. Bohemian Paris of to-day . ing a wonderfully realistic representation of anexecution by the guillotine. The bleeding trunk ofthe victim lying upon the flap-board dissolved, theflesh slowly disappearing, leaving only the whitebones. Another picture, representing a brilliantdance-hall filled with happy revellers, slowly mergedinto a grotesque dance of skeletons ; and thus it waswith the other pictures about the room. All this being done, the master of ceremonies, in lugubrious tones, invited us to enter the chambre de la mort. All the visitors rose, and, bearing each a taper, passed in single
. Bohemian Paris of to-day . ing a wonderfully realistic representation of anexecution by the guillotine. The bleeding trunk ofthe victim lying upon the flap-board dissolved, theflesh slowly disappearing, leaving only the whitebones. Another picture, representing a brilliantdance-hall filled with happy revellers, slowly mergedinto a grotesque dance of skeletons ; and thus it waswith the other pictures about the room. All this being done, the master of ceremonies, in lugubrious tones, invited us to enter the chambre de la mort. All the visitors rose, and, bearing each a taper, passed in single file into a narrow, dark passage faintly illuminated with sickly green lights, the young man in clerical garb acting as pilot. The cross effects of green and yellow lights on the faces of the groping procession were more startling than picturesque. The way was 269 BOHEMIAN PARIS lined with bones, skulls, and fragments of humanbodies. O Macchabees, nous sommes devant la porte dela chambre de la mort! wailed an unearthly voice. IN THE PASSAGE TO THE DEATH CHAMBER from the farther end of the passage as we advanced. Then before us appeared a solitary figure standing 270 A NIGHT ON MONTMARTRE beneath a green lamp. The figure was completelyshrouded in black, only the eyes being visible, andthey shone through holes in the pointed cowl. Fromthe folds of the gown it brought forth a massive ironkey attached to a chain, and. approaching a doorseemingly made of iron and heavily studded withspikes and crossed with bars, inserted and turnedthe key ; the bolts moved with a harsh, grating noise,and the door of the chamber of death swung slowlyopen. O Macchabees, enter into eternity, whence noneever return ! cried the new, strano-e voice. The walls of the room were a dead and unrelievedblack. At one side two tall candles were burning,but their feeble liofht was insufficient even to disclosethe presence of the black walls of the chamber or in-dicate that anything but unending blackness extendedh
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidbohemianpari, bookyear1900
