{"id":5483,"date":"2026-01-28T01:53:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T01:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=5483"},"modified":"2026-01-28T01:53:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T01:53:19","slug":"the-model-millionaire-by-oscar-wilde","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/?p=5483","title":{"rendered":"The Model Millionaire by Oscar Wilde"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Model Millionaire by <a href=\"https:\/\/quizlit.org\/famous-authors-who-only-wrote-one-novel\">Oscar Wilde<\/a> first appeared in print in the newspaper The World in June 1887. A short touching story about a man, who is poor, but becomes rich through an act of kindness.<\/p>\n\n<p><em>This post may contain affiliate links that earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">The Model Millionaire by Oscar Wilde<\/h2>\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"__youtube_prefs__ epyt-facade no-lazyload\"><button class=\"epyt-facade-play\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">The Model Millionaire by Oscar Wilde<\/h3>\n<p>A NOTE OF ADMIRATION<\/p>\n<p>Unless one is wealthy there is no use in being a charming fellow. Romance is the privilege of the rich, not the profession of the unemployed. The poor should be practical and prosaic. It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating. These are the great truths of modern life which Hughie Erskine never realised. Poor Hughie! Intellectually, we must admit, he was not of much importance. He never said a brilliant or even an ill-natured thing in his life. But then he was wonderfully good-looking, with his crisp brown hair, his clear-cut profile, and his grey eyes. He was as popular with men as he was with women and he had every accomplishment except that of making money. His father had bequeathed him his cavalry sword and a History of the Peninsular War in fifteen volumes. Hughie hung the first over his looking-glass, put the second on a shelf between Ruff\u2019s Guide and Bailey\u2019s Magazine, and lived on two hundred a year that an old aunt allowed him. He had tried everything. He had gone on the Stock Exchange for six months; but what was a butterfly to do among bulls and bears? He had been a tea-merchant for a little longer, but had soon tired of pekoe and souchong. Then he had tried selling dry sherry. That did not answer; the sherry was a little too dry. Ultimately he became nothing, a delightful, ineffectual young man with a perfect profile and no profession.<\/p>\n<p>To make matters worse, he was in love. The girl he loved was Laura Merton, the daughter of a retired Colonel who had lost his temper and his digestion in India, and had never found either of them again. Laura adored him, and he was ready to kiss her shoe-strings. They were the handsomest couple in London, and had not a penny-piece between them. The Colonel was very fond of Hughie, but would not hear of any engagement.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Come to me, my boy, when you have got ten thousand pounds of your own, and we will see about it,\u2019 he used to say; and Hughie looked very glum in those days, and had to go to Laura for consolation.<\/p>\n<p>One morning, as he was on his way to Holland Park, where the Mertons lived, he dropped in to see a great friend of his, Alan Trevor. Trevor was a painter. Indeed, few people escape that nowadays. But he was also an artist, and artists are rather rare. Personally he was a strange rough fellow, with a freckled face and a red ragged beard. However, when he took up the brush he was a real master, and his pictures were eagerly sought after. He had been very much attracted by Hughie at first, it must be acknowledged, entirely on account of his personal charm. \u2018The only people a painter should know,\u2019 he used to say, \u2018are people who are b\u00eate and beautiful, people who are an artistic pleasure to look at and an intellectual repose to talk to. Men who are dandies and women who are darlings rule the world, at least they should do so.\u2019 However, after he got to know Hughie better, he liked him quite as much for his bright, buoyant spirits and his generous, reckless nature, and had given him the permanent entr\u00e9e to his studio.<\/p>\n<p>When Hughie came in he found Trevor putting the finishing touches to a wonderful life-size picture of a beggar-man. The beggar himself was standing on a raised platform in a corner of the studio. He was a wizened old man, with a face like wrinkled parchment, and a most piteous expression. Over his shoulders was flung a coarse brown cloak, all tears and tatters; his thick boots were patched and cobbled, and with one hand he leant on a rough stick, while with the other he held out his battered hat for alms.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018What an amazing model!\u2019 whispered Hughie, as he shook hands with his friend.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018An amazing model?\u2019 shouted Trevor at the top of his voice; \u2018I should think so! Such beggars as he are not to be met with every day. A trouvaille, mon cher; a living Velasquez! My stars! what an etching Rembrandt would have made of him!\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Poor old chap!\u2019 said Hughie, \u2018how miserable he looks! But I suppose, to you painters, his face is his fortune?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Certainly,\u2019 replied Trevor, \u2018you don\u2019t want a beggar to look happy, do you?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018How much does a model get for sitting?\u2019 asked Hughie, as he found himself a comfortable seat on a divan.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018A shilling an hour.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018And how much do you get for your picture, Alan?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Oh, for this I get two thousand!\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Pounds?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Guineas. Painters, poets, and physicians always get guineas.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Well, I think the model should have a percentage,\u2019 cried Hughie, laughing; \u2018they work quite as hard as you do.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Nonsense, nonsense! Why, look at the trouble of laying on the paint alone, and standing all day long at one\u2019s easel! It\u2019s all very well, Hughie, for you to talk, but I assure you that there are moments when Art almost attains to the dignity of manual labour. But you mustn\u2019t chatter; I\u2019m very busy. Smoke a cigarette, and keep quiet.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>After some time the servant came in, and told Trevor that the framemaker wanted to speak to him.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Don\u2019t run away, Hughie,\u2019 he said, as he went out, \u2018I will be back in a moment.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>The old beggar-man took advantage of Trevor\u2019s absence to rest for a moment on a wooden bench that was behind him. He looked so forlorn and wretched that Hughie could not help pitying him, and felt in his pockets to see what money he had. All he could find was a sovereign and some coppers. \u2018Poor old fellow,\u2019 he thought to himself, \u2018he wants it more than I do, but it means no hansoms for a fortnight\u2019; and he walked across the studio and slipped the sovereign into the beggar\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n<p>The old man started, and a faint smile flitted across his withered lips. \u2018Thank you, sir,\u2019 he said, \u2018thank you.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Then Trevor arrived, and Hughie took his leave, blushing a little at what he had done. He spent the day with Laura, got a charming scolding for his extravagance, and had to walk home.<\/p>\n<p>That night he strolled into the Palette Club about eleven o\u2019clock, and found Trevor sitting by himself in the smoking-room drinking hock and seltzer.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Well, Alan, did you get the picture finished all right?\u2019 he said, as he lit his cigarette.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Finished and framed, my boy!\u2019 answered Trevor; \u2018and, by the bye, you have made a conquest. That old model you saw is quite devoted to you. I had to tell him all about you\u2014who you are, where you live, what your income is, what prospects you have\u2014\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018My dear Alan,\u2019 cried Hughie, \u2018I shall probably find him waiting for me when I go home. But of course you are only joking. Poor old wretch! I wish I could do something for him. I think it is dreadful that any one should be so miserable. I have got heaps of old clothes at home\u2014do you think he would care for any of them? Why, his rags were falling to bits.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018But he looks splendid in them,\u2019 said Trevor. \u2018I wouldn\u2019t paint him in a frock coat for anything. What you call rags I call romance. What seems poverty to you is picturesqueness to me. However, I\u2019ll tell him of your offer.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Alan,\u2019 said Hughie seriously, \u2018you painters are a heartless lot.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018An artist\u2019s heart is his head,\u2019 replied Trevor; \u2018and besides, our business is to realise the world as we see it, not to reform it as we know it. \u00c0 chacun son m\u00e9tier. And now tell me how Laura is. The old model was quite interested in her.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018You don\u2019t mean to say you talked to him about her?\u2019 said Hughie.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Certainly I did. He knows all about the relentless colonel, the lovely Laura, and the \u00a310,000.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018You told that old beggar all my private affairs?\u2019 cried Hughie, looking very red and angry.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018My dear boy,\u2019 said Trevor, smiling, \u2018that old beggar, as you call him, is one of the richest men in Europe. He could buy all London to-morrow without overdrawing his account. He has a house in every capital, dines off gold plate, and can prevent Russia going to war when he chooses.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018What on earth do you mean?\u2019 exclaimed Hughie.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018What I say,\u2019 said Trevor. \u2018The old man you saw to-day in the studio was Baron Hausberg. He is a great friend of mine, buys all my pictures and that sort of thing, and gave me a commission a month ago to paint him as a beggar. Que voulez-vous? La fantaisie d\u2019un millionnaire! And I must say he made a magnificent figure in his rags, or perhaps I should say in my rags; they are an old suit I got in Spain.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Baron Hausberg!\u2019 cried Hughie. \u2018Good heavens! I gave him a sovereign!\u2019 and he sank into an armchair the picture of dismay.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Gave him a sovereign!\u2019 shouted Trevor, and he burst into a roar of laughter. \u2018My dear boy, you\u2019ll never see it again. Son affaire c\u2019est l\u2019argent des autres.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I think you might have told me, Alan,\u2019 said Hughie sulkily, \u2018and not have let me make such a fool of myself.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Well, to begin with, Hughie,\u2019 said Trevor, \u2018it never entered my mind that you went about distributing alms in that reckless way. I can understand your kissing a pretty model, but your giving a sovereign to an ugly one\u2014by Jove, no! Besides, the fact is that I really was not at home to-day to any one; and when you came in I didn\u2019t know whether Hausberg would like his name mentioned. You know he wasn\u2019t in full dress.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018What a duffer he must think me!\u2019 said Hughie.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Not at all. He was in the highest spirits after you left; kept chuckling to himself and rubbing his old wrinkled hands together. I couldn\u2019t make out why he was so interested to know all about you; but I see it all now. He\u2019ll invest your sovereign for you, Hughie, pay you the interest every six months, and have a capital story to tell after dinner.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I am an unlucky devil,\u2019 growled Hughie. \u2018The best thing I can do is to go to bed; and, my dear Alan, you mustn\u2019t tell any one. I shouldn\u2019t dare show my face in the Row.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Nonsense! It reflects the highest credit on your philanthropic spirit, Hughie. And don\u2019t run away. Have another cigarette, and you can talk about Laura as much as you like.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>However, Hughie wouldn\u2019t stop, but walked home, feeling very unhappy, and leaving Alan Trevor in fits of laughter.<\/p>\n<p>The next morning, as he was at breakfast, the servant brought him up a card on which was written, \u2018Monsieur Gustave Naudin, de la part de M. le Baron Hausberg.\u2019 \u2018I suppose he has come for an apology,\u2019 said Hughie to himself; and he told the servant to show the visitor up.<\/p>\n<p>An old gentleman with gold spectacles and grey hair came into the room, and said, in a slight French accent, \u2018Have I the honour of addressing Monsieur Erskine?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Hughie bowed.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I have come from Baron Hausberg,\u2019 he continued. \u2018The Baron\u2014\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I beg, sir, that you will offer him my sincerest apologies,\u2019 stammered Hughie.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The Baron,\u2019 said the old gentleman with a smile, \u2018has commissioned me to bring you this letter\u2019; and he extended a sealed envelope.<\/p>\n<p>On the outside was written, \u2018A wedding present to Hugh Erskine and Laura Merton, from an old beggar,\u2019 and inside was a cheque for \u00a310,000.<\/p>\n<p>When they were married Alan Trevor was the best man, and the Baron made a speech at the wedding breakfast.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Millionaire models,\u2019 remarked Alan, \u2018are rare enough; but, by Jove, model millionaires are rarer still!\u2019<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Best Oscar Wilde Books to Read<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4aSUNSP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4beR1mB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3QndeHj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3wfzax5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><br \/>\nClick on the image to Buy on Amazon<\/p>\n<p>If you enjoyed The Model Millionaire by Oscar Wilde, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/quizlit.org\/the-star-child-by-oscar-wilde\">The Star Child by Oscar Wilde<\/a><\/p>\n\n<p>Narrated by Alex Lau,  courtesy of Librivox<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Model Millionaire by Oscar Wilde first appeared in print in the newspaper The World in June 1887. A short touching story about a man, who is poor, but becomes rich through an act of kindness. This post may contain affiliate links that earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. The Model [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":5484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bookreviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5483"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5483"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5483\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bookloves.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}