3

even seemed to me, to a certain extent, benevolent. He looked at me as tenderly as a one-eyed bear could look.1 True, he had his jaws wide open, but he opened them as one opens one's mouth. It was not a grin,5 it was only a gape; it was not ferocious, it was almost literary. There was I know not what of honest, of sanctimonious, of resigned and sleepy about this bear; and I have since remarked this expression of countenance among old frequenters of the 7 theatre whilst listening to tragedies. Upon the whole, his face was so good that I too resolved to put a good face upon the matter.10 I accepted the bear as a 11 spectator, and continued what I had begun.

6

Whilst I was writing, a large fly lighted 12 on the bleeding ear of my spectator. He slowly raised his right paw and passed it over his ear with a cat-like movement. The fly took itself off.18 He looked after it as it went; 14 then, when it had disappeared, he seized his two hind paws with his two fore paws, and, as if 15 satisfied with this classical attitude, he resumed his contemplation.16 I assure you I watched his movements with interest.

I was beginning to get accustomed 17 to this tête-àtête, when an unexpected incident occurred. A noise of hurried steps was heard 18 in the high road, and all at

1 As a......could look, que peut regarder un.... 2 true, à tout prendre-3 he had his jaws wide open, il ouvrait bien la gueule4 one's, une-5 grin, rictus-6 countenance, physionomie-7 frequenters of the, habitués de-8 whilst listening to, qui écoutaient-9 upon the whole, en somme-10 his face, etc.......upon the matter, sa contenance était si bonne, que je résolus aussi, moi (see note a, p. 42), de faire bonne contenance-11 as a, pour-12 lighted, vint se poser-13 took itself off, s'envola-14 he looked after it as it went, il la chercha du regard-15 as if, comme-16 he resumed his contemplation, il se remit à me contempler-17 to get accustomed, à me faire-18 was heard, se fit entendre.

THE BEARS' HOLIDAY.

305

once I saw turning the corner1 another bear, a large black bear. The first was brown.2 This black bear arrived at full trot,3 and perceiving the brown bear, gracefully rolled himself on the ground by his side.* The brown bear did not condescend to look at the black bear, and the black bear did not condescend to take any notice of me.

8

I confess that at this new apparition, which redoubled my perplexity, my hand shook. Two bears! This time it was too much. What did it all mean? То whom did fortune owe a grudge ?7 Judging by the direction from which the black bear had arrived,10 both of them must have come from Paris, a 11 country where there are, however,12 but few "bêtes," wild ones especially.

13

I was all but 14 petrified. The brown bear had at last joined in 15 the gambols of the other, and by dint of rolling in the dust, both of them 16 had become grey. Meanwhile I had succeeded in 17 rising, and I was considering 18 whether I should pick up my stick, which had fallen at my feet in the ditch, when a third bear made his appearance,19 a reddish, diminutive, deformed bear, still more lacerated,20 and more bloody than the first; then a fourth, then a fifth and a sixth, the two last 21 trotting in 22 company. The four last bears crossed

9

ar

1 Turning the corner, déboucher au tournant- brown, fauve3 at full trot, au grand trot-4 on the ground by his side, à terre auprès de lui—5 which, etc......perplexity, qui élevait mes perplexités à la seconde puissance-6 this, etc......too much, pour le coup c'était trop fort-7 to whom, etc.......grudge, à qui en voulait le hasard ?— 8 judging, si j'en jugeais- the, etc......which, le côté d'où-10 rived, débouché-i see note, p. 91-12 however, pourtant-13 ones, to be left out-14 all but, resté comme-15 had at last joined in, avait fini par prendre part à (see note a, p. 66)—16 both of them, tous deux—17 in, à—18 I was considering, je me demandais-19 made his appearance, survint-20 lacerated, déchiqueté-21 the two last ces deux-là-22 in, de.

X

8

9

4

the road as supernumerary actors 1 cross the back of the stage, without seeing, without looking at anything, almost running,3 and as if they were pursued. This became too unaccountable-I must be near the explanation. I heard barkings and shouts; ten or twelve bulldogs, seven or eight men armed with 5 iron-shod sticks, and with muzzles in their hands, broke in 7 upon the road, at the heels of the fugitive bears. One of these men paused, and while the others were bringing back the muzzled beasts he explained this strange enigma. The proprietor of the circus of the Barrière du Combat was taking advantage 10 of the Easter holidays to send his bears and his dogs to give some performances at Meaux. All this menagerie travelled on foot. At the last resting-place 11 they had unmuzzled them 12 to let them feed,13 and while their keepers were sitting at table in 11 the neighbouring tavern, the bears had taken advantage of this moment of liberty to proceed at their ease, merrily and alone, a short distance on their journey.15

They were 16 bears taking a holiday.17

VICTOR HUGO, "Le Rhin."

THE LAST GENTLEMAN-KING OF FRANCE.

When a palm-tree falls in the desert, blasted by

1 Supernumerary actors, des comparses-2 the back of the stage, le fond d'un théâtre-3 "in running" I must be near, pour que je ne touchasse pas à-5 with, de-6 and with... ..in their hands, et des......à la main-7 broke in, firent irruption-3 at the heels of, talonnant—9 explained, me donna le mot de-10 was taking advantage, profitait- resting place, halte- 1 see note ", p. 10-13 to let them feed, pour la faire manger-14 were sitting at table in, s'attablaient à-15 to proceed......a short distance on their journey, pour faire .un bout de chemin-16 they were, c'étaient-17 taking a holiday, en congé.

11

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:

THE LAST GENTLEMAN-KING OF FRANCE. 307

7

lightning, all the tribe pour forth their lamentations; 2 each one mourns in him what he loved, each pays him the tributes of remembrance; and those lamen4 tations, harmonizing as a whole,5 differ in their promptings. One says: he was the pride of the mountain; another: his shadow protected us; 8 a third he sheltered the water at its source; a fourth he was a guide to the lost traveller. Thus each one explains his sorrow by a special grievance; 10 whilst the little children, without comprehending the extent of the loss, seek in vain on the barren sand for 11 the sweettasted 12 dates which no longer fall there. Thus, while the political parties which divide France, in proclaiming the death of Charles X., deplore their vanished hopes, and calculate the results of this event, we, the children. of elegance and harmony, whom quarrels fatigue and politics put to sleep, we weep for ourselves and without pretension, the King of old France, chivalrous France, brilliant and poetical France—the lady of quality--France, in fine, which is no more. And, like the children who know not if the fallen palm was useful for 13 its height and for its shade, we regret its fruit, and we seek in vain in citizen 14 France for that flower of courtesy, that perfume of royalty, that majestic benevolence which fell 15 from the monarchical tree, and which we shall see no more.

.

"Good actions," say some, "have replaced fine manners, and that is better.16 The citizen king is more

1 Blasted by lightning, frappé de la foudre-2 pour forth their lamentations, le regrette-3 pays him the tribute, lui rend l'hommage -4 “ of a”—5 harmonizing as a whole, d'accord dans leur ensemble -6 promptings, sujet-7 one, l'un-8 protected us, venait jusqu'à nous he was a guide, il servait de guide-10 special grievance, plainte motivée- for, to be left out-12 sweet-tasted, savoureuses-13 for, par-14 citizen, bourgeoise-15 imperf.-16 is better, vaut mieux.

suitable to our manners than the gentleman king. The vessel of the state is no longer a superb ship, with sails unfurled,1 which the capricious winds toss at random to and fro: 2 it is now a heavy steamship, laden with coal and potatoes, starting at a certain hour,3 and arriving at a certain day at the assigned 4 harbour."

For ourselves 5 who only love arts and pleasure, we regret the beautiful ship, and the old monarch of past times, because he carries with him our associations; because no one knew better how to speak a gracious word, or when to make a noble present; because he was eminently royal, which was of consequence in his position; because, in fine, he had tradition on his side,8 as is said at the theatre, and that tradition is lost9 with him.

Now that Charles X. is dead, there will be justice awarded to him; 10 it will be understood that his faults, so severely punished, were only noble qualities; but, unhappily, these qualities were not of our age, and that was 11 his crime; for it is a sad truth, which must be confessed-there is a fashion in virtues as in dresses, which would cause one to believe that our virtues are only ornaments. A virtue out of date may perchance injure 12 a brave man: yesterday, firmness was a kingly. virtue; to-day it is called 13 an arbitrary tendency.. Good and evil are not divined 14 by instinct, as formerly;

1 With sails unfurled, aux voiles dépendantes-2 toss at random to and fro, font voguer au hasard-3 at a certain hour, à heure fixe4 assigned..... ......qui lui est assigné-5 "for us"-6 knew better how to speak, nul ne savait mieux dire-7 or when to make, et faire plus à propos-8 he had tradition on his side, il avait la tradition9 is lost, se perd-10 there will be justice awarded to him, on lui rendra justice that was, ce fut là-12 a virtue, etc..........injure, il est telle vertu surannée qui peut nuire à-13 it is called, cela s'appelle (see note ", p. 50)-14 are not divined, ne se devinent pas.