Two Poets

Louise drew Lucien to her mattress-cushioned sofa; and with no one to see or hear, she murmured in his ear, “Dear angel, they did not understand you; but, ‘Thy songs are sweet,...

“One day, in my office, there was a hot discussion going on about the material that the Chinese use for making paper. Their paper is far better than ours, because the raw materi...

“Now, whether Stanislas’ eyes deceived him, or whether he is right, _he must have made a mistake_. Dear Naïs, do not let that dolt trifle with your life, your honor, your future...

“Oh! Naïs,” echoed the perfidious Amélie, “Naïs is well enough pleased. A young man’s love has so many attractions--at her age. A woman grows young again in his company; she is...

“Be quick, Lucien! your dinner has been waiting an hour for you, it will be cold!” a sweet voice called gently through a half-opened window; but Lucien did not hear.

One evening when Lucien came in, he found Mme. de Bargeton looking at a portrait, which she promptly put away. He wished to see it, and to quiet the despair of a first fit of je...

When every one had arrived; when the buzz of talk ceased after repeated efforts on the part of M. de Bargeton, who, obedient to his wife, went round the room much as the beadle...

Two Poets is part one of a trilogy and begins the story of Lucien, his sister Eve, and his friend David in the provincial town of Angoulême. Part two, A Distinguished Provincial...

There was some talk about this time of nominating the mute gentleman for a deputy. Lucien as yet had not lifted the veil which hid such an unimaginable character; indeed, he had...

David saw that there was no way of coming to terms with his father. It was a case of Yes or No--of taking or leaving it. The very ropes across the ceiling had gone down into the...

M. de Châtelet--he began life as plain Sixte Châtelet, but since 1806 had the wit to adopt the particle--M. du Châtelet was one of the agreeable young men who escaped conscripti...

The exchange of roles was the beginning of an intellectual comradeship. Before long, Lucien told David of his own father’s farsighted views of the application of science to manu...

It is easy to imagine the influence of the class sentiment which held Angoulême aloof from L’Houmeau. The merchant classes are rich, the _noblesse_ are usually poor. Each side t...

Then, under seal and promise of secrecy, Eve and her mother heard Lucien’s confidences. Both the women began to cry as they heard of the ambitious plans; and when he asked the r...