

E-text prepared by sp1nd, Paul Clark, and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made
available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org)



Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
      file which includes the original illustrations.
      See 42839-h.htm or 42839-h.zip:
      (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42839/42839-h/42839-h.htm)
      or
      (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/42839/42839-h.zip)


      Images of the original pages are available through
      Internet Archive. See
      https://archive.org/details/populartales00guiz


Transcriber's note:

      Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_).





POPULAR TALES.

Reed and Pardon, Printers, Paternoster-Row, London.


[Illustration: Scaramouche, p. 27.]


POPULAR TALES.

by

MADAME GUIZOT.

Translated from the French by Mrs. L. Burke.







London:
George Routledge & Co.,
Farringdon Street.
1854.




PREFACE.


The favourable reception accorded to our first introduction of Madame
Guizot's Tales to the English Public, leads us to hope that our
youthful readers will welcome with pleasure another volume from the pen
of that talented writer.

This new series will be found in no respect inferior to the former;
one of its tales, certainly, has even a deeper interest than anything
contained in that volume, while the same sound morality, elevation
of sentiment and general refinement of thought, which so strongly
recommend the "Moral Tales" to the sympathies of the Parent and
Teacher, will be found equally to pervade the present series.




TABLE OF CONTENTS.


                                                                    PAGE

    SCARAMOUCHE                                                        1

    CECILIA AND NANETTE                                               37

    THREE CHAPTERS FROM THE LIFE OF NADIR                             98

    THE MOTHER AND DAUGHTER                                          116

    THE DIFFICULT DUTY--MORAL DOUBTS                                 139

    NEW YEAR'S NIGHT                                                 169

    THE CURE OF CHAVIGNAT                                            171

    THE DOUBLE VOW                                                   231

    POOR JOSE                                                        237

    CAROLINE; OR, THE EFFECTS OF A MISFORTUNE                        307




SCARAMOUCHE.


It was a village fair, and Punch with his usual retinue--Judy, the
Beadle, and the Constable--had established himself on one side of the
green; while on the other were to be seen, Martin, the learned ass, and
Peerless Jacquot, the wonderful parrot. Matthieu la Bouteille (such
was the nickname bestowed upon the owner of the ass, a name justified
by the redness of his nose) held Martin by the bridle, while Peerless
Jacquot rested on his shoulder, attached by a chain to his belt. His
wife, surnamed _La Mauricaude_, had undertaken to assemble the company,
and to display Martin's talents. Thomas, the son of La Mauricaude,
a child of eleven years of age, covered with a few rags, which had
once been a pair of trowsers and a shirt, collected, in the remnant
of a hat, the voluntary contributions of the spectators; while in the
background, sad and silent, stood Gervais, a lad of between fourteen
and fifteen years of age, Matthew's son by a former marriage.

"Come, ladies and gentlemen," exclaimed La Mauricaude, in her hoarse
voice, "come and see Martin; he will tell you, ladies and gentlemen,
what you know and what you don't know. Come, ladies and gentlemen, and
hear Peerless Jacquot; he will reply to what you say to him, and to
what you do not say to him." And this joke, constantly repeated by La
Mauricaude in precisely the same tone, always attracted an audience of
pretty nearly the same character.

"Now then, Martin," continued La Mauricaude, as soon as the circle was
formed, "tell this honourable company what o'clock it is." Martin,
whether he did not understand, or did not choose to reply, still
remained motionless. La Mauricaude renewed the question: Martin shook
his ears. "Do you say, Martin, that you cannot see the clock at this
distance?" continued La Mauricaude. "Has any one a watch?" Immediately
an enormous watch was produced from the pocket of a farmer, and placed
under the eyes of Martin, who appeared to consider it attentively.
The whole assembly, like Martin himself, stretched forward with
increased attention. It was just noon by the watch; after a few
moments' reflection, Martin raised his head and uttered three vigorous
_hihons_, to which the crowd responded by a burst of laughter, which
did not in the least appear to disturb Martin. "Oh, oh! Martin," cried
La Mauricaude, "I see you are thinking of three o'clock, the time for
having your oats; but you must wait, so what say you to a game of
cards, in order to pass the time?" And a pack of cards, almost effaced
by dirt, was immediately extracted from a linen bag which hung at La
Mauricaude's right side, and spread out in the midst of the circle,
which drew in closer, in order to enjoy a nearer view of the spectacle
about to be afforded by