! ni versi ty of C aliforni a B erkeley

From the B equest

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DO RO TH ! K. TH O M AS

T R I L B !

GEO R G E D ! M A ! R IER

‘ ’ A ! TH OR O F PET ER IB BET SO !

’ H élas j e sai s umchant d a mour

r s et a our ur T i te g i t 5. to

I! TH R EE VO LS.

VO L. I

L O ! D O !

C D M IL V A I! E C O . O S G O O ,

EM E STR EET w . 4 5 ALB ARL ,

1 8 9 4

T R IL B !

PA R T F IR S T

M imi Pinson est une blonde,

’ ! n e blonde que l On conn ai t

’ ’ E u un e au lle n a q robe monde,

’ Lan déri rette et qu un bonnet

IT was a fine , sunny , showery day in il Ap r . The big studio Window was open at the

top , and let in a pleasant breeze from the

h - Thi n s we re nort west . g beginning to look shipshape at last. The big piano, a semi

a gr nd by Broadwood , had arrived from

‘ ’ England by the Little Quickness (la

’ ‘ Peti te Vzzes se , as the goods trains are called

VO L. I I B TRILBY

in France) , and lay, freshly tuned , alongside the eastern wall on the wall opposite was a

- . panoply Of foils , masks, and boxing gloves

A trapeze , a knotted rope , and two parallel cords , supporting each a ring, depended from w a huge beam in the ceiling. The walls ere

Of the usual dull red , relieved by plaster casts

Of arms and legs and hands and feet ; and

’ ’ Dante s mask , and Michael Angelo s alto

O f rilievo Leda and the swan , and a centaur — and Lapith from the Elgin Marbles on none

Of these had the dust as yet had time to settle . There were also studies in Oil from the

of nude ; copies Titian , Rembrandt, Velas

Ti n tore t quez , Rubens , , Leonardo da Vinci

of none Of the school Botticelli , Mantegna,

- and CO . a firm whose merits had not as yet been revealed to the many . A long the walls , at a great height , ran a

on broad shelf, which were other casts in

- : plaster, terra cotta, imitation bronze a little TRILBY

Theseus , a little Venus Of M ilo , a little

discobolus ; a little flayed man threatening high heaven (an act that seemed almost pardonable under the circumstances !) a lion and a boar by Barye an anatomical figure Of

a horse , with only one leg left and no ears ; a horse ’ s head from the pediment Of the

O f Parthenon , earless also ; and the bust w Clytie , with her beautiful low bro , her sweet

f O f wan gaze , and the inef able forward shrug her dear shoulders that makes her bosom as a

— s nest , a rest , a pillow , a refuge the likenes

for Of a thing to be loved and desired ever, and sought for and wrought for and fought for

by generation after generation O f the sons Of

men .

Near the stove hung a gridiron , a frying

- pan , a toasting fork , and a pair of bellows . I n an adjoining glazed corner cupboard were

plates and glasses , black handled knives ,

- pewter spoons , and three pronged steel forks TRILBY

- -fl as k a salad bowl , vinegar cruets , an Oil , two

- o mustard p ts (English and French) , and such — like things all scrupulously clean . On the

s ta l n ed x floor, which had been and wa ed at

c two c - onsiderable cost, lay heetah skins and

- a . large Persian praying rug One half Of it , however (under the trapeze and at the

e n d farthest from the window , beyond the

- model throne) , was covered with coarse

on e or matting , that might fence box without

’ slipping down and splitting one s self in two ,

o r fall without breaking any bones .

TWO other windows Of the usual French

size and pattern , with shutters to them and

of . heavy curtains baize , Opened east and

or west, to let in dawn sunset , as the case

m or out. ight be , haply keep them And

there were alcoves , recesses , irregularities ,

O dd little nooks and corners , to be filled up as time wore on with endless personal nick m acks , bibelots , private properties and acqui TRI LBY s itions — things that make a place genial ,

an d homelike , and good to remember , sweet to muse upon (with fond regret) in after years . And an immense divan spread itself in width and length a nd delightful thickness just beneath the big north window , the busi — ness window a divan so immense that three

- - well fed , well contented Englishmen could all lie lazily smoking their pipes on it at

’ once without being in each other s way, and very Often did ! — At present on e of these Englishmen a

Yorkshireman , by the way , called Taffy (and

O f also the Man Blood , because he was s uppos ed ' to be distantly related to a baronet) — was more energetically engaged . Bare armed , and in his shirt and trousers , he was twirling a pair Of I ndian clubs round his

b ' head . H is face was flushed , and e was perspiring freely and looked fierce . H e was a very big young man , fair, with kind but TRILBY c holeric blue eyes , and the muscles Of his

brawny arm were strong as iron bands .

F or three years he had borne H er

' M ajesty s commission , and had been through

the Crimean campaign without a scratch .

H e would have been o ne Of the famous six hundred in the famous charge at Balaklava but fora sprained ankle (caught playing leap

i n frog the trenches) , which kept him in

n S O hospital o that momentous day . that

or he lost his chance Of glory the grave , and this humiliating misadventure had sickened him Of soldiering for life , and he never quite

ot g over it . Then , feeling within himself an

out irresistible vocation for art , he had sold ; and here he was in Paris , hard at work , as we see .

- H e was good looking , with straight feat

! I res ; but regret to say that , besides his h ’ im eavy plunger s moustache , he wore an

mense pair Of drooping auburn whiskers , of 6 TRILBY the kind that used to be called Piccadilly weepers , and were afterwards affected by

M r. Sothern in Lord Dundreary. I t was a fashion to do so then for such O f our gilded youth as could afford the time (and the hair) ; the bigger and fairer the whiskers , the more beautiful was thought the youth I t seems i n

’ c redible i n da s when these y , even Her Majesty s Household B rigade go about with smooth

he or - c eks and lips , like priests play actors .

’ What s become Of all the gold ! sed to hang and brush their bosoms

Another inmate O f this blissful abode

C ock en Sandy , the Laird Of p , as he was called—sat in similarly simple attire at his easel , painting at a lifelike little picture Of a Spanish toreador serenading a lady Of high degree (in broad daylight) . H e had never been to Spain , but he had a complete ’ — toreador s kit a bargain which he had TRI LBY

picked up for a mere song in the Boulevard — d u Temple and he had hired the guitar . — H is pipe was in his mouth reversed ; for it

had gone out , and the ashes were spilled all O over his trousers , where holes were ften burned in this way .

Quite gratuitously , and with a pleasing

Scotch accent , he began to declaim

A street there is in Paris famous F or which no rhyme our language yields Roo ! erve day Petty Shong its name is ! w The e Street of the Little Fields .

And then , in his keen appreciation Of the immortal stanza , he chuckled audibly, with a face so blithe and merry and well pleased

on e that it did good to look at him .

H e also had entered life by another door .

H is parents (good , pious people in Dundee) had intended that he should be a writer to f the signet, as his father and grand ather had been before him . And here he was in Paris 8 TRILBY

famous , painting toreadors , and spouting the

‘ ’ of Ballad the Bouillabaisse , as he would

O ften do out Of sheer lightness of heart

u m ch Oftener , indeed , than he would say his

prayers .

K on neeling the divan , with his elbow

- on the window sill , was a third and much

‘ younger youth . The third he was Little

’ B illee . H e had pulled down the green

n baize blind , and was looki g over the roofs

and chimney -pots O f Paris and all about with

all his eyes , munching the while a roll and a

savoury saveloy , in which there was evidence

Of much garlic . H e ate with great relish , for he was very hungry he had been all the

’ morning at Carrel s studio , drawing from the life .

u Little Billee was small and slender, abo t

or -one twenty twenty , and had a straight white forehead veined with blue , large dark

blue eyes , delicate, regular features, and coal 9 TRILBY black hair. H e was also very graceful and

well built, with very small hands and feet , and much better dressed than his friends ,

who went out Of their way to outdo the

denizens of the Quartier Latin in careless eccentricity Of garb , and succeeded . And in his winning and handsome face there was just a faint suggestion of some possible very remote j ewish ancestor—just a tinge Of that

strong , sturdy , irrepressible , indomitable ,

indelible blood which is O f such priceless

oe value in diluted hom opathic doses , like the

dry white Spanish wine called montijo , which

is not meant to be taken pure ; but without

a judicio us admixture Of which no sherry can go round the world and keep its flavour

or intact ; like the famous bulldog strain ,

which is not beautiful in itself, and yet just for lacking a little of the same no greyhound

S O can ever hope to be a champion . , at I least , have been told by wine merchants

I O

TRILBY to the right rose the gray towers of Notre

Dame de Paris into the checkered April sky .

I ndeed , the top Of nearly all Paris lay before him , with a little stretch Of the imagination on his part ; and he gazed with a sense Of

for novelty, an interest and a pleasure which he could not have found any expression in mere language .

Paris ! Pa ri s ll

The very name had always been on e to

of conjure with , whether he thought it as a

or mere sound on the lips and in the ear, as a magical written or printed word for the eye . And here was the thing itself at last ,

' ' i s zss zmus and he , he himself, p , in the very heart Of it , to live there and learn there as

e long as he liked , and mak himself the great artist he longed to be .

Then , his meal finished , he lit a pipe , and

o n flung himself the divan and sighed deeply , out - Of the over full contentment of his heart .

1 2 TRILBY H e felt he had never known happiness like this , never even dreamed its possibility .

And yet his life had been a happy one . H e was young and tender, was Little B illee ; he had never been to any school , and was innocent Of the world and its wicked ways ;

of innocent French especially, and the ways

Of Paris and its Latin Quarter. He had been brought up and educated at home , had spent his boyhood in London with his mother and sister, who now lived in Devonshire on somewhat straitened means . H is father, who was dead , had been a clerk in the Treasury .

H e and his two friends , Taffy and the

Laird , had taken this studio together. The

Laird slept there , in a small bedroom Off the

H Otel studio . Taffy had a bedroom at the

O f . de Seine , in the street that name Little

H Ote l Billee lodged at the Corneille , in the

’ Place de l O déon .

H e looked at his two friends , and won

I 3 TRI LBY

dered if any one , living or dead , had ever had such a glorious pair Of chums as these .

Whatever they did , whatever they said, was simply perfect in his eyes ; they were his guides and philosophers as well as his chums . On the other hand , Taffy and the Laird were as fond Of the boy as they could be .

Hi s absolute belief in all they said a n d did touched them none the less that they were conscious of its being somewhat in excess Of their deserts . H is almost girlish purity Of mind amused and charmed them , and they did all they could to preserve it , even in the

o Quartier Latin , where purity is apt to g bad if it be kept too long . They loved him for his affectionate dis

position , his lively and caressing ways ; and they admired him far more than he ever

knew , for they recognised in him a quick

ness , a keenness , a delicacy Of perception , in

I 4 TRILBY

of matters form and colour, a mysterious facility and felicity of execution , a sense Of all that was sweet and beautiful in nature , and a

of ready power expressing it , that had not been vouchsafed to them in any such gener ous u n rud profusion , and which , as they g g

i n l g y admitted to themselves and each other ,

amounted to true genius .

And when on e within the immediate

circle of our intimates is gifted in this a b

or normal fashion , we either hate love him

O f for it , in proportion to the greatness his

gift according to the way we are built .

S O Taffy and the Laird loved Little — Billee loved him very much indeed . ! ot

but what Little Billee had his faults . For

’ instance , he didn t interest himself very

’ warmly in other people s pictures . H e didn ’ t seem to care for the Laird ’ s guitar

playing toreador, nor for his serenaded lady

— a t all events , he never said anything about I S TRI LBY

or them , either in praise blame . H e looked at Taffy ’ s realisms (for Taffy was a realist) in

silence , and nothing tries true friendship so

much as silence Of this kind .

But, then , to make up for it , when they all

’ three went to the Louvre , he didn t seem to

or trouble much about Titian either, Rem

or or brandt , Velasquez , Rubens , Veronese ,

Leonardo . H e looked at the people who

a t looked at the pictures , instead Of the pictures themselves especially at the people

who copied them , the sometimes charming young lady painters—and these seemed ' to him even more charming than they really — were and he looked a great deal out O f the

Louvre windows , where there was much to

: — be seen more Paris , for instance Paris , Of which he could never have enough .

But when , surfeited with classical beauty,

they all three went and dined together, and Taffy and the Laird said beautiful things

1 6 TRILBY

Old about the masters , and quarrelled about them , he listened with deference and rapt attention and reverentially agreed with all they said and afterwards made the most de lightfully funny little pen -and -ink sketches O f them , saying all these beautiful things (which

he sent to his mother and sister at home) ;

‘ ou so lifelike , so real , that y could almost

hear the beautiful things they said ; so

beautifully drawn that you felt the O ld masters couldn ’ t have drawn them better themselves and so irresistibly droll that you ” felt that the O ld masters could not have drawn them at all— any more than Milton could have described the quarrel between

C a m on e Sairey p and Betsy Prig ; no , in

short , but Little B illee . Little Billee took up the ‘ Ballad of the

Bouillabaisse where the Laird had left it Off, and speculated on the future Of himself and

his friends , when he should have got to

VO L . I 1 7 c TRILBY — forty years a n almost impossibly remote

future . These speculations were interrupted by a loud knock at the door , and two men

came in .

First, a tall bony individual Of any age

- five of between thirty and forty , j ewish

- aspect, well featured but sinister. H e was

‘ éér ez very shabby and dirty , and wore a red and a large velveteen cloak , with a big metal

clasp at the collar. H is thick , heavy , lan guid , lustreless black hair fell down behind

o n his ears to his shoulders , in that musician like way that is so Offensive to the normal

Englishman . H e had bold , brilliant black

eyes , with long heavy lids , a thin , sallow

-u face , and a beard Of burnt p black , which

grew almost from his under eyelids ; and

over it his moustache , a shade lighter, fell in

two long spiral twists . H e went by the

O f name Svengali , and spoke fluent French

1 8

TRI LBY

‘ ’ ! le bi a n o l H a exclaimed Svengali ,

’ ‘ éezf ez o n on flinging his red it , and his cloak

‘ ’ ’ . Ch e s ere e t the ground p qu il est pon ,

’ pien t ac c ord

An d on - sitting down the music stool , he ran up and down the scales with that easy

o f power, that smooth even crispness touch , which reveal the master. Then he fell to playing Chopin ’ s im

rom tu p p in A flat , so beautifully that Little

’ B ille e s heart went nigh to bursting with

suppressed emotion and delight. H e had

’ of never heard any music Chopin s before ,

nothing but British provincial home - made

‘ mus i c m melodi es with variations, Annie

’ ‘ ’ of ‘ Laurie , The Last Rose Summer, The

’ Blue Bells Of Scotland ; innocent little

motherly and sisterly tinklings , invented to

set the company at their ease on festive

- evenings , and make all round conversation

um possible for shy people , who fear the TRI LBY

ow n accompanied sound Of their voices , and whose genial chatter always leaves Off directly the music ceases .

H e never forgot that impromptu , which he was destined to hear again one day in strange circumstances . Then Svengali and Gecko made music

e . tog ther, divinely Little fragmentary things , sometimes consisting Of but a few

O f s ue/z bars , but these bars beauty and ! meaning Scraps , snatches , short melodies ,

meant to fetch , to charm immediately, or to

or or for melt sadden madden just a moment ,

and that knew just when to leave O ff

czardas , gypsy dances , Hungarian love

i out o f pla nts , things little known eastern

Europe in the fifties Of this century , till the Laird and Taffy were almost as wild in their — enthusiasm as Little B illee a silent e n thu s i a s m too deep for speech . And when these

two great artists left Off to smoke , the three

2 1 TRI LBY

Britishers were too much moved even for that , and there was a stillness . Suddenly there came a loud knuckle rapping at the Outer door, and a portentous voice Of great volume , and that might almost

’ have belonged to any sex (even an angel s) ,

’ ‘ uttered the B ritish milkman s yodel , M ilk below ! and before any o ne could say

‘ ’ Entrez , a strange figure appeared , framed f by the gloom o the little antechamber. I t was the figure Of a very tall and fully developed young female , clad in the gray overcoat Of a French infantry soldier , con ti nued netherwards by a short striped petti coat , beneath which were visible her bare

white ankles and insteps , and slim , straight , rosy heels , clean cut and smooth a s the back Of a razor ; her toes lost themselves in a huge pair Of male slippers , which made her drag her feet as she walked . TRI LBY

She bore herself with easy , unembarrassed

grace , like a person whose nerves and muscles

are well in tune , whose spirits are high , who has lived much in the atmosphere Of French

studios , and feels at home in it .

This strange medley O f garments was

surmounted by a small bare head with short ,

thick , wavy brown hair, and a very healthy

young face , which could scarcely be called

quite beautiful at first sight, since the eyes m were too wide apart , the outh too large ,

too the chin massive , the complexion a mass of freckles Besides , you can never tell how beautiful (or how ugly) a face may be till you have tried to draw it .

But a small portion Of her neck , down

- by the collar bone , which just showed itself between the unbuttoned lapels O f her military

- coat collar, was Of a delicate privet like white ness that is n ever to be found on any French neck , and very few English ones Also ,

2 3 TRI LBY

she had a very fine brow, broad and low , with thick level eyebrows much darker than

her hair, a broad , bony , high bridge to her short nose , and her full , broad cheeks were beautifully modelled . She would have made a singularly handsome boy . As the creature looked round at the assembled company and flashed her big white teeth at them in an all - embracing

smile Of uncommon width and quite i rres i s t

ible sweetness , simplicity , and friendly trust , on e saw at a glance that she was out Of the

common clever, simple , humorous , honest ,

brave , and kind , and accustomed to be genially welcomed wherever she went . Then

suddenly closing the door behind her , drop

ping her smile , and looking wistful and sweet , w ith her head on on e Side and her arms

’ ‘ ’ ? ’ akimbo , Ye re all English , now , aren t ye ” ‘ I she exclaimed . heard the music , and

’ for thought I d just come in a bit , and pass

2 4 TRILBY

’ O f : ? the time day you don t mind Trilby,

’ ’ ’ - O Ferrall that s my name Trilby .

She said this in English , with an accent half Scotch and certain French intonations , and in a VO l ce so rich and deep and full as almost to suggest an incipient Ig n or e r oém to; and one felt instinctively that it

’ was a real pity she wasn t a boy , she would have made such a jolly one .

‘ ’ ’ on We re delighted , the contrary, said

Little Billee , and advanced a chair for her.

‘ ’ But she said , Oh , don t mind me ; go

’ on with the music , and sat herself down cross -legged on the model - throne near the piano .

As they still looked at her, curious and half embarrassed , she pulled a paper parcel containing food out of on e O f the coat pockets , and exclaimed

‘ ’ ’ I ll just take a bite , if you don t Object ;

’ ’ i t s I m a model , you know, and just rung

2 5 TRI LBY

“ ’ twelve the rest . I m posing for Durien

on the sculptor, the next floor. I pose to

’ him for the altogether .

‘ ? The altogether asked Little Billee .

ou — Yes y know head , hands ,

— — ’ and feet everything especially feet . That s

’ my foot, she said , kicking Off her big slipper

’ ut and stretching o the limb . I t s the hand

’ s omes on e t foot in all Paris . There s only

’ in all Paris to match it, and here it is , and she laughed heartily (like a merry peal Of

o ut bells) , and stuck the other. And in truth they were astonishingly

one beautiful feet , such as only sees in — pictures and statues a true inspiration Of

shape and colour, all made up Of delicate lengths and subtly - modulated curves and noble straightnesses and happy little dimpled arrangements in innocent young pink and white .

S O that Little B illee , who had the quick ,

2 6

TRILBY

her head to do her very best , and bestow

on her minutest attention a mere detail , as happens now and then — once in a — blue moon , perhaps she makes it uphill work for poor human art to keep pace with her .

I t is a wondrous thing, the human foot

like the human hand ; even more so, perhaps ; but, unlike the hand , with which we are so familiar, it is seldom a thing Of beauty in civilised adults who go about in leather boots or shoes .

S O that it is hidden away in disgrace , a thing to be thrust out o f sight and forgotten . I t can sometimes be very ugly — indeed the ugliest thing there is , even in the fairest and highest and most gifted Of her sex ; and then it is O f an ugliness to

’ chill and kill romance , and scatter love s y oung dream , and almost break the heart .

And all for the sake O f a high heel and

2 8 TRILBY

- — a ridiculously pointed toe mean things , at the best

Conversely , when Mother Nature has

O f taken extra pains in the building it , and proper care or happy chance has kept it free Of lamentable deformations , indurations , and discolorations — all those grewsome boot - begotten abominations which have made it so generally unpopular— the sudden

o f sight it , uncovered , comes as a very rare and singularly pleasing surprise to the eye that has learned how to see ! Nothing else that Mother Nature has

to show, not even the human face divine , has more subtle power to suggest high

physical distinction , happy evolution , and

supreme development ; the lordship O f man

over beast , the lordship Of man over man , the lordship Of woman over all ! ’ — En w i ld de l é/oquem e d pr opos de

éofl es

2 9 TRILBY Trilby had respected Mother N ature ’ s special gift to herself— had never worn

or a leather boot shoe , had always taken as much care Of her feet as many

a fine lady takes Of her hands . I t was

o ne her coquetry, the only real vanity she

had .

on e Gecko , his fiddle in hand and his

bow in the other, stared at her in open

mouthed admiration and delight , as she ate

’ her sandwich of soldier s bread and f r omag e

‘ d [ c a W eme quite uncon erned . When she had finished she licked the

tips Of her fingers clean Of cheese , and

produced a small tobacco -pouch from another

military pocket , made herself a cigarette ,

and lit it and smoked it , inhaling the smoke

i n large whiffs , filling her lungs with it , and sending it back through her nostrils , l k with a oo Of great beatitude .

’ ’ S vengali played Schubert s Rosemonde ,

3 0 TRILBY and flashed a pair Of languishing black eyes at her with intent to kill .

’ But she didn t even look his way . She looked at Little B illee , at big Taffy , at the Laird , at the casts and studies , at the

- sky , the chimney pots over the way, the towers Of Notre Dame , just visible from where she sat . Only when he finished she exclaimed

‘ ’ ’ ’ ’ i ai e ! Ma e , c est rudement bien tapé, c te

’ - a ! musique l Seulement , c est pas gai , vous

’ ’ savez ! Comment q ca s a pp elle I t is called the Rosemonde Of Schu

’ ma temoi s elle bert , , replied Svengali . (I will translate .) ‘ And what’ s that Rosemonde ? ’ said

‘ Rosemonde was a princess of Cyprus ,

’ mate mois elle . , and Cyprus is an island

‘ ’ Ah , and Schubert , then where s that

3 1 TRI LBY

‘ n ot mate moi s elle Schubert is an island , .

of Schubert was a compatriot mine , and

made music , and played the piano , just

’ like me .

’ ‘ mom zeur Ah , Schubert was a , then .

’ ’ Don t know him never heard his name .

' ‘ Tha t i s mate moi s elle a pity , . H e had

’ . ! ou some talent like this better, perhaps , and he strummed ,

M é essieurs les tudiants , M ontez a la chaumiere

’ le Pour y danser cancan ,

out striking wrong notes , and banging a — bass in a different key a hideously grotesque performance .

’ ‘ . Yes, I like that better I t s gayer , you know . I s that also composed by a com

? patriot O f yours asked the lady .

’ mate moi s elle . H eaven forbid ,

And the laugh was against Svengali . B ut the real fun Of it all (if there was

3 2 TRILBY any) lay in the fact that she was perfectly

sincere . ‘ Are you fond Of music ? ’ asked Little

Billee .

’ ’ ‘ ! ‘ Oh, ain t I just she replied . My father sang like a bird . H e was a gentle man and a scholar, my father was . H is

’ O F e rra ll name was Patrick M ichael , Fellow

Of Trinity , Cambridge . H e used to sing “ “ D O Ben Bolt . you know Ben B olt

‘ ’ n w Oh yes , I k o it well , said Little

’ ’ Billee . I t s a very pretty song .

‘ ’ ’ O F e rrall. I can sing it , said M iss Shall I

‘ ’ Oh , certainly, if you will be so kind .

’ Miss O F e rra ll threw away the end Of her

on cigarette , put her hands her knees as she

- - sat cross legged on the model throne , and

out u sticking her elbows well , she looked p to the ceiling with a tender , sentimental smile , and sang the touching song ,

VOL . I 3 3 TRILBY

O h ’ ? , don t you remember sweet Alice, Ben Bolt

’ S ? . . weet Alice , with hair so brown etc etc

As some things are too sad and too deep for too tears , so some things are grotesque and too funny for laughter . Of such a kind

’ ’ ‘ was M iss O F errall s performance Of B en

’ B olt . From that capacious mouth and through that high - bridged bony nose there rolled a volume Of breathy sound , not loud , but so immense that it seemed to come from all round , to be reverberated from every surface in the studio . She followed more or less the shape Of the tune , going up when it rose im and down when it fell , but with such mense intervals between the notes as were

never dreamed Of in any mortal melody . I t was as though she could never once have

deviated into tune , never once have hit upon

fl — i n a true note , even by a uke fact, as

- though she were absolutely tone deaf, and

3 4

TRILBY

h t - - jolly after o rum and water. I t used to

make people cry ; he used to cry over it I himself. never do . Some people think I

’ ’ can t sing a bit . All I can say is that I ve

Often had to sing it s ix or seven times run

lots . ou ning in Of studios I vary it , y know — not the words , but the tune . You must

’ remember that I ve only taken to it lately .

’ D O Li tolff? you know Well , he s a great

’ D uri en s composer, and he came to the ” other day, and I sang Ben Bolt , and what

ou ? do y think he said Why , he said

’ Madame Albon i couldn t go nearly so high

or so low as I did , and that her voice

’ wasn t half so big . H e gave me his

word Of honour. H e said I breathed as

‘ natural and straight as a baby , and all I want is to get my voice a little more under

’ ’ fie control . That s what said .

‘ ’ ’ ’ - ? Qu est c e qu elle dit asked Svengali . And she said it all over again to him in TRILBY — — French quite French French O f the most f colloquial kind . H er accent was not that o the Comédie Francaise , nor yet that Of the

Faubourg St . Germain , nor yet that Of the

or shop , the pavement . I t was quaint and

’ expressive funny without being vulgar.

‘ ’ B ar leu ! Li tolff p he was right , , said

‘ . matemois elle Svengali I assure you , , that I have never heard a voice that can equal yours ; you have a talent quite

’ exceptional .

She blushed with pleasure , and the others

‘ ’ thought him a beastly cad for poking fun at the poor girl in such a way . And they

Li olff thought Monsieur t another. She then got up and shook the crumbs

Off her coat , and slipped her feet into

’ ‘ D urien s : slippers , saying , in English Well ,

’ ’ I ve got to go back . Life ain t all beer and

’ ’ skittles , and more s the pity ; but what s the

’ ? odds , so long as you re happy

3 7 TRILBY

On her way out she stopped before

’ — a f Taffy s picture chif onnier with his lantern ,

- F or bending over a dust heap . Taffy was ,

or a s s mn a te thought himself, a p realist in

’ those days . H e has changed , and now

paints nothing but K ing Arthurs an d Guine

veres and Lancelots and Elaines, and floating f Ladies o Shalott . ‘ That chiffonnier ’ s basket isn ’ t hitched

’ ‘ H ow high enough , she remarked . could he tap his pick against the rim and make the rag fall into it if it ’ s hitched only half

’ way up his back ? An d he s got the wrong

’ a ll sabots , and the wrong lantern it s

’ wrong . ! ’ Dear me said Taffy, turning very red ;

’ ‘ l you seem to know a ot about it . I t s a

’ ’ ou pity y don t paint , yourself.

‘ ’ ’ Ah ! n ow you re cross ! said Miss

’ ' O Fe rrall. i Oh , ma e

She went to the door and paused , look

3 8 TRI LBY

‘ ing round benignly . What nice teeth

’ ! ’ ’ you ve all three got That s because you re

Englishmen , I suppose , and clean them

’ too . O F e rrall twice a day . I do Trilby ,

’ 8 - ! that s my name, 4 Rue des Pousse Cailloux

’ ’ — l e n s emble l amus e ! pose pour , quand ca va -t-en e t c e ville , fait tout qui concerne

’ s on ! . état Don t forget Thanks all , and

’ - good bye .

’ ’ ori chi n ale En v la une , said Svengali .

‘ ’ ’ I think she s lovely, said Little B illee ,

‘ the young and tender. Oh heavens , what angel ’ s feet ! I t makes me sick to think she

’ ’ sits for the figure . I m sure she s quite a

’ lady .

And in five minutes or so , with the point

on Of an Old compass , he scratched in white

the dark red wall a three -quarter profile out

’ O f line Trilby s left foot , which was perhaps f the more perfect poem o the two. im Slight as it was , this little piece Of

3 9 TRI LBY

rom tu p p etching , in its sense Of beauty, in its quick seizing Of a peculiar individuality , its subtle rendering Of a strongly - received impression , was already the work Of a master.

’ ’ nor I t was Trilby s foot and nobody else s , could have been , and nobody else but Little Billee could have drawn it in just that inspired way .

‘ ’ ’ “ -c e i n Qu est que c est , Ben Bolt quired Gecko . ! pon which Little Billee was made by

to Taffy sit down to the piano and sing it . H e sang it very nicely with his pleasant little throaty English barytone . I t was solely in order that Little B illee should have opportunities Of practising this

for own graceful accomplishment Of his , his

’ and his friends delectation , that the piano had been sent over from London , at great cost to Taffy and the Laird . I t had belonged

’ to Taffy s mother, who was dead .

4 0 TRILBY

Before he had finished the second verse ,

‘ ’ Svengali exclaimed : Mais c est tout -a-fait

’ ! c houez - ! chentil Allons , Gecko , nous ca

on And he put his big hands the piano,

’ Billee s over Little , pushed him Off the music stool with his great gaunt body , and , sitting on it himself, he played a masterly prelude . I t was impressive to hear the complicated

richness and volume of the sounds he

’ ‘ evoked after Little B illee s gentle tink

’ - a tink .

And Gecko , cuddling lovingly his violin and closing his upturned eyes , played that simple melody as it had probably never been — played before such passion , such pathos , such a tone — and they turned it and twisted

one it, and went from key to another , play

’ ing into each other s hands , Svengali taking the lead ; and fugued and ca n on ed and counterpointed and battledored and shuttle cocked it , high and low, soft and loud , in

4 1 TRILBY

- minor, in pizzicato , and in sordino adagio , — andante , allegretto , scherzo and exhausted all its possibilities Of beauty ; till their susceptible audience Of three was all but crazed with delight and wonder ; and the

- masterful B en Bolt , and his over tender

Alice , and his too submissive friend , and his

Old schoolmaster so kind and so true , and

- his long dead schoolmates , and the rustic porch and the mill , and the slab Of granite so gray , ‘ And the dear little nook k ’ By the clear running broo ,

were all magnified into a strange, almost holy poetic dignity and splendour quite undreamed

O f by whoever wrote the words and music Of

that unsophisticated little song , which has touched so many simple B ritish hearts that

’ — don t know any better and among them , — once , that Of the present scribe long, long ago

TRI LBY

— ? — day hein , Gecko Listen all this is how

betite ! I teach la H onorine Gecko , play me

’ a little accompaniment in pizzicato .

And he pulled out Of h i s pocket a kind Of

x fl a eole t own little fle ible g (Of his invention ,

it seems) , which he screwed together and

o n i n s tru put to his lips , and this humble

‘ ’ ment he played B en Bolt , while Gecko accompanied him , using his fiddle as a guitar , his adoring eyes fixed in reverence on his master. And it would be impossible to render in any words the deftness , the distinction , the grace , power , pathos , and passion with which this truly phenomenal artist executed the

poor Old twopenny tune on his elastic penny whistle— for it was little more— such thrill

ing , vibrating, piercing tenderness , now loud

of n ow and full , a shrill scream anguish , soft

as a whisper, a mere melodic breath , more l human almost than the human voice itse f, a

4 4 TRI LBY

perfection unattainable even by Gecko , a

master, on an instrument which is the acknowledged king of all !

- S O that the tear, which had been so close

’ to the brink of Little Billee s eye while Gecko

was playing , now rose and trembled under his eyelid and spilled itself down his nose ; and he had to dissemble and surreptitiously mop it up with his little finger as he leaned his

on chin his hand , and cough a little husky,

— , unnatural cough p om s e don n er mze a m

‘ zemm ee

v H e had ne er heard such music as this ,

never dreamed such music was possible . He

was conscious , while it lasted , that he saw

deeper into the beauty,the sadness Of things ,

the very heart Of them , and their pathetic — evanescence , as with a new, inner eye even

— a into eternity itself, beyond the veil vague cosmic vision that faded when the music was

over, but left an unfading reminiscence Of its 45 TRILBY

. having been , and a passionate desire to ex press the like some day through the plastic

own medium Of his beautiful art .

on When Svengali ended , he leered again

‘ - : his dumb struck audience , and said That

is how I teach la betite H onorine to sing ;

that is how I teach Gecko to play ; that is

’ z l l el m ezzo how I teach I t was lost , the

eel ca n to— — I but I found it , in a dream , and nobody else —I— Svengali— I —I

But that is enough Of music ; let us play at — something else let us play at this he cried , jumping up and seizing a foil and bending it

s ‘ again t the wall . Come along , Little

Pille e ou , and I will show y something more

’ you don t know .

S O Little B illee took Off coat and waist

coat , donned mask and glove and fencing

‘ shoes , and they had an assault Of

’ arms, as it is nobly called in French ,

and in which poor Little B illee came O ff

4 6 TRILBY

. very badly The German Pole fenced wildly, but well .

’ Then it was the Laird s turn , and he came

Off badly too so then Taffy took up the foil ,

and redeemed the honour Of Great B ritain , as became a B ritish hussar and a Man Of

F or Blood . Taffy, by long and assiduous practice in the best school in Paris (and also by virtue Of his native aptitudes) , was a

’ match for any ma zb ’ e (f a r/ mes in the whole

’ ot for. French army, and Svengali g what

And when it was time to give up play and settle down to work , others dropped in

French , English , Swiss , German , American ,

Greek ; curtains were drawn and shutters — opened ; the studio was flooded with light and the afternoon was healthily spent in athletic

- and gymnastic exercises till dinner time .

But Little B illee , who had had enough Of fencing and gymnastics for the day, amused himself by filling up with black and white 4 7 TRILBY

’ and red -chalk strokes the outline Of Trilby s

on foot the wall , lest he should forget his

to fresh vision Of it , which was still him as

— an the thing itself absolute reality , born Of

‘ —a a mere glance , a mere chance happy caprice ! Durien came in and looked over his

: ! le shoulder , and exclaimed Tiens pied de

’ ’ Trilby ! vous avez fait ca d apres nature ? ‘ Nong !

De mémoire , alors ‘ Wee ! ’

‘ J e vous en fais mon compliment ! Vous avez eu la main heureuse . j e voudrais bien

’ ! u n avoir fait ca, moi C est petit chef ’ — d oeuvre que vous avez fait la tout bonne

mon ! ment , cher Mais vous élaborez trop .

’ a n ! De gr ce , y touchez plus

And Little B illee was pleased , and touched

it no more ; for Durien was a great sculptor, and sincerity itself.

4 8 TRILBY — And then well , I happen to forget what sort O f day this particular day turned into at f about six O the clock .

I f it was decently fine, the most Of them went O ff to dine at the Restaurant de la

Couronne , kept by the Pere Trin (in the

v Rue de Monsieur) , who ga e you Of his best

or to eat and drink for twenty sols Parisis, on e franc in the coin Of the empire . Good

distending soups , omelets that were only too

savoury , lentils , red and white beans , meat so dressed and sauced and seasoned that you didn ’ t know whether it was beef or mutton

or — or flesh , fowl , good red herring even bad , — for that matter nor very greatly cared .

And just the same lettuce , radishes , and

cheese Of Gruyere or B rie as y ou got at the Trois Freres Provencaux (but not the same

butter And to wash it all down , generous — wine in wooden ew es that stained a lovely

a esthetic blue everything it was spilled over.

V L O . 1 4 9 E TRILBY

And you hobnobbed with models , male

and female , students Of law and medicine,

' élcm eé zs painters and sculptors , workmen and s euses and grisettes, and found them very

i t good company, and most improv ng o your

French , if your French was Of the usual

B ritish kind , and even to some Of your

. manners , if these were very B ritish indeed And the evening was innocently wound up

or with billiards , cards , dominoes at the Café d u Luxembourg Opposite or at the Theatre d u Luxembourg, in the Rue de Madame , to see funny farces with screamingly droll

or Englishmen in them ; , still better, at the C j ardin Bullier (la loserie des Lilas) , to see

’ or the students dance the cancan , try and dance it yourself, which is not so easy as it

or of a seems ; , best all , at the The tre de

’ l O déo n , to see Fechter and Madame Doche

' D u melz in the a me a x Ca czs .

n ot Or, if it were only fine , but a Saturday

50

TRILBY

they would cross it , stopping in the middle to look up the river towards the old Cité and

N otre Dame, eastward , and dream unutter

able things , and try to utter them . Then ,

turning westward , they would gaze at the glowing sky and all it glowed upon—the

corner Of the Tuileries and the Louvre , the

many bridges , the Chamber of Deputies , the golden river narrowing its perspective and broadening its bed as it went flowing and

winding o n its way between Passy and

Grenelle to St . Cloud , to Rouen , to the

— Me ! Havre , to England perhaps where )

’ didn t want to bejust then ; and they would try and express themselves to the effect that life was uncommonly well worth living in that particular city at that particular time Of

the day and year and century, at that parti

c ula r epoch O f their ow n mortal and un cer

tain lives .

-i n - a n d Then , still arm arm chatting gaily ,

5 2 TRILBY

across the courtyard Of the Louvre , through gilded gates well guarded by reckless imperial

Zouaves , up the arcaded Rue de Rivoli as

far as the Rue Castiglione , where they would stare with greedy eyes at the window

- Of the great corner pastry cook , and marvel

at the beautiful assortment Of bonbons ,

m li n es el f/ a rees ma m/ om lan ds— fi , g , g saccharine ,

crystalline substances Of all kinds and colours ,

as charming to look at as an ill umination ;

- precious stones , delicately frosted sweets , pearls and diamonds so arranged as to melt

in the mouth ; especially , at this particular

O f - time the year, the monstrous Easter eggs

Of enchanting hue , enshrined like costly

jewels in caskets Of satin and gold ; and the

Laird , who was well read in his English

classics and liked to show it , would opine that ‘ they managed these things better in

’ France . Then across the street by a great gate

53 TRILB!

into the Allée des Feuillants , and up to the — u Place de la Concorde to gaze , but q ite

without base envy , at the smart people m coming back fro the B ois de Boulogne .

‘ ’ For even in Paris carriage people have a

of way Of looking bored , taking their pleasure

of sadly, having nothing to say to each other, as though the vibration Of so many wheels all rolling home the same way every after

noon had hypnotised them into silence, idiocy ,

and melancholia .

And our three musketeers Of the brush

would speculate on the vanity Of wealth and

rank and fashion on the satiety that follows

in the wake Of self- indulgence and overtakes

it ; on the weariness Of the pleasures that become a toil — as if they knew all about

had all out for it , found it themselves , and nobody else had ever found it out before

Then they found out something else 54 TRILBY

O f namely, that the sting healthy appetite was becoming intolerable ; so they would betake themselves to an English eating -house in the Rue de la M adeleine (on the left -hand side near the top) , where they would renovate their strength and their patriotism on B ritish d beef and beer, and househol bread , and brac i n g , biting , stinging yellow mustard , and heroic

- an d horseradish , and noble apple pie , Cheshire / cheese ; and get through as much Of these in an hour or so as they could for talking,

! O f talking , talking ; such happy talk as full

of sanguine hope and enthusiasm , cocksure

o r O f commendation condemnation all painters ,

o r O f dead alive, modest but firm belief in t themselves and each other, as a Paris Eas er egg is full Of sweets and pleasantness (for the young)

on And then a stroll the crowded , well lighted boulevards , and a bock at the café

- there , at a little three legged marble table 55 TRILBY

out on right the genial asphalt side pavement ,

talki n ' n i n te e n still g e to the dozen .

Then home by dark , Old , silent streets and some deserted bridge to their beloved

Latin Quarter , the Morgue gleaming cold and

still and fatal in the pale lamplight , and Notre Dame pricking up its watchful twin

for towers , which have looked down so many

on centuries so many happy , sanguine , ex

p an s ive youths walking arm -i n -arm by twos

and threes , and for ever talking, talking ,

talking. The Laird and Little B illee would see

’ Taffy safe to the door of his kelel g i n/ m

in the Rue de Seine , where they would find much to say to each other before they — said good -night s o much that Taffy and Little B illee would see the Laird safe to

lzi s . . door, in the Place St Anatole des Arts And then a discussion would arise between

Taffy and the Laird on the immortality of 56 TRILBY

or x the soul , let us say, the e act meaning

‘ ’ or Of the word gentleman , the relative

of or merits Dickens and Thackeray, some such recondite and quite unhackneyed theme , and Taffy and the Laird would

é i s escort Little Billee to door , in the

’ l O déon re - Place de , and he would escort

on them both back again , and so till any hour you please .

Or again , if it rained , and Paris through

- the studio window loomed lead coloured , with its shiny slate roofs under skies that were ashen and sober, and the wild west wind made woful music among the chimney pots , and little gray waves ran up the river the wrong way , and the Morgue looked chill and dark and wet , and almost uninviting (even to three healthy -minded young B ritons) , they would resolve to dine and spend a happy evening at home . 57 TRILBY

Little Billee , taking with him three francs

n c et (or even four) , would dive i to ba k stre s

or s and buy a yard so Of cru ty new bread ,

on of well burned the flat side , a fillet beef,

of O u a litre wine , potatoes and nions , b tter, a little cylindrical cheese called ‘ bondon a ’ e de N eufch tel , tender curly l ttuce , with

o chervil , parsley , spring onions , and ther

of fine herbs , and a pod garlic , which would be rubbed o n a crust of bread to flavour things with .

- Taffy would lay the cloth English wise , h e and also make the salad , for whic , lik

everybody else I ever met , he had a special receipt of his own (putting in the oil first and the vinegar after) ; and indeed his salads were quite ‘ as good as every

’ body else s . The v Laird , bending over the sto e , would cook the onions and beef into a

savoury Scotch mess so cunningly that you 58

TRILBY and young M illais and H olman H unt (just out) ; and Monsieur I ngres and Monsieur

S te n dahl Delacroix , and Balzac and and

George Sand ; and the good D umas ! and

Edgar Allan Poe ; and the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was

Rome .

Good , honest , innocent , artless prattle

of of not the wisest , perhaps , nor redolent

the very highest culture (which , by the way ,

to can mar as well as make) , nor leading any very practical result but quite pathetic

ally sweet from the sincerity and fervour of

its convictions , a profound belief in their

importance , and a proud trust in their life

long immutability .

Oh , happy days and happy nights ,

to ! sacred art and friendship Oh , happy

of times careless impecuniosity, and youth and hope and health and strength and — freedom with all Paris for a playground ,

60 TRILBY and its dear O ld unregenerate Latin Quarter for a workshop and a home !

- And , up to then , no kill joy complications

O f lov e !

! O ! , decidedly no Little Billee had never known such happiness as this never even dreamed Of its possibility .

or our A day two after this , Opening day , but in the afternoon , when the fencing and boxing had begun and the trapeze

’ ‘ ! ’ was in full swing, Trilby s M ilk below

was sounded at the door , and she appeared

clothed this time , and in her right mind ,

: - as it seemed a tall , straight , flat backed ,

- - square shouldered , deep chested , full

bosomed young grisette , in a snowy frilled

cap, a neat black gown and white apron ,

- pretty faded , well darned brown stockings,

- - and well worn , soft, gray, square toed

slippers of list, without heels and originally

6 1 TRILBY

un c om shapeless ; but which her feet ,

- promising and inexorable as boot trees , had ' ennobled into everlasting classic shape

li nes s , and stamped with an unforgettable

individuality , as does a beautiful hand its

well -worn glove a fact Little Billee was

c on not slow to perceive , with a curious

scious thrill that was only half aesthetic .

Then he looked into her freckled face , and

met the kind and tender mirthfulness of her

gaze and the plucky frankness of her fine

wide smile with a thrill that was n ot aesthetic

O f . at all (nor the reverse) , but all the heart

And in on e of his quick flashes of intuitive insight he divined far down beneath the

shining surface of those eyes (which seemed

for a moment to reflect only a little image o f himself “against the sky beyond the big north

window) a well of sweetness ; and floating somewhere in the midst of it the very heart

Of compassion , generosity, and warm sisterly

6 2 TRILBY — love ; and under that alas ! at the bottom of

—a o f all thin slimy layer sorrow and shame .

And just as long as it ta kes ~ for a tear to rise

and gather and choke itself back again , this sudden revelation shook his nervous little frame with a pan g Of pity and the knightly

no wish to help . But he had time to indulge in such soft emotions . Trilby was met on her entrance by friendly greetings . on all sides . ‘ Tiens ! c ’ est la grande Trilby ! ’ ex claimed ! ules Guinot through his fencing

‘ ! ’ mask . Comment t es deja debout apres ? hier soir Avons - nous assez rigolé chez

’ ? C ré n om Mathieu , hein d un nom , quelle noce ! V ’ la une cremaillere qui peut se vanter

’ ’ e es ere ! d tre diantrement bien pendue , j p

’ Et la petite santé , c matin

‘ ! ’ H é , hé mon vieux, answered Trilby .

! a ! Et toi ? e t C boulotte , apparemment Victorine ? Comment qu ’ a s ’ porte a 63 TRI LBY

? ’ c t heure Elle avait un fier coup d c has

’ ’ ’ ! - ? 5 fi ch selas c est y j obard , hein de paf

’ ’ ’ d v a n t ! a comme ca l monde Tiens , v l ,

’ G on tra n ! -t- Gon tra n ca marche y , , Zouzou d ? ’ mon coeur ‘ ! ’ Comme sur des roulettes , ma biche

’ Gon tra n a li as — a said , l Zouzou corporal in

‘ ’ the Zouaves . Mais tu t es donc mise

? ’ chiffonniere , a présent T as fait banque route ? ’

’ (For Trilby had a chiffonnier s basket

strapped on her back , and carried a pick and

lantern .)

- - z ou i . ! M ais , mon bon she said Dame

’ ’ pas d veine hier soir ! t as bien v u l Dans

’ ’ e us u a ux auv la d che j q omoplates , mon p ’ — caporal - sous - off ! nom d un canon faut bien

’ ? ’ vivre , s pas

’ Little Bille e s heart - sluices had closed

of during this interchange courtesies . H e

of felt it to be a very slangy kind , because

64 TRILBY

’ he couldn t understand a word of it , and he

hated slang . All he could make out was the

l a l oi free use of the and the , and he knew enough French to know that this im

a mi s un der plied great familiarity, which he

stood .

’ S o that j ules Gui not s polite inquiries whether Trilby were none the worse after

’ Mathieu s house -warming (which was so

’ jolly) , Trilby s kind solicitude about the health

of Victorine , who had very foolishly taken

’ too on a drop much that occasion , Trilby s

mock regrets that her o wn bad luck at cards had made it necessary that she should retrieve — her fallen fortunes by rag-picking all these

innocent , playful little amenities (which I have tried to write down just as they were spoken) were couched in a language that was

— out of as Greek to him and he felt it , jealous

and indignant .

‘ ’ - to Good afternoon you , Mr. Taffy , said

V OL . 1 65 F TRI LBY

’ Trilby , in English . I ve brought you these Objects of art and virtu to make the peace

’ with you . They re the real thing , you know .

’ le I borrowed em from pere Martin , chiffon

e t offic ier nier en gros en détail , grand de la

’ ’ d H on n eur l Ins titut et Légion , membre de

’ du d Amour cetera , treize bis Rue Puits , rez

- a u de chaussée fond de la cour a gauche ,

’ vis -a-vis le mont -de -piété ! H e s one of my intimate friends , and

’ ’ ! ou don t mean to say you re the intimate friend Of a r ag -pi cker ? exclaimed the good

Taffy .

‘ ? Oh yes ! Pourquoi pas I never brag ;

’ besides , there ain t any beastly pride about

’ le . pere Martin , said Trilby , with a wink

‘ ’ You d soon find that out if y ou were an f ’ intimate friend o his . This is how it s put

’ ’ u ? ou on o n . Do y o see I f y ll put it I ll

how to fasten it for you , and show you hold the lantern and handle the pick . You may 66

TRILBY

! . puis zut Allez toujours , mes enfants En avant la boxe She sat herself down cross -legged on the

- model throne , and made herself a cigarette , and watched the fencing and boxing. Little

B illee brought her a chair, which she refused

o n so he sat down it himself by her side , and

to u talked her, j st as he would have talked to any young lady at home—about the

’ weather , about Verdi s new opera (which she had never heard) , the impressiveness of N otre

’ Dame , and Victor H ugo s beautiful romance

(which she had never read) , the mysterious

’ ’ charm of Leonardo da Vinci s Lisa Gioconda s — smile (which she had never seen) by all of which she was no doubt rather tickled and a little embarrassed , perhaps also a little touched . f Taffy brought her a cup Of cof ee , and conversed with her in polite formal French , very well and carefully pronounced and the 68 TRILBY

H i Laird tried to do likewise . s French was of that honest English kind that breaks up the stiffness of even an English party ; and his jolly manners were such as to put an end

o to all shyness and c nstraint , and make self consciousness impossible . Others dropped in from neighbouring — studios the usual cosmopolite crew . I t was a perpetual come - a n d - g o in this par tic ula r studio between four and six in the afternoon .

en cé eveax There were ladies too , , in caps and bonnets , some of whom knew

’ ’ thou d Trilby , and thee d and with familiar and friendly affection , while others made

’ moi s elle d her with distant politeness, and

’ ’ were made mois elle d and madame d back

’ ‘ a l Amba s s a d again . Absolument comme e

’ ’ d Autri che , as Trilby observed to the Laird , with a B ritish wink that was by no means ambassadorial . 69 TRI LBY

Then Svengali came and made some of h his grandest music , w ich was as completely thrown away on Trilby as fireworks o n a

for blind beggar , all she held her tongue so piously .

Fen cing and boxing and trapezing seemed to be more in her line ; and indeed , to a

- tone deaf person , Taffy lunging his full

o f spread with a foil , in all the splendour his long, lithe, youthful strength , was a far gainlier sight than Svengali at the keyboard flashing his languid bold eyes with a sickly

on e to smile from listener to another , as if

‘ ’ ? say : N est - c e pas que che suis peau

’ ’ ? ’ N est -c e pas que ch ai tu chenie N est - ce

s u lime e n fi n pas que che suis p ,

Then enter Durien the sculptor, who had been presented with a ba ign oi r e at the

’ L a D a me a ux Ca meli a s Odéon to see , and he invited Trilby and another lady to

a a ea oa i f et dine with him and share his box .

7 0 TRILBY

’ S O Trilby didn t go to the Austrian embassy after all , as the Laird Observed to

Little B illee , with such a good imitation of her wink that Little B illee was bound to laugh .

But Little B illee was n ot inclined for

of fun ; a dulness , a sense disenchantment , had come over him ; as he expressed it to

- himself, with pathetic self pity

A feeling of sadness and longing k That is not a in to pain , And resembles sorrow only

’ As the mist resembles the rain .

s And the adness , if he had known , was that all beautiful young women w ith kind sweet faces and noble figures and goddess like extremities should not be good and

pure as they were beautiful ; and the longing was a longing that Trilby could be turned into a young lady— say the vicar ’ s daughter in a little Devonshire village

7 I TRI LBY

’ his sister s friend and c o-teacher at the

Sunday school , a simple , pure , and pious

maiden Of gentle birth .

For he adored piety in woman , although

i n he was not pious by any means . H is

n ot of articulate , intuitive perceptions were

to form and colour secrets only, but strove

pierce the veil of deeper mysteries in

impetuous and dogmatic boyish scorn o f F all received interpretations . or he flattered himself that he possessed the philosophical

on and scientific mind , and piqued himself

of thinking clearly , and was intolerant human

inconsistency .

That small reserve portion of his ever active brain which should have lain fallow

of or while the rest it was at work play , perpetually plagued itself about the mysteries of life and death , and was for ever pro pounding unanswerable arguments against

of the Christian belief, through a kind inverted

7 2 TRI LBY sympathy with the believer. Fortunately for his friends , Little B illee was both shy

of and discreet, and very tender other people ’ s feelings so he kept all his immature juvenile agnosticism to himself.

To atone for such ungainly strong-minded

one ness in so young and tender, he was the slave of many little traditional Observances which have no very solid foundation in

or h F or either science p ilosophy . instance ,

’ for he wouldn t walk under a ladder worlds , nor sit down thirteen to dinner , nor have

on his hair cut a Friday, and was quite upset if he happened to see the new moon

u through glass . And he believed in l cky and unlucky numbers , and dearly loved the sights and scents and sounds of high mass

O ld in some dim French cathedral , and found them secretly comforting. Let us hope that he sometimes laughed ! at himself, if only in his sleeve

7 3 TRI LBY

And with all his keenness of insight into

a - -u - life he had . well brought p , middle class young Englishman ’ s belief in the infallible efficacy of gentle birth—for gentle he con

’ ’ s ide red ow n f his and Taf y s and the Laird s , and that of most of the good people he had — lived among in England all people , in short , whose two parents and four grandparents had received a liberal education and belonged to the professional class . And with this belief he combined (or thought he did) a proper democratic scorn for bloated dukes and lords , and even poor inoffensive baronets , and all the landed gentry—everybody who was born an inch higher up than himself.

I t is a fairly good middle - class social

ou to It creed , if y can only stick through f ’ life in despite o life s experience . I t fosters

- independence and self respect , and not a few stodgy practical virtues as well . At all

out of events , it keeps you bad company ,

7 4

TRILBY — is all so true as to be trite s o trite as to be a common platitude !

of A modern teller tales , most widely (and

of most justly) popular, tells us Californian

’ heroes and heroines who , like Lord B yron s

on e Corsair, were linked with virtue and a thousand crimes . And so dexterously does he weave his story that the Young Person may read it and learn nothing but good .

My poor heroine was the converse of these engaging criminals ; she had all the virtues but one ; but the virtue she lacked

o ne O f -rOle (the very all that plays the title , and gives its generic name to all the rest of that goodly company) was of such a kind that I have found it impossible so to tell her history as to make it quite fit and proper reading for the ubiquitous young person s o dear to us all .

Most deeply to my regret . For I had fondly hoped it might one day be said of 7 6 TRILBY me that whatever my other literary short comings might be , I at least had never penned a line which a pure -minded young British mother might not read aloud to her little blue -eyed babe as it lies sucking its b little bottle in its little a s s i n e tte .

Fate has willed it otherwise . Would indeed that I could duly express

’ poor Trilby s one shortcoming in some not too — i n or familiar medium Latin Greek , let us say— lest the Young Person (in this ubiquitousness of hers , for which Heaven be praised) should happen to pry into these pages when her mother is looking another way . Latin and Greek are languages the Young

Person should n ot be taught to understand seeing that they are highly improper

— i n languages, deservedly dead which pagan bards who should have known better have sung the filthy loves of their gods and goddesses . 7 7 TRILBY But at least am I scholar enough to

’ enter one little Latin plea o n Trilby s behalf — the shortest , best , and most beautiful plea

f e xte nu I can think o . I t was once used in

ation and condonation of the frailties of

another poor weak woman , presumably

beautiful , and a far worse offender than

Trilby , but who , like Trilby, repented of her

ways , and was most justly forgiven

Quia multum amavit

Whether it be an aggravation of her

o r misdeeds an extenuating circumstance ,

o f no pressure want , no temptations of greed o r vanity, had ever been factors in urging

Trilby on her downward career after her first false step in that direction— the result of

of ignorance , bad advice (from her mother, all people in the world) , and base betrayal . She might have lived in guilty splendour had

she chosen , but her wants were few . She 7 8 TRI LBY

of had no vanity , and her tastes were the

simplest , and she earned enough to gratify them all , and to spare .

’ So she followed love for love s sake only , now and then , as she would have followed — art if she had been a man capriciously,

of desultorily , more in a frolicsome spirit ca ma r a der i e than anything else . Like an

— a amateur , in short distinguished amateur who is too proud to sell his pictures , but will i ngly gives on e away now and then to some

- - highly valued and much admiring friend .

Sheer gaiety of heart and genial good

of fellowship , the difficulty saying nay to

o mze d earnest pleading . She was o ca ma r a e

‘ ei o mze lle o fi before everything . Though

her heart was n ot large enough to harbour

more than one light love at a time (even

in that Latin Quarter of genially capacious

for hearts) , it had room many warm friend a ships ; and she was the w rmest , most help

7 9 TRILBY

' of ful , and most compassionate friends , far more serious and faithful in friendship than in love .

I ndeed , she might almost be said to possess a virginal heart , so little did she

’ know of love s heartaches and raptures and

cli n i n s torments and g g and jealousies . With her it was lightly come and lightly

on e o r go , and never come back again ; as two , or perhaps three , picturesque Bohemians of or the brush chisel had found, at some cost to their vanity and self-esteem perhaps even to a deeper feeling—who knows ?

’ Trilby s father, as she had said , had been

of u a gentleman , the son a famous D blin f h’ physician and friend o George the Fourt s .

of H e had been a fellow his college , and had entered holy orders . H e also had all the

o ne virtues but ; he was a drunkard , and began to drink quite early in life . H e soon

left the Church , and became a classical tutor, 86 TR ILBY

of and failed through this besetting sin his ,

and fell into disgrace .

Then he went to Paris , and picked up a

few English pupils there , and lost them , and earned a precarious livelihood from hand

h to to mouth , any ow, and sank from bad

worse .

And when his worst was about reached , he married the famous tartaned and tam

’ o - s ha n te red barmaid at the Montagnard s

E du cossais , in the Rue Paradis Poissonniere

(a very fishy paradise indeed) ; she was a

of low most beautiful H ighland lassie degree ,

and she managed to support him , or helped

or him to support himself, for ten fifteen years .

Trilby was born to them , and was dragged

— ’ up in some way a la g r ace a e D i ea

’ Patrick O Fe rrall soon taught his wife to drown all care and responsibility in his o wn

simple way , and opportunities for doing so were never lacking to her.

VO L . I 8 1 TRI LBY

Then he died , and left a posthumous — ! child born ten months after his death , alas and whose birth cost its mother her life .

’ ola a eé i s sea se a e n Then Trilby became a fi , and in two or three years came to grief

’ o f through her trust in a friend her mother s .

Then she became a model besides , and was

able to support her little brother, whom she dearly loved .

At the time this story begins , this small waif and stray w a s en fi em i oa with le pere

- Martin , the rag picker , and his wife , the dealer in bric - a- brac and inexpensive Old

masters . They were very good people , and had grown fond of the child , who was beau

of tiful to look at , and full pretty tricks and — pluck and cleverness a popular favourite in

’ the Rue d u Puits d Amour and its humble

neighbourhood .

Trilby , for some freak , always chose to

speak of him as her godson , and as the

8 2

TRILBY And as she sat and wept at Madame

’ Doche s impersonation of L a D a me a ux

’ Ca meli a s (with her hand in D uri en s ) she

vaguely remembered , as in a waking dream , now the noble presence of Taffy as he towered cool and erect , foil in hand , gallantly

n ow waiting for his adversary to breathe , the beautiful sensitive face of Little B illee and his deferential courtesy .

’ And during the entr a ctes her heart went out in friendship to the jolly Scotch Laird of

C ock en who out p , came now and then with such terrible French oaths and abominable

of expletives (and in the presence ladies ,

of too l) , without the slightest notion what they meant.

F or the Laird had a quick ear, and a craving to be colloquial and idiomatic before everything else , and made many awkward and embarrassing mistakes . I t would be with him as though a polite

84 TRILBY Frenchman should say to a fair daughter Of

‘ D Albion , my eyes , mees , your tea is getting cold ; let me tell that good old

’ of a j ules to bring you another cup .

And so forth , till time and experience

taught him better. I t is perhaps well for him that his first experiments in conversa ti on al French were made in the un conve n tional f circle o the Place St . Anatole des

Arts . P A R T S E C O N D

D ’ ieu qu il fait bon la regarder,

r et La g acieuse , bonne belle Pour les grands biens qui sont en elle C e ’ hacun est pr t de la louer.

! O B OD! knew exactly how Svengali lived ,

and very few knew where (or why) . H e

a i i occupied a roomy dilapidated garret ,

‘ s ix i eme - , in the Rue Tire Liard , with a

- truckle bed and a pianoforte for furniture, and very little else .

of H e was poor, for in spite his talent he had not yet made his mark in Paris . H is

manners may have been accountable for this .

or H e would either fawn bully, and could

of be grossly impertinent. H e had a kind f cynical humour, which was more of ensive 8 6 TRI LBY

than amusing, and always laughed at the wrong thing , at the wrong time , in the wrong place . And his laughter was always f derisive and full o malice . And his egotism and conceit were not to be borne ; and then he was both tawdry and dirty in his person more greasily , mattedly unkempt than even a really successful pianist has any right to be , even in the best society .

He was not a nice man , and there was — no pathos in his poverty a poverty that was not honourable , and need not have existed at all ; for he was constantly receiving supplies from his own people in Austria — his Old father and mother, his sisters , his cousins ,

- and his aunts , hard working, frugal folk Of whom he was the pride and the darling. — He had but on e virtue his love of his

or art ; , rather, his love of himself as a master of his art Me master ; for he

or despised , affected to despise , all other 8 7 TRI LBY

n or — musicians , livi g dead even those whose work he interpreted so divinely , and pitied them for not hearing Svengali give utterance

of to their music , which course they could not utter themselves .

s a fen t un d u l I ls tous peu toucher b ano ,

’ mais pas g ra n d chos e

H e had been the best pianist of hi s time at the Conservatory in Leipsic ; and , indeed , there was perhaps some excuse for this over weening conceit , since he was able to lend a quite peculiar individual charm of his own to a n y music he played , except the highest and

of . best all , in which he conspicuously failed H e had to draw the line just above

Chopin , where he reached his highest level .

I t will not do to lend your own quite peculiar individual charm to H andel and Bach and

B eethoven ; and Chopin is not bad as a f i s

H e had ardently wished to sing, and had 88 TRILBY

' i n Germa n studied hard to that end y , in

o f I taly, in France , with the forlorn hope evolving from some inner recess a voice to sing with . But nature had been singularly — harsh to him in this one respect inexorable .

H e was absolutely without voice , beyond the

’ harsh , hoarse , weak raven s croak he used to

speak with , and no method availed to make one for him . B ut he grew to understand the human voice as perhaps no one has

i t— r understood before o since .

So in his head he went for ever singing, singing , singing, as probably no human nightingale has ever yet been able to sing out loud for the glory and delight of his fellow-mortals ; making unheard heavenl y

of tri vi ales t melody the cheapest, tunes tunes of the café concert, tunes of the

’ - -room the nursery , the shop parlour, the guard ,

s . choolroom , the pothouse , the slum There

was nothing so humble , so base even , but 89 TRILBY what his magic could transform it into the rarest beauty without altering a note . This

’ seems impossible , I know . B ut if it didn t , where would the magic come i n

o r — Whatever of heart conscience pity ,

love , tenderness , manliness , courage , rever — ence , charity endowed him at his birth had

o n e been swallowed up by this faculty , and nothing of them was left for the common f uses o life . H e poured them all into his

fl a l little flexible geo e t. ' Svengali playing Chopin on the piano

O r forte , even ( especially) Svengali playing

‘ ’ Ben Bolt on that penny whistle of his , was

o ne f as o the heavenly host .

Svengali walki ng up and down the earth

e x seeking whom he might cheat , betray ,

loi t w p , borro money from , make brutal fun

of, bully if he dared , cringe to if he must

or — man , woman , child , dog was about as

’ bad as they make em .

9 0

TRILBY

who the I mpasse des Ramoneurs , and was second violin in the orchestra of the

‘ s ha red his Gymnase , and humble earnings

with his master, to whom , indeed , he owed

to his great talent , not yet revealed the world .

Svengal i 3 other friend and pupil was (or rather had been) the mysterious H onorine , of whose conquest he was much given to

i me ea ne boast , hinting that she was j

’ ’ mm ou m a a e fe e o . This was not the case . Mademoiselle H onorine Cahen (better known in the Quartier Latin as Mimi la

- Salope) was a dirty , drabby little dolly mop of fo r fi ure— a a j ewess , a model the g very humble person indeed , socially

of She was , however, a very lively dis position , and had a charming voice , and a

natural gift of singing so sweetly that y ou

of [out forgot her accent , which was that the

’ ’ i lle ee ga i l y a a e fi lm ca n a .

9 2 TRILBY

’ She used to sit at Carrel s , and during the pose she would sing . When Little Billee

first heard her he w a s so fascinated that ‘ it made him sick to think she sat for the ’ f figure an ef ect , by the way , that was al ways produced upon him by all specially

attractive figure models Of the gentler sex ,

f r An for he had a reverence o woman . d before everything else , he had for the singing i woman an absolute worship . H e was es p e c ally thrall to the contralto — the deep low voice that breaks and changes in the middle and soars all at once into a magnified angelic boy treble . I t pierced through his ears to his heart , and stirred his very vitals .

Albon i H e had once heard Madame , and it had been an epoch in his life ; he would have been an easy prey to the sirens ! Even beauty paled before the lovely female voice singing in the middle of the note — the nightingale killed the bird of paradise .

9 3 TRILBY I need hardly say that poor Mimi la

of Albon i Salope had not the voice Madame , n or the art ; but it was a beautiful voice of

of its little kind , always in the very middle the note , and her artless art had its quick seduction .

’ She sang little songs of Beranger s

‘ ’ ’ ‘ ’ - ! or Grand mere , parlez nous de lui T en

? ‘ souviens -tu disait un capitaine or En

’ ’ fa n ts ! , c est moi qui suis Lisette and such like pretty things , that almost brought the

’ tears to Little Bille e s easily - moistened eyes . B ut soon she would sing little songs that were not by B eranger — little songs with slang words Little Billee hadn ’ t French enough to understand ; but from the kind of laughter with which the points were received by the rapins ’ in Carrel ’ s studio he guessed

these little songs were vile , though the touching little voice was as that Of the

9 4

TRI LBY

‘ ‘ Pa b lo n c az elle l e ed his pearl of y , his y

’ — liddle Cherus ale m skylark and promised her that she should be the queen of the nightingales .

B ut before he could teach her anythin g he had to unteach her all she knew ; her breathing , the production of her voice, its — emission everything was wrong . She worked indefatigably to please him , and soon succeeded in forgetting all the pretty little sympathetic tricks of voice and phrasing Mother N ature had taught her. But though she had an exquisite ear she had no real musical intelligence— no intelligence of any kind except about sous and centimes she was as stupid as a little

owl downy , and her voice was just a light

’ native warble , a throstle s pipe , all in the

’ head and nose and throat (a voice he di d n t

of understand , for once) , a thing mere youth and health and bloom and high spirits

9 6 TRILBY

‘ ' ’ wa s fl oea a i e a a like her beauty , such as it

’ ' ’ a i l o a te da mn ee. a oe, ea

She did her very best , and practised all she could in this new way , and sang her self hoarse she scarcely ate or slept for practising . H e grew harsh and impatient

o f and coldly severe , and course she loved him all the more ; and the more she loved him the more nervous she got and the worse she sang . H er voice cracked ; her ear became demoralised ; her attempts to

’ vocalise grew almost as distressing as Trilby s .

So that he lost his temper completely , and called her terrible names , and pinched and punched her with his big bony hands till she wept worse than N iobe , and borrowed

of —five - money her franc pieces , even francs

' — and demifra n cs which he never paid her back ; and browbeat and bullied and bully ragged her till she went quite mad for love of out of him , and would have jumped his

VOL . 1 9 7 H TRI LBY

’ sixth -fl oor window to give him a moment s pleasure — H e did not ask her to do this i t never

occurred to him , and would have given him

no pleasure to speak of. B ut one fine

of Sabbath morning (a Saturday, course) he took her by the shoulders and chucked

out o f hi s her, neck and crop , garret , with the threat that if she ever dared to show her face there again he would denounce — her to the police a n awful threat to the likes of poor M imi la Salope !

For where did all those fiv e - franc pieces — come from é ei n ? with which she had tried to pay for all the singing lessons that had been thrown away upon her ? — N ot from merely sitting to painters fi ei n

Thus the little gazelle - eyed J erusalem

S kylark went back to her native streets

— - again a mere mud lark o f the Paris slums

her wings clipped , her spirit quenched

9 8

TRI LBY

borrow money from but Little B illee , Taffy, and the Laird , whom he had neglected and left untapped for days .

So he slipped into his clothes , and looked at himself in what remained of a little zinc mirror, and found that his fore

head left little to be desired , but that his

eyes and temples were decidedly grimy .

out Wherefore , he poured a little water of a little jug into a little basin , and twisting the corner of his pocket - handkerchief round his dirty forefinger, he delicately dipped it , and removed the offending stains . H is

he fingers , thought , would do very well for another day or two as they were ; he ran them through his matted black mane , pushed it behind his ears , and gave it the twist he liked (and that was so much disliked by his English friends) . Then he

on m et put his and his velveteen cloak , and went forth into the sunny streets , with

1 00 TRILBY

a sense of the fragrance and freedom and pleasantness of Sunday morning in Paris f in the month o May . H e found Little B illee sitting in a zinc

- hip bath , busy with soap and sponge ; and was so tickled and interested by the sight that he quite forgot for the moment what he

had come for . H immel ! Why the devil are you doing

’ ? - that he asked , in his German H ebrew

French .

‘ ’ wé a l ? Doing asked Little Billee , in

- - his French Of Stratford atte Bowe . Sitting in water and playing with a cake of soap and a sponge

‘ clea n Why , to try and get myself , I suppose ! ’ ‘ Ach ! And how the devil did you get

di r t yourself y , then

T o this Little Billee found no immediate

on answer, and went with his ablutions after

1 0 1 TRI LBY

h of the hissing, splas ing , energetic fashion Englishmen and Svengali laughed loud and long at the spectacle of a little English

— ‘ man trying to get himself clean l ei cé a m de s e rzel l oy er When such cleanliness had been attained as was possible under the circumstances,

’ Svengali begged for the loan o f two hundred

five - francs , and Little B illee gave him a franc

piece .

’ a a l e a e mi eux Content with this , f , the German asked him when he would be trying

to get himself clean again , as he would much

to like come and see him do it .

matta n a s ai rve ec e Demang g , votre

bow. said Little Billee , with a courteous

Wfia t / M on day l oo Gott in H im

’ mel ! you try to get yourself clean every day ?

out of And he laughed himself the room ,

’ out of out of l O dé on the house , the Place de — all the way to the Rue de Seine , where

1 0 2

TRILBY

‘ Donnerwetter he exclaimed as he tumbled down the narrow staircase of the

‘ H otel de Seine ; what for a thick head !

i do what for a p g g what for a rotten , brutal , oerfl a eé ter é er l of an E nglander

Then he paused for thought .

N ow will I go to that Scottish Englander , in the Place St . Anatole des Arts , for that

fi v - other e franc piece . B ut first will I wait a little while till he has perhaps finished

’ trying to get himself clean .

So he breakfasted at the crémerie Souchet ,

- in the Rue Clopin Clopant , and , feeling quite safe again , he laughed and laughed till his very sides were sore . — Two Englanders in o ne day as naked

— a one as your hand big and a little one , trying to get themselves clean ! H e rather flattered himself he had scored off those two E nglanders .

After all , he was right perhaps , from his

1 04 TRILBY point of view ; you can get as dirty in a ’ f week as in a lifetime , so what s the use o

of ? taking such a lot trouble Besides , so long as y ou are clean enough to suit your kind , to be any cleaner would be priggish and pedantic , and get you disliked . Just as Svengali was about to knock at

’ the Laird s door, Trilby came downstairs

’ D uri e n s from , very unlike herself. H er eyes were red with weeping, and there were great black rings round them ; she was pale under her freckles .

‘ du chacri n mate mois elle Fous afez , asked he . She told him that she had neuralgia in her eyes , a thing she was subject to ; that the pain was maddening, and generally lasted

- twenty four hours .

! Perhaps I can cure you ; come in here

’ with me . The Laird ’ s ablutions (if he had indulged

1 0 5 TRI LBY in any that morning) were evidently over for the day . H e was breakfasting on a roll and

own . butter, and coffee of his brewing H e was deeply distressed at the sight of poor ’ f f Trilby s suf erings , and of ered whisky and

in ernuts n ot coffee and g g , which she would touch .

Svengali told her to sit down on the

’ divan , and sat opposite to her, and bade her f look him well in the white o the eyes .

’ - l n R e ca rtez moi pien tans le p a c tes yeux . Then he made little passes and counter passes on her forehead and temples and down her cheek and neck . Soon her eyes closed and her face grew placid . After a

of while , a quarter an hour perhaps , he asked her if she suffered still .

‘ ! du Oh presque plus tout , monsieur ’ l ’ c est e ciel . I n a few minutes more he asked the Laird if he knew German .

1 06

TRILBY

’ n ow I will set her free , said Svengali .

And; 10 ! she got up and waved her arms ‘ ’ ! and cried , Vive la Prusse l me v la guérie and m her gratitude she kissed Svengali ’ s

hand ; and he leered , and showed his big brown teeth and the yellow whites at the

to of p his big black eyes , and drew his

breath with a hiss .

‘ ’ ’ ! o D uri n w I ll go to e s and sit . H ow

ou ? ! ou can I thank y , monsieur have

’ taken all my pain away .

‘ ma te moi s elle m Yes , . I have got it y

i t self ; is in my elbows . But I love it, because it comes from you . Every time

ou ou 1 2 y have pain y shall come to me , Rue

’ - a u a u - Tire Liard , sixieme dessus de l entre

ou sol , and I will cure y and take your pain myself

‘ ’ too ! Oh , you are good and in her high spirits she turned round on her heel and

’ - ! uttered her portentous war cry, Milk below

1 0 8 TRILBY

The very rafters rang with it , and the piano

gave out a solemn response .

‘ m atemoi s ll What is that you say , e e

‘ ’ Oh , it s what the milkmen say in

’ England .

‘ ma temois ell I t is a wonderful cry, e

' wa n der s eé on I t comes st raight through

the heart ; it has its roots in the stomach , and blossoms into music on the lips like — the voice of Madame Albon i voce sulle

— ’ labbre ! I t is good production c est u m cri du coeur

Trilby blushed with pride and pleasure .

‘ ma temoi s elle ! one Yes , I only know person in the whole world who can produce the voice so well as y ou ! I give you my

’ word of honour.

‘ — Who is it , monsieur yourself

‘ ma te moi s elle n ot Ach , no , ; I have that privilege . I have unfortunately no voice to produce . I t is a waiter at the Café de

1 09 TRI LBY

ou la Rotonde , in the Palais Royal ; when ” y “ ! call for coffee , he says Boum in basso

' Ti fs im — profondo . e t me F moll below the — line it is phenomenal ! I t is like a cannon

a cannon also has very good production ,

ma m i ll te o s e e . They pay him for it a

thousand francs a year, because he brings

many customers to the Café de la Rotonde ,

’ where the coffee isn t very good , although it costs three sous a cup dearer than at the

Café L a rs ouille in the Rue Flamberge -au

Vent . When he dies they will search all

France for another, and then all Germany , where the good big waiters come from—and — the cannons but they will not find him , and — the Café de la Rotonde will be bankrupt un

less y ou will consent to take his place . Will you permit that I shall look into your mouth , mate moi s elle

She Opened her mouth wide , and he

looked into it .

1 1 0

TRI LBY

Votre coeur est un luth suspendu

’ Aus s itOt le il é . qu on touche , r sonne

What a pity you have not also the musical org anisation

‘ li a r/e Oh , but I , monsieur ; you heard

“ ” ’ ou ? me sing Ben Bolt , didn t y What makes you say that ? ’

Svengali was confused for a moment .

‘ “ Then he said : When I play the Rose

of matemois elle ou monde Schubert , , y look another way and smoke a cigarette .

You look at the big Taffy , at the Little

on of B illee , at the pictures the walls , or out

a t ’ the - of window , sky, the chimney pots N otre Dame de Paris you do not look at

l— ou Svengali Svengali , who looks at y with

ou all his eyes , and plays y the Rosemonde

’ of Schubert !

‘ ’ ’ ‘ i a l e l Oh , ma e exclaimed Trilby ; you do use lovely language

‘ B ut never mind ma temoi s elle ; when TRILBY

ou your pain arrives , then shall y come once more to Svengali , and he shall take it away

s oufe n i r from you , and keep it himself for a

ou of you when y are gone . And when yo u have it no more , he shall play you the ” Rosemonde of Schubert , all alone for “ you ; and then Messieurs les é tuti a n ts ; ” montez a la chaumiere ! because it is

’ ! A ua ou Ma ll s ee uol /z i u kea r gayer y g ,

‘ uoz é i u Mi ra/é o u ol ui u oul S oeu a li S ven g , f g g ,

Here he felt his peroration to be s o happy and effective that he thought it well

: to go at once and make a good exit . So he bent over Trilby ’ s shapely freckled hand

out and kissed it , and bowed himself of the

five - room , without even borrowing his franc piece .

’ ’ ‘ ’ ’ ? un . H e s a rum , ain t he said Trilby

‘ i H e rem nds me of a big hungry spider, and makes me feel like a fly ! But he ’ s

1 VO L. I 3 TRILBY cured my pain ! he ’ s cured my pain! Ah ! you don ’ t know what my pain is when it comes ! ’

‘ l ’ I wou dn t have much to do with him ,

’ ‘ ’ ’ a ll ! I d s oone r the same said the Laird . f have any pain than have it cured in that

t ! unnatural way , and by such a man as hat

’ ’ — I m of ! H e s a bad fellow, Svengali sure it

’ H e mesmerised you ; that s what it is

’ ! ! of mesmerism I ve often heard it , but

. e t ou never seen it done before They g , y t into their power, and jus make you do any — blessed thing they please lie , murder, steal anything ! and kill yourself into the bar gain when they ’ ve done with you ! I t ’ s just

’ too terrible to think of !

So spake the Laird , earnestly , sol emnly ,

of g mos t surprised out his usual self, and — painfully impressed and his ow n impres

s iv enes s grew upon him and impres s ed f him

. H e loomed ui te still more q prophetic. 3

H . 4

TRI LBY

il f Quand sera mort , ca era une fameuse crapule de moins

’ CH EZ CA E RR L .

’ Carrel s atelier (or painting - school) was

in the Rue N otre Dame des Potirons St .

of M ichel , at the end a large courtyard , where there were many large dirty windows w facing north , and each windo let the light

of heaven into a large dirty studio .

of The largest these studios , and the

’ dirtiest , was Carrel s , where some thirty or forty art students drew and painted from the nude model every day but Sunday from

eight till twelve , and for two hours in the

On afternoon , except Saturdays , when the afternoon was devoted to much - needed

Augean sweepings and cleanings .

One week the model was male , the next

o n female, and so , alternating throughout the year.

1 1 6 TRI LBY

- A stove , a model throne , stools , boxes , some fifty strongly - built low chairs with

of backs , a couple score easels and many

- mooi li er . drawing boards , completed the The bare walls were adorned with endless — ’ — caricatures a es cka rg es i n charcoal and white chalk ; and also the scrapings of — many palettes a polychromous decoration not unpleasing. For the freedom of the studio and the use of the model each student paid ten

ma s s i er francs a month to the , or senior

- student , the responsible bell wether of the

flock ; besides this , it was expected of you , on or your entrance initiation , that you — should pay for your footing your oi euoeuue

— o r some thirty , forty , fifty francs , to be spent on cakes and rum punch all round .

Every Friday Monsieur Carrel , a great

- artist , and also a stately, well dressed , and most courteous gentleman (duly decorated

1 1 7 TRI LBY with the red rosette of the Legion of

two or H onour) , came for three hours and

the few went round , spending a minutes at — each drawing -board or easel ten o r even twelve when the pupil was an industrious and promising on e .

H e did this for love , not money , and deserved all the ‘ reverence with which he inspired this somewhat irreverent and most

m of unruly co pany , which was made up all sorts . Graybeards who had been drawing and

painting there for thirty years and more , and

e remembered other masters than Carr l , and who could draw a nd pai nt a torso almost as

or V — well as Titian elasquez almost , but not — quite and who could never do anything else ,

’ f r and were fixtures at Carrel s o life .

or or Younger men who in a year two ,

or or or t three five , ten wenty , were bound to make their mark, and perhaps follow in

1 1 8

TRILBY drawing and painting from the life ; he had also worked from the antique in the British — Museum s o that he was no novice .

’ As he made his début at Carrel s one Monday morning he felt somewhat shy and

u ill at ease . H e had st died French most earnestly at home in England , and could read

it pretty well , and even write it and speak it after a fashion ; but he spoke it with much difficulty , and found studio French a different language altogether from the formal and polite language he had been at such pains to acquire . Ollendorff does not cater for the

’ Q uartier Latin . Acting o n Taffy s advice for Taffy had worked under Carrel— Little

B illee handed sixty francs to the ma ss i er — — for his oi euoeuue a lordly sum and this

liberality made a most favourable impression , and went far to destroy any little prejudice that might have been caused by the da i n ti

of ness his dress , the cleanliness of his person ,

1 2 0 TRILBY

c and the politeness of his manners . A pla e

e was assign d to him , and an easel and a board ; for he elected to stand at his work and begin with a chalk drawing. The model

(a male) was posed , and work began in silence . Monday morning is always rather

’ sulky everywhere (except perhaps in Judee) . During the ten minutes ’ rest three or four

’ ’ students came and looked at Little Billee s beginnings , and saw at a glance that he thoroughly well knew what he was about , and respected him for it . N ature had given him a singularly light

— o r two ' a mbidex hand rather , for he was trous , and could use both with equal skill ; and a few months ’ practice at a London life school had quite cured him of that purpose less indecision of touch which often charac te ri s e s the prentice han d for years of a p prenticeship , and remains with the amateur

e of for life. The lightest and most carel ss

I 2 1 TRI LBY his pencil strokes had a p re c 1s 1on that Wa s

e l inimitable , and a charm that sp cia ly belonged

e . to him , and was easy to recognise at a glanc

’ H is touch on either canvas or pap e r was like v ’ — S engali s on the keyboard unique .

! As the morni ng ripened little attempts at conversati on were made— little breakings of the ice of silence I t was Lambert , a youth a with singularly facetious face , who first woke the stillness with the following uncalled - for remarks in English very badly pronounced

‘ ’ Av you seen my fahz e re s ole shoes

’ ’ fa hz r s I av not seen your e e ole shoes .

Then , after a pause

‘ ’ ’ Av you seen my fa hz ere s ole a t

’ ’ I av not seen your fa hz e re s ole a t

‘ ’ e Presently another said , J trouve qu il a

’ ’ e l A n la i s . une joli e t te , g But I will put it all into English I find that he has a pretty head—the

! W ou B a riz el E nglishman hat say y ,

1 2 2

TRILBY should like to know if the Englishman

s o old has sisters and if , how and how many

’ and what sex .

‘ ’ Ask him . Ask him yourself ! ’ should like to know the detailed and

’ circumstantial history of the Englishman s ! ’ first love , and how he lost his innocence

’ Ask him , etc . etc . etc .

Little B illee , conscious that he was the

of subject conversation , grew somewhat

nervous . Soon he was addressed directly.

’ l An la is Dites donc , g w K wa said Little Billee .

‘ Avez -vous une s oeur

‘ ’ Wee .

’ Est -c e qu elle vous ressemble

’ N ong .

’ ‘ ’ C est bien dommage ! Est -c e qu elle dit

le a ses prieres , soir, en se couch nt

’ A fierce look came into Little Billees eyes

1 2 4 TRI LBY

a rti c u and a redness to his cheeks , and this p lar form of overture to friendship was aban

d on ed .

Presently Lambert said , Si nous mettions

’ ’ l Angla is a l echelle

Little B illee , who had been warned , knew what this ordeal meant .

ou They tied y to a ladder, and carried you in procession up and down the court

yard , and if you were nasty about it they put you under the pump . D uring the next rest it was explained to

him that he must submit to this indignity , and the ladder (which was used for reaching the high shelves round the studio) was got ready . Little Billee smiled a singularly winning smile , and suffered himself to be bound with

’ such good -humour that they voted it wasn t amusing, and unbound him , and he escaped th e ordeal by ladder.

1 2 5 TRILBY

T a affy had also escaped , but in nother

~ n way . Whe t hey tried to seize him he took

” r a i u up the first p that came to hand, and

s a of u ing him as kind _ club , he swung him about so freely and knocked down so many

students and easels and drawing -boards with

him , and made such a terrific rumpus , that thewhole studio had to cry for pax Then

he performed feats of strength of such a sur

prising kind that the memory of him remained

’ ‘ in Carrel s studio for years , and he became a

tra dition . a ! n ow legend , a , myth I t is said

~ (i n what still remains of the Quartier Lati n)

that he was seven feet high , and used to

ma s s i er W juggle with the and . model , as ith a

of ! pair billiard balls , using only his left hand

To return to Little Billee . When it

a nd struck twelve , the cakes rum punch — arrived a very goodly sight that put every on e in a go od temper.

of — The cakes were three kinds Babas ,

1 2 6

TRI LBY

himself, he was asked to sing them an

English song . After a little pressing he sang them a song about a gay cavalier who went to serenade his mistress (and a ladder

of of ropes , and a pair masculine gloves that

’ didn t belong to the gay cavalier, but which

’ he found in his lady s bower) - a poor sort of song , but it was the nearest approach to a

comic song he knew . There are four verses

to it, and each verse is rather long . I t does

not sound at all funny to a French audience ,

and even with an English on e Little Billee

was not good at comic songs .

H e was, however, much applauded at the

o f . end each verse When he had finished ,

he was asked if he were gui le sure there

’ of wasn t any more it , and they expressed a

deep regret ; and then each student , strad

dli ng on his little thick - set chair as on a

of horse , and clasping the back it in both

’ Billee s hands , galloped round Little throne

1 2 8 TRILBY quite seriously— the strangest procession he had ever seen . I t made him laugh till he cried , so that he could not eat or drink . Then he served more punch and cake all round ; and just as he was going to begin l himse f, Papelard said

Say, you others , I find that the English man has somethi ng of truly disti nguished

of of in the voice , something sympathetic , — touching something of j e n o s a i s guoi /

‘ B o ucha rd : — e y Yes , yes something of j

’ ue s a i s gu oi / That s the very phrase

’ -c e — n est pas , vous autres that is a good phrase that Papelard has just invented to

of . describe the voice , the Englishman H e — ’ is very intelligent Papelard .

‘ o : Ch rus Perfect , perfect ; he has the

- genius of characterisation Papelard . Dites

’ n l A n la i s ! do c , g once more that beautiful

’ —fiei u P song Nous vous en prions tous .

i Little B illee willingly sang it aga n , with

VO L . 1 1 2 9 x TRILBY

even greater applause , and again they gal loped , but the other way round and faster, so that Little Billee became quite hysterical ,

and laughed till his sides ached .

Then D ubos c I find there is something

o f very capiton s and exciting in English

of . ou music very stimulating And y ,

? ’ B oucha rdy

‘ B ouc ha rd : ! y Oh , me I t is above all

the wor ds that I admire ; they have some “ of of — z e - thing passionate , romantic ese

a-a z es e a-a — gl ves , gl ves zey do not belong

” ’ to me . I don t know what that means , but — — — — I love that sort o f o f Of of j e ue s a i s

’ uoi ! ouee l An la i s g , in short J ust more , g ;

’

ouce our . only , the f couplets

So he sang it a third time , all four verses , while they leisurely ate and drank and

smoked and looked at each other, nodding

solemn commendation o f certain phrases in

' ’ ‘ the song : ‘ Tres bien ! Tres bien ! ‘ Ah !

1 3 0

TRILBY

ha v 1n big, like Taffy , and g a choleric blue eye

’ Such was Little B ille e s first experience of

’ Carrel s studio, where he spent many happy

mornings and made many good friends .

N 0 more popular student had ever worked there within the memory of the grayest gray

beards ; none more amiable , more genial ,

more cheerful , self respecting, considerate ,

and polite , and certainly none with greater

gifts for art . Carrel would devote at least fifteen minutes

to him , and invited him often to his own

. on or private studio And often , the fourth

fifth day of the week , a group Of admiring students would be gathered by his easel

watching him as he worked .

’ ’ um l A'n la i s ! a u C est rude lapin , g moins

il c e sait son orthographe en peinture ,

’ coco - la !

' Such was the verdict on Little B illee at

1 3 2 TRILBY

’ Carrel s studio : and I can conceive no much

loftier praise .

Young as she was (seventeen or eighteen , o r thereabouts) , and also tender (like Little

Billee) , Trilby had singularly clear and quick perceptions in all matters that concerned her

or f tastes , fancies , af ections , and thoroughly

own knew her mind , and never lost much

time in making it up .

On the occasion of her first visit to the

studio in the Place St . Anatole des Arts , it took her just five minutes to decide that

e n i ales t it was quite the nicest , homeliest , g ,

or jolliest studio in the whole Quartier Latin ,

o ut of it , and its three inhabitants , indi

v idually and collectively, were more to her

one taste than any else she had ever met .

I n the first place , they were English , and she loved to hear her mother -tongue and

speak it . I t awoke all manner of tender

I 3 3 TRI LBY

of recollections , sweet reminiscences her

old — childhood , her parents , her home such

— or a home as it was , rather, such homes ; for there had been many flitti ngs from on e ’ ll poor nest to another . The O Fe rra s had been as birds on the bough .

She had loved her parents very clearly ; and , indeed , with all their faults , they had many endearing qualities— the qualities that so often go with those particular faults

of charm , geniality, kindness , warmth heart, the constant wish to please , the generosity that comes before justice , and lends its last sixpence and forgets to pay its debts ! She knew other English and American

artists , and had sat to them frequently for

of the head and hands ; but none these , for general agreeableness of aspect or manner, could compare in her mind with

the stalwart and magnificent Taffy, the

1 3 4

TRI LBY

‘ ’ of cigarette and passed the time day , as

she chose to call it ; telling them all such

news of the Quartier as had come within her

o wn immediate ken . She was always full

o f of little stories other studios , which , to do

- a n d her justice , were always good natured , — probably true quite so , as far as she was

concerned ; she was the most literal person

‘ r a ozs ca uea us alive ; and she told all these g , ,

’ ‘ et fi ol i us cl a i eli er in a quaint and amusing

f o r manner . The slightest look o gravity

on on e of boredom those three faces , and

she made herself scarce at once . She soon found opportunities for useful

fo r ness also . I f a costume were wanted ,

or instance, she knew where to borrow it ,

hire it or buy it cheaper than any on e any f where else . She procured stuf s for them

a t cost price , as it seemed , and made them

into draperies and female garments of any

kind that was wanted , and sat in them for

1 3 6 TRI LBY the toreador’ s sweetheart (she made the

’ mantilla herself) , for Taffy s starving dress

maker about to throw herself into the Seine ,

’ for Little B illee s studies of the beautiful

French peasant girl in his picture , now so

. famous , called The Pitcher Goes to the Well Then she darned their socks and mended

their clothes , and got all their washing done properly and cheaply at her friend Madame

’ Cloi tres . Boisse s , in the Rue des Ste

Petronille .

And then again , when they were hard up and wanted a good round sum o f money

for some little pleasure excursion , such as

a trip to Fontainebleau or Barbizon for

or two three days , it was she who took their

watches and scarf- pins and things to the

Mount of Piety in the Street of the Well

of ma a u e Love (where dwelt l l , which is

‘ ’ French for my uncle in this connection) ,

in order to raise the necessary funds .

I 3 7 TRI LBY

of She was , course , most liberally paid for all these little services , rendered with such — pleasure and goodwill far too liberally , she thought . She would have been really happier doing them for love .

Thus in a very short time s he became

‘ — a per s on a g r a z i s s i ma a sunny and ever welcome vision of health and grace and

- liveliness and unalterable good humour , always ready to take any trouble to please

’ An liche s her beloved g , as they were called

by Madame Vinard , the handsome shrill

con ci er e voiced g , who was almost jealous ; for she was devoted to the A ngli che s too

-and so was Monsieur Vinard—and so

Vi na rds were the little . She knew when to talk and when to laugh and when to hold her tongue ; and the sight of her sitting cross -legged on the

’ model - throne darning the Laird s socks or sewing buttons o n his shirts or repairing

1 3 8

TRILBY And that is why (no doubt) that with all this familiar intimacy there was never any hint o f gallantry or flirtation in any shape or — oouue ca ma r a der i e w i ld form whatever ,

’ f ul o . H ad she been Little B illee s sister she could not have been treated with more

- real respect . And her deep gratitude for this unwonted compliment transcended any passion she had ever felt . As the good Lafontaine so prettily says

Ces animaux vivaient entre eux comme cousins

C et r r ette union si douce , p esque f aternelle, Edifia i t tous les voisins

And then their talk ! I t was to her as

of the talk the gods in Olympus , save that it was easier to understand , and she could

F r always understand it. o she was a very

of intelligent person , in spite her wofully neglected education , and most ambitious to — learn a new ambition for her.

So they lent her books - English books

1 4 0 TRI LBY

Dickens , Thackeray , Walter Scott which

o f she devoured in the silence the night , the solitude of her little attic in the Rue

- des Pousse Cailloux , and new worlds were revealed to her . She grew more English every day ; and that was a good thing . Trilby speaking English and Trilby speaking French were two different beings .

’ Trilby s E nglish was more o r less that of - her father, a highly educated man ; her mother, who was a Scotchwoman , although

u o ne an uned cated , had none of the ungain li n es s that mars the speech of so many Englishwomen in that humble rank — no

’ of 4 0 s droppings the , no broadening of the

’ and a s .

’ Trilby s French was that of the Quartier — Latin droll , slangy , piquant , quaint , pic tures ue — o f q quite the reverse ungainly , but in which there was scarcely a turn of phrase that would not stamp the speaker as being

1 4 1 TRI LBY

hopelessly , emphatically no lady Though

it was funny without being vulgar, it was

perhaps a little l oo funny ! And she handled her knife and fork in the

dainty English way, as no doubt her father — had done and his and , indeed , when alone with them she was so absolutely ‘ like a lady ’ that it seemed quite Odd (though very seductive) to see her in a grisette ’ s cap and

dress and apron . So much for her English

training .

or B ut enter a Frenchman two , and a — transformation effected itself immediately a — new incarnation o f T rilby n es s s o droll and

amusing that it. was difficult to decide which

i of her two incarnations was the more attract ve . I t must be admitted that she had her — faults like Little Billee .

F o r instance , she would be miserably jealous o f any other woman who came to the

or or or studio , to sit scrub sweep do any

1 4 2

TRI LBY

himself ; and this was the aggravating side

of i her irrepressible T r lbyn es s .

I n the caressing , demonstrative tenderness

’ of her friendship she ‘ made the soft eyes at

all three indiscriminately . B ut sometimes Little B illee would look up from his work as

or she was sitting to Taffy the Laird , and find her gray eyes fixed on him with an all

enfolding gaze , so piercingly , penetratingly ,

unutterably sweet and kind and tender, such

of a brooding , dovelike look soft and warm fl solicitude , that he would feel a utter at his

heart , and his hand would shake so that he could not paint ; and in a waking dream he would remember that his mother had often looked at him like that when he was a small

u n boy, and she a beautiful young woman touched by care or sorrow and the tear that always lay in readiness so close to the corner of

’ Little Billee s eye would find it very difficult — to keep itself in its proper place unshed .

1 44 TRILBY And at such moments the thought that Trilby sat for the figure would go through

him like a knife . She did not sit promiscuously to anybody

who asked , it is true . But she still sat to

o . Durien ; to the great Ger me ; to M Carrel ,

who scarcely used any other model . I t was poor Trilby ’ s sad distinction that she surpassed all other models as Calypso surpassed her nymphs and whether by long habit , or through some obtuseness in her

or of nature , lack imagination , she was equally unconscious o f self with her clothes o n or ! without Truly, she could be naked — and unashamed i n this respect an absolute savage .

She would have ridden through Coventry , like Lady Godiva—but without giving it a thought beyond wondering why the streets were empty and the shops closed and the blinds pulled down—would even have looked

V L 1 . O . 1 1 4 5 TRILBY up to Peeping Tom ’ s shutter with a friendly

nod . , had she known he was behind it

I n fact , she was absolutely without that

of kind shame , as she was without any kind o f fear . But she was destined soon to know both fear and shame .

And here it would not be amiss for me to state a fact well known to all painters and sculptors who ' have used the nude model

(except a few shady pretenders , whose purity ,

of not being the right sort, has gone rank

too from much watching) , namely, that

nothing is so chaste as nudity . Venus

as herself, she drops her garments and

on - be steps to the model throne , leaves

hind her ou the floor every weapon in her armoury by which she can pierce to the

of grosser passions man . The more per

e fe t her unveiled beauty , the more keenly

it appeals to his higher instincts . And where her beauty fails (as it almost always

1 46

TRILBY — seen her clothed and in her right mind .

She never sat to me for any Phryne, never

of bared herself to me , nor did I ever dream s asking her. I would as soon have a ked the

Queen of Spain to let me paint her legs ! But I have worked from many female

of models in many countries , some them

of . the best their kind I have also , like

‘ Svengali , seen Taffy trying to get him

’ o r self clean , either at home in the swim

ming-baths of the Seine and never a sitting woman among them all who could match for grace or finish or splendour o f outward form

that mighty Yorkshireman sitting in his tub , or Il s s us sunning himself, like y , at the Bains

or i Henri Quatre , taking his runn ng header a la fi ussa r de - , off the spring board at the

of Bains Deligny , with a group wondering

Frenchmen gathered round .

! p he shot himself into mid - air with a

n soundi g double downward kick , parabolic

1 48 TRILBY

- ally ; then , turning a splendid semi demi somersault against the sky , down he came headlong, his body straight and stiff as an

a n d arrow, made his clean hole in the water without splash or sound , to reappear a hundred yards farther on ! ‘ Sac a papier ! quel gaillard que cet

Anglais , hein

A -t-on jamais v u un torse pareil

‘ Et les bras, donc

’ ‘ Et ! les jambes , nom d un tonnerre

’ M atin ! J a imera is mieux etre en colere

’ contre lui qu il me soit en colere contre moi etc . etc . etc .

Omue iguol um p r o mag n ifico

I f our climate were such that we could go

on about without any clothes , we probably should ; in which case , although we should still murder and lie and steal and bear false

our witness against neighbour, and break the

I 49 TRILBY

’ Sabbath Day , and take the Lord s name in

of vain , much deplorable wickedness another kind would cease to exist for sheer lack of mystery ; and Christianity would be relieved of its hardest task in this sinful world , and

Venus Aphrodite (a li a s Aselgeia) would have to go a - begging along with the tailors

and dressmakers and bootmakers , and per haps our bodies and limbs would be as those of the Theseus and Venus of Milo ; who was no Venus, except in good looks

At all events , there would be no cunning ,

n o cruel deceptions , artful taking in of art

less inexperience , no unduly hurried waking

’ u p from Love s young dream , no handing down to posterity of hidden uglinesses and

’ weaknesses , and worse

And also many a flower, now born to blush

unseen , would be reclaimed from its desert ,

own and suffered to hold its , and flaunt away with the best in the inner garden of roses !

1 50

TRILBY

o f s wholesale abolition clothe ,

of chilliest mortals , and quite

Il s s us . Theseus or M r . y either

Sometimes Trilby would bring her little brother to the studio in the Place St .

‘ oea ux ka oi i s de Anatole des Arts , in his

Pd ues oma tumed g , his hair well curled and p , his hands and face well washed .

H e was a very engaging little mortal . The Laird would fill his pockets full of Scotch

goodies , and paint him as a little Spaniard

’ ‘ du in Le Fils Toréador, a sweet little

Spaniard with blue eyes , and curly locks

of . as light as tow, and a complexion milk and roses , in singular and piquant contrast to his swarthy progenitors . Taffy would use him as an I ndian club — ’ or a dumb bell , to the child s infinite delight ,

on and swing him the trapeze , and teach him

1 5 2 TRILBY

And the sweetness and fun of his shrill , happy, infantile laughter (which was like an

’ of echo Trilby s , only an octave higher) so moved and touched a n d tickled One that

i Taffy had to look qu te fierce , so he might hide the strange delight of tenderness that somehow filled his manly bosom at the mere sound of it (lest Little B illee and the Laird should think him goody - goody) ; and the

fie rc e r Taffy looked , the less this small mite f him was afraid o .

Little Billee made a beautiful water- colour sketch of him , just as he was , and gave it to

lo who Trilby , who gave it to pere Martin , gave it to his wife with strict injunctions n ot

! i s to sell it as an old master. Alas it an

t H ea ve n old master now, and only knows who has got it ! Those were happy days for Trilby ’ s little

brother, happy days for Trilby, who was

of . immensely fond him , and very proud And I S 3 TRILBY the happiest day of all was when the croi s

Angli ches took Trilby and J eannot (for so the mite was called) to spend the Sunday in the woods at Meudon , and breakfast and

’ ’ a r de cka m ecr e s . dine at the g fi Swings ,

- - peep shows , donkey rides ; shooting at a mark with cross - bows and little pellets of clay , and smashing little plaster figures

’ and winning macaroons ; losing one s self in the beautiful forest ; catching newts and tadpoles and young frogs ; making music on

‘ ’ mi r li t us o . Trilby singing Ben Bolt into

‘ mi r li cou to a was a thing be remembered , whether on e would or no !

Trilby o n this occasion came out in a new

eu demoi selle character , , with a little black

of bonnet , and a gray jacket her own making.

- To look at (but for her loose , square toed ,

- heel less silk boots laced up the inner side) , she might have been the daughter of an English dean—until she undertook to teach

1 54

TRILBY

she (even in the cancan) , was the forerunner of K Miss ate Vaughan ; and for sheer fun , the precursor of M iss Nelly Farren !

And the Laird , trying to dance after her

‘ ’ le kon kon d ( dongsong g , as he calle it) , was too funny for words ; and if genuine

of popular success is a true test humour, no

u greater humo rist ever danced a fi a s s eul. What Englishmen could do in France

during the fifties , and yet manage to pre

- serve their self respect, and even the respect

of their respectable French friends !

‘ ’ ’ Voila l e s p a y c e de hom ker jer swee !

said the Laird , every time he bowed in acknowledgment of the applause that greeted

his performance of various solo steps of his — own Scotch reels and sword - dances that

came in admirably .

one n on Then , fine day (as a judgme t him ,

no doubt) , the Laird fell ill , and the doctor

t o . had be sent for, and he ordered a nurse

1 56 TRILBY

of But Trilby would hear no nurses , not even a Sister of Charity ! She did all the nursing herself, and never slept a wink for three successive days and nights .

On the third day the Laird was out of all danger, the delirium was past, and the doctor found poor Trilby fast asleep by the bedside .

Madame Vinard , at the bedroom door , put her finger to her lips , and whispered

‘ ! il . le Quel bonheur est sauvé , M Docteur ;

! il c e écoutez dit ses prieres en Anglais , brave gargon

’ The good old doctor, who didn t under

a of stand word English , listened , and

’ lo w heard the Laird s voice , weak and ,

u but quite clear, and f ll of heartfelt fervour, intoning , solemnly

“ ' G s afi ron reen herbs , red peppers , mussels, , S oles, onions , garlic , roach, and dace All these you eat at Terré ’ s Tavern In that one dish of bouillabaisse I S7 TRILBY

‘ ’ ! tré s s a Ah mais c est bien de part , c e brave jeune homme ! rendre graces au

le ! ciel comme cela, quand danger est passe

tré s tres bien , bien

Sceptic and Voltairian as he was , and

of not the friend prayer , the good doctor

O ld was touched , for he was , and therefore

kind and tolerant , and made allowances . And afterwards he said such sweet things

a d to Trilby about it all , and about her

of mirable care his patient , that she posi — ti vely wept with delight like Sweet Alice

with hair so brown , whenever Ben B olt

gave her a smile .

- All this sounds very goody goody, but

’ it s true . So it will be easily understood how the

cr oi s A ngli c hes came in time to feel for

Trilby quite a peculiar regard , and looked forward with sorrowful forebodings to the day when this singular and pleasant little

1 58

TRILBY especially when he came with Gecko and they made music together. But it soon became apparent that t hey did not c ome there to play to the three Angli c hes ; it was to see Trilby, whom they both had taken it into their heads to adore , each in a different fashion

Gecko, with a humble , doglike worship that expressed itself in mute , pathetic deference and looks of lowly self- deprecia

of ow n tion , apology for his unworthy existence , as though the only requital he would ever dare to dream of were a word of of decent politeness , a glance tolerance

- — or good will a mere bone to a dog.

Svengali was a bolder wooer. When

he cringed , it was with a mock humility full f o sardonic threats ; when he was playful , it was with a terrible playfulness , like that o f —a a cat with a mouse weird , ungainly

‘ cat , and most unclean ; a sticky , haunting ,

1 6 0 TR ILBY

- if long , lean , uncanny , black spider cat , , there is such an animal outside a bad dream . I t was a great grievance to him that she had suffered from no more pains in her eyes . She had but preferred to endure them rather than seek relief from mm.

SO he would playfully try to mesmerise her with his glance , and sidle up nearer and nearer to her, making passes and counter passes , with stern command in his eyes , till she would shake and shiver and almost sicken with fear , and all but feel

the spell come over her, as in a nightmare , and rouse herself with a great effort and escape . I f Taffy were there he would interfere

‘ ow old with a friendly N then , fellow, none

’ on of that l and a jolly slap the back , which

would make Svengali cough for an hour, and paralyse his mesmeric powers for a week .

VO L. 1 1 6 1 M TRILBY

- Svengali had a stroke of good fortune . He played at three grand concerts with

- Gecko , and had a well deserved success .

of own H e even gave a concert his , which

out made a furore , and blossomed into beautiful and costly clothes of quite original colour and shape and pattern , so that people would turn round and stare at him in the — street a thing he loved . H e felt his

fortune was secure , and ran into debt with tailors , hatters , shoemakers , jewellers , but

o f ld paid none his o debts to his friends .

H is pockets were always full of printed slips—things that had been written about him in the papers— and he would read them

to aloud everybody he knew , especially to

on Trilby , as she sat darning socks the model - throne while the fencing and boxing were in train . And he would lay his fame

on and his fortune at her feet , condition that she should share her life with him .

1 6 2

TRI LBY H ighness when they hear Svengali ! They

to will invite him their palaces , and pay

“ him a thousand francs to play for them ;

1011 - and after, he will in the best arm chair ,

on and they will sit all round him footstools ,

' and bring him tea and gin and é ucueu and

‘ ma r r on s la ces ! g , and lean over him and fan — him for he is tired after playing them for

ChO i n ! ! a thousand francs of p Ha , ha I — know all about i t fiei u

‘ n ot ! And he will look at them , even

own H e will look inward , at his dream — and his dream will be about D rilpy to lay his talent , his glory , his thousand francs at her beautiful white feet !

- Their stupid , big , fat , tow headed , putty nosed husbands will be mad with jealousy ,

b ox the and long to him , but v will be afraid .

Ach ! those beautiful An c lai s es ! they will

to think it an honour to mend his shirts , sew buttons o n his pantaloo n s to darn his

1 64 TRI LBY

t socks , as you are doing now for tha sacred imbecile O f a Scotchman who is always try

or ing to paint toréadors , that sweating , pig -headed bullock of an Englander who is always trying to get himself dirty and then — to get himself clean again e da cafi o ‘ H immel ! what big socks are those ! what potato -sacks !

‘ Look at your Taffy ! what is he good for but to bang great musicians on the back ’ ! with his big bear s paw H e finds that droll , the bullock

‘ — Look at your Frenchmen there your

’ damned conceited oerfiucé l e pig - dogs of

— B a ri z el B oucha rd ! Frenchmen Durien , , y

of é ei u ? What can a Frenchman talk ,

! Only himself, and run down everybody else H is vanity makes me sick ! He always ki m thinks the world is talking about , the fool ! H e forgets that there ’ s a fellow called

S veng a li for the world to talk about ! I tell 1 65 TRILBY

D ril me you , py , it is about the world is talk — — ! ing me and nobody else me , me , me

’ ‘ Listen what they say in the F iga r o

(reads it) .

of é ei u What do you think that , What would your Durien say if people wrote o f di m like that ? ! But you are not listening , sapperment — ’ great big she - fool that y ou are sheep s head ! D umk pf ! Donnerwetter ! you are looking at the chimney-pots when Svengali talks ! Look a little lower down between

on o f ! the houses , the other side the river

There is a little ugly gray building there ,

of and inside are eight slanting slabs brass ,

o f row dormitor all a , like beds in a school y n and o n e fine day you shall lie asleep on on e o f — D ril those slabs you , py , who would not ! listen to Svengali , and therefore lost him

And over the middle of you will be a

little leather apron , and over your head a

1 66

TRI LBY

! D ril n ot ha that is la grande py , who would

listen to Svengali , but looked at the chimney

o f pots when he told her his manly love , and

‘ H i l damn it , Svengali , what the

? devil are you talking to Trilby about

’ ’ ? You re making her sick ; can t you see

off o Leave , and g to the piano, man ,

’ or I ll come and slap you on the back again ! ’

- Thus would that sweating , pig headed

’ bullock o f an Englander stop Svengali s love making and release Trilby from bad quarters f o an hour.

Then Svengali , who had a wholesome

of - dread the pig headed bullock , would go to the piano and make impossible discords ,

D ril and say Dear py , come and sing Pen Polt ! I am thirsting for those so beautiful chest notes Come Poor Trilby needed little pressing when

1 68 TRILBY

o she was asked to sing, and would g through

to her lamentable performance, the great dis f comfort of Little Billee . I t lost nothing o

’ its grotesqueness from Svengali s a cc ompa n i

o f ment , which was a triumph cacophony ,

‘ Tr es i eu and he would encourage her fi ,

‘ tr es i en a es i y , c y

When it was over, Svengali would test her ear , as he called it , and strike the C in the middle and then the F just above , and ask which was the highest ; and she would declare they were both exactly the same . I t was only when he struck a note in the bass and another in the treble that she f could perceive any dif erence , and said that the first sounded like Pere Martin blowing up his wife , and the second like her little godson tryi n g to make the peace between them .

’ - She was quite tone deaf, and didn t know it ; and he would pay her extravagant com

1 69 TRILBY

lime nts on p her musical talent , till Taffy

‘ ’ : would say Look here , Svengali , let s hear

’ y ou sing a song !

And he would tickle him so masterfully under the ribs that the creature howled and

became quite hysterical .

Then Svengali would vent his love of

o n teasing Little B illee , and pin his arms

behind his back and swing him . round ,

‘ ’ ? saying : H immel ! what s this for an arm I t ’ s like a girl ’ s I t ’ s strong enough to paint ! ’ said Little

Billee . ‘ And what ’ s this for a leg ? I t 's like a mahlstick !

’ ’ ‘ u to ou I t s strong eno gh kick , if y don t

leave off !

And Little Billee , the young and tender,

would let out his little heel and kick the

’ German s shins ; and just as the German

was going to retaliate , big Taffy would pin

1 7 0

P A R T T H I R D

a n e Par deg , dela la mer ! e scay dame ui damoiselle Q ui soit en tous biens parfaits telle

’ ’ C est un songe que d y penser

’ D ieu qu il fait bon la regarder

O ! E lovely Monday morning in late Sep

o r tember, at about eleven so , Taffy and the Laird sat in the studio— each opposite his picture , smoking , nursing his knee , and f saying nothing . The heaviness o Monday

on i i weighed their sp r ts more than usual , for the three friends had returned late on the previous night from a week spent at Bar — bizon and in the forest of F on tai n ebleau a heavenly week among the painters ; Rous seau , M illet , Corot , Daubigny , let us suppose ,

1 7 2 TRILBY and others less known to fame this day.

fas c mated Little B illee , especially, had been by all this artistic life in blouses and sabots and immense straw hats and panamas , and had sworn to himself and to his friends that he would some day live and die there painting the forest as it is , and peopling it with beautiful people out of his o wn fancy — leading a healthy outdoor life of simple wants and lofty aspirations .

‘ At length Taffy said : Bother work this morning ! I feel much more like a stroll in the Luxembourg Gardens and lunch at the

’ l O dé on Café de , where the omelets are

’ ’ good and the wine isn t blue .

‘ The very thing I was thinking o f

’ myself, said the Laird .

So Taffy slipped on his old shooting

old jacket and his H arrow cricket cap , with

the peak turned the wrong way , and the

’ Laird put o n an old greatcoat Of Taffy s

I 7 3 TRILBY

’ that reached to his heels , and a battered straw hat they had found in the studio when they took it ; and both sallied forth into the

’ o n mellow sunshine the way to Carrel s .

F or they meant to seduce Little B illee from his work , that he might share in their lazi ness , greediness , and general demoralisation . And whom should they meet coming down the narrow turreted Rue Vieille des Trois Mauvais Ladres but Little B illee him

a n of self, with air general demoralisation so tragic that they were quite alarmed . H e had his paint -box and field -easel in one hand and his little valise in the other. H e was

on of pale , his hat the back his head , his hair staring all at sixes and sevens , like a

’ sick Scotch terrier s .

’ ‘ Good Lord ! what ’ s the matter ? said

Taffy .

’ ’ ‘ ’ Oh ! oh ! oh ! she s sitting at Carrel s !

’ ‘ Who ’ s sitting at Carrel s

I 74

TRI LBY

- — there ! Good bye good -bye back on S un

— - day good bye And he was off.

‘ N ow , what the devil does all that

? ’ mean asked Taffy, much perturbed . ‘ I suppose he ’ s shocked at seeing Trilby

or un ui s e in that guise , disguise , or g , sitting ’ — ’ dd at Carrel s he s such an o little chap .

’ And I must say, I m surprised at Trilby .

’ ’ I t s a bad thing for her when we re away . What could have induced her ? She never sat in a studio of that kind before . I thought she only sat to Durien and old

’ Carrel .

They walked for a while in silence .

’ Do you know , I ve got a horrid idea that the little fool ’ s in love with her ! ’

’ ’ I ve long had a horrid idea that s ue s in m ’ love with li i .

’ ‘ That would be a very stupid business , said Taffy .

They walked on , brooding over those two

1 7 6 TRILBY

horrid ideas , and the more they brooded , d considered , and remembere , the more con v i nc e d they became that both were right .

’ ’ ‘ Here s a pretty kettle of fish ! said the

’ Laird and talking of fish , let s go and lun chf And so demoralised were they that Taffy ate three omelets without thinking, and the

- Laird drank two half bottles of wine , and

Taffy three , and they walked about the whole of that afternoon for fear Trilby should come to the studio — and were very unhappy .

This is how Trilby came to sit at Carrel ’ s studio Carrel had suddenly taken it into his head

n that he would spend a week there, and pai t a figure among his pupils , that they might see and paint with— and if possible like him . And he had asked Trilby as a great

VO L . 1 1 7 7 ! TRILBY

l s o favour to be the mode , and Trilby was devoted to the great Carrel that she readily

O consented . S that Monday morning found

’ her there , and Carrel posed her as I ngres s famous figure in his picture called ‘ La

’ c on Source , holding an earthenware pit her her shoulder.

And the work began in religious silence .

Then in five minutes or so Little B illee s came bursting in , and as oon as he caught sight of her he stopped and stood as on e petrified , his shoulders up , his eyes staring .

Then lifting his arms , he turned and fled .

‘ ’ ’ ’ c e c e Litre bili ? Qu est qu il a donc , ex claimed o n e o r two students (for they had turned his English nickname into French) .

’ ‘ ’ Perhaps he s forgotten something , said

’ ‘ to another. Perhaps he s forgotten brush his teeth and part his hair Perhaps he ’ s forgotten to say his ’ l prayers ! said B a riz e .

1 7 8

TRI LBY

She had good eyes , and Little B illee had

a singularly expressive face .

Could it possibly be that he was s é océ ed at seeing her sitting there She knew that he was peculiar in many

ways . She remembered that neither he nor

Taffy nor the Laird had ever asked her to

sit for the figure , though she would have

too been only delighted to do so for them . She also remembered how Little Billee had always been silent whenever she alluded to

‘ ’ n her posi g for the altogether , as she called

it , and had sometimes looked pained and a lways very grave .

She turned alternately pale and red , pale

and red all over, again and again , as the thought grew up in her — and soon the growing thought became a torment .

This new-born feeling of shame was unendurable—its birth a travail that racked

o f and rent every fibre her moral being, and

1 8 0 TRI LBY she suffered agonies beyond anything she

had ever felt in her life .

‘ ou ? What is the matter with y , my child

? ’ Are you ill asked Carrel , who , like every on e of else , was very fond her , and to whom

’ ’ L En fa n ce she had sat as a child de Psyché , now in the Luxembourg Gallery, was painted from her) .

o n . She shook her head , and the work went

Presently she dropped her pitcher, that broke into bits ; and putting her two hands to her face she burst into tears and sobs and there , to the amazement of everybody, — she stood crying like a big baby L a s our ce a ux la r mes

‘ i s What the matter, my poor dear child

off said Carrel , jumping up and helping her the throne .

‘ ’ —I ’ — I’ m Oh , I don t know don t know ill—very ill—let me go home ! And with kind solicitude and despatch

1 8 1 TRI LBY

they helped her on with her clothes , and

Carrel sent for a cab and took her home .

And on the way she dropped her head on

his shoulder, and wept , and told him all about

it as well as she could, and Monsieur Carrel

too had tears in his eyes , and wished to

H eaven he had never induced her to sit for

or the figure , either then at any other time .

And pondering deeply and sorrowfully on such terrible responsibility (he had grown -up

of own to daughters his ) , he went back the

’ studio ; and in an hour s time they got

another model and another pitcher, and went to work again . So the pitcher went to the well once more .

And Trilby , as she lay disconsolate on her bed all that day and all the next , and all

o f the next again , thought her past life with agoni es of shame and remorse that made the pain in her eyes seem as a light and welcome

1 8 2

TRI LBY trying ordeal ! She had never taken such a

liberty with Taffy ; and as for Little B illee , she would sooner have died !

So she wrote to the Laird . I give her e lett r without the spelling, which was often

faulty, although her nightly readings had much improved it

‘ M ! D EA IE! D— l R FR f am very unhappy .

’ I was sitting at Carrel s , in the Rue des

Potirons , and Little B illee came in , and was so shocked and disgusted that he ran away and never came back .

‘ I saw it all in his face .

I sat there because M . Carrel asked me

’ to . H e has always been very kind to me — M . Carrel ever since I was a child ; and I

to would do anything please him , but never

Ma t again .

H e was there too . ‘ I never thought anything about sitting

1 84 TRI LBY before . I sat first as a child to M . Carrel .

Mamma made me , and made me promise not

’ to tell papa, and so I didn t . I t soon seemed as natural to sit for people as to run errands

or t . for them , wash and mend their clo hes Papa wouldn ’ t have liked my doing that either, though we wanted the money badly .

And so he never knew . I have sat for the “ altogether to several — M e o other people besides . G r me , Durien ,

H en n e ui n s E the two q , and mile Baratier

of and for the head and hands to lots people ,

and for the feet only to Charles Faure , André

C olli n e t . Besson , Mathieu Dumoulin , and

Nobody else . I t seemed as natural for me to sit as

for a man . N ow I see the awful difference .

‘ And I have done dreadful things besides ,

ou — as y must know as all the Quartier knows .

not Baratier and Besson but Durien , though

‘ thi n k s o. people N obody else , I swear

1 8 5 TRI LBY

old Pe n ue except Monsieur q at the beginning ,

’ who was mamma s friend .

I t makes me almost die of shame and

’ misery to think of it ; for that s n ot like sit ting . I knew how wrong it was all along

’ and there s no excuse for me , none . Though

o f lots people do as bad , and nobody in the

Quartier seems to think any the worse o f them .

‘ I f you and Taffy and Little Billee cut me , I really think I shall go mad and die . Without your friendship I shouldn ’ t care to live a bit . Dear Sandy , I love your little

finger better than any man or woman I ever

’ ’ met ; and Taffy s and Little B ille e s little

fingers too .

‘ ’ What shall I do ? I daren t go out for

f f u fear o meeting one o yo . Will you come and see me

‘ n ot I am never going to sit again , even for the face and hands . I am going back to

1 8 6

TRILBY

his line , and very much more comforting and talked to her so nicely and kindly and naturally that by the time he left her humble

attic in the Rue des Pousse - Caillou x her

very aspect , which had quite shocked him

when he first saw her , had almost become

what it usually was .

The little room under the leads , with its

sloping roof and mansard window , was as scrupulously neat and clean as if its tenant had been a holy sister who taught the noble daughters of France at some Convent of the

Sacred H eart . There were nasturtiums and

on wi n dow i s ill mignonette the outer , and convolvulus was trained to climb round the window .

As she sat by his side o n the narrow white bed , clasping and stroking his painty,

u t rpentiny hand , and kissing it every five — minutes , he talked to her like a father as he told Taffy afterwards— and scolded her

1 88 TRI LBY for having been so silly as not to send for

him directly , or come to the studio . H e said how glad he was , how glad they would all be , that she was going to give up sitting

fi ure— for the g not , of course , that there was any real harm in it , but it was better not and especially how happy it would make them to feel she intended to live straight for the future . Little B illee was to remain at

Barbizon for a little while ; but she must promise to come and dine with Taffy and himself that very day , and cook the dinner ;

and when he went back to his picture , Les

’ Noces d u Toréador saying to her as he

c e left , a soir donc , mille sacrés tonnerres de — nong de Dew he left the happiest woman in the whole Latin Quarter behind him she

had confessed and been forgiven .

And with shame and repentance and c on

fes s io n and forgiveness had come a strange

— of - new feeling that a dawning self respect .

1 89 TRI LBY

- H itherto , for Trilby , self respect had meant little more than the mere cleanliness of her body , in which she had always revelled ; alas ! it was on e of the conditions of her humble calling . I t now meant another kind of c would luxuria te leanliness , and she . in it — for evermore ; and the dreadful past never to be forgotten by her—should be so lived down as in time , perhaps , to be forgotten by others . The dinner that evening was a memorable o ne for Trilby . After she had washed up the knives and forks and plates and dishes , and put them by , she sat and sewed . She

’ re wouldn t even smoke her cigarette , it minded her so of things and scenes she now hated . N o more cigarettes for Trilby

’ O Fe rrall.

They all talked of Little B illee . She heard about the way he had been brought up , about his mother and sister, the people

1 9 0

TRI LBY

inferiority was lost in wonder at his work , in f love and enthusiasm or the workman .

Their Little Billee , so young and tender ,

of of so weak body , so strong purpose , so

of of warm heart , so light hand , so keen and

of quick and piercing brain and eye , was

on their master , to be stuck a pedestal and looked up to and bowed down to , to be watched and warded and worshipped for evermore . When Trilby came in from her work at

six , and he shook hands with her and said

‘ H ullo , Trilby her face turned pale to the lips , her under lip quivered , and she gazed down at him (for she was among the tallest o f her sex) with such a moist , hungry, wide eyed look of humble craving adoration that the Laird felt his worst fears were realised ; and the look Little Billee sent up in return

filled the manly bosom of Taffy with an equal apprehension .

1 9 2 TRILBY Then they all four went and dined together

’ le at pere Trin s , and Trilby went back to

i de u her ola ucuss er i e fi . Next day Little Billee took his work to show Carrel , and Carrel invited him to come and finish his picture ‘ The Pitcher Goes to ’ — the Well at his own private studio a n um

-of heard favour, which the boy accepted with a thrill of proud gratitude and affectionate reverence .

So little was seen for some time of Little

B illee at the studio in the Place St . Anatole

ola ucfii ss eus e des Arts , and little of Trilby ; a de fi u has not many minutes to spare from her irons . But they O ften met at dinner.

And o n Sunday mornings Trilby came to repair the Laird ’ s linen and darn his socks and look after his little comforts , as usual , and spend a happy day. And on Sunday afternoons the studio would be as lively as ever, with the fencing and boxing, the

VOL . 1 1 9 3 O TRI LBY — piano -playing and fiddli ng all as it used to be . And week by week the friends noticed a gradual and subtle change in Trilby . She was no longer slangy in French , unless it w ere now and then by a slip of the tongue , no longer so facetious and droll , and yet she seemed even happier than she had ever seemed before .

Also , she grew thinner , especially in the

o f face , where the bones her cheeks and jaws

began to show themselves , and these bones

were constructed on such right principles (as

were those of her brow and chin and the

bridge of her nose) that the improvement

was astonishing, almost inexplicable .

Also , she lost her freckles as the summer waned and she herself went less into the

open air. And she let her hair grow, and

made of it a small knot at the back of her

head , and showed her little flat ears , which

1 9 4

TRI LBY Medoras ! A type that will perhaps come back to us some day . May the present scribe be dead ! Trilby ’ s type would be infinitely more admired now than in the fifties . H er photo

- graph would be i n the shop windows . Sir — Edward Burne -Jones if I may make so bold — as to say s o would perhaps have marked

for own of her his , in spite her almost too exuberant joyousness and irrepressible vitality . Rossetti might have evolved another new formula from her ; Sir J ohn

Millais another old on e of the kind that is always new and never sates nor palls—like

— old Clytie , let us say ever and ever new as love itself !

’ Trilby s type was i n S i ngular contrast to the type Gava rni had made so popular in the Latin Quarter at the period we are writing of , so that those who fell so readily under

r her charm we e rather apt to wonder why .

1 9 6 TRI LBY

for Moreover, she was thought much too tall

her sex , and her day , and her station in life , and especially for the country she lived in . She hardly looked up to a bold gendarme ! and a bold gendarme was nearly as tall as a d r a ou de la a r de g g , who was nearly as tall as an average English policeman . ! ot that she was a giantess , by any means . She was about as tall as M iss Ellen Terry— and that I is a charming height, think .

One day Taffy remarked to the Laird H ang it ! I ’ m blest if Trilby isn’ t the handsomest woman I know ! She looks like a grande dame masquerading as a grisette

’ almost like a joyful saint at times . She s lovely ! By Jove l I couldn ’ t stand her hugging me as she does you ! There ’ d be a

’ - f tragedy say the slaughter o Little B illee .

‘ ! ’ Ah Taffy , my boy, rejoined the Laird , ‘ when those long sisterly arms are round my

’ ’ ’ neck it isn t me she s hugging. I 9 7 TRI LBY

‘ ’ And then , said Taffy , what a trump she ! ’ is Why , she s as upright and straight and honourable as a man ! And what she says

’ to on e about one s self is always so pleasant ! ’ to hear That s I rish , I suppose . And ,

’ ’ ’ what s more , it s always true . ‘ ’ ! ’ Ah , that s Scotch said the Laird , and tried to wink at Little Billee , but Little Billee

’ wasn t there . Even Svengali perceived the strange

‘ ’ Ach D ril l metamorphosis . , py , he wou d

‘ on say , a Sunday afternoon , how beautiful

ou ! ! ou y are I t drives me mad I adore y .

I like you thinner ; y ou have such beautiful

’ bones ! Why do y ou n ot answer my letters ? What ! y ou do n ot r ea d them ! ou our u them ? And yet I Donnerwetter ! I

forgot ! tThe grisettes of the Quartier Latin

have n ot learned how to read or write they have only learned how to dance the cancan with the dirty little pig - dog monkeys they

1 9 8

TRI LBY for your beautiful bones ; he would like to

on e count them by one , for he is very play

. ! ful , like me And , ach what a beautiful

ou ! n skeleton y will make And very soo , too on , because you do not smile your madly loving Svengali . You burn his letters with out reading them ! ! ou shall have a nice little mahogany glass case all to yourself in

of E the museum the cole de Médecine , and

- Svengali shall come in his new fur lined coat ,

of smoking his big cigar the H avana , and

out of push the dirty carabins the way , and look through the holes of your eyes into your

u stupid empty skull , and p the nostrils of

- of your high , bony sounding board a nose without either a tip or a lip to it , and into the

of - roof your big mouth , with your thirty two big English teeth , and between your big ribs into your big chest , where the big leather “ ! lungs used to be , and say , Ach what a pity she had no more music in h er than a big

2 0 0 TRI LBY

tom -cat ! And then he will look all down

your bones to your poor crumbling feet , and “ s a ! w y , Ach hat a fool she was not to answer Svengali ’ s l etters ! and the dirty carabins shall

‘ ’ or Shut up , you sacred fool , I ll precious

’ soon spoil y our skeleton for you .

- Thus the short tempered Taffy , who had

been listening .

Then Svengali , scowling , would play Chopin ’ s funeral march more divinely than ever ; and where the pretty soft part comes

‘ in , he would whisper to Trilby, That is

Svengali coming to look at y ou in your little mahogany glass And here let me say that these vicious

’ of imaginations Svengali s , which look so tame in English print , sounded much more ghastly in French , pronounced with a

- H ebrew German accent , and uttered in his

’ hoarse , rasping, nasal , throaty rook s caw ,

2 0 1 TRI LBY his big yellow teeth baring themselves in

a mongrel canine snarl , his heavy upper eyelids drooping over his insolent black

eyes .

Besides which , as he played the lovely melody he would go through a ghoulish pantomime , as though he were taking stock of the different bones in her skeleton with greedy but discriminating approval . And

when he came down to the feet , he was almost droll in the intensity of his terrible realism . But Trilby did not appreciate this exquisite fooling , and felt cold all over. H e seemed to her a dread powerful

demon , who , but for Taffy (who alone could hold him in check) , oppressed and weighed — on her like an incubus and she dreamed of of him oftener than she dreamed Taffy ,

or ! the Laird , even Little B illee

Thus pleasantly and smoothly, and with

2 0 2

TRI LBY of the three ; more prone to listen , and no

' to thi nk doubt the more . I n the afternoon people came and went as usual , and boxed and fenced and did

’ gymnastic feats , and felt Taffy s biceps ,

which by this time equalled Mr. San dow ’ s !

Some of these people were very pleasant and remarkable , and have become famous

—or since then in England , France , America

or to or have died , married , and come grief f glory in other ways . I t is the Ballad o the Bouillabaisse all over again ! I t might be worth while my trying to

o f n ow sketch some the more noteworthy , — that my story is slowing for a while like a

French train when the engine - driver sees a

of do long curved tunnel in front him , as I and no light at the other end ! My humble attempts at characterisation

’ ’ might be useful as memoi r es pour s er mr to

2 04 TRI LBY

future biographers . Besides , there are other

c reasons , as the reader will soon dis over.

— ’ There was Durien , for instance Trilby s

our le oou mot ! especial French adorer, p if

o f a son the people , a splendid sculptor, a

— s o very fine character in every way perfect , indeed , that there is less to say about him

of — than any the others modest , earnest ,

i n simple , frugal , chaste , and of untiring d us tr y living for his art , and perhaps also

for a little Trilby , whom he would have been

t o only o glad to marry. H e was Pygmalion — she was his Galatea a Galatea whose marble heart would never beat for ki m

’ D uri en s house is now the finest in the Parc

Monceau ; his wife and daughters are the

- o n f best dressed women in Paris, and he e o the happiest of men but he will never quite forget poor Galatea

‘ ’ — La belle a ux pieds d albé tre aux deux talons de rose

2 05 TRI LBY

Then there was Vincent , a Yankee medi cal student , who could both work and play .

H e is now on e of the greatest oculists in the world , and Europeans cross the Atlantic

to . consult him H e can still play , and when he crosses the Atlantic himself for that purpose he has to travel incognito like a royalty , lest his play should be marred by work . And his daughters are so beautiful and accomplished that B ritish dukes have

sighed after them in vain . I ndeed , these fair young ladies spend their autumn holi

ln day refusing the British aristocracy . We

are told so in the society papers , and I can quite believe it . Love is not always blind ;

. and if he is , Vincent is the man to cure him I n those days he prescribed for us all

round, and punched and stethoscoped us ,

our and looked at tongues for love , and told us what to eat , drink , and avoid , and even where to go for it .

2 06

TRI LBY people prefer Baratte . I prefer Bordier

’ myself. Perhaps you d better try Bordier

first and Baratte after. At all events , lose

’ no time ; so off you go ! Thus he saved Little Billee from an early grave .

of Then there was the Greek , a boy only

x si teen , but six feet high , and looking ten years older than he was , and able to smoke

even stronger tobacco than Taffy himself, and colour pipes divinely ; he was a great

for favourite in the Place St . Anatole , his

ooué ommi e . , his niceness , his warm geniality H e was the capitalist of this select circle f (and nobly lavish o his capital) . H e went by the name of Poluphlois boios paleap ologos — Pe trilope troli c oc on os e for so he w a s

christened by the Laird - because his real

name was thought much too long ; and much

re too lovely for the Quartier Latin , and

2 0 8 TRI-LBY minded one too much of the I sles o f Greece

where burning Sappho loved and sang . What was he learning in the Latin Quarter ? French H e spoke French like ! a native N obody knows . B ut when his Paris friends transferred their Bohemia to

London , where were they ever made hap pier and more at home than in his lordly — ? parental abode or fed with nicer things

n ow That abode is his , and lordlier than

of ever, as becomes the dwelling a million

aire and city magnate ; and its gray - bearded

owner is as genial , as jolly , and as hospitable

old as in the Paris days , but he no longer

colours pipes .

Then there was Carnegie , fresh from

’ of i n Balliol , redolent the varsity . H e tended himself then for the diplomatic

service , and came to Paris to learn French

as it is spoke ; and spent most of his time

VO L . 1 2 0 9 P TRI LBY with his fashionable English friends On the

of right side the river, and the rest with

on Taffy, the Laird , and Little B illee the w left . Perhaps that is hy he has n ot b e come an ambassador H e ‘ is now only a rural dean , and speaks the worst French I

s know , and peaks it wherever and whenever he can .

I t serves him right, I think .

of H e was fond lords , and knew some (at

one least , he gave that impression) , and

of often talked them , and dressed so beauti fully that even Little Billee was abashed in

e . r his presenc Only Taffy, in his threadba e , out-at- - - elbow shooting jacket and cricket cap ,

and the Laird , in his tattered straw hat and

’ Taffy s old overcoat down to his heels , dared

‘ - i n - — to walk arm arm with him nay, insisted — on doing s o as they listened to the band in

the Luxembourg Gardens . And his whiskers were even longer and

2 1 0

TRI LBY — he walked along a thing that always gave ! him dire Offence But, unlike Svengali , full o f of delicacy, refinement , and distinction

of - mind and manner, void any self conceit ;

of of and , in spite the irregularities his

of u life , the very soul tr th and honour, as gentle as he was chivalrous and brave ; the

warmest , staunchest, sincerest, most unselfish

n friend in the world ; and , as lo g as his purse was full , the best and drollest boon — companion in the world but that was not for ever !

When the money was gone , then would Antony hie him to some beggarly attic in

own some lost Parisian slum , and write his

epitaph in lovely French or German verse

or even English (fo r he was an astounding

linguist) and telling himself that he was for

saken by family, friends , and mistress alike ,

look out of his casement over the Paris

- chimney pots for the last time , and listen

2 1 2 TRI LBY

‘ ’ o f once more to the harmonies nature , as

‘ i n he called it , and aspire towards the

’ ‘ u of finite , and bewail the cr el deceptions

’ his life , and finally lay himself down to die of sheer starvation .

And as he lay and waited for his release ,

be that was so long in coming, he would guile the weary hours by mumbling a crust

‘ ’ own watered with his salt tears , and de c ora ti ng his epitaph with fanciful designs of

the most exquisite humour, pathos, and beauty ; these early illustrated epitaphs of the e young Antony , of which there still xist a goodly number, are now priceless , as all col

w lectors kno all over the world . w Fainter and fainter ould he grow, and

o n or finally , the third day thereabouts , a remittance would reach him from some long suffering sister or aunt in far Lausanne ; or else the fickle mistress or faithless friend (who had been looking for him all

2 1 3 TRI LBY

- over Paris) would discover his hiding place , the beautiful epitaph would be walked off in triumph to le pere Marcas in the Rue du

Ghette and sold for twenty, fifty , a hundred

‘ ; vo ue la a ler e / francs and then g ! g and back again to Bohemia , dear B ohemia and all its

e oi joys , as long as the money lasted p , da capo And now that his name is a household

two word in hemispheres , and he himself an honour and a glory to the land he has adopted as his own , he loves to remember

all this , and look back from the lofty pin n a ele on which he sits perched up aloft to the impecunious days of his idle apprentice

— ’ ’ ship le oou temps ou l ou eta i t s i ma l keur eux /

of And with all that Quixotic dignity his , so famous is he as a wit that when he j okes w (and he is al ays joking) , people laugh first , and then ask what he was joking about , and

2 1 4

TRI LBY rather bald ; and such an aristocrat in bear

ou ing , aspect, and manner, that y would take him for a blue -blooded descendant of the Crusaders instead o f the son of a respect able burgher in Lausanne .

u Then there was Lorrimer, the ind strious

now apprentice , who is also well pinnacled on high ; himself a pillar of the Royal — Academy probably , if he lives long enough , — its future president the duly knighted or

‘ baroneted Lord Mayor o f all the plastic

’ on e arts (except or two perhaps , here and there , that are not altogether without some

importance) .

n ot for ! May this be many, many years Lorrimer himself would be the first to say so !

- - Tall , thin , red haired , and well favoured ,

e a rn es t ' a n d he was a most eager, , pains

of taking young enthusiast , precocious

who culture , read improving books , and did

2 1 6 TRI LBY not share in the amusements of the Quartier

Latin , but spent his evenings at home with

on Handel , Michael Angelo , and Dante , the

of . respectable side the river Also , he went into good society sometimes , with a dress

on coat , and a white tie , and his hair parted in the middle !

B ut in spite of these blemishes on his otherwise exemplary record as an art

com student , he was the most delightful — panion the most affectionate , helpful , and f sympathetic o friends . May he live long and prosper !

wor Enthusiast as he was , he could only ship one god at a time . I t was either

Michael Angelo, Phidias , Paul Veronese ,

Ti n toret or — , Raphael , Titian never a modern — modem s didn ’ t exist ! And so

u thoro ghgoing was he in his worship , and so persistent in voicing it, that he made those immortals quite unpopular in the Place

2 1 7 TRI LBY

to St . Anatole des Arts . We grew dread

a of their very names . E ch them would last

him a couple of months or so ; then he

’ would give us a month s holiday , and take

up another.

Antony did n ot think much of Lorrimer

of in those days , nor Lorrimer him , for all

they were such good friends . And neither

of of them thought much Little Billee , whose pinnacle (of pure unadulterated fame) — is now the highest of all the highest prob ably that can be for a mere painter of pictures !

now And what is so nice about Lorrimer,

that he is a graybeard , an Academician , an a of ccomplished man the world and society , is that he admires Antony’ s genius more — than he can say and reads Mr . Rudyard K ipling ’ s delightful stories as well as Dante ’ s ' — [ uj er uo and can listen with delight to the

of lovely songs Signor Tosti , who has not

2 1 8

TRI LBY sider) had been privileged to see it with his

wn o little eye . And when they happen to meet there

’ (Antony and Lorrimer, I mean) , I don t expect they rush very wildly into each

’ or old other s arms , talk very fluently about times . N or do I suppose their wives are

of our . very intimate . N one wives are

’ ’ ! ot even Taffy s and the Laird s . ! ! Oh , Orestes Oh , Pylades

u n i n n a cled Oh , ye impecunious , p young

inseparables of eighteen , nineteen , twenty ,

’ - five even twenty , who share each other s

’ thoughts and purses , and wear each other s

’ clothes , and swear each other s oaths , and

’ i smoke each other s p pes , and respect each

’ ’ ’ 0 other s lights love , and keep each other s

’ secrets , and tell each other s jokes , and pawn each other ’ s watches and merrymake

on together the proceeds , and sit all night

’ by each other s bedsides in sickness , and

2 2 0 TRILBY comfort each other in sorrow and disappoint ment with silent , manly sympathy wait till you get to forty year ! ’

Wait even till each or either of you gets himself a little pinnacle of his own - b e it ever so humble !

or of Nay, wait till either each you gets himself a wife

on H istory goes repeating itself, and so

’ do novels , and this is a platitude, and there s

nothing new under the sun . May too cecee (as the idiomatic Laird — would say , in the language he adores) may

too cecee ay nee c ecee nee lah

D odor Then there was , the handsome

dr a ou de la a r de u young g g a f ll private ,

ou if y please , with a beardless face, and

- damask rosy cheeks , and a small waist , and

’ narrow feet like a lady s , and who , strange to

. say , spoke English just like an Englishman

2 2 1 TRILBY

’ Gon tra n a li a s l Z ouz ou—a And his friend , corporal in the Zouaves .

Both of these worthies had met Taffy in s the Crimea , and frequented the studio in the Quartier Latin , where they adored (and were adored by) the grisettes and models , especially Trilby .

Both o f them were distinguished for being the worst subjects (les plus ma uva i s g a r uc meri ts ) o f their respective regiments yet both were special favourites not only with their

- fellow rankers , but with those in command , from their colonels downward .

Both were in the habit of being promoted

of or to the rank corporal brigadier, and degraded to the rank of private next day

r of too for general misconduct , the esult a exuberant delight in their promotion .

of N either them knew fear, envy, malice ,

or or temper, low spirits ; ever said did an ill - natured thing ; ever even thought on e ;

2 2 2

TRI LBY that most delightful and festive scene la

e . D odor F te de St Cloud , and met and

’ l Z ouz ou there, who hailed him with delight , saying :

‘ ’ N ous allons joliment jubiler, nom d une

’ pipe ! and insisted on his joining in their — amusements and paying for them round abouts , swings , the giant , the dwarf, the — strong man , the fat woman to whom they made love and were taken too seriously , and

out of turned the menagerie wild beasts , whom they teased and aggravated till the

l e police had to interfere . Also a f r s co

dances , where their cancan step was of the w ildest and most unbridled character, till a

s ous - o i ci er or fl a gendarme came in sight , and then they danced quite mincingly and

’ ’ eu ma i tr e d ecole h demurely , , as t ey called it ,

to the huge delight of an immense and ever

of increasing crowd , and the disgust all truly

respectable men .

2 2 4 TRI LBY

’ They also insisted on Little Billee s walk

-i n - ing between them , arm arm , and talking to them in English whenever they saw coming towards them a respectable English

’ family with daughters . I t was the dragoon s delight to get himself stared at by fair

daughters of Albion for speaking as good — English as themselves a rare accomplish

— ’ ment in a French trooper and Z ouz ou s

happiness to be thought English too , though

the only English he knew was the phrase , I will not ! I will not which he had picked up in the Crimea, and repeated over and over again when he came within ear-shot o f a pretty English girl . Little B illee was not happy in these cir c ums ta n ce s . H e was no snob . But he was a respectably -brought -up young Briton of the higher middle class , and it was not quite pleasant for him to be seen (by fair country women of his own) walking arm -i n - arm on a

V O L . 1 2 2 5 Q TRI LBY

Sunday afternoon with a couple of French

y private soldiers , and uncommonl rowdy o nes at that .

Later, they came back to Paris together

o n o f the top an omnibus , among a very pro

letari a n crowd ; and there the two facetious warriors immediately made themselves plea

sant all round and became very popular , especially with the women and children but

not , I regret to say, through the propriety ,

refinement , and discretion of their behaviour .

Little Billee resolved that he would n ot go

a - pleasuring with them any more .

H owever, they stuck to him through

on thick and thin , and insisted escorting

him all the way back to the Quartier Latin , by the Pont de la Concorde and the Rue de

Lille in the Faubourg St . Germain .

Little B illee loved the Faubourg S t .

n Germai , especially the Rue de Lille . H e

was fond of gazing at the magnificent old

2 2 6

TRI LBY

‘ ’ ‘ Pa r oleu l Z ouz ou couuu a r said , , f ceur / oor u on 6 why , I was there , the th of 1 8 March 3 4 , at in the morning . — Lucky day for France fiei u ‘ Born there ? what do you mean the porter ’ s lodge

At this juncture the two great gates rolled

S ui s se back , a liveried appeared , and an

out open carriage and pair came , and in it were two elderly ladies and a younger one .

’ B ille e s To Little indignation , the two incorrigible warriors made the military

salute , and the three ladies bowed stiffly and gravely .

’ And then (to Little Billee s horror this

one time) of them happened to look back , and Zouzou actually kissed his hand to her. ? ’ Do you é uow that lady asked Little

Billee , very sternly .

‘ Pa r oleu / s i e la couua i s / i t s j Why ,

2 2 8 TRI LBY my mother ! I sn ’ t she nice ? She ’ s rather

’ cross with me just n ow .

‘ motuer / Your Why, what do you mean ? What on earth would your mother be doing in that big carriage and at that big house ? ’

‘ F a r olea a r ceur , f She lives there

‘ L i oes ? there Why, who and what is

? ’ she , your mother

‘ The Duchesse de la R oche ma rtel g a r

’ oleu / and that s my sister ; and that s my

Cheva n é - B a uffre mon t ! aunt , Princesse de g

’ “ a tr uue of c/zi c She s the p o that equipage .

’ Cheva né She s a millionaire , my aunt g

‘ ’ ! our Well , I never What s y name , then ? ’

‘ m ! it - ! Oh , y name Hang let me see — — — — Well Gontra n ! avier Francois Marie

’ J oseph d Amaury de Brissac de Ronces

R oche ma rtel- B ois s é ur vaulx de la g , at your service

2 2 9 TRI LBY

‘ ’ ‘ ’ Quite correct ! said D odor ; l euf a ut

di t or a i /

‘ — — ' ’ Well I never And what s y our

’ D odor ? name ,

‘ ! ’ Oh I m only a humble individual , and answer to the on e -horse name of Theodore

’ Ri l t L a f r Z uz ou s go o de a c e . But o an awful

’ ’ — u ! swell , you know his brother s the D ke

Little Billee was no snob . But he was a

respectably - brought -up young B riton of the higher middle class , and these revelations , which he could not but believe , astounded

him so that he could hardly speak . M uch as he flattered himself that he scorned the — bloated aristocracy , titles are titles even — French titles and when it comes to dukes and princesses who live in houses like the

H Otel de la R ochema rtel

’ I t s enough to take a respectably - brought up young B riton ’ s breath away !

When he saw Taffy that evening, he

2 3 0

TRI LBY

‘ ’ — R i olot L afa rc e Yes g de . I ve no

d oubt he descends from the Crusaders too ;

the name seems to favour it , anyhow ; and

such lots of them do in this country . H is

mother was English , and bore the worthy n ame of Brown . H e was at school in

’ E ngland ; that s why he speaks English so — ! ’ well and behaves so badly , perhaps H e s got a very beautiful sister, married to a man

6 0th R ifl es — R o f in the J ack eeve , a son

’ R v l s Lord ee e y ; a selfish sort of chap . I don ’ t suppose he gets on very well with his

’ - - D d r l brother i n law . Poor o o H is sister s about the only living thing he cares for

’ e x cept Zouzou .

I wonder if the bland and genial Monsieur

’ Theodore ‘ notre S ieur Theodore ’ now

habe rd a s her junior partner in the great l y firm

‘ ’ of Pa s s efil e t R i olot on u g , the B o levard

o f des Capucines , and a pillar the English

2 3 2 TRI LBY

M a rboeuf chapel in the Rue , is very hard on his employés and employées if they are a little late at their counters o n a M onday morning

-u I wonder if that stuck p , stingy , stodgy ,

u comm nard shooting , church going , time

- - serving, place hunting, pious eyed , pompous

Old prig, martinet , and philistine , Monsieur le Maréchal - Duc de la R oche ma rtel- Bois segur, ever tells Madame la Maréchale

’ uee of Duchesse ( H unks , Chicago) how once upon a time D odor and he

ut f We will tell no tales o o school .

IS The present scribe is no snob . H e a respectably - brought -up old B riton of the

—a t fl a tte rs higher middle class least , he

w himself so . And he rites for just such old philistines as himself, who date from a time when titles were not thought so cheap d as to ay . Alas ! all reverence for all that is high and time - honoured and beautiful seems at a discount .

2 3 3 TRI LBY So he has kept his blackguard ducal Zouave for the bouquet of this little show — the final oouue ooucue in his Bohemian — men u that he may make it palatable to those who only look upon the good old Quartier Latin (now no more to speak of) as

a very low , common , vulgar quarter indeed ,

deservedly swept away , where misters the students (shocking bounders and cads) had

nothing better to do , day and night , than mount up to a horrid place called the

— ‘ thatched house la c/i a umi er e

Pour y danser le cancan O u le Robert M acaire Toujours—toujours— toujours La nuit comme le jour Et youp youp youp Tra la la la la la la la

Christmas was drawing near . There were days when the whole Quartier Latin would veil its iniquities under fogs

2 3 4

TRI LBY — such a time hunting , shooting , curling , and endless carouse ! I t was H o for the jolly West Riding, ! and H ey for the bonnets of Bonnie Dundee , till they grew quite homesick , and wanted to start by the very next train .

’ They didn t do anything so foolish . They wrote over to friends in London for

- the biggest turkey, the biggest plum pudding ,

or that could be got for love money , with

- mince pies , and holly and mistletoe , and sturdy , short , thick English sausages ; half

o f a Stilton cheese , and a sirloin beef

o n e two sirloins , in case should not be enough .

F or they meant to have a H omeric feast

on — in the studio Christmas Day Taffy, the — Laird , and Little B illee and invite all the delightful chums I have been trying to describe ; and that is just why I tried to — describe them Durien , Vincent, Antony ,

2 3 6 TRI LBY

’ Pe troli c oco nos e l Z ouz ou Lorrimer, Carnegie , , , and D odo r The cooking and waiting should be done

et by Trilby, her friend Angele Boisse , M .

Vi na rds M me . Vinard , and such little as could be trusted with glass and crockery and

- mince pies ; and if that was not enough , they would also cook themselves , and wait upon each other .

When dinner should be over, sup per was to follow with scarcely any interval to speak of and to partake of this other guests should

— n be bidden Sve gali and Gecko , and perhaps ! on e or two more . N o ladies

F or , as the unsusceptible Laird expressed

of it , in the language a gillie he had once met at a servants ’ dance in a H ighland

‘ - country house , Them wimmen spiles the b a ll

Elaborate cards of invitation were sent o ut , in the designing and ornamentation of

2 3 7 TRILBY which the Laird and Taffy exhausted all their h d fancy (Little B illee a no time) . Wines and spirits and English beers were

’ . . D elev i n ne s procured at great cost from M E g ,

of in the Rue St . H onoré , and liqueurs every

—C r a ta a de description hartreuse , curacoa , fi

ca ss i s . , and anisette no expense was spared

truffl e d of u Also , galantines turkey , tong es ,

’ r i llettes de Tour s dtes de oi e r a s hams , , p f g ,

’ f r omag e d [ ta li e (which has nothing to do

’ s a uci s s ons d A r les et de L on with cheese), y ,

with and without garlic , cold jellies peppery — and salt everything that French cé a r cuti er s

v o ut of and their wi es can make French pigs ,

or or any other animal whatever, beast , bird ,

fowl (even cats and rats) , for the supper ;

and sweet jellies , and cakes , and sweetmeats ,

of and confections all kinds , from the famous

pastry - cook at the corner of the Rue

Castiglione . Mouths went watering all day long in

2 3 8

TRI LBY The whole Quartier seemed alive with

‘ r eoei llou. the I t was a clear , frosty night ,

with a splendid moon just past the full , and most exhilarating was the walk along

on the quays the Rive Gauche , over the Pont de la Concorde and across the Place

thereof, and up the thronged Rue de la

Madeleine to the massive Pa rth e n a ic place of worship that always has such a pagan ,

worldly look of smug and prosperous

modernity .

They struggled manfully , and found stand ing and kneeling room among that fervent

crowd , and heard the impressive service with

o f mixed feelings , as became true B ritons

very advanced liberal and religious O pinions

not with the unmixed contempt of the proper B ritish Orthodox (who were there in full

force , one may be sure) . B ut their susceptible hearts soon melted

at the beautiful music , and in mere sen

2 4 0 TRI LBY

s uous a tten dr i s s emen t they were quickly in

unison with all the rest . For as the clock struck twelve out pealed

the organ , and up rose the finest voice in France

M C é ’ ’ inuit, hr tiens c est l heure solennelle

’ on l H omme- D ieu descendit parmi nous

And a wave of religious emotion rolled over Little Billee and submerged him swept

o f him off his little legs , swept him out his

little self, drowned him in a great seething

of — of surge love love of his kind , love love ,

love of life , love of death , love of all that is — and ever was and ever will be a very large

order indeed , even for Little Billee . And it seemed to him that he stretched

out his arms for love to o ne figure especially beloved beyond all the rest— one figure erect

on high with arms outstretched to him , in

more than common fellowship of need ; not the sorrowful figure crowned with thorns ,

VO L. 1 2 4 1 TRI LBY for it was in the likeness of a woman ; but never that of the Virgin Mother of Our

Lord . ! I t was Trilby , Trilby, Trilby a poor fallen sinner and waif all but lost amid the

of scum the most corrupt city on earth .

Trilby weak and mortal like himself, and in woful want o f pardon ! and in her gray dove like eyes he saw the shining o f so great a love that he was abashed ; for well he knew

that all that love was his , and would be his

or for ever , come what would could .

C é Peuple , debout hante ta d livrance

! oel ! oel Voi ci le

S O sang and rang and pealed and echoed — the big , deep , metallic barytone bass above

the organ , above the incense , above every — thing else i n the world till the very universe seemed to shake with the rolling thunder o f that great message o f love and forgiveness !

Thus at least felt Little Billee , whose way

2 4 2

TRI LBY

~ H e of Adam that he sang . had not spent

’ his r evei llon in any church .

the of With help a sleepy waiter , Little B illee got the bacchanalian into his room and

a n d lit his candle for him , , disengaging him

a t self from his maudlin embr ces , left him o

wallow in solitude .

a re As he lay aw ke in his bed , trying to a c ll the deep and high emotions of the evening, he heard the tipsy hog below tumbling about hi s room and still trying to sing his senseless ditty A Gl cere llons , y Rougis mon Verre D u jus divin dont mon coeur est toujours jaloux Et a puis table, Bacchante aimable Enivrons-nous (hic) Les g -glougloux sont des rendez

Then the song ceased for a while , and soon there were other sounds , as on a

l l ux Channel steamer . G oug o indeed !

’ Then the fear arose in Little Bille e s

2 44 ‘ TRI LBY mind lest the drunken beast should set

fi r o e to his bedr om curtains . All heavenly .

the n i ht visions were chased away for g . h Our hero , alf crazed with fear , disgust ,

an d on irritation , lay wide awake , his nostrils

the watch for the s mell of burning chintz or i musl n , and wondered how an educated man — — for Ribot was a law -student could ever

make such a filthy beast of himself as that ! — I t was a scandal a disgrace ; it was n o t to

be borne there should be no forgiveness for — such as Ribot not even o n Christmas Day !

H e would complain to Madame Paul , the pa tr on ne ; he would have Ribot turned out into the street ; he would leave the hotel himself the very next morning ! At last he

d o fell asleep , thinking of all he would ; and

for thus , ridiculously and ignominiously Little

’ r evei llon . B illee , ended the

N ext morning he complained to Madame

Paul ; and though he did not give her

2 4 5 TRI LBY

warning, nor even insist on the expulsion of Ribot (who , as he heard with a hard heart ,

l i eu ma la de ce ma ti n was ) , he expressed himself very severely on the conduct of that

on gentleman , and the dangers from fire that might arise from a tipsy man being trusted alone in a small bedroom with chintz curtains

’ for and a lighted candle . I f it hadn t been himself, he told her, Ribot would have slept ! on the doorstep , and serve him right H e

u was really grand in his virtuo s indignation ,

in spite of his imperfect French ; and Madame Paul was deeply contrite for her

peccant lodger, and profuse in her apologies

and Little B illee began his twenty - firs t

Christmas Day like a Pharisee , thanking his star that he was not as Ribot !

E! D O F VOL . I

P n d b R . R . LA . r i te y C RK , Edi nbu rg h