Sealed Lips — page 54: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

46 SEALED LIPS. CHAPTER VI. CUPID’S ARROW ON ITS WAY. When he returned to his friend, Patrice found him up as usual. He seemed nervous, preoccupied, and walked up and down his room with a vacillat- ing step. “Why did you rise so soon?” asked the young man. “There is nothing to prevent your resting now.” “T rest? Andon the day of the second represen- tation? I would like to see you doit. To-day the real battle takes place, and this evening the field is notclear. Yesterday each one could applaud ac- cording to his pleasure. But now the critic has done his work, he has put up his signboard, erected his barriers, marked in advance the part left free for approbation, which is, I wish you to believe, parsimoniously measured. The public will obey, for it is prepared. You will see knitted brows or pleased looks in the places designated automati- cally. What torture for an artist!” “Artists are superior beings in appearance,” said O’Farrell, “but in reality marvelously incomplete. They are baffled by the struggles and reactions of life. You ought to be at this moment the happiest of men, and I should not be surprised if you had thought of suicide.” Eomicbooksscom