A Cigarette-Maker's Romance

oppressed by the inaction to which he was constrained during the last hours of waiting

with a slow and

said. "I must go

h you. I will see

answered, watchin

ut with his companion into the broad square. He felt that this had been the last day of his slavery and that the morrow's sun was to rise upon a brighter and a happier period of his life, in which there should be no more poverty, no more manual labour, no more pinching and grinding and tormenting of himself in the hopeless effort at outward and visible respectability. Poor Vjera saw in his face what was passing in his mind, but her own expression of sadness did not change. On the contrary, since his last outbreak of triumphant satisfac

s vanity and his innate kindness constantly beset his life. He had asked Vjera to marry him, scarcely half an hour earlier, and he now found himself sep

stion of upper society, "Whence art thou?"-nor does any make of his neighbour the inquiry which rises first to the lips of the man of action, "Whither goest thou?" They meet as the seaweed meets on the crest of the wave, of many colours from many distant depths, to intermingle for a time in the motion of the waters, to part company under the driving of the north wind, to be drifted at last, forgetful of each other, by tides and currents which wash the opposite ends of the earth. This is the life of the emigrant, of the exile, of the wanderer among men; the incongruous elements meet, have brief acquaintance and part, not to meet again. Who shall count the faces that the exile has

true love between man and woman. When both feel themselves approaching such a point, they are also unconsciously returning to civilisation, and with the civilising influence ari

e lives of others, it seemed to him that a great difficulty had suddenly revealed itself to his apprehensions. At the same time, by a self-contradiction familiar to such natures as his, he felt himself more and more strongly drawn to the girl, and more and more strictly bound in honour to marry her. As he thought of this, his habitual contempt of the world and its opinion returned. What had the world done for him? And if he had felt no o

is so very important and makes such a sudden difference in my prospects. But you have not given me the answer I want to my question.

storm of evanescent happiness in the girl's heart, and the te

imed in a voice more than half full of ho

ou think I would deceive you? Do you think I could tell you a story

from a different source. For s

, not understanding at all what was pa

ed Vjera. "I know-I know that you be

d why should you not believe it, too? Besides, Vjera dear, it will all be quite clear to-morrow. Of course-well, I can understand that having known me poor so lon

me," sighed the gir

ust as well to-morrow-to-morrow, the great day for me.

o-morrow-" She checked herself. "I mean," she added, quick

inking of to-day. But to-morrow you will see. I think they wi

ndering at her manner and tormenting his brain in the vain effo

laid her fingers in his and looked up at

it?" sh

od fortune is real. You do not believe in it, though I cannot tell why. I

he stood still the hand h

. Then, all at once, she covered her eyes and leaned against

to say?" he a

e indeed true!" she moaned.

ogether? Will it not be even pleasa

orthy of you-of your new friends, of your new world-but then, it cannot really happen. No-do not speak of it any more, it hurts me too much-good-night, good-

and narrow staircase. As he stood, he could hear her light tread on the creaking wood of the steps, fainter and fainter in the distanc

away. He had forgotten to eat at dinner-time, and now he forgot that the hour of the second meal had come round. He walked on, not knowing and not caring whither h

y at rest, re-enters the studio he left but an hour earlier; the sailor hangs about the port when he is ashore, the shopman cannot resist the temptation to spend an hour among his wares on Sunday, the farmer is irresistibly drawn to the field to while away the time on holidays between dinner and supper. We all of us see more and understand better what we see, in those surroundings most familiar to us, and it is a general law that the average intelligence likes the best that which it understands with the least effort. The mechanical part of us, too, when free fro

per, it might have been supposed that he would be glad to look at anything rather than the glass door of the shop in which he had repeated that operation so many hundre

cigarettes, and smiling happily to himself through the fragrant cloud. If the tobacconist's wife had been present, the Count would have gone away without entering, for he did not like her, and had reason to suspect that she hated him, which was indeed the case. But Akulina was nowhere

helowitz," he said, spea

obacconist, cheerfully. "Sit down, an

over the nickel-plated lamp on the counter, in which a tiny flame burned for the con

e good-humoured reply. "But I am afraid

en smoked quietly, as though he attached no weight to the remark. Fischelowitz l

rked, after a pause. The observation was su

vaguely. "I believe I had forgotten

om the workroom, a guttering candle in a battered candlestick in one hand, and a number of gaily coloured pasteboard

igarette. Akulina is a broad, fat woman, with a flattened Tartar face, small eyes, good but short teeth, full lips and a dark complexion. She reminds one of an over-fed tabby cat, of doubtful temper, and her voice seems to reach utterance after traversing some thick, soft medium, which lends it a

r thumb and forefinger. Then she began to arrange the boxes she had brought, setting them in order upon the s

foolish imagination which you have stuck into your head, as one sticks tobacco into a paper shell. And it ought to be burned out of your head, or starved out, or knocked out, or something, for if it stays there it will addle your brains altogethe

black hair, and then he looked at Fischelowitz as though to inquire whether the latter would suffer a gentleman

little more carefully, wife," he

low this sort of thing to go on, and four children growing up, and you expecting to open another shop this summer-why, yo

ot been to our advantage-" began Fischelowitz, making a

er-Ape over the vile Vienna puppet, and winding up its abominable music as though you were turning the key upon your money in the safe instead of listening to the tune of its departure. And then because Akulina has the courage to tell you the truth, and to tell you that your fine Count is no count, and that his friends get from you ten times the money he earns, then you turn on me like a bear, ready to bite off my head, and you tell me to choose my language! Is there no shame in you, Christian Gregorovitch, or is there also no understanding? Am I the mother of your four children or not? I would like to ask. I suppose you cannot deny that, whatever else you deny which is true, and you tell me to choose my language! Da, I will choose my language, in truth! Da, I will choose out such a swarm of words as ought to sting your ears like hornets, if you had not such a l

pected to derive from its performance. In the short silence which ensued while Akulina was resting her lungs for a second and more deadly effort, the wretched little musical box made itself heard, clicking and scratching and grinding out a miserable little polka. At the sound, the sunny smile returned to the tobacconist's face. He knew that no earthly eloquence, no scathing wit, no brutal reply could possibly exasperate his wife as this must. He resented everything she had said, and in his vulgar way he was ashamed that

n her existence could not have affected her more powerfully than the twang of the musical box and the twisting and turni

e cried, "Stop it, or

a resounding groan and was silent. Akulina had struck the Gigerl such a blow as had sent it flying, pedestal and all, past her husband's head into a dark corner behind the counter. Fischelowitz reddened with anger, and Akulina stood ready to take to flight, glad that the broad counter was between herself and her husband. He

each other?" he inquired

which to expend itself and on which to exercise vengeance for the catastrophe its last expression

nds and your cursed dolls, the fiend take them, and you! Is it for this that Christian Gregorovitch and I have

schelowitz, with an angry la

Fie! If you stay here long we shall end in dust and feathers! But you shall not stay here, whatever that soft-brained husband of mine says. You shall go and never come back. Do you think that in all Munich there is no one else who will do the work for three marks a thousand? Bah! there are scores, and honest people, too, who call themselves by plain names and speak plainly! None of your counts and your grand dukes an

him in her incoherent and foul-mouthed anger. As soon as she paused, exhausted by the effort to find epithets to suit her ha

r, anxious to set matters right,

e Count in a low tone. "We part on good terms, t

not!" cri

e it to me, I promise you that you sh

et fifty marks, now!" exc

in a limp fashion, held only by the little red coat. The tobacconist wrapped it up in a piece of newspaper without a word and hande

hing. "On the word of a gentleman you sha

fted his hat and then, his head bent more than was his wont, passed