Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1826-11-25


for the purpose OF bringing these marauae's ~
Justice. if possible
He was at Grstrefused, bnt after al few months
delay. money, and the interest Of Genevieye's
family prevailed; the order was granted, and ne
pre- pared to return 10 his chateau ! ne aunt
and all her friends demonstrated against the i.,ea
Of exposing his young wife TO sacn revoIips
scenes. and insisted that she should be ieit pc
hind al Paris: 10 which he agreed with SEEM
ing readiness. only referring the decision 20
Cenevirve's own election. She did not hesi-
,,te one moment: she adored her husband, and
The thoupht Of being separated from him IN this
early stage of their union, was worse than any
annrehended danger; she declared her resoiu-
ton to accompany him. AT length the matter
was thus compromised: they consented that
Genevieve should spend four months OF every
wear i'm Bretagne, and the other eight al raris,
or al her unce's chateau in Auyergne; IN TACT,
so little was known then in the capital, OF what
was passing in the distant provinces, that Ge-l
We've only, being prepared by her husband,
could form some idea Of what she was about to
encounter.
On their arrival, the peasantry were imme-
dia,ely armed, and the chateau converted into
kind of garrison, regularly fortified, con
tinuai panic seemed TO prevail throughout the
whole household, and she heard of nothing
from morning till night, but the desperate deeds
of the marauders, and the exploits OF their Cap
tain, to whom they attributed more marvellous
atrocities than were ever related OF Baritone, or
Blue Beard himself Genevieve was at first in
constant terror; finding, however, that week al
ter week passed, ond the danger, though CONT
nualy talked Of never appeared, she was rather
excited and desennuyee, by the continual recur-
renee of these alarms. She would have been
perfectly happy in her husbands increasing and
devoted tenderness, but for his frequent absen-
ces in pursuit of the smugglers either on sea or
on shore, and the dangers TO which she fanced
him exposed; but even those absences and these
dangers endeared him to her, and kept alive all
the romantic fervor Of her attachment. He was
not only the lord of her affections, but the hero
Of her imagination. The time allotted tor her
stay insensibly passed away; the four months
were, under different pretences prolonged TO
six, and then her confinement drawing near, 1t
was Judged safest TO defer her journey 10 Paris
Till after her recovery
Genevieve, in due time, became the mother
of a son: an event which filled her heart with
thousand delicious emotions OF gratitude, pride,
and delight. 1t seemed 10 have very ditferen!
and most inexplicable effect on her husband the
Baron's behaviour. He became gloomy, anx-
ious, distracted; and his absences, on various
preIexts, more frequent than eyer;-but what
appeared most painful and incompre hensible
to Geneveve's maternal feelings, was his indlt-
ference to his child He would hardly be per-
suaded even 10 look at it, and il he met 1t smll-
ing in it's nurses arms, would perhaps gaze tor
moment, then turn away as from an OBJECT
which struck him with a secret horror.
One day, as Genevieve sitting alone in
her dressing room, fondling her infant, and
thinking mournfully on this change in her hus-
bands conduct, her femme de chambre, faith
full creature, who had been brought up with her,
and accompanied her from Paris, came into the
room, pale as ashes; and throwing herself at her
feet, told her, that though regard for her health
had hitherto kept her silent, she could no long
er conceal the dreadful secret which weighed
upon her spirits; she then proceeded TO inform
the shutdering and horror-struck Genesieve,
that the robbers who had excited SO much ter
ror, and were now supposed to be at distance,
were then actually in the chateau; that they con-
sisted of the very servants and immediate de-
pendants, with the baron himself at their head
She supposed they had been less on their guard
during Genevieve's con6nement; and many mi
mute circumstances had at first awaked, and
then confirmed her suspicious. Then embrac-
ing her mistresses's knees, she besought her,
for the love OF heaven, 10 return TO Paris IN
stantly, with those Of her own attendants on
whom she could securely depend, before they
were all murdered in their beds.
Geneyieve, as soon as she had recovered from
her first dizzy horror and establishment, would
have rejected the whole as dream, an impos
sible fiction. She thought upon her husband,
on all that her fond heart had admired in him,
and all that till lately she had found him-his
noble form, his manly beauty, his high and no.
norable bearing, and all his love, his truth, his
tenderness for her-and coulc he be a robber,
ruffian, an assassin! No; though her wo
mans attachment and truth were beyond suspi-
cion, her tale too horribly consistent for dis
belief, Geneyieve would trust TO her own senses
alone, to confirm or disprove the hGeous i'm
putation. She commanded her maid 10 main
tain an absolute silence on the subject and leave
the rest TO her.
The same evening, the Baron informed his
wife, that he was obliged to set off before light
next morning, in pursuit of party of snug
glers, who had landed at Saint Paul; & that she
must not be surprised if she missed him at an
early hour. His absence, he assured her, would
not be long: he should certainly return before
the evening. They retired to res, earlier than
usual. Geneveye, as it may be imagined, did
81 ,Fo t1,, eth