Volcano weekly ledger., 1857-04-04
Adventures of an Heiress
" PAS ENCORE"


French arstocracy who suffered for their
king and church in the terrible revolution
They were both the children of emigrants
and when their families were restored, with
the Bourbons, they were married to each
other by their parents desire. But the once
wealthy noblesse of France never fully recov-
cred the possessions they had lost We were
very poor, and it was consequently with a
great deal Of pleasure that my father read a
letter from an old aunt of his own, who was
rich and childless, offering to make me her
heiress, if, on acquaintance, she should like
me- | was to be sent to her as soon as pos
sibe; and if she approved of my manners
and disposition, / was to reside with her, as
her adopted daughter, till her death. / can
not say that / was at all pleased with the
idea of leaving that dear Paris, and entomb-
ing myself in an old chateau; but it was the
will of my parents, and | could notdspute it..
l was consequently dispatched with all conve-
nient speed to my ancient relative and arrived
safely, after rather tedious Journey at her
house, having been escorted thither by gen
tleman who was her neighbor, on his return
home 1t was such an old house built, they
say, by Vauban and certainly there were
traces of fortfcation about it. The domes-
tics looked as if they had waited on Noah,
and survived the Dcuge. One of these an
tiquities ushered me into my aunt's presence.
She was seated in an immense saloon, near
stove-for it was cold-and had, like her
apartment, certain air of faded grandeur
She retained the dress Of the court days of
Louis Seize. Her hair was dressed la Ma
RE AntoiRette, and she was highly rouged.-
She received me with an expression of sensi-
bility that rather amused than touched me,
seeing she had so long ignored my existence
and that of my father.
After her embrace and welcome we're end
| ed, she turned and introduced me to an old
lady who sat near her, bending over an en-
broidery frame 1t was Madame de Berns,
her friend and dame de cOmpagnie. She was
great deal older than my aunt, and had a
terrible face it haunts my dreams even now.
Her nose and chin nearly met. Her cheeks
we're sunken, and her hair white as snow
She also was highly rouged, and the color
gave a false lustre to large pair of cold fa-
ded blue eyes, which once seen could never be
forgotten.
Madame de Berns,' said my aunt, in low
thirty years. If she was not much older than
myself, / should haveleft her my fortune, but
but it is quite unlikely that she should sur
vive me. You need not look at me so won
deringly In addition to her many infrmi-
ties, she is deaf, and hears not word we
say
Supper was now announced, and when the
meal was finished, my aunt asked me if /
would not like to go to bed, as must be tired
with my journey.
4 hope you are not timid, she said, as she
bade me good night 4 like courage, even in
young girl. However, your room is sepa-
rated from mine only by the pcture-gallery,
and you can come to me if you feel alarmed
Now, by character am very timid, though
at the moment did not like to avow it, and
my transit from my aunt's chamber, through
a gallery of staring, faded portraits, did not
tend to encourage me. The room destined
for my own occupation was a large one, en-
tirely hung round with mirrors. Whichever
way turned, l behed a shadowy mimic on
the walls, the movement along which became
so painful to me, that | hurried into bed, al
though the couch, placed in an alcove, looked
so dark and solemn after my little Paris bed,
that had at first shrunk from it.
had been asleep about an hour or two,
when slight rustling noise awoke me. /
looked up, and to my horror saw Madame de
Bernis sitting beside the bed. Her cold still
eyes were fixed on me, looking, if possible,
more ghastly than by day, and in her hand
she held very bright clasp-knife, open.
was so terrified that could neither speak nor
move, but lay watching her, whilst she never
took her eyes off me. Every now and then
she passed her finger along the edge of the
knife, as if to feel if it were sharp enough
then muttering Pas encore let it drop again
on her lap.
cannot tell half my fear Nothing in the
whole course of my after-life has ever equalled
the horror of that hour. thought a prayer;
| could not utter a sound, nor even a cry for
help. So passed period of time which SEEM
ed to me an eternity. At length, once more
muttering Pas encore she rose, descended
from the alcove, and disappeared in the large
dark chamber for my night-light sufiiced on
ly to enlighten the recess. tainted When
| recovered my Senses it was daylight the
cold grey dawn was stealing through the
jalouses. | shiyered, and felt so i'll conld
scarcely move. At length my aunts femme
de chambre came to assist at my morning tot
let, and | told her all my nights misery
She smiled dincredulously, and observed that
'Mademoselle must have had very disa-
greeable dream. There was no entrance or
egress from her room, save through madames
and Madame de Bernis slept in the other wing
of the chateau, and was very lame.'
Her words could not, however, convince
me against the evidence of my senses At