The Project Gutenberg EBook of Esmeralda, by Frances Hodgson Burnett

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: Esmeralda

Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett

Release Date: November 4, 2007 [EBook #23328]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ESMERALDA ***

Produced by David Widger

ESMERALDA

By Frances Hodgson Burnett

Copyright, 1877

To begin, I am a Frenchman, a teacher of languages, and a poor
man,--necessarily a poor man, as the great world would say, or I should
not be a teacher of languages, and my wife a copyist of great pictures,
selling her copies at small prices. In our own eyes, it is true, we are
not so poor--my Clelie and I. Looking back upon our past we congratulate
ourselves upon our prosperous condition. There was a time when we were
poorer than we are now, and were not together, and were, moreover, in
London instead of in Paris. These were indeed calamities: to be poor,
to teach, to live apart, not even knowing each other--and in England! In
England we spent years; we instructed imbeciles of all grades; we were
chilled by east winds, and tortured by influenza; we vainly strove to
conciliate the appalling English; we were discouraged and desolate. But
this, thank _le bon Dieu!_ is past. We are united; we have our little
apartment--upon the fifth floor, it is true, but still not hopelessly
far from the Champs Elysees. Clelie paints her little pictures, or
copies those of some greater artist, and finds sale for them. She is not
a great artist herself, and is charmingly conscious of the fact.

"At fifteen," she says, "I regretted that I was not a genius; at five
and twenty, I rejoice that I made the discovery so early, and so gave
myself time to become grateful for the small gifts bestowed upon me. Why
should I eat out my heart with envy? Is it not possible that I might be
a less clever woman than I am, and a less lucky one?"

On my part I have my pupils,--French pupils who take lessons in English,
German, or Italian; English or American pupils who generally learn
French, and, upon the whole, I do not suffer from lack of patrons.

It is my habit when Clelie is at work upon a copy in one of the great
gall