Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1835-10-15

incffable grief, You see how she loves him.
Oh, why did come here, for who is he, who
is this man, why this strange noise every
night. if he should be q counterfeiter?
II hastened to repulse this terrible idea,
which had risen in the head Of my poor friend
and yet did not know what to think myself
Finally evening came and the neighbor
did not come in. M. Lacombe walked up !,
and down the anti chamber with long strides,
stopping to catch every sound which reached
him. At half past ten Eugene put his key
in the lock, and shut the door hastily, and NJ.
Lacombc heard it bolted distinctly as usual.
He desired for moment to 60 and find him,
but his fatherly dignity prevented him. He
bsde his daughter good night, scoded her
for being go sad, and quilted him just as he
was going to bed.
The next day at noon, arrived according
to my custom, to breakfast. met Eugene
on the staircase, still with his inseparable
box. He went down very hastily, and salu-
ted me as if he were in hurry. His face
was more pale than usual. entered NJ.
! Lacombe's room: he was alone. A lady had
called to carry his daughter to Versailles,
| where we were to follow at later hour.
| Here you arc, said the father, without get
| ting up from his chair, have news for you--'
! | know who he is. As he spoke thus, NJ.
Lacombe attempted to smile; but there was
under his gaicty bad alloy, which express
ed something deeply painful. Is he a coun-
terfeiter? said !. No-listen. When we
parted last evening, went to bed, as you
saw. All, well, scarcely had cxtinguished
the light,-it might be about half past III =,
than the Internal nightly noise began again.
| The dreadful idea we had thought of came
with terrible power into my brain-a cold
sweat covered my whole body. My dear
! friend, | tremblcd in my bed, as ifit had been
made Of thorns and burning Goals. ! waited
! an hour in this intolerable suffering, and then
could hold out no longer. ] threw myself
from my bed, relghtcd my candle: ! looked
I in my travelling case for large gimlet, such
as you wanted the other day, and which did
1 not fortunately give you; and with this be-
gan to pierce the partition, trembling, pant
ing like a criminal, terrified before hand
with what was about to see. The diaboli-
cal sounds still continued, and overpowered
the feeble noise of the giInlet Finally the
! light streamed through the hole. had hid
} den my candle-l could look. | remained
ten minutes before dared to put my eye to
the aperturc-I was afraid! 1t seemed to me
: that was doing wrong-that hand was
about to be laid upon my shoulder-that a
voice was crying in my ear, you are spy!
At every moment as turned away, thought
I saw my daughter, and heard her ask me,
why wished thus to violate the privacy OF
man in his chamber, at night; but every
moment the noise became more distinct, more
sonorous-it thundered in my ear, it made
me mad. But the end makes the means Jaw
full must know, at whatever price, who this
, man is, who loves my daughter, and who has
I, made himself beloved by her. | would have
given for this knowledge my liberty, my life,
my soul. began to look.
! Here the voice Of NJ. Lacombe was ex-
hausted. He drank a glass Of water and
continued-D Do you know what saw, my dear
y julius? The elegant young man, was seated,
almost on the ground, in low chair, the
sleeves of his fine shirt turned up above his
elbow, a silk handkerchief about his head
about his waist a leather apron. in his hand q
boot, at his feet whole boot which he jns
r finished. About him lay bits ofleuther, lasts
boot stretchers, avis, knives, heaped one or
the other, the box Of nails, the waxed thread,
T and the vase full Of water in which the pegs
: were swimming. | saw boot-maker: my
Z, dear friend, this chamber, SO well furnished
1, was bootmaker's shop.
: ] was satisfied! who would not have been sc
at this singular revelation? This is why he
burns his delicate pustilles, said 1; what ar
exquisite bootmaker is this.
NJ. Lacombe, continuing his relation, TOLD
me that he had given up his lodgings the
same morming, that he was going to the
b. Rchcieu Hotel, Belgie street. that this nigh
he should sleep at Versailles, being deter
mined st any rate, to separate Henrietta from
her bootmaker lover.
t thought this very p.ddent. We break
tasted and went to Versailles. The waters
were playing on this day, we were all three
I attentive and curious in awaiting the depart
!. ure of the admirable dragon piece, when WI
=. saw coming towards us our ncighbor Eugene
u with an alarmed air, out of breath, and for th'
first time deprived of his everlasting violil
o case. He had learned at the hotel, that M
u Iacombe and his daughter had left the house
), the word Versailles was pronounccd-he hat
q fastened there.
d He drew near, pale and fatigued, his eye
. fixed and red. After having sauted us pro
y foundly, he asked of NJ. Lacombe moment
n conversation during the evening. The fathc
J. thought he could not refuse it.
a At the appointed hour, he came to find NJ
i Lacombc, and wished to be alone with hin
a. But the old gentleman having declared tina
Is he kept nothing secret from me, 1t was befor
Is US both chat the young man explained himsel
IS and we learned his whole history.
a This mysterious workman, whose night
= were consccrated to so humble labor, ,worke
- with a skill, a celebrity, a miraculous perfec
:, ton, scarcely sleeping from six in the morn
10 70 ing till eleven in the night. One single nigl
a. was sufficient for him to complete pair
w boots. He was known only to two of I'll
~ !, most famous boot-makers in Paris, to one
" whom he carried every day, shut up in I'll
a celebrated violin case, the product OF his II
~ borious nights. 1t was thus that he obtane
re the means to live, with case and distnctio