The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-06-05
NO. 400.

ciVeo' DuhgIeSon SAID nothing but Madame
> took part, and, strange to say, against her hus
i band. The dispute became became exceed
!, ingly animated, when the wife, angered b,
: some allusion unknown to our friends. rose
very much excited and laying her hands OF
the table, exclaimed,
monsieur lie Comte d'Arville"-
: She stopped abruptly, as if she had BETRAYED
t herself. Her husband looked alarmed-an
q awkward pause followed, which euded bv hi,
rising, opening the door, shutting and locking
it, and then said
Yes, gentlemen, it is true. l do not at
tempt denial. Ny wife, Madame La Com
, Jesse, IN moment of excitement, has BETRAYED
: whHt to me is most important secret Yes
tbs true. You see before you the Comte Hip.
polyte d'Arville, whose unhappy history YOU
are doubtlessly well acquainted with. Since the
! melancholy affair with my brothor-in.law, /
have been forced to fly, like a fugitive from
Justice; to leave my princely possessions, and
1--we, as you see us, in this obscure watering.
place. Gentlemen, can rely upon YOU? ?"
: What this unhappy history was or where or
when had happened the melancholy affair to
the Count Hippolyte d'Arville, or the nature OF
that melancholy affair our friends had not the
remotest idea. But it would not do to admit
this, as their want Of knowledge OF so great an
affair might argue them unknown. | NAV add
|
could be found in France any more conve~sant
with the matter referred to than these Young
gentlemen. They however, gave warm assn,
RANGES of the secret being safe with them, and
so the parties separated.
This discovery did not tend to allay the fever
of PercivaPs love. That his divinity should
be countess, real countess-the highborn
inheritor of princely possessionsl Poor hu.
man nature Poor human american nature
There is little girl at home, Percival, that you
once saw, going to school, . bright.eyed rudy
checked, light.hearted being, who is now a
young lady, and who remembers the many
pretty things you said when she was a school
girl, and goes over now, and hears, with admi-
ration, old Mrs. Dungleson read your letters
little dreaming poor little thing, that two
thirds of those same eloquent epistles are copied.
cer6atim al hteTatim, from Galignani's Paris
Guide. Yet, admiring little goose as she is.
she has more soul, more intellect, more beauty
IS of more worth than any Empress or Queen
| Europe can set up.
Some days after the occurrence above de-
tailed, Dungleson received a mysterious little
note from the Count, begging the privilege of
an interview Immediately. Oar friend respond
ed, in person, with a beating heart. He found
the Count and Countess together, looking ex-
ceedingly grave.
4 BEGAN.
| you have shown so much true nobility of soul.
have been to us so kind, that have deter
mined to intrust you further with my secret;
and to prove how much / appreciate your
| goodness, shall ask you for assistance. Nv
retreat, L am informed by my faithful agents,
| is discovered. We must hy-hy to another
and, to these cruel prosecutors, an unknown
world. This intelligence comes so suddenly
mat have not time to send to my estates or
even communicate with my banker. In this
emergency, l throw myself upon YOU. ! do not
ask that you should risk anything; and. to
save you, place in your hands these diamonds
Oh hs g s5d he Gge5FE Of life fms together
| val at once filled out a check, and refused the
| diamonds. But the Count insisted, and in this
| the Countess joined. He bore away the dia-
monds. He carried them to his room, locked
the door, and hung over the dazzling contents
of the velvet box for hours. Yes, there they
were, the bright ornaments which had lain
warm around the object of his love the first
night he saw her-saw her in all her glorious
beauty, throwing even the Empress Eugenia
into the background. But he was to lose her
in few hours-in few hours, and she, his
ideal, his alteration, would be gone. Could he
bear this? Could he live without her? No; he
would throw himself at her feet; he would
plead AT this moment, he heard n low
hesitating tap upon the door. lie opened with
trembling hand. The Countess, rushing in,
fell into his arms.
"Must lose thee, Percival?" she exclaimed,
choking with tears.
"Never !" responded the young man. "Fly
with me; be mine-mine forever"
"When-how-where2"
"Now--this moment
~ will for in few hours he will bear me
away. Stop, know-a disguise | once had
made for masquerade. Your passport con-
tains your name and that of your friend. Give
it me. You take the o'clock train, go only
twenty miles, and stop. | will take the Il
o'clock train; we will meet, go on, and he uni
ted forever. Quickl have not a moment to
spare. He will miss me, and al will be lost"
Dungleson mechanically gave up his pass
port, and she left him. He hastily packed
trunk, wrote note to Drayton, begging him
to collect his things, pay his bills, aud wait for
further intelligence from him in Paris He
had but few moments to reach the cars in
Tom ran off with his luggage, and, as our
hero passed along the hall, by her door, he
heard his name whispered, and, turning, saw
the door opened. She was already equipped !
for flight; and how sweet she did look in the 1
jaunty little cap, the fur cloak and how beau .
tifully the booted little foot came out.
He is engaged now, and will be; so that | |
will have no trouble in getting away"
Dungleson begged her to fly with him then. |
"No, mol" she replied; "the ii o'clock train !
is an express train, and cannot be overtaken
and going separately will remove all trace"
Poor Percival did as he was bid. At a little |
station-house, twenty miles from Havre, he |
watched for the express train. 1t came thun-
dering along. He had only time to throw him
self into the first car, and on he went. At the !
first stopDjnp placa he sought throu0h all tho
cars for his companion, but sought in vain |
She was not there. There was nothing LETT but
to go On to Paris, which be did and all that
night, waiting at the station-house, he saw the
crowds pour out, es the cars arrived, but no
Countess came with them. He returned to his
old apartment and, after hasty breakfast, and
an attempt to sleep, he was preparing to return
to Trouville, when Geographic despatch came
from Drayton, begging him to wait until he
could see hin. Dungleson did so. The same
evening brought Drayton to Paris. He was
met, in brea;hless haste, with the question of
Where is she?"
"Who?" asked Drayton, opening his blue
eyes with establishment
why; Madame Carnot, the Countess !"
show the devil should know "a
Dungleson threw himself into a chair. What
could it mean2 What dismal mystery was
gathering about them? While he wearied his
brain with conjectures, the bell of their apart
ment was violently rung Dungleson, starting
up, opened the door, and almost fell into the
arms of three police officers, who, not under
standing the movement, caught him, rudely
exclaiming-
IAN arrest, Monsieur"
The officer examined the paper he held in
his hands, and then treated Drayton to the
same sanitation The English servant WAC in