Pierre du Pont." Spanish inherently gives such florid sounds to ordinary names.

This florid style is not frequent in French, and that is precisely what Corneille and Victor Hugo succeeded in giving it.
A slight incident unfortunately changed my relations with the great poet.
"As long as Mlle.

Bertin was alive," he told me, "I would never permit _La Esmeralda_ to be set to music; but if some musician should now ask for this poem, I would be glad to let him have it." The invitation was obvious.

Yet, as is generally known, this dramatic and lyric adaptation of the famous romance is not particularly happy.

I was much embarrassed and I pretended not to understand, but I never dared to go to Hugo's house again.
Years passed.