion it was the national razor which

,
sh aved close ; who kissed La G uillotine looked th rough

”
the little window and sneezed into the sack .
B ut t he r e w e re ma t e rial s ce ne s M is s P ro s s threaded
.
her way along the narrow streets and crossed the river
”
by the b ridge o f the Pont Neu f ; from the Prison o f
“
the Abb aye Gabelle wrote the letter beginning Mon
,
”
sieur hereto fore the Marquis ; Charles Darnay j ou r ,
ne y ing from England in response and making his w ay

in b ad equi pages d r a w n by b ad horses over b ad roads ,
was consigned to La Force Te llso n s B ank w as in .

’
42 TH E PARI S O F TH E NOVELI STS
the S aint -Germain q uarter in the wing o f a large
,
house app roached by a courtyard and shut o ff from

,
the street by a high wall and a strong gate Alexand re

Manette wrot e his sto ry while in a dole ful cell in the
B astille ; p art o f the Palais d e Justice as we s e e it to d ay -
i s the Conciergerie w here Ev r é mo nd awaited e x e c

, u
tion ; it was o n a spot

which is now part o f
the beauti ful Place d e
la C oncord e that Sid
ney C arton mad e th e
“
supreme s acrifice He .
”
h as described London ,
wrote o ne o f his earliest

“
critics like a speci al
,
c o r r e s p o n d en t fo r
”
p osterity . The s am e
might b e said o f his
P a r i s o f t h e s a ns
cu l o t t e s a n d t h e
,
THE C O N CI E R G E R I E
a w a k e n i n g o f t h e
Greater Jac q uerie .
Dickens first s aw Paris to know it in November

, , ,
1 8 46. With his family he h ad le ft England t he end o f

the preceding May crossing to B elgium and travell ing
, ,
by w ay o f the Rhine to Switzerland where a stay o f

,
several months w a s made Then th e p arty mad e its

.
w a y from Geneva j ourneying in th ree carriages and

,
sto pping b etween s ix and seven each evening Th e .
arrival w a s a d ay later than ex pected and the sto pwas

,
at the Hotel B righton in the Rue d e Rivoli Tw o years .

gen tility
, a ndc t i ly n
er a n h d t h Fr nc
ev er h l ang g
e ar e e ua e s po k e n
w ith ic
t
t he p u re s q u e d t ne s g i e n t it by Vi c
i s ti nc s t r Hug o
v o o .
Even more pronounced in literary flavou r was Dic k

c ns s second Paris residence o f 1 8 5 5—5 6 Then his
’
.
social li fe was passed al most exclusively among writers ,
painters actors and mu s icians His ap artment was i n

, , .
the Avenue des C hamps -Ely s é e s within a door o r t w o o f ,
the Jardin d Hiv e r The p ainter Ary S ch effer b rough t

’
.
, ,
many distinguished Frenchmen th ere B esides h e h a d .

,
the society o f fellow cra ftsmen o f his o w n nation Wilkie .
Collins w as in Paris and the B rownings and Th ackeray

, ,
(the est rangement between th e two men over th e

Yates Garrick Club case h ad not yet t a ken place) ran
-
over from London t o p ay visits to his d aughters w ho , ,
like the Dickenses were living in th e C hamps Ely s é e s

,
- .
At S cribe s t able Dickens dined fre q uently and found

’
the dinners and the com pany to hi s liking At th e .
house o f Mad ame Via r d o t the sister o f Malib ran h e

, ,
met G eorge S and and was not greatly im pressed In

, .
his honour E mile de Girardin gave two b anquets th e

“
description s o f which read like p ages from the Arabian
” “ ”
Nights o r from D u ma s s The C ount o f Monte C risto
’
-
.
This li fe ended late in Ap ril 1 8 5 6 when Dickens r e , ,
turned to London In January 1 8 6 3 h e visited Pari s

.
, ,
fo r the last time fo r th e pu r pose o f reading at th e

Emb assy in beh alf o f th e B ritish C haritable Fund .
IV TH E T RAIL OF TH E MUS KETE E RS AND
.
OTH E RS
The P e rs o na l Alex a nd re D u mas — The “
No vel M a nufa c
to ry
F r o m Vi lle rs - Cotte rets
-
to P a r is —E a r ly P a r is H o mes — The
Chc ite a u of M o nte Cr is to—D u mas s De a th a t D iep —
pe The City
' ’
of t he Va lo is — The S treets o f the M u s k etee rs .
N A recent letter to the p resent Pilgrim discussing ,
certain Paris associations and memories a n Ameri ,
can novelist spoke o f a residence he h ad once o c

c up ie d for many months in the Rue d e Tournon As a .
s hort cut to the identification o f the general neighbour

“
hood he wrote : You know it was j ust round th e
,
corner from th e places where Aramis and C om pany

used to h ang out . It would have been di fficult to have
found a line o f description more illuminating For .
a mazing as it may at fi rst glance seem th e trail o f ,

“
Aramis e t as Mr B o oth Tarkington rather
.
oddly called them a trail o f the seventeenth century

, ,
is fa r easier to follow th an the trails o f the men and

women o f fiction w ho lived in the Paris o f 1 8 30 o r even ,
o f 1 86 0. But be fore taking up the subject o f the city

o f the astonishing and delight ful Messieurs Athos ,
“
Porthos Ara mis and d Art a g na n o f Les Trois Mous
, ,
’
” “ ” “
q u e t a ir e s
, Vingt Ans Apré s and Le Vicomte d e
,
B r a g elo nne , there should b e a consideration o f the

45
Pari s and the personality o f thei r e q ually astonishing
though no t always e q ually d elight ful creator .
Perhaps the best w ay to understand Alexand re

Dumas the E lder is to pick o u t from the thousand and
o ne stories told o f him those th at seem least likely to b e
true Ad d to these twenty o r thirty o f the best w it t i

.
c is ms at his exp ense including those o f the son w ho a t

,
once adored and deplored him and season the imp res,
sion with a glance at a dozen o f the cartoons depictin g

his thick lips and woolly p ate F inally th row in a bit
.
o f Monte C risto a suggestion o f d Art ag nan and Por

,
’
thos something O f C hicot the Jester and a good deal

, ,
o f th at arch humb ug Josep h B alsamo alias C agliostro

, , .
The result will p rob ably b e a kind o f Arabian Nights

figure at large in the modern western world b ut it is to ,
the atmos phere o f Alad din and his;La mp and Ali B ab a ,

-
,
and the Young King o f th e B lack Isles th at w e turn

fo ri t he full fl avour o f the grandson o f th e St Domingo
’
.
“
negress Marie Ce s s e t t e Dumas the s o n o f the Hora
, ,
tius C ocles o f th e Tyrol and the father o f the rathe r

,
“ ”
austere moralist o f Le Demi Monde .
“ ”
My father is a b ig b aby once s aid Alexandre fi ls
,
‘
,
he is s o vain th at he would climb upo n the b ack o f his

o w n coach in order th at people might think th at he kept
a negro footman H e is a great d evil o f all th e vani

.
”
ties . Like Ed mond D a nt é s in the plenitude o f power
he flung his money to the four winds o f heaven ; in his
“ ”
C h ateau o f Monte Cristo the t able w a s always s e t
-
fo r an army o f sh ady sycophants b ut unlike D ant é s , ,
who w a s forever disch arging not only his o w n debts

b ut those o f others Dumas w as ever a thorn in th e side
,
TRAIL OF M U S KETEE RS AND OTH E RS 47
o f thetrusting tradesman TO get the money to fling .
broad cast he would sign any contract undertake any ,
t as k His em ployment o f a small army o f collaborators

.
to hel pwrite the books to which he a ppended his nam e

his Novel M a nu fa c
“
t u ry : House o f Alexand re Dumas
”—
and C ompany may perh a ps b e extenuated His .
aides with the possible exception o f Maquet were never

, ,
able to do anything by themselves and to q uote Thack , ,

“
e r ay : Does not the Chie f coo k h ave a id es under him ?
Di d not Ru b e ns s p u pils p aint o n his canvases ? H ad
’
not Lawrence assistants fo r his b ackgrounds ? B ut

i n later li fe he resorted to expedients which permit o f
no apology S igning up fo r a series o f articles on snakes
.
,
and collecting p ayment in advance he would fulfill his ,

“
p art o f the contract by writing : We now come to the
boa constrictor Let us consider wh at my learned
-
.
”
friend D r SO and SO has to s ay
.
-
Then fou r p ages
-
.
c opied ver ba tim from an encyclopedia and the con

, , ,
“
cluding original lines In o u r next pa per we shall
”
take u p th at interesting little creature the a s p To , .
that depth he w a s willing to descend fo r money To .
a ttract attention to himsel f when interest was on the
wane he played a fi d d le in the windows o f boulevard

ca fés Our j udgments scorn him ; o u r hearts continue
.
to love him as th ey love his creations .
A few years ago allusion to D u mas s birthplace at ’
Villers C otterets ( he was born July 24 1 80 2) would have

-
, ,
h ad little meaning Now the fact th at the town is a

.
close neighbour o f Chi t e au Thierry gives a new s ig nifi

-
cance From V illers C otterets in 1 8 2 3 Dumas took

.
-
, ,
c oach for Paris and his fi rst home in the city was at
No 9 Rue de B o u lo i a still existing street not far from
.
,
-
the Palais Royal Thence h e soon removed to th e

.
near b y Rue Herold then known as the Rue des Vieux

-
,
Augustins incidentally a street in which Th ackeray

,
and his young b ride went to live j ust a fter their mar
D u ma s s next residence was in th e p resent
’
r ia g e .
Place Boieldieu directly b ack o f th e Opéra Comique

, ,
and a fter th at h e lived ,
with his mother o n ,
the second fl oor o f No .
53 Rue d u F a u b o u r g
S a int Denis next door -
,
to the o ld c a ba r et
“
Au ,
”
Lion d Arg e nt Then ’
.
fo r the nine years from

1 8 2 4 to 1 8 33 he w a s o n
th e south b ank , at
NO 2 5 Rue d e l Uni
’
.
M EU N G W H E R E D A R TA G N A N F RST AP V erS I t e o n t he south

.
’
I ,
P EAR E D U P O N TH E S C E N E OF F I CTI O N
eastern co t h er o f the
Rue d u B ac . That w as th e p eriod o f the Dumas
in which we are least interested the Dumas o f th e ,
“ “ ” “ ”
theatre o f Henri I I I
, Christine and Anthony , .
“
The great romances Monte C risto and Les Trois -
”
Mousquetaires were written at NO 2 2 Rue d e Rivoli .
(which number was then between th e Rue des Pyramides

and the Rue S aint Roch close to the Jeanne d Ar C
-
’
statue) at NO 1 09 Rue de Richelieu and NO 45 Rue

, .
, .
de la Chauss é e d Ant in ’
.
Then from 1 847 to 1 8 5 4 the Monte-Cristo peri o d

, , ,
Dumas h ad rented a villa at S aint G ermain and fi nd -

, ,
‘
TRAI L OF MUS KETE E RS AND OTH E RS 49

ing the countrysid e to his liking decided to erect a ,
“
D u ma s s Folly
”
ch ateau according to his o w n ideas .
’
w a s wh at it was called though everyone was anxious

,
to s e e it and to enjoy its hospitality Five or s ix hun .
d red guests went from Paris to sh are in the housewarm

ing and to b e a fterward entertained in t h e S aint Ger
,
-
“
main theatre with the im provised play Sha k e pe a re e t ,
”
Dumas . The ch ateau consisted o f a ground floor
and two u pper ones and was surrounded by a stone
,
b alcony There was a frieze formed by a series o f me

.
d allions each re presenting some famous author b e

, ,
ginning with Homer and ending with Victor Hugo .
’ ”
I don t s e e you among them Monsieur Dumas , ,
“ ”
s aid a visitor Oh I sh all be inside w a s the re ply
.
, , .
”
Over the front door o f Monte Cristo were the Dumas -
arms with his motto : j a i me qu i m a i me which may be

’ ’
roughly and yet app rop ri ately translated by the rib ald
chorus :
I d o n t g iv e g i v e a d a mn fo r a ny d amn man
’
W ho d o n t g i v e a d a mn fo r me
’
.
To Monte C risto re pai red a swarm of adventurers

-
,
m ale and female It was necessary only to ex press

.
admiration o f this novel o r that to win an invitation

t o dine and s p end the night Once installed the fla t .
,
r erer w a s hard to dislodge Dumas in his good nature

.
, ,
usually 1 nv e nt e d the excuse th at ex plained the p ro

“
longed stay There was the typical case o f the ther
.
mo me t e r man That w a s the person for whom the

.
novelist t o avoid turning him adri ft invented the d uty

, ,
o f going every d ay to find what the thermometer regis

50 TH E PARI S OF TH E NOVE L I STS
t e re d .I assure y o u my dear fellow that y o u will
, ,
be doing me a very great service : there is an intimate

connection between theat rical recei pts and the condi
tion o f the atmos phere and it is most important fo r me
,
” “
to b e well in formed o n this point From Monte .
”
Cristo Dumas could no more turn away an animal
than he could a man There were vultures apes .
, ,
parrots ph easants and a varied assortment o f fowls

, , .
Ab ove all there were dogs Finally the number o f the .
dogs reached thirteen which Dumas considered u m ,
lucky His servant suggested turning away o ne

. N0 .
,
Michel b ring in another ; that will make fou rteen

, .
B ut women naturally made the most o f the lavish

hos pitality The ch ateau w as ruled by a succession
.
o f fair c hd tela i nes mostly o f the theatrical pro fession

, .
“ ”
When o ne o f them departed from Monte Cristo s he
usually took the best o f the furniture as a souvenir o f her
stay Consequently there was need o f continual re ple n
.
is hme nt Dumas was not blind to the situation Some

. .
times he would be working in his kios q ue at the novel

on h and and would be disturbed by the shouting o f
,
those w ho were gathered round his bounti ful t able .
’
Then he would grumble a little I don t s ay that it .
does not give me pleasure to write my novels b ut it is ,
not quite the s ame pleasure as that o f my friend s w ho

” “
do not write them Again he said :. Herea fter men
will describe me as a pa ni er per c
‘
e as they will perh a p s ,
forget th at it was not always I w ho made the hole in th e

”
b asket Yet when d uring o ne o f his absences th e
.
, ,
actress w ho w a s fo r the time b eing installed as c hc

'
ite
la ine wrote frantically asking him wh at w as to b e done
5 2 TH E PARI S O F TH E NOVE L I STS
little o f Valois Paris is le ft to d ay b ut here and there
-
,
the search er is able to find monuments and bits o f o ld

streets th at recall the scenery familiar to the Reine
Margot to B ussy d Amb o is e and the Fo rt y fi v e
’
- -
, ,
Guardsmen .
The Valois triolo g y b egins with th e marriage o f M ar

guerite d e France and th e B éarnais Henri d e Navarre , .
The religious ceremony was per formed under the grand

portal o f Notre Dame fo r Henri s h e resy forb ad e his
’
marriage within Then followed the festiviti es in th e

.
“ ”
o ld Louvre There is no ch ange in these walls said
.
,
“
Benj amin Ellis Martin since th at d ay except th at a
, ,
vaulted ceiling took the place in 1 80 6 o f the original, ,
oaken beams which h ad s erved for rare h angings not o f

, ,
tapestries b ut o f men The long corridors and square

, .
rooms above peo pled peaceably by pi c

, tures now echoed ,
to the rushing o f frightened feet o n the night o f S a int w
B artholomew when Margot s aved the li fe o f her hu s

,
-
J
b and th at w a s and o f her lover th at w a s to b e Hid den .
within the massive walls o f Philip pe Auguste s b uilding -

’
is a s piral staircase o f his time connecting the S alle des

S e pt C heminées with th e floor b elow and b eneath that ,
with the cumb rous underground portions o f his O ld

Louvre As one gropes down the worn steps aroun d
.
,
the sh arp turns deep below the s ur face visions a ppear ,
o f Valois cons p iracy and o f the intrigues o f the F loren

tine queen mother-
.
Perh a ps b est remembered o f all th e splendid scenes

o f the Valois triology are the duel between the migno ns
o f the King and the followers o f the Duke o f Guise and
the great fi ght fo r li fe made by B ussy d Amb o is e against -

’
TRAI L OF M U S KET E E RS AND OTH ERS 53
the assassins o f the C omte de M o ns o re a u Both those .
e pisodes Dumas d rew from the pages o f B r a nt Ome ,
telling the story much more dramatically th a n Bran

t Ome told it Let the traveller o f to d ay take his stand
.
-
b e fo r e the V ictor Hugo house in the Place d e s Vosges

and he will b e almost o n the exact spot where on Sun ,
d ay April 2 7 1 5 7 8 took place the conflict from which

, , ,
‘
Ant ra g u e t a lo ne survived while Qu é lu s Schomberg , , ,
Livarot Rib e ir a cand M a u g iro n either perished o n the

, ,
i
ground o r d ie d from wounds Qu é lu s the King s .
,
’
favourite pierced by nineteen wounds lingered fo r a

, ,
month in Hotel d e Bois s y in the near by Rue S aint ,

-
Antoine which the King ha d closed with ch ains agains t

,
t ra ffi c The irrev erent P a risians alluding to the King s ’

.
,
grie f suggested that the Pont Ne u f o f which the foun

, ,
“
d ations h ad j ust been laid should be called the Bridge ,
”
o f Tears Also in the Rue S aint Antoine at the cor
.
-
,
ner o f what is now the Rue Sév ig né which begins a l ,
most o pposite the Lycée Charlemagne was the town ,
house o f the Comte de M o ns o re a u To this house

'
.
,
s ays B r a nt Ome B ussy d Amb o is e done with Margot

,
’
, ,
w a s lured by a note written by the countess under her ,
h usb and s o r ders and eyes giving her lover B ussy his
’
, , ,
usual rendezvous d uring the count s absence This ’

.
time th e count w a s at home with a group o f his armed ,
men and there o n the night o f August 1 9 1 5 7 9 the

, , , ,
gallant was duly and thoroughly done to death In .
the p ages o f Dumas the d uel followed the assassination

’
by a fe w hours ; historically the d uel preceded the kill

ing o f B ussy by almost sixteen months Tw o inns .
likely to b e recalled by readers of the V alois trilogy

were the C o me d Ab o nd anc e
’
the scene o f some o f ,
’
Chicot s memorable exploits which was in the Rue ,
S aint Jacques o n the south sid e o f the river ; and the

-
,
”
Sword o f the B rave C hevalier th e meeting place o f ,
th e Forty Five in the Rue d e Bussy now the Rue d e

, ,
Buci near the modern Boulevard S aint Germain

,
-
.
B ut a fter all C hicot is not q uite D Art ag nan nor is ’
,
” “ ”
Marguerite d e V alois Les Trois Mousquetaires .
S o b ack to the old q uarter h ard by the Luxembourg

and the t rail with which this chapter began It w a s in .
1 6 2 5 that the youth ful G ascon entered Paris astride hi s
orange-colou red horse Rosinante Then the Luxem .
bourg Palace w as a comp aratively new structure h aving ,
been begun in 1 6 1 5 and finished in 1 6 20 D Art ag .

’
nan s gri p o n his sword hilt was j ustified by the condi

’
tions o f li fe in the Paris which he h ad invaded and w a s

determined to con q uer Richelieu h ad done something .
to im prove m atters b ut the city w a s still internally

,
C h aotic Most o f the streets were unp aved G reat

. .
stones obstructed the thorough fares There w a s little .
sewerage and huge p uddles b reeding disease and e x hal

, ,
ing fetid odours remained in the gutters weeks a fter a

,
rain The streets were unlighted People ab road at

. .
night carried lanterns but these flitting and flickering ,
lights failed to awe the robbers w ho flourished in great ,
nu mbers often boldly carrying o n thei r rascalities in

,
b road d aylight As lawless as the highwaymen were

.
the pages and lackeys w ho spent their nights in in ,
s u lt ing p assersby carrying o ff young girls fighting th e

, ,
watch and knocking in the doors o f shops Parlia

, .
ment w a s virtually powerless Highway robbery was .

TRAIL OF MUS K ETEE RS AND OTH E RS 55
so common that the witnesses o f a the ft amused them
selves by laughing ar the expense o f the victim without
attem pting to prevent its commission Assassins plied .
their vocations in t he p ublic squares and markets The .
a d mims t r a t io n o f j u s t 1 c
e was primitive and a long ra pier ‘
more imposing than any number o f legal documents .
To ins pire de ference o ne had t o b e either a great noble

man o r a man o f arms Imagine that o ld city and then
.
start at the Luxembourg always b earing in mind the

,
im portant fact that there was then no b road Boulevard

S aint Michel and that travel between the Palace and
-
,
the river was by means o f the winding Rue de la Harp e ,
o f which a bit still remains .
The Luxembourg Palace fronts o n the Rue Vau gir

ard the longest street in Paris It is the starting point
, .
o f the trail o f the Musketeers as w e knew them in the
fi rst book The ap artment o f Aramis w a s in that street

.
,
j ust east of the Rue d e C assette It w as o n the ground .
floor discreetly easy o f entrance and o f exit and its

, ,
windows looked out on the Luxembourg G ardens o p

po s it e The site is as easy to find as B attery Park o r
.
Boston C ommon Athos lived in the Rue F e t ou within

.
,
two step s o f the Luxembourg The p aving and style .
o f architecture may have C h anged but it is still the Rue ,
F e ro u and runs from the Rue Va u g ir a r d to the Place

,
S aint Sul pice On the other side o f the Place S aint

-
.
Sul pice is the Rue d u Vieux C olombier W here Porthos

h ad his pretended residence an ap artment o f much
,
elegance according to his story b ut to which none o f his

,
friends had ever been invi ted D Art ag nan s fi rst home
’ ’
.
i n Paris was in wh at was then the Rue des Fossoyeurs .

It is now the Rue Se rv a nd o ni and i s the next p arallel ,
street to the east o f the Rue Fe ro u the two thorough ,
fares b eing still j oined by th e curious little Rue d u

Canivet It w as close by the home o f Aramis th at too k
.
“
place the d ue! surpassing even th at o f La Dame
d e M o ns o re au th at encounter in which D Ar t a g na n
,
’
threw in his lot with Athos Porthos and Aramis about

, , ,
to engage the C ardinal s G uards led by t he redoub t

’
able Jussac .
In th e third decade o f the seventeenth centu ry th e

Bois de Boulogne was fa r b eyond th e city walls Else .
where to be discussed is the trail o f the Musketeers out

side o f Paris B u t a fter the return from England with
.
the diamond necklace the young Gascon re paired in ,
obedience to the letter from Con s tance Bonacieux to ,
the pavilion at S aint Cloud leaving the city by th e

-
,
Porte de la Con ference and riding th rough the Bois d e

,
Boulogne The pavilion under which D Art a g na n

.
,
’
watched th rough the night was d estroyed by the Prus

,
sians d uring the siege o f Paris The home o f Porthos s .

’
“ ”
Duchess w a s in the Rue aux Ours What remains .
o f th at street retaining the s a me name is to be found

, ,
not fa r from where the Boulevard de S eb astopol is dia

g o na lly crossed by the Rue d e Turbigo It w a s there .
th at Porthos seeking to solve th e problem o f his equi p

,
ment went to dine with Mad ame C o q u e na rd her hu s

, ,
b and and the ravenous clerks The studies of old Pari s

, .
o f M Franklin th row additional light on the humou rs o f

.
the feast Forks which came into usage among the

.
,
nobility in the beginning o f the seventeenth century ,
d i d not fin d thei r way into the households o f the bou r

T RAIL OF MUS KETE E RS AND OTH ERS 57
geois i e until the beginning o f the eighteenth , the huge so
and fastidious Musketeer w a s reduced to em ploying his

fingers in gobbling down the distaste ful re past .
“
Dumas may h ave occasionally played ducks and
”
d rakes with history B ut in the study of his settings
.
h e exercised a care and pursuit of accuracy with which

he i s seldom credited It might be su pposed th at a
.
man o f his abound ing imagination would trouble himsel f

little about documentary research o r local colou r at
fi rst h and As a matter o f fact he had a p assion fo r
.
,
investigating the places with wh ich his books were con

“ ” “
cerned . I cannot he said make either a book or a
, ,
” “
play o n localities I h ave not seen Fo r Monte .
”
Cristo not only the island itsel f but Marseilles and th e
, ,
“
Ch ateau d If had to be revisited
’
Les Trois Mous .
q u e t a ire s involved going to Boulogne and B é t hu ne .
The b ackground o f the first incarnation was the Latin

Quarter section especially the streets between the
,
Luxembourg and the Place S aint Sul pice Th e trail -

.
o ften carried beyond the river such as when the a d ,
venture which D Art a g na n regretted to the end o f hi s

’
li fe the trick played o n Milady led him to th e structure

, ,
in the Place Royale now the Place d e s Vos g e s in which

, ,
Victor Hugo was to live and Dumas to vis it more than

,
two hund red years later ; there was in the Rue d e la

H arpe th e ceaseless clatter o f t roo pers riding between
the Luxembou rg and th e Louvre ; but to be in the heart
“ ”
o f the land o f The Th ree Musketeers o ne does not
h ave to travel very fa r away from a com fortable table
at Fo yo t s
’
.
Between 1 6 2 5 and 1 6 4 5 the scene o f action in Paris

5 8 TH E PAR I S O F TH E NO V ELI STS
ch anged moving from the south b ank o f the Seine to t he
,
north D Art ag nan travelling with th e current o f

’
.
,
“ ”
li fe found lodgings in th e Auberge de la Chevrette
,
k e p t b y t h e pr e t t y
Flemish Madeleine in
the Rue Tiq u e t o nne .
I t is the Rue Tique

tonne to d ay a rching
-
,
from the Rue Mont

martre to the Ru e d e
Turbigo and there was
, ,
until a short time ago

at least a certain Hotel
,
d e Picardie which car ,
ried with it a s u g ge s t io n
o f the astute and p ros
pero ns Planchet As .
lieutenant o f the King s ’
Mus keteers D Ar t a g ’
D ART ONAN s L O D G I N G
’
A
’ nan s activities
’
called
fo r a residence in this
“ ”
part o f the city The action o f Vingt Ans A pr es
.
begins in the Palais Royal which was then known

,
as the Palais C ardinal It sweeps up and down the

.
Rue S aint Honor é and takes d Art a g nan to th e

-
,
’
B astille there to release temporarily the C ount d e

Roche fort his evil genius o f the early days Starting
,
.
the search fo r Aramis the Gascon wisely looks fi rst fo r

B azin and find s th at worthy acting in th e capacity o f
beadle in Notre Dame In the Rue des Lomb ard s
.
,
which in the seventeenth century w a s invaded by th e

v . THE PARI S OF HONOR E DE BALZAC
The P a r is of Ope ni ng P a r a gr a phs — The Rue Les d igu i er es
The H a p N — B a lz a ca s La w S tu d e nt
py
i l F o r g o tte n o v e ls d
an
P u blis he r— I n the Ru e Vis c

o nt i
— The S e c
r et f Ac
o hie ve me nt
H a r ic — The H i dd e n —
“ ” “
T he H o te l d es o ts Cha mber s Les
d ies
” — The “
M a is o n Va u qu e r The F a u bo u r g S a i nt
[ar -
Ger ma i n— The R ue d u D oyenne — the H a u nts of Ces a r B ir o ttea u .
F ALL co pies in all languages o f all th e b ooks o f

, ,
”
the C omédie Humaine we r e to b e deleted o f
everything b ut th e opening paragra phs there ,
would still remain a Paris o f B alzac worthy o f seriou s

consideration and study For s o closely was narrative
.
woven into the very fib re o f Paris that th e logical way

o f beginning w a s by the setting o f the de fi nite scene .
To illustrate by re ference to certain o f the most widely

“ ”
known books : In Le P Cre Goriot the fi rst sentenc e ,
“
in for ms us th at Mme Va u q u e r ( nee d e C o nfla ns )
.
had fo r forty years kept a pe ns i o n bo u r geo is e in th e Ru e

Neuve S ainte Genevi ev e between th e Latin Quarter
- -
,
” “
and the Faubourg S aint Ma r cel La Peau d e
-
.
”
Chagrin plunges the re a der at once with Raph ael
into the Palais Royal and the gambling den where h e
“ ”
staked and lost Le Cou s in Pons is fi rst pr esented
“
walking along the Boulevard d e s Italiens with his ,
”
head bent down a s if tracking someone
, The Ru e .
S aint Honoré near the Plac e Ve nd Ome is the o pening

-
, ,
60
TH E PARI S OF HONOR E DE BALZAC 61
“
note o f The Rise and Fall o f Cesar B iro t t e a u The .
pom po us C r e v e l in the uni form o f a ca ptain of the

,
National Guard is being d riven down the Rue d e

,
“ ”
l Univ e r s it é as the curtain rises fo r La Cousine Bette
’
.
Nor are these C hance streets and neighbourhoods Just .
one hundred years have pas s ed since November 1 8 1 9 , ,

“ ”
when the story o f Le P é re Goriot began yet if the ,
American visitor in Paris will seek out the Rue Neuve

S ainte G e nev ié v e now the Rue Tourne fort and pass
-
, ,
th rough t he gateway o f No 24 he will realize th at no

.
,
other s pot on earth could h a ve served a s the setting fo r

the d ram a involving the French Lear and the evil ,
”
schemes o f V autrin alias Trom pe la mort
,
- -
.
’
To begin this survey o f B alzac s Paris with a note
imitative o f the B alzac n o te turn to the novelist s first
,
’
attic which was at the t o po f th e o ld house No 9 Rue

, .
Le s d ig u ié re s .The Rue Le s dig u iere s still exists It i s .
near the Place de la B astille and runs from th e Rue

,
S aint Antoine to the Rue d e la Cerisaie crossing the

-
,
Boulevard Henri IV on the way But the house is gone ;

.
d emoli s hed in 1 86 6 to m a ke way fo r the s pacious avenue

th at swee ps across an end o f the Isle S aint Louis and -
serves as the connecting link between the boulevards o fthe

righ t b ank a nd the Bo u levard S aint Germain To use -
.
“ ” “
B alzac s o w n words in Facino Cane
’
I was then liv
,
ing in a small s treet y o u prob ably do not know the Rue ,
des Le s d ig u ié re s It commences at the Rue Saint An

.
-
t o ine o p
, p osite a fo u nta in near the Pl a ce de la B astille ,
and issues in the Rue de l a Ceris a ie Love o f knowl .
edge had dri v en me into a garret where I worked ,
during the night and s pent the d ay in a neighbouring

,
62 TH E PA RI S O F TH E NOVE LI STS
library th at o f M o ns ieu r When it was fi ne I took rare
, .
,
walks o n the Bourdon Boulevard .
“
B alzac speaks o f the Lib ra ry o f M o ns ieu r It is .
a b it o f affectation comp arable to his insistence o n th e

aristocratic prefix to his name It is the Lib rary o f th e
.
Arsenal a fter the Biblioth eq ue Nationale the richest

,
o f all Paris lib raries ; begun by Fran c ois I rebuilt by ,
the V alois kings ; enlarged by Henri IV ; and occup ied

’
as a residence by Henri s grand m aster o f artillery ,
Sully Among the treasures still to b e found there are

.
the cross examination o f the M archioness o f B rinv il

-
liers and the death certificate o f the Man in the I ron

,
Mas k ; while a cu rator o f recent years was M Funck .
B rentano who h as popularly p resented to th e world s o

,
many o f the d ram as and intrigues o f French history .
It was in the lib rary by d ay and the garret by night

th at B alzac began that li fe of terrific toil in which h e
persisted until the end To those years belong th e
.
“
h a ppily forgotten novels o f his p rentice hand : Le C en
t e na ir e
” “
, L He rit a g e de B ir a g u e
’ ” “
Wa rm Chlo ne ,
”
,
“ ” “ ”—
Jean Louis Le Vicaire des Ardennes
, to recall a
—
few issued under such grotes que pe n names as : Hor
“
” “ ” ’
ace de S aint Aubin and Lord R ho o ne the latte r
-
,
an anagram o f Honoré To the garret he took his s cant

.
supply o f food and carried u pfrom the court pump th e

,
b ucket o f water needed fo r th e making o f the co ff ee

that was to sus t ain him th rough the long nights o f pen
work At No 9 Rue des Le s dig u iere s w here he lived
. .
,
fo r fi fteen months he was digging his too early grave

,
-
and b uilding the found ations o f his immortal labou r .
His only relaxations were th e long walks that gave him

TH E PARI S O F HONOR E DE BALZA C 63
his amazing knowledge o f every corner o f the Paris o f

his time and the hou rs o f building d ay dreams as he
,
contemplated the city from the heights o f the cemetery

o f P é re Lachaise .
Th at w a s the period o f B alzac the ineff ectual novelist

.
B e fore that there had been B alzac the law student .
The next incarnation

was B alzac the pu b
l i s h e r and p r i n t e r .
There is near the ,
E cole des Beaux Arts ,
b etwee n t h e R u e
Bona parte and the
Rue de Seine a little ,
street s o narrow that

t w o v ehicle s cannot
p ass in it It is now
.
the Rue Visconti A .
centu ry ago it w a s
known as th e Ru e des
Marai s S aint Ger -
main There a t No
.
, .
1 7 a house th at w a s
,
later occu pied by th e TH E RUE V I S CON T I
studio o f Paul Dela -

c
roche B alzac established the p rinting p ress that ruined

,
him His first i dea was to bring o u t compact edi

.
tions o f th e complete works o f diff erent authors

in o ne volume a nd he began with M o lié re and La
,
F ontaine Th at venture a lon e s addled him with

.
francs o f debt Finally about the b eginning o f 1 8 2 8

.
, ,
64 -
TH E PARI S OF TH E NOV ELI STS
p rinting p ress and ty pe foundry were sold at a ruinous
s acrifice and B alzac faced li fe with obligations amount
,
ing to francs hanging over him Of this .
’
money francs had b een loaned by the novelist s
mother and , francs by Madame d e Berny .
The latter s u m w a s paid b a ck in full in 1 836 the yea r ,
o f Mad ame d e B erny s death

’
.
As a printer B alzac had lived over his shop In wh a t .
“ ”
is now the Rue Visconti he b egan Les C houans It .
was the fi rst book to bear his real name as author and h e ,
finished it in his next home which was at No 2 Rue d e

,
.
Tournon a street which has undergone fe w if any

,
changes since B alzac dwelt the re Then in 1 8 31 h e .

, ,
moved to the Rue C a s s mi near th e Observatoire A

, .
comp anion there was Jules S a nd e a u who h ad recently ,
b roke naway from George S and Des pite th e sep ara .
tion Mad ame Dudev a nt was in th e h abit o f paying

occasional visits to the Rue C assini and B alzac returned ,
these visits pu ffi ng u p the stairs o f th e fi v e storied

,
-
house o f the Quai S aint — Michel at the t o po f which sh e

lived H e called to advise her about her writing b ut
.
,
soon turned to the more congenial topic o f his o w n work .
“
Ah I h ave found something else ! Y o u will s e e ! You
,
will s e e ! A splendid idea ! A situation ! A d ialogue !

”
Nobody has ever done anything like it ! George S and
listened patiently and a s reward Balzac portrayed her
,
“ ”
with kindly flattery as Mlle des T o uches in B é at r ix
.
,
.
In the Rue Cassini B alzac lived fo r a number o f

years there writing among others La Peau de Cha
, , ,
” “ ” “ ”
grin , E u g é nie Grandet Le Ly s d ans la Vallée
, ,
” “ ” “
La Médecin d e Cam pagne Le P é re Goriot , Le ,
THE PAR I S OF HONOR E D E BALZAC 65
” “ ” “ ”
Curé de Tours César B iro t t e a u Loui s Lambert
, , ,
“ ” “
La Duchesse de Langeais La Femme d e Trente ,
” “ ”
Ans and the fi rst p art of Illusions Perdues
,
It w a s .
during this period th at Werdet became his publisher ,
and d rew th at v i v id u nfo rg e t a ble picture o f his d aily ,
li fe when he was in the ful l swing o f creative inv ention
He u s u a lly g o e s i g ht c l ck aft li g ht d i nn w h d
to bed at e o
’
o , er a e r, as e
d w n by g l
o fV r y a H i g i n t hi d k by t w in t h
as s o o uv a . e s a a a s es o e
m ni ng H w it f m th t ti m till i
or . e f hi ng hi m l f c
r es ro a e S x , r e re s se o
c i n lly w ith cff f m p t k pt in t h fi pl c At i h

as o a o ee ro a o e e re a e . s x e
h hi b th in w hi c
as s h h m in f n h
a ,
m d it ti ng Th n I e re a s or a o u r, e a . e
cll ; I m d mitt d t b i ng p f t o t k w y t h c c
a a a e t d on o r ro o s, a e a a e o rre e es,
a nd t w t if p i b l f h m n ci pt f m him F m ni n
o re s , oss e, re s a us r ro . ro e
h w it till n n w h n h b
e r es k f t n t w b il d gg nd m
oo , e e re a as s o o o e e s a so e
bre a d nd f m n t
, a i th l b rofc c ti n g o n g in
e o s x e a our o o rr e o o es o a a .
Thi li f l t f
s i w k
e tw
as s m nth d i ng w hi c
or s x h ti m h ee s or o o s ur e e
f
re u s e st n hi m t i nti m t e f i nd ; th n h p
o s ee ev e l ng g i n s os a r e s e e u es a a
i nt o t h d i n y ff i f li f
e or my t i ly d i pp
ar t
a b a rs o e, o r s e r o us sa e ars , o e
n ex t h d f in o me d i t ant part o f Franc pe h ps in Co rs i c

e ar o s a s e, o r r a ,
S ard i ni o r It ly a, a .
There was o ne Paris residence o f B alzac which must

not b e enti rely forgotten a lbeit it was o ne whose ho s ,
pit a lit y the novelist neither invited nor enj oyed Th at .
was the o ld prison o f the National Guard known flip ,

“ ”
pa nt ly as the Hotel des H aricots B alzac unlike .
,
the C re v e l o f his La Cousine Bette loathed the com ,
pu ls o ry serv ice and evaded it on all possible occasions , .
Once he hid himsel f in a remote quarter under the name

“ ”
of Mad ame Durand A friend learning his where .
,
“
abouts sent him a letter a d d r e s s e d : M a d a me Durand
, ,
nee B alzac Again and again B alzac matched his

.
66 THE PARI S OF TH E NOVELI STS
wits against those o f the searchin g authorities b ut ,
occasionally he was caught and forced to serve a term

,
o f punishm ent which was annoying though involving no
great p erson al h ard shi p .
Even a fter he moved to the Rue des B atailles in th e ,
Passy section then a retired and country like sub urb

,
-
o f Paris B alzac ret a ined the rooms in the Rue C a s s rnr

,
a s a re fuge from over insistent creditors

-
The Rue des .
“
B atailles quarters were described in La Fille aux Yeux
”
’
d Or . They were very luxurious b ut connect e d wit h ,
them were two secret ch ambers one fitted up with a ,
cam p b edstead and the other with a writing table .
Concealed doors led to these hiding places which were

used whenever B alzac was pursued by emi s saries o f the
Garde Nationale creditors o r enraged editors Even
, , .
Passy was not fa r enough away to discourage the

visits o f these pests ; s o in 1 8 38 B alzac bought th ree
a cres o f ground at Ville d Av r a y a little V illage near
’
-
,
Sé v r e s o n the road to Versailles

, There at No 1 4 .
, .
“ ”
Rue Ga mbetta Les J a r d ie s may b e seen to d ay a
, ,
shrine to the st atesman Gambett a who died there and , ,
no les s a sh rine to the creator o f th e C omédie Hu

”
ma ine .
“
There are in Paris certain streets wrote B alzac ,
” “
in F e rr a g u s as dishonoured as can b e any man con
v ict e d o f in famy ; then there are noble streets also ,
streets that are sim ply honest also young streets con
,
cerning whose morality the p ublic h as not yet formed

any o pinion ; then there are murderous streets streets ,
older th an th e oldest possible dowagers estim able ,
streets streets that are always clean s treets th at are

, ,
68 TH E PARI S O F TH E NOVE LI STS
p assing down the Rue de l Es t r a pa de A moment s ’
.
’
glance at a ma p will ma ke it all plain s ailing Wher e .
the Rue d e l Es t r a pa d e comes to an ab rup t e nd in a

’
little triangle turn to the right and follow the Ru e

,
’
Tournefort which in B alzac s d ay w a s known by it s
,
original name o f Rue Neuve S ainte G enevi eve No w -

.
,
as then it seems to creep timidly over the b row o f t he

,
historic hill then sh arply to b rea k into descent as it

,
app roaches th e Rue d e

l A r b a l et e No w a s
’
.
th en the pomp and glit

ter o f Paris s eem far
away Sto p be fore t he .
house that b ears th e

number 24 In the .
cours e o f many visits th e

writer h as never seen t he
door leading into th e
courtyard when it w as
not hal f open in a pparent
w e l c o m e P u s h a nd
H
T E MA I S O N V Q U ER ~AUH M O ST T E
.
P O RT EN T OU S S E N G TT I H S EN E N enter
OP T E There to study
C I .
,
AL L THE L T E AT U E r FI TI O N
I R R o
W ith C
the utmost free
H ny] m
e r a es
dom rs the lI t t le gar ,
den where Vautrin poured his insidious poison into the

too willing ear o f Eug ene From a corner which has .
been converted into a storehouse fo r wood the Pilgrim ,
peering t h rough dingy windows looks into the ve ry ,
dining room where Trom pe la— “ ”

mort was taken by -
the soldiers and th e police and turned his terrible ,
eyes on his betraye r s Mlle M ic ho nne au and

, .
“
Fil
TH E PARI S OF HONOR E DE BALZAC 69
d e Soie
-
.Fiction possesses no more convincing pile
o f b rick and mortar .
Th at sh abby pens io n bo u r geo is e in the Rue Neuve

S ainte G enevi eve whe re G o rl o t suffered and died was in
-
s h arp contrast to the surroundings o f the adored

d aughters for whom h e stri pped himsel f to the last s o u .
F rom far across the Seine these d aughters came in

stately e q uip ages not through a sense o f filial d evotion
, ,
b ut in the greedy hop e o f being able t o wheedle some

fresh sacrifice The Comtesse de Re s t a u d Anastasie
.
, ,
lived in the Rue d u Helder a street then fashionable , , ,
running from the Bo u levard d es Italiens t o the Boule

vard Haussmann Madame d e Nu c .ing e n Del phine , ,
lived in th e Rue S aint Lazare From there s he and -

.
Eug ene d e Ra s t ig na cd rove to the Palais Royal in order

th a t h e a b eginner might risk a hundred francs fo r
, .
,
h er in th e hop e o f winning enough to meet her imme

diate needs Nea r the Th eatre Fran c ais the carriage
.
stopped and E ugene alighting found his way to a hell

, , ,
in a nea r b y street The numb er above the door was 9

-
.
,
and Ras t ig na cstaking o n numb er 2 1 the figure o f his

, ,
o w n age and re s t a king o n the red carried b ack to his

, ,
lady th e s u m o f seven thousand francs .
In B alzac s d ay th e q uarter o f Paris chosen by wealth

’
,
as opposed to s a ng a z u r which clung to its F a u b o u r g

,
S aint Germain w as in the neighbourhood o f the present

-
,
Ga re S aint Lazare The favourite street was th e Rue de

-
.
l a P epini ere continued by the Rue S aint Lazare An

,
- .
other fashionable street was the Rue de Provence and ,
there B alzac placed the house o f th e seven courtesans ,

“ ”
of Les Comédiens sans le S avoir The p resent Opera .
and its P la c e d id not then exist nor w as th ere any ,
’
Avenue de l Opé r a One o f the cluster o f n a rrow streets
.
then lying b etween the boulevards and the Louvre was

“
the Rue de Langlade where in S plendeurs e t Mis eres ,
”
d e s Courtis anes Vautrin found Esther l a Torpille at
,
death s door
’
.
In the beginning o f Une Double Famille B alzac

mpha s iz e d the d arkness and unhealthiness o f the region
about the o ld church o f S aint Merri In that sectio n -
.
were the Rue des Lomb ards where M a t ifa t p resided

over the wholesale d rug b usiness ; and the Rue Aubry
le Boucher once the Rue d es Cin q Diamants where
, ,
“
P o pino t o f Cesar B iro t t e a u h ad his sho p The .
“
house described in Une Double Famille was in the
Rue Tourni quet S aint Jean which was only five feet
- -
,
wide at its b roadest and was Cleaned only when it ,
rained .
B ut it is to the Faubourg S aint Germain now little -

,
more than a name th at one t u rns fo r the sh ades o f the

,
“ ”
aristocratic women o f the Comédie Humaine There .
was Ra s t ig na cs relative the Vicomtesse d e B e au s e a u nt

’
, ,
o ne o f the queens o f fas hion whose h6te l was thought ,
to b e the pleasantest in all the Faubourg and where ,
one found the best d r essed women o f the great world

-
o f Paris — L a dy B randon the Duchesse d e Langeais the , ,
Comtesse d e K e r g a ro u e t the Co mtesse Ferraud Mme , , .
de Lanty Mme de S é riz y the M arquise d e Lis t o mere

, .
, ,
the Duchesse de C a r ig lia no th e M arquise d Aig le mo nt ,

’
,
the M arquise d Es pa r d Mme Fi r mia ni and the Duch

’
, .
,
esse de M a u frig ne u s e attended by the gilded and in ,
solent youth o f the period the M a u linc o u r t s Maximes , ,

TH E PARI S OF HONORE D E BALZA C 71
d e Trailles Ron q uerolles Aj uda Pintos and V an
, ,
-
,
d e ne s s e s . Even the tradition o f the quarter has been

shaken by the Great War and fo r years be fore August , ,
1 9 1 4 little b ut tradition remained

, .
On the south bank o f the river almost o pposite where ,
the Pal a ce o f the Tuileries once sto o d there is a small ,
street th e Rue de B eaune running from the Quai

, ,
Voltaire to the Rue de l Univ e r s it é It is r eached by ’

.
crossing the Pont Royal and turning to the le ft Where .
the Rue d e Beaune ab uts o n the Quai Voltaire is the

house in which Voltaire d ied and from which his body , ,
wrapped in a dressing gown and held u p by stra ps ,
like a traveller asleep was t aken in a coach fo r inter

,
ment outside Paris at the Abbey o f Sc e lliere s in Cham
p agne Next to that house there was until a fe w years

.
ago an antiquary s shop which h ad been there in B al

’
z ac s day and which had o ften tempted th e novelist to

’
extravagances th at made heavier and heavier the b ur

den o f his debts That sho p was the background o f
.
“
the fi rst act o f La Peau de Ch ag r in fo r the o pening ,
scene in the Palais Royal gambling house was the b rie f

est o f p rologues It was with the determination o f
.
sel f destr u ction th at Ra ph ael de Valentin descended

-
the stai rcase o f No 36 a fter th e turn o f the cards h ad

.
reduced him to penury H e le ft th e galleries o f the .
Palais Royal walked as fa r as the Rue S a int Honoré

,
-
,
c r o s s e d t he Tuileries gardens and then the Pont Royal ,
to the le ft b ank It was the s pectacle o f Ra phael look

.
ing down at the swirling waters that moved B alzac to

the O ften quoted s aying that the news paper p aragra ph :
-
“
Yesterd ay at four o clock a young woman threw
,
’
,
72 TH E PARI S OF TH E NOV E LI STS
hersel f into the S eine from th e Pont des Arts con ,
t a ine d the essence o f the greatest h uman d rama But .
Ra ph ael shuddering at th e visions conj ured u p by his

,
burning imagination crossed the qu a i and entered th e, ,

’
antiqu ary s sho p where he found the magic skin which
granted every wis h but with every wish decreased in
,
size diminishing with its shrinking th e li fe o f its posses

, , ,
so r .
On th e site occupied by the p resent Sorbonne at th e ,
c o rner o f th e Place de la Sorbonne and the Rue Neu v e

d e Richelieu was the famous F lic , o t e au o f
“
Illusions
”
Perdues In that restaurant o f o ld Bohemia where
.
Lucien de Rub em pr e met Lousteau and d Art he z a ’
dinner o f th ree dishes and a c a r afo n o f wine might b e
h ad fo r a franc Not French Bohemians only gathered

.
“
there Thackeray knew it and wrote o f it in Phili p
. ,
,
a nd B ulwer Lytton describ ed it at length

-
.
Ra ph ael d e Valentin li v ed in a d ilapid ated h6tel

g a r ni in th e Rue d e s Cordiers known as th e Hotel S aint
“
Quentin Nothing could be more horrible th an th at
.
garret with it s dirty yellow walls smellin g o f poverty

, , ,
its slo ping ceiling and the loosened tiles a ff ording

, ,
”
glimpses o f the s k y Once Jean Jacques Rousseau
.
h ad lived in th at hostelry or in a similar one close by , ,
a fact which served somewh at to reconcile Ra phael

to the misery o f his surroundings Ap proximately the .
spot is easy to locate fo r it was nea r the corner o f the,
still-existing Rue d e Cluny B ut the Hotel S aint .
Quentin and the Rue des C ordiers h ave long since

vanished swept away to make room fo r certain new
,
buildings o f th e Sorbonne .
The Old Po nt Ne u f T hi s i
br dge , t he o ld t
es f
ll s pa nning t he e ne
o a Si
F
.
ha s be e n t o r e nc fico n
,
h ti ht R i lt w a t he a o w a s t o t he g o s s I ps o f me d i aav a l
Ve n ic B l c i d D
e a z a sa :
“
r a ma s e s s e nc
’
t
e is in t he w o r d s : Y e s e r d ay , a t
‘
c
l ck w m n t
.
fo u r O
’
h l it
o , a o a i
hre w e r s e f n o t he r v e r fro m t he Po n Ne u f t .
’
TH E PARI S O F TH E NOV E LI STS
his eyes the marvellous view to the west th rough ,
t he gardens o f th e Tuileries across th e Place de la ,

”
Concorde u p th e swee p o f the Cham ps Elys ees past

,
-
,
the Rond Po int and on to the great Arch is stand

-
, ,
ing o n the exact ground once trod by the d ainty feet

o f la M a r nefi e .
There is at the corner o f th e Rue S aint —

, Honor é and
the Rue Castiglione a hostelry retaining something o f
,
the O ld French fl avour known as th e Hotel d e France ,
e t Choi s eul With th e virtues or the shortcomings o f

.
its c u is i ne and management the p resent discussion ha s

nothing to do the interest at issue b eing th at j ust
,
across the street fr om the hotel o n the north side of the ,
way w a s the ret ail establishment o f M Cesar B iro t t e a u

, . .
There C es a r began his Paris li fe as an errand boy fo r

the Ra g o ns there h e was carried wounded and lay hid
,
den a fter the 1 3 Ve nd emia ir e ; there he made the fortune

“ “
from his Eau Car minative and his Double P at e ,
”
d es S ultanes th at h e lost in speculation in waste
ground about th e Madeleine Looking b ac k o n th at .
venture w e re a lize that it was C é s ar s luc k and not his ’
judgment th at w a s at fault fo r land about the Made~ ,
leine is now as val u able as any in Paris In outward .
aspect th e Rue S aint Honor e with its narrow p ave -

,
ment and its tall thin houses is much the s ame as it

, ,
w as when B alzac in th e fever o f creation irritably

, ,
dismissed such to pics o f convers ation as politics th e ,

“
Opera o r the Bourse s ayi ng : Come Let us dis cuss
, , .
real people ! I must tell you about Cé sar Biro t t e a u

”
and the new per fume that h e h as j u st invented B ut .
the o pening up o f th e Avenue d e l Opé r a which took ’
,
TH E PARI S O F HONOR E D E BALZA C 75
’
place since B alzac s d ay wrought vast Ch anges in the
,
business conditions o f this section o f the city C esa r s

.
’
establishment to day would p robably be found in the

-
Rue de la Paix o r on o ne o f the boulevards not too far

,
from the Place de l Opé r a

’
.
V I S INISTE R STR EE TS
.
S lu ms f
o ie nt S treets —The Old Cite of
P a r is —Anc Les M ys
”
ter es d e P a r is —The P e rs o na l E u ge ne S u e— “
Les M ys teres ,
’ ”
a nd
“ ”
L j u f E rr a nt a s Ser i a ls
e i — The Unde r wo r ld of 1 84 0
h— H is Ama z i n
C a ver ns i n the Cou rs la R e i ne— P a u l d e K o c g
P opu la r i ty— The Tr ibu te o f M ajo r P e nd e nnis — The P a r is
.
f
o
E mile Ga bor i a u .
T WAS the American Richard Harding Davis w ho ,

, ,
in About Paris mad e the extraordinary state~

“ ”
,
ment th at Paris w a s a C ity without slums Enter .
taining a s Mr Davis s book w a s the author s knowledge

.
’
,
’
o f his subj ect was above all at th e time o f writing ex

, ,
t r e me ly limited Wh at h e undoubtedly meant w a s

.
76
78 TH E PA RI S O F TH E NOV ELI STS
’
was s aid t o be somewhere about here a famous thieves
’
restau rant a sort o f b urglars
, although th e
ap ache 18 no t so likely to lurk I n this quarter pre ferring ,
the slopes o f Montm artre o r th e sh adows o f th e B uttes

,
Ch aumont o r o f th e Bois d e Boulogne In the summe r

.
o f 1 9 1 7 t h e write r
could find no trace o f

“
The Guardian
Angel which p er
,
h ap s bore o ut t he
sto ry th at i n th e ,
perilous d ays o f l ate

August 1 9 1 4 G eneral , ,
G allieni dealt swi ftly

and summarily wit h
C as q ue d o r and hi s ’
pals B ut it is o ne o f
.
the most ancient o f

P a ri s st reets t hi s ,
twisting ill smelling ,

-
,
hideous yet q uaint ,
lane with th e over

RU E D E VE N I S E
h anging houses a nd
the p rimitive lanterns There is a flavour to th e very
.
names o f some o f the streets about here ; the Rue des

Francs Bourgeois the Rue des Blancs Manteaux th e
-
,
-
,
Rue Taille Pain th e Rue B rise Miche the Rue Pierre

-
,
-
,
a u Lard
-
and th e Rue Pi rouette which derived its
, ,
a ppellation from the o ld iron wheel pierced with hole s

fo r the head and arm s o f murderers p anders blas , ,
phe me r s and vagabonds and turned every h alf hour in

, ,
S INI STE R STRE ETS 79
a different direction exposing its victims to new points

,
o f public derision .
No r is it in this q uarter alone a q uart er lying between,
the H alles C entrales to the west and the Archives

Nationales to the east that the sinister streets are to
,
b e found Climb the hill o f Montmartre fo r the

.
splendid church that crowns th e summit and the vast ,
p anorama that P aris below p resents b ut do not grudge ,
the h al f hour additional to visit wh at remain o f the

curious h al f count ry lanes that run slantingly between
,
-
th e high stone walls On the South B ank o f the Seine

.
,
from th e Jardin des Plantes zig zag in over the trail o f ,

-
J pursuit f Jean V alj ean th rough old world

’
a v e r t s o
thorough fares th at lead p ast the foot o f the Mount o f

S aint Genevi eve Once b etween this quarter and the
-
.
,
quarter that lies to th e east o f the Central Markets ,
there w a s another quarter where the streets were sinis

ter That was th e Cité as it was in the fi rst h al f o f the
.
nineteenth century a region o f which the most clearly

,
s taked fi ction C laim i s that o f Eug ene S ue and his

“ ” “
Mysteries o f Paris which h as b een called the Uncle
,
’ ”
Tom s Cab in o f socialism ; j u s t a s Sue s other novel ’
“ ”
which h as endured Th e Wandering Jew h as been
, ,
“ ” ’
called the Uncle Tom s Cabin o f anticlericalism .
“
The veracious author o f An Engli s hman in Paris
which incidentally is o ne o f the most instructive and
, ,
entertaining o f books o f it s kind des pite the fact that it

purported to deal at fi rst hand with events many o f
which h appened years be fore Mr Albert Vandam came .
—
into the world described the famous creator o f Les “
M y s t é re s de Paris and Le Juif E rrant as the most

” “ ”
80 TH E PA RI S O F TH E NOVE LISTS
p ompous o f po s e u r s
, w h o h aving written a rousing good
,
sto ry fo r th e s ake o f the t ale itsel f found himsel f u n

,
ex pectedly elevated to a pedestal as a C h am pion o f th e

cause o f proletai re and b landly accepted th e motives
,
attributed to him and the accruing honours In com .
”
pany according to the Englishman M Eug ene Su e
, , .
was in the h ab it o f assuming a fa r o ff ai r as if oc c

- u pied
,
dee ply by p roblems beyond the ken o f those about him .
His very d andyism o f m anner and attire was o ff ensive .
Once h e com plained o f cleaned gloves Their odour .
“
m ade him ill . B ut my friend s aid Al fred d e Musset
, , ,
“
they don t smell worse th an th e dens th at you de
’
”
scribe fo r us Don t you ever visit them ?
.
’
“ ”
The Mysteries o f P a ris and Th e Wandering
”
Jew are still j ustly held to b e among th e coloss a l
narratives o f all time B ut their author i s now littl e
.
more than a name Yet there was a time in th e pro

.
,
d uc t iv e decade o f 1 840 — 5 0 when , S ue as a literary

, f orce ,
was ranked with the elde r D u mas a nd the great B alzac ,
p rob ably rather higher than th e latter George S and .
“ ”
s poke o f his work as the Menagerie b ut con fessed ,
that s he could not mi s s a d aily instalment When Wil .
”
kie Collins s The Woman in White was a ppe a rin g
’
in All the Yea r Ro u nd the streets ap proaching th e

,
o ffi ce o f publication o n the d ay o f issue were th ro nged

with peo ple waiting to b uy th e next n u mber S ue s .
’
— “
serial po pularity the Mysteries a ppeared in th e ”
”
J o u r n a l d e s D e b a t s and Le Jui f Err a nt i n th e C on
s t itu ti o na l— fa r sur p assed th at o f Wilkie Collins It .
was im pos s ible to purch ase outright a co py o f th e pa per .
“ ” “
No Monsieu r th e news vendor wo u ld ex plain we
, , ,
scribed it o ne o f d ark narrow streets where malefactors
, , ,
swarmed in the drinking d ens o f sooty houses wit h ,
sweaty walls and so overhung as almost to touch eaves

, .
The tapis fr a ncbearing th e name o f the White Rab

-
“
”
bit and over which Mother P o nis s e p resided occupie d
, ,
the ground fl oor o f a lo fty house in the mid dle o f t h e

“
Rue aux F eves The Rue de la Juiverie the Rue aux ,
F eves the Rue d e la C aland re th e Rue des Ma r

, ,
mo u s e t s M G eorges C ain C urator o f the C a rnav a le t

. .
,
Museum and O f the Historic Collections o f the C ity o f

“
Paris h as recorded fo r centuries this quarter h ad b een
,
th e haunt o f the lowest prostitution ; there too dyers , ,
had established the ir m any coloured tubs ; and blue

-
,
red o r green st reams flowed down these streets wit h

,
thei r o ld Pa risian names

B ut the slums o f old Paris with which M Eug ene .
Sue s novels h ad to do were not confined to th e C it e

’
.
We are too much inclined to overlook t he sweeping

ch anges th at a century has wrought even in o ld world
cities The American traveller o f the p resent would
.
stare if pu t down in the Place d e la C oncord e o f 1 8 30 .
In what is now the Cours la Reine stretching away t o ,
the west along the b anks o f th e ri ver t here w a s until , ,
1 8 40 when t he last o f them :di sapp eared a number o f

, ,
subterranean caverns low buildings with cracke d walls

,
and tiled roo fs usually covered wit h slimy green mos s ,
and attached to the main b uildings wretched woo den

, ,
hovels serving as sheds and storehouses One o f t hese

,
.
”
taverns w a s th e B leeding Heart kept by B ras Rouge
, ,
“
and into its cella r Rodolph e was th rust by the S chool
”
master to await death by th e rising o f th e tide from the
SINI ST E R STRE ETS 83
near— b y S eine waters The stone walls o f the cave were

.
found hideously s pattered with the blood and b rains o f

“ ”
La Chouette ( Screech Ow l) when tthe police o fficers
-
entered a fter the vicious ch ild Tor t illard h ad p ushed

her down th e ste ps into the clutches o f th e b lind
”
Schoolmaster chained to a rock in the cellar floor .
“
As befits its swee ping title the trail o f Les Myst ere s
,
”
d e Paris i s all over the city as it w a s in 1 8 38 and also ,
reaches o u t th rough the environs By following the .
Rue d e Rivoli eastward in the direction o f the Bast ille ,
and turning north into the Marais at a corner op posite

t he Hotel d e Ville we enter th e Rue d u Tem ple which
, , ,
at its other end intersects with th e Rue Turbigo j us t

,
below where the ci rcle o f great boulevards between th e ,
Boulevard S aint-Martin and the Boulevard d u Tem ple ,
is b roken by th e s pacious Place de la R epublique In .
t his street dwelt the family Morel and t he res pectabl e

Pip elet Since 1 8 38 the thorough fare ha s been chang e d
.
and greatly widened The o ld Tem ple Market o f

.
,
which only a p art remains was a favourite b it fo r de

,
scription by th e French romancers o f the early h alf of

th e nineteenth century Of the Tem ple itsel f the Chief
.
,
stronghold in F rance o f the Knights Tem plar o f the

Middle Ages the Tower where the royal family was
, ,
im pri soned in 1 7 9 2 and 1 7 93 w as demolished by ,
Na poleo n I in 1 8 1 1 b ut p art remained until the Hauss

,
ma nnis ing o f Paris under Napoleon I I I In the d ays .
“ ”
of The Mysteries o f Paris toward the middle o f the
,
Rue d u Tem ple near a fountain which was placed in

,
the angle of a large s q uare was an immense p arallel,
ogram b uilt o f timber crowned by a S lated roof A long

, .
o pen i ng I ntersecting this parallelogram in its length
, ,
divided it into two equal parts ; these were in turn

divided and s u b di v ided by little lateral and t ransverse
courts sheltered from the rain by th e roo f o f the edifice
, .
In this bazaar new merchandise w a s generall y pr o

hib it e d but the smallest rag o f any o ld stu ff th e smallest ,
piece o f iron b rass or steel found its b uyer or Seller

, , , .
H al f a score blocks east w ard from the Tem ple in ,
O LD T E MPL E MA ET
RK
the direction o f the Bourse m ay b e found to d ay the

,
-
Rue d u Sentier which b egins at the Rue R ea u mur i s

, ,
bisected by the Rue d e s J e fi ne u rs and ab uts on the,
Boulevard P o is s o nier e It was there in a corner house

.
, ,
that d w elt th e nota ry Jacques Ferrand perha ps th e

, ,
most S inister o f all the sinister C ha racters o f the co mplex

“
t ale the evil genius o f the Myst eres de Paris as Rodin
,
’
86 TH E PA RI S OF TH E NOVELI STS
Two Orph ans he wo uld h ave to fill a dozen p ages ;
and yet s uch was d He nne ry s knack as a born play
’ ’
wright th at o n the stage it is all evolved so lucidly and

naturally as to be p er fectly clear at every moment I f .
there was s pace h ere fo r a consid eration o f the Pari s of

“ ”
the Playwright Th e Tw o Orphans with its definite
, ,
s etting in eighteenth centu ry Lutetia it s contrast o f the

-
,
p ersecuted poo r and the O pp ressive rich would occupy ,

“ ’
a position somewh at anal ogous to that o f S ue s Les
”
Myst eres de Paris in fiction .
Contemporaneous with Eug ene Sue and t hough not , ,
t aking himsel f quite s o se riously as a social re former ,
as conspicuous in his d ay as a ch ronicler o f the fortunes

o f the h umble w a s C harles Paul d e Kock
, It i s only .
by the retailing o f anecdotes th at o ne can convey an

id ea o f wh at De Kock s stories once meant to readers
’
not only in Paris and France b ut th roughout all E u ,
rope from London to St Petersbu rg Ch ateaub riand

,
. .
“
went to the Vatican to visit Po pe Grego ry XVI G ive .
” “
me Vicomte b egan His Holiness some news o f my
, , ,
”
dea r s o n Paul de Kock A new amb assador p resented
.
his credentials to the king o f the country to which h e

“ ”
h ad b een assigned Ah ! Y o u a re j ust from Paris
.
,
s ai d His Maj esty Y o u must know the news

. How .
is the health o f Paul d e Kock ? Honoré d e B alzac ,
at the height o f his fam e was a rrested fo r t resp ass o n

,
the outs kirts o f Paris The p residing magistrate t e

.
leased him instantly b elieving h im to b e the author o f

,
“
La La it iere d e M o nt fe r me il which he considered th e
”
,
greatest o f all novels Add a bit o f Th ackerayan trib

.
’
ute : Major Arthur Pendennis s lib ra ry w a s con fi ned
S INI STE R STREETS 87
to the Army and Navy Register the C am paigns ,

” “ ”
o f the Duke o f Wellington Debrett s Peerage the ’
, ,
“ ”
Almanach d e Gotha and the novels o f Paul de
,
“
Kock which certainly m ake me laugh
, Disraeli s .
’
“
testimony : One o f the C h aracters o f Henrietta Tem
”
ple was arrested A friend offered congratulations
. .
Now you can read Paul de Kock By Jove you are a .

,
”
lucky fellow ! All over Eu ro pe peo ple were studying
Parisian manners in his novels wh ile th e author the , ,
most quiet and bo u r geo is o f men was working away ,
steadily in his little a partment o n the Boulevard S aint

Martin or among th e t rees and vineyard s o f his place
,
at Romainville .
It was p erh ap s to b eing the most bo u rgeo is of men

th at h e owed a large measure o f his popularity He .
“ ”
has b een described as a Philistine o f the Marais He .
h ad the advantage o f being ab solutely like his readers ,
sh aring their opinions their ideas their feelings and

, , ,
their prej udices G autier once said o f him th at he had

.
“
not t he fa intest ide a o f aesthetics ; that indeed he , ,
would r ead ily h ave supposed like Prad on th at they

‘
' ‘
, ,
”
we re some C hemical substance Fo r the pu rpose o f.
the Pa n s t rail it is enough to consider two o f his books ,

“ ” “
L Ho mme aux Troi s C ulottes and Le B arbier de
’
” ’
Paris It was o n his own p arents t ragic story th at he ‘
b ased th e former novel His father a wealthy Dutch

.
,
b anke r who h ad served in th e Ar my o f the North was ,
guillotined by the order o f the Revolutionary C o nv e n

tion and his mother w a s th rown into prison The Paris
,
.
“ ”
of Le B arbier de Paris w a s o ld Paris the Paris o f ,
1 6 30 during the reign o f Louis XI I I ; the Pa ris t he

,
youth ful Gascon D Ar t ag na n found when h e entered
’
,
it astride his Rosinante For full t rib ri t e to Paul d e

.
Kock as th e chronicler o f the streets o f his much b e

loved Lutetia th rough many ages tu rn to Th eophile
“
Gautier w ho said : Some o f his novels h ave the s ame
,
’ ‘
e ffect o n me as F enimore C oo per s The Last o f t he
Mohicans ; I seem to read in them th e story o f the last
’
P a risi an invaded and subme rged by American C ivili

,
”
i
z at o n .
Of Pauld e Kock s Paris Th eo ph ile G autier wrote

’
One me t French people even Pari sians in t he i s t r e e t s

, , .
One could hear French spoken on th at boulevard which

was then c alled the Boulevard de Gand and which is ,
now called the Boulevard d es Italiens Th e .
city was relatively very sm all o r at least its activity ,
wa s res tricted within certain li mits th at were seldon

p a ssed Th e
.
plaster eleph ant in which Gavroche found
shelter raised its enormous silhouette o n the Place d e
la B astille and seemed to forbid passers b y to go
,
-
any farther The C h am ps E lys ees as soon as nigh t

.
-
,
fell became more d angerous th an the plain o f Mara

,
thon : the most adventurous sto pped at the Pl a ce d e la

Concorde The qu arter o f Notre Dame d e Lorette
.
i ncluded only vague plots o f ground o r wooden fen c es .
The C hurch was not built and o ne could see from th e ,
boulevard the Butte Montmart r e with its windmills ,
and its sema phore waving it s a rms on th e top o f the

o ld Tower Th e F a u b o u r g S aint Germain went early
.
-
to bed and it s solitude was but rarely disturb ed by a

tumult o f students over a play at the Odéon .
Of the lesser men how long the list might b e made

,
.
S I NI ST E R STR EE TS 89
to run ! Take at random the name o f F o rtun é d u

, ,
B o is g o b e y o r o f Ponson d u Te rr a il who has b een dub

, ,
“ ”
b ed th e S hakespeare o f secret assassination o r o f ,
“
G aston Leroux at whose Th e Mystery o f the Yellow
,
” “ ”
Room and The Perfume o f the Lady in Black we
were th rilling only yesterday As cons pic u ous as any
.
,
above all w hen the Pa ris t rail is to b e considered was ,
E mile Gaboriau who p assed o n to Conan Doyle wh at

,
h e inheri t ed from Poe What Americ a n o f average

.
reading does not owe a debt of gratitude fo r pleas ant

“
hours in com pany with the ch aracters o f Monsie u r
” “
Honou r o f the Name The Le ro u g e
,
” “ “ ”
Case ,
File No . and The Mystery o f Orcival ?
Linked with a network o f streets was J av e rt s pursuit ’
o f Jean V alj e an and C o sette ; Oliver Twist s journey

’
th rough o ld London under the direction o f the A rt ful

Dodger th at finally ended at the den o f Fagin ; the cab
“
ride about Rouen d escribed in Mad ame Bova ry
’
th at was res ponsible fo r Flaubert s pro secution b e fore
the Tr ibu na l Co rr ec t io nne l d e P a r is .Of com paratively
mino r impo rt a nc e but no less th rilling in th e re a d ing is
, ,
the story o f th e relentless t r acking by the ambitious

Le c o q o f th e p u rposely released assassin who h ad cried
”
It i s th e Prus s ians who are co ming when su r ro u nded
in th e d rinking den ne a r the B arri ere d I t a lie th r o u gh
’
hal f th e winding thorough fa res o f the city to the garden

wall o f th e Hotel de Sa irme u s e .
“ ”
File No 1 1 3 i s perhap s esteemed the best o f the
.
Gaboriau stories It will se r ve to indicate how those

.
tales were bound up with the stones o f Paris o f their

d ay The b anking house o f And re Fa uv e l the scene
.
,
9 0 TH E PARI S OF TH E NOVELI STS
of the sa fe robbery with which the narrative began ,
w a s definitely placed at NO 8 7 Rue de Provence The . .
Rue d e Provence is as close to th e Boulevard H auss

mann as Nassau Street is to B roadway Nina Gypsy .
,
the letters o f whose name Pros per B e rt o my h ad used

in setting the combination o f the sa fe lived at No 39 , .
Rue C ha pt al Th at number is at the corner o f the Rue

.
L eonie and almost di rectly o pposite the entrance o f the

,
Grand Guignol world famed fo r its association with a

,
certain kind o f o ne act play The Arch angel where

- .
,
Nina sought re fuge was o n the Quai S aint Michel which

,
-
,
faces the river to the le ft o f th e Place S aint Michel the -

,
gateway th rough which one passes on the way to the Latin

Qu arter the Luxembourg o r the P ant heo n Fan fer
, , .
”
lot the S q uirrel fi nding th e p roblem b eyond his
, ,
strength a ppealed to M Le c
, oq seeking th at domi .
,
nating personage in his home in the Rue Montmartre ,
which is less de fi nite than usu al fo r the reason th at th e ,
street in question is a long one extending from th e ,
great boulevard all the way to the H alles C entrales .
Le c oq under his assumed name o f M Ve r d u re t con

,
.
,
ferred with Pros per a fter the latter s release from

’
,
”
p rison at La Bonne Foi a small establishment hal f
, , ,
c a fe and hal f shop in the Rue S aint Honoré

, near the -
,
Palais Royal The fancy d ress b all which Le c

. o q turned ,
to s u ch u s e was held in th e house o f the b ankers Jan

,
didier in the Rue S aint Lazare The ensuing attem pt

,
- .
on Le c o q s li fe took place in th e near b y Rue d a Fau

’
-
bourg Montmartre a street the detective h ad naturally

,
to use o n his way home Fo r th at home th e admirer .
o f the ingenious in the narrative o f detection m ay with

O LD M O NT SA NT E G E N E
I -
VI EV E
VI I . ABOUT PARI S WITH ALPHONS E DAUDET

—
M o ufle ta rd D a u det s
’
F i r s t I mpr es s i o ns
The R u e o f P a r is
a nd the M a r a is — S c
“ ”
I n the La ti n Q u a r ter e nes o
f S apho
“
Les R o is en E x il
”
—The Ge nes is of the St ory— The Ru e
e—I n
M o ns ieu r le P r i nc the P a r is Ghe tto —
0r ig ina ls of the
Da u d et Cha r a c
ters .
N THAT remote section o f Paris th at lies beyond

the P a nt heo n and a t th e foot O f th e Mont S ainte
Genevi eve there is a street known as the Rue
Mo uffe t a rd It is and always h as b een a wretched
.
, ,
thorough fare poorly p aved with irregular cobble stones

, ,
and lined by squalid tenements The centre o f an .
Italian colony composed mostly o f r agpickers the ,

ABOUT PARI S WITH DA U DET 93
gray monotony o f its winding length is relieved by a
touch o f colou r suggestive o f the climbing slums o f
Na ples In that street was one o f the fi rst Paris homes
.
th at Al phonse Daudet S hared wit h his b rot her The .
two migrated there from the little room on the fi fth

fl oor o f the HOt e l d u S énat in the Rue de Tournon in
which Al phon s e first sle pt in the City wit h which h is
su b s equent li fe and work we r e s o Closely associated He .
w a s sixteen when he made th at long journey from the

heart o f Languedoc where he h ad been an usher in a
,
school to devote himsel f to literatu re The wretche d

,
.
little valise which he had b rought with him was pushed

across th e city to th e Latin Quarter on a h and cart -
.
B re a kfast at a cre a mery in the Rue Corneille and then ,

“ ”
the visit to the HOt e l d u S enat Almost a garret
.
,
“
Daudet recorded in the fi r st C h apter of Trente Ans
” “
d e Paris but in my eyes a su perb a partment A
, .
Parisian garret ! The mere sight of the words H Otel d u

S ena t standing forth in great letters o n the sign fl attered
my sel f esteem and d azzled me Opposite the hotel
- .
,
o n the other sid e o f the way there was a house d ating

,
from the l a st cent u ry with a pediment and two c

, oucha nt
figu re s which alw a ys looked as if they pro posed to fall
,
‘
from th e t o po f the wall into th e street Th a t s where ’
.
’ ‘
Ricord lives s aid my b rother the famous Ricord the
, , ,
Em peror s ’
But his b rother was rich ,
being paid th e huge s u m o f seventy fi v e francs a month-
as secreta ry to an o ld gentleman who was dictating his

memoirs That seventy fiv e francs a month enabled
.
-
the young southerners to dwell in the HOt e l d u S énat .
But the o ld gentleman died o r his memoirs were fi n

,
94 TH E PARI S OF TH E NOVELISTS
is he d , something h appened to disturb the princely
or
income and the b rothers were forced to take up their

,
qu arters in the Rue M o u ff e t a r d A visit to th at street

.
will give a better insight into the work o f the creator o f

“ ” “ ” “
S a pho Fromont Jeune e t Risler Ainé
, Les Rois ,
” “ “
en E xil ”
Jack and Le Nab ab
, ,
”
.
In the course o f his years in Paris D audet h ad almost

as many residences as there are Parisian settings fo r his
stories He lived in the Latin Quarter where he found
.
,
the Numa Ro u me s t ans and the E lys ee M é r au t s o f his

youth He lived in the Quartier d e l Eu ro pe th at s e c
.
’
tion o f the city in the neighbourhood o f the Gare S aint

Lazare ass ociated with s o many o f the urb an s cenes
“ ” “ ”
of S apho Fromont Jeune e t Risler Ainé w a s
.
written in o ne o f the oldest houses in the Marais and h e ,
worked in the ins piring atmosphere o f his subj ect in ,
the environment in which his characters were moving .
At st ated hours the going to and fro from th e workshops ,
the ringing o f the factory bells p assed across his p ages

, .
He was invaded by the local colour The whole q uarter .
hel ped him carried him along worked fo r him Th e

, , .
Sund ay evenings th at he s pent fo r years in the house o f

Gustave Flaubert in the Rue Murillo almost constituted
a residence in the quarter of the Parc Monceau At .
the time o f his death his home was in a street in th e

aristocratic F a u b o u rg S aint Germain Thence twenty
- .
,
years ago his body was borne to its resting place in th e

,
Cemetery o f the P ere Lachaise The p resent writer .
chanced to witness the passing o f th at c o r tege from the

'
sidewalk o f the Boulevard S aint-G ermain It was at th e .
time when the excitement over th e Drey fus case was at

9 6 TH E PA RI S OF TH E NOVELI STS
th at D e che le t t e threw o pen to artistic Paris in th e b rie f
periods o f rest from engineering t asks in remote land s ,
the story b egan “

j e a.n t o u t co u r t ?
”
persisted the
woman in the Egy ptian co s tu me to the s hy answer o f
the sunny h aired young Pro ven c al and there ensued
-
,
the ad v enture that took them across h al f Paris to that

climb o f the S taircase that was the epitome o f their
lives together .
Also quite easy o f identification is th at hotel where

Jean G au s s in was first in s talled wh en he came to Paris
to fit himsel f fo r the consular career and u p the five ,
flights o f stairs o f which he carried the newly mad e

“ ”
acquaintance in the gray s a dness o f the morning It .
is in the Rue Jacob to the west o f the Latin Quarter

, ,
o n the south b ank o f the river between the Ecole des ,
Beaux Arts and the churc h o f S aint Germain des P r é s - - -

.
To reach the street is a mere matter o f crossing th e

Seine by the Pont d u Carrousel following th e Rue d es ,
S aints P eres past the Ecole des B eaux Arts and then
-
,
turning to the le ft The Ru e Ja c . ob abuts at its eastern

end o n the Rue d e S eine The hotel in the middle o f
.
,
the block h as h ad as s ubsequent guests a number o f

,
Americans visiting Paris fo r more or les s prolonge d

,
periods and prob ably more th an one New England

,
c onscience h as sle pt undisturbed in the cha mber where

began the tem pestuous l o v es o f S a ph o a nd Jean .
“
To the scenic making o f Les Rois en Exil went
the Rue de Rivoli the Rue Royale bits o f the Latin
, ,
Quarter the Quai d Ors a y and the Ghetto in the Ma

,
’
rais The book was born in a vision o f the Place d u

.
C arrousel One evening in October Daudet was s t a nd

.
v
PARI S WITH ALPHONS E DAUDET 97
ing looking at the tragic rent in the Parisian s k y caused
by the fall o f the Tu ileries Dethroned princes exiling .
themselves in Paris a fter their down fall taking u ptheir ,
q uarters o n th e Rue d e Rivoli a nd when they w oke in ,
the morni ng and r a ised the shades at their windows ,
discovering these ruins From that seed thought Dau

.
det builded th e s plendid edifice It is the note with .
which the book begins ; it is the note with which the

book ends The heroic Queen F r é dé ric
. a stricken in ,
h er as pirations and in the terrible accident which h as

be fallen her s o n recognizes the analogy between tho s e
,
ruins and the fortunes o f kings who h ave outlived their

d ay When the Tuileries their ashes gilded by a r a y
.
,
o f the de p arting sunlight rise be fore her to recall the

,
p ast s h e
, look s at them witho u t emotion without mem ,
o ry as though s he looked u p
, on some ancient monument
o f Egypt o r Assyria the witness o f manners and of
, ,
morals and o f peoples vanished some t hing once great

, , ,
now gone forever .
But be s t o f all in Les Rois en Exil is the d e s c r ip
tion o f the Rue Monsieu r le Prince in the Latin Quarter

where the monks o f the Order o f S aint Fran c i s seeking a -
,
tut o r fo r the little heir to the throne o f Illyria go t o ,
find E lys ee M é r a u t Dickens never d rew the picture

.
“
o f a street with mo r e lo v ing care
‘
Amid all the trans .
formations o f the Quarter and those great gaps through

,
which are lost in the dust o f de molition the originality ,
and the very m e mories o f o ld Pa r is the Rue Mon s ieu r ,
le Prince s till kee ps its phy s iognomy a s a student s

’
”
street wrote Daudet When the pr e s ent writer la s t
, .
turned into it from the Boulevard S aint Michel near the -

9 8 T HE PA RI S OF T H E NOVE LI STS
Lux e mbourg G a rd e ns in 1 9 1 7 a nd foll o w e d its length ,
d o w n to the po int wh e re it fl o ws into the s qu a re be fo re

t he Bo u l e v a rd S a in t G e r ma in it w a s still a s m u ch o f a
.
-
,
s t u d e n t s tr e e t o f t he o ld t y p
. e a s w a s po s s ible in a C ity
ne a ring t he e nd o f the th i r d yea r o f the world w a r .
T he re w e re t he b o ok st a lls the creameries and t he

-
, ,
o ld cl o th e s d e a l e r s a s in M er a u t s time But go ne were

'
-
.
t he stud e nt s o f G a v a r ni s p e ncil wit h lo ng h a i r flyi ng

'
,
“
from w o ol e n c a ps w h i l e th e i r successors th e
, future ,
l a w y ers butto ne d from h e a d to fo o t in th e ir ulst e r s

. ,
b ru s h e d a nd glov e d w ith e no r mo u s mo rocc o c a s e s

,
u nd e r th e i r a rm s a nd t he c o ld cu nni ng a ir o f t he b u s i
,
.
,
n e s s a g e nt a l re a d y u pon th e m: o r th e futu re doctors a ,
li t tl e fre e r in b e havi o u r w e r e s o me w hc
. re in the fighti ng
lin e a l o ng the w e s t e r n fro nt .
Al s o e xc e e d i ng ly vi v id a re t he glimps e s o f t he Ru e
C inha r d in t he M a r a i s w h e re P Cre L e em a ns r e t a i ned
o
. ,
his mu s t v o ld pl a ce o f connoi s s e u rs a ft e r O pe ning his ,
sp l e ndid a ntiqu a ri a n s h o p in t he Ru e d e la P a ix and .

,
“h e r e t he s i ni s t e r S e ph o ra fi r s t ma d e a cquaint a nce
w i t h t he w o r ld The Ru e Eg inha r d is a lit t l e s tre e t
. .
b e hi nd t he l v c fcCh a rl e ma g ne ne a r wh e r e o n th e
s
‘
. .
j o u r ne y b e t w e e n t he L o u v r e a nd t he Pl a c e d e la B a s till e .
,
t he Ru e d e Ri v o li b e c o me s t he Ru e S a i nt Antoi ne I t is - .
b e s t d e s cri b e d in t he w o r d s o f \Va t t e le t pa int e r o f t he

.
,
G r a nd Club w ho d re w t he pict u re fo r Ki ng C hri s ti a n

.
Ru e Eg inha r d
“
in th e M a r a is
d irty little d a m p a ll e y betwe e n t he P a ss a ge Cha rle
,
m a gne a nd the Church o f St P a ul r e gula r Jewry .

,
that t a ngl e o f s t rc et s a n am a zing Pa r is
s uch h o u s e s s uch h e a d s
,
a v e rit a bl e g a bbl e o f H e b r e w
,
1 00 TH E PARI S O F TH E NOV E LI STS
’
Of all D a u d e t s b ooks Les Rois en E xil was th e,
one with which h e h ad the mos t d i ffi culty th e o ne ,
which in th e stage o f title and vague outline he carried

, ,
longest in his head In his search fo r models and fo r

.
accu rate in formation h e w a s obliged to p ress into s e r

vice all his acquaintances from th e top to the bottom
o f the social lad der H e interviewed th e upholsterers
.
who furnished the m ansions o f exiled kings and th e ,
great noblemen who visited these homes socially a nd

di plomatically H e pored over th e records o f th e
.
p olice-
co urt and th e bills o f tradesmen going in thi s ,
way to the bottom o f those royal existences discovering ,
instances o f proud destitut ion o f heroic devot ion si d e ,
by side with manias infi rmit ie s t arnished honou r and

, , ,
seared consciences It was fo r a long time believed

.
th at the King and Queen o f Holland were th e o riginals

o f Christian and F r ed erica o f Illyri a As a m atter .
o f fact they were mad e from odds and ends E lys ee

, .
M é rau t however
,
w a s d rawn
,
from t he li fe — one C onstant
Th eri e n whom Daudet used to meet from time to time
,
—
in the early d ays a young m an w ho was forever coming
o u t o f book stalls o r b u rying his nose in o ld volumes
-
,
“
in front o f the sho ps th at surround the Odéon ; a long ,
dishevelled devil with a peculia r trick constantly

, ,
’
re p eated like the spasms o f th e St Vitus s d ance o f a d
, .
,
j usting his sp ectacles o n a flat open sensual nose in ,
s t in c
”
t with love o f li fe To the figure o f this strange
.
Bohemian who used to stal k about the Quartier sho u t

, ,
ing his monarch ical o pinions D audet b rought the im ,

“
pression o f his o w n southern childhood It occu rred .
to me to make him a count ryman o f mine o w n from ,

PARI S WITH ALPHONS E DAUDET 101
N imes fr om that hard working bo u r ga d e from which

,
-
’
all my father s workmen came : to place in his bed r oom
‘ ’
th at red seal F idef S per which I h ad seen in the
, , ,
‘
h o use o f my own p arents where we used to sing Vive
”
H e nr i V l M é r a u t having been invented Daudet
’
,
b egan to study o u t the p roblem o f how he could be in

t ro d u ce d into the royal household The idea came o f .
m aking him the tutor o f a p rince ; hence Zara And , .
while at work on this part o f the book an accident took

place in the family o f a friend a child struck in the ,
eye by a b ullet from a parlou r rifle s u ggested the idea

o f the poo r kingmaker destroying his own work .
Looking down on the b road Avenue des Cham ps

E ly s ees on the northe r n side near the Rond Point
, ,
-
d e l Et o ile there is a b alcony be fore which the present

’
,
writer whenever he ha ppens to b e in that section o f

,
Paris never fails to s t e p It was on that b alcony in

,
.
,
o ne o f the most memorab le o f all Al p honse B audet s ’
“ ”
delight ful short t ales Le Si ege d e Berlin a sto ry
, ,
which incidentally was later re fl ected in certain

, ,
’
e pisodes in Miss Ellen G lasgow s American novel ,
“ ”
The Descend ant th at C olonel Jouve old cuirassier
, ,
“
o f the F i rst Empire fell dead a fter his terrible cry
,
To
”
arms ! To arms ! The Prussians ! The veteran of
the o ld wars co me to Paris at the outb reak o f the con
,
fli e t o f 1 870 fo r the purpose of witnessing the return

,
o f the victorious French t roop s is g r a v e lyls t ric

k e n at the ,
first b ulletin o f disaster To s ave him those about him .
invent an imaginary cam paign which carries the Tr i ,
color s lowly b ut steadily toward Be r lin The sound o f .
the guns when Paris is invested is inter preted as salutes

1 02 TH E PARI S O F TH E NOVE LI STS
fi red at th e Invalides in celeb ration o f new victories
o n G erman soil Complacently consuming the delica
.
cies be fore him he regales with stories o f eating horse

meat d uring th e terrible retreat from Moscow the d e
voted grand daughter who fo r weeks has eaten nothing
-
“
else Then his ears catch the words They enter to
.
”
morrow and thinking that it means the return o f the
,
French he steals o u t on the b alcony clad in all th e

, ,
antiqu ated b ut glorious toggery o f an o ld cuirassier o f

Milh aud to see the helmets o f th e advancing Uhlans
, ,
and to hear the strains o f th e triumph ant m arch o f

Schubert How p regnant with new meaning th at
.
little tale is to day ! In a building not o ne hundred

-
yards from the structure to which belongs the b alcony

where Colonel Jouve died the writer in Ap ril 1 9 1 7 h ad , , , ,
the good fortune to witness as a guest the celeb ration , ,
o f his country s entry into th e c onflict th e issue o f which

’
has restored to the France o f the old cui rassier the well
beloved Als ace and Lorraine '
.
In th e C hamps Elys ees q uarter Sephora Leemans

-
ke pt a pe ns i o n be fore s he b ecame the legitimate spous e

o f Tom Levis more English th an any Englishman
,
possibly could b e fo r the reason that he h ad been born

Narcisse Poitou the s o n o f an u pholsterer in the Rue
,
d e l Orillo n ; and Fanny Legrand served as m anage r

’
and accountant fo r a like establishment belonging to

the loathsome Rosario fo r a period from Jean G a u s s in s
,
’
departure fo r the home o f his childhood to the tim e

when they resumed their li fe 62de ux in the little cottage
in Chaville Also in the neighbourhood was the G ym
.
nase Moronval where J ack de B a r anc , y (j a c

k ) p assed
the Révue Co lo nia le and was in the C hamber o f Depu
,
ties sometime a fter 1 8 70 .
As painstaking as Dickens in the work o f fi nding

the street and the very house fo r his characters in t he ,
matter o f his living models Daudet went to an extreme

to which Dickens had never d ared to go His novel s .
were in the fullest sense o f the term r o ma n: d c

, léf , .
The accusation o f ingratitude caused him in later li fe

to attempt to ob scure the association o f the D ue d e
“ ”
Mora o f Le Nab ab with the D u e d e Mornay t he
, , ,
h al f b rother o f the Third Napoleon and D a u d e t s ,

’
patron when the novelist was young But his was at .

,
“
best a lame evasion All the ch aracters o f Fromont
, .
”
Jeune e t Risler Ain e had originals Planus th e .
“ ”
cashier w as really named S cherer I knew him .
,
“
Daudet h as written in a b anking house in the Rue
,
de Londres where he would stand in front o f his well

filled sa fe sh aking his head and murmuring in hi s
,
German accent with tragi — ‘

comic distress Ja ! ja !
money much money ; put I haf no g o nfi d e nc
, e There .
’
was also an original o f Sidonie and her parents home .
Th e true Sidonie however was no t as black as th e

, ,
heroine o f the book Risler w as a memory o f D a u d e t s

.
’
childhood an Alsatian factory d raughtsman who

, ,
’
worked fo r the author s father Daudet t rans formed .
him from an Alsatian into a Swiss in order not to in

t ro d u c
e into the book a sentimental p atriotism The .
immortal D e lo b e lle was the summing u p o f all that

Daudet knew about actors their manias the di fficulty , ,
they find in recovering their foo t ing in li fe when they

go o ff the stage in maintai ning an individ uali t y in so
,
PARI S WITH ALPHONS E DAUD E T 10 5
many varying masks Once a t the time of the F ranco

.
,
Prussian War the novelist attended the funeral o f a

,
great actor s d aughter There he found all the details

’
.
that he introduced later at the death o f little D esir ee

“
the typical e ntr ées o f the guests their pump like action ,
-
in sh aking h ands varied according to the p ractices o f

,
their respective roles the tear caught in the co rner o f

,
”
the eye and looked at o n the end o f the glove In .
the original scheme o f the book Désirée was to h ave

b een a doll s d ressmaker a t rade characteristic o f the
’
noisy , humming Ma rais B ut someone pointed out .
th at th at would be a little too close to the character

“ ”
in Our Mutual Friend s o Daudet searched many ,
d ark houses climbed many cold S tai rways with a rail

,
o f rope until o ne d ay in the Rue d u Tem ple on a

, , , ,
leather S ign in faded gold letters he read the words : ,

“ ”
B I RD S A ND I N S E CT S F O R O R NA M E NT J .
Des pite all that Daudet had to s ay to the contra ry ,
to u t P a r is was very nearly right when at the time o f , ,
the a ppearance o f Numa Ro u me s t an it insisted

“ ”
,
that the ch aracter o f the hero had been in a measu re , ,
d rawn from Gambetta But also scraps and fragments

.
o f other men went to the making o f Numa Others .
b esides Gambetta were recognized o r recognized them

selves in the ch aracter Numa B a r a g no n a Southerner
.
,
and an ex minister misled by the similarity o f Christian

-
,
names was o ne o f the fi rst to p rotest The ta mbo u r

, .
i nd ir e Va lmajo u r was s u gg e sted by a musician named

, ,
Buisson who came to Paris with a lett er to D audet

,
from Frederic Mistral It was from Buisson s lips ’

.
“
th at the novelist h eard the little tale beginning : It
1 06 TH E PA RI S OF TH E NOVELI STS
came to me at night Th e house in N imes in which
.
Num a was born w as o ne in which Daudet li v ed as a

’
child ; the B rothers school o f the book was o ne o f his
earliest memories Among the men and women who
.
“
fi gure in S apho , C a o u d a l b ears more than a resem
b lance to the great G é rome .
108 TH E PARI S o r THE NOVE LI STS
To American readers there are two works o f fi ction
dealing with Bohemia that long h ave stood o u t above
“ ”
all others They are the S c enes de la Vie d e Boh eme
.
“ ”
o f Henry M u r g e r and the Trilby o f G eorge Du
,
Maurier ; and with those books and their stories and ,
the S tories o f the men who wrote them and the Pa ri s ,
th at is reflected in their pages this ch a pter h as t o d o

, .
— “
Though written many years a part th e S c enes d e l a
” “ ”
Vie d e Boh eme was published in 1 848 and Trilby
—
in 1 8 94 there is not a great di ff erence in th e setting
o f th e scene o f th e two t ales for it was th e Paris o f th e
,
forties th at M u rg e r gilded with his fancy while Du

’
,
Mau rier taking to novel spinning wh en almost S ixty

, ,
d rew upon th e Paris th at h e h ad known in his student

’
youth the Second Em pire Paris o f th e late fi ft ie s
,
- .
“ ”
In a word the Vie d e Boh eme is a t ale o f 48 ;
,
’
“ ” ’
Trilby a tale o f 5 8 First let u s take up th e
.
,
earlier and from the American point o f V iew les s

, , ,
widely read book .
Hen ry M u rg e r w a s born in Feb ruary 1 8 2 2—according ,
t o some in Paris ; according to othe r s in S avoy

, , .
Among the French men o f letters regarded as his con

tem poraries h e was the youngest ; twenty— th ree years
younger than B alzac ; twenty years younger th an Victo r
Hugo ; twenty years younger th an Dumas per e; eighteen
years younger th an S ainte B euve ; twelve years younger
-
than Gautier and Al fred d e Musset ; and almost th e

same age as E mile Augier and the younger Duma s ,
whom w e are inclined to regard as b elonging to a later

literary generation Among these men th e creato r
.
”
o f the Comédie Humaine seems to h ave had the
BOH EMIAN TRAI LS 9
’
greatest in fl uence o n Murger s work In the second .
“ ”
part o f Illusions Perdues B alzac told o f a grou p of
young literary men and painte r s who di s d a ining to , ,
resort to the custo ma ry sel f ex ploitation plodded o n to

-
,
“
s u ccess S ilently and inde fatigably In Les Buveu rs
, .
”
d Eau
’ ”
,
a ft e r the Vie de Boh eme his best book ,
M u rg e r d rew the reverse o f the picture frankly a c ,
knowledging th e ins piration Incidentally it “ a s in .

,
the Rue d u Doyenné the n arro w ravine b etween the

,
Louvre and the Place d a C arrousel w hich B alzac de ,

“ ”
s c r ibed s o p owerfully in C ousine Bette th at M u rg e r ,
knew th e c éna c le th at he introduced in his most famou s

work .
Murger s origin was o f the humblest His father

’
.
,
ac o ncie rge and tailor wished to b ring u phis s o n to h a r d

,
manual labour B u t the mother intervened with the

.
,
’
result th at the boy h ad a few years schooling a fter ,
which he was sent into a law yer s o fli c e

’
A fter a fe w .
months at this work which he detested he became

, ,
the secretary o f C ount Tolstoy a Russian nobleman , ,
rep resenting his country o ffi cially Forty francs a .
month was the p ay and M u rg e r held the position long

,
a fter it h ad become a S inecure and he entered his em ,
plo y e r s house only to d raw the salary He liked th at

’
.
well enough b u t a d ay came when the Russian was

,
inconsiderate enough to call fo r his services So Mur .
ger lost his forty francs a mon t h and became a thorough

going liter a r y Bohe mian .
“
There are fe w finer s pecial articles in any language
th an the pre fa c “
e that M u rg e r w rote fo r the Sc enes
de la Vie d e Boh eme In it he traced the histo ry
.
o Bohemianism from the times o f the G recian vaga
f
bonds w ho went about singi ng o f the loves o f Helen
and the fall o f Troy th rough the ages o f the Tro u b a
,
dours the century o f the Italian Renaissance the d ays

, ,
o f Fran c ois Villon and down to the seventeenth the

, ,
eighteenth and the early h al f o f the nineteenth century

, .
Bohemia he defined as the stage o f art li fe the ante ,

”
room o f the Academy the Hospital o r the Morgue , , .
Of Bohemians and their ways he wrote
To achi e v e th e i r a i ms a ll ro a d s a re g o o d S i nc
, e th e y k no w ho w t o
,
a v a il th e mse l v e s o f t he c h anc e s o f t he w a y Ne ith e r r a i n no r d u s t

.
,
ne ith e r s h ad o w no r s u ns hi ne—no thi ng s t o p s th e s e b o l d a d v e nt u re r s
w h o s e v e ry v i c e s a re li ne d w ith v i r t u e s T h e i r w it s a r e s pu rre d by
.
th e i r a mb iti o n w hi c , h s o u nd s t he c h a rg e a nd u rg e s th e m t o t he
a s s au lt o f t he Fu t u r e With th e m e x i s t e nc
. e it s e l f is a w o r k o f
i
g en us ; a da ily pro b l e m to be l
so v e d by t he mo s t d a r i ng ma th e
mati es . Th e s e me n c o u l d b o rro w mo ne y fro m Ha r pag o n a nd fi nd
,
t ffl
ru e s in t he s k u ll o f M e d u s a At ne e d th e y k no w ho w t o pr a c
. ti s e
t he a b s ti ne nc e o f a n a nc h o r it e , b u t le t fo r tu ne s mil e u po n th e m fo r a
mi nu t e and th e y c a nno t fi nd w i nd o w s e no u g h o u t o f w hi c h t o th ro w
th e i r mo ne y Th e n w ith t he l as t c
. r o w n g o ne , th e y b e g i n a g a i n t o
d i ne a t t he t a ble d hote o f c
’
h anc e , w h e re th e i r p l ac e s a re a l w a y s s e t ,
sp e nd i ng th e i r d a y s in t he p urs u it o f th a t e l u s i v e ani mal , t he fiv e
fra nc pi e ce .
When M u rg e r died at the age o f thirty nine he w a s

,
-
,
already an o ld man b a ld b roken down prem aturely

, , ,
worn o u t by the h ardshi p and dissip ation o f his youth .
Perh a ps the end was hurried by the very fear o f that

o ld age which he found s o ridiculous and pilloried s o
savagely in his books Whenever a man w ho ha s .
p assed the twenties ap pears in his pages he is a c on
c ier ge o r a grocer o r a bootmaker o r a p rovincial o r

, , , ,
alc
c u l ab l e age , a n d a P h ry g i a n c
ap . By t
a s r a ng e c
h a nc
e I w a s t he
o w ne r o f t wo ma tt re s s e s i g hty l , a be d s te ad , o ne h un d re d an d e vo
u m s t w o m ll c
e , h i t b l and a h man k ll We s e l d o mwent
s a a rs , a a e, u s u .
ou t W ,mo k d cnti n lly nd w k d g d d a l

e s e o ua a or e a oo e .
Th d y fe g t t mi ry cm W e d c
a s o o ur i d e d th a t a o n
re a e s se a e . e s s o
a o u r i nc
s om w d wn w w l d k p n c e c nt o f p nd it
as ra e ou ee a a ou ex e u re s .
W w r w nd f lly h n t t t h b g i nni ng f
e e e o er u r y m nth U nd e r
o es a e e o ev e o .
“
th d t e fN mb e I s t I r a d
a e o P i d t M m B ti n f t
ov e r , e : a o e . as e or o
b ac c t w f nc W l p i d g c c l m n nd t he
”
o, o ra s . e a so a o ur ro er, o u r oa a , a
re s t r nt Th fi t d y f t h m nth w
au a . e i d ntly rs l I a o e o as e v e a re v e .
fi nd S p nt t t h cfé fi
:
“
e On t h a m d y y
a e a b g ht v e so us .
”
e s e a ou ou
fi ft e n o u wo th f pi p On N mb e and y p y n im
’
e s s r o es . ov e r ou a a
p rt nt u m fi
o a f nc t t h w h w man
s , ve On N e mb er 3r d
ra s, o e as er o . ov
y ou dec i d e th t l ng t he nty f a ncl

a as t w a t do r
o as s ev e r s as e re o ou
o wn c o o ki ng I n cn q n c e y b y
.
p p t fi ft n so se ue ou u a sou o , ee o u s,
s meo eg t b l v nd me l e a ll a In y
es a cp c ity f p t
so a u re e v es . o ur a a o oe
y ou w r p a r ti l t
e e o v er l l p w c n t n tly
a ffli c
t e do a u re , our sou as o s a a
w ith it W l l i d in p t t
. e a so
g t b c co nd cff
a o a o es, s u ar , o a , a o ee
P f nity nd g na hi ng f t th m k d t h i n ci b i ng n o r
ro a a s o ee ar e e s r I u
bo k f t h
o pn o f N e mb e ex 4t h On t he n t d y w e l nt
e ses o ov er . ex a e
a n no m e m thi ty fi e
r o us su t G w h it a pp a
, r has d e - v so u s, o o, e rs ,
ci d d po n e u hi g l b n k r
us s — th h e o f M g r a nd
as s re u ar a e , e ous ur e
C o mp ny U ntil N mber 8 t h w ma de t he d d iti n t t h f o t

a . ov e e a o a e o
o f t he l e d g B y th t ti me f rty f nc i ty n cnti me ha d
er . a o ra s s x -
o e e s
d i pp sa d On t he 1 6 t h w e w re cmp ll d t cll n M C e d it
e a re e o e e o a o . r .
M C d it w nt t t h g c
. re e t he t b c
e cni t t h c l man s
o e ro r s,
’
o a o s
’
s, e oa
’
.
H wa n te ry b d ly
s ci d ;
o v e mi ng y f m h wa e ry
re e ve assu o ur or , e as v
su c c f l w ith t h g o c d g ht
es s u D id M C ed it d ie r n t he er s
’
au er . . r e o
I find n t d F m P i nc f anc
”
e Al b er t th re
“
1 7t h i o e : On ro r e r s .
N v e mb e l gt h w s l d me b o k s
o r e o so o .
The expense book o f which Cha mpfle u ry wrote dealt

with the year 1 843 It app arently indicated a perio d .
o f comp arative a ffl uence The following year they were .
forced to return to their o ld attic in th e Rue d u Doy

enné and th e society o f Sch aunard Colline Marcel
, , , ,
BOH E MIAN TRAILS 1 13
and B a rb e mu c he all o f whom h ave been identified

, .
The Rodol phe o f the tale was M u rg e r himsel f The .
b and made its he a dq u arters at the C a fe Momus de ,

“ ”
scribed a t lengt h in the Vie d e Boh eme and by their ,
noise and eccentricity o f attire and de portment s peed

’
ily d rove away the p ro prietor s res pectable clients .
Of th e C afé Momus see mingly no trace now exists .
I t once h ad actual existence in a side S treet near the

c hurch o f S aint G ermain l Au x e r r o is but the structure
-
’
w a s long ago swe pt away in the vast sche me o f city

“
im provement To indicate the Paris o f the Sc enes
.
”
d e la Vie de B oh eme it i s no t necessary to go b eyond
th e opening p ages o f the story which t reat o f the e s ,
t a b lis hme nt o f the famous society Schaunard th e .

,
“ ”
Great Musician is evicted o n the morning o f Ap ril
,
“
8 t h fo r non p ayment o f his rent
- Marcel the Great .
,
”
Painter moves into the vacated ap artment Sch au
, .
nard s pend s th e d ay wandering about Paris In th e .
course o f his adventures he forms the acquaintance of

“ ” “
Rodolphe th e G reat Poet and C olline the Great
, , ,
”
Philosopher The th ree s pend th e evening in a drink
.
ing bout When they leave the ca fé at midnight a

.
t hunderstorm comes u p Colline and Rodol phe live

.
at the other end o f Paris Schaunard from whose .

,
fuddled mind a ll memory o f th e events o f the morning

h as passed invites them to share his ap artment
, .
S hut u pin Paris living from h and to mouth dwelling

, ,
“
as did his Rodol phe o n the sixth floor because there
, ,
w a s no seventh M u rg e r d rew his in s piration from the

,
flowers growing in pots along th e window S ill over th e

1 14 TH E PARI S OF TH E NOVE LI STS
way H e would h ave liked to h ave roamed through
.
great forests to h ave listened to the sobbing o f wood

,
land winds to the roar o f the s e a o f which h e h ad read

, .
Denied this he turned to the ticketed trees in the Tuil

,
eries G ardens ; the plash o f the Luxembourg fountains .
For him as fo r B alzac th e river Seine was full o f my s

, ,
t e ry . He would h ave liked to h ave followed its winding

length to th e bey ond o f his imagination He felt .
“ ” “
st rongly the magic o f names B agd ad B arb ary .
, ,
suggested magnificent d ayd reams But at h and wa s .
the wretched gr e nier and the fou r b are walls t h at ,
limited his li fe and the fi s t knocking perempto r ily at

,
the door w a s p rob ably that o f the im portunate corner ‘
groce r .
As h as been told the Sc enes d e la V ie de Boh eme

,
app ea red in 1 8 48 Wh at worlds o f fancy th at s plend id

.
“
decade o f 1 840 50 o pened u p! Hugo g ave us Notr e
-
” “
D ame ; Dumas Th e Count o f Monte Cristo and
, ,
th e series dealing with the immortal Musketeers ; Eu

“ “
g ene Su e Les Myst eres d e Paris
, and Le Jui f ,
” “ ”
Errant ; B alzac the books o f the Comédie Humaine
,
“ ”
known as the Parens Pauvres To the decade Eng .
“ ” “
lish fiction owes Vanity Fa ir and Pendennis J
“ ” “ ”
D avid Cop perfield Dombey and Son Martin , ,
” “ ” “ ”
Chuzzlewit and B arnaby Rudge ; The C a x t o ns
, ,
“ ” “ ” “ ” “
Night and Morning Zanoni H arold and Th e
, , ,
”
Last o f the B arons ; the American C oo per wrough t
” “ ”
The Path find er and The Deerslayer o f the Lea
ther Stocking Tales Wh at gi a nt s tho s e men were !
.
Wh at giant cudgels they wield e d ! Wh at G argantuan

b anquets they s e t be fore their readers !
o ne readily recalls Other ghosts o f romance besides
.
Little Billee mooning and Ta ffy pe r forming feat s of ,
strength and the Laird reciting scraps o f Thackeray s

, ,
’
“ ”
B allad o f the Bouillab aisse and p ainting S panish ,
toreadors and Miss O Fe r r all in the gray overcoat o f a

,
’
French in fant ry soldier and Svengali accomp anying ,
her as s he atte mpts wh at s he conceives to b e the tune

“ ”
of Ben Bolt peo ple the st ructure th at the Pilgrim
,
o f to d a y ha p
-
pens to select as h aving housed the old
studio There is the pathetic Gecko ; and Durien sing
.
ing Cha gr i n d a mou r and P la is ir d a mo u r ; and th e

’
,
’
tipsy Zou Zou and D o d o r at cock fi ght ing ; and Car -
ne g ie Vi ncent Lorimer and Antony the Swiss w ho

, , , , , ,
in the first vers ion w a s Joe Sibley to th e fu rious in

, ,
dignation o f the American p ainter Whistler and M r s , .
B agot and the Reverend Mr B agot ( a most un pleasant

, .
p erson ) who crossed

,
th e Ch annel to s ave Little Billee
from the h a ppiness th at a suitable més a llia nc e w ould
h ave b rought him It cann o t b e th at th at tale which

.
once s o sti rred all hearts especially th e hearts o f those ,
j ust coming u pto twenty years is a forgotten tale ; th at ,
the new generation know s it not ! In the hey day o f its -
fame pedantic and d ull witted smugness fle e r e d at it

,
-
“
as a s great a violation o f reality a nd verisi milit u d e
‘
as Murger s Vie de ’
B ut into it Du Mau ,
rier looking b ack from th e ri peness o f years to his r a pi n

,
“
d ay s b reathed all the s pirit o f th e lines : To d rain all
,
li fe s quintessence in an hou r give m e the d ays when

’
,
”
I was twenty-o ne !
One d ay George d u Mau rier already famous as th e ,
P u nc h d raughtsm an was walking in th e High Street,

BOH EMIAN TRAILS 1 17
o fBay s water in com pany with Henry James In the .
cou rs e o f the t a lk J a mes s poke o f the di fficul t y he had

“ ”
in finding pl o ts fo r his S to ries Plots ! exclaimed Du .
“
Maurier I a m fu ll o f plots
, He went on to outline .
“ ” “
the story o f Trilby B u t you ought to write that
.
story said Ja me s
, I can t write I h ave never writ
.
’
.
” “
ten w a s the answer
,
I f you like the plot s o much
.
”
y o u m ay h ave it But James would no t take it s aying
.
,
th at it was too valuable a present and that Du M aurie r ,
m u st wri t e the sto ry hi msel f On reaching home th a t .
night Du Maurier set to work But it was not on .
“ ”
Trilby By the next morning he h ad written the
.
“
fi rst two numbers o f Peter Ibbetson It seemed h e .
,
s a id all to flow from his pe n in a full S tream B u t he

,
.
thought it must be poor S tu ff and he determined t o ,
look fo r an omen to learn whether any success would

attend th e new dep arture So h e walked o u t into the .
garden and the very first thing that he s aw was a large

,
wheel b arrow and that co mforted him and reassured

-
,
him fo r it may b e remembered there is a wheel b arro w

, , ,
-
“ ”
in th e first cha pter o f the S tory Peter Ibbetson by .
,
th e way was written first in E nglish then translated

, ,
into French and then b ack again into English Just

, .
“ ’
as America w as later to set rolling the b all o f Trilby s
po pularity America w a s first to welcome Du Maurier
,
in th e role o f novelist He was dining with an American .
publisher w ho said : I hear Du Maurier th at you are , ,

”
writing stories Won t you let me s e e something ?
.
’
So Peter fil b b e t s o n was sent to America and was a c

“ ”
c ep t e d at once .
The s o n o f a French father born in London and an

1 1 8 TH E PA RI S OF TH E NOV E LI STS
English mother G eorge Louis Pamella Busson Du Mau
,
rier was born in Paris on March 6 1 8 34 The elder Du , .
Maurier a scientific man designed his son fo r a s c

, , ie n
t ifi c career and placed him as a pu pil in t he Birkbeck
,
Chemical Labo ratory o f University C ollege But .
th e boy h ad little liking fo r th e work and spent most ,
o f his time d rawing caricatures His ambition at the

.
t ime w a s to go in fo r music and singing a fact which ,

“ ”
h as a direct bearing on the Trilby o f s o many years
later The family w as all musical ; a sister who later
.
,
married Clement S cott was a gi fted pianist and the

, ,
fath er possessed a voice o f such rare beauty that h ad

"
he taken up singing a s a pro fession he would undoubt

e d ly h ave been o ne o f the greatest singers o f his time .
Perhap s it w a s his o w n s o u nd knowledge o f the art— in

‘
his j y o u t h he h ad studied at the Paris Conse r vatory

fl
th a t led !him to discourage all musical aspirations

in his son So denied a musical career and feeling
.
,
himsel f quite u nfit t e d fo r science the boy turned to ,
art .
In 1 8 56 a fter th e death o f his fath er G eorge Du

, ,
Mau rier went to Pa ris and enrolled himsel f as a studen t

in the Atelier Gleyr e Th e Ate lier Gleyr e was the Atelier
.
“ ”
Ca r r el o f Trilby Those were th e joyous Latin Quar
.
ter d ays spent in th e society o f Poynter Whistler

, , ,
Armstrong Lamont and others But they did no t

, , .
last long fo r in 1 8 5 7 the Du Maurier family went t o

,
Antwerp and there George worked at th e Antwerp

,
Academy under Der Kayser and Van Le riu s It was .
o n a d ay in Van Le r iu s s studio th at the great t ragedy

’
o f his li fe took place He himsel f has describ ed it :

.
1 20 TH E PARI S OF TH E NOVE LI STS
G eo rg e o u s Midas , Postlewaite, and Mrs Ponsonby .
To mpk y ns He made many friend s , and was soon

.
ru bbing elbows intimately with all that was best in

London s art music and letters B ut he came a l ittl e
’
, , .
t o o late to know some o f the grea t Victorians never ,
seeing Dickens save at John Leech s funeral and meeting ’
his grea t literary idol Th ackeray upon whose S tyl e

, ,
his o w n writing style was modelled only once , .
The style from h ard reading o f Thackeray Tha t

, .
is to b e understood B ut whence came the cra fts

.
manship th at enabled him full armed t o enter th e list s

, ,
o f authorshi p? That puzzled Du Maurier himsel f .
He w as talking o f it one d ay to Anstey exp ressing his ,
a mazement at the success o f his books in V iew o f t he ,

“
fact th at he h ad never written b e fore Never writ .
” “
ten ! cried An stey Why my d e a r D u Maurier yo u
.
, , ,
h ave been writing all your li fe and the b est of writing ,
practice at th at Those little dialogues o f yours which

.
,
week a fter week you have been fitting to your d rawings

in P u nc h h ave p rep ared you admirably
, It was pr e .
c is writing and gave you conciseness and rep artee and

, , ,
a ppositeness and the best qu alities o f the writer of

,
”
fi ction. Ve ry likely Anstey was right and that th at ,
was the secret For Du Maurier was seven and fi fty

.
“
years o f age b e fore his fi rst novel Peter Ibbetson , ,
was given to the world .
But to return to the Paris trail The Place S aint-Ana .
tole des Arts was the Place S aint -And r e d e s A rts and the ,
Atelier Carrel was the Atelier G ley r e The home o f .
Trilby hersel f was in th e street th at D u M aurier called

the Rue d u Puits d Amo u r T r ilby indicated the ’
.
The M o rg u e , th at i ic
g r u e s o me b u ild ng w h h t he g re a t e tc h e r M é ry o n
ih i i ti
h a s ma na g e d t o I nv e s t W t s o me w e rd fa s na o n a k
c i h
n t o t a t i t ha d fo r
me I n t o s e d a y s — a nd ha s no w , a s I s e e it W t t he
h —
ih h
c a r me d e y e s o f
Me mo r y . D u M a u r i e r s “ P e t e r I b be t s o n ”
’
.
1 22 THE PARI S OF TH E NOVE LI STS
hotels o f the o ld French no bles s e and forget himsel f ,
in d reams o f past and forgotten French chivalry And .
his favourite among all the s plendid structures o f th at

easily found street was the Hotel d e la Ro c
“
he ma r t e l
”
.
“
It was be fore the gateway th at Little Billee no snob , ,
b ut a res pectably b rought u pyoung B riton o f the higher

”
middle classes learned to his consternation th at th e
, ,
real name o f the disrep utable Zouave Z o u Zou o f whose -

,
“
comp any he h ad been s o ash amed was G o nt r an X a v -
c
,
ier Fran ois Marie Joseph d Amau ry B rissac d e Ron

- - -
’
-
c e s v a u lx de la Ro c he ma r t e l B o is s e g u r
”
The p resent
-
.
entrance o f the G rand Hotel is o n the Rue S cribe But .
until eight or nine years ago the entrance was th roug h

an archway at No 1 2 Boulevard des Capucines In
. .
p lace o f the present tea room there was

-
a courtyard
with a ci r cular d riveway and a fountain in th e middle .
It was in this courtyard that Svengali sp at in Little

B ille e s face and had his o w n nose V iolently tweaked
’
by the herculean Ta ffy .
For the t rail o f Trilby D u Maurier d rew upon th e

,
Paris o f his youth Fo r many o f the people o f the tale

.
he turned to friends and ac q uaintances o f that period

and later periods The sto ry o f how h e d rew Whistler
.
a s J o e Sibley the idle a pp rentice ; o f how Whistler

,
sto rmed and threatened suit characterizing D u M aurier ,

“ ”
as a false friend and o f how Joe Sibley w as ch anged
,
to Antony the Swiss is an old and familiar o ne Abou t

, , .
ten years ago there died in England a man named

Jose ph Rowley who h ad been a m agistrate in F lint
,
shire and an o ld and close neighbour o f M r Gladstone

, . .
“ ”
He w a s the original o f Ta ffy Wynne When a .
BOH EMIAN TRAILS 1 23
young S tudent in Paris he had been a comrade o f D u

M au rier Leighton and Whistler and throughout th e
, , ,
en t ire Quarter h ad been noted fo r his prodigious strength ,

“ ”
and his skill a t w restling and boxing The Laird .
was d raw n from T R Lamont the portrait painter who

. .
, ,
ne v er q uite forgave D u Maurier fo r the eccentric French

att ributed to him in the book The name from whic h
.
the story d rew its title was one that had long lain per d u
somewhere at the back o f D u M a u rie r s head He ’
.
traced it to a tale by Charles No d ie r in which Trilby h ad

,
been a m an The name Trilby also a ppears in a poem

.
“
o f Al fred d e Mu s set From the moment the name
.
” “
occurred to me Du M aurier once said I was st ruck
, ,
w ith its value I at once realized th at it was a name

.
o f great im p ortance I think I must h ave felt as happy

.
“
as Thackeray did when the title o f Vanity F ai r
”
suggested itsel f to him Also in the genesis o f the book
.
there was the sto ry o f a woman that D u Maurier h ad

once heard It suggested the hypnotism The woman
. .
was prob ably the beauti ful Elise Duval the favourite ,
model o f G erome and Benj amin Constant .

IX SOM E OF TH E LATE R ENGLI S HMEN
.
The Les s o n of La u re nc S ter ne— The F r a nc

e of Kipli ng s ’
e
The Light Tha t F a i led

” —The Tr a il of S tev e ns o n— “
R L . .
a nd Gr ez — C o na n D o le s S he r
’
S . i n P a r is , F o nta i neblea u , y
lo c
k H o lmes The R efu gees
”
an d B r iga d ie r Ger a r d -
Leo na rd
M er r i c Tr i c
o tr i n a nd H is H a u nts — The P a r is
’
ks f A r no ld
o
—
B e nnett The Wr i ti ng of
“
The Old Wi ves
’
Ta le
”
W -
.
Lo c
ke
’
s
“
The B elo ved Va ga bo nd
”
a nd
“
Septi mu s — Mr .
Lo c
ke on H is Own Cha r a c
te rs .
IN C E Laurence S terne made the discove ry th at

“ ”
they order this matter b etter in France ,
“
and wrote the Sentimental Journey English ,
men o f letters o f all conditions and d egrees o f talent

h ave b een t ur ning to the near by land fo r direct ins pi r a -
tion and fo r occasional b ackgro u nd There is a Sir Walter .
”
Scott France in the pages o f Quentin Du rward .
The conventional b eginning o f a novel by G P R . . .
James pictu red two horse men riding along a river bank ,
and in most cases the ri v er bore a Gallic name Wh at .
ever the political sym pathies o f Disraeli may have b een ,
as a writer o f fiction he invariably endowed his ch ar

ac t e r s with a sym pathetic a ppreciation o f French art ,
l iteratu re wines and sauces To mention only o ne o f

, , .
the novels o f Bulwer Lytton there w a s the t a le b earing

-
,
“ ”
the title Th e Parisians
:
Another Lytton wrote .
“ ”
Au x Italiens beginning with the somewhat hack
,
1 24
1 26 TH E PA RI S OF TH E NOVELI ST S
which is o n the B e z re re s Landes Railway— single track -
”
from To u rg a s Now although there is a Vit ry sur
.
-
S eine and a Vitry Pas de—

, Calais and a Vit ry la-Ville
- -
,
-
,
and a Vitry le Fran c ois there is no actual Vit ry sur

- -
,
-
Marne Also there is no B e z re re s Landes Railway

.
-
,
a nd no To u rg a s Otherw i se either Vitry le Fr a ngo is

.
- -
o r Vit ry la Ville answer all p

-
ractical purposes fo r they
-
,
a re in th e general direction indicated and close by t he ,
river M arne Perha ps to this d ay lives the legend o f

.
the mad Englishman who h ad d runk all the o ffi cers o f

the garrison under the table h ad borrowed a horse from ,
the lines and h ad then and there elo ped a fter the Eng
, ,
lish custom with o ne o f those more than mad English

,
girls w ho d rew pictures down there under the care o f th e

good Monsieu r Kami .
M r Clayton Hamilton in his admirable On the

.
,
” ”
Trail o f Stevenson has told the story o f R L S and , . . .
“
the France th at he adored Stevenson wrote M r .
, .
more freely more fully and more hap , ,
pily in France than in any other count ry When Louis .
was floundering through the stormy seas o f adolescence ,
Edinburgh never understood him This is the reason .
why fo r a time he hovered very near to d ashing head

, ,
long to hell But in Paris the city o f the free he t e

.
, ,
covered his mental sanity Instead o f a cons piracy .
‘
o f citizens solemnly and hy p ocritically chanting Thou
shalt not he fo und a civilized society th a t permitte d
,
’
him to think o u t fo r himsel f the more im portant p rob

‘
lem o f Thou
It was o n his return from Mentone in Ap ril 1 874 th at , ,
Loui s met his cousin Robert Alan Mowb ray Steven

‘
,
SOME o r THE LATE R ENGLI SHM E N 1 27
son in Paris and really s aw the city fo r the first time

, , .
R A M was a p ainter and he introduced Louis to the

. . .
,
town o f the a telier s the Paris that has always le ft the

,
deepest im pression o n ardent youth The foreigner s .

’
Paris which ha s it s heart in the Place de l Opé r a he

,
’
s aw with the eyes o f a stranger b u t the r is e

g a u c
he , ,
the city o f freedom and adventure the Paris where , ,

“
as Dante phrased it a youth may learn to m ake him ,
”
sel f eternal he took at once to his bosom To quote
, .
“
Mr H amilton : This Paris he knew better and loved
.
much more th an any ph ase o f London He could .
wear his q ueer clothes and think his queer thoughts , ,
and feel his queer feelings and pursue his queer b usiness ,
o f learning how to write ; and the fellows he encountered
every d ay could understand him and knew enough to ,

”
leave him alone .
The reminiscences o f those years went into the mak

“ ”
ing o f The Wrecker In th at book Stevenson sang
.
“
th e praises o f the Boul Mich and the gardens o f . .
th e Luxembourg and the Rue d e Rennes and Laven

, ,
u e s which is ne a r the G a re M o np
’
, a r na s s e and the Oh ,
s e rv a t o ire and the Hotel d e Cluny and Roussillon

, ,
“
wine S ays London Dodd the hero o f the tale : Z Mar
.
, .
c as lived next doo r to me in my ungainly ill smell ing

.
,
-
hotel in the Rue Racine ; I dined in my villainous

restaurant with Lousteau and R a s t ig na c : if a curricle
nearly ran me down at a street crossing Maxime d e ,

”
Trailles would b e the d river His knowledge o f the .
painter s Paris w a s also utilized in the second story o f

’
”
The New Arab ian Nights where the American , ,
Silas Q Sc u dd a mo re
. ex periences a series o f unusua l
,
1 28 TH E PARI S O F TH E NOV ELI STS
adventures at the B al Bulli e r Th at famous d ance
.
o f the students o f the Quarter is described with a wealth
o f detail . Francis Sc ry mg eo u r found th e House with
th e Green Blinds fa r up th e slo pe o f Montmartre in ,
th e Ru e Lepic commanding a view o f all Paris and

,
enjoying the pure air

o f the heights It.
was a typical house o f

the Montmartre o f
t he s e v e nt ie s a n d
’
,
there was a high gar

den wall p rotected by
c h e v a u x a e -f r i s e
-
’
.
Franci s a fter a d v e n
,
tures in the House

with the Green B linds ,
took to his heels down

th e lane th at lead s to
th e Rue Rav ig na n .
The Rue Le pic the ,
Rue Ra v ig na n and ,
the connecting lane

may all easily b e
fo u n d t o d a y
-
In
A S T E E T OE S T E EN S ON N W A RA B I AN
.
R V 8 E
mo m s
”
that one ep i sode there
is more o f a definite
Paris th an there is o f a de fi nite London in all Dr Jekyll .
”
and Mr Hyde
. . It was not merely in contem pora ry
Paris that Stevenson was at home Prowling th rough the
.
Latin Quarter he delighted in mentally reconstru cting it

as it h ad been two o r th ree or fou r centuries be fore I f the .
tale th at o ld Duma s might h ave told if he h ad ever had
su ffi cient leisure to develop the finished style o f R L S . . .
The S tory h appens in a nameless town We are in .
formed that the hero Denis d e B eaulieu is a resident

, ,
o f Bourges ; and scene o f the tale may b e imagined as a
lesser Bourges more d ark and little and intimate and

,
th rilling There are glimpses o f Gothic architecture

.
in this sto ry th at S how us that Stevenson h ad used his

eyes t o b etter advantage in France than he ever used
them in England In F rance where his eyes were
.
,
open he could s ee the p ast ; in E ngland where his eyes

, ,
”
were shut he could scarcely s ee the p resent
, .
Perhaps there w a s no period o f Stevenson s always ’
romantic life o f more enduring interest than the Fo n

t a ine ble a u period To the Forest he w a s introduced
.
in April 1 87 5 by the s ame R A M S w ho a year b e fo re

, , . . . .
h ad showed him the Latin Quarter The cou sins mad e .
’
their he ad q uarters at S iron s in B arb izon wh ere they , ,
‘ “ ” “
were know n a s Stennis a i ne and S tennis fr ere .
“ ”
Th e Wrecker p ictures them under these names in
“
p ages th at are d rawn directly from the li fe He w a s .
”
a great walker in those d ays s ays Mr Hamilton , .
,
“
and explored no t only the forest itsel f but a ll the ,
towns o f the adj acen t count ryside He knew not only .
Barb izon b ut Marlotte Montigny and Chailly e n

, , ,
-
B ié re Cernay la -Ville Bou rron Moret Nemours a nd

,
-
, , , ,
G rez The traveller w ho visits any o f the s e entrancing

.
little towns will find himsel f w alking in the footstep s

of R L S
. . It is no longer necessary to d escrib e them ;
.
they h ave been described fo r all time in the two es says

I n which Louis has recounted his memories o f this dis
SOM E O F TH E LATE R ENGLI SHMEN 1 31
c—the
t ri t paper entitled
“
Fo nt aine ble au , and the
“ ”
paper entitled Forest Notes .
’
After B arbizon Stevenson s favou rite haunt in the
,
district was G rez In the summer o f 1 87 5 he wrote

.
“
to his mother : I h ave been three days at a place
called Grez a pretty and very melancholy village on
,
the plain A lo w b ridge with many arches choked

.
,
with sedge ; green fields o f white and yellow water lilies ; -
poplars and willows innumerable ; and about it all such

an atmosphere o f sadness and slackness one could do ,
nothing but get into the boat and o u t o f it again and ,

” “
yawn fo r bedtime Later in the essay called F o n
.
,
” “
t aine ble au he was in another mood But G rez is a .
merry place after its kind ; pretty to s e e mer ry to ,
inhabit The course o f its pellucid river whether up

.
,
o r down i s full o f attractions fo r the navigator ; the

,
mirror and inverted images of trees lilies and mills , , ,
and the foam and thunder o f weirs And o f all noble .
sweep s o f roadway none is nobler on a windy dusk

, , ,
than the highroad to Nemours between its lines of talk

”
ing poplar I t w a s at G rez th at Stevenson aged
.
,
twenty fiv e met the woman aged thirty seven w ho was

-
, ,
-
,
later to b ecome his wi fe .
To find the invented character closest to the heart o f

S ir Art hur C onan Doyle would b e a matter not o f visit ,
ing the rooms in Upper B aker Street London to e n , ,
co u nter t he most widely known personage in all fiction

enveloped in a d ressing gown and thick clouds o f shag
t o b acco s mo k e but o f p rowling among certain Pa ris
r
ca fés o f 1 845 o r thereabouts in search of a t alk ative

o ieu x
g ogna rd o f the F irst E mpire with a strong G asc on
r
1 32 TH E PARI S O F TH E NOVELI STS
accent For despite the world wide popularity o f his
.
-
creation Doyle never loved Sherlock Holmes whereas ,
he has always adored Colonel E tienne Gerard o f the

Hussar of Co nflans The exploits o f Gerard d o not in
.
,
themselves s ave in a fe w instances b elong to Paris ;

, ,
they are th e tales o f Rus sian ice a nd snow o f castles ,
o f gloom in Poland o f treachery lurking in moldy ,
canal laved houses of V enice o f mountain peaks in

-
,
Portugal o f the English p rison o f D a rt mo o r o f the

i
, ,
lonely rock o f St Helena B ut the telling o f them

. .
does and th rough th e medium o f th e grizzled B rigadier

, ,
si pping his glass o f wine garrulous as the memory of ,
the great d ays th rough which h e h as lived surge withi n

him yet feeling the call o f the beloved Gascony o f his
,
boyhood Doyle h as poured o u t all his joyo u sly acqui r ed

,
and marvellously transmuted knowled g e o f the Na po

leoni e period and the men with the h airy knapsack s
,
and the hearts o f steel whose tramp shook the continent

fo r so many years .
I mmensely p roud is C onan Doyle o f that collection

o f Napoleonic military memoirs o u t o f which grew the
vainglorious yet altogether delight ful Gera r d G low .
“
ingly he told o f it in Th rough the Magic Door pe r ,
h aps th e least read although one o f the finest o f all his

” “
books Here he s a id i s Marbot the fir s t o f all
.
, , ,
soldier books in the world M arbot gives you th e point .
o f V iew o f the o fli cer So does De Ség fu r and De .
F e z e ns acand C olonel Gonville each in some di ff erent ,
b ranch of the service But some a r e fro m the pens o f the

'
‘
men in th e ranks and they are even more graphic than

,
the others Here fo r example are the p apers o f good

.
, ,
1 34 THE PA RI S OF THE NOVELI STS
and Holmes was forever tossing across the table to
Watson cablegrams filled with such expressions o f
admiration a s “
ma gnifi qu e
”
and “
co u pd e rna i tr e
- -
”
.
Perh ap s some d ay when Doyle sees fit to tell us more

,
’
o f his hero s activities in the Great War th an h e related
“ ”
in His Last Bow we sh all b e in troduced to a M
, .
S herlock Holmes tempora rily at least c

, , i toyen d e P a r is .
There is a ve ry concrete old Pa ris o f C onan Doyle .
“ ”
It is the city o f The Re fugees a t ale which b egan
,
in the France o f th e
la t e r life of Louis XIV ,
when th at monarch ,
under the in fl uence o f

Mad ame d e Main
tenon w a s reviving
,
with extreme severity

t h e e d i ct s a g a i n s t
those o f the H u guenot
faith Much research
.
went into th e m akin g

o f th at book with the
result th at there is to
the sto ry th e genuine
flavour o f o ld streets .
At th e corner o f th e
Rue S aint-Martin an d
the Rue d e Biron
was the house o f th e
O LD R U E S A I NT MAR T I N
-
“
merch ant C atinat the ,
father o f the heroine Ad ele , a narro w building fou r ,
stories in height grim and grave like its o w ner with high
, ,
SOME OF THE LAT E R ENGLI SHMEN 1 35
peaked roo f long diamond paned windows , a framework

,
Of black wood , with gray plaster filling the interstices , and

fi ve stone steps which led u pto the narrow and sombre
”
door . That S tructure was the scene o f the Pa ris half ‘
“ ”
of The Re fugees when the tale was not revolving
,
about the s u n like magnificence o f t he royal Louis

-
.
From there the little p arty bound fo r the religiou s

freedom p romised by the New World made its way by
night to the city gates thence to Rouen and then by
, ,
boat th rough the winding S eine to the o pen sea .
The Tric
,
o t rin o f Leonard Merrick is a true linea l
d escend ant o f the Rodolphe o f Hen ry M u rg e r and h e ,
is quite as F rench F or Merrick knows his Paris as

.
well as he knows his London and o f the two obviously

, ,
pre fers the F rench capital I f Tric o t rin ha p

.
pened to
su rvive the G reat War it should not b e d ifli c
"
u lt to find
him He lives up s ix fl ights of stairs in an attic in

.
Montmartre He is a poe t whose poems are un printed

.
,
j ust as his friend Pitou is a musician whose music is

never played a s his friend F lamant is a painter whose
,
pictures are never s old o r exh ibited and as his frien d

i
,
Laje u nie is a playwright whose pieces a re never pro ”
d uc ed It is the fou r o f M u rg e r over again Tric

. o t rin
.
h as an uncle in th e provinces— a silk manu facturer of

Lyons— who earnestly wishes the young man to forsak e
his unconventional ways and emb ark in trade That .
is o f course what Tric o t rin will do eventually but in ,
the meantime h e p re fer s to remain in his attic dining ,
o n a herring fl aunting his long hair and S habby clothes

,
o n the boulevards and building fi ne d ay-dreams of

,
fortune and renown From time to time the s u n o f

.
prosperity emerges from the clouds and fo r a b rief
moment S hines u pon Tric o t rin For exam ple o n one
.
,
occasion h e is em ployed to contribute to a newly estab

,
lis he d journal in a remote town a weekly letter on th e

theatrical li fe o f Paris Dining o n the herring in t he
.
Montmartre attic his imagination is not ham pered b y

unsymp athetic fact In his o pinions o f perform ances
.
he discreetly agrees with th e F iga r o b ut in his para ,

“
graphs he sups and ch ats with all sorts of pro mi
” “
nent peo ple His invisible tele phone is a fountain o f

.
perpetual inspiration Why .

”
h e confides “ , to ,
morrow Y vette G u ilbert is going to call me up th e

moment she retu rns from London to tell me o f her p ro
fe s s io na l worries and to b eg me fo r my advice As .
s he will b e p rostrated by the journey I am not sure ,
but th at yielding to her entreaties I ma y even j um p

, ,
into an auto taxi and take pot luck in her delight fu l

- -
”
home .
Of course the d a y comes when the editor o f t he remot e

aper decides to vi s it P a riS inorder th at Tr ic o t rin may
p
int rod uce him to some o f t he celeb rities o f liter a ture
and the stage The poet at his wit s ends calls u pon
.
,
’
his friends fo r hel p They respond nobly all except

.
,
Laje u nie w ho selfi s hly r e fu ses to sh ave his head in

,
order th at Tric o t rin may i nt rod uce him to the V i s i t i ng
editor as Ed mond Rostand A dozen stories twenty .

,
stories might b e told o f Tric

,
o t r in his ex pedients hi s , ,
gallant ries and o f the Paris o f his wanderings He h as

,
.
his moral S hortcomings b ut they merely add to the ,
picture Taken all in all Tric

. o t rin is the most delight
fu l Bohemi an o f the fiction o f the last two decades .

SOME O F TH E LATE R E NGLI SHMEN 1 37
B ut there is a Leonard Merrick Pari s which does not

depend u pon Tr ic o t rin and his long hai red com p
-
anions -
.
It is the reminiscent city o f C o nr a d in Quest o f His

”
Youth . Trying to b r i n g b a ck the flavou r o f the p ast
Con r ad s ampled the hos pit a lity o f a little hotel on the
le ft b ank in the Rue d u H aut Pavé and pu ffed his
, ,
cigarettes in the Ca fé Vachette and t he : C a fé d Ha r ’
“
cou rt I t iSThe whimsical city o f The S uicide s o f the
“
“
R u e Somb r e It I S the t ragical city o f The B ack o f
.
Bohemi a ”
It I S the fa nt a s t I cC i ty o f Little Flower
.
-
“
o f the -Wood
- It is the ench anted city o f The
.
”
Prince in the Fairy Tale There is in the last named
.
,
-
story one pa ragra ph alone th at e s t abli s hes Leonard

,
Merrick s claim to be considered as o ne o f th e int e rpre

’
ters in fi ction o f la v ille lu mi er e I h ave never he s a ys

’
.
, ,
“
seen a city th at O pens it eyes as good hu mo u r e d ly a s -
Paris In:pictures it is always S hown to u s at night

.
,
with its my r iad lam ps shining or in the a fternoon , ,
when it is fr ivolous and its fountains fl ash ; but in my

“
,
own little unimport ant O pinion if o ne would know ,
Paris at its S weetest and best o ne should get up very

”
ea r ly and behold it when it wakes to work
, Ag ain .
,
in rather unkindly criticis m o f beauti ful B russel s he

h as said s o mething t o this e ffect : Stop ping at B russel s
e n r o u te fo r P a r is is l ike calling upon the sister o f th e
woman with whom yo u are in love ”

.
The ca fé th at figured in Little Flower—

“
o f the Wood
- - -
was high up towa r d the summit o f Montmartre and

“
w a s long known a s th e White Wol f But in the new .
edition o f his book s Mr Merrick h as ch anged th at name

.
to another fo r reasons which h e has outlined in the

,
course o f a recent letter to t he p resent Pilgrim : Now
the restaurant mad e famous by the whim o f the reign
“
ing d ancer o f the moment is the C a fe o f th e Good Old
” “
Times . Long a fter the story h ad been published ,
“
says Mr Merrick I came across this name over a
.
,
little workman s c a fe a debi t o n a country road some

’
, ,
where and it w a s s o exceedingly appropriate to the

,
S tory th at I regretted that I h ad not S truck it sooner .
I have never heard o f any ca fé o f this name in Paris ;

‘ ’
and the S tory o f Little Flowe r o f the Wood is purely- - - -
fiction It w a s suggested by the fact th at these t w o

.
disparate classes o f trade obtained simultaneously after

—
midnight at an actual ca fé in Pa ris ch ampagne suppers
and fortunate c oco ttes o n the fi rst fl oor and h umble ,
onion soup and the unsuccess ful sisterhood downst airs .
The cont rast between th e two client eles was s o d ramatic

th at it cried aloud fo r a story .
“
The name o f th e c a fé fre q uented by Tr ic o t rin and
” “
his circle M r Merrick goes o n h as b een ch anged t o
, .
,
‘ ’
the Ca fé o f th e Beauti ful Fut ure The name is I .
,
believe imaginary There o u ght to h ave been an

, .
‘
art istic ca fé in Pa ris called the C a fé o f the B eauti ful
Future s o I h ave done wh at I could d o to fill t he void
’
.
—
All o f my short stories prio r t o While Pa r is Laughed
‘ ’
th at I wished to s e e re printed are in the two volumes , ,

‘ ‘
A C hair on th e Boulevard and The Man Who Under ’
stood Women and there a r e m any revisions o f names

,
’
.
All stories peopled by French ch a racters are assembled

‘ ’ ‘
in the former The B ack o f Bohemia and The Prince
.
in the Fai r y Tale a nd othe r tales dealing with Anglo

’
S axons are contained in the latter .

1 40 TH E PARI S OF TH E NOV E LI STS
lives And Madame G ro s piro n if s he is sp ared will
.
, ,
fulfill the picture o f her about thirty years hence .
‘
When I s aw her last s he w a s still a plum p rosy girl ,
with a violent mother By the way here is an exam ple

.
,
o f th e literary instinct to b e found in almost every
grade o f the French At a c a fe I h ad noticed a woman

.
,
‘
like th e woman described in the story A Piece o f Suga r ’
‘
( While Paris surreptitiously pocket a fe w
matches It looked more piti ful than it sound s
. .
While I was still wondering how I could h andle the in

e ident I ha p
, pened to s peak o f it in the hearing o f th a t
violent mother—uneducated o f the lower classes
, .
‘
Instantaneously s he b roke in Poor soul B ut it woul d
, .
h ave been even more d ramatic if s he h ad pocketed a

’
p iece o f sugar ! Impossible to imagine an English

woman o f the lower classes saying th at .
“
I h ave omitted to s ay th at Tric o t rin a nd Pitou
— — —
live o r lived whichever it may p rove to b e in Mont
martre because it was the only district fo r them No t .
a fe w critics both o n you r side and here insist on re

, ,
ferring to them as denizens o f the Latin Quarter but ,
as y o u d oubtless know a s well as I Murger s L a tin ,

’
Qu arter and the modern Latin Quarter were two widely

”
di fferent things .
Fo r the Paris o f Arnold Bennett turn to The Ol d

”
Wives Tale ’
In his introd u ction to th at sto ry he
.
told how in the autumn o f 1 90 3 he was in the h abit

, ,
o f dining frequently in a restaurant in the Rue de Clichy
and how there he s aw the two giggling waitresses and

the grotesque o ld woman whose plight S tirred him to
the thought th at s he h ad once been young with the ,
SOM E O F TH E LATE R ENGLI SHMEN 1 41
uni q ue ch arm o f youth in her form and movements ,
“
a nd in her mind It was at this instant th at I w a s .
visited by the idea o f writing the book which ultimately

‘ ’
b ecame The Old Wives What follows is ,
in a measure a revelation o f Arnold B ennett s literary ,

’
creed :
I pu t i d e t he i d e a f r a l ng ti m b ut it w a n r e ry d i st ant
as o o e, s ev e v
f mm : F
ro e l n it m d
o r s ev eraSp c i l pp l t o me I re as o s a e a e a a ea .
h d lw y b n cn i ncd a d mi fM W K C liff d m t ’
a a a s ee a o v e re r o rs . . . or s os
p c i n l A nt Ann b t I w nt d t e in t h t y f n
“
re o us ov e , u e, u a e o se e s or o a
o ld w m n m ny thi ng th t M
o a C li ff d h d mitt e d f m A n t
a
“
s a rs . or a o ro u
Ann
”
M e. I h d lw y lt d ag i n t t h b s d y th
o r e o v e r, a a a s re v o e a s e a ur ou
f ln
u th ess, nf d i ng y th f l n
e u f th a
a g h o i ne And ou u ess o e v e ra e er . as
a p t ro t g in t thi f hi n I w l e ad y in 1 903 pl anni ng n v l

es a a s s as o , as a r , , a o e
f w hi c h t he h i ne w g d f ty a nd had d a g ht
o e ro as a e or , u e rs
o ld e no g h t be in l o e u B t I m nt t g mu c
o h f rth e r th n
v . u ea o o a a
fo rt y Fi n lly as a pre m re as n I h d t he
. a , mpl e a nd t h
su e o , a ex a e
c h lle nge o f G y d e M u p s ant Une Vi

a
“
u
”
I n t he ni n ti e s w
a as
’
s e .
’
e e
g d Une Vie w it h mu t e a w
“ ”
u ed t o
s re ar b i ng t h s mmit f e, as e e u o
ac hi m nt in fi c
ev e ti o n And I re me mb r b i ng v y c w ith
e . e e er ro s s
M r B n r d Shawéb e c
”
aus e h av i ng r g g ti n
“
. er a d Une Vie a t t h , ea e su es o
( I thi nk ) o f M W illi am A c h r he fa il e d t o s ee in it anythi ng y

r. r e , v er
r ma k b l e
e r He I m t cnf s th t in 1 9 0 8 I r e d Un Vi
a . re
“
us o es a , , a e e
”
a g in a nd in S p
, ait f n t l n i ty t o d iff f o m M B n d e o a a u ra a x e er r r . er ar
Sh w I w g
a , ly d i pp i nt d w ith it It i a fi n n l b t
as r av e sa o e . s e ov e , u
d c
”
ei d d ly inf i t P i r t J n r e n F t C mm l M t
e
“
er o r
“
o er e e ea o ve or o e a or .
”
“
T t n t t h y r 1 903 Un Vi
o re ur o e l t t h e nti li f hi t y
ea . e e
”
re a e s e re e s or
o fa w m n I ttl d in t h p iv ac
o a . y o f my o w n h e ad th t my b k
se e e r a oo
a b t th d
ou l pm nt f y ng g i l i nt
e ev e o to t ld l d y m t b
e o a ou r o a s u o a us e
t h Eng li h Un Vi
e
“ ”
s Ih b n c c d f v e y f lt cpt
e e . av e ee a use o e r au ex e a
l c
a k f l f cnfid nc nd in f w w e e k I ttl d a f th p i nt
o se - o e e, a a e s se e ur er o ,
n m ly th a t my b k m t g n b tt th n Un Vi nd th t t o
“ ”
a e , oo us o o e e er a e e a a
thi nd it m t b t h li f hi t y o f t w w m n i ns t ad f o nly ne
s e us e e e s or o o e e o o .
H nc The Old Wi v
“ ”
Ta l ha t w h ero i n
’
e e es e s o es .
a long time Mr B ennett was intimid ated by t he
Fo r .
audacity o f his p roject but he had sworn to carry it out , .
Five o r s ix novels o f smaller scop e were produced be fore

he turned his h and to the big task Th a t was in th e .
“
autumn o f 1 90 7 He b egan t he writing o f The Old .
”
Wives Tale in a Village near F o nt a ine b le au where h e
’
h ad rented hal f a house from a reti red railway servant .
The ap pa rent length to which the sto ry was to run a p

p alled him It w as to b e a matter o f no less th an two
.
hund red thousand words To reassure himsel f h e .
counted the words in several famous Victorian novels

and found th at they averaged fou r hund red thousand
“ ”
words The first p art o f The Old Wives Tale was
.
’
written in s ix weeks Then in a London hotel th e .

, ,
author came to an i mpa s s e and pu t the S to ry asid e ,

“ ”
temporarily in order to write Buried Alive Th at .
“
done he returned to F o nt a ine ble a u and finished Th e
, ,
”
Old Wives Tale there at the end o f July 1 90 8 Wh en
’
, .
he came to the French portion o f the S tory he s aw th at

the Siege o f Paris fitted chronologically For fi r s t .
h and in for mation he turned to his landlord .
I wa th t my railw ay serv ant and hi w i f had been li v i ng

s aw are a s e
in P i t t h ti m I a i d t t h ld m n : B y t h
“
ar s a f th w e e o e ar . s o e o a e
w nt th gh t h S i g f P i d idn t y H t n d
’ ”
w y y
a , ou e ro u ? e e e o ar s, ou e ur e
to hi ld w i f nd
s o i d nc t i nly Th S i g f P i ? Y w
e a
“
sa , u er a : e e e o ar s es, e
did d i d n t w ? Th S i e g h d b n nly n i nc i d nt m ng m ny
’ ”
, e e e a ee o o e e a o a
in th i li v ee r Of c s th y m mb d it w ll th g h n t
. o u rs e e re e e re e , ou o
i i d ly and I g i n d m c
v v , h i nfo m ti o n f m th m B t t h m t
a e u r a ro e . u e os
f l thi ng th a t I g i ne d f o m th m w
u se u th p c pti n t a tli ng
a r e as e er e o , s r
a t fi r t th a t o d i n
s , y p o pl e w ent n li i ng y d i n ry li in
r ar e o v v er or a v es
P a r i s d ur i ng t he Si e g and th at t o t he v a t mas s o f t he po p l ti o n
e, s u a
I cmp h e nd d h w f S h t I h d f ll n o f t he t r th ! I w o t e
o re e o ar or a a e u r
to M F nk H r i r g tti ng th t hi d ci pti n h d n t b n
r . ra a r s, e re a s es r o a o ee
p i nt d b f
r eI w t mi n e o re I h ld d ly h e tili d it
ro e e, as s ou a s s u re av u z e ,
a nd o f c o
, I d mitt d th t I h d n
u rs e , w it n
a d n cti o n
e a a ev er ess e a ex e u .
H e i mply pli d N ith h

s re I Thi d t il i w th p
e :
“
e er av e .
”
s e a s or re
i ng f it i
s e rv p o f t th t l g b o d y f
, or s a re d wh wh n a
ro o a ar e o re a e rs o, e
n li t h
ov e lly c i d cn i c
s ti n t th m a s t o ff h nd Oh
as r e a a rr e
“
o v o o e , s er a : ,
th t m t b
a to bi g phy !
us e au o ra
”
No Englishman o f o u r time h as loved Paris more an d

inter preted it more sympathetically than Mr W J . . .
Locke A mythic a l street somewh ere in th e Latin

.
,
Quarter is the Rue des S al a d i ers There at NO 1 1

, .
, .
,
“
was the a telie r Janot associated with The Belove d ,
”
Vagabond Near by was the Ca fé Del phine where
.
,
P a r a g o t exercised a d ictatorshi p si milar to that he h ad

enjoyed at the Lotus Club in Tavistock Street Covent , ,
Garden when Asticot fi r st became his faith ful ch attel

, .
” “
To P a ra g o t Parks was the Boul Mich , In Se pti . .
mus Zora M id d le mis t at the time o f th e fi rst visit

”
, , ,
stayed at the Grand Hotel b ut S e ptimus Dix who , ,
knew Paris in a queer dim w a y o f his o w n lived in an ,
obscure hotel o f the r i ve ga u c he A fter S e ptimus h ad .
chivalrously given Zora s S ister th e shelter o f his name h e ’
found fo r Emmy an ap artment in the Bouleva rd Ra s pa il ,
re pairing himsel f to the near b y Hotel Godet Of some - .
o f these scenes and p eo ple the Pilg r im quotes from a let

ter recently received from Mr Locke The le t t e r w rit t e n . .
,
from Nice ends : You s e e I am in the delectable land

,
once more a fter five years o f gray English skies

, .
I a m a fr a i d I c an g i yo ve u no thi ng v er y
u s e fu l cnc ning
o er t he
prove na nc
“
e (o r i g i n) o f Th e B e lo v e d V ag a o n
”
b d . P a r a go t w a s
SOM E O F TH E LAT E R ENGLI SHM E N 1 45
t a k e n fr m no i nd i i d l Wh n t ti ng him my m m y w e nt
o v ua . e s ar e or
b c a k t t h e ly e i g hti w h n I d t f l b t t h i g c
o e ar h es e use o oo a ou e r ve au e,
a nd w h on ft n w in t he
e re m cfé d y ft d y
e o e sa m c l , sa e a , a a er a , so e
d ly phil
er phi c fli an g n r lly fi cly b
oso d d l yi ng d w n t h
t u , e e a er e e ar e , a o e
l w o n cl pt
a p i n ti ng a nd t h n n i t nc f t h D ity
s u u re , a , e o -
ex s e e o e e .
S m we
o e it b l e d b d g ni — V l i n f c t h hi ning
re v e r a e as e e uses er a e o o u rs e e s
e e mp
x l — m w s till —
ar cll d t d nt b e c th y lik d t h
so e e re so a e s u e s, aus e e e e
i d l ne nd t h
e ss a m ti cm ll f t h B l M i c
“
e a ro h t t h b i nth
a s e o e ou . .
”
a e a s e
h o u r, m w so h ng y b l c
e k g d d pi q
e re u i tt ( d i nn r
r a uar s, es u e-as s e e e
h nt ) w illi ng f r a cn i d r ti n t nd t h y ng nd hy ny
u e rs o o s e a o o re er e ou a s a
ki nd f d b i o ic u o u s s e rv e .
Aft a l p o f t w e nty y e a rs — I w ro t
er a se The B e l v d V g b nd e o e a a o
in 1 90 5 0 6— 1 r t i n d no m m y f ny n i nd i i d l b t I
- e a e e or o a o e v ua , u
f hi n d P
as o g t
e t f my b l
ara d i mpo i n f t h ty p I n
ou o u rr e re s s o s o e e .
f c
a t ll t h c
, h c
a t in my n l a d w n ith f m ty p
e ar a e rs ov e s re ra e er ro e or
i nv nt d p i b l h man b i ng I h e n d wn f m t h
‘
e e as a o ss e u e . av ev er ra ro e
li v i ng m d l o e .
S A i ti d P j l i d w n f m ty p
o r s e Y
u o cn e him a t any
s ra ro e . ou a s e
cfé n t h C nn b
a o e fM ill
a t cmm c
e i l t bl d hot
i e re o a rs e es o r a o er a a e
’
es
a t Ai n P ro
x -
nc o r T
e -
cn I m t hi c nt p t f r t w
ve e ar a s o . e s ou er ar o o
mi n t in R b i n n C
u es, mo t r i ng g t ki n
o so n an cci n ru s o e o oa s s, o o as o
w h n I had l o t my w y mo t o i ng a nd w ith e c
e s ited g d w ill h p t
a r , x oo e u
me W ise .
The ph ras ing o f the end o f the last sentence is clea r

evidence that M r Locke s visits to the United States .
’
have not been entirely fruitless .

’
X ZOLA S PARI S
.
The B itte r Yea rs A

f pp o r e nt i c
e s hi p—The Wo r ld See n fr o m a
Ga r ret—E mp lo yme nt a t H a c hette s —F i rs t P u blis hed B o o ks
’
— —
At F la u ber t s Ta ble The S t ory of the H ou s e a t M Ed a n P a r is
’
S tree ts a nd the Novels fo the

“
R o u go n—
M q
a cu a r t — Dra m
”
S hops, M a r kets , a nd D epa r t me nt S tores .
ITH th e conspicuous exception of G ustave

Flaubert there was h ardly a master o f French
fi ction o f the nineteenth centu ry who d id no t
serve his litera ry a pp renticeshi pin Bohemia using th at ,
term to indicate a condition o f dire want rather than a

period o f care free gayety
- Victor Hugo already a c
.
,
“ ”
claimed as the sublime child wa s reduced to such ,
exi s tence as an income o f seven hund red francs a year

m ade possible B alzac in hi s garret in th e Rue Les di
.
g u ieres undermined his healt h and S hortened his d ays

by ove rw ork and under nourishment D u ma s s con
’
.
’
dition a fter his arrival from his native Villers C otterets -
was financially about as p recarious as th at o f the D Art a g ’
nan o f his creation coming u p to town from Tarb es

, .
Daudet and his b rother lived in an attic in th e Ru e

M o u ffe t a r d E mile Zola at twenty-fiv e years o f age
.
, ,
found em ployment that p aid him forty cents a d ay .
A fter two months at the work he threw it u p and from ,
the b eginning o f March 1 8 6 0 till the end o f th at yea r

, ,
then all th rough 1 86 1 and the fi rst th ree months o f

,
1 46
an acqu aint ance ; his diet was b re a d and water with ,
now and then a n a pple o r a bit o f cheese ; a pipe fu l o f

tob acco was a ra r e luxury a nd his great d aily p roble m ,
w a s to find th ree sous with which to purch ase a candle

fo r th e next even ing s work Often the problem was
’
.
not solved Lying in the d arkn ess he was forced to

.
co mmit to memory the lines o f verse th at s u rged in hi s

b rain For like nearly all young French men o f le tters
.
,
it w a s to poetry that Zo l a fi r st turned .
Finally fo r non p ayment o f rent he was evicted from

,
-
,
t he attic in the Rue Neuve S a in t fEtienne d u Mont and - - -

,
went to a fu rnished room house near the Panth eon in

the Rue So u flI e t be fore th at street h ad b een widened
t o the dimen s ions o f the present d ay The l ife there .
w a s s o rio t ous that the po lice found frequent occasion

to interfere To quote Viz e t e lly o n th e Latin Quarter
.
eriod Zola s li e and its influence on his work of

’
p o f f
later years :
The l o ng w i nt e r e nd s , t he s pr i ng c o me s , a nd Zo l a t ur ns t o e nj o y
t he s u n r a y s — a t ti me s in t he J a r d i n d e s P l a nt e s , w hi ch is ne ar his
l o dg i ng , a t o th e rs a lo ng t he q u a i s o f t he S e i ne , w h e re he s pe nd s
h o u rs a mo ng t he th o u s and s o f s e c o nd - h a nd b o o k s d i s pl a y e d fo r
s a l e o n t he p arap e ts And a ll t he li fe o f t he r i v e r, t he w h o l e pic
.
t u r e s q u e pa no r a ma o f t he q u a y s a s th e y w e r e th e n, b e c
o me s fi x e d in
his mi nd , t o s u pply , ma ny y e a r s a ft e rw a r d , t he a d mi r a b l e d e s c r ip
ti gi i h e fo u r th c
h apt e r o f his no v e l
ve p ass ages n
v en t
Th e re it is C l a u d e Lanti e r w ho is s h o w n w a lki ng t he q u ay s w ith his

S w e e th e a r t C h r i s ti ne And Z o l a w a s c
. e r t a i nly no t a l o n e e v e r y ti me
th a t he hi ms e l f pa c e d th e m W e k no w t o w h a t a y o u ng man s fa nc y
’
.
t in S pr i ng ti me
u rns . He li v e d mo r
, e o v e r, in t he Qu a r tie r La t in ,
w hi c
h s till re t a i ne d so me o f it s ol d fre e d o m o f li fe , in s pit e o f t he
many c
h ang e s it w as un d erg o i ng .
ZOLA S PARI S ’
1 49
In Feb ru a ry 1 86 3 Zo l a entered the em ploy o f th e

, ,
p ublishing house o f H a chette a nd Com p a ny as a p acker

at a salary o f o ne h u ndred fr a ncs a month Small as .
the s u m was it enabled him to leave Bohe mia behind ,
and a fter he h ad a dj u sted hi msel f to regul a r hou rs h is ,
chie f wor ry was his inability to read all the books th at

p assed th rough hi s h ands A fter leaving the Rue Sou f
.
flo t he lived in tu rn in the Im passe S aint Dominique

l
, ,
-
,
I n the Rue Neuve de la P ep ini er e a nd then in the Rue ,
d es Feuillantines to which all u si o n will b e found in the

,
ch a pter on Victor Hugo It was there that he b eg an

.
“
La C on fession de Cla u de which however was laid, , ,
aside in order th at the writer might devote himsel f to

s hort stories .
One d ay Z ola sub mitted th e manusc r i pt o f a poetica l

t rilogy to his em ployer H achette would not publish
.
,
b ut he off ered encour a ge ment and raised the young ,
m an s salary to two hund red francs a month That

’
.
enab led Z ola to take his mother again to live with him ,
and the two found quarters in the Rue S aint Jacques -

,
where gathe r ed the b and o f frie nds a fte rward de

scribed in Then in October 1 8 6 4 the , , ,
fi rm o f Hetzel and Lacroix the l a tte r the ambitious ,

“ “
ublisher L Mis érables is ued Z l s Contes ’
p o f e s s o a
,
”
31 Ninon . The conditions o f pub lic a tion were that the
author w a s to receive no im med iate payment b ut ,
Zola was sati s fied fo r the book made him known and
,
served as an ente r ing wedge to the colu mns o f the news

pp a ers and the re v iews A .yea r later Lac r oix b rought
“ ”
o ut La Con fession d e Claude This t ime the author
.
received a 1 0 per cent royalty which amounted t o

.
,
1 5 0 TH E PARI S OF TH E NOV ELI STS
S x i cents o n every copy sold The entire edition w a s .
however only fi fteen hund red copies and Z ola s con ,

’
sequent profit less th an a h und red dolla r s Yet he felt .
himsel f ready to give up his position at H achette s and ’
plunge into th e unce r tain Stream o f jou rnalism and

literature .
The Pa ri s o f the fi rst period o f E mile Z ola s li fe may ’
be summed up as an attic in th e Latin Quarter ; o f the

th i r d period a count ry house in a remote suburb ; the
,
second period is rep resented by a d inner t able o ne o f ,
the most famous dinner t ables o f literature th at o f ,
Gustave Flaubert The Rougon M a c .

q u a rt structure
-
h ad b een elaborately planned the Franco— Prussian War

,
h ad t aken place d riving Zola t o M arseilles and B 0 1

,
deaux the normal tenor o f li fe h ad been resumed in an

,
atmosphere o f steadily increasing p ros perity Flau .
b ert s house w a s then in the Rue Murillo near the P a re

’
Mon c eau and there Z ola became an h abitué o ne o f

, ,
the intim ate circle th at included besides the host E d , ,
mond d e Goncourt (Jules d e Goncou rt h ad recently

d ied ) the Russian Tu rg e nie ff Alphonse Daudet and
, , ,
Flaubert s pupil Guy d e M aup assant then in his

’
, ,
“ ”
early twenties We met there every S und ay
.
,
“ ” “
Daudet wrote in Trente Ans de Paris five o r ,
s ix o f us always th e s ame
, u pon a most delight fully
,
intimate footing No admitt ance fo r mutes a nd

.
”
bores .
Even when the dinners were held elsewhere than in

Flaubert s house they seem still to h ave been in a mea
’
“ ”
sure Flaubert dinners It was about this time con
.
,
“ ” “
t inue s D audet in Trente Ans de Paris that the ,
1 5 2 TH E PARI S OF TH E NOVELI STS
out o f the room —
a n entirely useless p recaution fo r ,
Flaubert s ro a r could b e hea r d from t o pto bottom o f the

’
house And we talked literat ure We always had o ne

. .
”
o f o u r o w n books which h ad j ust appeared .
It w a s in 1 8 77 when he w a s fi rst enriched by the

,
sales o f that Zola discovered the house

in which his later li fe and wo r k were bound u p I t . .
is perh aps st retching a point to s peak o f M é d an as Pa ri s ,
fo r it is a little town o f the remote environs th at over ,
looks the Seine beyond Poissy Yet relatively the

, .
, ,
cott age at Ford ham was a s fa r from the city when Poe
li v ed there yet it is always considered as a New Yo r k
,
“ ”
home o f the autho r o f The Raven And Z ola s .
’
M é d an house h as a S tory th at is well wo rt h telling Z ola .

,
who at first wished merely to rent it w a s pe r suaded to ,
buy t he o r iginal pu r ch as e price bei n g nine thousa n d

,
francs That was only th e b eginning In the M ed an

. .
pr o perty th at survived him may b e read in part th e

s to r y o f his literary succe s ses Most o f his money was
.
la v ished there Th e first add itional bu ilding that h e

.
ca used to b e erected was a large square tower in which

w a s a s pacious workroom In that room mos t o f th e
.
“
later books were written The tower was the L AS
.
’
s o mmo ir Tower
”
fo r it was b uilt from p art o f the re
,
turns from In time a second tower

”
was added This was the N a na Tower a me morial
.
,
erected from the p roceeds o f the most success ful fi n an ,
c ia lly o f all the no v els o f the Rougon M a c

, q u a rt
-
Other .
i mprovements came into being w hen the money poured

in from the sales o f La Terre and La D eb ac
“ “
, le .
Th e startling interi o r de c orat ion o f M ed an is best ex

Z OLA S PARI S ’
I 53
plained by a p ass a ge from which Zola

deliberately intended as a sel f revelation -
The d r aw i ng ro o m w as b e c
o mi ng c
ro w d e d w ith o ld fu rnit u re , ol d
t p t r y ni c
a es kn c k f ll c nt i nd ll ti m — n o fl w i ng
, a s o a ou r es a a es a v er o
t nt f thi ng w hi c
o rre o h h d b g n t B ti gn ll w ith n ld p t f
s a e u a a o es a o o o
R nw o ue w hi ch H n i tt h d g i n h h b nd n n f hi
are , e r e e a ve er us a o o e o s
f t d y
e e Th y n bo t t he cri i t y h p t g th ; th y f lt
a s . e ra a u u os s o s o e er e e a
jo y f l p ui n f r b yi ng ;
as s ond h n w ti fi d th
o ld l ng i ng
u f a e o sa s e e o o s o
hi y th t h
s ou m nti c i t pi ti n w hi c
, h th fi t b k h h d
e ro a s as ra o s e rs oo s e a
re a d h d ng nd a d Th e thi w it w h w
e fi cly m d n
e re . us s r e r, o as so er e o er ,
li d a m ng t h w m t n mi dd l g f w hi c
v e o e hh h dd md or -e a e e a es o e a re a e
wh n h w e l d f fi ft n
e A n c h l g hi ng ly d c
as a a o l d ee . s a ex use, e au e are
th t t h h nd m m d n f nit c t t m c
a e a so h wh e w ith ld o er ur u re os oo u , e re a s o
thi ng n cmm n
s, n
ev e ne i mm d i t lyo b t ai n d ff c o t nd o es , o e a e o e e e a
cl Th
o o u r. w n thi ng f t h cll c
e ret b t him hi n cn
as o o e o e or a ou , s o e o
c n w d c ti n b d ff c
er as t ; nd t t ll t h t th t h d w i ng
e o ra o , ro a e e s a o e e ru , e ra
ro o m li g ht d by t w l mp f ld D l ft w
, e d i d q it o ft a s o o e ar e , er v e u e a so ,
w m t n f m t h d ll g l d f t h d lm t i c
ar o e ro d f ph l t ing
e u o o e a a as u s e or u o s er
th t t h y ll w i nc t ti n f t h It li n cb i n t nd D t c
e se a s, e e o h ru s a o s o e a a a e s a u
s h w c th f d d h
o -
as e s , f O i nt l d eh ng i ng t h h nd d
a e u es o r e a o o r- a s, e u re
littl n t f t h i y t h c c
e o es k ry nd t h n me l w o r k p l e
o e v or , e ro e a e e a , a
w ith g e w hi c a h h o w d ag ai ns t t he d ll d h ang i ng s
, s e u re .
At M é d a n twenty years b e fore th e end Zola foresaw

, ,
such a sudden death as was his e v entu a l fate and th e ,
thought o f it h aunted him When his mother died it .
w a s necessa ry to b ring th e c
o fli n down by way o f the
w indow fo r M é d an des pite all its to w e r s had only a

, , ,
wind ing narrow staircase Therea fter Zola was never

, .
able to look at the w indow w ithout a torturing wonder

as to when the time was coming fo r the n ext low ering .
Fo r twenty years a light w a s kept bu rning in antic ipa

tion But Death striking him down chose the day
.
, ,
1 54 TH E PARI S OF TH E NOV ELI STS
after h e left M é d a n fo r the autumn o f 1 902 The .
sudden and t ragic end came in an apartment i n th e

Rue d e B ruxelles .
Not even in the C om é die Humaine o f B alzac is

th e to pogra phy o f Paris s o minutely S tudied o r th e ,
network o f streets and boulevard s interwoven s o ine x

t r ica b ly into the warp and woo f as in Z ola s history o f
’
,
the Rougon M a c q u a rt In setting forth his pur pos e

-
.
in commencing this Histoire Na tu r elle c i S oci a le d u ne

’
F a mi lle s ou s le S ec o nd E mpir e Z ola wrote o f it as fo l

lows
I d i e t o pl i n h w a S i ng l e f mily a littl e g ro u po f h man

es r ex a o a , u
b i ng c
e om i nt r l ti n w ith c
s, es i ty a t l g
o e a it i nc o by so e ar e, as r e as e s
b g tti ng a nd g i i ng b i th t t n
e e t w nty i nd i i d l w h th g h
v r o e or e v ua s, o, ou
a t fi t S i g ht th y m q it d i i mil w h n a naly d r v a l h w
rs e s ee u e ss a r, e z e e e o
i nti ma t ly th y a re b nd t g eth e i nc
e e e h d ity h l aw s a s we ll
ou o r, s e re as
a smath ma ti c Th m mb r f t he f mily R g n—
e s . e M c q ar te e s o a ou o a u ,
t h o ne g
e pth t it i my p p e t d pi c
ro u t h v e a f mily t it
a s ur os o e , a as a ra
t h g na w i ng f l
e t f pp tit th a t l p t it g ti fi cti n Hi
o us , o a e e ea s o s ra a o . s
tor iclly th y a e pa t f t h p pl ; th y m k th m l v
a e r r of lt by e eo e e a e e se es e
cnt mp y o c
o e i ty ; th y i t
o rar s ph s o f li f b y th t c
e h ar
e r se o s ee s e re e a
ac t i t iclly mo d n i mp l
er s a h th l w c
w hi c er l f l ; and th e y
u se e o er as s e s ee
th u e pl a i n t he Se c
s x o nd E mpi e by th i r i nd i v i d ual hi t o i r e s r es .
When in 1 87 8 UmPage d Amo u r the ninth v o l

, ,
’
ume o f the Rougon-M a c q u a r t a ppea r ed Zola publish ed , ,
with it his first dra ft o f the family tree together with ,
th e statement th at h e le ft it j ust as it w a s d rawn u p

“ ”
b e fore a line o f La Fortune des Rougon the opening ,
story w a s written An enlarged and am plified tree

, .
“ ”
which ap peared with Le Docteur Pascal th e closing ,
1 5 6 TH E PARI S O F TH E NOVE LI STS
v olume o f the series p roved th a t the original scheme ,
had b een adhered to throughout Of course when Zol a .
undertook his task there w a s nothing to warn him o f th e

imminence o f th e Franco Prussian War and the Com -
mune which a fte rw a rd a fforded him the d ramati c

,
climax fo r La D é b fic
“
le
”
B ut he himsel f felt th a t .
these incidents cost him mo r e th an he g a ined by dis ,
arranging his plans a nd h a sten ing th e d én o uement o f

“
certain novels not a bly th a t o f Nan a whose hero ine
, ,
he was forced t o kill o ff at least ten years b e fore h e

h ad intended .
’
Recalling Zola s o wn early li fe in th e Rue S aint
V ictor th e Rue So u ffl o t and the Rue Monsieur le P r ince
, , ,
his comp arative neglect o f the section o f the Luxem

bourg the U niversity the Latin Quarter— in fact t he
, , ,
whole region lying south o f th e S eine— is somewh at s u r

prising His natural li fe b rought him little in contac t
.
“ ”
with Montmartre yet th e sacred b utte figures in ,
“
his novels more tha n
any other o f the fa u
bo u rgs o f P a ris It .
w as in Montmartre
th at Mme M é c ha in .
,
the b lackmailer o f
collected
rP nt S from the la PY
HT A A ET
E C H B R N AN
or T E As s AS S i
”
s .
"
r I nt h o f filthy hovels
’
H C I TY OF N
O U TP O S T O F T LE S EZ OLA S AP .
known as the City o f

Na ples It w a s to Montmart re th at Claude Lantie r
.
turned from the Rue Dou a i in searc h o f the new studio ,
which he found b ack o f the cemetery in the Rue Tour ,

ZOLA S PARI S
’
1 57
la q ue an o ld tumble down ab andoned tannery that
, ,
-
,
let in the s u n and r a in through g a ping cracks Above .
all Montmart re dominated the last vol u me o f the Three

,
Cities t r ilogy It was t he vant age point from which

.
Pierre F ro me nt the sceptical young prie s t studied the

, ,
vast city be fore him : Paris personified and capricious, ,
ch anging h e r moo d
wit h every hour o f the
“
d ay ; Paris o f my s
t e ry, S h roud ed by
clouds b u r ied beneath
,
the ashes o f some

disaster a limpid ,
lightsome Paris b e
neath the pink glow o f
a S pring lik e evening
-
“
Pa r is lying st retched
out like a liza r d in the
” “
s un ; Pa r is w hich
,
the d ivine s u n h ad sown

with light and where
,
in glory waved the

great future h arvest O f APP O A H N G A S L QU E R C I TH E B I I DU
”
Truth and Justice S AC ‘ R E C E UR
'
But in the ma in the Paris o f the Rougon M a c q u a rt

-
w a s the heart o f th e modern city the quarters lying ,
within h al f a mile o f the B ank o f France In t h a t .
region is the Bourse personified in ,

t he
“ ”
H alles Cent rales o f Le Ventre d e P aris ; the great
,
stretches most a ffect ed b y the H auss mannising under

“
the Second Em pire th at was the very li fe bl o od o f La
1 5 8 TH E PARI S OF TH E NOVELISTS
” “
C ur é e ; the st air cases and landings o f P o t Bouille
- -
the d epartment stores o f Au Bonheur des D ames ;

“
and among the many scenes o f Nana the G rand
, ,
Hotel in the Boulevard des C ap ucines where the court e

s a n w as stretched o n her deat h bed as th e maddened
crowds below were S houting A B erlin ! A B erlin !

“
A Berlin ! ”
Incidentally as an indication o f t he ex
,
treme care with which Zola worked it is told th at in

preparation fo r the scene last mentioned he employed
a friend to obtain precise in formation about th e aspect
o f those rooms o n the t o pfl oor o f the G rand Hotel and
the V iew from t hem .
A favourite haunt o f Sa c ca rd per e and S a c c a r d fi ls

‘
”
of L a Curée w a s the Ca fé Anglais in the Boulevard
des Italiens That est ablishment closed its doors
.
in April 1 9 1 3 In the d ays o f the S econd Empire other

, .
men than adventurers like the Sa c c a r d s frequented it .
It w a s a kind o f a literary club and there M é ry Jules , ,
Janin Al phonse Karr and Thé o phile Gautier s at S id e

, ,
by side The elder Dumas divided his time o n th e

.
boulevards between the Ca fé Anglais and the o ld

Maison Dorée and at a table in the former w as in t he
,
habit o f S itting down t o write his d aily contribution

t o the M o u s qu et a ir e It w a s in th e near by Rue
.
-
“ ”
B asse d u Ren fort th at Ren é e in La C ur é e forced , ,
Maxime to take her to a b all given by the d e mi

mo nd a i ne B lanche M illle r ; and the evening wit h it s in ,
famous sequel ended in the white and gold chamber

,
-
“
o f the Ca fé Riche furnished with the co q uetries o f a
,
”
boudoir with its atmosphere o f stale p assions its tell
, ,
tale record o f s cratched names .

rounding S treets were needed to overcome these dis
advant ages .
From the Bourse continue to th e near b y Place des -
Victoires with it s eq uestrian S tatue o f Louis XIV

, ,
fo r the at mos phere o f another book o f the Rougon

M ac q u a rt Th
. rough the Place the wedding party in
L As s o mmo ir
“ ”
’
passe d on the way to the Louvre .
Beneath the st atue there was a sto p while Gervais e

r e tied the lacing o f her S hoe
-
Ret r a cing the route
.
by which the party came alon g th e Rue d a M ai l a nd

,
the Rue de Cl ery and then striking in a northwesterl y

,
“
direct ion o ne reaches the heart o f the land o f L As
,
’
s o mmo ir
”
, the Boulevard d e Rochechouart which in ,
those d ays was th e region o f ab attoirs There in a .

,
S h abby little hotel Lantier deserted G ervaise and t he

,
two boys ; there Coupeau met her married her and , ,
they lived h appily until the accident that s o ch ange d

the current o f Co u pe au s li fe Near by in th e Boule
’
.
-
,
vard de la Cha pelle was the Moulin d Arge nt where

,
’
the wedding party h ad thei r pi qu e niqu e c i ce nt s ou s -
pa r t2te and paralleling th e boulevard to th e no rth is

,
the Rue d e la Goutte d Or where Nana was born and

’
where Cou peau was carried a fter his fall from th e roo f
in the Rue de la Nation In writing .
which was the book that raised him to fame Zola was ,
fo r a long time at a loss fo r an intrigue that would pro p

erly weld the chie f scenes o f the sto ry together Th e .
idea o f taking a girl o f the people w ho falls and b ears ,
her seducer two children and then marries another man

, ,
establishes hersel f in profitable business by hard wo rk

b u t is borne down by the conduct o f her husb an d who
Z OLA S PARI S
’
161
b ecome s a ,
occurred to him ,
figuring I ndeed in the orig inal gene o logical tree which

h e h ad d rawn u p fo r the Rougon M a c q u a rt but he felt
-
,
that the h usb and s d runkennes s might not fully account

’
,
’
for t he wi fe s dow n fall and he rema ined at a loss Lo w to ,
continue until all at once there flashed to his mind

, ,
th e solution By b ringi n g the wo man s o rigi nal s e

.
’
duc e r b ack into her home everything would be made
p ossible .
Cro w ded with associations o f the Rougon— M ac qu a rt
Is th e Ru e d e Rivo li There w a s S a cca r d s fi rst home

.
’
after his marriage w it h Re né e There his con fed erate .

,
La rso nne au establish ed h is o ffi ce remo v ing from the

, ,
o ld h aunt in the Latin Qua r te r a fter the ir fi r st real ,

:
estate S troke involving the p ro pe r ty in the Rue d e la

P é pinI e r e .At the co rner o f the Rue d e l Or at o ire a ’
S ho r t s t r e e t running diagonally b ack to the Rue S aint
Honoré was th e house in which Mme Josserand in

,
.
,
“ ”
P o t Bouille
- s pent th e evening with her two d au g h
,
ters and then raging at th e failure o f her m atrimonial

, ,
schemes m ade them retu rn home o n foot in the pouring

,
rain The z ig zag n at u r e o f the j o u r ney is ex pl a ined

.
-
by the fact th at the r e was then no s pacious Avenue d e

l Opé r a le a ding fr om the Rue d e Rivoli to the g r eat
’
boulevards The Rue d Alg e r is th e next paralleling

.
’
tho r ough fare to the east o f the Rue C astiglione At th e .
corner o f th at street and the Rue d e Rivoli fr onting th e ,
Tuileries Gardens was the a partment o f M me D e s , .
farges one o f the clients o f a n Bonheur des D ames

,
.
There Oct ave Mouret went to consult B aron H artmann ,
w ho was su pposed to p ay th e running expenses o f the

establishment about the o pening o f a new avenue
,
“ ”
called Dix Decemb re in the story : prob ab ly the Rue
Quatre S eptemb re o f sub sequent reality— with a V iew
t o obtaining an advantageou s frontage fo r his depart
ment store The name Hartmann is strikingly s u g

.
g e s t iv e o f the personage who w a s such a factor in the

making o f the new Paris Be fore sitting down to
‘
”
write Au Bonheu r d e s Dames Zola h ad made an
exh austive study o f the d aily lives o f the workers in
such huge Paris d rape ry establishments as the Bon
March é the Louv re and the Printe mp s
, , .
There is said to exist a set o f M a u pa s s ant s books ’
o n th e margins o f which he jotted down the real names
o f eve ry person and p lace h e described Even furthe r

.
th an Al phonse Daudet he carried this passion fo r pe r

“ ”
s o n a lit ie s The G eorge Duroy o f Bel Ami h as b een
.
-
mentioned The real Boule de Su if was o ne Ad rienne

.
- -
Legay who lived in Rouen at the time o f the War o f

,
1 8 7 0 and w ho died in p
, overty about two years a fter
M aup assant himsel f p assed away in the ma is o n d e s a nté
o f Doctor Blanche The heroine o f Une Vie is sai d
.
to h ave been d rawn from his own mother as Dickens ,
put h is mother in Mrs Nickleby and Thackeray d rew ,
—
u pon his together w ith his wi fe and Mrs B ro o k fi e ld .
in the making o f Amel ia Sedley It was ab out a year .
ago that a line from Paris t o ld o f the death o f the man

whom Mau passant invested with the com plicated
qu alities o f Olivier Bertin in Fort Comme la Mort .
“ ”
The Mad ame d e Bu rne o f Notre C oeur is supposed
—
to h ave b een the mysterious lady the lady o f t he
”
pearl grey d ress
- — whose re peated visits to Mau pas
sant in the last years at Cannes so distressed the valet
c
, , ,
F ran ois The originals o f the Comtesse de Guillery o f

.
,
Forestier and Mada me Forestier later Mad ame Du Roy ,
d e C antel o f Clotilde and o f Monsieur and M ad am e

, ,
“ ”
Walter o f Bel Am i were perfectly well known to a
-
s core o f M a u p ersonal friends The ch a pters

’
a s s a nt s p .
describing modern Parisian j ournalism were b ased u pon

his o wn experiences in the o ffi ces o f certain p apers ,
notably th e Ga u lo is .
Fo r all p ractical pu rposes the Paris upon which G uy

de Mau pass ant d rew s o freely in the course o f his S ix
THE PARI S o r GUY D E MA U PAS SANT 1 6
5
novels his fi fteen o r twenty stories that range from
,
twelve to t w enty fi v e thous and words and his in

-
,
numerable c o ntes is the Paris o f to d ay o r at least the

,
-
, , ,
Paris that we knew prior to the I s t o f August 1 9 1 4 , .
It is the city o f pleasu re and industry th at is reflected

in his pages the great
-
swee p o f the boule

v a rd s
, the o ffI c es of
bureaucracy the hives ,
o f jou rn alism the ,
bower e d d riveways o f
the Bo is o r the Rond
,
Po int glinting in the

a fternoon s u ns hine t he , I N TH E PA R M ON C E A U C
humming a ctivity o f
the great S ho ps o f fa shion that line the Rue d e l a P a ix
and the Avenue de 1 Opera But here and there a park
’
.
p lays its ine v itable part fo r when the warp o f the S tory
,
d id not permit the author to carry his characters away ,
following his o w n inclination to the waters o f the S eine,
at Bougival or Malmaison or to the Foret de Fo nt a ine

,
bleau that love o f the country th at was in his blood

,
tu rned him to the Parc Monce a u or the Gardens o f the ,
Luxembourg or the Buttes Ch aumont o r the Ceme

,
-
,
t e r y o f Montmartre o r the Cemetery o f P ere Lach aise .
Among M a u pa s s a nt s novels there is one that is

’
“
blatant o f modern Paris There is Paris in Fort .
” “
Comme la Mort in Notre C oeu r touches o f it even
,
“ ” “ ” “ ”
in Une Vie Mont Oriol and Pierre e t Jean
, , .
But in these books the scenes are merely inc id e nt a l ; a

home h ad to b e found fo r Mad ame d e Burne And ré ,
Mariolle o r Olivier B ertin— a b ackground fo r this
,
encounter fo r th at p rearranged meeting But the

, .
sweep o f the city its vastness its com plexity its cruel
, , ,
energy its pitiless struggle th rob in every page o f B el

, ,
Ami . The book b egins in the Rue Notre Dame d e

Lorette ; it ends in the Madeleine That tells a s ig ni .
fic a nt story .
From the Rue Notre Dame de Lorette G eorge ,
—
Duroy ex troo per in Algeria now a clerk in a r ailway
-
,
o fli c
e o n a salary th at b arely permits him to exist
strolls o f an evening down to the boulevard s to watch

enviously those more favou red o f fortune taking thei r
amusement C rossing the Place d e l Opé r a he meets
.
’
Fo re s t ie r a comrad e o f the former d ays in the service

, ,
and th e encounter ch anges his entire li fe The forty .
francs th at the jou rnalist th r u s ts in his h and lead to an

adventure th at night at th e Folies Berg ere The fo l - .
lowing evening he dines with the Forestiers and thei r

guests in th e Rue F o nt a ine G iven a footing as a re
.
porter o n the Vie F r a nga is e he soo n ac q uires in inti

,
m ate knowledge o f that sur face scum Paris which to ,
th e eyes o f the stranger obscures th e clearer waters

,
b elow The soul o f the city h e never p rob es ; but with

.
its body and the sores o f its body he is soon as familiar

a s any glazed h at d river o f a night fi a c
- re .
In the later years o f his li fe in Paris Maup assant

lived in th e Rue Montch anin a little street to the north
,
o f the P a re Monceau near where t he Avenue Villier s

,
crosses th e Boulevard Malesherbes His w a s not the .
feverish physical activity o f B alzac th at sent the creato r

“
o f the C om é die Humaine t o every corner o f Paris
c
ept e as explaining the ardour W I t h which in a fter yea r s
d
“ ”
the author o f Mad ame Bovary d evoted himsel f to
Guy s literary t raining
’
.
The marriage o f Guy s parents did not turn out ha p ’
pily and soon a fter the bi r th o f a second s o n— He rv é

, ,
—
S ix years younger th an G uy a n amicable s e paration
w as arranged by the terms o f which M ad ame d e Mau
,
passant took b ack her o w n fortune retained the chil ,
d ren and fo r their su pport received from her h usb and

, , ,
the s u m o f S ixteen h und red francs a year S he mad e .
her home in E t ret at between H avre and F ecam p o n

,
the Norman coast and it was there th at the boys passed

,
the greater p art o f their childhood Until he was thir .
teen Guy s ed ucation was o f an exceedingly desultory

’
nature with his mother practically his only inst r uctor

, .
When he entered the seminary at Yvetot he found th e

discipline and the society o f his common place school
mates in unh ap py contrast to the free li fe by the s e a .
Then came the Lycée in Rouen There he was h a p , .
pier and he worked diligently winning his degree

, ,
without t rouble He had already decided u pon a

.
litera ry career and as h as been s o usual with French

, ,
men o f letters he began by writing verse At th at

, .
period o f his li fe he seems to h ave been a creature o f

great gayety and abounding animal spirits Th at .
s plendid physical strength which outward ly at least , , ,
he always ret ained and which enab led him as a swim

,
—
mer to b u ffet the waves fo r hours at a time he once
rescued Swinb urne when the English poet was d rowning
-
had o f course not been impaired by excess o r over
, ,
work There are many anecdotes o f t hat time t h at

.
TH E PARI S OF GUY DE MAUPAS SANT 1 69
explain the formation o f the writer and particularly ,
his method s o f ob s ervation An Engli s h maiden lady

.
on whom the high spirited youth pl a yed a pr a ctical

-
“ ”
j oke later serve d as the model fo r Miss H a r riet .
All th at he owed to Normandy to the peasants the , ,
sailors the count ry priests the keepers o f t averns

, ,
all the vivid impressions th at were to pl a y so prominent

—
a part in his li fe work were then assimilated Then .
,
in the spring a fter the War o f 1 8 7 0 when he w a s in his

,
twenty fi rs t year he went to Paris He obt ained a

-
, .
clerkship in th e De partment o f Marine th at paid him a

yearly salary o f fi fteen h und red francs Later he found .
a mo r e lucrative place in the Dep art ment o f Public In

struction As an em ployee o f the State h e w a s by no
.
means overzealous His leisure hours h e d evoted to

.
boating o n the Seine ; at the o ffi ce he scribbled o n the

p a per o f the administration the verses and essays th at
on S und ays he submitted to Flaubert s criticism ’
.
That c r itici s m s u pervision and direction lasted fo r

, ,
—
S even yea r s from 1 8 7 3 till 1 880 It consisted o f d e
.
v e lo ping the powers o f observation o f im pressing upon

,
the youth the older man s arduous creed o f S tyle o f

’
curbing with a fi rm h and the natural desire fo r prema

t ure publication At the Sund ay Flaubert table young
.
M au passant was a frequent guest There he met o n .
terms o f easy equality the leading men o f letters o f

France : Ed mond de Goncourt Zola Al phonse Daudet
, , ,
C at u lle Mend es Tu rg e nie ff and others

, , The ap .
prenticeship came to an end in 1 8 7 8 when Boule de -
” “
S ui f was included in the Soirées de M ed an .
Admirable as it unquestio nably is as a story Boule ,

1 79 THE PARI S OF THE NOV E LI STS
de-S ui f was essentially a to u r d e for c e The more .
natural expression o f M a u pas s ant s t alent w a s in the ’
i nterpretation o f the b ureaucratic li fe about him and ,
o f those Pa risian scenes and streets with which his
d aily activities as an em ployee b rought him in contact .
The story o f M a u pa s s a nt s li fe from 1 8 80 to 1 8 90 is

’
the S tory o f his books In the t en years he prod uced

.
s ix novels sixteen volumes o f sho r t stories three v o l

, ,
umes o f t ravel besides numerous newspa per articles

,
th at h ave no t been included in the various editions o f

his works His average w a s rather more than th ree
.
books a year a result th at he achieved by the regularity

,
o f h is work He wrote eve ry morning from seven

.
o clock till noon turning o u t at least s ix p ages a d ay

’
, .
Flaubert his m aster revised and revised sometime s

, , ,
spending d ays over a single sentence groping furiously ,
fo r hou rs in the pursuit o f t he exac t word M aup assant . ,
as fastidious as Flaubert in th e matter o f style found ,
exp ression s o easy that he rarely erased It was his .
h abit cont ra ry to general O pinion to make a pre limi

, ,
nary d ra ft o f a story According to o ne o f his friend s

.
he never went to bed without jotting down notes o f

all th at h ad im pressed him during the d ay Precisio n .
in the matter o f minute details was his creed Fo r .
“ ”
example in La Maison Tellier over which h e toiled
, ,
fo r months there is a scene introducing English and

,
French sailors B eing enti rely ignorant o f the English

.
language he went to Tu rg e nieff in order to in fo rm

“ ”
himsel f exactly as to the words o f Rule B ritannia .
Where it was a case o f a Paris street o r structure he

was equally precise In . th at S inister
where with ecclesiastical blessing and admonition
, ,
George Du Roy d e Cantel and Suzanne Walter w ere

m ade man and wi fe .
“
The Paris o f Bel Ami is essentially the Paris of -
“ ” “
Notre C oeu r o f F ort Comme la Mort o f Mon
, ,
” “ ” “
s ieu r Parent o f L Inutile B eauté a nd L Hé r it
,
’
,
’
” “ ” “
age . It w a s touch ed in Pierre e t Jean Mont ,
“ ”
Oriol and Une Vie
, But it was inevit able th a t
.
the continu al change and travel th at were such facto r s

in M au pas s ant s o w n li fe a fter his fi rst taste o f success
’
should h ave b een re fl ected in the most Parisian o f his

novels Two journeys o ne to Cannes and th e other t o
.
,
“ ”
Rouen play p arts in Bel Ami
, The Norman Mon t - .
S aint Michel and the Fore s t o f Fontainebleau a re woven

-
“
into Notre Cmu r ”
In his books a s in his o w n exist
.
,
ence Mau passant needed a diversion from t he feverish

,
turmoil o f Paris I f he himsel f could s pare time fo r

.
summer weeks b etween the fa la is es o f Etretat fo r ‘

,
cruises in Mediterranean waters fo r v o y a g e s to Italy ,

1
,
C orsica Sicily and Algeria h e felt th at his ch aracters

, , ,
were entitled to a similar pri v ilege Then too despite .

,
a certain undeniable vein o f snobbishness which led him ,
to p ro fe s s a p re ference fo r th e comp any of men and

'
women o f society over th at o f his fellow literary

workers M a u pa s s ant s liking fo r the gr a nd mo nd e was
,
’
never thoroughly genuine He b ecame a m an o f

'
fashion ; he was sought a fter and w elcomed in the

most exclusive circles ; to his t alent even th e doors o f
the o ld nobility were o pened ; yet [1 13 attitud e was ever
o ne o f cold politeness and a f fected disdain .
The formal Mau passant biogra phy is that o f M ay nial .

THE PARIS OF G UY D E MAUPAS SANT 1 73
B ut S i x o r seven years ago there a p peared the Re c ol
lections o f M au pa s s ant s valet ”

Major Arthu r Pen ’
.
d e nnis s ma n servant Morgan taking leave o f his

’
-
, ,
master in some di s sati s faction deb ated whether he ,
s hould go in fo r literature o r p olitics Had he chosen .
th e former c a reer and become the historian o f the grim ,
old warrior he knew s o well the result might h ave been

c
,
’
a book much in the vein o f F ran o is s book For to .
the valet the master was above all a d andy and an a c

co mplish ed man o f the wo r ld It was very fine pe r .
,
“ ” “
h ap s to h ave written Bel Ami and Fort Comme
,
-
,
“
l a Mort and Pierre e t Jean
, B ut wh at really .
S tirred th e p ride of Fran c ois and made him assume ,

’
airs over oth er gentlemen s gentlemen w a s the position ,
o f Maup assant as a boulev a rdier his friendship s with ,
aristocratic n ames his successes with women Yet , .
now and then Fran c ois condescend s to th row light o n

M aup ass a nt the cra ftsman For example the pu b .
,
lic
“ ”
a t io n o f Fort C omme la Mort in March 1 88 9 , ,
was a t riumph fo r Maup assant but b rought him s o ,
m any visits from young writers that he began to com

plain Fran ois quotes him
.
c
ti m t d a th I w ant t h m ni ng s f my w rk and
Th e y re e o e . e or or o ,
re ally th y b cmi ng t
e n m
a re H ncf t h I w ill
e o ci e oo u e ro u s . e e or re e v
th m nly by pp i ntm nt Of c I lik t b f s t th m;

e o a o e . o u rs e e o e o u e o e
b t u ry ft n w h t I t ll th m d
ve o e n go d N w th t y ng
a e e o es o o . o a ou
f ll w w h h j t l ft m ; it i
e o o as w t f ti m t g i him g d
us e e s a as e o e o ve oo
ad ic h i
v e: d i ip t d
e H n
s so th nk a b t hi w o k nd
ss a e . e ev e r i s ou s r , a
y t i m g in
e h w ill b cm
a es n l w it ! It i i mp i b l im
e e o e a ov e r er s oss e,
p ibl ! Y
o ss e nd t nd in d t w ite n e l yo m t
ou u e rs a , or er o r a ov , u us
thi nk f it cn t ntly ll t h c
o oh c t m t be in th e ir prope r
s a , a e a ra e rs us
‘

pl ac e s , e v e ry t hing mu s t b e s e ttl e d b e fo r e y o u b e g i n w r iti ng t he fi rs t
i
th w i o u mu s t b e g i n e v e ry d ay a ll o v e r a a i n Th e n
pa g e s , o e r s e y g .
th re is a mu d d l e fr m w hi c
e hy uc an ne e r cme o u t s c css fu lly o o v o u e .
It i no t t h w k o f o ne d ay v en f r a p ac
s e ti e d w rite r le t a l o n
or , e o r s , e a
b g i nn
e e r.
Fran c ois himsel f h ad some opinions o n litera ry

matters An excursion into the environs once led
.
master and m an in the direction o f Zola s house at ’
M éd an Fran c ois in res ponse to a question a c

. k no w l , ,
edged acquaintance with the “

Rougon M a cq u a r t -
series and added : ,
S i nc
e yo u lly w i s h t o k no w w h at I thi nk o f t h bo o k s I w ill t ll
re a e e
y ou M Zo l a e agge at t i b ly w h n t lki ng b t r ant

. . x r es e rr e a a ou se v s .
H p t s ll t o f h ro in t h m th f t h ma i d ; in P t “
e u a so r s or rs e ou s o e s o
B o ill h m k e s th m c m t h n s ti t e p i n o t f t he
”
u e r e a e s ea e a es x re s s o s u o
c ty d w i nd o w I p at i ll thi i e ag g e t d Tw nty
our ar s . re e , s r, a s s x ra e . e
fi ve y h e arsI b n a e nt nd I h v nav e h d p c
ee h s rv a , a a e ev e r e ar s ee es
b d i ng in ny w y o n th
or er M Z l a p t in t h m th f his
a a o se . o u s e ou s o
c h cara t M Zo le rs g ht hi d cm nt
. . n th y l o w es t ng
a so u s o u e s o e v er ru
o f t h l dd e I w nd w h h g t th m It i n t f i t o tt c
a er . o er k e re e o e . s o a r a a
d f ncl
e e b i ng
e ess wh y ft n i nt e ti ng H w m ny
e s, o a re v er o e er s . o a
ti m d i ng d y d
es ur p m id a nt ta mpl n h r w n
o es a oor a -
s e rv a ra e o e o
se lf p c- t
re s t ek ph pl cand m i n n h n t g i l ! And
so as o ee er a e re a a o es r
th t a , a t t h e nd o f t h m nth
so as h m y pc
e k t thi ty f nc s t e o , S e a o e r ra , ou
o f w hi c h h b y w h t h cnn t d w ith t nd i ng t h
s e u s a tt
S e a o o ou , se e re s o
he r old f th nd m th e
a wh till
er a b li g e d t pp t y o ng
o r, o s a re o o su or u
chil d n nd ar ft n h l pl
re , a n c c nt f th i infi mit i
e o e e ess o a ou o e r r es .
c
Fran ois was with Maup assant during the last
’
,
t ragic years The trouble with the novelist s eyes .

,
which s o o ften inter fered w ith his work began as early ,
as 1 88 5 To re pair excesses and to so ften su ffering

.
,
C risto like wealth —
the fo lie d es d eu r s w he n he g an
- r fi
would rush about calling to an imaginary b roker to sell

the French r e ntes e n blo c , .
Now and then there w a s an hour o f lucidity o f calm ,
ness o f com parative peace when he was able to recog

, ,
nize friend s when looking out o f his window he would

, , ,
s ee the glittering lights o f the city and im agine the ,
Mad ame de Burnes the Mad ame d e Marelles the Olivier

, ,
Bertins the George Du roys going about their b usiness

, ,
and their pleasu re as usual Perhaps he recalled the .
d ays o f his lusty strength when h e h ad ever been s o ,
ready to fa ir e la no c e But spa rkling as h ad been the

.
wit loud as h ad been the laughter there was always

, ,
the undertone o f b itter wea ry sadness Often his , .
heart had lea ped to fugitive joys to the delights o f th e ,
p alate to the glamou r o f w oman s beauty to th e

,
’
s pectacle o f snow ca pped mountain peaks to the surge

-
,
and ro ar o f the s e a B ut ever in that heart there was

.
a deep cavern locked tight against the world and in

, ,
th at cavern there was gloom infinite gloom the gloom , ,
o f a man alone always alone and gnashing in the

, ,
d arkness .
XI I . THE PARIS OF SOM E AME RI CANS
er— P o e
“ ” “
M ys te r y of M a r ie R oge t
’
I r v i ng a nd Co op s , The
”
P u r lo i ned Le tter , a nd The M u r d er s i n the R u e M o r gu e -
A
D igr es s i o n— P a r is i n the B oo ks f Ar c hiba ld Cla ve r i ng Gu nter
o
M a r i o n Cr a wfo r d a nd W D H o w e ll
. s
— M .a r k Tw a i n— H e nr y
m — E d ith Wha r to n— R i c h a r d H a r di ng D a v is — Owe n
j a e s j o hn
—
— R ober t W Cha mbers H L W ils o n s R u ggles o Red “ ’
s on . . .
f
Ga p — B o o th Ta r ki ngt o n s
“ ’
The Gu es t of Qu es na y
” “
The ,
Va nc
” “ ”—
B ea u t ifu l La d y , a nd H is Ow n P e op le e M ofi e tt , ,
a nd o the r s F-
r a n No
k r r is — An 0 H e nr y P a r is Tr a il . .
ASHINGTON I RVING knew his Paris well ,
livi ng there abou t the ti me th at Victor Hugo ,
and Hono r é d e Balzac and the elder Dumas , ,
and Eug ene Sue were prod u cing fiction industriously .
In Paris I rving met John Howard Payne who wrote ,

“
Home Sweet Ho me and the two worked together
,
”
,
in the Rue Richelie u ad a pting French plays to English

,
rep resentation Although he d id not turn it t o u s e

.
in fiction we h ave occasional glim pses o f Paris in the

pages o f th e Irving ; glimpses in th at ve in o f pleasan t
hal f fiction which seems to h ave been his favou rite
method o f ex pression Above all he delighted in con
.
,
t ra s t ing Englis h and French as h e found the m there ,
in holding the city at a rm s length as a b ackground ’
against which to s t udy and satirize amiably B ritish

foibles and temp er a ment Who can forget the chole ri c
.
1 77
K ey to M ap Co nti nu ed
-
Abo u t R Fr a n c
u ra l e 5 1 The New c o me s
.
( Th a c
k e ray) ; 5 2
. .
U nc
le B e r na c( Do yl e ) ; 5 3 The V ill ag e o n t he C liff ( Rit c
. hi e ) ;
5 4 The Fo u r M e e ng s ( a me s ) ; 5 5 The G u e s o f u e s na (Ta r
. ti J . t Q y k
ing t o n) ; 5 6 M o s (Ou d a ) ; 5 7 The B a e o f t he S ro ng ( P a r e r ) ;
. th i . ttl t k
Q t
5 8 Co nr a d in u e s o f H is Y o u
.
( M e r r c) ; 5 9 th
u en n D u rw a r d i k Q ti .
(Sc o tt ) ; 6 0 . The Li g ht ni ng Co u o nd c
t r (Willi a m n) ; 6 1
so Anne o f .
Tr o bo u l (Va n S a a ne n) ; 6 2 G u e nn ( Ho w ar d ) ; 6 3 The C a s tl e o f
. .
Tw ili g ht ( P o tt e r) ; 6 4 The Le o par d a nd t he La d y ( B o w e n) ; 6 5

. .
S i re d e M ale t ro it s Do o r ( S t e v e ns o n) ; 6 6 La V e nd e e (Tr o ll o pe ) ;
’
.
6 7 The He ar t s Ke y ( He w l e tt ) ; 6 8 Ar i s ti d e P u j o l (Lo c ke ) ;
’
. .
6 9 The Ho u s e o f t he Wo l f (W e y ma n) ; 7 0 U nd e r t he Re d R o b e
. .
(We yma n) ; 7 1 Sir Ni g e l ( Do yl e ) ; 7 2 The W hit e Co mpa ny ( Do yl e ) ;

. .
7 3 C ar d illa c ( B a r r ) ; 7 4 I n His Na me ( H a l e ) ; 7 5 P e r pe t u a
. . .
( B a r i ng G o u l d ) ; 7 6 C a pt a i n M a c
-
. kli n ( D av i s ) ; 7 7 The C o ns u l .
D a i s y M ill e r The Arro w o f G o l d (Co nr a d ) ;

8 0 The G a r d e n o f All a h ( Hi c
. h ens ) ; 8 1 Littl e Do r r it ( Di c . k e ns ) ;
8 2 The D e s t ro y e r ( S t ev e nso n) ; 8 3 S e p
. ti mu s (Lo c ke) ; 8 4 M r
. . .
B a r ne s o f Ne w Y o r k ( G u nt e r) ; 8 5 The B r i g a nd (J a me s ) ; 8 6 The
. .
G o l d e n Ha w k ( Ri c k e rt ) ; 8 7 Th e re We re Ni ne ty a nd Ni ne ( D a v i s ) ;
.
8 8 A R o ma nc
. e o f t he Ni ne t e e nth C e nt u r y ( M a llo c k ) ; 8 9 The .
Co u nt e s s o f P ic pu s ( He w l e tt) ; 9 0 Y o l a nd a ( M aj o r) ; 9 1 Anne o f
. .
G e ie r s t a e in ( S c o tt ) ; 9 2 Jo an o f Ar c(Tw a i n) ; 9 3 S o mew h e re in
. .
Fr a nc e ( D a v i s ) ; A M o n k o f F i fe ( La ng ) ; 9 4 The C l o i s t e r a nd t he .
He a r th ( R e a d e ) ; 9 5 The M a i d s o f P ar a d i s e ( C h a mb e r s ) ; 96 The
. .
F al s e Fa c es (V a nc e) ; 9 7 The G a rd e n o f S w o r d s ( P e mb e r to n) ;
.
8 T h V i i n F t ( P mb t o n ) ; 99 Th e D r e a m o f P e ac e
9 . e rg o r r e s s e e r .
( G r i b b l e ) ; 1 00 The Li g ht Th a t F a il e d ( K i pli ng )
. .
THE PARI S OF SOM E AME RI CANS 1 79
B riton o f his descri ption furious at the noise made by

,
an awkward servant yet i ns t antly ap peased by t he

,
“
s ly excuse : It s this con fou nded French lock sir
’
Coo per was in Par i s I n a pproximately th e same years

th at Irving was and incidentally then laid the fo u nd a
, , ,
tions o f his French fame w hich has endured unim , ,
p a ired to the presen t time possibly fo r th e reason

, ,
th at the Fren c h reading him in transl a t i o n h ave bee n

, ,
s p a red the a trocities o f his s t yle There is no more a .
P aris o f Fenimore C ooper th an there is a Paris o f

Washington I rving .
E d gar Allan Poe unless th e p rese nt Pilgri m be g rie v

,
o u s ly in error never s a w Luteti a ; never was nearer to

,
it th an in his y outh ful d a ys in the Engli s h school at

Stoke Newington ; yet there is a very definite Paris
-
“ ”
that is the b ackground of The Pu rloined Letter ,
“ ” “
The Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Mystery ,
”
o f Marie Roget . Nor in this is there anything aston
“ ”
is hing
. In Rip Van Winkle I rvi ng builded s o well
th a t his claim to th e region wi t h which the S t ory deals
i s likely to l a s t as long as Americ a n literature lasts
‘
“ ”
Yet Rip Van Winkle w as written i n L o ndon at a ,
time when I r v ing h ad never been in the Catskill Moun

tains ; never listened to the thunder there which still
suggests th e gnome like figures of the anc ient Dutch
-
navigators S ilently playing bowls and the b ibulous ,

’
Rip S inking to his twen t y years S l u mb er .
“
As everyone knows The Mystery o f Marie Roget
,
was b ased o n the murder in 1 842 o f Ma ry C ecilia , ,
Rogers the b ea u ti ful cigar girl o f the John Anderson

,
sho p at the corner o f B roadway and Duane Street .

1 80 TH E PAR I S OF TH E NOVELI STS
New York whose body was found floating in the
,
Hudson River near wh at was once known as the Sybil s ’
Cave at Weeh awken It was the c

. a us e celebr e o f the
time and Poe in common with almost everyone else
, ,
in New York— o r rather in th e country at large fo r Poe ,
i
was not at the time living n New York had a theo ry —
a s to th e method and the p erpetrators o f the crime .
S o in the story under pretence o f a Parisian gr is ette

, ,
employed in a p er fumery S hop in th e Palais Royal th e ,
author followed in minute detail the essential while

, , ,
merely p aralleling th e unessential facts o f the real,
mu rder o f Mary Rogers Thus Nassau Street became

.
the Rue Pavée S aint And r é ; John Anderson Monsieu r

-
,
Leblanc ; th e Hudson th e Seine ; Weeh awken th e

, ,
B a rr ié r e d u Roule ; and the New York B r o ther j o na tha n ,
the New Yo r k j ou r na l of Co mmer c e and th e Philad elphi a

,
“ ”
S a tu r d a y E vening P os t a weekly p aper respectively
, , ,
L Eto ile le Co mmer c iel and Le S o lei l

’
, , .
There is not and it may b e said with prob able sa fety

, ,
any such street in Paris as th e Rue Morgue the scene ,
o f the strange and terrible mu rders o f Mad ame L E s p

’
an
aye and her d aughter Camille L E s panay e But the

’
ap artment was in th e Quartier S aint—

.
Roch th at familiar ,
section o f th e city which lies within the triangle o f which

the hypotenuse is the Avenue de l Opé r a and th e other
’
t w o sides th e Rue de Rivoli and the Rue d e la Paix
continued th rough the Place Ve nd Ome and along the

Rue C astiglione Dr John Watson fi rst met Sherlock
. .
Holmes in a hos pital where the latter was engaged in the

amiable pastime o f beating corpses in order to ascertain
how fa r wounds might be produced a fter death The .
Archib ald Clavering Gunter I t m attered not th at th e
.
plot w a s ab su rd ; that the style was abominable The .
spirit o f S aint Augustine was in those p ages j ust as o ld

-
,
“
Edinburgh is in the pages o f Th e Heart o f Midloth ian ‘
No w there is o ff ered the o pening fo r some highly dis

c riminating reviewer to point o u t th at the Pilgrim h as
coupled the two books and in ferentially proclaimed
Gunter th e peer o f Sir Walter .
There was a time when th e Pilgrim w a s a very sm all

,
boy wh en crossing th e Atlantic o n th e o ld S er v ia o r

, ,
Umbr i a o r by the old B r eta gne B o u r gogne o r No r

, , ,
—
ma nd ie th e p articula r vessel is o f no importance th e ,
—
point is merely to em ph asize th e p eriod o ne s aw in ,
the vacated deck ch airs at the lunch hou r five books ,
bearing th e name o f Archib ald Clavering G unter to

one o f all other authors combined Those were th e .
“ ” “
d ays o f the big fou r ; to wit : M r B arnes o f New .
” “ ” “
York ,
M r Potter o f Texas
. Miss Nobody o f
“
Nowhere and That Frenchman
,
which rightly ,
“
S hould h ave been called M de Vernay o f Pa r is . .
“
E v eryone read those books ( M r B arnes o f New York .
sold into the mill ion s ) m a ny realized how b ad they

!
w ere and a fe w realized how good th ey were

,
Other .
volumes from no t the same pen b ut the p en o f th e ,
s ame m an follow ed in pro fusion bound in th e b right

, ,
yellow paper cover th at h ad b ecome so familiar But .
o f those the less said th e b etter B ut recalling th e .
“ ”
b ig fou r ; w ho is there I nclined to ch allenge a kindly
word in memo ry o f their author w ho reached such ,
h eights o f ephemeral popularity whose material success

,
s ~
w a fo r a b rie f p e riod s o great and who ruined by a
, ,
THE PARI S o r SOM E AM ERI CANS 1 83
magazine fo r th e conduct o f which h e was utterly u n

suited died in pove r ty unhonoured and unsung ?
, ,
A few years ago an American novelist whose positi o n

in th e w orld o f letters h as long been enviable fr o m more
th an o ne point o f V iew was travelling th rough the
Far Western states While passing a fe w d a ys in a .
s mall city o f Wyoming h e made the acqu a intance o f a

g entleman who with Western b reeziness was introduced
“
to him as M r So and So the foremo s t crimin a l lawyer
.
- -
,
”
o f the State o f Wyoming M r S o and So h ad read . .
- -
’
the novelist s books and was finely enthusiastic in his
“ ” “
hos pitality . Y o u are my guest he said Yo u ,
must S tay with me a week— a month— a year You r .
’
work ? Do it h ere I ll tell you plots from real li fe
c
.
th at b eat Dumas I ll S how you types o f whi h Charles

.
’
Dickens never d rea med It is the ch a nce o f you r li fe . .
Why man I can gi v e you th e m aterial to write as great

, ,
‘
a novel as Mr Potter o f . Th at was the w a y
that some persons once felt about the now despised -
books o f Archibald Clavering Gunter .
It was the flavou r o f an American a b road that Euro

pe a ns never quite understood that o ne fo u nd in th e
ea r ly bo o ks o f Gunter j ust as one found him in a some
what diff erent way in the highly polished novels o f
Henry James Thirty years ago ours was almost an
.
other United States The period was o ne o f transition . .
In Eu ro pe all Americans were su pposed to b e enor

mo u s ly rich and to put the matter politely eccentric
, , , .
The Far West in its theatric sense— the Far West o f

Indian outb reaks o f claim j um ping and fortunes mad e
, ,
—
overnight h ad j ust ceased to b e a reality Eu ro peans .
were almost as puzzling to us as we were to them .
Visit ing Englishmen in New York were supposed in

va ri ably to p atronize the B r e v o o rt j ust as they did in ,
’ ”
the novels w r itten in the S eventies The term dud e .
had recently come into derisive use ; Anglomaniacs

were being j eered at violently ; and p eople were making
”
the most o f the lately coined ph rase the four hund red .
S uch app arent trivialitie s as these must b e kept in

mind by any o ne w ho should h appen now t o take up fo r
“ ” “
the fi rst time Mr B arnes o f New York , o r M r
. .
Potter o f Texas .
There w a s a Paris in those books which though , ,
abounding in topographical errors and anach ronisms ,

“
w as none the less a Paris B arnes a seasoned glob e
.
,
”
trotter w a s at home there equally in the S alon o r in
, , ,
the c ou lis s e o f th e o ld E den Theatre Potter o f Texas .
made his w ay there and the fi rst night o f his stay

, , ,
almost p recipitated a riot in o ne o f th e c afes c ha nta nts -
o f th e C hamps Elys ees - thinking himsel f ch eated as

,
the p rices o f d rinks increased every time h e ch anged

his seat o n account o f a growing interest in th e ho u ri s
on th e stage Travelling southward over th e rails o f
.
the P L M o ne need take no s h ame in recalling a s im

.
- .
-
.
ila t jou rney made by B arne s in pursuit o f th e English

girl by whose ch arms he h ad b een s o suddenly smitten ,
and the d evices by which th e American sta rved her

into accepting his ac q uaintance .
Above all there was the Paris th at Gunter pictu red

,
in That Frenchman the Paris o f the S econd E mpire

”
,
th at wa s running its butterfly race toward S ed an .
The fi rst part o f th at story revolved about a plot to

Arethus a London in The Diva s Ruby Mad rid
,
’
“ ” “
in In th e Palace o f the King ; Venice in Marietta ,
Sa r a c
e ne s c
“ ” “ ’
Rome in
, a , S ant Ilario Pietro ,
” “ ” “
Ghis le r i, Don Orsino , C ecilia and many more , .
But if there is any book of his in wh ic h the characters

linger more th an a b rie f moment in Paris it h a s entirely
escaped the present Pilgri m s memo ry The case o f
’
.
Marion C raw ford is also the case o f William D ean

Howells w ho p assing Paris by d rew u pon the i mpres
, , ,
sions o f his years in the American Consular Servi c e

“ ”
in Italy fo r Indian Su mmer a t a le o f Florence and
, ,
“ ”
A Fo regone Conclusion o f which the scenes were
,
among the canal s and palaces o f Venice .
’
There is Paris in the p ages o f Mark Twain s The .
”
Innocents Ab road if that book is to b e regarded in
,
the light o f fiction ; and Henry Jame s h as w ri tten much

“ “
o f Pa r is , notably in The American and The Am
”
b assadors and there is the Pa r is o f Edith Wharton s
,
’
“
Mad ame de Tr ey me s ; an d th e Paris o f B asil King s
” ’
”
The Inner S h rine ; and the Revolutiona ry Paris about
“
which Weir Mitchell played whimsically in Th e Ad
v enture s o f Fran c ois and as it is quite impossible in
this rambling pilgri mage to kee p alw a ys in the same
key there is th e city to which Robert Cl a y in Rich ard
, ,
’ “ ”
H arding D avis s Soldiers o f Fortune referred a s ,
“ ”
your Paris and my Paris ; and the Paris o f th e same
“ ”
author s The Princess Aline where Mornay C arlton
’
,
stayed at th e Hotel C ontinental and s pent the evening

’
in front o f the Café d e la Paix and di n ed at Lau rent s
,
in the Cham ps Ely s é e s ; and th e Paris o f Owen Joh nson s

-
’
“ ”
In the Name o f Liberty ; and th e Paris whic h Robert
TH E PARI S O F SOME AME RI CANS 1 87
W Chambers knew s o well in the d ays when h e w a s

.
studying to b e a p ainter and used as the b ackground

,
o f his fi r s t stories
“
The Red Re pu bli c Ashes of
,
” “
,
” “ ” “ ”
Empire ,
Th e Maids o f Paradise Lorraine and , ,
“ ”
th e S hort tales o f In the Quarter .
There was an extremely am u sing j ustly popular , ,
though o f course utterly unim portant novel o f five o r

s ix years ago which reflected accu r ately even though it
, ,
was frankly designed in a S pirit o f burlesque the atti ,
tude o f many o f o u r fellow countrymen tr a velling in

-
Europe in the d ays be fore the war That was Har r y .
Leon Wilson s Ruggles o f Red G ap a tale which

’
, ,
in its opening chap ters the best C h apters by th e way

, , ,
was riotous o f Paris The Flo o d family in general and

.
,
“ ”
Co u sin Egb ert in p articular h a ppened to come from
,
the Far Weste rn community o f Red Gap where an o ld ,
family meant o ne th at h ad settled in Red G ap b efore

th e spur was built out to the canning factory C ou s in .
”
Egb ert a victim of feminine domination was ac q uiring
, ,
the rud iments o f Louvre art at a certain corner ca fé ,
under the watch ful eye o f the mystified Ruggles when ,
h is cultural medit ations were disturbed by the u ne x

pe c
”
t e d b ut no t unwelcome intrusion o f o ne
, , Jeff
Tuttle F or th e actual scenes involved in the e n
.
“ ”
suing Odyssey the reader is referred to th e following
letter from Mr Wilson : .
r
Tha t P a r i s d e b a u ch o f Ru ggl e s e ns u e d fro m my o b s e rv a ti o ns a nd
no t e s o n t he h a b it s o f v i s iti ng Ame r i c a ns in P a r i s P a r ti cu l a r ly
.
Ame r i c a ns fro m w e s t o f P itt s b u rg h I l a bo u re d like a t ru e s c

. i e nti s t
in ma ki ng th o s e o b s e rv a ti o ns .The me e ti ng o f Co u s i n Eg b e r t a nd
J e ff Tu ttl e w a s b e fo re t he Ca fé d e la Pa ix a nd th e i r c
, o mpre h e nd i ng
coc he r t o o k th e m fo r l u nc h e o n t o a Rendez vou s d es c - oc he r s fi déles
ne a r t he c o r ne r o f t he B o u l e v a r d M o nt p ar nas s e a nd t he B o u l e v ar d
R as pail Th e y fo u nd th e i r c
. a r r o u s el b y pro ce e d i ng o u t t he B o u l e
v ar d Ra s p a il a nd p a s t t he Li o n d e B e l fo r t I my s e l f fo rg e t j u s t
.
w h e re it lay in re l a ti o n t o th a t mo nu me nt b u t no t many b l o c
, ks fr o m
It .
It was in th e Boulevard Montp arnasse th at H arry

Leon Wilson lived at one time sh aring an ap artment ,
“ ”
there with Julian Street whose Paris 5 la Ca rte ,
is a book in wh ich Americans gastronomically inclined

will fi nd both instruction and entert ainment Th e .
“
number was 1 37 There Mr Wilson wrote Ewing s
. .
’
”
Lady and in collaboration with Booth Tarkington
, ,
” “
the plays Foreign Exch ange and You r Humble
”
S ervant A more widely popular result o f the collabo
.
“ ”
ration was The Man from Home w ritten in five ,
“
weeks in the autumn o f 1 906 at a villa called Coll ine
d es Roses at C ham pigny that was temporarily th e ,
home o f Mr Tarkington . .
“ ’
There is much o f Pa ris in Booth Tarkington s The
” “ ” “
Guest o f Quesnay The Beauti ful Lady and H is
, ,
”
Own People It was the p athetic occu pation o f th e
.
“ ”
impoverished An so lini o f The Beauti ful Lady to S it
from ten in the mo rning to midd ay and from fou r to ,
seven in the a fternoon at one o f the small t a bles und er

,
the awning o f the Ca fé d e la Paix at the corner o f th e

Place de l Opé r a th at is to say the centre o f the civilized
’
world ex posing his head as a living advertisement o f

,
the least amusing b allet in Paris Th at story w as w r it .
ten in the Rue de Clichy about a m an the author h ad

,
seen and whose memory h aunted him The b alloo n

, .
1 90 TH E PARI S OF TH E NOVELISTS
Lu x e mb o u r g w a s a R o ma n c a mp , M o lIe re p l a y e d w h e re Fo yo t s is ’
no w . Fro m t he Ru e d e To u r no n D a u d e t w e nt o u t in his o v e r c o at
l e s s d re s s s u it R e na n li v e d th e re B a l z a cli v e d th e re J u s t
. . .
a ro u nd t he c o rne r w e re t he h a u nt s o f Ara mi s a n d C o mp a ny The .
o ld s t r e e t s o f t he M u s k e t e e r s a r e th e r e y e t , w ith mo s t o f t he na me s
,
a t l e as t , u nc h a ng e d S i nce y o u ng D Ar t a g na n fo u nd hi ms e l f in th a t
’
r o w o v e r t he b a l d r i c o f P o r th o s , t he h a nd k e r c hi e f o f Ar a mi s , and t he
S h o u l d e r o f Ath o s F ra n o i s V ill o n w a s c
.
c
lo s e a t h a nd I .
d i ne d o ft e n a t Fo y o t s a nd fo u nd th e re a w a it e r w h o m I pu t i nt o
’
The G u e s t o f Q u e s na y , t r a ns fe rr i ng him t o t he Tro i s P i g e o ns ,

” “ ”
a nd c a lli ng him Amed ee Th e r e w a s t he fl a v o u r o f V i c

. to r
C he r b u lie z in The G u e s t o f Q u e s nay
“ ” “
S a mu e l B r o hl e t Cie
.
”
w a s th e n o ne o f my fav o u r it e no v e l s Th e re w a s s o me thi ng
o f a se mi B o h e mi a n li fe ; Ame r i c
-
a ns , an d a ll na ti o na liti es o f a r ti s t s .
Ov e r t he i
r v e r,in a pl cn
a e e ar t he G a r e S a i nt -
La z are , t he W e d ne s
d ay C l u b l nc
h ed
u . It w as ma d e u pmo s tly o f c
o rre s po nd e nt
s o f
Ame r i c
a n ne w s pape rs . Ah ! t he Ru e d e To u rno n ! I till s
h nt th t n ig h b h d in my th g ht f P i b t t h
au a e o ur oo ou s o ar s, u e l t ti m
as e
I w it w in 1 9 1 1 w h n I w nt t th t c n nd l k d
sa as , e e o a or er a oo e u pa t t he
t n b l cny th t
s o e a d t b e mi ne and w o nd e d w ho w
o a use o re as li ing
v
th e re— n mo nlig ht nig ht

o e o .
Fo y o tMr Tarkington is fa r from being alone

’
s . .
among Americ a n novelists in his liking fo r th e c u is i n e
and atmos phere o f th at Latin Quarter tavern where ,
real senators o f France from the ne a r by Palace o f th e -
Luxembou rg m ay b e seen contentedly b rea k fasting o v e r

na pkins tucked in at the chin It h as figu red in pages .
by Owen Johnson who is never tired o f singing its ,
pra ises Dining one d ay at F o y o t s Louis Joseph ’

.
“ ”
Vance found the suggestion o f The Lone Wol f whose ,
“ ”
adventures w ere later continued in The False Faces .
“ ’
Fo y o t s the Troyon s o f the story h as two entrances
’
, , ,
o ne on the Rue V a u g ir a r d and the other o n the Rue d e

TH E PARI S O F SOM E AME RI CANS 1 91
Tournon The Lone Wol f was b rought u p in the curi

.
o u s atmos p here a nd the two entrances and their possi

,
b ilit ie s are fa ctors in the working out o f the t ale Some .
“ ’
w he re not fa r from F o y o t s w a s The Street o f the Two
” ’
Friends o f F Berkeley S mith s sto ry o f that name
, .
,
which sang the praises o f the old Latin Quarter the old ,
joyous quarter where social conventions were as little

regarded as the Commandments east o f Suez There .
“
w a s Paris in Cleveland Mo ff ett s The Mysterious ’
“ ”
Card and Th rough the Wall ; and in S amuel Mer
“ ”
win s The Honey B ee which pictured the City just
’
,
b e fore the outb reak o f the war and the newly born ,
”
French enthusiasm fo r the prize ring ; and in the Zut
o f the late Guy Wetmore C a r ry ll The last name sug .
gests a sto ry illustrating the ineffectuality o f fame .
The c o nc ie r ge o f an apa rtment house in which Mr .
C a r ry ll once went to live was much interested in learn

“
ing the American s mét ier ’
Monsieur s name is G uy .
’
and Monsieur is a writer There was another Guy wh o .
l ived here many ye a rs ago who was also a writer May .
b e Monsieur has heard o f him His nam e was Guy d e .
Maup a ssant I don t know wh at has become o f him

.
’
.
”
P erh a ps he is dead .
” “
Then there was the g ifted author o f The Pit The ,
” “ ”
Octo pus and The Wol f who d ied s o young s o
, , ,
rich in promise and just as he was swinging into the full

,
S tride o f achievement At seventeen years o f age .
Frank Norris intending to be an a rtist went to France

, , ,
“ ”
and enrolled as a student at the Atelier Julien in
Paris There he remained two years and became a h
.
sorbed not in art but in C hival ry The reading o f

, , .
’ “
Fro is s a rt C h ronicles w as his d aily recreation He
s .
b ecame so imbued with the s pirit o f me d imv a lis m th at

once with much amusement he pointed out an error
“
’ ”
in Scott s Ivanhoe in which o ne o f the characters is
describ ed as wearing a certain kind o f armou r that was
not in u se until a hund red years later ; a mistake that
was as obvious to h im as if someone to d ay should -
d epict Louis XIV in a t o p h at and frock coat It was .
in those Paris days that Frank Norris began to write .
His earliest ventures his b rother C harles G Norris

, .
h as told us were more to provide a vehicle fo r his illus

,
t r a t io ns th an fo r any interest h e h ad in w riting itsel f .
“
Thus it was th at his fi rst novel Robert d Art o iS
,
’
crude and amateu rish was written , .
Leaving Frank in Paris to continue his art studies

the rest o f the Norris family retu rned to Cali fo rnia .
Correspondence between the b rothers took t he form

o f a novel written by Frank in which a ll their favou rite
characters ap peared revolving about Charles w ho w a s ,
described as the nephew o f the Duke of Burg u ndy Th e .
sto ry w a s written in the second person on closely ruled

note paper It came to America in cha pters rolled u p
.
,
inside French news papers to save postage Every in .
s t a lme nt was p ro fusely illust rated with pencil S ketches ,
mostly o f Charles as an esquire a m an a t arms an ,

- -
,
equerry and finally as a knight Plots and ep isodes

, .
from the works o f Scott Francis B acon Frank Stock

, ,
ton and others were li fted bodily ; sometimes the actual

,
word ing w a s borrowed There w as o ne sentence

.
“ ” ’
Th e night closed down as d ark as a wol f s mou t h ,
that years later Ch arles found again in th e O pening o f a

, ,
being fra nkly s t reets o f illusion And also here in
.
,
”
Roads o f Destiny we h a ve a new 0 Hen ry an u n
, .
,
familiar O Henry a n O Henry S horn fo r once o f riotous

.
, .
malap ropisms and t he extravagant a r got o f his native

“ ”
land . Describe her commands th e King and David
, ,
tells o f the woman o f th e Rue C onti whose b eauty

and guile h ave sent him unknowingly to his doom :
“
She is made o f sunshine and deep sh ad e S he is S lender
.
,
like the alders and moves with their grace Her eyes
, .
ch ange while you gaze in them ; now round and then ,
h al f shut as t he s u n pee ps b etween two clouds When .
s he comes , heaven is all about her ; when S he leaves ,

”
there is chaos and a scent o f h awtho rn blossoms .
PA RT I I
ABOU T R U RAL FRAN C E
’ ’
the deligh t ful o ld book worm o f Anatole s F rance s
-
“
Le Crime d e Sylvestre Bonnard There Sylvestre
.
sat in his slippers and d ressing gown contemplating ,
the blazing logs stroking his cat H amilcar and listening

, ,
to the scoldings o f his housekeeper The r é s e A , .
hund red yard s to the westward is the corner o f th e

antiqua ry sho p where Raoul touched destiny in th e
S h a pe o f the S hagreen skin o f the B alzac tale But .
there are too many o f these amiable ghosts to think o f

considering them all In time the last city b ridge i s
.
passed and the river b egins its eccentric windings b e

tween green fields .
The Parisians o f fiction would not be real Parisians at

all if there were not moments when they were seized with
t he spirit o f mild adventure that moves them to venture
for t h b eyond the line o f the old fortifications in search

ofp astoral joys There are very few o f the novels deal
.
ing with the li fe o f Lutetia th at do not occasionally take

their men and women to Vincennes o r S aint Cloud o r ,
-
,
Versailles o r Engh ien or Bougival It m atters not

, , .
whether the tale be o f the seventeenth or the twentieth

century Usually it is along the line o f the Seine but
.
,
not always Fo r th e pu rpose o f illustration let us revert

.
to those s t o rI e s d ealing with the careers o f the Dumas

Four : A t hos P o rt ho s Ar a mis and D Ar t a g na n to whom
, , ,
’
,
reference is so fre q uent in the course o f this volume In .
every direction from the old city gates lead s their t rail .
Vi nc e nnes : It w a s from th e castle th ere th at the Duke

o f B eau fort made his famou s escape with the assistance
o f th e silent G rimaud and by means o f th e rope ladder

, ,
th e g a g and th e ponia rd th at were conveyed to him

,
THE MAG I C o r THE S EIN E 1 99
under the c ru s t o f a magni fi cent pie No is y : It w a s

.
there th at D Art ag nan found Aramis in a monastery

’
,
an Abb é w ho wanted to become again a Musketeer ,
just as in the ea r lier d ays With a rapier by his S ide h e

h ad always yearned fo r th e garb o f an ecclesiast S a int .
Ge r ma i n: It was there th at th e wily d evoted yet , ,
una pp reciated G ascon conveyed th e young king th e ,
queen moth er and th e cardinal th at night in th e tu r

bulent d ays o f th e Fronde Reu il: It was in th e
.
Orangery there th at D Art a g nan contrived his o w n

’
esca pe and th e escape o f his comrades and outwitted ,
the cra fty Mazarin B rin g ing the Dumas t rail down
.
to more mod ern t ime s w e h ave to go only to Auteuil to

‘
seek the house in which th e Count o f Monte C risto -
gave the wonderful d inner at which h e invented th e

story th at b rought such terror to th e hearts o f V illefort
and Mad ame Danglars .
Eve ry tu rn o f the winding Seine fo r twenty miles

b elow Paris is associated with the tales o f Guy d e Mau
passant who loved the river only a l ittle less th an h e
,
loved the shores o f the Mediterranean and th e Norma n

coast As the boat p asses S aint Cloud o ne may s e e th e
.
-
restau rant gardens where Monsieur Pa rent achieved

the terrible revenge fo r which he h ad b een waiting fo r
twenty years F arther along th e river in the neigh
.
,
h o
—
b o u r o d o f Malmaison where Jose phine l ived a fter
—
Napoleon had divorced her and Bougival are the ,
“ ”
S cenes o f the sinister La Femme d e Paul and the ,
”
u nro a rio u s ly whimsical Mouche and a score more
,
o f the finely chiselled gems o f the Norman master To .
t urn t o a very di fferent field o f fi ction : If the reader

h app ens to b e interested in th e detective sto ry in general
and those o f G aboriau in p articular he will perhap s ,
rememb er th at close to th e river b ank at La Jo nc hé re , ,
which is about h al f way b etween M almaison and Bou

g i v a,l and they are not fa r ap art was the cottage o f the
,
wido w Le ro u g e th e scene o f the murder with which

,
“ ” —
L Affa ire Le ro u g e b egins a b a ffl ing p roblem which
’
,
is eventu ally solved by th e ingenious reasoning o f

P ere Tirau c la ir .
Here j ust b eyond the line o f the o ld forti fi cations

, ,
i s Meudon associated with th e n ame o f Rabelais who

, , ,
after his m any w anderings in th e last year o f his li fe was

, ,
appointed cur é o f Meudon a title which though enjoyed , ,
fo r s o short a time w a s destined to endure th rough th e

,
centu ries Th e steamboat station is at B a S Meudon

.
-
,
and it w a s there in th e Du Maurier sto ry th at there

, ,
w a s a famous outing from the Place S aint Anatole d e s -
Arts and Ta ffy p roposed matrimony to Trilby and the

, ,
L aird in response to th e applause th at greeted his

,
e fforts in t he a rt o f Terpsichore s aid in French th at , ,
would h ave astonish ed C h ateaub riand Vo ila l es payc

“
e ,
’
d e ho m k er jer s wee
”
.
B ut once away from th e immed iate neighbou rhood

o f the Place S aint Anatole des Arts th e name o f Du Mau
-
“ ”
rier conju res u pnot th e figures o f Trilby but rather ,
th e men women and above all child ren o f the early

, , , , ,
“ ”
ch a pters o f Peter Ibb etson and the early ch apters ,
of There is in the Paris o f to d ay -
”
a Street o f the Pum p To the young eyes o f Pierre
.
Pasquier d e la M a rié re w ho later became Peter I h

,
b etson it was a delight ful street leading to Paris at

, ,
the sides and h igh fantastic walls (where it w as d éfend u
, ,
d afi c
’
her ) with bits o f old b attlement at th e t o p
,
and suggestive names printed in old rusty iron le t

ters at the street corners — the Ru e Vid e Gousset the Ru e -
,
C oupe Gorge the Rue d e; la Vieille Truanderie th e

-
, ,
Tré pas d e la Tou r d e Nesle th at a ppealed to th e ,

”
imagination like a page from H u go or Dumas Some .
ho w in reading the Du M au rier p ages there comes

o v er the p resent Pilgrim a sense o f futility Peter .
Ibbetson struck the note s o much b etter long long ,
years ago .
Keeping for th e moment to fi ction written in th e

E nglish language there is plenty o f material in th e
,
environs o f Paris which lie b eyond the city s west ’
erly gates It w a s somewhere in this d irection th at

.
little Rawdon C rawley was pu t o u t to nu rse b ei ng ,
regarded a s an incumb rance likely to inter fere with

the social aspirations o f his respected mother In .
t ales o f later origin and more e ph emeral fi b re we may

select an a u be rge o n the river b ank that was associated
with occasional outings o f Mr Merrick s Tr ic o t r in .
’
,
or accompany Se ptimus and Emmy o f Mr W J . . .
Locke s book on little excu rsions th at enrich ed their

’
“
lives o r with Poor J r o f Mr Tarkington s The B eau
,
.
, .
’
”
ti ful Lady make heavy and indiscreet wagers fo r the
b enefit o f th e French Government in th e pes a ge at
Longch am p o r follow the roa d to Versailles to pick out
,
“
th e exact S pot wh ere as related in The Guest o f Ques
,
nay took place th e motor—ca r accident th at so changed

”
,
the current o f the S tory .
Th e na me o f Tarkington suggests a novel th at has al

M o s t o f t he t
s re e t s w e re v e ry na r ro w
"
d ha d
an no i l
S de w a ks . Pe d e s
l
b ackgrounds in V ersailles as it was in the d ays o f Bour
“
bo n splendou r ! C onsid er and then tu rn to th e Medi ,
”
t a t io ns at Versailles o f Thackeray S ee the pictu re .
o f th e great king t ransporting himsel f there in 1 6 8 1 ,
from th e gloomy p alace o f S aint -Germain W hence he ,
could catc h a glimpse o f a certain white spire o f S aint

Denis where his race lay b uried an unh appy me me nto
, ,
mo r i t rans porting himself with b ag and b aggage—wi th

,
guards cooks ch amb erlains mistresses Jesuits gentle

, , , , ,
men lackeys F é ne lo ns M o lié r e s Lau z u ns B o s s u e t s

, , , , , ,
Villars Ville ro y s Louvois and C olberts

, , , .
D id hi n u po n s c h a ki ng be fo re in s uc
e v e r t he s u n s h a pal ac
e e u ,
o th d id c
r, r a h ki ng
e r, hi ne u po n t he s n ? Wh n M j ty
su a e v er s u e a es
cm o t f hi c
a e h a mbe in t he mi d t f hi pe rh m n pl e nd
u o s r, s o s su u a s o u rs ,
v iz in hi c
.
, i nn m n cl e d c s o a t e mb i d e e d w ith d i amo nd s ; his
a o -
o o ur , ro r
py r mi d f a w ig ; his d h l d h s th a t li fte d him fo r i nc h es

-
a o re ee e s oe , u
fr m t he g
o nd
“
th t he c cly s ee me d t t o c
ro u h w h n he c
a am
s ar e o u e e
o t bl
u , i ng p n t h d k nd d c
az uh o th at w a it d hi r i i ng
e u es a u esse s e s s ,
w h t c l d t h l tt
a oud b t c th i y a nd w i nk nd t r m
e a er o, u o v er e r e es, , a e
b l ? And d id he n t hi m l f b li e
e h s too d th r o n his hi g h
se e ev , as e e e, o
h l nd hi mb i l p i w i g th t th re w as so me thi ng in him
ee s , u er s a ro s a er , a e
m o re th n man s o me thi ng a bo e fat e ?

a -
v
Or to use th e word s o f Th ackeray in the fi rst o f his

,
“
lectu res on th e Fou r G eorges : A grander monarch or ,
a more miserable sta rved wretch than th e peasant his

”
subject you cannot look u pon , .
With a greater monarch th an Louis another p alace

is associated And Fontainebleau like Versailles is .
, ,
rich with th e figu res o f fiction Robert Louis Steven .
“ ”
s on p ictured its fores t in The Wrecker taking fo r ,
THE MAGIC OF THE S EINE 29 5
the purposes o f th e tale persons whom he h ad known
there in the li fe duri ng his own d ays among the p ainters
. .
Any o a k in the Forest o f Fo nt a ine b le au will serve a s

the one under which B rigadier E tienne Gerard in th e ,
Conan Doyle story dis posed o f th e B rothers o f Aj accio

, ,
thereby removing th e menace th at h ad been h anging

over the head o f Napoleon since the early Corsican
years But fo r the full charm o f the forest turn to the
.
“
later chapters o f Guy de M a u pa s s ant s Notre C oeu r ’
.
There And ré d e Marolle goes to esca pe from the net in

which Mad ame d e Bu me holds him to encounter a new ,
woman and yet finally almost a t a nod to bind himsel f

, , ,
once more with the ch a in s o f the old slavery .
I f in his excu rsions into th e environs o f Paris and

,
along the b anks o f the Seine the Pilgrim were li mited to

o ne travelling comp anion hi s immediate choice would
be fo r the books o f Al phonse D audet And among .
them o ne volume alone would su ffi ce fo r a pilgrimage

“ ” ’
o f many d ays S apho to the Pilgri m s mind Dau
.
,
d e t s masterpiece and o ne o f the finest novels written

’
,
any language is a S tory o f the fields woods and

, , ,
waters th at lie b eyond the forti fications as much as it

is a sto ry o f the city s mu rky skies and rain — s plashed
’
pavements Fanny Legrand adored the count ry in

.
,
snatches except those h aunts th at were fre q uented by

,
a inters The fi rst summer f their li fe en c o lla ge being

p . o
very beau t iful they visited all the p retty corners o f

,
the environs o f Paris th at she knew so well One night .

,
at S aint Clair in the valley o f the Chevreuse they

-
, ,
A
’
p assed o n the straw o f a b arn At Ville d .v r ay -

,
lunching be fore the pool they fell in with the sculptor

,
C a o u d a l, who bored them with his reminiscences , and
went o ff in h igh dudgeon, a fter assuming P ere Langlois s
’
bill It was at Ville d Av r a y , very likely at the same

.
-
’
“
inn , that B arty Josselin and le grand B o nz ig , o f D u
“ ”
M au rie r s The Martian , found enterta inment o n a
’
memorable outing from Pa ri s Near Ville d Av r ay .

-
’
on the Versailles line is the little town o f Ch aville so , ,
intimately linked with the lives o f Jean and

Fanny .
’
There a fter Fanny s ventu re as directress o f the
,
Cham ps E lys ees pens io n o f Rosario S anches th ey in

-
,
stalled the mselves in an old hunting box facing th e , ,
Pavé des Gardes j ust across the S treet from the railway ,
station The He t t é ma s were their neighbours and

.
,
never h ave the joys o f suburb an li fe been p ainted

more feelingly th an in the word s o f the fiercely
bearded timid He t t é ma , .
t i n m i nt n nt m i v n d éc mb ! On
’
Ce n es r e v r re a e a , a s o us e z e e re
re nt c tt é m ill é
re ro ct l mbé t m nt d P i
, ou , l d ;
av e o us es e e e s e ar s s ur e os
o n t b n f
ro u v e b nn l mp l o p q i mb m
eu, t
o l e a e, a so u e u e au e, e , so us a
t bl n p i d b t mpli d p ill N n y
a e, u e a re e sa oq nd
s re s e a e . o , v o ez -
v o u s, ua
o n t f é n pl t é d c
’
s es h
o u rr t d uc i e n q ti d
a e e o ux e e s au sse s, u u ar er e
g yéru tn re f i l li ng
e q
u nd
au n é l d
r a s s o us n e e, ua o a v e rs a- ess us u
lit d g ingl d q i n p p é p B c
re e ar y li b d b pt é m t
u
’
a as as s ar er , re e a e e
d nt é c cq c t b n d ti t il a ci n d f d ll
’ ’ ’
e r e, n f ue es o e re r s o au e u u o u eu, a u
m n pi p nt n cfé é d n c am l l ’ ’
er u n be e, e uv a d i so a a rro s u ar e a e au - e -v e ,
t d pi q nc hi n n f cl n d l t p nd nt q l gl
’ ’
e u er u e e a e u e a u re , e a ue e v er as
d é g li n ou l it Oh ! n t t p tit c
e su r hi n l t mp d l i r
es v re s . u ou e e , e e s e a sse
p l g
as s e r d l d i g ti n
e Ap é
ro s n d ei n n m m nt l
a es o . r s o ess e u o e , a
f mm d
e t f it n p tit t i n t i n l c t
e esser
— a sol m i n — e t ra -
ra a o u v e r u re , e o e e
t c
,
q nd ll
ua t c c e h é l pl c c
e esh d n t mb d n l t
ou e, a a e au e, o o e a s e as, e a
f it p t t l c p n c h l c o mm S i l n nt it to t ’
v o us a ar ou e or s u e a eur e o e ra u
e nti e d n la p ill
r d a s ab t
s a e e ses o s .
208 TH E PARI S OF THE NOVELI STS
You will never h ear o f
me more Ad i eu nu ba is er .
, ,
le d e r ni e r d a ns le co u m a mi
’
, , .
“ ”
One more S apho association E ight miles north .
o f Pa ris there i s Engh ien with its p retty lake su r

,
rounded by villas with gardens th at run down to th e

water s edge One o f these villas b elonged to Rosario
’
.
S anchez and it was there th a t s he invited Jean and

,
Fanny to meet certain ancient wrecks o f the S econd

Empire a nd later to dismiss them in a moment o f
,
fu rious tem per In a rowboat near th e shore G au s s in

.
“
and De Potter s a t and b ailed and the musician the , ,
”
pride o f the French school pou red out in a monoto ,
nous even tone his li fe story and u rged it as a terrible

, , ,
warning to Jean .
M O N T S A I NT M CH E L
-
I
XI V C H I M E S OF NORMANDY
.
The R o ma nc e of Old Na mes — Ca la is a nd Tha c ’

kera y s Des
s e i ns — B o u log ne a nd The Newc o mes — Co na n D oyle s ’
Unc le B er na c F £c
”—
a m , Etr e ta t, a nd Gu
p d e M a u as s a nt y p
“ ” “ ”
H a vre, P ierr e et j e a n, d H enr y j a mes F o u r M ee tings
’
an s
The Li ter a r y Cr eed of M a u p a s s a nt— B a lz a cs

“
M odes te M ig
’
no n S a nds of Tr ou v ille— Ou id a s
-
M h o t s
’
— B oo th Ta r k
The Ki ngs of Yveto t—M o nt
’ ”
i ngto n s The Gues t of Qu es na y -
S a i nt M i c hel R o u e n a nd M a d a me B ova ry The R e a l Y

-
“ ”
- .
The Style of Gu s ta ve F la u be r t — “
B el Ami a nd
-
“
B ou le de
,
-
Su if — Le o na r d M er r i c
“
k s Co nr a d i n Qu es t of H is Yo u th
’ ”
.
N TH E eighty seven depa rtments into which the

-
French Republic was d ivided at the outb reak o f

the Great Wa r there w a s political and administra
tive ex pediency In the old division s o f the land which
.
h ave come down from Feud al d ays there are the magic
o f names and the romance o f history and fiction Till .
the end o f time they seem likely to persist Normandie .

,
2 09 .
B retagne Poitou Gascogne Provence Anjou Ile de
, , , , ,
-
France Ch a mpagne Lorraine B earn Nivern a is Bour

, , , , ,
gogne D a u phiné Languedoc Artois Picardie Franche

, , , , ,
C omté A u v ergne Limousin Touraine Maine G uy

, , , , ,
enne Bo u rbonnais B er ry Orlé a na is ! Wh at d reams

, , ,
o f the old bygone world the very n a mes inspire ! The

,
r o ll call rings with the history o f France Ch arles

-
.
M a rtel flings b ack the S aracen s at Tours ; Maj esty

challenges th e vassal : Qu i t a fa it d u c ? and the vassal
’
retorts Qu i t a fa i t r o i ? ; the great cathed ral o f C hartres

’
is built ; Agincourt and C r ecy are fought ; the Maid

comes out o f Domremy ; and Henry o f Navarre th e ,
”
—
B éarnais whom th e Parisians S till adore possibly as , ,
some cyn ic h as suggested because he is dead — bears his ,
o r ifla mme at Ivry In t alking o r writi ng o f the old

.
p rovinces to d ay there is permitted a certain latitude

-
.
Borde r lines a re not s o S h arply d rawn So fo r the .
pur pose o f this ch apter where allusion is made to ,
Boulogne o r Calais Normandy mu s t b e considered in

,
tem porary succe s s ful invasion o f Picardy and Artois .
Th e Pilgrim who ha s p assed by way o f Calais hal f

,
a dozen times and stayed there twice con fesses to

, ,
lamentable ignorance o f th e h isto ry a nd the end o f th e

institution o n ce known as Desseins Yet fo r the flavou r .
o f t he city
— th e l o ss o f which s o distressed Queen Ma ry
o f Engl a nd th a t s h e s aid that after her death it s name , ,
—
would b e found written on h er h eart he knows o f no
more delightful and stimulating reading th an th e
“
Roundabout Pa per o f Th ackeray th at is called
”
Desseins I t is fiction a s th at other Round about
.
,
P a per The Notch o n the Axe is fiction ; as surely fi c

“
,
”
in th e same case : and Pendennis visiting th e Colonel
, ,
stro lled along by the pretty o ld walks and b astions ,
under the pleasant t rees th at sh adow them and th e ,
gray o ld gabled houses from which you look down upon

the gay new city and the busy port with the piers
, ,
S tretching into the shining s e a dotted with a hund red

,
white s a ils or bl a ck sm o king steamers a nd bounded,
by th e friendly lines o f the b right E ngli s h shore Per .
h a ps it was th e presence o f th e un pleasant Mrs Mac .
kenzie th at sent Pendennis to th e HOt e l des B ains .
There is to d ay in Bo u logne a hotel o f much th e same

-
name b ut then wh at French watering place is without

,
its HOt e l des B ains ? A fter Th ackeray it is another

English writer o f ficti o n and a nother English book that
Boulogne suggests All about th e town when Na poleo n
.
was gathering his legions there fo r the p rojected d escent

“
u pon England were the scenes o f Conan Doyle s Uncl e ’
”
B ernac and th e Pilgrim knows o f no book in any
,
langu a ge th at within s o b rie f a sp ace gives a more

, ,
vi v id picture o f the m any S ides o f the great Corsican

c
.
F ran ois the valet o f G uy d e Maup a ssant told o f

, ,
an English Lord wi t h a n a tur a l curiosity as to the actual

”
ho u se o f La Maison Tellier . So i n com pany with
the novelist he travelled to F é o amp which is the scene
,
o f the tale ,and Maup assant pointed out a structure ,
a nd the Englishman recogn i zed it at o nce by the de
scri ption in the story As a matter o f fact the Maison

.
,
Tellier was S ituated in reality at Rouen b ut Maup as ,
s ant h ad reasons o f his o w n fo r transporting the n ar

r a t iv e from the I nland city to the seacoas t to w n
.
But .
F éc a mp and its region I s the Mau p assant count ry as

CHIMES OF NORMANDY 21 3
Ayrshire is th e Burns country the Doone Valley the ,
Blackmore country or the Blue Grass o f Kentucky ,
the James Lane Allen country About here were the .
“
scenes o f the pitiless Une Vie In forty tales h e .
satirized the Norm an peasant ry as G y p satirized them

“
Fo r E tretat between its
”
in Ces Bons Normands .
,
two fa la is es the name o f G uy de Mau passant stands

more th an does the name o f Al phonse Karr who ,
“ ”
founded it There was La Guillette
. and in th e ,
garden the house made o f an overturned boat in which

c
,
“
Fran ois lived There among others . Bel Ami , ,
-
“
was finished and th e greater part o f Pierre e t Jean
,
written .
H avre was b efore the war o f all seaports the most

, ,- ,
direct a pproach to France Travellers from Americ a .
by the boats o f th e C G T rarely stayed there on . . .
arrival s ave in cases l ike that o f Caroline Spencer of

,
“
Henry J ames s Fou r Meetings ’
— t o which allusion
will b e m ad e later but they o ften lea rned to know the

-
city while waiting fo r the home bound vessel pl a ying -

,
“ ” ’
the Petits Chevaux at Frascati s and ve nturing ,
into th e o ld town to dine at a table at Tortoni s To ’

.
the Pilgrim a s to others who know th e Mau passant

,
novel H avre will ever b e domin a ted by the shadow

,
“ ”
of Pierre e t Jean The long j etty stretching into
.
the s e a recalls th e figures o f the b rothers S itting in th e

d arkness the elder wracked by th e terrible susp icion
,
that is beginning to b urn in his b rain A fter the return .
from th e fishing e x cu rs io n w it h which th e book o pens the , ,
father mother and two sons accom panied by Mad ame

, , ,
Ro s é milly passed u p the Ru e d e Paris stopping in the

, ,
1 14 THE PARI S OF THE NOVELI STS
Place de la Bou rse in order th a t o ld Rol a nd might con
tem pl a te the shi ps in the B a s sin d u Co mmerce The .
R o lands li v ed in the Rue Belle Normande The light s -

.
o f the h a rbou r b ri ng to mind a memorable bit o f d e s c

r ip
tion .
To i g ht bo e S i nt e Ad e e t h t w o lig hth e s lik t w

t he r , a v a -
r ss , e ous ,
'
e o
g t t w i n Cy c
re a
l p th w i ng th th io l ng
s, nd p w ro f l o v er e se a e r o a o er u
ra y s . Th n n t h t w j t tw th fl m c
e , o hil d n f e o
'
e e es , o o er a e s, re o
th g i nts p i nti ng o t t h nt nc t t h h b
ese a , o nd y nd u e e ra e o e ar o u r, a o e r,
a c t h S i n th li g ht m ny th
ro s s e e fi de, o fl hi ng w ith
er s, a o e rs , x e or as ,
b illi nt ff l g nc nd d k c
r a e li p u p ni ng nd c
e l i ng lik y
e a ar e s es , o e a os e e e
th y f p t y ll w d g n— w t c
e e es o hi ng
o r s, th d
e ok a , re , re e a o v er e ar se
c d w ith S hi p ; li i ng y
o v e re f t he h pit b l s h vyi ng by e es o os a e s o re , sa
t h O p ni ng nd S h tti ng f th i r li d :
e e a
“
H I m I mTu ill !
o e s ere a . a ro u v e
I m H nfl ! I m t h i o f P nt A d m !
a o eu r a e r v er o -
u e er
And th n n t h t h
e ,
nd th
o t i i b l Th y
e v as s e a, e re a e re s a r s a re v s e. e
t mb l in t h ni g ht mi t m ll n
re e ef nd l w hit g n s , s a , e ar o r a r, a a so e, re e ,
o r red M t f th m . S till b t os m m o Th y e t h li g ht
a re , u so e ov e . e a re e s
o f l t nc
v ess e s a h o w iti ng f t he incming t id
a r f hi p
a ki ng or o e, o r o s s s ee
th r e d t d oa s ea .
In th e course o f this Pilgrimage an occasional d ig re s

sion may b e permitted So a word about the pre face .
“ ”
to Pierre e t Jean in which Mau passant ex
p o u nded his literary creed The public h e held was .
, ,
“
co mpo s ed o f diff erent g r ou ps who de manded : Console
” “ ” “ ” “ ” “
me A muse me
,
S a dden me So ften me Make , , ,
” “ ” “ ”
me d ream Make me la u gh Make me shudder
, , ,
“ ” “ “
Make me think Make me weep The reader , .
,
who in a book seeks only to satis fy the natural tendency

o f his mind considers strikin g or well written the work
,
o r th e p assage th a t pleases his imagination be it ideal ,

toward the magical land s th at she is s o soon to s e e .
Upon her arrival in H avre a co u s in who h as been S tud y

“ ”
ing art in Paris meets her with a S tory th at appeal s
to her sym pathies s o s he gives him all her money , ,
retaining only enough to carry her home again Her .
whole stay in the Europe o f which S he h as so ardently

d reamed is o ne o f only a few short hou rs Here is .
Henry James s picture o f the Rue d e Paris th e o ne

’
,
st reet o f H avre with which eve ry American visitor

b ecomes more o r less familiar :
The e ar ly au u t mn d a y w as w a rm
t ll a nd c
h a rmi ng , an d o u r s ro
th r g h t h b i g ht cl
ou ed b y St
r t f t h ld F nc
- o o u re h p t , us re e s o e o re sea or
was s ffi c ui ntly e nt t i ni ng W w lk d l ng t h nny n i y

e er a . e a e a o e su , o s
q a
u y s a nd th n t n d i nt o a wi de p
e l n
ur t t t w hi c
e h l y h al f in e as a s ree a
s n
u nd h l f in h d
a aa F r nc h pr i nc
s i al t e t th t l k d lik
a e- e ov s r e , a oo e e
a n ld w t r cl r d w i ng : t ll g y
o a e - o ou t p f d d g a bl e d
ra a , ra , s ee -
ro o e , re -
,
m ny s to i d h o ses ; g e n h u tt r o n w i nd w nd ld c ll wo k
a -
r e u r e s e s o s a o s ro - r
a b ov e th e m; flow po t s in b l cni nd w hit c er ap p d w m n in a o es a e- e o e
d w y
oo r a W w lk d in t h h d e ; ll thi s t t c
s . e a e h d aw y n t h e s a a s re e a o e
s u nny id of t h St t nd m d e a pi c t
fi
s e e re e a a u re .
There are pleasant j ourneys associated with the trail

to be made fr om H avre : to Etret a t twe nty miles away , ,
and the F é c a mp o f th e
“
Maison Tellier beyond ; to
th e s lo pe o f S ainte—Ad resse where M a d ame Ro s é milly ,
lived ; by boat across the b road mouth o f the Seine to

Ho nfle u r wher e Henry V l a nded in the Sha k e s pe
,
play ; th rough the canal th at lead s to C a en where ,
Beau B rummell died ; o r to T r ouville and Deauville

th at h ave natu rally b een reflected in fou r score French
fashionable novels b ut which we can s e e at their bes t ,
C HIM E S OF NORMANDY 217
in the pages o f Maupassan t . Here is a bit from Pierre

e t Jean
F ro m t he d i t anc
s e l o ng g a d e n fi ll e d w ith burs ting
s he see me d a r
fl w o On t he g e t b nk o f ye ll w s nd f o m t h j tty t t h
e rs . r a a o a , r e e o e
R c h e N i e paras l f ev ry cl
o s o r s, h t of o s o y h p de e o o u r, a s ev e r s a e, r sses
of e ry h ad in g o p b f
ve s e, t he b thi ng h
r u in li n a l ng t h
s e o re a o us es , es o e
s e a, o c a tt e r d h e e a nd th
r s e r s mb l e d rin t th e n rmo e re , e e , ru , o us
b q e t in an i mme s
ou u s b l e m ad w The c o nfa u rad o nd n e o . u se s u s, e ar
or f f v ic
ar, o es mad e d i ti nc
o t by t he thi n i ; t h cll t h ci f s a r e a s, e r es o
chil d en b i ng b th e d ; t he c
r e l e r l a g ht r f w m n ll f m d a
a a u e o o e , a or e
sw ee t u nb ro k n c l amo r w hi c e h wa b l end e d w ith t he i mperc

u , epti b l e s
se a a i and w a i nh a l d w ith it
r, s e .
Then there was Ouid a One must not entirely forget .
“ ”
Ouid a in Trouville ; fo r it was the scene o f Moth s .
There Lady Dolly received her large eyed and seriou s -
d aughter V era and Vera fell in love with the golden

, ,
thro ated Co rr eze but was forced to m arry th e Russian , ,
Prince Z o u ro ff This is how Ouid a s aw Trouville in

.
the opening ch a pter o f that story

y ac
Theht c ame and w e nt t h s nd g litt e
s d t h m sic s nd d ; , e a s re , e u ou e
men nd w m n in b i g ht cl
a o d t ip t k h d
e i nt t h ti d
r o o u re s r es oo ea ers o e e
o p ll d th e ms l es a b t in littl cno ; t h n w y cn
r u e e v fth ou e a es e s o a v as o e
t nt h ne lik e h g e white mu h o m nd t h f c f ll t h
e s s o u s r o s, a e a es o a e
h u es w re liv ly w ith g n h tt and wni ng b i g htly t i p d

o s e e re e s u e rs a s r s r e
lik t he b th s P pl t h g y e t a nd bes t bo rn in E p
e a er . eo e, e a s - u ro e,
l ugh d nd c
a h atter d and m d l e
e a e a e ov .
Des pite a yarn that w a s current many years ago to

the effect that Miss De la Ramée—who till her dying
d ay pro fessed to hold in particular ab horrence Americans
and women — was actually o f American b irth s he can ,
hardly b e regarded in the light o f a compatriot But .

21 8 TH E PARIS O F TH E NOVELI STS
not fa r from Trouville there is a distinctly American
“
t rail that o f Booth Tarkington s The Gues t o f Ques
,
’
”
nay . In a little town b ack from th e sea and within ,
easy d istance o f the great watering places was the ,
Hotel des Trois Pigeons the scene o f the later ch ap t ers

,
o f the story That novel was written by Mr Ta r king

. .
ton when he w a s living in the Rue d e Tournon in Paris .
Fo r the pu rposes o f fiction he went o ne d ay into th e

near by restaurant o f F o yo t s seized fi guratively a fa
-
’
,
v o u r it e waiter and t ransported h im to the s a lle d

,
-
ma nge r of the Trois Pigeons There the waiter became .
the delight ful Amé d é e o f the tale .
One o f th e fi rst stations on th e railway line running

from H avre t o Paris is Yvetot Once with the little .
town now numb ering seven o r eight thousand inha b i

,
tants were associated th e ancient counts o r s o i—

,
d is a nt
kings All that was long long ago but in the event
.
, ,
th at th e t rain S top s for two minutes at th e ga r e it is

worth while recalling th at B é r ang e r wrote a delight ful
song (of wh ich Thackeray made two admirable ad a pta
tions) b eginning :
I! y a it
va un
’
Ro i d Y v et o t
P eu c
’
o nnu d a ns l his t o ire ,
Se l e v a nt t a r d , s e c ouc
h a nt t Ot
D o rma nt fo r t b i e n s a ns g l o i r e .
There is a plaintive o ld song o f the B reton p easant ry

b ewailing th e ca pricious feminine ch anges o f cou r s e of
,
a cert a in river fo r the las t winding twi s t on the jou r ney

,
to the s e a app arently un im portant in itsel f h as fa r

, ,
reaching results I t gives Mont S aint Michel to Nor

.
-
o F rance more d ramatic and more romantic than the
f
story th e true sto ry o f La Pucelle Yet a fter all
, , .
, ,
how much less real is th e Mai d than is E mma Bovary ,
who in o ne sense never h ad an actu al existence outside

o f the laboriously chiselled p ages o f Flaub ert In .
Rouen o ne is never able to get away from t he memory

o f Jeanne d Ar cyet somehow th e q uaint S treets and
’
,
crowded q uays conj ure up even more vividly th e fi gure

of th at other woman o f whom it may p aradoxic a lly
,
b e said th at sh e never lived and th at S he will live

, ,
forever .
The as sociation o f Rouen with E mma Bovary d ated

—
from th e night o f her arrival from Yonville th at nigh t
”
when s he s aw Lag a r dy in Lucie d e L ammermoor
a n d met Léon D u p v is
a ft e r t h e i r l o n g
sep a ration Th e .
Bovarys a fter th e ar
,
rival o f th e d ilige nc e ,
h ad rep aired to the

Hotel o f the Red
Cross in th e Place
TH S E I N E AT R OUE N
E
B eauvoisin a con
,
v e nt io na l p rovincial
,
—
inn with great stables and tiny bed rooms o ne o f the
typical hostelries which added so much to th e ch arm o f
France in the early hal f o f the last centu ry At th e time
.
’
th at Flaubert s novel was w ritten th e Pont Boieldieu was
not yet built and the Pont C orneille the only b ridge
, ,
th at then crossed t he Seine w as known as th e Pont

,
Neuf The morning a fter the play Emma and Léon me t

.
C H IMES OF NORMANDY 221
in
the cathedral which is o ne o f the finest in Euro pe , ,
with a north tower d ating from the twel fth centu ry It .
w a s by the Portail de la C alend e o r southern portal th a t , ,
they le ft the edifice and entered the cab fo r the famous

ride which was res ponsible fo r the p rosecution o f
Flaub ert be fore the Tr ibu na l Co r r ect i o nne lle d e P a r is .
Des pite the many changes which took place during the
latter hal f o f the last centu ry the visitor in Rouen may ,
without great trouble follow as the Pilgrim has followed , ,
the streets indicated in th at celeb rated j ourney .
Accordin g to the S tory Y o r Yonville I Ab b a y e thus , ,

-
’
named o n account o f a former Ca puchin Abbey was ,
a tow n some eight leagues from Rouen between the ,
Abbeville road and the Beauvais road at the bottom ,
o f a valley watered by the Rie u le a little river th at ,
empties into the Andelle It is o ne o f the ve ry fe w .
places discussed in the course o f th is book with which

the Pilgrim can claim no personal acquaintance So .
he quotes from an article written by a M Emile De s hay s .
which ap peared twelve years a go in Les Anna les P o lit

iqu e et Littér a ir e o f Paris :
It wasRy ( thinly d i g i se d as Y a v ill age in t he ne ig h

at s u .
b h d o f R u e n th a t G t
o ur oo o F l a b t l a i d m t f t he cn s
, u s av e u er os o s e e
o f hi i mm t l M d ame B
s or a y nd m ny f t h nam t b
“
a o v ar ,
”
a a o e es o e
f nd in t he pag s o f t h r manc s till h

ou e ea f mili r r ing t
o t he
e av e a a o
p poe l f t h
e o t o w n a nd s
e r nd i ng c n t y T he
ur o u p e n t w it ou r . r se r er
had ne d y c
, o cas i o n t
a g , t oRy a nd o c c ao i n i on e d d
o to m k , s o s e e a e
th t i p fo t thi s d ay t he ill g e r em ins w ith t d i re c

e r , r o v tcom a a ou
m nict i n w ith t he
u a o t i d w l d Fro m t h m ment o f a rri al
ou s e or . e o v
o ne i i mp ss d w ith t he ma
re s e ll e e mb l nc e t o t he s t ragg li ng
rv e o us r s a
co mmuni t y (l bou rga de) s zv i id ly d e sc

a r i b e d by F l a b e r t
o v T h e re u .
a re : t he c
h u rc
h littl cm t ry ; t h ma k t
, s u rro u n d e d by t he e e e e e r e ,
“
cn i ti ng f til
o s s f pp t d by t w nty p t ; t h M i i
o a e ro o su or e e os s
”
e a r e,
cn t co t d n t h pl n f n c
s ru e hit c o t fP i ; th h e f t he
a s o a ar e o ar s
”
e ouse o
c h mi t nd t h inn O pp it E ythi ng c p nd t t h l tt
e s a e os e . v er o rre s o s o e e er .
Th i l t h St t ( t h nly n in Ry ) l ng a g n b e l “ ”
e re s a so e ree e o o e , o as u arr ,
Fl b t ph
’
t o u se au er s ra s e .
Th p nt w it
e h d th g d f t n
re s e f k n w i ng t h c
r er h mi t a e oo or u e o o e e s
o f t h pl c w h e lw y m i nt i n d th t Fl b t d ci b d hi
a e, o a a s a a e a au er es r e s
f th ; nd
a er th n m u f H m i er C t i nly t h l tt
e a w hi c h e o o a s . er a e e e rs
th n h w d b
e so s t t h cnt nti n
o e It w t h m tyl t h
o re o u e o e o as e sa e s e, e
sa me mph i e C nti n i ng as spil g i m g w cm t t h S it

. o f u our r a e, e o e o e e o
th fi e t h m f Ch l B
rs o y Th h
e o n l ng i t ; it
ar e s o v ar . e o us e o o er ex s s
w t n d w n b t q t r f cnt y g T h
as or o a ou m in a u ar e o a e ur a o . e re re a ,
h w o p t f t h g d n nd t h t n n l nd littl t i c
e v e r, ar o e far e , a e u e a e s a r as e o
S t n l d i ng t t h b
o e ea k c d by E mm n h j n y t
o e ro o ro s s e a o er our e s o
l H c
a h tt u A littl f th
e e . l ng n t h th i d f t h t t e ar er a o , o e o er s e o e s re e ,
myb a n th h e see l t c cpi d by t he B ry f mily nd t h

e o use a er o u e ov a a , a e
s cn f t h h i n d th U nf t n t ly c
e e o e e ro c i e s
’
to ti n ea . or u a e su e s s v e re s ra o s
h av et k n f m t he t c
a e t a ll it c ro h ara c
t nd littl ma i n
s ru u re s e r, a e re s
th t cll t h no e l
a re a s e v .
On f t h mo t i nt
e o ti ng f t r s o f t h t i p w a t h i it t
e s e re s ea u e e r s e v s o
P é e Th e a i n t h fo m d i
r r f t h R o n dilig nc I n t h
, e r er r v er o e ue e e . e
bo k h o pp Hi
e a t nd it m y b
e ars a s m k d th t thi n m v er , a a e re ar e a s a e
i fo m d o f n
s r ly t h m l e tt e
e Thé in
e ar S pp i ng t h e sa e rs as ra . u re s s e
we h Hin t w hi c h Fl b t c h ng d t o Hi rt f t h k
”
a, av e er , au er a e ve or e sa e
of ph ny A t t h n m o f B o
eu o . y it ws ogg s t d by t h e a e v ar , as s u e e e
n m a f F nce o h h t l k p r w h o m Fl be t m t in C i
a re o e t th -
ee e au r e a ro , a e
ti m o f his f mo
e y g t o t he E t The m n nam w a
a us v o lly a e as . a
’
s e s re a
B t b t Fl b rt lt d it by g i i ng t h nd i ng Ry t h nam
o uv e re , u au e a e re v e e , e e
o f t h t w n w ith w hi c
e o h th n l d l e ov e ea s .
Perh a ps in all the fiction o f the nineteenth centu ry

there is no o ne pas s age w hich h as made a greater stir ,
o r h as been more o ften quoted a s a marvellous exam p le

“ ”
o f style th an that in Mad ame Bovary de s cribing
,
ho w the priest administers the extreme unction t o the

This is ve ry little ch a nged from th e fi rst d ra ft B ut .
it will b e seen th at Flaub ert w a s beginning to organize

th e thoughts th at he was to d evelop fo r the nostrils ,
the eyes the li ps and th e fingers In the third d ra ft

, , .
he h as some figure o f S peech to accomp any allusions

to each o f th e fi v e senses Still this third d ra ft as will .
,
b e seen is very di fferent from the final text It is as

, .
follows :
He pro no u nc
e d t he c t o ns th at we re t o effac
un e fro m all t he me m
i
be f t he bo d y t h s t i n o f in : fi s t o n t h y s he l o ng e ye in
rs o e a s s r e e e , r s
Oth r d ye f ll f fl m w h n th y had ( d i d ) c
a s so u o a o eted
e, ll t h
e e e s re v a e
p mps o f t h w o l d ; th n o n t he n t il w hi c
o e r h f rm ly l o d t
e os r s, o er ve o
d il t t
a e cnt w a m b e and m
o s e r od r ; th e n o n t he mo th
re z e s a o ro u s ou s u ,
w hi ch h d li p d t nd m s s (d e li g hti ng in d li ct li ) th t had
a s e e e es e e a e es a
O p n d f f l h o d nd t he ci e f l ry ; th n n t he h and
e e or a se o a r s o ux u e o s
w ith t p i ng fi ng
a er f w hi c h t he o ft ki n hi d t
e rs , o y cn s s s v e re a ev e r o
t c
a t nd w hi c
, a h w o l d o o n no lo ng e r fee l e v e n t he ti c
u s kling o f t h e
w m o f t h to mb
or s e .
The fou rth version rep resents the p assage completely

b uilt up Flaubert h ad been adding b it by b it until
.
in this fourth d ra ft he h ad said eve rything that he

thought possible to s ay Th at much done he b egan .
,
the work o f lo pping away wh atever he deemed useless .
The fourth d ra ft is as follows
Th e n he re c
it e d M is er ea tu r a nd t he I ndu lgenti a m a nd pr o
t he ,
no u n e d c
in a high vo ic
e s o me w or d s of a bs olu t is m a nd d i ppi ng his ,
th u mb in t he ctifi ed o il he b e g a n t he u nc
s an ti o ns ; fi rs t o n t he e y e s
, ,
th a t had s o mu c h des ired all t he po mps o f t he w o r l d ; th e n o n t he

h fo r merly had d e li c
no s t r il s w hi c , at e ly s c e nt e d w a rm b re e z e s a nd
a mo ro u s o d o u rs ; th e n o n t he mo u th w hi c h had o pe ne d t o t e ll li e s
, ,
w hi c h had g ro ane d w ith pri d e and c r i e d o u t in d e b au c h e ry ; th en o n

C HIMES OF NORMANDY 22 5
t he h d
an s , o f c
w hi h the ppl k in su e s
for me rly ha d fo u nd
pleas u re i n te nd r t e c
hi ngou nd w o ld , a u s o on no lo nger feel t he t i c
kling
of t he wor ms o f t he t omb; th e n n t he o fe e t , c
whi h ha d c i d h to
a rr e er
he r ass igna ti ons an d tr a mpe d t he s tr eet pa vement , and w hi c

h wo u l d
nev e r w a lk ag a n i .
The italics above mark those words or ideas which

Flaubert thought best to su ppress or to ch ange in the
final version which is as follows
,
The pr i e s t re c it e d t he M is erea tu r a nd t he I ndu lgentia m, d i pped his

r i g ht th u mb in t he o il a nd b e g a n t he u nc ti o ns ; fi rs t o n t he e y e s
w hi c h ha d s o e ag e r ly c o v e t e d a ll t he p o mp s o f t he w o r l d ; th e n o n t he
no s t r il s , w hi c
h d e li c a t e ly s c e nt e d w a r m b re e z e s a nd a mo ro u s o d o u rs ;
th e n o n t he mo u th , w hi c h had o pene d t o t e ll li e s , w hi c h had g ro ane d

w ith pr i d e , a nd c r i e d o u t in d e b a u c h e ry ; th e n o n t he b and s , w hi c h,
ha d d e li g ht e d in t e nd e r t o u c hi ng ; a nd l a s tly o n t he s o l e s o f t he fe e t
o nc e s o ni mb l e , w h e n th e y r an t o t he s a ti s fa c ti o n o f th e i r d e s i r e s ,
and w hi c h w o u l d nev e r w a lk ag a i n .
Even in its translated form o ne cannot fail to s ee the

“ ”
vast s u pe ri o rI t y o f this last version Desired (env ié) .
“
the pom ps o f the world was a weak word Coveted .
’
(c o nv o i te) is S tronger more exact Flaubert sacrificed

, .
“ ”
the su pple skin and in place o f found pleasure
,
(s e pla is a ient) in tender touching he used the S tronger ,
word
“
delighted (s e d élec
”
ta ie nt) He renounced in .
the end the ridiculous idea o f the tickling o f the worms

o f the tomb : and with a S ingle phrase
,
— “
so ra pid
formerly when s he ran to the satis faction o f her de
” “
sires he re placed the rather S tu pid which had
carried her to her assignations and tram ped the S treet
”
pavement .
In Rouen a nd the count ry about Rouen Mau passant

also h as a S h are A fe w miles to the west o f the city
.
,
o n the road to H avre is th e village o f Canteleu with

, ,
“
its ch ateau built by Mansart It was the r e in Bel .
,
”
Ami th at Georges Duroy took his b ride who had been
, ,
Madeleine Forestier to visit his parents co a rse o ld

, ,
p easants who kept a ca ba r et Humble as was th is .
home o f ea r ly yo u th it was turned to account in the

,
sub sequent d ays o f Bel Ami s pros perity when at -

’
, ,
Madeleine s suggestion he pushed hi msel f into society

’
under the name o f George Du Roy d e Cantel The .
“ ”
story o f Boule de Sui f Opens in Rouen with the
- -
pictu re o f the stage coach and its ill assorted passengers

- -
starting o n the wint ry j ourney during the Franco

Prussian War The city is also the scene o f several
.
o f his shorter tales cons picuous among them Le Lit

,
29 while to come d o wn to more recent fiction in

, ,
Rouen ha ppened a certain e pisode th at is not likely

to h ave been forgotten by any o ne who has read Leon
“
ard Merrick s Conrad in Q u est o f His Youth
’
In .
’
later years Conrad was to learn in li fe s school the lesson
“ ”
th at there is no road b ack to Rouen .
p lane trees and its eighteenth centu r y fountain to
-
the ,
S quare Gambetta and its sculptures and convey use ful ,
in formation about hotel rates and cab fares But in .
the pleasanter world o f the imagination th e C a r c a s so ne
o f actual fact and munici pal regulations which ten

years ago was the centre o f disturb ance among French
wine growers is the make believe Carcassonne The
-
,
-
.
real city is the o ne o f the peasant o f Gustave Na d a u d s ’
p oem to,whom Carcassonne was always in the distance ,
always in the b eyond always in the Land o f the Fading

,
Twilight .
I m g ro w i ng o ld , I v e s i x ty y e a rs ,
’ ’
I v e l ab o u r e d a ll my li fe in v a i n ;
’
I n a ll th a t ti me o f h o pe s a nd fe a rs
I v e fa il e d my d e a re s t w i s h t o g a i n;
’
I s e e fu ll w e ll th a t h e re b e lo w
B li s s u na ll o ye d th e re is fo r no ne .
My pr a y e r w ill ne e r fu l fi l me nt k no w ;
’
I nev e r h av e s e en Ca rc a s s o nne ,
I nev e r h av e s e e n C arc as s o nne .
Yo u see t he c
ity
fr o m t he hill
It li e s b ey o nd t he mo u nt a i ns b l u e,
And y e t t o r e a c
h it o ne mu s t S till
F i v e l o ng a nd w e a ry l e ag u e s pu r s ue ,
And t o re t u r n, a s many mo r e !
Ah! ha d t he v i nt a g e pl e nt e o u s g r o w n,
The g ra pe w ithh e l d it s y e ll o w s t o re ,
I h ll n t l k n C a c
s a o oo a o r s s o nne ,
I h a ll no t l o k o n C c
s o ar a s s o nne .
There are other towns in France than Carcassonne

that bel o ng to the Land o f the Fading Twilight as ,
there are rivers and mystic pools and valleys and

. ,
A ROUNDABOUT CHAPTE R 2 29
forests .To th at Shadow Land belong the scenes o f

“ ’ ” “
Gautier s Mademoiselle de Mau pin and the Paul
”
e t Virginie o f B ernardin de S aint Pierre and the
-
,
M anon Lescaut o f the Ab b e Pr evost It matters little

“ ”
.
t hat there was a very definite setting fo r the last named -
S tory and that until

, ,
a dozen years a g o ,
there still stood near

the Pont Neuf o f
Paris some o f the o ld
walls o f th e Auberge
du Ch eval B l ane -
,
where Manon im
p atiently pushed open
the door o f the coach
and sp rang to the
cobble stoned court
-
.
In a book o f th at
k ind it is the vague
unc ert a inty t h at
fascinates ; the proper
home fo r Manon is H DTH A B LA N C
E OL C EV L
'
an edifice that never

had tangible existence j ust as fo r Mrs Rawdon C raw .
ley nee Rebecca Shar p w e demand a very definite

, ,
S tructure in Curzon Street Park Lane London and fo r

, , ,
“ ”
the Maison Va u q u e r o f P é re Go r iot the actual ,
building to b e found at No 24 Rue Tourne fort

.
,
Paris .
Ah th at Land o f the Fading Twilight ! th at border

,
land o f night and day o f reality and myth ! The scenes

,
’
of As Y o u Like It and the Midsummer Night s ,
” “
Dream b elong there and o f Mademoiselle d e Mau
, ,
” “ ” ’
i and bes o f all Th e Pilgrim s Progress The
p n ,
t , , .
attempt has b een made to identi fy certain descri ptions

“ ” ’
of The Pilgrim s Progress with villages o f B ed ford
shire They tell u s th at the book is a wonder ful alle
.
go ry ; th at Giant Pop e is a prodigious d ig at Rome ;

that the volume S hould be read in a studious thought ful , ,
reverent frame o f mind Perh a ps it should B ut most . .
~
o f us will con fess to liki n g it best as a romance and to
thinki ng o f the s o n o f the B ed ford t i nker as o ne o f t he

,
great amusers There are any numb er o f apparently

.
inextricable S ituations ; plenty o f stout b lows ; th e

narrative h as all th e contrivances o f stirring fiction .
Greatheart is every bit as delight ful as the Count o f

Monte Cristo and possesses the same omniscience a nd
omni potence In finding in this Land o f the Fading
.
,
Twilight men and motives ; in making it the scene o f

,
action and passion ; the romantic quality while a fac t or , ,
is not enough In the tales o f Dumas o r o f Scott fo r

.
,
example the scene o f action is a S phere distinctly our

,
own B ri a n d e Bois Guilbert Ivanhoe Quentin Dur

.
, ,
ward Le B ala fré no matter who the character or wh at

, ,
the historical period people th e world o f men and things

,
ta ngible ; D Art a g nan S tru t s the streets o f old Paris

’
his r a pier h al f out o f i t s scabb ard ; his dexterity his ,
u n fla gg ing s p irits his d ash amaze and delight ; but he

, ,
is above all a human being and the environ ment in ,
which he moves to the full as material as ou r own .
“ ”
On the other h and in M anon Lescaut or Ma , ,
”
demoiselle d e Maupin or the Carcassonne which the ,
Touraine B rittany and ad j acent p rovinces In the
, , .
ancient city o f Tours the great B alzac was born and to ,
th e city and th e country su rrounding he retu rned o ften

“
in person and o ftener in t he pages o f th e C omédie
,
”
H um aine Tou raine w a s the b ackground o f many o f
.
“
th e S ly t ales that go to m ake up Les Contes D ro la
” “ ” “
tiques o f Le C u r é d e Tours o f La Lys d ans la
, ,
V allée o f Gaudissart o f La Grand e B re t é c

,
” ” “
, he
”
a ,
“
s tory cu riously p aralleled in Poe s The C ask o f Amon ’
” “ ’ ”
t illa d o and in Con an Doyle s The New Catacomb ;
“
and above all o f E u g énie Grandet
, , With the pop
ular estimate o f Eu g énie G randet which appeared ,
in 1 8 33 th e same year as Le M é d é c
,
“
in de Cam pagne ,
B alzac was only h al f in symp athy Astonished by the .
storm o f enthusiasm raised by the book and always

grumbling at th e lack o f response to most o f his works ,
“
h e p rotested j ealously : Those who call me th e father
‘
E u g é nie G randet wish to b elittle me
’
of
’
It is a .
m asterpiece I know b ut it is a little m asterpiece ; they

, ,
”
are very care ful not to mention the great ones .
Associated with the memo ry o f Eug enie Grandet at ,
Avoine Beaumont near Tou rs is the Ch ateau d e Ve lo rs

, , .
The ch ateau was at o ne time a hunting lodge o f C harles

VI I It p assed eventu ally by fraud into the possession
.
o f P é r e Nivela n so that it b ecame the home o f his d au g h
ter Eu g é nie B alzac lived in Tou rs at th at time and is

.
said to h ave fallen in love with the d aughter b ut to h ave

b een re fused by o ld Niv e la u on account o f his po verty .
The S tory accord ing to a later owner th e Marquise d e

, ,
P o d e s t a d followed the facts very closely excepti ng th at

, ,
Eu g é nie s marriage was more actively unh appy th an

’
A ROUNDABOUT C HAPTE R 2 33
the novel rep resented it and lasted long years instead ,
o f a few months There were a lso several ch ild ren

.
,
whereas in the story there were n one but the real Eu ,
génie outlived them all and d ied in the early nineties

,
’
o f the last centu ry Th e Marquise d e P o d e s t a d h ad

.
many o f Eu g é nie s belongings inclu d ing the cruc ifix

’
at which o ld G randet
clutched when h e was
dying because it was
,
gild ed In later years

.
the ch ateau h as been

su rrounded by a moat
filled with water o f
which there w a s no
mention in th e tale .
“
B alzac wrote : Th at
cold sunless d rea ry
, ,
house always over

,
sh adowed by the d ark

ramparts is like her ,
”
o w n li fe !
EU G EN E G A N D E T S H O M E I R
’
Th e i l l u s t r i o u s
Gaudissart sublimation o f the c
, o mmi s v oya ge u r as -
B alzac knew the type sto pped when in Tours at , , ,
the F a is a n and when in the smaller town o f Vouvray

, ,
seven miles away o n the Loire at the S o lei l d Or All ,

’
.
traces o f those old inns h ave prob ably vanished .
“ ”
The scene o f the S tory La Grand e B retech e w a s
described as an old high roo fed isolated b ro wn ,
-
,
house th at S tood o n the b anks o f the Loire about a ,
hundred p aces from Ve nd Ome In the very sh ad ow .

o f theCath ed ral o f S aint G a t ie ns in Tours an edifice o f
-
,
which the beginnings d ate from the twel fth centu ry ,

“ ”
b egan Le Cu ré d e Tours The Abb é B iro t t e au was
.
o vertaken by a shower as he was returning from the
house where he h ad passed th e evening and there fore ,
walked as fast a s his cor pulence would permit across

the little square Directly north o f the cathed ral
.
lived B iro t t e au and a visitor contemplating a search

, ,
fo r th e exact structu re m ay find suggestion in a passage

,
’
which shows B alzac s care in the setting o f the scene no
matter whether th e story was laid in Paris or in a p ro
v inc ial town .
Si t u at e d o n t he no r th e r n s i d e o f S a i nt G a t ie ns , t he h o u s e in q u e s
-
ti o n is a lw ay s in t he s h ad o w o f th a t no b l e c a th e d r a l , u po n w hi c h
t i me ha s th ro w n it s c lo a k o f bl ac k , i mpr i nte d it s s e ams , a nd s o w n
it s c hill d ampne s s , it s mo s s , a nd it s t a ll d a r k g r a s s And s o t he '
h o u s e is a lw ay s w ra ppe d in pro fo u nd s ile nc e, i nte rr u pt e d o nly by

t he c l ang ing o f t he b e ll s , by t he mu s i co f t he s e rv i c e s th a t is a u d i b l e
th ro ug h t he w a ll s o f t he c h u rc h , o r by t he c aw i ng s o f t he j a c k d aw s
W h o se ne s t s a r e in t he hi g h t o w e r s The s po t is a d e s e r t o f s to ne , a
.
s o lit u d e fu ll o f c h arac te r, w hi c hc a n b e i nh a b it e d o nly b y b e i ng s in
w h o m i nt e lli g e nc e is u tt e r ly l a c ki ng , o r w ho a re b l e s s e d w ith pro

d ig io u s s t re ng th o f mi nd .
The neighbourhood o f Tou rs is the B alzac count ry ,

“
and it i s also the Scott country by virtue o f Q u entin
”
Du rward fo r less than two miles from the city are
,
th e remains o f the C hfit e a u Plessis les Tours On a - - .
near b y river b ank one summer morning in the fi fteenth

-
,
centu ry the young traveller fr om the H ighland moors

, ,
later to b e enrolled as an archer in the Scottish Guard ,

to which men were consigned with little hope of fu rther
,
employmen t d uring th e rest of li fe th an to b reathe ,
impu re ai r and to feed o n b read and water ; of th e d read

fu l places o f con fi nement called c a ges in which the ,
wretched p risoner could neither stand up right nor

stretch himsel f at length Th ese cages which Louis
.
,
amused h imsel f by inventing and th e m anufactu re o f

,
which h e watched with grim pleasure in th e th ree forges

h e established in th e castle were sometimes m ad e o f
,
iron and sometimes o f wood covered with sheets o f i ron

,
both insid e and o u t seven to eight feet long and about

,
th e s ame in height as a rule though some were much

,
sm aller Historians h ave found re ferences to at least

.
nine d istinct c a ges d e fer but p rob ably a ve ry much

,
larger numb er existed at o ne time About th e time .
th at Si r Walter S cott was planning o n th e scene th e

“ ”
writing o f Quentin Du rward h e w a s p rob ab ly e n
countering a t eve ry turn comp atriots o f both sexes ,
fo r according to B alzac th e English about th at time

,
b egan to a ppreciate Tou raine and d escended upon th e

,
“ ”
p rovince like a cloud o f grassho ppers In th e gen .
eral t ribute to th e ch arm o f th is section o f France there

was o ne d iscord ant note ; th at o f Stendh al w ho in his , ,
“ “
M e mo ire s d un Tou riste recorded : la be lle To u r
’
,
’
a i ne n ex is te pas .
To almost every co rner o f h is country B alzac went

fo r the scenes o f his studies o f p rovincial li fe Mention .
h as been m ade o f the books dealing with Tou raine ,
using th e nam e in its elastic and indefinite sense The .
region about G renoble in s outheastern F rance is de

“ ”
s cribed in Le Médecin d e C ampagne To the city o f .
Ang o u lé me belongs the fi rst part o f Illusions Perdues .
“ ”
Bordeaux a ppears in Le C ontrat d e Mariage and ,
“ ”
Limoges in Le Curé d e Village Lower No rm andy .
“ “
is in La Femme Ab andonnée Las Riv a lit e s , ,
”
and L E nfa nt Maudit ; northeastern France in
’
“ “ ” “
Pierrette ”
Ursule M iro u e t
,
”
Les Paysans and , ,
Une Ténéb reuse Affaire To B rittany we tu rn fo r

“ ”
the associations o f Les C hou ans which in the form ,
“
in which it originally appeared bore the title Le Der
“
nier Chouan ou La B retagne en and to B éa
”
trix which is interesting not only fo r itsel f but also
,
fo r its leading ch aracter Made moiselle d es Touches , ,
easily to b e recognized as George S and .
Now and again in B rittany the litera ry Pilgrim strikes

the American t rail Thirty fi v e years ago Blanch e
.
-
“
Willis Howard wrote Gu e nn ; a Wave on the B reton
C oast which became o ne o f th e most popula r books
,
P lo u v e ne c th e ancient town o f the tale

“ ”
o f the d ay .
, ,
with its one irregular street o f crow ded houses con ,
ne c t e d with the modern village only by a d rawb ridge ,
I t s fortress th at h ad known more th an fi ve centuries

,
of history and h ad been besieged occu pied and e n

, , ,
riched in memories by such doughty warriors as Du

Gu esc lin and De Roh an h as b ee ngenerally recognized
,
as the Concarneau o f fact although the present Pil ,
grim recalli ng Conca r neau as h e saw it some years a fter

,
the sto ry was written and comparing th e memory with

,
th e text fancies many discrep ancies Yet prob ab ility

, .
favou rs th e general b elie f fo r C oncarneau h as long ,
been a resort p articularly frequented by Ame r ic a n

a rtists As in the tale the ancient quarter o f the town
.
, ,
2 40 TH E PAR I S O F TH E NOVE LI STS
a grotto worthy o f b eing the scene o f the con fl ict in
which Porthos died like a Titan .
A fe w miles fro m Nantes is I ndret with its extensive ,
marine engine works It was th ere that Alphonse

.
Daudet laid th e scenes o f some o f th e most poignant

“ ”
ch apters o f Jack Daudet in his reminiscences h as
.
, ,
told th at th e whole episod e o f Indret was imagina ry .
H e needed a great cent re o f th e iron working industry ; -
he hesitated b etween C r e u z o t and Ind ret F inally he .
decided in favour o f the latter b ecause o f the river li fe ,
th e Loire and the Port o f S aint Nazaire

,
I t occa -
.
s io ne d a j ou rney and many S ho rt t rip s during th e s u m
mer o f 1 8 7 4 Taking in spi rit with h im the p athetic

.
little s o n o f Id a d e B a r anc
y s o i d is a,nt actress the novel
-
,
ist s e t about b ecoming fam iliar with th e atmosphere ,

’
th e class o f people among w hom his h ero s li fe was to
b e p assed H e spent many long hou rs on the island o f
.
Ind ret walked th ro u gh the enormous S ho ps during work

,
ing hou rs and in the more i mp ressive p eriods o f repo s e .
’
He s aw th e Ro ndis house with its little garden ;
he went up and down the Lo n e from S aint Nazaire ,
-
to Nantes o n a boat which rolled and seemed ti psy

,
like its old rower who was much su rp rised th at Daudet

,
h ad not p re ferred to t ake th e B asse Ind re railway o r th e -
Paimb oeu f S teamer And the h arbou r the t rans

.
,
atlantic liners the engine rooms which he inspected in

, ,
d etail fu rnished h im with th e real notes fo r his study

,
.
KI N G R E N E S CA STL E ’
!
XV I A PI L G RIMA GE TO TARTARIN
.
The R a ils of E mp th er eets of

P .
-
L M — At the
.
-
. e r e u rs —
St
Ta r as co n— The B a o ba b Villa — The C as tle of Ki ng R e né— The
B r id ge to B ea u c — The Wr iti ng of Ta r t a r i n d cTa r a s c

”
a i re on .
!
Thi c
h pts a ly n n ti c
er l w itt n by t h Pil g im m ny
is bas e d l arg e o a ar e r e e r a
y e ar s a
g nd i g i n lly pp i ng in t h B km n f Oc
o, a or tb 9 a In
a ear e oo a or o e r, 1 01 .
th p e i J l y b i g in P i h d ci d d th t h w l d i it t h l i f
r ev o u s u , e n ar s , e e e a e ou v s e a r o
A lph n D d i mm t l li n l y nd A lpi n c
o se au et s
’
li mb Th fi t im or a o -
s a er a e er e rs
p i n w w itt n in t h q i t P nc
.
re s s o s e re l inn th t b t h n
r e e ua n ro v e a a o re e so o ro u s
n m a f HO l d Emp
e o
“ —p h p it w
te G nd HOt l d
es Emp e re ur s
”
er a s as
“
ra e es e
r e u rs
”
nd in t h -
E pl n d
a n cfé t bl
, th t m t nc h b n
e s a a e, o a a es a us o e av e ee
b g d by t h ill t i
an e fi t fT t i n hi m l f H i ng b
e u s r o us b d th fl s o a r ar se . av a so r e e av o u r
ofT cn p i d d
a ra s o pc t t th T q
, a i n tig t due res y littl e s o e
“
a ras ue ,
”
v es a e ev er e
all y l d i ng t h R h n p d i nt t h c tl f K i g R né tw hil
e ea to e o e, e e re o e as e o n e , e rs e
h bit ti n f t h M nt n g i n p inc nd p cd
a a o o e ntl y t h b i d g
o e e r r e, a a e r e v e re e r e to
B ci t h Pilg im f ll w d t h T t i n t il f th fi t t M
e au a re , e r o o e e a r ar a ra ar e r, rs o ar
se ill nd th nc by F nc
es, a h t mp t m n w hi c
e e, h h w h nly p re ra s ea er o e as t e o as
seng c t h M d it
e r, a n n t
ro s s t h l nd f th
e T e S i ncth ne rra ea o e a o e e u rs .
”
e e
h h e twi c c g ht g li mp
as e fT cn t h l t ti m b i ng in M y 9 7
au se s o a r as o , e as e e a , 1 1 .
B t h f l th t w ith ct i n c
u e ee s h ng t h ld t y w itt n whit h t
a , er a a es , e o s or , r e e- o ,
sh l d t nd
ou s a .
j u ly I O 1 9 01
Ta r a r eo n, , .
I T HA S b een a d ay o f heat and dust As the vesti .
b u le d r a pid e o f th e P L M d rew away from the

.
-
.
-
.
southe rn fortifications and flung itsel f out toward the

,
Foret d e Fo nt a ine b le a u the fo g and h aze o f the morning

,
li fted and th e s u n came o u t and blazed obliquely

,
down In a little while th e hot d ust was filtering

.
th rough th e windows p arching th e throat ; the eye

,
b ecame tired o f watching th e ch an ging panoram a o f

little hills and valleys villages and rivers ; and even
,
th e j okes and th e gaudy cartoons o f the French co mic

papers b egan to p all . The wh ite ticket in pocke t read
”
Tarascon ; and th e books on th e seat th rown by—
p ro phetic ch ance into th e already groaning suit case
at the very moment o f dep artu re and b rought over the ,
Atl antic— told o f one Tartarin o f th at place and soon , ,
a s th e train clattered o n through the dust the rails ,
b eneath b egan singing their rhythmical song about

Tartarin de Tarascon ! Tartarin d e Tarascon ! Tar
”
t arin de Tarascon !
I f the h eat and whirling dus t parched the throat ,
there w a s a t least some consolation when the t rain

, ,
slackened its s peed and d rew into a station and the ,
gu ard d roned his Ci nq mi nu te: d a rr Et and a wh ite ’

/
,
a proned waiter wheeled up alongsid e th e carriage win

dows a white sp read table gleaming with amb er ho eler
- .
Only there were 8 6 o od d k ilometr es t o b e covered and

-
,
twelve hours in which to do i t and those pleasant ,
little o ases were sadly in fre q uent Midd ay : th e .
s u n blazing more furiously th an ever—th e dust swirl
ing in great gusts At Dij on there w a s tempora ry

.
and humiliation H e slin ks into a railway carriage a t
.
Marseilles hoping to steal to his home in the B aob ab

,
V illa silently a nd undiscovered Then as the trai n .

,
s peeds o n there looms into sight th e pathetic figure of

,
th e deserted camel th e sh arer and witness o f all his

,
Algerian mis fortunes Tarascon i s reached Down.
~'
.
the station step s Tart arin stumbles Then th e grea t .

,
“ ”
cry : Long li fe to Tartarin the Lion Slayer ! He ,
-
feels th at death h as come ; h e b elieves it a hoax But .
no there is all Tarascon waving its h ats H e is tosse d

'
, .
alo ft and carried in triumph The hid e o f the blind .
lion sent to the b rave C ommand an t B rav id a h as b een

magnified by th e s plendid s u n of Tarascon into a h er d
o f lions o f which Tartarin h as made marmalade The .
a ppearance o f th e camel gives th e final touch F or a n .
“
instant Tarascon b elieve s th at i t s d ragon i t s Tar ,
”
asque , h as come again Tartarin sets his fellow .
“ ” “
citizens at ease This is my camel
. h e s ays It , .
”
is a nob le beast It saw me kill all my lions
. .
Whereupon he familiarly t akes the arm o f th e com

mand ant w ho is red with pleasure ; and followed by his
'
, , .
camel surround ed by the cap hunters acclaimed by

.
i
-
,
all t he po pu la t io n he placidly proceeds toward the B ao

,
b ab Villa and o n th e m arch thus com mences the a c

, , ,
“
count o f his mighty hunting : Y o u are to imagine o f ,
”
an evening o u t in the d epth s o f th e S ah ara !
,
j Ta r a s c
o n, u ly 1 2, 1 9 0 1 .
TA R A S CO N I A N hospitality h as t o o ff er to th e visito r
Wi thin th e city gates two o r th ree l ittle inns built o f
s —
stone and tucco relics perha ps not o f remote cen , ,
A PILGRIMAGE TO TARTARIN 245
t u rie s , but cert ainly o f d ays long be fore th e town b e

came immortal th rough the ex ploits o f her lion slayer -
.
“
The o ne in which I am staying is known as the Em
” ’
pe re u r s I don t think that the name in any sense

.
indicates political partisanship But it sounds ; it .
“
sounds in its rolling o f the rs
, Had there been in .
the vocabula ry o r in the sun infla me d imagination o f -
the Tarasconese a title more sonorous more magnifi ,
cent more magniloquent it p rob ably would h ave been

, ,
“ ”
something else But I am a guest at the Empereurs
. .
It is a tiny French inn o f a type s o common here in the

li t tle towns o f Provence th at looking about in the mile
, ,
d— ma nger it re q uires very little fancy to picture the

city s Great Man dining in state attended by B o mpa r d
’
, ,
and B r av id a and P a s c a lo n
,
and even the insidio u s , ,
envious and j aundiced Co s t e c

,
ald e and all th e rest o f ,
the merry com pany o f cap poppers and Alpinists and -

, ,
colonists .
Tarascon is a p retty white town of nine thousand

inhabitants situated o n the b anks o f th e Rhone some
, ,
fi fteen o r eighteen leagues to th e north of the M e dit e r

‘
r an e an No t fa r away is Avignon where once upon a

.
,
time a Po pe used to s it in state and rivalry to another

Po pe in Rome ; and a fe w miles to the west is Nime s ,
with its splendid Roman am phitheatre Yonder, o n .
the horizon are the hills th e little Al ps o f Provence

, , ,
that fired Tartarin to his con q uest o f the Jung frau .
Ov er those hills Al phonse Daude t and his b rother

tramped as boys loitering on the pleasant b anks o f th e
,
Rhone listening to the music o f the country fairs and

, ,
watching the steps o f the fa r a nd ole .

Round the city o f Ta rt arin there ru ns a wide street ,
sh aded by trees and lined by shops and ca fés Here

, .
“ ”
and there over a shop is the sign : Chez Tartarin
evidence th at the town is not entirely unconscious o f
the source o f her glo ry This b road street is known as
.
the Es planade It was here th at Tartarin trained him

.
sel f to the h ardships o f his Algerian enterp rise m aking ,
the complete circuit at double step s ix o r seven times

, ,
o f a morning A fter o ne h as made the tou r h allowed

.
by his footstep s the feat does not seem s o astonishing .
The town within the Esplanade is a labyrinth o f narrow ,
winding alleys Here and there in front o f some mu

.
,
nic ipal building there is a tiny open sp ace d i g nified by

, , ,
the name o f s q uare In itsel f Tarascon is simply a town

'
o f Provence am azingly q uain t o f cou rse to American

,
eyes but distinguished from other towns o f this co mer

,
o f the world chiefly o n account o f its associations with
th e fame o f Tartarin Here at the end o f the Rue des

.
,
Martyrs a street which seems to h ave remained pr a c

, ti
cally unchanged since the fi fteenth centu ry is the H otel ,

“ ”
d e Ville where th e s acred e ffi gy o f La Tarasque is
,
ke pt Here also was held the famous t rial d escribed

.
“ ”
in later ch a pters o f Port Tarascon .
Wh a t a scene th at is ! The heated court room the ,
impassioned h arangue o f th e public prosecutor the ,
excited populace the procession o f witnesses contra

,
dicting o ne another and attesting one another s deaths ’

,
and above all Tartarin serene in mis fortune firm in

, , , ,
th e conviction o f h is o w n innocence suddenly rising ,

“
and exclaiming with upli fted hand : Be fore God and
”
man I swear th at I never wrote th at letter : then on ,
hold washed by th e waters o f the Rhone Tartarin w a s
, ,
kept a p risoner in th e d ark d ays o f his down fall ; and

th at it Wa s here also that his friend o f th e native q uarter
o f Algiers and o f the night watch in the co p se o f O le and
ers the Prince o f Montenegro was lodged fo r three
, ,
years at the expense o f th e S tate You remember how .
it puzzled Ta rtarin th at th e Prince knew only o ne sid e

o f Tarascon Th at o f course h appened to b e the sid e
.
, ,
“ ”
visible from th e j ail windows I went out b ut little ,
“
s aid his Highness . And Tartarin was discreetly
a fraid to q uestion him further All grea t existences
.
”
h ave mysterious sid es .
I t w a s with no lightness o f heart th at standing in the ,
middle o f the long b ridge th at sp ans th e Rhone con

ne c t ing Tarascon with B eaucaire I recalled th e last ,
TA RTA RI N , ADi E U !
recorded crossing o f Tartarin and the wave o f sad

“
farewell . When th at time comes at th e end o f Po rt ,
”
Tarascon th ere is no ga léja d e on the li ps Master
, .
“ ”
o f p a thos as h e was in such books as Jack and
“
Fre mo nt e t Risler Daudet never tugged more po ig
”
na nt ly at th e heart s strings than in tha t picture o f the

’
A PILGRIMAGE TO TARTARIN 2 49
Lion of Tarascon shorn o f his glory crossing the b ridge , ,
to die o f a b roken heart in exile in B eaucaire .
Onc e , l o o ki ng t o w a r d t he C a s tl e o f B e au c a i re , a t t he t o p, q u it e
a t t he t o p I th o u g ht I , c
o u l d d i s ti ng u i s h s o me o ne l e v e lli ng a s p y
g l as s a t Ta ra s c
l k lik B mp d H d i pp d
on . He ha d a oo e o ar . e sa e a re
i nt t h t w and th n cm b c
o e o k w ith— n th m n
e r, y t t e a e a a o er a , v er s ou ,
wh m d t b T t i n Thi n t k t h py g l
o see e o e l kdar ar . s o e oo e s -
ass, oo e
th g h it and th n d pp d it t m k
ro u , ig n w ith hi m a if
e ro e , o a e a s s ar s s
o f e cg niti n; he w s
r o fa ff m ll
o g a so r o , so s a , so v a ue .
Ta rtarin o f Tarascon h ad looked fo r the last time

upon his kingdom .
II
Daudet himsel f has told the story o f the writing of
” “ ”
Ta rtarin de Tarascon in the History o f My Books .
Perh aps the fi rst idea came at the time o f th e journey

—
to Algeria in 1 86 1 2 B ut the tale was not written .
until seven years later I t fi rst a ppeared as a serial .
in the P eti t M o ni tenr Unw ers e l where it was a com plete ,
failure The pa per was a popular o ne and its readers

.
had no comp rehension o f p rinted sarcasm So me .
sto pped thei r subscri ptions and others resorted to pe r

“
sonal insult One m an wrote the author : Ah ! i n deed
—
.
”
wh at does th at p rove ? Imbecile ! and fiercely signe d
his name A ft er ten o r twelv e ins t alments Daudet
.
took the story to the F iga r o where it was b etter u m ,
d e rs t o o d b u t came in conflict wi t h other animosities

,
.
The secretary o f th e pa per s editorial staff was devoted ’
to Algeria and the light way in which Daudet h ad

,
written about the colony exasperated him Not being .

able to p revent th e publication o f th e story he arranged ,
to divide it u p into intermittent fragments o n the ,

“ ”
excuse o f abund ance o f matter with the result th at ,
most readers lost interest .
Then came mo r e trouble In serial fo rm th e hero

.
h ad b een called B arb arin o f Tarascon In Tarascon .
there was an old family o f B a r b a rins who th reatened

a law suit in case the name was not immediately
ch anged Daudet h astened to sub stitute Tartarin
.
fo r B arb arin but in the fi rst edition o f th e book there

,
are B a r b a rins and Tartarins There were oth ers in .
Tarascon b esides the family th at felt itsel f direc t ly

,
lam pooned th at found o ffence in the j oyous tale Even

, .
in later years there were na t ives o f the little town who

sought Daudet in Paris in the same belligerent s pirit
“
with which the I rishman visited Th ackeray It .
” “
is something I tell you con fessed Daudet to feel
, , ,
the h atred o f a whole town o n you r shoulders Even .
to this d ay when I t ravel in the south I am always ill

,
a t ease when I pass th rough Tarascon .
But he was very proud and j ustly s o o f the creation

, ,
fo r all th at Judged i mp artially at a distance o f some

.
,
years Tartarin r unn ing his wild unb ridled course

, , , ,
seemed to him to possess the q ualities o f youth and li fe

—
and truth the truth o f th e count ry beyond th e Loire ,
which inflates and exaggerates never lies and ta r a s , ,
co nis es all the ti me

“ ”
But he said I c o n fess th at
.
, , ,
great as is my love o f style o f b eauti ful prose melodious

, ,
and highly coloured in my o pinion these should no t b e

,
the novelist s only care His real deligh t should con

’
.
sist in th e creation o f real persons in establishing by , ,

TH E C H AT E A U ’
D IF
XV I I . M ED ITE R RANEAN WATE RS

Villemes s a nt d D a ntes s
an Es c
ape— The M a gi cof M a r s e i lles
Di c
” “ ”
Co nra d s The Ar r ow of Go ld
’ ’
leens s Li t tle D o r r it
-
” “ ” —
R H D a v is a nd M a r
’
B a u de t s Ta r ta r i n a nd S ap ho . .
s e i lles — The S ha d o w of M o nte Cr is ta— The Ca nnebi e re a nd the

“
Ca ta la n Qu a r ter— The Chd te a u d If a nd I ts S tory — The I s la nd

’
of M o nte Cr i
-
s t o— T he R ea l E d mo nd D a nt es — M a gnet s S ha r e
’
M o nte Cr is to — Z ola i n M a rs eilles — Alo ng the

“
i n Wr it ing -
Rioi er a De
-
M a u pas s a nt a nd Ca nnes .
NE o f the most conspicuous fi gures o f F rench

journalism o f the nineteenth centu ry was
Henri Ville me s s ant the founder o f the Paris
,
“
F iga r o He le ft his own M émoires d un Journal
.
’
”
iste and a score o f his contemporaries h ave written
,
o f his peculiarities and his vigorous p ersonality Fo r .
25 2
M EDITE RRANEAN WATE RS 53
ex ample there is Al phonse D a u d e t s illuminating sketc h
,
’
“ ”
in Trente Ans d e Paris Ville me s s a nt h ardened
.
,
veteran o f a thousand bitter s q u abbles was neither ,
over emotional nor eas ily im pressed Yet o ne morning .
o f the eighteen forties he m ade his w a

y home in the
-
small hours wi t h news th at he was eager to impart .
His wi fe was fast asleep but he qu ickly shook her into

,
“
consc iousness My wi fe I h a v e so mething t o tell
.
,
” “ ” “
you . Wh at is it ? Edmond Dantes has j ust
”
escaped from the Ch ateau d I f ’
It was as if it h ad
.
been thirty y ears earlier and the message h ad conveye d

,
“
the in fo rmation : Bona part e le ft the Island o f Elb a
fi ve d ays ago He landed at Gol fe Juan and th e south
.
,
”
o f France seems to b e rallying to his b anners Vil .
le me s s a nt was merely a striking exam ple Thousand s .
o f other readers were equally agitated when the narra

“
tive o f Alexandre D u ma s s The Cou nt o f Monte
’
”
C risto reached the point where D ant é s took th e place
in the b urial sack o f the dead Abb e Faria and wa s
hurled from the rock into the s e a The story is also a .
sto ry o f Rome and o f Paris B ut in its epic asp ect it

.
belongs above all to Marseilles .
Every writer o f fiction who turns to Marseilles as a

b ackground m ay be relied u pon sooner o r l a ter to , ,
introduce the o ld saying o f the towns peo ple to t he

e ffect that if Pa ris had a C anne b iere it would b e another
Marseilles It is a laughter provoking s aying b ut o ne
.
-
,
does not laugh in just the same way if o ne h appens to

know Marseille s To introduce the personal note :
.
When the Pilgri m fi rst visited Marseilles many years

ago he antici pated a kind o f Mediterranean Liverpool .
2 54 TH E PARIS OF THE NOVELI STS
The train car rying him from the Tarascon o f Tartarin
entered the S aint C harles Station Without leaving th e
-
.
b uilding he p assed from the station into the Terminus

Hotel o f the same name The attend ant showing him
.
to his room threw wid e the windows and the Pilgrim

loo k ed o u t to gas p and gasp again It is his good .
fortune to h ave known the B ay o f Naples to h ave ,
seen th e orange groves o f Genoa in th e sunshine o f an

E aster morning ; to h ave b asked in the loveliness o f the
Lake o f C omo ; to h ave watched th e sunrise from the
Rigi Kulm ; to h ave b een agitated by th e mingled b itter
-
ness and j oy o f puppy love in the Castle o f Chillon ,
W here his mind should h ave b een occu pied by memories

o f B o nniv a r d and the Byronic poem ; to h ave found in
the spectacle o f the Esterel and th e Iles de Lé r ins from

—
th e C roisette o f C annes a fter month s o f Belgium under
th e P russian yoke and an en forced jou rney through
G erm any watched by eyes o f glaring hate—a peace and
b eauty th at h e h ad forgotten existed in th e world .
But looking b ackward he can recall no th rill just like

th e o ne stirred by the pictu re framed by th e windows o f
th e S aint Ch arles : to th e right the splend id mountains ;
-
,
to th e le ft Notre Dame d e la Garde ; and b etween in the

,
-
,
foreground th e Vieux Port swarming with masts ; and

, ,
b eyond th e d azzling b ay spotted with little isl a nds o ne

, , ,
o f them crowned by the outlines o f the Ch ateau d I f

’
.
Romance h as ever felt and p rob ably ever will feel

, ,
th e m agic spell o f Marseilles Frank Norris said th at

.
“ ”
th ere were in th e United States only th ree novel
cities : New York New Orleans and S an Francisco
, , .
“ ”
F rance h as many novel cities b ut excluding o f , ,
M E D I T E RRAN EAN WAT E RS 255
course Paris none s o stirring to the imagination as

,
Marseilles Rare is the writer w ho knows it and w ho

.
does not at some time turn it in some w ay into c op y

“
Only yesterd ay it was Joseph Conrad with his The
” “ ”
Arrow o f Gold Certain streets
. h e s aid at th e ,
“
begi nning o f th at tale h a ve an atmos phere o f their
,
own a sort o f universal fame and the p articular aff e c

,
tion o f their citizens One o f such streets is th e C an

.
‘
ne b ié r e and the j est : I f Paris h ad a C a nne b ié r e it
,
’
would be a little Marseilles is the jocular exp ression o f
munici pal p rid e I too h ave b een under the spell
.
, , .
For me it has been a street leading into the unknown .
“ ’ ”
Take Rob ert Hichens s The Garden o f Allah o f a
dozen years ago In th at tale even across the d esert
.
sands stretched the reminiscent sh adow o f Notre Dame -
de la Garde G uy d e M aup ass an t p ictured the laby

.
r int h o f winding streets cresting the eminence to th e

“ ”
west o f the Vieux Port in his terrible story : Le Port .
In Marseilles were laid the scenes o f certain ch apters

“
o f Dickens s Little Dorrit Dickens fi rst saw the
’
“ ”
ci t y in 1 844 j ust about the time that Monte Cristo
,
was investing it with a lasting fame in fiction The .
town o f the story was the town o f 1 8 2 5 Marseilles is .
in the pa ges o f Daudet We can s e e it with the eyes

.
o f Ta rt a r in about to emb ark fo r the land o f the lions

, ,
“ ”
or with those o f Jean G a u s s in o f S apho waiting fo r , ,
the coming o f Fanny Legrand in the Hotel d u Jeune

Ana r c —
ha rs is there is a street o f that name h ard by ,
—
the Vieux Port a n o ld inn facing the harbou r and
o pen in the sunshine to the raucous cries o f th e sailor
men and the strange odours o f a hund red forei g n ports .
2 56 TH E PARI S O F TH E NOVE L I STS
F or Marseilles interp reted by an American o f the
lighter school o f fiction w e can tu rn to the late Richard
’
H arding D avis D avis s obvious a ffection fo r the city
.
i s the more striking fo r th e reason th at it is introduced

in t ales d ealing with scenes laid thousand s o f miles
away ; for example o ne o f h is very b est shor t stories
, ,
“ ”
The Consul and the most finished o f all his novels
, ,
”
Captain Macklin In the forme r tale in o rder to
.
,
emph asize o ld Marsh all s pitiable plight in h is wretched

’
Sout h American post the autho r recalled the d ays o f

,
former glo ry when his hero w a s o u r Consul G eneral at

Marseilles w ho th ere in his o ffi cial cap acity h ad been
, , ,
called u pon to welcome Adelina Patti then the young ,

" “
q u e e n o f so ng. In th e concluding ch a pter o f Ca ptain
”
Macklin Royal in his home o n the b anks o f the Hud
, ,
’
son River receives Laguerre s cablegram o ffering him
,
a co mmission in the French service Then b eyond .

,
t he light o f the candles b eyond th e dull r e d cu rtains

,
j ealously
“
d rawn against th e winter landsca pe b eyond ,
e ven the slight white figure with its crown o f bu rnished

”
copper h e s aw the swarming h arbou r o f Ma rseilles
, .
H e saw the swaggering Tu rcos in thei r scarlet b reeches ,

’
the crowded troopships and from every shi ps mas t the
,
glorious tricolo r o f France ; the fl ag that in ten sho rt

ye a rs h ad a gain r isen th at was fl ying over advancing
,
columns in China in A fr ica in Mad agascar ; over

, ,
a rmies that were giving France fo r Alsace Lorraine ,

-
,
new and great colonies i n every seaboard in the world .
B ut dominating the fiction o f Marseilles is the gigan

“ ”
tic shadow o f The Coun t o f Monte Cristo which ,
b egan on th e a 8t h o f Feb rua ry 1 8 1 5 when th e watch

, ,
Apart from its significance as a factor in Mont e
Cristo the Ch ateau d I f is one o f the pleasantest ex
’
c u rs io ns th at is to b e found in many thousand leagues
o f travel . The j ou rney there the stay and the retu rn , ,
consume just the right amount o f time (the Pilgrim

is s peaking o f conditions as h e found them s ix o r seven
yea rs ago and which m ay o r m ay not h ave ch anged ) .
The little boat from th e Quai d e la F r at e rni t é re q ui res

not mo re th an h al f an hou r fo r the t ri p to t he rock .
Th rough th e Vieux Port to th e right o ld M arseilles ,
with its mouldy houses and winding alleys to the le ft ,
the towering Notre D ame d e l a Garde under the P o nt

-
,
t r a ns bo r d eu r and then b etween the Forts o f S aint

,
’
Nicholas and S aint e a n The I lot d I f is a triangle o f
.
b arren rock surrounded by a ramp art The donjon .
is reached by a gangway th at h as re placed the an c ient

d raw b ridge Lighted ta pers enable the visitor to
.
ex plore th e cell o f Faria and the cell wi t h the legend ary

hole The Pilgrim begs leave to quote from a little
.
guid e that he picked up o n the Marseilles q u ays :
E n la is s a nt d e c
ot e la legend e d E a mo nd D a nt es et d e l a bbe F a r ia ,
’ ’ ’ ’
d e no mbr eu x fa its his t o r i qu es s e r a t ta c

hent a u s i nis t re monu ment .
pa r mi pr is o nniers d e ma r qu e les fréres S er r es ; l H o mme a u

’
Cito ns les
M as qu e d e F er, qu i n y r es ta qu e peu d e jo u rs ; le ma telot j ea n P a u l qu i
’
s ; M i r a be a u ( 1 77 4 i ipp E i e ; le M a r gu is
'
y s é jo u r na 3 1 a n P h l e g a l t
d e Ki we re; hu it d es g a r d es d ho nneu r qu i a va ie nt c o mp lo té la mor t d e

’
Na poléon l a bbe D es ma s u res le c

o mmis s a ir e Go bet qu i
’
,
t er r or is a M a rs e ille s o u s le P r emi er E mp i re B o is s i n qu i bles s a ,
le généra l La ga r d e a Ni mes ; les r evoltés d e ju in 1 848 ; 300 p ers o nnes
d es ignées pou r p as s er d eva nt les c o mmis s i o ns mix t e et e nfi n 5 1 3
v a i nc u s d e la Co mmu ne d e 1 87 1 , p a r mi les qu els leu rs c hefs Gas ton ,

ME DITERRANEAN WATE R S 2 59
Cr emi eux , le gene r a l P elis s ie r , et Au g Etienne

.
—Le c
orps de Kleber
'
y
os e 30 a ns a s on r etour d Egyp
’
fu t d ep te
Apa r t fro m t he l e g e nd o f Ed mo nd Da nt es and t he Abb é F a r i a

th e re a re a nu mb e r o f hi s to r i c ts c
a l fa c o nne c te d w ith t he s i ni s te r
mo nu me nt Amo ng fa mo u s pr i s o ne rs w e re t he S e rr e s b ro th e rs ; t he
.
s a il o r, J e a n P a u l , w ho s t a y e d th e r e 31 y e a r s ; t he M an in t he I ro n
M a s k , w ho w a s th e r e o nly a s h o r t ti me ; M i r ab e au ( 1 774
P h i li ppe Eg a lit é ; t he M a r q u i s d e Ri v i er e s ; e i g ht o f t he g u ar d s o f
h o no u r w ho ha d pl o tte d t he d e a th o f Na po l e o n t he Ab b é
D e s ma s u r e s G o b e t w ho t e rro r i z e d M a rs e ill e s u nd e r t he
,
F i rs t E mpi re ; B o i s s in, w ho w o u nd e d G e ne r a l Lag ar d e a t Nime s ;

t he r e v o l u ti o ni s t s o f J u ne , 1 8 4 8 ; 300 p e r s o ns s e l e c
t e d fo r po liti c
al
e x a mi na ti o n in 1 8 5 1 ; a nd 5 1 3 Co mmu n i s t s o f 1 8 7 1 , a mo ng th e m t he
l e ade rs , G a s to n Cr emi e u x , G ene r a l P eli s s i e r, a nd Au g E ti enne . .
The bo d y o f K l eb e r r es t ed h e re fo r 30 y e ars aft e r b e i ng re t urne d

fro m Eg y pt in 1 80 1 .
Dumas fi rst saw the Island o f Monte C risto in 1 842 .
He was o n a tour in com pany with Pr in ce Na poleon ,
a s o n o f Jerome Bona parte In a small boat hired at .
Leghorn they visited Elb a and from there discerned ,
i n the distance a rock o f sugarloa f sh ap e standing out

o f the s e a It was Monte Cristo and then and there
.
,
Du mas announced his intention o f giving the name to a

future novel Then in P e u c “
he t s La Police D évoilée
.
,
” ’
“
he found under the title o f The Diamond and the
c
,
Vengeance the sto ry o f Fran ois P ic

”
, au d long since ,
forgotten fo r himsel f b ut destined to im mortality as

’
the Edm ond Dant es o f ro mance

‘
.
In 1 80 7 P ic aud a jou rneyman cobbler was b e

, ,
trothed to Marguerite Vig o re u x On the eve o f his .
marriage he was denounced as a spy by j ealou s rivals

and th rown secretly into p rison where h e r emained fo r
seven years During his inca rceration he acted as
.
servant to a rich Milanese eccle s iastic who suggested

th e Abb é F ari a The chu rchman t reated P ic
. a u d as a
son , and dying in p rison h e b e q ueathed to hi m seven

million francs o n d eposit in th e B ank o f Amsterd am ,
and told him o f a h iding place in Italy where diamonds

to the value o f twelve hundred thousand francs and
—
th ree millions o f specie consisting o f English guineas ,
French louis d o r Sp anish q uad ruples V enetian florins

’
, , ,
and ducats o f Mi lan—were concealed .
When Pic au d w ho h ad been imp risoned under th e

,
name o f Joseph Lu c he r w a s freed a fter the fall o f th e

,
Empire in 1 8 1 4 h e gathered together th e treasure b e

,
q u e a t he d to h im and b egan to b uild plans fo r v e n

g e a nc e o n th e men who h ad b een the cause o f his um
doing Their names h e did not know b ut disguised as

.
, ,
an Italian p riest h e found the least guilty o f the con

,
sp ira t o rs and by means o f the s ame story o f the d ia

,
“
mond which Dumas used in Monte C risto elicited ,
from him all the d etails o f th e plot Lo u pa in th e.

,
prime mover in th e d enouncement o f seven yea rs b e

fore h ad m arried Marguerite Vig o r e u x
, prosp ered , ,
and was the owner o f o ne o f the finest ca fés in Paris .
Unlike D u ma s s hero who s e t all Paris wild with cu rios

’
,
ity by his o riental extravagance P ic a u d went to work

,
humbly He sought and obtained em ployment as a

.
waiter in Lo u pa in s establish ment A mong his fellow

’
.
servants were Gervais Chaub ard and Guilhem Sola r i ,
the two men w ho with Lo u pa in were responsible fo r

, ,
his years o f suffering Soon disaster b egan to fall u pon

.
’
The p risoner s cupidity proved stronger th an his
hunger H e underwent such acute su ffering without
.
yielding th at his captor s aw th at he h ad gone too fa r ,
and a t last aroused to fury by this persistent ob stinacy

h e th rew himsel f upon P ic a u d and stabbed him to death .
“ ”
Crude as the tale is it is The Count o f Monte Cristo
in outl ine Pic au d is Dant es
. Th e Abb é B aldini th e .
Abb é Busini Marguerite is Mercedes Lo u pa in i s

. .
Fernand Antoine Allur is C aderousse Finally th e

. .
end o f th e tale suggests the method by which Monte

Cristo wr u ng from Danglars the stolen millions in th e
cave o f Luigi Vampa B ut considering the story from
.
every side one mus t not overlook the p art played by

D u mas s chie f collaborator Auguste Maquet
’
Th e .
s t ory as originally planned by Dumas was to h ave begun

in Rome with the adventures involving the Count o f
Monte C risto Albert d e M o rc , e r f Franz d Ep in a y and ,
’
Luigi Vam pa and his b andits Thence th e tale was to .
h ave shi fted to Paris and the development o f the v e n

g e a nce
. The history o f D a nt é s s youth was to h ave
’
b een b rough t in by way o f narration In fact th e .

,
Roman ch a pters h ad b een written when M a q u e t s ’
advice was enlis t ed It was he who pointed out th at

.
—
the early p art Marseilles the Ch ateau d I f the ,
’
communicating dungeons and the Abb é Faria was the ,

—
most interesting period o f the hero s li fe Dumas was ’
.
p ersu aded and in order

,
to ensu re an accu racy fo r which
the literary Pilgrim o f to d ay following the trail has-
, ,
reason to b e grate ful he j ou rneyed south in order to

,
re fresh his memo ry o f the streets o f M arseilles and the ,
physical as pect o f the Ch ateau d I f It was p rob ably ’

.
M EDITE RRANEAN WATE RS 26 3
M aq u e t most important contribution to the fame of

’
s
“ ”
the Maison Alexand re Dumas e t Cie He was the .
unwearied rummager o f documents Dumas without .
Maquet would still h ave been Dumas ; whereas Maquet

without Dumas as was p roven when he tried to play a
,
lone hand would have been nobody And tha t despite

, .
the story that Dumas his attention called to an his

,
t o r ic
“
a l error in the Chevalier d Ha rme nt ha l ex
” ’
,
“
claimed : The devil ! I h ave not read it Let me s e e ; .
who w a s it wrote th at fo r me ? Why th at rascal Au ,
guste ]e lu i la ver a i la
.
With Marseilles is associated the name o f Emile Zola .
B e fore E mile s birth his father an Italian had settled

’
, , ,
there and h ad planned extensive port im provements

,
th at were discarded in favou r o f the present B assin d e

la Joli ette About the time that th e Count o f Monte
.
Cristo was paying his last visits to th e city the elder

Zola was practising h is p ro fession o f civil engineer on
the C anne bié r e Emile in his youth h aving failed in
.
, ,
cert ain scholastic examinations in Paris tried those ,
o f Marseilles but with even more humiliating resul t s

, .
During th e War o f 1 87 0 h e was virtually ad ri ft in Mar

seilles there running fo r a short time a war journal which
,
was called La M a r s e illa is e In fiction he made u s e o f

.
the city as the b ackground o f one o f his poores t books ,

“ ”
Les Myst eres d e Marseilles .
To recall by b rie f mention a dozen novels o f va rying

importance o r unim portance associated with the
, ,
Riviera Monte Carlo went into the making o f W J

. . .
’ ”
Locke s Se ptimus Some o f th e most entertaining
.
“ ”
ch apters o f that best seller o f fi fteen o r s o years ago ,
Th e Lightning C onductor o f C N and A M Wil . . . .
—
lia ms o n wound th rough th e medium o f motor car -
,
construction now ridiculously arch aic round the fa r in ,
reaching b ays o f th e C 6 te d Az u r Readers seeking ’

.
light amusement with a th rill found it in B E Steven . .
’ “ ”
son s The Destroyer which revolved about the de ,
st ruction o f the b attleshi p La Liber te in the h arbou r ,

“
o f To u lo n f The Riviera was in Felix Gras s The Red s ’
“
o f the Midi in Maarten M a a r t e n s Dorothea in ’
“ ” ’
Paul J L Heyse s La March esa ; in W H H alleck s
. . . .
’
“ ”
A Romance o f the Nineteenth Centu ry Then there .
“
was Archib ald Clavering Gunter s M r B arnes o f ’
.
”
Ne w York M arseilles was in that yarn and Nice
.
, ,
and Monte Carlo to which the highly coloured villain

, ,
”
Count Musso came as S atan entering pa radise ; and
,
the narrative carried the irrepressible hero in a pproved

swashb uckling fashion across the Mediterranean to
rescue Miss Anstr uther in the nick o f time .
—
Of all the s pots o f th e Riviera Marseilles p roperly
—
speaking does not b elong there the Pilgrim likes Cannes
the best and holds it to b e th e most b eauti ful Its
, .
fi rst litera ry sh adow is th at o f Guy de Mau passant .
To this d ay there j uts into the s e a from th e Promenad e ,

“ ”
d e la Croisette the Maupassan t d eb arcad ere by ,
which th e novelist m ad e his w a y to the deck o f

his yacht the B el Ami; and app rop riately Cannes
,
-
played its p art in th e story o f the same name There .
George Duroy hurried in response to the summons o f

Mme Forestier and there by the death b ed th e u m
.
, , ,
spoken and unhallowed troth w a s plighted I t was in .
Cannes th at the cloud s b egan to gather fo r the last tim e

XVI I I . WH E RE TH E WALL OF ST EE L H E LD
I n F la nd ers F i eld The H er i ta ge of Dis a s ter — The F i c
— ti o n
of t he Yo u ng R ep — The Na ole o ni cE r a— The Wa r of
u bli c p
1 8 7 0 — The Gre a t Co nfli t c
.
N FLANDE RS field the poppies grow .
At the ti me th at this cha pter was fi rst p roj ected

the great sh adow still was heavy u pon the world .
Thirty fi v e miles from th e o ld Paris fortifications th at

-
h ave a pp eared so o ften in the course o f this narrative

if it may b e s o called — were the hosts in field gray By .
ten thousand a d ay th e soldiers o f the great republic

o f the western world were d isemb arking in French p orts .
B ut was it enough ? Could they b e a factor in the

struggle to c o me a su ffi cient aid in averting th e great
,
stroke d esigned to destroy the armies o f France and

England and impose u pon the world a German peace ?
With hearts heavy b u t r esolute we watched and waited
, , .
Then cam e the nigh t t he me morable night o f July

,
—
1 7 1 8 when Marsh al Foch gave the word and t hrough,
the shell scarred forest seventy thousand men in Amer

-
ican kh aki and French hori z o n b lue moved swi ftly and
-
silently to strike at d awn the German right Hank and ,
crush it by the blow that p roved to b e the b eginning o f

the end It is a wonderful thing th at those who died
.
did not d ie in vain Yet the s u blime pity o f it all is that

.
it w a s denied them to live to s e e with mortal eyes the

frui t o f their sacri fi ce .
WH ERE TH E WALL OF ST EE L H E LD 26 7
I n F landers fi eld th e poppies grow .
Nor is it merely a matter o f those w ho gave their lives

in the anguish o f the great struggle Across even th e .
joyous pages o f many o f the Frenchmen w ho wrote in

the closing years o f the nineteenth centu ry there is a
sh adow faint yet clearly perceptible It i s the sh adow
, , .
o f the s adness locked up in the caverns o f their hearts ,
the sadness o f men w ho did not need the inj unction o f

“ ”
G ambetta never to talk but never to forget Some
, .
thing o f the shock of the military disaster and national

humiliation o f 1 870 something o f the bitterness o f
,
l Annee Ter r ible they carried to th e tomb D audet

’ ’
could write in a gale o f gayety o f the ludicrou s de fence

“ ” “
o f Tarascon But recall Petit Sold at
. and L a ,
” “
Derni ere C lasse and o ld C olonel Jouve o f Le S i ege
,
d e Berlin w ho perh ap s from somewhere b eyond th e

, ,
stars sees the Strasbourg statue in the Place de la

,
Concorde stripped of its mourning wreaths B ehind .
the lau g hter there wa s ever the heartach e Mau .
passant s mord ant irony in some o f his short stories o f

’
the Franco Prussian War was s o c ruel that there were

-
readers inclined to q uestion his p atriotism Yet thi s .
was the man w ho when th e black night o f madness was

,
closing in upon him feverishly fancied th at France was

,
once more being invaded and mad e his servant swear ,
to follow him to help de fend the eastern frontier .
It is the same region th at witnessed th e response of

the Republican armies t o th e call o f Rouget de Lisle ,
Entend ez — d ans le s c
v o u s, ampag ne s ,
M ug i r c
es fé ro c
e s s o l d a ts ?
and the é lan th at b roke the Prussian G uard at V almy ;
th at s aw th e d iso rganized and b adly generalled troop s
o f the S econd E m pire crumb le be fore th e m ach ine
like advance o f Helmuth Vo n Moltke ; th at knew th e
s pirit o f fortitud e and s el f s a cr ifi ce th at enabled th e
-
W all o f Steel to hold du ring th e fou r terrible years th at

began o n August 1 1 9 1 4 Fo r centu ries to come novel
, .
is t s are likely to go o n b uilding plots in which th e

Great War is involved and finding b ackground s some
where along the b attle line that extended from the
Channel to Switzerland B ut the concern here is no t
.
with those books o f the future b ut with the books th at

,
h ave already b een written .
Fo r the fi r s t named period o ne can h ardly do b e t ter

-
th an turn to th e works that resulted from th at curious

collaboration known as E r c k ma nn Cha t t i an The-
.
spiri t o f Alsace o f the young republic and o f the suc

, ,
c e e ding Na p oleonic period is in the novels o n which

E mile Er c k ma nn and Alexand re C ha t ria n wrough t
.
together fo r s o many y ears There are fo r example :

.
,
“ ”
Mad ame Th er ese a tale o f a o ioa ndiér e and th e
,
“ ’
years 1 7 9 2 and 1 7 93; Histoire d un C onscrit de 1 8 1 3
“ ”
( translated as The Conscri pt ) and its sequel ,
“ ” “ ”
Waterloo ; Le Blocu s dealing with th e invasion o f
,
“ ’
F rance by th e Allies in 1 8 1 4 ; and Histoire d un Pay
”
s an, which runs to several volu mes carrying all th e ,
“ ”
w ay from 1 7 8 9 to 1 8 1 5 In Waterloo there is a
.
famou s account o f the great Flanders b attle which has

b een described in fiction by s o many pens ; fo r exam ple ,
“
Victor Hugo in Les M is er able s ; Stendh al in La
,
”
,
“
Chartreuse d e Parme
'
and C onan Doyle in The

and D Art a g nan wh en they would h ave saved the head
’
o f Ch arles I .
In the ch apter : At Land recies o f An Inland Vo y ,

”
age Stevenson wrote in a p rophetic vein :
,
In t w n g u rd c
a ll g a rr i
a ll s
sona nd e ill e nd c
o h lik e
s, a , r ve s, a su ,
m k fine m nti ci nt l d in c
a e a ro i i cb in a B gl nd d m er u e v us ess . u es , a ru s,
a nd fif f th m l
e s a re o mo t e cll ent thing in n te nd w h n
se v es s x e s a u re , a e
th y c y t h mind t ma c
e a rr hing a mi nd t h pi c
e t q o ic i r r es a e u re s ue v s
s it d u f w a r th y t i
es o p me thing p d in t h h e t B t in
s r u so ro u e e ar . u
th h d w f t wn lik L nd c
e s a o o i w ith littl l m i ng th e
a o e a re e s, e e se ov , se
p i nt o f w ma k
o s p p ti na t cmm ti n I nd d th y w
ar e a ro or o e o o o . ee , e ere
th nly thi ng t o
e o memb It w a j t t he pl ac
s e t o h a r t he
re er . s us e
r nd g i ng by a t ni g ht w ith t h
ou o lid t amp f men ma c hi ng and
, e so r o r ,
th e t tling
s ar b ti n f t h d m It mi nd d y th t
re v e r era o s o e ru . re e ou a
e n thi p
ve l c e w p i n t in t h g
s a t w f ing y t m f E p
as a o e re a ar ar s s e o u ro e,
and mi g ht n s m f t d y b
o i ng d b t w ith cnn n m k e
o e u u re a e r e a ou a o s o
a nd th nd e a nd ma k e it
u l f a n me am ng t r ng t owns
r, se a o s o .
The fiction o f the recent war Th e sur face h as .
h ardly b een scratch ed yet a hund red tales in a score , ,
o f moods and in variou s l a nguages sp ring instantly to

,
“
mind There is The Four Horsemen o f the Apoca
.
ly ps e o f the Spania r d B lasco I b a fi ez w it h its ma rvellous , ,
p ictu re o f th e tide o f German invasion rolling u p to the
Ma rne and then reeling b ack in shattered de feat

,
.
There a re the q uestionable but undeniably powerful

“ ” ’
Le Feu o f Henri B arbusse ; and René B enj amin s
“ ”
G asp ard and Le Maj or P ipe e t Son Fr é re ; and
“ ’
Paul Bou rget s The Night C ometh and Ren é Bois
“ ” “ ’
leve s Tu n est Plu s Rien ; and G eorges La fond s La
’ ’
” “ ”
Mitrailleuse There is th e C roi re o f An d ré F ri
.
“ ”
b ou rg t ranslated as The F laming C rucible
,
There .
WH ERE TH E WALL OF STEEL H ELD 27 1
is the collection o f short stories th at bears the English

“ ”
title : Tales o f Wa r Time France wh ich introduces , ,
among others : Al fred M a c ha r d Mau rice Level F r é d , ,
eric Boutet Pierre Mille Madame Lucie D e la r u e

, ,
M a d ru s René B enj a min and Jean Aic

, a rd Two s tories
, .
“
o f this collection that are likely to endure a re Under
”
Ether with a definite setting b e fo re St Quentin and
, .
,
“ ”
After the Wa r both by Level Most of the writers
, .
mentioned h ave come to th e fore with the wa r .
B ut it h a s not been France s wa r alone The men ’

.
and women o f the pe n o f Gre a t B ritain and the United

,
States h ave b een keenly alive t o its responsib ilities and

,
its op portunities Although the story is fo r the mo s t

.
p art p layed out in English village lanes b eyond the

sound o f the gun roa r the flaming b attle front is eve ry
,
“ ’
where reflected in the pages o f H G Well s s M r . . .
” “ ’
B rit ling Sees It Th rough W J Locke s Th e Rough . . .
”
Road deals with towns o f Flanders o r Picardy where
the p resence o f B ritish soldie ry trans formed the Place
de la Fontaine into Holborn Ci rcus the Grande Rue ,
into Piccadilly and the Rue F e u ille ma is nil into Regent

,
“ ” ’
S t reet There are Mrs Humph ry Ward s Missing ;
. .
“ ” “ ’
and Sna it h s The Coming and W a l pole s The Dark
’
,
”
Forest ; and St John I rvine s C ha ng ing W ind s and
” “ ’ '
“ ’ ”
Lord D u ns a ny s Tales o f Wa r and two score more ,
.
American fiction The region about Soissons is in

.
Ri ch ard H arding Davis s stirring “

Somewhere in ’
France and two miles from Soissons is the little town o f

,
“ ’
C rouy which figured in Doro thy C anfi e ld s Home
,
” ’
Fire s in Fr a nce There are Edith Wharton s Th e
.
”
Ma rne and Eleanor Atkinson s Poilu ; a Dog o f
,
’
’ “
Roub aix and Lo u is Josep h Vance s Th e False Faces ,
b egan on th e fighting line ; and the C anadian Ralph Con ,

“ ” ’
no r h as written : The S ky Pilot in No Man s Land
, .
Tale s o f heroic sacrifice fo r th e most part and o f th e ,
land under the blight but with an underlying note o f

,
resolute hope and o f confid ence in th e eventual victo ry .
Le j o u r d e g l o i re e s t i
a rr v é .
274 THE PARI S o r TH E NOVELI STS
grizzled iron veteran w ho fi gures in the p ages o f the
,
”
Vicomte de B r ag e lo nne ?
This has been t he rambling record of many rambling
pilgrimages But there is o ne pilgrimage perh ap s the
.
,
b est o f all which th e author h as not m ad e except in

, ,
p leasant d ay d reams I f a kindly fate sometime b rings

.
these d ay d reams t o reality he will find himsel f by the

Porte S ain t Denis in Paris a t the steering wheel o f a
-
purring high powered mo t o r ca r about to follow (the

,
-
,
Pilgrim is o f the p arty o f Merrick) the old world open -
road over the route o f the most spirited jou rney in all
fiction that mad e by D Art a g nan Athos Po rthos and
,
’
, , ,
Aramis to frustrate the scheming o f th e great C a rdinal

,
and to save the honou r o f Anne o f Aust ria C e rtain .
sceptics will prob ably b e inclined to take exception to

the idea o f the motor ca r d ecrying any so rt o f s peed as
,
iconoclastic contending th at th e rom ance and open

,
roa d o f the old world demand a lagging gait A lagging .
gait indeed ! What but the motor car could h ave kept
“
p ace with those i ron horsemen ? Look at those cloud s
”
which fl it across the s k y Aramis told Fou q uet in the
,
twilight tale th at Stevenson loved best at those s w a l ,
lows that cut the ai r D Art a g nan moves mo re q uickly

.
’
th an the cloud o r the bird ; d Art a g nan is the wind which

’
carries them .
To attempt to follow in reality th at fi rst jou rney o f

t he Musketeers would b e to d iscover a France ve ry dif
fe re nt from the France o f 1 6 2 8 where the all powerful,

-
Richelieu planted h is minions at every turn So .
the p ilgrimage is o ne th at may with s a t is faction be

m ade at home b eyond the magic doo r with a s even
, ,
TH E OLD-WORLD OPEN ROAD 275
t e e nt h- century map and h alf a score o f volumes dealing

,
with the o ld worl d o pen road and conditions o f travel

-
and bygone inns as com panions Beyond the old .
b arrier lea v ing behind the Paris o f narrow W i nding

, ,
streets th e route is pl a in All night th e fou r galloped

, .
,
arriving at eight I n the morning at Ch a ntilly where

they descended at the inn known as the Grand S aint
”
Martin There w a s encountered th e stranger w ho
.
selected th e cons picuous Porthos a s th e leader o f the ex

p e d it io n and delayed him fo r the pu rposes o f a d u e l Th e .
others proceeding stop ped fo r two hours at B eauvais

, ,
to rest their horses and wait fo r Porthos A league .
beyond Beauvais they met the grou po f pretended work

men Aramis wounded in t he b rawl was le ft to recove r
.
, ,
“
Crevecoeu r At Amiens at th e inn o f the Golden
.
,
”
Lily Athos w a s a r re s t e d o n a t rumped u p charge o f
,
-
p assing counte rfeit money a nd D Art a g nan galloped ,

’
on alone to the accomplishment o f his mission Re .
tu rning from England the G ascon followed an entirely,

’
di fferent route In accord ance with B uckingh am s
.
directions he landed at S aint Val ery wh ere he went to -

,
a n inn without name o r S ign a sailor s den by the water

’
,
“ ”
side where he uttered the word Fo rward
, Thence .
“ ”
to Blagny and to Ne u ch atel where at th e Herse d Or ,
’
( the Golden H arrow) the p assword p rovided him with

a fresh horse He was instructed to travel in the gen
.
eral direction o f Rouen but to leave th e city on his ,
right and to go to E couis there to descend at the only

, ,
inn o f the town the E cu d Or“

, From E couis he ’
.
proceeded to Pontoise and then o n to Paris .
In the inn names associated with the jou rney there

i s th e real seventeenth centu ry ring According t o
-
.
. .
“
E S B at e s s Tourn in 1 6 00
’
— 1 6 00 was twenty
fi v e years b e fore th e D Ar t a g na n o f Dumas came u pon

’
the scene o f fi c t io n— in a list o f three hund red and fi ft y

eight di fferent inns mentioned by travellers the ,
“ ”
Crown o ccu rred most frequently (thirty two times ) -
,
“
mainly as a result o f E cu de France being s o favou rite
“ ” “
a name in France White Horses and
. Golden
”
Lions seemed to b e nearly a s po pula r Of ecclesiasti .
“ ”
cal si gns the C ross occurred twenty two times eleven -
,
“ ” “ ”
o f which were White ; th e Th ree Kings fou rteen ,
”
times ; and th e Red H at o r its e q uivalents the
‘
, ,
“ “
C ardinal s H at or th e Ca rdinal ( seven ) ; but o f
’
s aints there were no more than tw enty fi v e altogether -

,
“ ”
including fi ve o f Ou r Lady About the time o f the
.
active youth o f D Art a g na n there was coming in a new

’
fashion apparently s e t by Paris o f naming inns

,
That
, .
was fo r th e pur pose o f a ppeali ng to a special client ele .
“ ”
Thus the Ville de B rissac catered to Protestants ;
“ ”
the Ville d e H ambou rg to G ermans ; while at Calais
“ ”
the Petit S aint Jean w a s a meeting place fo r
-
S cotchmen .
The C h anne l crossing fi gu res p rominently in all the

books d ealing with the Musketeers There was D Art ag .
’
“
nan s visit t o B ucking h am in Les Trois M o u s q u e
’
”
tai t es ; the j ou rney to England made by the fou r in the
ho pe o f s aving Charles the First ; and the return by ,
means o f the felucca that was blown u p and th e open

“ ”
boat And in Le Vicomte d e B r a g e lo nne the tri p
.
,
made by Athos Comte d e la F er e to find the bu ried

, ,
million and th at o f D Art ag nan as a result o f which he

,
’
,
Calais Dunkirk or Boulogne is only a guinea each p assen
, ,
ger : the p assage is commonly made in sixteen o r twenty

“
hou rs : this scheme is much more commend able than g o

ing to Dover ; where should you ch ance to b e wind ,
”
bound it will cost you at least h al f a guinea a d ay
, .
At C alais D u ma s s Joseph B alsamo and th e B ritish

,
’
ch aracters o f S mollett if they h a ppened t o b e Paris

“ ” ’
bound and the hero O f S terne s Sentimental Journey
, ,
’
all p rob ab ly stayed at Dessein s whose p raises Thack ,
c ray was later to sing That inn — according to th e .
“
ig ht e e nt h centu ry An Essay to Direct and Extend the
”
In q uiries o f Pat riotic Tr av e lle r s ( there were long
—
x
winded titles in those d ays) w a s o ne o f the most exten

“
sive in Europe with s q uares gardens shops o f all
, , ,
”
kinds work shop s and a h andsome theat re
,
-
, The .
same authority speaks o f an inn at C h alons with rooms , ,

“
fu rnished th roughout with silk and d amask the very ,
linings o f th e rooms and bedcovers not excepted .
“ ”
Young in h is Travels in France p roclaimed the
, ,
“ ”
Hotel Henri IV at Nantes the fi nest inn in E uro pe ,
“
s a y ing : it cost liv fu rnished and is let at .
,
per ann with no rent fo r the fi rst year It

.
, .
contains sixty b ed s fo r masters and twenty fi v e stalls -
fo r horses S ome o f th e a partments o f two rooms

.
,
very neat are 6 liv a d ay ; o ne good 3 liv but fo r mer

, . .
,
chants 5 liv pe r diem fo r dinner supper wine and ch am

.
, ,
On the other h and Young recorded th at at

”
b er
.
,
“
M o u lins in the Loi re region h e went to the Beauti
i
, ,
”
fu l Image but found it s o b ad th at he le ft it and went
”
to th e G olden Lion which w a s worse ; and that at
S aint G irons in the B asses Pyren ees a town o f fou r
-
,
-
,
TH E OLD-WORLD OPEN ROAD 2 79
or fiv e thousand inh ab itants he w as forced to pu t up at ,

“
a public house undeserving the name o f inn
-
A .
w retched hag the d emon o f b eas t liness p resides there

, , .
I laid not rested in a ch amb er over a stable It co uld

, , .
give me but two stale eggs B ut the inns all the way .
from N imes are wretched excep t at Lod eve G anges , , ,

”
Carcassonne and Mirepoix, .
To revert to the d ays o f the Musketeers Les Vo y a .
”
e u rs en France tells o f a t raveller w ho in 1 6 31 went
g , , ,
through the count ry on foot and o n horseb ack ; O ften

“
going o ut o f the beaten track He noted : In certain .
villages in certain towns even in the centre o f France

, ,
the inns l ack everything One can h ardly fi nd b read

.
and a fi re B eds are wanting The Musketeers thanks

. .
,
p erha ps to th e leng t h o f thei r sword s usually managed ,
to command material hospitality especially in the mat ,
ter o f wine We are astonished at the extent o f th e

.
potations O f Athos above all at th at deb auch at the

,
”
Golden Lily o f Amiens when the wine fumes moved ,
h int to the na rration o f the story o f his marriage in early

li fe to the woman s o soon to rea ppear upon the scene as
Milady Countess d e Winter Remember in the con
,
.
,
ne c t io n th at outside o f S pain and Tu rkey Euro p

, eans ,
O f the period thought water unhealthy a French inn ,
b reak fast consisted o f a glass o f wine and just a mouth

fu l o f b read and travellers as o ften as not cleaned
, , ,
their teeth with wine Nor is there anyth in g astonish

.
ing in the care with whic h D Ar t ag nan o r Chicot the ’

,
Jester at an earlier period examined their surroundings

when they h ap pened to be s pending the night at a
strange inn Among the p roverb s imp ressed u pon
.
persons about to travel in the seventeenth centu ry was
“
o ne : In an inn b ed room which contains big pictures ,
look behind the l atter to s e e if they d o not conceal a

”
secret doo r o r a window
, .
The good Dumas loved the fi v e franc piece loved

-
,
it fo r the ple a su re o f scattering it to the fou r winds .
Consequently the Musketeers o f his fancy were gener

o u s ly endowed with s p endth rift qualities and were con
,
t inu a lly con fronted with the p roblem o f finding money
fo r new equi pment or fo r the expenses o f a p roj ected

journey D Art a g nan did not disd ain graciously to
.
’
acce pt a roll o f gold from the h and o f Louis XI I I Th e .
p u rch asing power o f money in the early h al f o f th e

seventeenth centu ry m ay b e roughly estimated as ten
times th at o f the present d ay o r five times th at o f fi ve
,
o r s ix years ago Yet despite this disp a rity the cost

.
o f travel was greater th an it is now in th e ti mes o f the
railways Following th e o pen road by coach horse

.
,
hire alone cost from th ree to ten sous a mile ; there were
plenty o f highw a y tolls ; and in crossing a ferry th e
fer ryman occasionally m ade th e pa ssengers pa y wh a t
ever he pleased by collecting fa res in the middle o f the
river It is quite unlikely how ever that this particula r
.
, ,
for m o f extortion was ever p ractised at the expense o f

Messieurs les Mousquetaires .
viewed it th rough the eye s o f matu rity B ut it was a .
Euro pe ve ry di fferent from the o ne we contemplate in

Anno Domini 1 9 1 9 the o ne which w e are all ho ping to
,
revisit e re many years h ave passed the o ne which the

w
,
writer o f these lines last s aw in its stress and turmoil a

b rie f two years ago .
I f in th e h ighly commend abl e resolution to eschew

fo r the rest o f o u r lives everything o f late enemy origin
a single exce ption should b e made the writer s impulse ,
’
would b e to s peak fo r those familiar red bound books -

,
to which several generations o f Americans h ave gone

about clinging that b ear the im print o f a publishing
,
house o f Leipsic Undoubtedly treachery long skulked

.
behind the respectable name and agents travelling fo r

,
“
the ostensible p urpose o f keeping the books u pto -
”
d ate and seeing th at starred hotels and restau rants
,
continued to dese rve the distinction con ferred upon

them were in reality engaged in t he more sinister busi
,
ness o f selecting gun sites fo r P r ussian b atteries in

Northern France and m aking notes o n inade q u ately
,
d e fend ed beaches o f E ast Anglia But in the m atter .
o f original authorshi p it was usu ally wh at might be
called an Entente a ffair E nglishmen com piled the

.
” “
books o n London and Environs Great B ritain and
,
” “ ”
I reland United States and Canad a ; Frenchmen
,
“ ” “ ”
wrote those dealing with Paris Northern France
, ,
“
Southern France and the southern count ries
,
.
Take up o ne o f those books bearing a d ate o f the

ig h t ie s to realize the ch anges that thirty years h ave
wrought in a Eu rope th at we h ave regarded as unchang
ing I f the book at h and h ap pens to deal with London
.
,
M Y OLD EUROP E 2 83
it is a London without a Tube system a S avoy Hotel , ,
a Hotel Cec il or any o f hal f a dozen new and familiar

,
hostelries and the ma ps will show o ld streets wit h

,
na mes that recall Dickens where the b road Kingsway

now runs Paris is a Paris without an Ei ffel Tower
.
,
to mention the fi rst monument which the travel

ler d iscerns when a pproaching la v i lle lu mier e Pre p .
a r a t io ns fo r the t ransatlantic j ou rney invo lve consider
ation o f the merits o f the Inman Line the Guion Line , ,
the American Steamshi p Com pany the Nat i onal ,
S teamshi p Com pany the State Line It is almost like

, .
picking u po ne o f those qu aint o ld ti me guide books to -
the United S t ates embellished by wood cuts in which

, ,
the traveller in New York is advised to stay at the

Astor House or the American Hotel o pposite the City
, ,
H all Park ; o r the United Sta t es Hotel in Fulton Street ,
which h ad formerly been H o lt s ; o r Florence s at B road

’ ’
“
way and Walker Street describ ed as a new and elegant
,
”
establish ment ; and when h aving do ne with Man,
h attan and bound fo r Philadel phia is directed to em

, ,
b ark a t B atte ry Place o n the boat fo r South Amboy ,
thence continuing the journey over the rails o f the Cam

den and Amboy .
But this is the narrative no t o f old guide books but

, ,
o f early i mp ressions How cu rious those early i mpres

.
sio ns are ! What trivial inconsequential yet delight ful

, ,
associations the name o f a city seen in the flush o f firs t

y ou t h awakens in the memory m
Ro e ! I s e e a toy
.
sho p in a street the name o f which is long s ince fo r

gotten and a window in which were dis played boxes
,
o f fascinating lead soldiers shining in their uni forms o f

,
Italian green Or again I s e e a bit o f the Fo rum or t he
.
,
warm sunlight on the Palatine Hill or in St Peter s , .

’
near the Alta r a painting d e picting S aint Michael and

,
—
the Dragon t h at h aunted me fo r months to this d a y
I am ignorant o f the title o f the pictu re and the name o f
— “ ’
the p ainter o r Michael Angelo s The Last Judg
men t in th e Sistine Chapel Ve nic
”
e !
Leaving the
.
’
railway station at five o clock in the morning a fter a
night ride from Florence the jou rney by gondola to ,
t he hotel facing th e Grand Canal th e q uaint warning ,
call o f th e boatman when a pproaching the street cor

ners and a fterward th e pigeons in the Piazz a o f St
, .
M ark Como ! Many hued lizard s scam pering over

.
-
the wa rm walls in the sunshine B as le! A hotel .
“ ”
known as The Th ree Kings and again fascinating ,
lead soldiers t h s ti me in the uni forms o f the Swis s

i
,
Republic Geneva !
. A narrow street o ne block back
from the lake front where the windows o f the shop s
,
glittered w ith snow covered toy c ha le ts

-
.
In the case o f Rome Venice and Como those first

, , ,
im pressions h ave been the only im pressions In r e .
visiting cities a fter the lapse o f many years there is at

times something almost uncanny Take the Swiss .
ca pital o f Berne I s aw it first in 1 887 with the eyes o f

.
thi rteen For thirty years I carried it in vivid memory

. .
I felt th at my knowledge o f it as it actually was had

never d e parted I had but to shut my eyes to s e e th e
.
quaint streets with the flanking La u be n the fountains , ,
th e curious clocks and the winding river fa r below

,
.
’
Above all I had visual ized the b ear pit where the city s -
,
p atron b ruins roll in well nourished com fort and gobble

-
,
and helmeted Prussians and the desolated count ryside
, .
Then very early in the morning one w a s awakened by

, ,
a bugle call and th e sound o f tramping feet and looking ,
o u t th e window o ne s aw p assing in the street below

,
red trousered young soldiers o f France o n the march

-
.
No t those men but the sons o f those men were to hold

,
at Verdun and the Marne They were not known as .
po ilus then ; the word h ad not yet b een found o r if ,
found w a s not in common use

, France loved them .
a s her little pio u pi o u s and there was a gaudy illus

-
,
t r a t e d p a per devoted to their interests with the title

, , ,
Le P et it P i o u P i ou which to th e eyes o f youth was

-
,
irresistibly comic .
Tours and the b ank s o f the Loi re and in a word , , ,
all o f fair Touraine h ave come to mean to me in later

,
years th e associations o f Honor é d e B alzac his Eu g é nie ,
Grandet h is Lily o f the Valley his Gaudiss art his

, , ,
Ab b e B iro t t e au ; o r S cott s Quentin Durward riding as

’
,
“
S tevenson h as ph rased it midnightly th rough the
,
”
gib bet and gypsy h aunted forest
- - -
B ut to the boy o f .
“
nine w ho fi rst s aw Tours neither the name o f The Wiz
” “
ard o f the North nor that o f the author o f the C om
”
edie Humaine h ad any meaning His memory was o f .
certain good natu red French o flic

- e r s o f the garrison
w ho were in th e h abit o f dining at the hotel and who , ,
in th e garden courtyard a fter dinner permitted th e ,
little American boy to play with thei r swords and ,
bla gu e d him in funny English to his delight and their

'
o wn . Then th ere w a s a town o n the b anks o f th e Seine ,
a few miles from Paris called Bougival It was the , .
’
scene o f a tourname nt as s pirited to the vision a s Scott s
MY OLD EUROPE 2 87
passage at arms in the lists o f Ashby de la Z o u c he wa s

later to prov e to the imagin a tion Boats p ro pelled b y .
sturdy rowers were the steeds ; s pears with cus hioned

pads at the end the weapons The B rian de B o is G u il
, .
ber t o f the Bougival encounter ch am pion o f ch am ,
pions a huge man th e redoubtable butcher o f La

, ,
Jonch ere was d e th roned tu mbled b ackward into th e

, ,
water by an unknown youth w ho to th e amazed o n ,
lookers seemed almost slightly built Like the Temp

, .
lar the b utcher o f La Jonch ere received a second

,
chance only to go forth t o a down fall even more crush

,
ing than th e fi rst This time it was not the stalwart

.
B rian worsted but not disgraced falling be fore th e

, ,
lance o f the Disinherited Knight but the Hos pitalier , ,
hurled from his s addle like a stone from a catap ult .
Other memories o f Bougival An o ld inn o n the .
ri v er b ank with pa nels d o ne in p ayment fo r b reak fast s

,
a nd dinners by impecunious p ainter men some o f whom ,
a fterward becam e famous and w ere numb ered a mong

,
to u tes les g lo ir es d e la F r a nc
“ ”
e B ehi nd the inn though
.
,
thi s is a memo ry o f years so mewh a t later a garden ,
with many tables and gravelled paths and great ,
glass t anks in which little fi s h were swimming The .
s pecialty o f the house was its g o ujo ns fr its In respon s e .
to an order th e white ap roned c - hef scoo ped from a tank

a bowl fu ll o f the wriggling creatures and trans ferred
them to the sizzling p an F ar travelled th e fame o f
.
those go ujo ns fr i ts A mericans came to the little inn on

.
th e Seine b ank and there on S unday evenings o ne

, , ,
s aw familiar faces faces encountered in th e courtyard

,
Of the G rand Hotel o r in th e Continental o r at the

, ,
C a fé d e la Paix o r interrogating th e mail clerk in th e
,
b anking house in th e Boulevard H aussmann B ut the .
“
p ainter men wheth er they had b ecome gloir es d e la
,
F r a nc
”
e o r not h ad a ll de p
, arted .
I t w a s pleasant t ravelling in my o ld Europ e or at all ,
events it seems s o a fter all the years First there was .
th e t ransatlantic j ourney by the B r e ta g ne or the ill ,
starred B o u r gogne o r the No r ma nd ie the steadiest

, ,
liner o f her d ay o r th e Ga s c
, o g ne o r th e S t Ger ma i n , .
,
o r th e o ld F r a nce all O f the C G T

, or by the S e r v ia
. . .
,
o r Au ra ni a o f th e C una rd or the Ar iz o na o r A la s /ea o f

,
th e G uion Occasion ally be fo r e th e Great Wa r you

.
, ,
h eard o f o ne o f these vessels usually rena med and , ,
p lying b etween Europ e and some South American po rt .
Once they were th e aristocratic greyhounds o f the s e a .
Ashore th e American dining car h ad not yet been in

,
t ro d u ce d o n continent al railways The midd ay o r even .
ing repast w a s contained in th e wicker b asket which ,
telegra phed fo r ahead w a s thrust into th e t rain com

,
p a r t me n t in the cours e o f some th ree minute stop -

.
“ ” “ ” “ ”
The name Dijon o r Rouen o r Orléans meant
, ,
not Feu d a l history b ut your dinner Ah th at wicker

, .
,
b a sket with its contents to b e consumed at leisure as

,
th e t rain wound over Norm a n hill o r th rough vineya r d

o f Burgundy ! The hal f pou let r 6ti which was s o much ,
b etter th an roast chicken ; th e file t o f bee f the hors ,
d c the forea r m o f b read ; th e green almonds

’
eu vres , ,
fo r which one bu rrowed and excavated ; the h al f bottle

o f red o r white wine Degenerate descend ants o f those
.
wicker b askets o f yesteryear may still occasionally

b e found in the world I e nc o u nt e re d several such in the
.
West Indies I n the fiction th at I h ave since read
.
V
English-sp eaking boys in French schools are always

ad dressed by their French comrades as s a c“
r e God em
”
s .
\Vith me memo ry holds no such endearing e pithet .
Once in the pe ns i o n there was great excitement .
Everyone had been reading a novel by Henry James a s

it appeared in serial form Th e most exciting p art o f
.
the sto ry—if allusion to a tale o f Henry James may be

m ade in such a form —had b een reached and eager eyes ,
were watching fo r th e appearance o f the forthcoming

numb er o f the m agazine containing it When it ar .
rived it cont ained no new instalment fo r the sto ry ha d

,
b een finished in th e p revious issue and no o ne h ad

,
realized it I wonder j ust which novel o f James that

.
“
was .My imp ression once w a s th at it was Daisy
Miller b ut it could not well h ave b een I t is an early
,
.
memory in the world o f books ; bel o nging to the same

p eriod as my firs t literary memory In .the salon o f
’
the pens i o n in a bon net and d ress o f the six t ies and
, ,
carrying a caricature o f a cotton u mb rella ap peared ,
the lady whom w e knew personally as Mrs Lip pincott . .
From her own wr i t i ngs s he read o r recited fo r to a ,
fo rmer generation sh e w a s widely known under her

“ ”
pen name o f Grace Greenwood .
Perh a ps it was th e fl avour o f a literary atmos phere

imp arted to the pe ns io n by the presence o f Grace
Greenwood th at was res ponsible fo r a misdemeanour o f
'
which everyone is at some time o r other guilty th e ,
childhood essay in authorshi p Or perhaps that r a mb

.
ling screed O f moving armies and the c la s h o f b attle was

born in the fever o f a bitter yet j ustifiable national dis
MY OLD EUROP E 29 1
like which has never ab ated and which never will ab ate
, , .
There were in the pe ns io n two Germans o f perh ap s

twenty fi v e o r thirty who delighted behind doors and
-
, ,
when no one was looking in pinching cruelly lit t le ,
Americ a n boys Long a fter I s aw those Prussian face s

.
in nightmares wreathed in j oyous leer at the spectacle

,
ofp ain inflicted Ye a rs later I was to s ee similar faces

.
,
behind the Germa n lines in Belgium — faces o f o ffi cers

of his Im perial Maj esty Wilhelm the S econd —
,who
lined railway station platforms to watch the gh astly
return o f the c h6meu r s and to mock the heart f ending
,
-
“
cries o f the women : 0h mo n 0h mo n , ,
0h mo n fi ls !
,
P o u r la r eva nche with those pinches still tingling

, ,
I flung o n pa per into the field allied armies under the

flags o f the United States the B ritish Em pire and the , ,
French Re public Glee fully and under my o w n leader

.
,
shi p o f cou rse I hurled them against the hordes o f the

,
V aterland and very soon the goose ste p ch anged to

,
the scamper o f wild flight I n that wa r the Sta r .
Spangled B anner the Tricolor and the Union Jack

, ,
w ent right on to Berlin and th e Thiergarten echoed ,

“ ”
w ith th e delight ful strains o f Yankee Doodle Pe r .
h a ps it was a sense o f no bles s e o blige th a t prom pted the

author to permit the soldiers o f G reat B ritain and
France to join in the d ance There was a rhyme o f .
those days
Old B o ney w as a Fre nc h man, a s o l d i e r b rav e and t ru e ,

B u t W e lli ng t o n d id li c k him o n t he fi e l d o f W a te r l o o ,
B u t b r av e r s till a nd g r e a t e r far a nd t o u g h e r th a n s h o e l e a th e r,
Wa s W a s hing to n t he man w ho c o u l d h av e li ck e d th e m bo th to g e th e r .
which little American b oys in E u rope were cautioned
t o u s e with discretion lest it j ar upon sensitive French
and B ritish ears .
Then came th e d ay when walking by an elder s ,

’
side along the boulevard a stout short o ld gentleman

,
was pointed o u t t o me He w a s riding o n the i mper ia le

’
o f a p assing omnibus and he carried a n umb rella

, .
“ ” “ ”
That s aid my mentor is Monsieu r Vic t o r Hugo
, , .
Wa s it ? H ad the fugitive glimpse been the glimpse

o f another I should b e to d ay the fi rst to b e frankly
-
sceptical; B ut at the time even though the name ,
meant little I w as per fec t ly convinced th at th e shor t

,
stout man o f the omnib us was V ictor Hugo And .
looking b ackward it seems somehow th at it would b e

t reason and ingratitud e t o h arbou r even the sh adow
o f a doubt .
A fe w years later The b each o f the Norman town

.
o f E tretat which stretches along the s e a b etween the

,
Falaise d Av a l and th e Falaise d Amo nt At the morn

’ ’
.
ing b athing hour the eyes o f all tho s e idling on th e

sand s were they French English or American turned
, , , ,
in the d irection o f a strongly b uilt man with an air o f

a ristocratic aloo fness It was G uy d e Maup assant
. .
Later th e memory was to mean much to me H e was .
then in the full flood o f his powers and his fame B u t .
”
h e h ad j ust written Le Horl a which first suggested ,
th e gathering shadows o f the madness tha t was s o soon

to blight and extinguish him .
To what b abbling lengths those memories might b e

carried ! Ah my old E u r ope! I shall never s e e you
,
again as I s aw you in the morning o f li fe But in mus .

I N D EX
29 8 IND E X
F nkli n M 5 6
ra J ni n J
a 1 1 1, 1 8
F ri b rg A 270
, .
, , .
,
ou J h nso n
o O, 18 1 90
F d 40
, .
, , .
ro u e,
F ncu k B nt no 6 2 - re a , K
Karr, A , 43, . 1 5 8, 21 3
t
K e a s , 29
i
G abo r au , E , 89 s e q , 200 Ii in , B , 1 86
g
.
K 1p m
. .
G a mb e a , 66 , 1 0 5 tt g , R 3, 6 2 7 9 29 1 25 s eq
Ko c, P d e , 86 s e q
k
'
ti
G a u e r , T , 43, 7 3, 8 7 , 88, . 1 0 8, 1 5 8, . .
2 29
G av a rni, 7 3, 98 L
G e ro me ,
La fo nd , G , 270
i
G rar d n, E d e , 44 i .
La ma r ne , 43 ti
.
l
G as g o w , E , 1 0 1 .
Le ro u x , G , 89
G o nc o ur , E de, 1 50 t .
G o nc de , 1 50 tJ
.
l
Le v e , M , 2 7 1
Lo c
.
k e , W J , 1 25 , 1 44
our ,
F
.
20 2, 26 3
G ra s , 26 4
. .
27 1
G re e nw o o d , G , 2 86
G u z o , 35i t
.
Lo ti , P .
, 2 39
G u n e r, t AC , 1 8 1 s eq . . .
, 26 4
M
G y p, 2 1 3
Mcut c
Mc
c
Fee W 6
h eo n G B 4 , . .
,
, .
,
M a a r t e ns M I O 264
Halla m H
, .
, ,
M a ete rli nc k M 10
k W H 2 64
,
H ll c , ,
.
a e , . .
, M a q u e t A 47 26 2
H milt n C , , ,
.
a o , .
, M a rg ue r ite P , 269
H i F 1 43 , .
a rr s , .
, M a rg ue r it e V 2 69
A 32 , ,
.
M a rti n B E 1 7 2 6 5 2
gm g 4
yw a ar , ,
, . .
, , ,
e ry , ) 1 93 M a tth e w s B 8 5
H y P 26 4 , ,
.
e se, .
M a u p as s a nt G d e, 1 41 , 1 5 0, 1 63
H w d B W 238 , .
ar
o , .
, s eq 1 9 6 , 1 99 , 20 5 , 2 1 2 , 2 1 3 s e q
H w ll W D 4 1 86 ,
. .
,
o e s, . .
2 29 2
H g h R 1 86
u e s, .
, M ay nial 1 72
,
H g V 10 2 1 3 s q
u o, .
, 35 , 39, , 1 , e .
, M e nd e s C 1 69 ,
,
.
,
5 7 , 7 7 , 1 0 8 , 1 29 , 1 46 , 239 , 29 2 M e re d ith G 1 2 5 , .
,
M e r e d ith O 1 2 5 , .
,
I M e r ri ck, L 1 25 .
, , 1 35 s e q .
, 202, 2 26 ,
273
I b a ne z , V B , 270 . .
M é ry 35 I S8
i
I rv ne , S J , 27 1 t . .
M it c
,
h e ll S W 1 86
,
i
I rv ng , W , 1 7 7
, ,
. .
.
M o ffett C 1 9 1 , .
,
M u rg e r H 1 08 s e q , .
, .
J M u s s e t A d e , 39 1 0 8
, . , , 1 23
J cb W
a o s, . W 6 .
,
J m H
a e s, .
, 1 1 7, 1 83, 1 86 , 2 1 3, 2 1 5 ,
2 90 Nad a u d G , .
, 2 28
J a me s , G P R, . . . 1 24 No die r, C , . 1 23
INDEX 2 99
No rr i s C , 1 9 2
, . Su e , E , 4 3, 7 7 s e q , 1 1 4
. .
No rr i s F , 1 9 1 , 1 9 2
, . Sw 1nb urne , C , 1 68 A . .
Noye s , A , 5 .
T
O
Ta r ki ng t o n, N B 8 , 45 , 1 88 s e q
i i , ,
d e la Ramée) ,
. . .
Ou d a (Lo u se 1 0, 2 1 7 2 02 , 2 1 8
Te rra il, P d e , 89
T ac
. .
h k e r ay , W . M .
, 5, 28 s e q .
, 47,
P ay ne , J
H , 1 77 . .
ll p
Tro o e , A , 9 , 37
hillp tt
.
P o s, E , 8 .
Tu rg e nie ff, 1 5 0
P o e , E A , 89 , 1 5 2,
. . 1 79 s e q .
P r é v o s t , Abbe, 2 29
V
Va nc e, L J 5 , 1 90, 272
. .
Va n D a m, A ” 7 9
ggd jii
lz
R Va n S a a nan, M L , 239
l
. .
R
e
t
o b e r s o n, M 6
li
Ve r a ne , P ” 1 0 7
.
,
i
V g ny , A d e ’ 20
Ro us s e au , l
.
.
Ville me s s ant , H 25 2
V o n, F 1 07 , 1 1 0, 1 29
.
ill .
S Viz e t e lly , E , 1 47 .
V0 1t 3 1f e 2 7 I
S i nt B
a 1 08
e- eu v e,
S nd G 30 44 64 80 238
a , .
, , , , ,
S nd e
a J 64 au, .
,
S d V 16
ar o u, ,
W lp l H 27 1
.
Sc h eff A 44 er ,
a o e, .
,
S ctt W 36 1 24 1 85 234 286

,
W d M H 27 1
.
ar , rs . .
,
o
S ci be E 35 44
, , , , ,
W ll H G 27 1
.
e s, .
,
r
.
Sh w G B 1 41
a
, , ,
W rd t 6
e e ,
S mith F B 1 9 1
,
W h rt n
. .
a 1 86 27 1
o , ,
, ,
W hi tl J M 1 1 6
. .
So nnic hs e n, A , 6 s e r, . .
,
W illi m n A M 5 264
.
St hl
e nd a , 2 36 , 2 6 8
a so , . .
, ,
Ste rne , L , 1 2 4 W illi m n C N 5 264

a so , . .
, ,
W il n H L 1 87
.
Ste v e ns o n, E , 5, B . . 264
so , . .
,
St e v e ns o n, R A . . M .
, 1 26 , 1 30
St e v e ns o n, R L, . . 1 25 , 1 2 6 se q .
, Z
27 0 2 27 3
St e v e ns o n, M rs .
, 1 31 Zo l a, E , 9 5 , 1 46
. seq .
, 1 69 , 1 74, 26 3,
St re e t , J .
, 29 , 1 88 269
O
THE C UNTR Y LIF E P RE S S
G AR DEN CI TY . N Y
. .

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THE PA R I S OF

App roach The English Countrysid e—Along

II . TH E PARI S O F V I C TOR H UGO

Hugo s First Pa ris Home— Associations o f

—The F light o f Jean Valj ean and the Pursui t

—Dickens s D ays in Paris

i v THE T RAI L OF THE M U S KET EE RS

t e re t s to Paris— E arly Paris Homes — The

Th e Paris o f Opening Paragraph s— Th e Rue

—The Rue d u Doyenn é — Th e H aunts o f

VI I .ABOUT PARI S WITH ALPHONS E

The Rue M o u ﬁ e t a r d B aud e

p ressions o f Paris— I n th e Latin Quarter

V I I I BOH E MIAN TRAILS

The Migration o f Bohemia La Vie d e

The Lesson o f Laurence Sterne—The F rance

Sherlock Holmes and B rigadier Gerard

bond and S eptimus —M r Locke o n H is .

\ The B itter Years o f App renticeship The -

World S een from a G arret— Employment

Markets and Dep artment Stores

XI TH E PARI S OF G UY D E MA U PAS SANT

—The V alet F ran c ois—The G athering S had

o w s —The Down fall .

XI I TH E PARI S OF SOM E AM E RI CANS

I rving and C oo per—Poe s The Mystery “ ’

D Howells M ark Twain Henry James

E dith Wh arton Rich ard H arding Davis

Owen Johnson Louis Joseph Vance F

Berkeley Smith Cleveland M o ﬂ e t t G uy

Paris An 0 Henry Paris Trail

ABOU T R U RAL F RAN CE

Between Paris Quais— The Parisian Aﬁe ld

S amuel B rohl e t Cie —Versailles — The

Ville d Av ray Ch aville and th e Lake at Em

XIV CH IME S O F NORMANDY

The Romance o f Old Names— C alais and

Bernac ” — F ecamp Etretat and Guy d e

o f Yvetot— Mont Saint Michel— Rouen and -

Carcassonne— The Land o f the Fading Twi

— Belle I sle e u Mer and the Death o f Por

XVI A PIL G RIMAGE TO TARTARIN

The Rails o f the P L M —At the Emper “

XV I I ME DIT E R RAN E AN WATE RS

Ville me s s ant and Dante s Escape Th e ’

and Marseilles—The S hadow O f Monte

The Island o f Monte C rist o —Th e Real E d

Napoleonic E ra—The War o f r 87o —A St ev

XIX TH E OLD-WORLD OPEN ROAD

Old Paris fro m Da me

The Old Pont Neu f 72

The Rue d a H a u t Pave Looking Toward the

The P assage des Patriarches A B it o f Old Paris

S kirted by Jean V alj ean and C osette in th e

G ermain In This Street Was the Hotel

d e F lorac o f Th ackeray s The Ne w c

C ourtyard o f th e C onciergerie Whence S idney

the Scene o f F iction D umas s The Three

Th e Rue Visconti Where Honore de B alzac

Established the Printing Press Th at Ruined

and Died and Trom pe la—

The Rue Neuve S ainte G e ne y iev e I s Now the

sage Still to B e Found Near the H alles