Studio: international art (8.1896)

Leaves from Dudley Hardy s Sketch-Book

told that it is a splendid likeness of an aspect of
myself that I have studied insufficiently. The
Repetiteur a lapeche is a remarkable drawing. Any
one with half an eye can detect the pedagogue—

" CECI VAUT LA BVCICLETTE "

FROM A SKETCH BY DUDLEY HARDY

the old gentleman who used to be ferocious to all
the boys or youths, yet to me was of exquisite
courtesy, and spared no pains to tell me how to
bait the hook, how to cast the line, and when to
strike. Alas ! he had no luck, and I, with his ad-
vice, caught little save the ubiquitous, omnivorous,
inedible green crab.

The fishing was a fine study in character. On
the Thames, if a hippopotamus raised its head and
swallowed your hook, line, and float, your neighbour
would say nothing; at Le Treport this happened
if the float moved : " Une louche, Monsieur ?"

" ENCORE UN BOCK "

FROM A SKETCH BY DUDLEY HARDY

36

" Oh, la belle touched " C'esl une anguilleV
" Non c'esl une merluche." " Tirez done de suite ? "
" Non, non, non, ne tirez pas, attendez un peu.v
" Vite, vile." "Non, non, encore un instant." " Oh !
oh I! / " " Queldommage ! " " Vous etiez trop vite,
Monsieur I V " Vous etiez trop tard, Monsieur I "
Another aspect of the life was the gambling-
room. It is the orthodox petits chevaux. We
used to be fascinated by a splendid tall creature
who came in all alone, played the highest stakes,
lost consistently, and never condescended to look
either to right or left. She can be recognised in
La Joueuse Enragee, with her scorn for all of us,
and horrible interest in the wicked game. Another
figure of the tables was the Espagnolle des Batig-
nolles, or Whitechapel Spaniard. At first we
thought her very haughty. However, when she
got confused between her stake and Mr. Hardy's
she opened her languid eyes and haughty lips and
let forth, sotto voce, a stream of abusive remarks in
the choicest low slang, that silenced the artist and
myself, though we have some cunning in the pic-

" LA JOUEUSE ENRAGEE"

FROM A SKETCH BY DUDLEY HARDY

turesque phrases ignored by Littre, or the Diction-
naire de TAcademie.

Lastly, I may speak of our cafe. In some re-
spects it was primitive, for the billiard-room was
the dressing-room of the artists of the cafe concert,
and our frantic efforts to make cannons with balls
that seemed of putty, cushions of sand-bags, cork-
screw cues, on a table full of ups and downs, were
constantly interrupted by an invitation to help in