Paris herself again in 1878-9 . d, that she was brave in diamonds, and that from thesuperb chariot there exhaled an odour of jockey club, frangipane, oropoponax—I am sure I dont know which, not being learned in anyperfumes save that of the Vuelta cle Abajo, an odour very popularin the Island of Cuba, where the names of the principal perfumersare Cabana, Partagas, and Cavargas. Still the occupants of thesmart brougham were evidently two very important personagesindeed. Stay, there was a third : a snow-white little Maltese dog,with two sparkling black eyes and a crimson-satin bow at his chin,lie
Paris herself again in 1878-9 . d, that she was brave in diamonds, and that from thesuperb chariot there exhaled an odour of jockey club, frangipane, oropoponax—I am sure I dont know which, not being learned in anyperfumes save that of the Vuelta cle Abajo, an odour very popularin the Island of Cuba, where the names of the principal perfumersare Cabana, Partagas, and Cavargas. Still the occupants of thesmart brougham were evidently two very important personagesindeed. Stay, there was a third : a snow-white little Maltese dog,with two sparkling black eyes and a crimson-satin bow at his chin,lie battled with his paws, and barked, as though the broughamand the coal-black steppers and the servants and the lady in thediamonds—tout le tremblement, enfin—belonged to him. Whoknows ? Perhaps they did. Hastily alighting from his carriage, perhaps to keep an appoint-ment with a friend at the Cafe Pdche, M. le Vicomte let fall froma number of documents which he held in one lemon-kid-gloved THE SEAMY SIDE OF PARIS LIFE. 17. hand something that looked like a letter in an envelope. It fellface downwards, in the smooth black mud of the gutter. Instan-taneously—I never saw anything quicker—a lean young man, witha white pock-marked face, a faded ragged blouse reaching scarcelybelow his waist, deplorable pantaloons, shoes like miniature coal-barges past service and rotting in a ship-breakers wharf, and acap that looked like one of the late Daniel Lamberts gray woollenstockings with the top cut off, darted forward, went on his handsand knees, grovelled in the gutter, grappled with the paper, whichwas fast floating towards a sewer-grating, picked up the document,rose, and with a fawning mien, and a look in which cupidity andhope shone like a flame, wiped the paper with his ragged elbow, VOL. II. 18 PARIS HERSELF AGAIN. and presented it to the gentleman. Ce nest quune enveloppe,mon ami. quoth M. le Viscomte airily; and without taking anymore notice of the poor wretch, he trippe
Size: 1497px × 1669px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookidparisherself, bookyear1879
