"In those days I often trod the Boul' Mich' without a single sou in my pocket."

The present work originally illustrated William Le Queux's 1899 "The Hermit of Rue Madame," published in Ainslee's Magazine. A dramatized account of his days as a student in Paris, the story focuses on Le Queux's encounter of an old man, Jules Legros, who quickly becomes a mentor. The men discuss art and literature at length, and Legros imparts his wisdom: "'I am,' he said 'like yourself, a student. I have been all my life a student. I shall die one.'" ("The Hermit of Rue Madame," Ainslee's Magazine, vol. III, no. 3, April 1899, p. 265) After an appearance by a mysterious woman, Legros disappears without a trace, leaving no explanation for his mentee until Le Queux stumbles upon Legros in Italy, where his true identity is revealed as the master composer and renowned recluse, Salvi. The story is illustrated with numerous scenes of the Parisian theatrical and literary sphere, as well as the cafes that pervaded this culture, as seen in the present work, depicting the Boulevard Saint-Michel.