Paris in the Twentieth Century by Jules Verne & Richard Howard

Author:Jules Verne & Richard Howard [Verne, Jules & Howard, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Classics, Fantasy
ISBN: 9780345420398
Google: bXoNAAAACAAJ
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 337109
Publisher: Del Rey Books
Published: 1994-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter XI: A Stroll to the Port de Grenelle

It was Monsieur Richelot himself. Michel flung himself into the arms of his old teacher; a little more and he would have fallen into those Mademoiselle Lucy held out to Uncle Huguenin, who was fortunately standing at his post and thus forestalled that charming encounter.

"Michel!" exclaimed Monsieur Richelot.

"Himself, " Monsieur Huguenin reassured him.

"Ah!" exclaimed the professor, "now this is a happy surprise, and an evening which bodes laetanterly. "

"Dies albo nodanda lapillo, " riposted Monsieur Huguenin.

"As our dear Flaccus says, " Monsieur Richelot confirmed.

"Mademoiselle, " stammered the young man, greeting the young lady.

"Monsieur, " replied Lucy, with a curtsy that was not altogether clumsy.

"Candore notabilis albo," murmured Michel, to the delight of his professor, who forgave this compliment in a foreign tongue. Moreover the young man had spoken accurately; Lucy's entire charm was portrayed in that delicious Ovidian hemistich: remarkable for the luster of her whiteness! Mademoiselle Lucy was about fifteen and perfectly lovely, with long, blond curls falling over her shoulders in the fashion of the day, fresh and nascent, if that term can express about her what was new, pure, and blossoming; her deep blue eyes sparkling with naive glances, her pert nose with its tiny, transparent nostrils, her mouth moist with dew, the almost nonchalant grace of her neck, her cool and supple hands, the elegant outline of her figure— everything enchanted the young man and left him mute with admiration. The young lady was a living poem; he sensed rather than saw her; she touched his heart before delighting his eyes.

This little ecstasy threatened to last indefinitely; Uncle Huguenin realized as much, seated his visitors, managing to shield the young woman from the rays the poet was giving off, and began talking. "My friends, dinner will be served quite soon; let's chat awhile until it comes. You know, Richelot, it's been a good month since I've seen you. How are the humanities going?"

"They're going... away, " the old professor replied. "I have only three students left in my rhetoric class. It's a turpe[59] decadence! Soon they'll be getting rid of us, and with good reason."

"Getting rid of you!" Michel exclaimed.

"Can it really have come to that?" asked Uncle Huguenin.

"Really and truly, " Monsieur Richelot replied. "Rumor has it that the Literature professorships, by virtue of a decision taken in the General Assembly of the Stockholders, will be suppressed for the program of 1962. "

"What will become of them?" Michel wondered, staring at the girl.

"I can't believe such a thing, " said his uncle, frowning. "They wouldn't dare. "

"They will dare, " Monsieur Richelot replied, "and it will be for the best! Who cares about Greek and Latin? All they're good for is to provide a few roots for modern science. The students no longer understand these wonderful languages, and when I see how stupid these young people are, I don't know which I feel more intensely, despair or disgust!"

"Can it be possible, " asked young Dufrénoy, "that your class is reduced to three students?"

"Three too many, " grumbled the old professor.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.