Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1855-06-02

| II Vic cOttOHi vi llIo ilcd1C anu OuuTlOJIS
felt angry with herself for the peryerseness
which had prompted her to repel his first ad
vance towards a confidential understanding.
A ball succeeded the banquet The Prince
de Conde did not dance, though reminded that
! courtly etiquette required that he should at
least tread one measure with his bride elect :
and Charlotte found a more gallant if not a
more suitable partner, in her admiring soyer-
| eign, with whom she once more danced the
graceful par0a, and bounded, with flying feet
through the light couranf, needless of the grave
looks of disapprobation with which her viva
cious enjoyment of her favorite amusement was
regarded by him to whom her hand was now
plighted
An early day had been fixed by the king for
the nuptials Of Bassompicrre and Mademoisellc
d'Aunale. Charlotte expressed a wish that
her marriage should precede theirs, and. in the
meantime the Prince de Conde ayailed himself
OF the privilege of betrothed lover, in passing
much of his time at the hotel de Montmoren
cl but when there, his attention appeared
more engrossed by the parents and the youth
full brother of his .fanoce, than by herself In
conversation with them, the "shy reserved boy
of Cande," as Henri Quartre was accustomed
to call his studouS cousin could be eloquent
graceful, and even witty. He possessed talents
of the finest order his mind had been highly
cultivated, and there was sound sense. and
beautiful morality in every thing he said
Charlotte, seated at her tapestry frame, beside
her mother, could not help listening, at first
with girlish curiosity, but, by degrees, with
profound attention. to the observations which
he addressed to her brother on the course of
history he was reading and when she saw
his pale cheek kindling with the glow of virtu-
Gus and heroic feeling, and his dark penetra-
ting eyes beaming with intellectual brightness,
she blushed at the thought that those ewes
should have witnessed so much vanity and fri
volity in herself
Sometimes she felt mortified that he address
ed SO little OF his conversation to her and
then, without rejecting that she had chilled
and repelled him in the first instance, she was
piqued into naughty imitation of his reserve.
when alone with him and when surrounded bv
the gay crowd of her courtly admirers, she en-
deavored, by the exercise Of coquetry, to shake
his equaGimity, and provoke him either into
quarrel, or ali acknowledgment of love.
She was convinced that he had ceased tore
gard her with Indifference for she had more
than once detected his lustrous dark ewes fixed
upon her with that intense expression of pas
sionate feeling, which can never be mistaken
by its object yet he had resolutely refraiped
from giving to that feeling words and it seem
ed hard to the most beautiful girl in France,
that she should be wedded unwooed by him
Of all others, from whom she most desired to
hear the language of love-
g If | could but once see this youthful stole
at my feet, should fee prouder of. that tri-
umph than of all the homage which has been
offered to me this night by "him of the white
plume" and his gallant peers" sighed Char
lotte to herself as she was returning from the
last ball at the Louvre at which she was to
appear as Mademoiselle de Montmorenci.
1t was the most brilliant she had ever at
tended and though on the eve of her bridal
Charlotte ventured on the hazardous expert.
ment of exciting the jealousy of her betrothed.
She succeeded only too well, and Conde, una
bic to CONCEAL his emotion, quilted the royal
saloon at an early hour. All the interest that
the beautiful and admired Mademoiselle de
MontmoTenci had taken in the gay scene de-
parted with the pale agitated STRIPPING, whom
every one present suspected of being the OBJ
jcct of her aversion T; and pleading headache
to excuse her from fulfilling her engagement
of dancing a second time with the king, she re-
tired almost Immediately afterwards.
On entering her own apartment her attend
ant presented her with billet. 1t was from
the Prince de Conde--the first he had ever ad-
dressed to hcr
To every woman of scnsibilty it is delight
ful to see her name traced for the first time
by the hand Of the object Of her secret regard.
Who can describe the sweet suspense of that
70! ~, ;,L -.
the seal can be broken, and the thrilling mys-
terry unfolded Alas, for Charlotte de Mont
morenci Her recent conduct rendered her
feelings on this occasion the very reverse of
those blissful emotions. Her color faded her
knees shook, and it was with difficulty that her
agitated hand could open the letter 1t con-
tanned only these words =
% CHARLOTTE DE MoSTMoRENc1 :
Late it may be when you receive this must see
you before you retire to rest You will find in the
saloon HENRI DE CoNDE."
"Not even the common forms, unmeaning
though they be, which courtesy requires, OBJ
served in this his first, his only communication
to Inc !" thought Mademoscllc de Montmorcn-
ci as she crushed the paper together in her
hand. She turned her eyes upon the dial that
surmounted her tall dressing glaSs,-it still
wanted five minutes to midnight. Those five
minutes decided her destiny. She took the
silver lamp from the toilet and dismissing her
damsel, repaired to The appointed trysting place;
then, uncosing the door with trcmulouS hand,
she stood before Conde with cheek so pale,
that when he caught the first glimpse OF her
dimIy shadowed reflection in the cold CLASSY
surface of the mirrored panel, opposite to which
he was standing, he absolutely started so diff
ferent did she look from the sparkling, ANNA
ted beauty, whom he had left scarcely an hour
ago, leading off the dance with royalty in the
glttering saloons of the Louvre. Conde had,
in fact, neither anticipated her early return
home, nor the prompt attention she had paid
to his somewhat uncourteous summons far
less was he prepared for indications Of softness
nd cnncih;li&u 1rhoro ho had &od To