18:27.] 



Domestic and Foreign. 



83 



in the world. The story opens with the 

 Barber's impatience for the arrival of a 

 visitor. The visitor comes the Marquis 

 of Villebelle ; and the conversation between 

 them discovers that the Barber has formerly 

 been the Marquis's confidential agent in 

 conducting his intrigues. The object of his 

 present visit, after a lapse of years, is to 

 re-employ him in the same way. He has 

 tracked a very beautiful girl to a certain 

 point, and he now commands the Barber 

 to find her out, and take her, by fair means 

 or foul, to a retired place of his in the 

 suburbs a place fitted up in a style of 

 luxurious elegance a little too modern. This 

 delicate commission the Barber has too 

 much respect for appearances to execute 

 himself; but among his customers is one 

 whom he has employed in odd jobs before, 

 and over whom just now a long account of 

 some seventy or eighty shavings gives him 

 some authority. This personage plays 

 henceforth a conspicuous part through the 

 tale. He is at every body's service, and is 

 employed by all, aad plays booty to all ; 

 a low gambler and bully, vain and boastful, 

 essentially a rogue and coward- The Bar- 

 ber's commission is at once accepted. 

 Chaudoreille discovers the lady ; no diffi- 

 culty occurs ; she accedes ; she knows the 

 character and story of the Marquis, and the 

 Barber's too. Confident in her charms, 

 she trusts to her power of fascinating the 

 Marquis to her own terms. She does no 

 such thing ; his admiration soon cools, and 

 he abandons her ; she rages with a double 

 disappointment. She is an Italian, and, 

 Italian like, is resolved upon revenge. 



In the mean while, a youth, a student 

 at Paris, catches through the window a 

 glimpse of the orphan at the Barber's ; 

 falls desperately in love ; and makes a 

 variety of attempts to approach her. At 

 last, in the character of a country girl 

 wanting service, he gets admission to the 

 old housekeeper and her young charge. 

 An intimacy grows up betwen them he is, 

 of course, very entertaining he tells the 

 old lady ghost stories, and sings the young 

 one love songs ; and the intercourse is kept 

 up by evening visits, till one wet night he 

 is persuaded, by the united intreaties of 

 the women, to pass the night with them, 

 and is to share Blanche's bed. Blanche is 

 delighted ; she has been shut up with the 

 old woman, now to her sixteenth year; is 

 of extreme simplicity and frankness, with 

 all her affections ready to expand, and a 

 companion of nearly her own age seems a 

 charming thing. A scene follows of very 

 felicitous execution. The youth is tempted 

 by the apparent opportunity ; but his better 

 genius rules the hour. An explanation 

 takes place, and at, perhaps, in spite of no- 

 bler resolutions, a critical moment, the 

 Barber knocks, and demands admittance. 

 Chaudoreille has been the marplot. A 

 compact ensues; the Barber consents to 

 the nuptials of the young people, on con- 



dition that the lover takes her forthwith to 

 a distant province, where the young man, 

 who is his own master, has a small pro- 

 perty. All seems propitious. 



Before the day of marriage, however, 

 Chaudoreille being by circumstances driven 

 into difficulties, to extricate himself gives 

 the Marquis, who is ever on the look-out 

 for a new object, intelligence of Blanche. 

 No sooner does he hear of her, than he 

 resolves to see her; and, eluding the Bar- 

 ber's watchfulness, he does see her, and 

 resolves to carry her off. The Barber re- 

 sists; but money, to the accumulation of 

 which he is devoted, melts his scruples, 

 and he aids him. Poor Blanche is deluded 

 by some story of her lover's being obliged 

 to fly on account of a duel, and is hurried 

 off the same night to a castle of the Mar- 

 quis's, in the heart of the country. 



The next day the luckless lover discovers 

 his misfortune, but can get no satisfaction 

 from the Barber. He meets with Chaudo- 

 reille. Chaudoreille engages to learn the 

 fate of Blanche, and appoints a meeting 

 the following day. The lover falls into a 

 fever, and is unable to keep the appoint- 

 ment. In the mean while, the jealous and 

 enraged Italian, who has her eye constantly 

 upon the Marquis's actions, discovers 

 through Chaudoreille the deportation of 

 Blanche. She effects an entrance into the 

 Barber's house, and, getting possession of 

 certain papers and documents of importance 

 to her scheme, she sets out, accompanied 

 by Chaudoreille, for the Marquis's castle. 

 By this time the lover recovers, and, after 

 losing many days in fruitless inquiries, he 

 pays the Marquis a visit, at the very castle 

 to which Blanche was taken, knowing 

 nothing about the Marquis's conduct, but 

 meaning to ask his aid he is not quite a 

 stranger to him in recovering his lost 

 bride. The plot thickens. The Marquis 

 misleads the lover, and repels the Italian. 

 He makes no progress with the wretched 

 Blanche. The Barber comes, and urges 

 him to violence. He attempts it, but his, 

 nerves fail, and Blanche is saved. The 

 next night, the Italian again forces herself 

 upon the Marquis, who is closeted with his 

 agent. She seats herself between them. 

 She is come for vengeance. She pro- 

 duces her evidence her tale is complete. 

 Blanche proves to be the Marquis's own 

 daughter, by a lady to whom he had been 

 passionately devoted, and whose memory 

 he still fondly cherishes. The person by 

 whose murder she was thought to have 

 been left in the Barber's hands was the 

 Barber's own father, whom he had always 

 treated infamously, and finally murdered, 

 On the impetus of sudden indignation, the 

 Marquis shoots the Barber on the spot, 

 and then rushes to his daughter's chamber. 

 She is alarmed, expecting another attack, 

 and throws herself out of the window into 

 the lake below. The Marquis hears the 

 appalling splash : the door is locked ; time 



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