
BY - GYP - TRANSLATED BY - ALYS HALLARD. - LONDON HUTCHINSON & CO. 34 PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C. 1897
BIJOU.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
In a sun‑dappled French estate, the de Rueille family gathers on a terrace where idle conversation drifts between generations. The genteel yet sharp‑tongued Madame de Bracieux watches her great‑nephew Jean stare wistfully out the window, while the young abbé, Abbé Courteil, fumbles through a game of loto, his shyness palpable. Amid the chatter, the name Bijou surfaces repeatedly, attached to a quiet girl who spends her afternoons gathering flowers on the garden terrace, sparking both curiosity and gentle teasing.
Through witty repartee and subtle observations, the narrative sketches the quirks of aristocratic life—pride, affection, and the invisible boundaries between clergy and society. As the characters argue over whether Bijou’s simple task is worth noticing, a warm undercurrent of unspoken attraction begins to stir, especially for the hesitant priest. Listeners are invited to linger in this delicate portrait of early‑modern French manners, where small moments hint at larger emotions yet to unfold.
Language
en
Duration
~6 hours (345K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Fritz Ohrenschall, JoAnn Greenwood and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2011-05-23
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1849–1932
A sharp, hugely popular French novelist and playwright, she wrote under the pen name Gyp and became known for witty, fast-moving portraits of society life. Her work captured the tone of late 19th-century France while building a remarkably prolific career.
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