United States or North Macedonia ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"Don't know him." "Doesn't Monsieur Ferragus live here?" "Haven't such a name in the house." "But, my good woman " "I'm not your good woman, monsieur, I'm the portress." "But, madame," persisted the baron, "I have a letter for Monsieur Ferragus." "Ah! if monsieur has a letter," she said, changing her tone, "that's another matter. Will you let me see it that letter?"
Certainly there was enough likelihood in this suggestion to make the barrister wait in cruel anxiety for the hour when he might learn the true nature of the alarming summons. Etienne Lousteau! la Peyrade had an idea that he had heard the name before. "Show him into my office," he said to the portress. A moment later he met his visitor, whose face did not seem utterly unknown to him.
When at last, in the month of March, little Afra, the fair-haired niece of the portress, brought her the first snowdrop, and Kuni saw a pair of starlings enter the box on the budding linden before her window, she could no longer bear her imprisonment in the convent. Within these walls she must fade, perhaps die and return to dust.
When they had finished dining, and had arisen from the table, a message was delivered by one of the old nuns who had waited upon them, to the effect that the lady superior desired to see the duke in the portress' room for a few minutes, before his departure.
"Yes, he is the only servant, besides the old portress, which these poor ruins will allow me to entertain in the same dwelling with myself; the rest of my suite are left behind at Lord 's. But Desmarais is not now within; he went out about two hours ago." "Ha!" said I, "in all likelihood to meet the priest; shall we wait his return, and extort some information of Montreuil's lurking-hole?"
Either his mind was outside in the Champs Elysees, or his gaze would wander surreptitiously to the figure of Mrs. Scales. He could not well distinguish her face because it was in the shadow of the mahogany. Then the portress came forth from her box, and, slightly bent, sped actively across the hall, smiling pleasantly at the guest as she passed him, and disappeared up the stairs.
It is a curious old place, and was once a stately chateau, the habitation of a noble family. A little portress, in the black robes of a lay sister, admitted us, and conducted us to the parlour, a fine old room, decorated with pictures of a religious character, painted by members of the sisterhood.
"Frankness will often clear up the most obscure matters," said Rodin, sententiously. "After all," said Rose-Pompon, "it's Ninny's fault. Why does he tell me nonsense, that might injure poor Cephyse's lover? You see, sir, it happened in this way. Ninny Moulin who is fond of a joke, saw you just now in the street. The portress told him that your name was Charlemagne.
At any other time I might have been chilled by the studious repression of this note; but at that moment I had but one aim. Begging the portress to wait, I tore a leaf from my pocket-book, wrote upon it, "Madam, forgive the wicked F. S.," and gave it over to the good nun. "I beg of you, my sister, to give this note into the hands of Donna Aurelia," I said.
For bracelets, I invented a way of substituting for slides of soldered sheet iron, slides of iron laid together. It is prettier, better and less costly. You will understand how much money can be made in that way. So Cosette's fortune is really hers. I give you these details, in order that your mind may be set at rest." The portress had come upstairs and was gazing in at the half-open door.
Word Of The Day