He offered her his emaciated arm, and went
twice or thrice round the greenroom with her; the envious glances and
compliments with which the crowd received his mistress delighted him;
he did not see the scornful smiles, nor hear the caustic comments to
which he gave rise.
"In what cemetery did this young ghoul unearth that corpse of hers?"
asked a dandy of the Romantic faction.
Euphrasia began to smile. The speaker was a slender, fair-haired
youth, with bright blue eyes, and a moustache. His short dress coat,
hat tilted over one ear, and sharp tongue, all denoted the species.
"How many old men," said Raphael to himself, "bring an upright,
virtuous, and hard-working life to a close in folly! His feet are cold
already, and he is making love."
"Well, sir," exclaimed Valentin, stopping the merchant's progress,
while he stared hard at Euphrasia, "have you quite forgotten the
stringent maxims of your philosophy?"
"Ah, I am as happy now as a young man," said the other, in a cracked
voice. "I used to look at existence from a wrong standpoint. One hour
of love has a whole life in it."
The playgoers heard the bell ring, and left the greenroom to take
their places again. Raphael and the old merchant separated.
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