The American

seum of the Louvre. This commodious ottoman has since been removed, to the extreme regret of all weak-kneed lovers of the fine arts, but the gentleman in question had taken serene p

ts which left him less jaded than his tranquil stroll through the Louvre. He had looked out all the pictures to which an asterisk was affixed in those formidable pages of fine print in his B?deker; his attention had been strained and his eyes dazzled, and he had sat down with an ?sthetic headache. He had looked, moreover, not only at all the pictures, but at all the copies that were going forward around them, in the hands of those innumerable young women in irreproachable toilets who devote themselve

himself, he looked like a grenadier on parade. He never smoked. He had been assured-such things are said-that cigars were excellent for the health, and he was quite capable of believing it; but he knew as little about tobacco as about hom?opathy. He had a very well-formed head, with a shapely, symmetrical balance of the frontal and the occipital development, and a good deal of straight, rather dry brown hair. His complexion was brown, and his nose had a bold well-marked arch. His eye was of a clear, cold gray, and save for a rather abundant moustache he was clean-shaved. He had the flat jaw and sinewy neck which are frequent in the American type; but the traces of national origin are a matter of expression even more than of feature, and it was in this respect that our friend's countenance was supremely eloquent. The discriminating observer we have been supposing might, however, perfectly have measured its expressiveness, and yet have been at a loss to describe it. It had that typical vagueness which is not vacuity, that blankness which is not simplicity, that look of being committed to nothing in particular, of standing in an attitude of general hospitality to the chances of life, of being very much at one's own disposal so characteristic of many American faces. It was our friend's eye that chiefly told his story; an eye in which innocence and experience were singularly blended. It was full of

sighing and frowning and patting of the foot, fumbling in disordered tresses for wandering hair-pins. These performances were accompanied by a restless glance, which lingered longer than elsewhere upon the gentleman we have described. At last he rose abruptly, put on his hat, and approached the young lady. He placed himself before h

ut, shrugged her shoulders, put down her pal

our friend, in En

buy it?" asked the y

dide. Combien?" rep

picture? It's a very beautiful

pencil. "Is it not for sale?" he asked. And as she still stood reflecting, and looking at him with an eye which, in spite of her desire to treat this avidity of patronage as a very old story, betrayed an almost touching increduli

nd asked him if he spoke no French. Then, "Donnez!" she said briefly, and took the open guide-book. In the upper corner of the

ood looking at the picture, while the copyist began actively to dabble with he

, and alighted with admirable sagacity upon exactly the right answer. "Yes, it

prehended, by a natural instinct, the meaning of the young woman's phrase, and it gratified him to think that she was so honest. Beauty, talen

erfections!" cried mademoiselle; and to confirm her promise, sh

oo red!" he rejoined. "Her complexion," p

biscuit. I am going to tone that down; I know all the secrets of m

nd wrote something upon it. Then hesitating a moment he said, "If I don't

mself. "Oh, I am very sure that monsieur is n

laugh. "Oh no, I'm not capricious. I am ve

first possible day; next week-as soon as it is dry. I will take the card of monsieur." And she took it and read his name:

ughing too. "Did you ever he

merica; a very great man

patr

-saint, in t

my parents nam

ur is A

ee it?" mons

icture away over there?" and she e

any pictures-beaucoup, beauc

young lady answered, "for I am sure

our card," Newman said;

or an instant, and then said,

divination were at fault. "Your car

om her pocket a rather greasy portemonnaie, she extracted from it a small glazed visiting card, and presented the latter to her patron. It was neatly inscribed in pencil,

le Noémie. "He speaks English. He will arrange with you." And she turned to welcome

ned gloves, his highly polished boots, his rusty, shapely hat, told the story of a person who had "had losses" and who clung to the spirit of nice habits even though the letter had been hopelessly effaced. Among other things M. Nioche had lost courage. Adversity had not only ruined him, it had frightened him, and he was eviden

d Mademoiselle Noémie. "When it's fin

stared, in a bewildered way, as if h

ther?" said Newman. "I think

old man slowly rubbing his han

ied his daughter. "Thank

a little?" said M. Nioch

lle Noémie. "Don't make a fuss

. He looked at Newman from head to foot; he looked at his daughter and then

This is a good day's work. Take care how you c

said M. Nioche. "My Eng

" said Newman, good-naturedly.

ld of sadness. "She has had an education-très-supérieure! Nothing was spared. Lessons in pastel at ten fr

say that you have had

sir, misfortu

ful in bus

successf

get on your legs again

and looked at him with an expression of

y?" demanded Mad

f snuff. "He says I will

ll help you. A

hou art ve

e. You believe it y

d the old man turned afresh, with a staring, wond

he would not like

arn Fr

ke les

ns, my daughte

om

ild? How should

mediately!" said Mademoisel

his best to assume an agreeable smile, he executed her commands. "Would it please you t

nch?" asked N

together and slowly raised his s

oiselle Noémie, who had caught the word.

s, you know," M. Nioche ventured

y difficult?" asked

rer of beauty in every form!" and M. Nioche cas

said Newman with a laugh. "And yet, I supp

es that very happ

a great deal, knocking about

ings monsieur must want t

o say is difficult.

I am not a regular professor," he admitted. "I can't neverthe

oiselle Noémie; "an homme du monde-one gentleman conversi

Much more formerly and much less to-day!

it," said Made

pleases,

That's b

asks,

the ribbons. She smoothed them out, with her soft litt

hter! I shal

till the end of the lessons, and

e M. Nioche knew his own language, and his appealing forlornness was quite the perfection of what the American, for vague reasons, had always associated with all elderly foreigners of the lesson-giving class. Newman had never reflected upon philological processes. His chief impression with regard to

father was a great commer?ant; he placed me for a year in a counting

nch can I lea

ay?" asked Made

che ex

ike an angel!" s

rosperity flickered up again. "Dame, monsieur!" he answered. "All I can teach you!" And t

! I took for granted it was impossible. But if you learned my language, why shouldn't I learn yours?" and his frank, friendly laugh

id M. Nioche, throwing out his hands. "But

sly. "You must be bright and liv

on his heart. "Very well, sir;

ll pay you for it, and we will talk abou

reated backwards out of sight, holding it at arm's-length and reiterating his obeisance. The young lady gathered her