worldly ways and byways-第14章

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difficult。　　Finally；　for　economy；　an　unfurnished　apartment　is　

taken。　　They　send　home　for　bits　of　furniture　and　family　belongings；　

and　gradually　drop　into　the　great　army　of　the　expatriated。



Oh；　the　pathos　of　it！　　One　who　has　not　seen　these　poor　stranded　

waifs　in　their　self…imposed　exile；　with　eyes　turned　towards　their　

native　land；　cannot　realize　all　the　sadness　and　loneliness　they　

endure；　rarely　adopting　the　country　of　their　residence　but　becoming　

more　firmly　American　as　the　years　go　by。　　The　home　papers　and　

periodicals　are　taken；　the　American　church　attended；　if　there　

happens　to　be　one；　the　English　chapel；　if　there　is　not。　　Never　a　

French　church！　　In　their　hearts　they　think　it　almost　irreverent　to　

read　the　service　in　French。　　The　acquaintance　of　a　few　fellow…

exiles　is　made　and　that　of　a　half…dozen　English　families；　mothers　

and　daughters　and　a　younger　son　or　two；　whom　the　ferocious　

primogeniture　custom　has　cast　out　of　the　homes　of　their　childhood　

to　economize　on　the　Continent。



I　have　in　my　mind　a　little　settlement　of　this　kind　at　Versailles；　

which　was　a　type。　　The　formal　old　city；　fallen　from　its　grandeur；　

was　a　singularly　appropriate　setting　to　the　little　comedy。　　There　

the　modest　purses　of　the　exiles　found　rents　within　their　reach；　the　

quarters　vast　and　airy。　　The　galleries　and　the　park　afforded　a　

diversion；　and　then　Paris；　dear　Paris；　the　American　Mecca；　was　

within　reach。　　At　the　time　I　knew　it；　the　colony　was　fairly　

prosperous；　many　of　its　members　living　in　the　two　or　three　

principal　PENSIONS；　the　others　in　apartments　of　their　own。　　They　

gave　feeble　little　entertainments　among　themselves；　card…parties　

and　teas；　and　dined　about　with　each　other　at　their　respective　

TABLES　D'HOTE；　even　knowing　a　stray　Frenchman　or　two；　whom　the　

quest　of　a　meal　had　tempted　out　of　their　native　fastnesses　as　it　

does　the　wolves　in　a　hard　winter。　　Writing　and　receiving　letters　

from　America　was　one　of　the　principal　occupations；　and　an　epistle　

descriptive　of　a　particular　event　at　home　went　the　rounds；　and　was　

eagerly　read　and　discussed。



The　merits　of　the　different　PENSIONS　also　formed　a　subject　of　vital　

interest。　　The　advantages　and　disadvantages　of　these　rival　

establishments　were；　as　a　topic；　never　exhausted。　　MADAME　UNE　TELLE　

gave　five　o'clock　tea；　included　in　the　seven　francs　a　day；　but　her　

rival　gave　one　more　meat　course　at　dinner　and　her　coffee　was　

certainly　better；　while　a　third　undoubtedly　had　a　nicer　set　of　

people。　　No　one　here　at　home　can　realize　the　importance　these　

matters　gradually　assume　in　the　eyes　of　the　exiles。　　Their　slender　

incomes　have　to　be　so　carefully　handled　to　meet　the　strain　of　even　

this　simple　way　of　living；　if　they　are　to　show　a　surplus　for　a　

little　trip　to　the　seashore　in　the　summer　months；　that　an　extra　

franc　a　day　becomes　a　serious　consideration。



Every　now　and　then　a　family　stronger…minded　than　the　others；　or　

with　serious　reasons　for　returning　home　（a　daughter　to　bring　out　or　

a　son　to　put　into　business）；　would　break　away　from　its　somnolent　

surroundings　and　re…cross　the　Atlantic；　alternating　between　hope　

and　fear。　　It　is　here　that　a　sad　fate　awaits　these　modern　Rip　Van　

Winkles。　　They　find　their　native　cities　changed　beyond　recognition。　　

（For　we　move　fast　in　these　days。）　　The　mother　gets　out　her　visiting　

list　of　ten　years　before　and　is　thunderstruck　to　find　that　it　

contains　chiefly　names　of　the　〃dead；　the　divorced；　and　defaulted。〃　　

The　waves　of　a　decade　have　washed　over　her　place　and　the　world　she　

once　belonged　to　knows　her　no　more。　　The　leaders　of　her　day　on　

whose　aid　she　counted　have　retired　from　the　fray。　　Younger；　and　

alas！　unknown　faces　sit　in　the　opera　boxes　and　around　the　dinner　

tables　where　before　she　had　found　only　friends。　　After　a　feeble　

little　struggle　to　get　again　into　the　〃swim；〃　the　family　drifts　

back　across　the　ocean　into　the　quiet　back　water　of　a　continental　

town；　and　goes　circling　around　with　the　other　twigs　and　dry　leaves；　

moral　flotsam　and　jetsam；　thrown　aside　by　the　great　rush　of　the　

outside　world。



For　the　parents　the　life　is　not　too　sad。　　They　have　had　their　day；　

and　are；　perhaps；　a　little　glad　in　their　hearts　of　a　quiet　old　age；　

away　from　the　heat　and　sweat　of　the　battle；　but　for　the　younger　

generation　it　is　annihilation。　　Each　year　their　circle　grows　

smaller。　　Death　takes　away　one　member　after　another　of　the　family；　

until　one　is　left　alone　in　a　foreign　land　with　no　ties　around　her；　

or　with　her　far…away　〃home；〃　the　latter　more　a　name　now　than　a　

reality。



A　year　or　two　ago　I　was　taking　luncheon　with　our　consul　at　his　

primitive　villa；　an　hour's　ride　from　the　city　of　Tangier；　a　ride　

made　on　donkey…back；　as　no　roads　exist　in　that　sunny　land。　　After　

our　coffee　and　cigars；　he　took　me　a　half…hour's　walk　into　the　

wilderness　around　him　to　call　on　his　nearest　neighbors；　whose　mode　

of　existence　seemed　a　source　of　anxiety　to　him。　　I　found　myself　in　

the　presence　of　two　American　ladies；　the　younger　being　certainly　

not　less　than　seventy…five。　　To　my　astonishment　I　found　they　had　

been　living　there　some　thirty　years；　since　the　death　of　their　

parents；　in　an　isolation　and　remoteness　impossible　to　describe；　in　

an　Arab　house；　with　native　servants；　〃the　world　forgetting；　by　the　

world　forgot。〃　　Yet　these　ladies　had　names　well　known　in　New　York　

fifty　years　ago。



The　glimpse　I　had　of　their　existence　made　me　thoughtful　as　I　rode　

home　in　the　twilight；　across　a　suburb　none　too　safe　for　strangers。　　

What　had　the　future　in　store　for　those　two？　　Or；　worse　still；　for　

the　survivor　of　those　two？　　In　contrast；　I　saw　a　certain　humble　

〃home〃　far　away　in　America；　where　two　old　ladies　were　ending　their　

lives　surrounded　by　loving　friends　and　relations；　honored　and　

cherished　and　guarded　tenderly　from　the　rude　world。



In　big　cities　like　Paris　and　Rome　there　is　another　class　of　the　

expatriated；　the　wealthy　who　have　left　their　homes　in　a　moment　of　

pique　after　the　failure　of　some　social　or　political　ambition；　and　

who　find　in　these　centres　the　recognition　refused　them　at　home　and　

for　which　their　souls　thirsted。



It　is　not　to　these　I　refer；　although　it　is　curious　to　see　a　group　

of　people　living　for　years　in　a　country　of　which　they；　half　the　

time；　do　not　speak　the　language　（beyond　the　necessities　of　house…

keeping　and　shopping）；　knowing　but　few　of　its　inhabitants；　and　

seeing　none　of　the　society　of　the　place；　their　acquaintance　rarely　

going　beyond　that　equivocal；　hybrid　class　that　surrounds　rich　

〃strangers〃　and　hangs　on　to　the　outer　edge　of　the　GRAND　MONDE。　　One　

feels　for　this　latter　class　merely　contempt；　but　one's　pity　is　

reserved　for　the　former。　　What　object　lessons　some　lives　on　the　

Continent　would　be　to　impatient　souls　at　home；　who　feel　

discontented　with　their　surroundings；　and　anxious　to　break　away　and　

wander　abroad！　　Let　them　think　twice　before　they　cut　the　thousand　

ties　it　has　taken　a　lifetime　to　form。　　Better　monotony　at　your　own　

fireside；　my　friends；　where　at　the　worst；　you　are　known　and　have　

your　place；　no　matter　how　small；　than　an　old　age　among　strangers。









CHAPTER　12　…　〃Seven　Ages〃　of　Furniture





THE　progress　through　life　of　active…minded　Americans　is　apt　to　be　a　

series　of　transformations。　　At　each　succeeding　phase　of　mental　

development；　an　old　skin　drops　from　their　growing　intelligence；　and　

they　assimilate　the　ideas　and　tastes　of　their　new　condition；　with　a　

facility　and　completeness　unknown　to　other　nations。



One　series　of　metamorphoses　particularly　amusing　to　watch　is；　that　

of　an　observant；　receptive　daughter　of　Uncle　Sam　who；　aided　and　

followed　（at　a　distance）　by　an　adoring　husband；　gradually　develops　

her　excellent　brain；　and　rises　through　fathoms　of　self…culture　and　

purblind　experiment；　to　the　surface　of　dilettantism　and　

connoisseurship。　　One　can　generally　detect　the　exact　stage　of　

evolution　such　a　lady　has　reac