104 THE HANDSOME MODEL. 



poral had just opened. "You refuse to leave the house, sir?" "False, 

 Monsieur le Coraraissaire ; on the contrary, my only wish is to be off." 

 " But you refuse paying, sir." " 1 never said so, Monsieur le Commissaire 

 so far from it, my intention has also been to give the waiter something 

 handsome to drink." "Well then, sir, settle your bill, and put an end to 

 all this." "A moment, Monsieur le Commissaire I don't say that I'll pay 

 just now, because I am waiting for my man of business ; if he does not 

 come, surely that is not my fault ! In the mean time, I am a model, and 

 if by chance, madame your wife should be in an interesting situation, and 

 would wish to gaze on a handsome man, Monsieur le Commissaire, you may 

 command my services." " March off the scoundrel, corporal, and let him 

 be sent to the prefecture to night," said the Commissaire, turning his back on 

 Rossignol, who sung between his teeth, " I'd be a butterfly." The corporal 

 advanced with his men, Rossignol at once stepped in the midst of them, say- 

 ing, " I surrender at discretion, my heroes, well persuaded my innocence will 

 soon appear, for I am guileless as the chaste Susanna herself; I am, there- 

 fore well content to follow you." The soldiers did not close upon a man, 

 who accompanied them with such good will. Rossignol walked in the mid- 

 dle of them : when they were out of the garden he stopped, and fumbling 

 in his pockets, said, " Stay, I have forgotten my hankerchief I have no 

 idea of making a present of it to them." " I'll get it for you," said the 

 corporal, making a sign to the soldiers to halt, and retracing his steps. By 

 a natural movement, the soldiers also turned their faces towards the trai- 

 teur's house, which was what Rossignol expected, and taking quickly to his 

 heels, he gained the bridge of Austerlitz. The Invalids on duty asked for a 

 halfpenny, and received for answer a blow which stretched him on his back. 

 However, the soldiers and corporal had given chace to Rossignol, crying, 

 " Stop him, stop him ! " He had almost crossed the bridge, and had hoped 

 to clear the gate on the other side, but the cries of the invalide and corporal 

 had been heard, and the gate was closed, A crowd had collected, and it was 

 impossible to jump over the heads of all. Rossignol retraced his steps he 

 was hemmed in on every side. The corporal and invalide had already ex- 

 claimed with a triumphant air, " We have him ! " " Take care lest he slips 

 through your fingers," replied Rossignol, and at the very moment that the 

 corporal had stretched forth his arm to seize him, he jumped on the parapet 

 of the bridge, and precipitated himself into the river, singing, " deep as the 

 rolling Zuyder-zee!" The soldiers remained stupified ; the crowd hurried 

 down to the banks, in search of boats, but the river was running strong, and 

 the current swept off the fine model to the nets of St. Cloud. Pierre was 

 horror-struck at the sight ; I hastily led him away, saying, " Behold, my 

 friend, the frequent end of men destitute of honour, character and urobity." 



Such is the end of the handsome model one of the most finished 

 and original characters of modern fiction. The substitution of 

 English scraps of song for his own snatches of French chansons, in- 

 jure his identity ; but notwithstanding this drawback, he stands out 

 from the translated pages of Paul De Kock, in the work before us, 

 with a reality which is at once delightful and startling. 



The other characters in the novel are most admirably treated 

 each of them might be brought out in such a paper as this with quite 

 as much effect as Rossignol. Wit or humour sparkles in every page, 

 and it would be a mere act of charity to pity that individual who is 

 so wretched so forlorn so woe-begone, as not to laugh heartily 

 over this book. 



