Henry Harland

“ By and by two policemen marched through the alleyway carrying a stretcher. Upon that stretcher, ghastly in his magnificent uniform, lay Gen. Ogaref, dead.
Two more policemen followed, bearing a second stretcher. "It is she, it is she, the assassinl" murmured the crowd, and there was an eager pressing forward to catch sight of her.
Upon this second stretcher, white and beautiful and still, lay Sophia Paulovna Eczardy, dead.
For many weeks I tossed upon a pallet in the English hospital beside myself in a fever. Then I returned to reason, and gradually to health. But I wished that I had died. ”

“ Of all known types of feminine beauty that which I personally admire the most is the Titianesque, the woman who is of large and generous mold, yet softly rounded, with a small head set upon a full and graceful neck, a white skin just transparent enough to be warm in the cheeks, and, to crown all, golden brown eyes and golden reddish hair. ”

“ She must be pretty. No woman could sing with so much fire and spirit unless she were pretty— Hello! what is this?" The floor over my head had begun to vibrate to the measure of a dance; the singer had begun to dance in time to her music. It struck me all at once that this was a little singular. Could Miss Eczardy not only sing but dance with her father ill unto death in the next—or, for all I knew, in the same—room? I was pondering this enigma in my mind when somebody rapped upon my door.
"Come in." I called.
The exterminator entered. ”

“ However, like a true American—the issue lying between business on the one hand and sentiment on the other—I cast the choice in favor of business, and two days later found me aboard the afternoon express train bound for Boston. The exterminator and I had had an affectionate parting, and I had exacted from him a promise that he would write to me and let me know "how things went on." I did not mention Miss Eczardy's name to him, but I felt sure that when he wrote to me his letter would contain news of her. ”

“ Good-by. If you let me know twenty-four hours before you come back I have the rooms cleaned up nice and fires to warm them. Otherwise everything is the same as always. Take good care of your self, and believe me, with the highest esteem. your devoted A. Muselle.
I remember what followed as one remembers the delirium of a sick bed. I remember reaching Muselle's house and hearing, viva voce, from his lips a confirmation of what he had written. Miss Eczardy had gone to Russia, to St. Petersburg. She had gone, she said, to strike a blow for Russian liberty, to avenge her father and to die. ”

“ I have always longed to paint a woman of that sort, but models are so hard to find, so rare. A perfect model I have never seen until to-night. I wonder who she is."
And wondering who she was. I began to perceive the suggestiveness of the episode. It seemed to me to suggest that my fair unknown must have an invalid relative at home—a father, mother, brother, husband, unable to leave the house—to whom she was bringing the contents of her basket. And then all at once it flashed across my mind, '"What if she should be Miss Eczardy! Miss Eczardy, come for her father's dinner!" ”

“ There was something so irresistibly pathetic in that old man's face and figure that I, who had come to criticise, felt myself instantly penetrated by an emotion of distress and sympathy as if I were looking upon a veritable human being and not upon a mere effigy in paint and canvas. ”

“ What a shame that she should waste herself on miniatures and working for photographers!"
"Yes, it is beautiful: it is very fine." acquiesced Muselle, grinning complacently. "Bot if she work for photographers, you know, hit is because, as we say in France, ii faut vivre, one must live. What would you 'ave? She mek no money if she don't."
"Yes, yes, I understand. But the woman who painted that has it in her to do things that would really be worth while. Does she never attempt anything better?" ”

“ His hands were emaciated and discolored upon the backs with freckles and large yellowish blotches, as hands hardly ever are until old age comes on, and the skin hung loosely from the bones and the veins stood out dark and wiry, and the finger nails were parched and corrugated in a way that signified unmistakably advanced old age. ”

“ We went back to his office, and there he handed me a circular advertising his business as an exterminator of insects. "I undertake, by the particular job or on yearly contract, to exterminate all varieties of insects from your furniture, your clothing, your furs, your house. Moths a specialty. Also, for sale in pound, half pound aid quarter pound packages, or in any quantity, Muselle's Magic Insecticide, positively guaranteed as the best insect powder in the universe. ”

“ Her own father! The subject is horrible enough in itself. But when it comes to one's own father! To work over such a thing day after day, week after week! I don't see how she could do it. She - she must be a young woman of considerable grit."
"Yes, you right; she his," said Muselle. "She tole me about that picture, 'Mr. Muselle,' she tole me, 'I want to pent a picture w'ich mek people see 'ow in Rossia they treat a gentleman who is arrested only as suspect, and before 'e is tried to find if 'e is guilty or hinnocent. 'E is only suspect, waiting to be tried ”

“ I exclaimed, turning to the exterminator. "They are on the eve of leaving New York!"
"Oh, nun--nun--no," he quickly reassured me; "not they. Only him. 'E go to Bermuda to pass the winter. 'E start on Wednesday morning. She only tole me today, or else I had tole you before." "Oh, I see," I said relieved. "He goes alone. And she"—
"She will remain 'ere. She go hon living opstairs alone by herself. Her father leave her in my charge. ”

“ What? Ah, I remember; it is a good deal like that song of Carmen's whereby poor Don Jose is made to lose his heart to her. There is the same effective use of the chromatic scale. She does it beautifully. ”

“ The model, 'e was the ole man himself,"
"What old man? Where did she find him? It's a wonderful face-like the wreck of a face that had once been strong, intellectual, almost beautiful."
"W'y, don't I tell you it was her ole man, her fazair: Dr. Eczardy. who leeve opstairs."
"What!" I gasped. "Her father? Her own father?"
"Yes. It represent him in the prison in Rossia, w'ere they keep him five, six years waiting to be tried, and w'ere 'e catch the cawnsumption. You see it was pretty hard staying all alone there, in solitar' confinement, one, two, t'ree, four, five, six years. ”

“ Muselle agreed. "The ole man, her fazair," he went on, after a moment's pause, "he is a founy ole feller. 'E die of cawnsomption, you know."
"So you told me the other day. Do they think it's funny?"
"Ah, that is not w'at I have meant. I mean he is fonny in uzzair ways."
"Aha! For example?"
"Well, for example. Well, 'e is a -well, 'e is w'at you call in Eenglis liberal."
"Liberal, is he? Then he is rich?"
"Oh, no; you do not understand. I mean in the politic. 'E is liberal, radical, communist. In Rossia 'e 'ave been in prison five, six—I do' know 'ow many years—for a revolutionist." ”

“ She 'ave to work to gain their life, and at the same time she must be his norse. Yes, it is hard for her, no mistek. She get tired hout."
"Is her only means of livelihood her painting?"
"Yes, that's aw. She mek beeg crayon drawings for photographers, and she pent miniatures and hoil paintings. I get her to pent a miniature of myself on hivory. She pent beautiful, no use talking. ”

“ I go op stairs now to congratulate them, be cause 'e feel better, you onderstand. Then mebbe they hask me to walk in side and mek a visit. Then mebbe she go hon to dance, and I set there and see her. It is as good as a theatre. It is wors five dollars. Well. goo'-by."
And waving his bediamonded old claw at me he accomplished his exit. I felt as though I should not at all object to following him. I was beginning to be mightily interested in Miss Eczardy; and I am sure I should have surpassed the exterminator himself in appreciation of her dancing if I, too, had been permitted to witness it. ”

“ A studio apartment! The very thing I was hunting for. I climbed the steps, rang the bell and told the young man who opened to me that I should like to look at the studio apartment.
CHAPTER II.
THE EXTERMINATOR.
The young man—he was in his shirt sleeves; he emitted an aroma that transported me in fancy to Marseilles, and he spoke like a Frenchman who had picked up his English on the Bowery—the young man said, "Walk into de awffus and set down; I go call de bosse."
"The boss." I queried. "That is Mr. Muselle?" ”

“ The name Eczardy is 'Ungarian; yes, you right. Bot the ole feller, 'e is Rossian. His family 'ave reside in Rossia since two hawndred year. Jus' like mebbe you know Eenglis man named Beauchamp, or uzzair French name, yet 'e is Eenglis all the same. 'E is Rossian gentleman wiz 'Ungarian name, that's all. Well, as I tell you, 'e is a revolutionist; and he get found hout in a plot; and they arrest him and lock him op for five or six years in solitar' confinement, all alone, waiting till they try him, and zen they tek him before the magistrate, Gen. ”

“ Ogaref, who decide he is guilty and condemn him to Siberia for life. Bet he escape from Siberia and come to this cawntry, w'ere 'e die. You see, he catch the cawnsomption w'ile he is lock op in prison five, six years. Two years already 'e has leeve here in my 'ouse, dying aw the time."
"He must be a remarkable man. Is he meetable? I should like to know him."
"If you 'ave come two, t'ree weeks before, yes, you can meet him. Bot since two, t'ree weeks 'e is moch worse than he 'ave been formerly, and 'e see no one excep' the doctor." ”

“ His name is Paul Eczardy, wiz anuzer name in the middle w'ich finishes in 'tch, too long to remember."
"And his daughter is an artist? What does she paint:"
"Oh, anysing you weesh. She paint you a miniature on hivory. She mek you a beeg hoil painting. She tek you a leetel photograph, and draw you from it a picture in crayon any size you like. Hall kinds of hart."
"Yes, I see. You pays your money, and you takes your choice?"
"Yes," assented the exterminator, gravely; "that is it exactly." ”

“ I did not see the exterminator again until the next afternoon. Meanwhile the musical entertainment above stairs had been repeated, leaving me to infer that Dr. Eczardy's health was still on the mend. When next afternoon Muselle dropped in to see me, after we had exchanged the ordinary salutations, "And our invalid up stairs?" I began: "I hope he continues to feel better."
"Oh, yes; 'e feel pretty good. 'E 'ave his hups and his downs, you know, and jus' now 'e 'ave a hup. By and by 'e 'ave a down again, then mebbe another hup. But he never get well. ”

“ Tall woman. you onderstand, and fine figure. Then for color—well, I suppose you call her fair; bot she got red hair. She look like a Meridionale, if you know w'at that mean."
"A Meridionale? That's odd, considering she's a Russian."
"Yes, you right; it's hodd. Bot her mother she came from the south of France. She was a Frenchwoman. Miss Eczardy spik French as good as me." ”

“ Eh, w'at will you 'ave? She must stay 'ere to do her work and gain their bread. The doctor 'ave ordered him to go w'ere it is warmer for the winter; and since she is not rich enough to go wiz him 'e must go alone, and she must remain alone behind. ”

“ I asked.
"Eh, zat depend of 'ow you tek," the exterminator replied, with that cockney like contempt for aspirates which distinguishes his nation. "Eef you tek by the mawns, feefty dollars a mnawns. Eef you tek by the year, five hundred for the year."
This, which would have been dear enough in Paris or in London, for New York was cheap. I had already looked at several studio apartments, but the only ones that were tolerably spacious and at the same time conveniently situated were simply exorbitant in price. St. ”