FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134  
135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   >>   >|  
t; white linen screens under the large skylights of the roof. And all along the suite of galleries the first impression was the same--there were the same gilt frames, the same bright colours on the canvases. But there was a special kind of cheerfulness, a sparkle of youth which one did not altogether realise at first. The crowd, already compact, increased every minute, for the official Salon was being deserted. People came stung by curiosity, impelled by a desire to judge the judges, and, above all, full of the conviction that they were going to see some very diverting things. It was very hot; a fine dust arose from the flooring; and certainly, towards four o'clock people would stifle there. 'Hang it!' said Sandoz, trying to elbow his way, 'it will be no easy job to move about and find your picture.' A burst of fraternal feverishness made him eager to get to it. That day he only lived for the work and glory of his old chum. 'Don't worry!' exclaimed Claude; 'we shall get to it all right. My picture won't fly off.' And he affected to be in no hurry, in spite of the almost irresistible desire that he felt to run. He raised his head and looked around him; and soon, amidst the loud voices of the crowd that had bewildered him, he distinguished some restrained laughter, which was almost drowned by the tramp of feet and the hubbub of conversation. Before certain pictures the public stood joking. This made him feel uneasy, for despite all his revolutionary brutality he was as sensitive and as credulous as a woman, and always looked forward to martyrdom, though he was ever grieved and stupefied at being repulsed and railed at. 'They seem gay here,' he muttered. 'Well, there's good reason,' remarked Sandoz. 'Just look at those extravagant jades!' At the same moment, while still lingering in the first gallery, Fagerolles ran up against them without seeing them. He started, being no doubt annoyed by the meeting. However, he recovered his composure immediately, and behaved very amiably. 'Hallo! I was just thinking of you. I have been here for the last hour.' 'Where have they put Claude's picture?' asked Sandoz. Fagerolles, who had just remained for twenty minutes in front of that picture studying it and studying the impression which it produced on the public, answered without wincing, 'I don't know; I haven't been able to find it. We'll look for it together if you like.' And he joined them. Terrible wag as he wa
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134  
135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
picture
 

Sandoz

 

desire

 
looked
 

Fagerolles

 

studying

 

public

 

Claude

 

impression

 

lingering


muttered

 
grieved
 

stupefied

 
repulsed
 
railed
 

extravagant

 

galleries

 

reason

 

remarked

 

moment


martyrdom

 

pictures

 

frames

 

joking

 

Before

 
conversation
 

drowned

 

hubbub

 

credulous

 

forward


gallery

 

sensitive

 
uneasy
 

revolutionary

 

brutality

 

produced

 

answered

 

wincing

 

minutes

 

twenty


remained
 
joined
 

Terrible

 

started

 

annoyed

 
meeting
 

However

 
recovered
 
composure
 

thinking