Hugo Has Arrived (6)

On a cold winter day, Hugo struck a match in a narrow alley; the shimmering flame felt like a tiny sun, granting him a sliver of warmth.

At this moment, Vienna was filled with joyful crowds, either waiting for the distribution of gifts or busily preparing for the holiday.

Yet, on this very Christmas Day, Hugo had checked out of his lodgings, and having left the hotel, he was effectively penniless.

Hugo had previously attempted to publish articles in Viennese newspapers to earn royalties, but the Austrian press presented two extremes.

They were either too academic or too commercial, and they shared a common trait: they were intensely political.

There was no help for it; setting aside the Austrian Empire's overwhelming censorship agencies and secret police, even Franz would not easily cede the battlefield of public opinion.

Hugo was indeed a great man of letters, but his German proficiency was quite limited, and it was nearly impossible for French articles to appear in Austrian newspapers.

The result was that editors rejected his submissions time and again, demanding that Hugo rewrite them in German. This infuriated him, and his literary integrity, combined with his noble French blood, would not allow him to bow his head to anyone.

Hugo then attempted another form of "street performance": singing. However, in Vienna, the City of Music, this skill, which his friends back home had praised to the heavens, was simply not worth mentioning.

The reason Mr. Hugo had fallen to such a state must be traced back to a few months ago, when he "encountered" a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic "young girl" in Vienna.

Tina took Hugo to visit many places: Vienna's historical sites, the Academy of Sciences, the theater, the Central Garden, the Imperial Hotel, the Caesar Hotel, Kärntner Straße, Graben Street, Kohlmarkt,