Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1856-01-24

full in her eyes ever after. But at each turn
and pass there stared him in the face his
dreadful oath-there was no reprieve.
In his converse with Pauline, Claude, al
though he was obliged to support an aristo-
cratic character, yet endeavered to inculcate
PRINCIPLES he would have her governed by,
were he in his own station and thus, with
out her realizing it, there was placed in her
heart the germs of an honorable regard for
merit, be it found in what class it might.
He taught her the folly of being pensioner
of the dead, and that brave deeds were the
ancestors of brave men. Yet all the while
he was deceiving the beautiful girl, who had
learned to love him with passion near akin
to act4 devotion Ever and anon as he
held converse with her, and listened to her
devoted language, his conscience would
smite him almost beyond endurance.
Atlength by a we'll arranged plan of
Beauseant's, it was determined that it should
be made to appear that the prince was in
danger of being arrested by the directory,
and that he must depart Immediately, thus
compelling Pauline to marry him at once,
or lose him, perhaps forever. This scheme,
so culaningly devised, was successful, and
the great haste necessary was the excuse for
an immediate wedding, without the custom
ary settlements and other ceremonies, those
things being left for after adjustments.
The arrangements were so made that the
vehicle which bore the prince from Lyons,
should pass through the village of Claude's
nativity, and at the door of the Golden Lion
it was to break down, and there end all his
greatness. Pauline was then to be conduc-
ted, as though merely for shelter, to his
mothers cot, hard by, and then all was to
be explained to her, and she to know that
she had married peasant.
This plan was put in execution, and at
night-fall of the day on which they were
married, Claude and Pauline were seen
walking along the path from the Golden
Lion to the widow Melnotte's cottage, the
pretended accident having occurred. Claude
suggested that they should seek private
roof for shelter, rather than the tavern, and
also that he knew of an honest one near by
wher1 they might rest in safety. They
passe the little path towards the cottage,
and d=<<ssh entered under its lonely roof The
mother rushes to clasp her son in her arms,
who has necessarily been long absent from
her; she calls him by name, and presses
him to her heart-a strange thoug ght enters
the head of Pauline
'Does the old woman know thee, prince?
Oh, see you have done her some kindness
another evidence of thy good hearts it
not so?"
"Would that the earth might swallow
me-" said the guilty, half-distracted Claude.
MADAME" said the widow Melnotte to
Pauline, Il fear it is you who know him
not"
The truth broke upon Pauline, and she
was driven, in her broken-hearted passion,
almost to madness. She could hardly be-
lieve it was not all dream, and begged of
Claude to undeceivc her, to say it was but a
trick to try her, a jest, anything; but no,
it was truth, stern reality and Pauline Des-
chapelles was the wife of a sc,f!
There stood Claude, no less miserable
than she whom he had so deeply wronged
He told her all-how the tempters found
him willing tool for their purposes; how
she had trod upon the worm and it had
turned and stung her. He told her at the
altar his guilty oath expired, that there his
vengeance ceased, and from that moment
she was sacred; that on the morrow, pure
and virgin as when she left her fathers
house, she should return to it; then COM
mitting her to the care Of his mother, he
seated himself at the table and drew up
full confession of the fraud, which mil ght
serve as sufficient evidence for divorce
ho oh n 4o
to Lyons to M. Deschapelles, that he could
come for his child
How could he meet that girls father
the parent of her he had so deeply wronged.
There was to be scene enacted in that
humble cottage, on the morrow, which would
prove every power of the heart.
The day came, and with it Monsieur
and Madame Deschapelles, accompanied by
Colonel Dumas. There were angry words
there, but none from Claude he bore every
reproach, every eensure, in silence, for he
was broken-hearted-his spirit was COM
pletely subdued. Did Pauline, too, CEN
sure him then? no! She looked about the
neat but humble apartment, and saw the ac-
complishments that each instrument and Or
nament bespoke it's owner to have acquired
and all too, for the love of her She saw
too portrait of herself, drawn from memo
ry, and by his hands masterly piece
What though he had done wrong in this
one matter, tempted by the witty tongue
and ready wit of william! What though
he was a peasant, (perhaps the hardest
thought for her to conquer,) yet still she
loved him with all the devotion of her wo-
mans heart.
The heat of resentment was passed, the
angry words had been spoken, and they
were about to part, when Pauline rushed
into the arms of Claude and told him she
forgave him all, all was forgotten but the