A Parisian Romance — page 37: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

28 A PARISIAN ROMANCE. ment had not been without many a passing flirtation with the dark-eyed senoritas of Spain and the azure orbed German madchens, but they had been merely flirtations and nothing more, pour passee le temps, that was all. Asto the damsels of the half world, his nature was too refined and his ideals too high for him to find much pleasure in their company. Deep down in his heart, moreover, was a picture of some fair maiden, the adorable she who was to round out all his existence, and he was determined to _ have nothing to regret and wish undone when he should at last meet his fate. Such-men are rare in this age of materialism, but, to the credit of human nature, they do exist. So it was with a heart whole and with nothing in his record to prevent his looking his mother in the face, that Henri de Targy returned to his native land after three years’ wanderings. His mother, whose life had been forlorn enough without her idol, and whose only consolation had been his frequent letters, was overjoyed to have her boy once more with her. His father he found greatly changed; he seemed to have aged in many ways, without any of that softening that years sometimes bring to such harsh natures as his. He had become very irritable, the least trifle would bring on an outburst of passion, and Henri found his relations with him more im- possible and unpleasant than ever. : It was early in April when he returned, and his Eomicbooks.¢o