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Show a CONDENSED f I CLASSICS I TRILBY I & I I X Br GSORGB DU MAURIER ! I Condeiuathn bti Alice C. Ctoztet S Jl2----:":X":-:'"M-'-x--x-: S George I.ouIn S.'xu'-J1- Pnlnjella Ddssoo -x v a "laurier ' -f born in Parln in V . ' 1S3-4, and died In V Enfclnnd In 1S!0. i His fnther, a nat-uralized nat-uralized British t ,-3 subject, -was the TrlJ&r f lj BOa of emigres, .rfntfcv, tlH who had left ... 1 France during rr. . S'-'J ( the Helm of Ter- : " ? A ror nnd settled in '... -a ' London. - "' c!J' In "Peter Ibbet- S'VV' : '. "j son," the first of the three books - . v i - which won Du 1 Maorler, late in 'v -' v v, - -j life, a reputation "jr v. ' 4 as novelist. al- V. .-x v"-A y; most as Kreat as Afr-. . -vt-t- j he had enjOTea as artist and humorist humor-ist for more than a generation, the author depicts his own singularly happy childhood. He was bronKht to London when three or four years old, but vaprue memories of this period were suddenly exchanged, one beautiful day In June, for the charming realities of a Freach garden, and an "old yellow house with green shutters and mansard roofs of slate. Here at Passy, with his gay and Jovial father and his young English Eng-lish mother.' the boy spent seven years of sweet, priceless home life. The year 1S,6 found him in Paris. In the I.atln Quarter, a student at the core of the art world' of which In "Trilby" he produced a fascinating. Idealistic picture, with both pen and pencil A CHARMING studio, In the Latin Lat-in quarter of Paris, sheltered "Three Musketeers of the Brush;" Talbot Wynne, or Taffy, a big, fair, blue-eyed young Yorkshire-man, Yorkshire-man, who had been a soldier, but was at last following his wish to be an artist; art-ist; then Sandy McAllister, or the Laird, as his friends called him, intended in-tended by his parents for a solicitor, but who was in Paris painting Toreadors Torea-dors and singing French ballads, with a decided Scotch accent. "The third he was Little Billie." or William Bagot, a pleasing young Englishman Eng-lishman from London. To live and work in Paris had been Billie's dream, and at last it was a reality, he and his two friends having taken the studio together. He often looked at these friends and wondered if anyone, living liv-ing or dead, ever had two such glorious glori-ous chums His absolute belief in all they said and did touched them exceedingly, ex-ceedingly, and they in turn loved him for his affectionate disposition and lively ways; and recognizing his quickness, keenness and delicacy in all matters of form and color, they had also a great admiration for him. On a showery April day the three friends were in the studio, each occupied occu-pied to his taste, Taffy vigorously swinging a pair of Indian clubs, the Laird sitting before his easel painting, and Billie kneeling on the broad divan before the great studio window was gazing out over the roofs of Paris speculating upon the future of himself nnd his friends. These speculations were rudely interrupted in-terrupted by a loud knocking at the door and two men entered ; first a tall, bony individual of any age between thirty and forty-five, of Jewish nspect, well-featured, but sinister. He had bold, brilliant black eyes, with long, heavy lids. He went by the name of Svengali, spoke fluent French, but with a German accent. His companion was a little, swarthy young man, possibly pos-sibly a gypsy; under his arm he carried car-ried a fiddle and bow. Svengali at once suggested that they have some music nnd, seating himself at the piano, ran his fingers up and down the keys with the easy power of a master. Then he fell to playing Chopin's Impromptu in A flat, so beautifully that Little Billie's heart was nigh to bursting with emotion and delight ne never forgot that Impromptu, Im-promptu, which he was destined to hear again one day in very strange circumstances. Then the two, Svengali and his companion com-panion Gecko, made music together so divinely, indeed, that even Taffy and the Laird were almost as wild In their enthusiasm as Billie, but with an enthusiasm en-thusiasm too deep for words. Suddenly there came another interruption, inter-ruption, a loud knuckle-rapping at the outer door, and a voice of great volume, vol-ume, that might belong to any sex, or even an angel, uttered the British milkman's yodel, "milk below." and before anyone could say "entrez." a strange figure appeared framed In the gloom of the antechamber; the figure of a very tall and fully developed young girl, clad in the gray overcoat of a French Infantry soldier; below this there showed a short striped petticoat, and beneath it were visible her bare white ankles, the toes losing themselves them-selves in a huge pair of men's list slippers. While not strictly beautiful, the girl had great charm ; she was really much like a healthy young English boy. Closing the door behind her she said, wistfully : "Ye're all E nglish, now, arwi't ye? I heard the music and thought I'd Just come iu for a bit and pass the time of day; you don't mind? Trilby, that's my name, Trilby O'Fer- J rail." Yes this was Trilby of the studios, artists' model, taking her noonday rest. She sat down upon the model throne to eat her luncheon and listen to the music. When Svengali had brought the music mu-sic to a close, Trilby remarked it was not very gay. and offered to sing a song which she knew, and in English, whereat she sang "Ben Bolt," and finished fin-ished amid an embarrassing silence; for her hearers did not know whether it was intended seriously or In fun; such a volume of sound ensued that it Hooded the studio, but without melody or music of any kind. In fact as if the singer were tone-deaf as indeed she was. With her charm nnd goodfellowshlp, Trilby won the hearts of the Three Musketeers, Billie's most of all, and it was Billie for whom she felt the deepest deep-est affection. She cooked for them at times, mended their clothing, listened to their music nnd the wonderful talks of "the glory that wns Greece and the grandeur that was Rome." At other times she criticized their work ; In fact, was quite "one of them." A climax came one day when Billie, visiting another studio, discovered Trilby posing for the "altogether." He was so shocked that he was awakened to the fact of his great love for Trilby, Tril-by, and rushing home to his friends, declared that he was going to Barbi-zon Barbi-zon to paint the forest and that he wanted to be alone. Trilby, too, saw matters in a different differ-ent light, nnd after much self-examination and struggle, decided that she would pose no more, hut would earn her living as a fine laundress, with an old friend who Irad a laundry and was doing well. Poor Trilby was certainly one of the frail ones but through ignorance, ig-norance, rather than wrong intent ; now she saw her mistake and with her love for Billie there came a new feeling, feel-ing, a dawning self-respect. Nineteen times Billie asked Trilby to marry him, but she always refused, feeling herself unworthy. Then one Christmas night he asked her the twentieth time, "Will you marry me? If not I leave Paris in the morning never to return," and Trilby, fearing to lose him out of her life, finally answered an-swered "Yes." Billie's mother, hearing of the intended in-tended marriage, journeyed to Paris to make inquiries about Trilby, finally deciding that she was not the wife for her son. all of which she said to Trilby, Tril-by, who in her great love for Billie, and thinking it best for him, promised to go away and not see him again. Trilby kept her promise and Billie became very ill ; when he had sufficiently suffi-ciently recovered he went back to England with his mother, his heart, as it seemed, quite dead. This was a sorrowful time for Taffy ami the Laird, as they missed both Trilby and Billie. Years went by and Billie became a famous painter, with a beautiful home 'in London and many friends. Then the three Musketeers were together to-gether again in Paris, where they visited vis-ited the scenes of former times, at least going to the old studio, now rented to other tenants, but having still upon its wall Billie's famous drawing of Trilby's Tril-by's foot, protected by a covering of glass; and beneath it some stanzas to "Pauvre Trilby, la belle et bonne et chere '" ne night they attended a concert in a large hall on the Rue St. Honore. The first violin had scarcely taken his seat before they recognized their old friend ,Gecko. Just as the clock struck, Svengali appeared the conductor. con-ductor. Then a moment of silence, and two little page-boys each drew a silken rope, the curtains parted, and a tall figure walked slowly down to the front of the stage. The house rose to meet her as she advanced, bowing to right nnd left "It was Trilby." Her eyes on Svengali, at a signal from him, she sang without accompaniment, accompani-ment, in a voice so immense in Its softness, richness and freshness, that it seemed to be pouring itself from all around ; and then her dove-like eyes looked past Svengali, straight at Billie, and all his long-lost power of loving came back with a rush. At last the final performance of the evening. Trilby vocalized, without words, Chopin's Impromptu in A flat ; astounding, no piano had ever given out such notes as these! Amid the wild applause and enthusiasm of an immense audience Trilby had made her debut in Paris. Her debut in London was a different differ-ent matter; Svengali ill, and unable to conduct, had taken his place in a box exactly opposite Trilby, but his presence had no effect upon her. When it came time for her to sing she started start-ed "Ben Bolt," but sang only a few bars when the house was in an uproar of laughter, hoots and hisses. Trilby had lost the power of "singing true." She seemed to be awakening from sleep, not knowing where she was. Her old-time friends rescued her nnd took her home to Billie's mother. Svengali collapsed from shock and died very suddenly. The friends learned from Gecko that "there were two Trllbys." Svengali had but to say "dor" and she suddenly became an unconscious Trilby of marble to do his bidding. So they traveled giving concerts. Svengali, Gecko, Trilby, attended by Marta, an old servant of Svengali. The long strain had its effect upon poor Trilby, and she drooped nnd died, surrounded by the old-time friends and Billie's mother. Not long after, little Billie, broken-hearted, followed fol-lowed her. Copyright, 1919, by the Post Publishing Co. (The Boston Post). Printed by permission permis-sion of, and arrangement with, Harjer & Bros-, authorized publishers. |