Stories for Ninon Author:Emile Zola Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SHE WHO LOVES ME Is she who loves me a grand lady, smothered in silk, lace and jewels, dreaming of our love on the sofa of a boudoir? Marchioness or duchess, ... more »graceful and light as a dream, languidly trailing a profusion of white petticoats across the carpets, and making a little pout sweeter than a smile ? Is she who loves me a smart grisette, tripping along, catching up her skirt to jump over the gutters, searching with her eyes for a compliment on her taper leg? Is she the good- natured girl who drinks out of every one's glass, clothed in satin to-day, in coarse calico to-morrow, and who finds a little love for each in her wealth of heart ? Is she who loves me the blond child kneeling down to say her prayers beside her mother? The foolish virgin calling on me at night in the darkness of the narrow streets ? Is she the sunburnt country-girl who looks at me as I pass, and carries a remembrance of me away with her amongst the corn and ripe vines ? Is she the poverty-stricken creature who thanks me for my charity ? Is she the mate of another, lover or husband, whom I followed one day, and saw no more? Is she who loves me a daughter of Europe, as white as dawn, a daughter of Asia yellow and gold like sunset, or a daughter of the desert as dark as a stormy night ? Is she who loves me separated from me by a thin partition ? Is she beyond the seas ? Is she beyond the stars ? Is she who loves me still to be born ? Did she die a hundred years ago? Yesterday I sought her at a fair. The faubourg was holiday- making, and the people, dressed in their Sunday clothes, were noisily ascending the streets. The illumination lamps had just been lit. The avenue, from distance to distance, was decked with yellow and blue posts, affixed to which were small coloured cups, burning...« less