Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Part IV - I
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
THE CONFESSION OF A FOOL 289
of tea provoked interviews with the hotel proprietor ; the
noise which she made in the corridors drew unflattering
comments upon us. We missed the best trains because
she would lie in bed until dinner-time ; through her care-
lessness our luggage went astray ; and when we left, her
tips to the servants were of the meanest.
’’You are a coward! " she said in reply to one of
my remonstrances.
" And you are ill-bred and slovenly !
"
It was a charming pleasure-trip, indeed.
As soon as we had arrived in Paris and settled down
among my friends, who were proof against her spells,
she found that I had got the better of her, and felt like
a wild animal caught in a trap. She was furious because
the leading Norwegian poet received me warmly, and over-
whelmed me with kindness. She promptly detested him,
for she sensed in him a friend who might some day raise
his voice in my favour.
One evening, at a dinner given to artists and writers,
he proposed my health, calling me the chief representative
of modern Swedish literature. INIarie, poor martyr by
reason of her marriage with the "’
notorious pamphleteer,"
was present. The applause of the diners depressed her to
a degree which excited my compassion, and when the
speaker tried to make me promise to stay for at least two
years in France, I could no longer resist the wistful
expression of her eyes. To comfort her, to give her
pleasure, I replied that I never took an important decision
without consulting with my wife. My reward was a
grateful look and the sympathy of all the women present.
But my friend remained obdurate. He urged me to
prolong my stay, and with a fine flourish of oratory asked
all those present to support his proposition. All raised
their glasses in response.
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
