Page:The Library, volume 5, series 3.djvu/282

 270 RECENT FOREIGN LITERATURE. The southern temperament of the natives of the village of Espelunque, not very far from Nimes, with its tendency to exaggerate, to invent, to romance, is depifted in wittiest fashion by one who describes himself as possessor of the most Parisian of souls : c il n'en est pas au monde de plus pure.' He meets Le Monarque, a type of the gay, happy, devil-may-care southerner, and recounts the episodes of his life; some of these the visitor from the north witnessed, others he was told by Le Monarque's historiographers, commentators or disciples. The story of Le Monarque's marriage is most diverting. He met at Nimes, Madame Emma, a young, independent and virtuous widow, whose portion was a hundred francs a quarter paid by her brother. Le Mon- arque possessed nothing at all except one magnifi- cent suit of clothes, in which he looked like a symphony in purple and gold ; but by dint of his skill in imagination he led the lady to believe that he had vineyards and a house and a farm and lands and sheep and everything handsome about him. As a matter of fact, his whole possessions were ' un petit jardin, autour d'une masure, et quand il a en verite trop besoin d'argent, il se loue chez les riches. Mais en general, autant que possible, il ne fait rien, et c'est pour cette cause qu'on Tappelle le Monarque, non pour une autre. Car la vie est la vie, va, elle est bonne ! II y a les noces, il y a les naissances, il y a mme les enterrements. II y a la pluie, qui retient les gens chez eux, et ils s'ennuient, il leur faut quelqu'un ; le soleil, que les egaie, et ils ont besoin qu'on leur chante. 11 y a la chasse, il y a la pche, et les vendanges, et 1'epoque ou