Domestic fiction; Married women -- Fiction; Paris (France) -- Fiction; Working class women -- Fiction
While looking for an exit they stumbled into the collection of
drawings. It was immense. Through room after room they saw nothing
interesting, just scribblings on paper that filled all the cases and
covered the walls. They thought there was no end to these drawings.
Monsieur Madinier, losing his head, not willing to admit that he did
not know his way, ascended a flight of stairs, making the wedding party
mount to the next floor. This time they traversed the Naval Museum,
among models of instruments and cannons, plans in relief, and vessels
as tiny as playthings. After going a long way, and walking for a
quarter of an hour, the party came upon another staircase; and, having
descended this, found itself once more surrounded by the drawings. Then
despair took possession of them as they wandered at random through long
halls, following Monsieur Madinier, who was furious and mopping the
sweat from his forehead. He accused the government of having moved the
doors around. Museum guards and visitors looked on with astonishment as
the procession, still in a column of couples, passed by. They passed
again through the Salon Carre, the French Gallery and then along the
cases where minor Eastern divinities slumbered peacefully. It seemed
they would never find their way out. They were getting tired and made a
lot of noise.
“Closing time! Closing time!” called out the attendants, in a loud tone
of voice.
And the wedding party was nearly locked in. An attendant was obliged to
place himself at the head of it, and conduct it to a door. Then in the
courtyard of the Louvre, when it had recovered its umbrellas from the
cloakroom, it breathed again. Monsieur Madinier regained his assurance.
He had made a mistake in not turning to the left, now he recollected
that the jewelry was to the left. The whole party pretended to be very
pleased at having seen all they had.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account