LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1603, 9 April 1879, Page 3

LITERATURE.

RED, YELLOW, AND GREEN.

[By an Old Bohemian.]

( Concluded .) Charles, who was almost as good an actor as his employer, looked' crestfallen and contrite. He admitted the justice of the re proof;, he ought to have known.better ; he craved the gentleman’s pardon. He put the olives on the. ,table, qfld fresh glasses, then went on his errand

‘ Gentlemen,’ saidJM. Peyrade, smoothing his til filed brow, * I hope you'will pardon poor Charles. He knew ho was disobeying my orders, and that'"must have confused him. Pray take an olive, and I will show you what real .high-class Burgundy means.’ The yellow seal was brought a''d opened. The perfume, pervading the room was more strongly pronounced now. The three gentlemen tasted —and tasted —and tasted again. They "closed their eyes in the intensity of their delight. ‘Ah, Peyrade, you are right!’cried M Martin enthusiastically. * This is wine ! It is nectar fit for the gods. This is Romanee, and no mistake!’ *So it is,’ acquiesced Peyrade, adding, with charming ingenuousness,’ How did you find it out P —oh I see, Charles— ’ 1 No,’ M. Dufour broke in, with proud consciousness ; • I found it out—we all found it out—Unaided by Charles And I think I may venture to pronounce this yellow seal Romanee Conti ?’

* Well, I see there is no keeping a secret from judges like you, gentlemen,’ said Peyrade admiringly. * Yes, it is Romanee Conti. The fact is, I bought three sorts—that is to say, two sorts —three is a mistake,’ he continued, with well-acted embarrass ment. ‘Of course, two sorts I mean, the red seal and the yellow.’ * Ah, you have only two sorts, have you—only two ?’ said M. Ducoudray slowly, and with an inquisitorial glance meant to pierce the host right through. The prefect fancied that he was, in vulgar parlance, smelling a rat. ‘ Now look here, Peyrade, I swear you have three sorts. No, no ; I take no denial, man,’ as Peyrade made signs of denegation ; * I know ’iis a fact. Now what objection can you possibly have to our having a taste of the bonne louche ? Come, let’s have a bottle, of the third sort.’

‘ Well, gent l emen, I see it is no use trying to deceive you. It was an unlucky slip of the tongue. The truth is, I was afraid you’d want to buy some ; and I must tell you categorically that the third sort, my green seal, is nut for sale. It happened to be premier tete, and I doubt whether the like of it is to be found in any cave within a hundred leagues round. I could not conscientiously charge more than six (ouis a dozen ’—here I dropped the “ Censeur ” in sheer amazement. Heavens! ten francs a bottle 1 and I knew the cost of production could not po a bly exceed turn francs—- ‘ and the article,’ he continued, with calm assurance, casting a glance of warning in my direction, ‘ is safe to double its value in three or four years at thd most, gentlemen, let it ho distinctly understood, pray, that I shall have the honor to treat you to a couple of bottles of my green seal Romance Conti,'premiere tete . and that you will not ask me to sell you any of it. |On this condition alone, let it be distinctly understood, I repeat, I’ll go and fetch a couple of greenseal bottles my self, as the bins are locked, and I never part with the key to any one. Eat a few olives meanwhilb. Charles, come along with me.’ When master and man entered again, each fc..r* an elegant silver wino*cradle, in which

reposed a most ancient looking bottle sealed With equally ancient looking g oen wax. With due solemnity the cradles were placed on the table. Large glasses were brought. Upon Pcyrade’a special invitation, courteously indorsed by M, Dufour, to whom I was personally Well known, I joined Ic cercle des bweurs, and Charlec was also easily prevailed upon to give us the benefit of his well-known judgment. Then the lirst cork was drawn, a perfect nosegay of perfumes took possession of our olfactory organs, and when we put out glasses to our lips there was a general delighted ‘Ah I’ in which I joined heartily and sincerely. The wine was in fact a most perfect success, and if I had not happened to know bettor, I should myself have sworn it was Romance Conti, and. premiere tete to boot! When W 9 had discussed the two bottles, M, t/ufour suddenly remembered that ho had something most particular and Important to say to M. Peyrade, whom he ininvited accordingly to grant him a few minutes in private. When the two gentlemen had withdrawn, M. Martin said, turning to the prefect, ‘ I lay a wager that sly old fox Dufour is talking Peyrade out of a hundred or so of this glorious Romance. If he succedc I am determined to have ago in for it too. ” ‘ And so shall I,’ cried the prefect, * and Peyrade will find it rather difficult to refuse me, I ItnoW. Why, it is dirt cheap at one hundred and twenty francs the dozen.’

Well, the two gentlemen were away for full twenty minutes. When they came back Peyrade looked flushed abd slightly annoyed, whilst Dufour wore a satisfied smile on his face. Eo we at once knew how the land was lying, and the prefect and the mayor both joined in a most determined onset on the proprietor of the place, and of the incomparable Romance Conti; and they never left off until they had, despite bis most solemn protestations and most earnest denials, prevailed upon him to cede io e.vu' of them, at the moderate price of one hundred and twenty francs a dozen, twenty dozen of the coveted article, which, with the twenty dozm extorted from him by M. Dufour, made up the respectable figure of seven hundred an I twenty bottles out of a grand total of three thousand

Peyrade pathetically entreated the three gentlemen not to mention the affair to any one, which they promised, of course. Be knew human nature well. Was it at all likely they would keep dark about their good fortune ? So, before the evening of that self-same day had travelled far towards night, we had M. de Merlat and M, Vautrinier, two large lauded proprietors in the llhone department, drop in, quite accidentally, of course, but with their soul set upon Romance Conti ; and before the next day had run its course, successive visits of VI. Broleman M de Cazenove, Count des G-uidi, the great homceopathist, the Hahnemann of France, and the jovial Abbe Pollet, the domestic chaplain of the ' 'avdinal Archbishop of Lyons, and purveyor and super-intendent-general of his eminence’s kitchen and cellar, had induced Peyrade to dispose to these gentlemen of the entire remainder of the stock, including even the yellow and red seals, and accordingly also my own promised five dozen, for which five hundred francs were handed to me by the delighted Peyrade, who soon after also kept his promise of giving me a free trip to Marseilles. Charles had a magnificent diamond breastpin presented to him by his grateful employer. So you see this vinous tricolor turned out a good thing for me also. Tempi fassati — Eheu !