Page:Pierre and Jean - Clara Bell - 1902.djvu/308

Rh that remain to us are certain photographs, full face, profile, and three-quarters face, taken more or less by chance, at some moment when the realistic iconophobe was complaisant beyond his wont. Only once did he deliberately break through his rule of refusing to sit for his own portrait; this was in favour of La Revue Illustrée, which published a study on his works, and asked for a sketch from nature. He allowed this to be taken in his study; he is seated in the attitude usual to him when he talked with characteristic ease, charm and distinction of phrase, his legs crossed, his hands before him, his eyes fixed on his interlocutor. This portrait, which we reproduce, was engraved by Boileau, and is the best we have of the young master whose end was so tragic.

The others are all from photographs, and have the rigidity, the studied attitude, the lack of physical ease and unconsciousness which mark all such works. The drawing we give from a photograph by Liébert taken in 1886 is the most expressive. It is still Maupassant the sportsman and oarsman, the poet of La Lavandière and the story-teller of La Maison Tellier, the hero of amorous adventures, whose doughty feats were retailed at the literary clubs, a Maupassant in the full vigour of