The Argosy — page 247: what you’re looking at

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

228 Fair Normandy. not, though it exists here and there in a few of the old timbered houses yet remaining as remnants of former times, with their quaint gables and latticed windows. ‘To-night, however, they eluded us, like will-o’-the-wisps or phantom ships: for we ever seemed coming upon them, yet never did so. ‘The street, for the most part, appeared narrow, uninteresting and modern; not a gas-light was visible, not a soul crossed our path. At length all this silence and solitude smote us with a sort of reproach. If all the world was sleeping, ought we not to be doing likewise? ‘The very echo of our footsteps seemed to disturb the sacred quiet : and towards the ghostly hour of midnight we found our way back to the hotel. Here everything was darker and more shut up than ever. The great portes-cocheres were closed ; everyone had retired, except a sleepy waiter, who reproachfully blinked at us (so our consciences interpreted the expression) as he opened the small door in the great © gates, and gave us just sufficient space to squeeze through. One of us at least felt terribly ghostlike after that late very frugal meal, and required very small space indeed for entering within the desired haven. The fire had gone out in the kitchen, and all the ruddy glow had sunk down into deadness and darkness ; the air felt cold and chilly the café lights were extinguished ; the courtyard was buried in pro- found gloom. We could just make out the outlines of our dear omnibus, which immediately recalled to us the lady with the bundle and the charming domestic drama at which the two fair daughters had assisted ; and we felt the present and painful contrast between that scene and this. We took our light from the hands of the sleepy waiter, but we felt that we need not waste too much compassion upon him. ‘They are ‘the favoured of the earth. Care wrinkles not their brow; a sleepless pillow is unknown. ‘They can even walk and work in their sleep. A summons will arouse them from their dream of some fair and faithful Gretchen in a far-off land; arouse, but scarcely awaken them ; they ‘rise to do your bidding; and the moment the head again touches the pillow, sleep returns and the dream is resumed at the point of Interruption. Happy beings. What know they of the long and silent night watches, when sleep flies away like a phantom pursued, and will not be courted, and will not come ; and life seems to press heavily ; and care and trouble, like the outlines of the cathedral by the darkness, seem ten times multiplied by the stillness of one’s little world. But things are only realised when they are felt and come home to us. ‘These favoured ones, exempt from care, know nothing of their privi- leges and will not admit them. And probably we are all the same as to this power of realisation. Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown, we declare ; we know it to be true; and yet who would refuse a crown if it were offered to him? It is only after long wearing and Gomicbooks.co | a» \