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?‰mile, 1840-1902

"Four Short Stories By Emile Zola"


"You can't imagine it. Nana plumps down out of Russia. I don't know
why--some dispute with her prince. She leaves her traps at the station;
she lands at her aunt's--you remember the old thing. Well, and then she
finds her baby dying of smallpox. The baby dies next day, and she has a
row with the aunt about some money she ought to have sent, of which the
other one has never seen a sou. Seems the child died of that: in fact,
it was neglected and badly cared for. Very well; Nana slopes, goes to a
hotel, then meets Mignon just as she was thinking of her traps. She has
all sorts of queer feelings, shivers, wants to be sick, and Mignon takes
her back to her place and promises to look after her affairs. Isn't it
odd, eh? Doesn't it all happen pat? But this is the best part of the
story: Rose finds out about Nana's illness and gets indignant at the
idea of her being alone in furnished apartments. So she rushes off,
crying, to look after her. You remember how they used to detest one
another--like regular furies! Well then, my dear, Rose has had Nana
transported to the Grand Hotel, so that she should, at any rate, die in
a smart place, and now she's already passed three nights there and
is free to die of it after.


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