by affecting a profound respect for traditional and popular institutions that she transformed them into instruments of despotism. She thus attained, without accident, the end1 of a long reign, leaving the people at her death much more numerous, more powerful, and more wealthy than at her accession to the throne, and a memory which has never ceased to be revered by all classes of the English nation. E. DE BONNECHOSE, “Histoire d'Angleterre.”

2

THE BEARS' HOLIDAY.

I remember that some seven or eight years ago I had been to Claye, a few leagues from Paris. I was returning on foot. I had started tolerably early,3 and about noon, the fine trees of the forest of Bondy tempting me, at a place where the road makes a sharp turn,5 I sat down, with my back against an oak, on a hillock of grass, my feet hanging over a ditch, and I began to scribble on my green book.

4

As I was finishing the fourth line I vaguely raised my eyes, and I perceived on the other side of the ditch, at the edge of the road, straight before me, only a few paces off, a bear staring at me fixedly. In broad daylight, one does not have the nightmare; one cannot be deceived by a form, by an appearance, by a queer-shaped 10 rock, by an absurd log of wood. At noon, under a May-day sun," one is not subject to

8

1 The end, au terme-2 accession to the throne, avènement.

3 Tolerably early, d'assez grand matin-4 tempting me, m'invitant— 5 makes a sharp turn, tourne brusquement-6 with my back against, adossé à I began to scribble, je me mis à crayonner- 8 in broad daylight, en plein jour- be deceived by, être dupe de-10 queer-shaped, difforme under a May-day sun, par un soleil de mai.

9

2

hallucinations. It was indeed1 a bear, a living bear, a real bear, and moreover perfectly hideous. He was gravely seated on his haunches, shewing me the dusty underneath of his hind paws, all the claws of which I could distinguish, his fore paws softly crossed over his belly. His jaws were partly open; one of his ears, torn and bleeding, was half hanging off;3 his lower lip, half torn away, shewed his well-bared tusks; one of his eyes was gone,5 and with the other he was looking at me with a serious air.

There was not a woodsman in the forest, and what little I could see of the road just there," was entirely deserted.

8

I was not without experiencing a certain emotion. One may sometimes get out of a scrape with a dog by calling him Soliman or Azor, but what could one say to a bear? Where did he come from? What could it mean, this bear in the forest of Bondy, on the high road from Paris to Claye! What business could this new sort of vagabond have here ?10 It was very strange, very ridiculous, very unreasonable, and after all anything but pleasant."1 I was, I confess, much perplexed. However, I remained immovable; 12 I must say the bear for his part remained immovable also; he even seemed to me, to a certain extent, benevolent. He looked at me as tenderly as a oneeyed bear could look.13 True, 14 he had his jaws wide

1 Indeed, bien-2 on his haunches, sur son séant-3 was half-hanging off, pendait à demi- shewed his well-bared tusks, laissait voir ses crocs déchaussés-5 gone, crevé-6 just there, à cet endroit-là-7 one may sometimes get out of a scrape, on se tire parfois d'affaire-8 what could one say, que dire-9 what could it mean, que signifiait-10 what, etc......have here? à quoi rimait ce vagabond d'un nouveau geure?11 anything but pleasant, fort peu gai- -12 however, etc......immovable, je ne bougeais pas cependant-13 as a, etc......could look, que peut regarder un...... 14 true, à tout prendre.

open, 1,1 but he opened them as one opens one's mouth. It was not a grin, 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 theatre whilst listening to3 tragedies. Upon the whole, his face was so good, that I too resolved to put a good face upon the matter.5 I accepted the bear as a spectator, and continued what I had begun.

8

Whilst I was writing, a large fly lighted 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." He looked after it as it went; then, when it had disappeared, he seized his two hind paws with his two fore paws, and, as if satisfied with this classical attitude, he resumed his contemplation.10 I assure you I watched his movements with interest.

I was beginning to get accustomed to this tête-àtête, when an unexpected incident occurred. A noise of hurried steps was heard 12 in the high road, and all at once I saw turning the corner 13 another bear, a large black bear. The first was brown.14 This black bear arrived at full trot,15 and perceiving the brown bear, gracefully rolled himself on the ground by his

He had his jaws wide open, il ouvrait bien la gueule-2 grin, rictus-3 whilst listening to, qui écoutaient-1 upon the whole, en somme -5 his face, etc......upon the matter, sa contenance était si bonne, que je résolus aussi, moi, de faire bonne contenance-6 lighted, vint se poser took itself off, s'envola- he looked after it as it went, il la chercha du regard-9 as if, comme-10 he resumed his contemplation, il se remit à me contempler-11 I, etc......accustomed, je commençais à me faire-12 was heard, se fit entendre-13 turning the corner, déboucher au tournant-14 brown, fauve-15 at full trot, au grand trot.

side.1

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.

I confess that at this new apparition, which redoubled my perplexity, my hand shook. Two bears! This time it was too much.3 What did it all mean? To whom did fortune owe a grudge ?4 Judging by the direction from which the black bear had arrived, 7 both of them must have come from Paris, a country where there are however but few "bêtes," wild ones especially.

I was all but petrified. The brown bear had at last joined in 10 the gambols of the other, and by dint of rolling in the dust, both of them had become grey. Meanwhile I had succeeded in rising, and I was considering11 whether I should pick up my stick, which had fallen at my feet in the ditch, when a third bear made his appearance, 12 a reddish, diminutive, deformed bear, still more lacerated,13 and more bloody than the first; then a fourth, then a fifth and a sixth, the two last 14 trotting in company. The four last bears crossed the road as supernumerary actors" cross the back of the stage,16 without seeing, without looking at anything, almost running, and as if they were pursued. This became too unaccountable-I must be near17 the explanation. I heard barkings and shouts; ten or

15

1 On the ground by his side, à terre auprès de lui-2 which, etc...... perplexity, qui élevait mes perplexités à la seconde puissance-3 this, ete......too much, pour le coup c'était trop fort-- to whom, etc...... grudge, à qui en voulait le hasard?--5 judging, si j'en jugeais—6 the, etc......which, le côté d'où-7 arrived, débouché-- however, pourtant - all but, resté comme-10 had at last joined in, avait fini par prendre part à I was considering, je me demandais-12 made his appearance, survint-13 lacerated, déchiqueté-14 the two last, ces deux-là -15 supernumerary actors, des comparses-16 the back of the stage, le fond d'un théâtre-17 I must be near, pour que je ne touchasse pas à.

twelve bulldogs, seven or eight men armed with iron-shod sticks, and with muzzles in their hands, broke in1 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 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 they had unmuzzled them to let them feed, and while their keepers were sitting at table in 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.8

6

They were bears taking a holiday.9

VICTOR HUGO, "Le Rhin."

THE LAST GENTLEMAN-KING OF FRANCE.

When a palm of the desert falls, blasted by lightning,10 all the tribe pour forth their lamentations; 11 each one mourns in him what he loved, each pays him the tribute 12 of remembrance; and those lamentations, harmonizing as a whole,13 differ in their promptings.14 One says he was the pride of the

1 Broke in, firent irruption-2 at the heels of, talonnant-3 explained, me donna le mot de- - was taking advantage, profitait-5 resting place, halte-6 to let them feed, pour la faire manger-7 were sitting at table in, s'attablaient à-8 to proceed......a short distance on their journey, pour faire......un bout de chemin- taking a holiday, en congé.

10 Blasted by lightning, frappé de la foudre-11 pour forth their lamentations, le regrette-1 pays him the tribute, lui rend l'hommage13 harmonizing as a whole, d'accord dans leur ensemble-14 promptings, sujet.