It was a maxim of my Uncle William's that no man should
pass through Paris without spending four-and-twenty hours there.
My uncle spoke out of a ripe experience of the world, and I honoured his
advice by putting up for a day and a night at "The Continental" on my
way to--the Tyrol. I called on George Featherly at the Embassy, and we
had a bit of dinner together at Durand's, and afterwards dropped in to
the Opera; and after that we had a little supper, and after that we called
on Bertram Bertrand, a versifier of some repute and Paris correspondent
to The Critic. He had a very comfortable suite of rooms, and we found
some pleasant fellows smoking and talking. It struck me, however, that
Bertram himself was absent and in low spirits, and when everybody except
ourselves had gone, I rallied him on his moping preoccupation. He fenced
with me for a while, but at last, flinging himself on a sofa, he exclaimed:
"Very well; have it your own way. I am in love--infernally in love!"
"Oh, you'll write the better poetry," said I, by way of consolation.
He ruffled his hair with his hand and smoked furiously. George Featherly,
standing with his back to the mantelpiece, smiled unkindly.
"If it's the old affair," said he, "you may as well throw it up, Bert.
She's leaving Paris tomorrow."
"I know that," snapped Bertram.
"Not that it would make any difference if she stayed," pursued the relentless
George. "She flies higher than the paper trade, my boy!"
"Hang her!" said Bertram.
"It would make it more interesting for me," I ventured to observe, "if
I knew who you were talking about."
"Antoinette Mauban," said George.
"De Mauban," growled Bertram.
"Oho!" said I, passing by the question of the `de'. "You don't mean to
say, Bert--?"
"Can't you let me alone?"
"Where's she going to?" I asked, for the lady was something of a celebrity.
George jingled his money, smiled cruelly at poor Bertram, and answered
pleasantly:
"Nobody knows. By the way, Bert, I met a great man at her house the other
night--at least, about a month ago. Did you ever meet him--the Duke of
Strelsau?"
"Yes, I did," growled Bertram.
"An extremely accomplished man, I thought him."
It was not hard to see that George's references to the duke were intended
to aggravate poor Bertram's sufferings, so that I drew the inference that
the duke had distinguished Madame de Mauban by his attentions. She was
a widow, rich, handsome, and, according to repute, ambitious. It was quite
possible that she, as George put it, was flying as high as a personage
who was everything he could be, short of enjoying strictly royal rank:
for the duke was the son of the late King of Ruritania by a second and
morganatic marriage, and half-brother to the new King. He had been his
father's favourite, and it had occasioned some unfavourable comment when
he had been created a duke, with a title derived from no less a city than
the capital itself. His mother had been of good, but not exalted, birth.
Contesta las siguientes preguntas de comprensión
Choose the best answer, a), b) or c)
1. This part of the story takes place
in
2. The conversation between the three men happens
3. Who is in love?
4. Bertram Bertrand is
5. How would you describe Bertram Bertrand’s mood
during the conversation?