Schleifmann dragged his weary feet to the gate. In the curly locks of his gray beard his lips unconsciously mumbled: "Cyprien!... Cyprien!..." He remembered the good times spent at Klapproth's, the progressive building up of the old theory of the Two Banks of the River.... A most uncertain, a most contestable theory, if one liked--but a theory which, nevertheless, contained a small portion of the truth! Then, how valiantly he would utter it, poor Cyprien! With what gayety, what fire, what conviction, and what presentiment perhaps! Now, alas, there would be no more Cyprien! Henceforth, Schleifmann, my dear fellow, you will remain a poor lonely soul, vowed to your books, your deserted garret and your friendless brasseries! The eyes of the Galician were full of big tears. As he reached the gate of the cemetery, he stopped short and stood gravely on the threshold. Outside, in front of the door, two carriages faced each other, against the pavement. In the first, a private coupé with sober harness, were settled Zozé, Chambannes and Gerald, all three. Into the other--a black undertaker's carriage--young Boerzell was climbing beside the Raindal family. The drivers started simultaneously. The two carriages turned in opposite directions, one going back to the elegance of the Right Bank, the other driving again into the studious district of the Left Bank. Schleifmann followed them both alternately with his glance. Ah! if his good old Cyprien had been there to see that! Gradually, the carriages grew dim at the two ends of the boulevard. He could hardly distinguish their vanishing silhouettes, one massive and without reflection, like a block of black crêpe, the other smart and light under the sparkle of a new coat of varnish. Schleifmann smiled with melancholy pride. THE END. * * * * * Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: inquity=> iniquity {pg 18} Salvard=> Saulvard {pg 44} postion=> position {pg 162} hazzard=> hazard {pg 169} writen=> written {pg 173} Zozè=> Zozé {pg 188} Boerzel=> Boerzell {pg 202} Randal=> Raindal {pg 238} Cyrien=> Cyprien {pg 239} one to great=> one too great {pg 241} castastrophe=> catastrophe {pg 312} althought=> although {pg 320} abbè Touronde=> abbé Touronde {pg 327} the pony showed its pace=> the pony slowed its pace {pg 329} Schleifman=> Schleifmann {pg 387} End of Project Gutenberg's Two banks of the Seine, by Fernand Vandérem