Bohemianism -- Fiction; Love stories; Paris (France) -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
"I do not know Latin," said Mademoiselle Mimi, continuing her narration.
"I was coming back then from Paul's and found Rodolphe waiting for me in
the street. It was late, past midnight, and I was hungry for I had had
no dinner. I asked Rodolphe to go and get something for supper. He came
back half an hour later, he had run about a great deal to get nothing
worth speaking of, some bread, wine, sardines, cheese, and an apple
tart. I had gone to bed during his absence, and he laid the table beside
the bed. I pretended not to notice him, but I could see him plainly, he
was pale as death. He shuddered and walked about the room like a man who
does not know what he wants to do. He noticed several packages of
clothes on the floor in one corner. The sight of them seemed to annoy
him, and he placed the screen in front of them in order not to see them.
When all was ready we began to sup, he tried to make me drink, but I was
no longer hungry or thirsty, and my heart was quite full. He was cold,
for we had nothing to make a fire of, and one could hear the wind
whistling in the chimney. It was very sad. Rodolphe looked at me, his
eyes were fixed; he put his hand in mine and I felt it tremble, it was
burning and icy all at once. 'This is the funeral supper of our loves,'
he said to me in a low tone. I did not answer, but I had not the courage
to withdraw my hand from his. 'I am sleepy,' said I at last, 'it is
late, let us go to sleep.' Rodolphe looked at me. I had tied one of his
handkerchiefs about my head on account of the cold. He took it off
without saying a word. 'Why do you want to take that off?' said I. 'I am
cold.' 'Oh, Mimi!' said he. 'I beg of you, it will not matter to you, to
put on your little striped cap for tonight.' It was a nightcap of
striped cotton, white and brown. Rodolphe was very fond of seeing me in
this cap, it reminded him of several nights of happiness, for that was
how we counted our happy days. When I thought it was the last time that
I should sleep beside him I dared not refuse to satisfy this fancy of
his. I got up and hunted out my striped cap that was at the bottom of
one of my packages."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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