Page:Abroad with Mark Twain and Eugene Field.djvu/134

 THE FRENCH MADAME

One night in his dressing-room, Sir Herbert Tree introduced us to another promising story-teller, namely, the French madame who looked after "the ladies of the chorus, who raise a shapely leg before us." (That was a popular sing-song then and Mark heartily enjoyed it.) She told Clemens of a stroke of good luck that had befallen her and he declared himself tickled to death with her French-English, which, he said, was every bit as good as his own English-French. Tree kindly lent us "Basil," his stenographer and "memory," to jot down the yarn.

"Louisa, Be Brave"

At Madame Raymond's house.

"Ah, Madame, how do you? Will you have a drink or are you too proud already?"

"Mais non, Madame, we will have ze leedle drink as usual. And how have you been getting on, Madame?"

"Ah, no at all well, I have been worried, ma chère, for my 'usband he did join ze Liberal Club.

"Ah, after I tell you my leedle experience, mon Dieu! you won't let Alphonse join ze damn Lib'ral Club.

"Listen. As M. Raymond stayed till 1, 3, 4th o'clock in the morning at the Lib'ral Club, I was told one or two or three leedle things about him, but of course I did not 130