[00:00.00]Lesson Eight
[00:03.29]Text
[00:05.85]The Model Millionaire(II)
[00:10.29]Oscar Wilde
[00:13.45]That night Hoghie went to a club about eleven o'clock,
[00:20.30]and found' Trevor sitting by himself in the smoking room drinking.
[00:27.95]"Well, Alan, did you finish the picture all right?" he said,
[00:33.52]as he lit his cigarette."Finished and framed,my boy!"answered Trevor;
[00:42.16]"and, by the way, that old model you saw has become very fond of you.
[00:50.34]I had to tell him all about you who you are, where you live,
[00:57.39]what your income is,what hopes you have"
[01:02.22]"My dear Alan," cried Hughie,
[01:07.55]"I shall probably find him waiting for me when I go home.
[01:13.22]But, of course,you are only joking.
[01:17.58]Poor old fellow!I wish I could do something for him.
[01:23.23]I think it is terrible that any one should be so miserable.
[01:28.50]I have got heaps of old clothes at home
[01:33.54]do you think he would care for any of them?
[01:37.41]Why, his rags were falling to bits. "
[01:41.46]"But he looks splendid in them," said Trevor.
[01:46.50]"I should never want to paint him in a frock coat for anything.
[01:52.74]What you call rags I call romance.
[01:58.62]What seems poverty to you is charm to me.
[02:04.37]However, I'll tell him of your offer. "
[02:08.91]"Alan," said Hughie seriously,"you painters are a heartless lot."
[02:17.17] "An artist's heart is his head," replied Trevor;"and besides,
[02:25.32]our business is to show the world as we see it not to make it better.
[02:33.08]And now tell me how Laura is.The old model was quite interested in her."
[02:40.84]"You don't mean to say you talked to him about her?" said Hughie."
[02:47.78]Certainly I did.
[02:50.95]He knows all about the cruel father, the lovely Laura,
[02:57.11]and the ten thous and pounds."
[03:01.47]"You told the old beggar all about my private affairs?"
[03:09.23]cried Hughie, looking very red and angry.
[03:15.11]"My dear boy," said Trevor, smiling,
[03:20.75]that old beggar,as you call him,is one of the richest men in Europe.
[03:28.20]He could buy all London tomorrow.He has a house in every capital,
[03:35.93]has his dinner off gold plate,
[03:40.08]and can prevent Russia going to war when he wishes.
[03:46.04]"What on earth do you mean?" cried Hughie.
[03:51.92]"What I say," said Trevor,
[03:56.17]the old man you saw today in the studio was Baron Hausberg.
[04:04.32]He is a great friend of mine, buys all my pictures and that sort of thing,
[04:09.39]and gave me a commission a month ago to paint him as a beggar.
[04:16.16]What do you expect?It is the whim of a millionaire.
[04:21.90]You know these rich men.
[04:25.25]And I must say he looked fine in his rags, or perhaps I should say in my rags
[04:33.71]they are an old suit I got in Spain."
[04:37.86]"Baron Hausberg!" cried Hughie.
[04:43.22]"Good heavens!I gave him a pound!"
[04:47.87]and he sank into an armchair the picture of dismay.
[04:54.32]"Gave him a pound!"shouted Trevor and he burst into a roar of laughter.
[05:01.40]"My dear boy, you'll never see it again.
[05:06.55]His business is with other men's money. "
[05:11.38]"I think you ought to have told me, Alan,"said Hughie in a bad temper,
[05:18.22]"and not have let me make such a fool of myself."
[05:23.97]"Well, to begin with,Hughie," said Trevor,
[05:28.10]It never entered my mind
[05:31.76]that you went about giving money away in that careless manner.
[05:37.21]I can understand your kissing a pretty model
[05:41.89]but your giving money to an ugly one , no!Besides,
[05:48.66]when you came in I didn't know whet her Hausberg
[05:53.33]would like his name mentioned.
[05:56.81]You know he wasn't in full dress!"
[06:01.06]"How stupid he must think me!" said Hughie
[06:06.52]"Not at all. He was in the highest spirits after you left;
[06:13.47]kept laughing to himself and rubbing his old wrinkled hands together.
[06:20.55]I couldn't underst and why he was so interested to know all about you;
[06:27.32]but I see it all now.He'll invest your pound for you,
[06:34.40]Hughie,pay you the interest every six months,
[06:38.47]and have a wonderful story to tell after dinner."
[06:43.20]"I'm an unlucky devil,said Hughie.
[06:47.43]"The best thing I can do is to go to bed;
[06:51.27]and, my dear Alan, you mustn't tell anyone.
[06:56.63]I shouldn't dare to show my face if people knew."
[07:01.67]"Nonsense! It shows your kindness of spirit, Hughie.
[07:07.91]And don't run away.
[07:10.84]Have another cigarette and you can talk about Laura as much as you like.
[07:18.00]"However, Hughie wouldn't stay,
[07:22.15]but walked home,feeling very unhappy,
[07:27.01]and leaving Alan Trevor helpless with laughter.
[07:32.18]The next morning, as he was at breakfast,
[07:37.74]the servant brought him a card on which was written,
[07:43.20]"Monsieur Gustave Naudin,for Mle Baron Hausberg."
[07:51.14]" I suppose he has come for an apology,"said Hughie to himself
[07:57.52]and he told the servant to bring the visitor in.
[08:02.48]An old gentleman with gold glasses and grey hair came into the room and said
[08:10.53]in a slight French accent,"
[08:14.08] Have I the honour of speaking to Monsieur Erskine?"Hughie bowed.
[08:21.05]"I have come from Baron Hausberg,"he continued.
[08:26.38]"The Baron " he continued.
[08:30.43]"The Baron" I beg, sir,that you will offer him my sincerest apologies,"
[08:39.11]stammered Hughie.
[08:42.27]"The Baron," said the old gentleman with a smile,
[08:47.73]"has commissioned me to bring you this letter";
[08:52.38]and he held out a sealed envelope.
[08:56.82]On the outside was written,
[09:00.29]"A wedding present to Hugh Erskineand Laura Merton, from an old beggar,"
[09:09.04]and inside was a cheque for ten thousand pounds.
[09:18.42]When they were married Alan Trevor was the best man,
[09:25.08]and the Baron made a speech at the wedding breakfast.
[09:30.64]"Millionaire models,"remarked Alan,"are rare enough;
[09:37.41]but model millionaires are rarer still!" |