Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1857-02-19
CHAPTER II.

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world.
CHAPTER II.
Julie accompanied her mother to the coun.
try house near Tours on the day of Adolphe's
arrest. Her mother had shut herself up in her
room on her arrival. and handed Julie over to
the care of a maiden aunt, who endeavored in
vain to solve the problem of the child's melan-
choly. Every days journal had been eagerly
read and, when AdoIphc was convicted, a
burst Of grief declared to Monsieur Perrin's
sister thr state of jules mind She loved the
thief Mademoiselle Rollin was one of those
ladies to whom love was a monster of hideous
mien, and in whose eyes Caliban very fairly re-
presented all men, No prayers would have
prevented her from revealing a tender secret
to even the harshest of mothers She rather
gloried in the Office of nformer and, on the
present occasion it was with a step wonderful
ly elastic considering Mademoiselle's age and
figure, that she went to her sisters bedroom.
Madame Perrin heard all Mademoiselle Rol.
lin had to say with calmness but then calm
ness, with Madame was passion That ladv
} expressed the most fendish anger by the most
delightful smiles Her emotions appeared to
7 have been so long at war with her face that
there was no relation between them. The most
sagaciouS reader of the human eve could not
have read in those of Madame Perrin true
word She puzzled her sister utterly and
when she heard Of her daughters grief at
/ Adolphe's conviction, she simply answered that
. 1t did not matter, since the Young man had
been convicted and marriage or correspondence
with him was impossible"
| Julie was left to her melancholy thoughts,
{ 4 dol, ,ha = ] 1
of humiliations in the midst Of rogues and vaga-
bonds At first he was stunned but there
/ he was, branded felon-he who had never
harmed human creature Then he broke
out in imploring prayers to the iailors. who
looked knowing, if they did not laugh For,
nearly all the prisoners begin with declarations
OF innocence to which the prison authorities
/ listen generally with the most unbelieying OF
ears. AT last, worn out by his strong emo
tons, the poor fellow became resigned and
calmed and did his work without muttering
word He swallowed all the bitterness with
which he had regarded al first Monsieur Per
rms ruthless nature He thought no longer
OF the stern faces that rose up against him in
the court, and proved that lac was a thief to
the satisfaction Of jury, and with the con-
currence Of the judge-but of Julie. Of that
.
her from the bureau-he could not fail to
think that he saw the story of her love But
now what avail could the glorious know ledge
be 10 him
Monsieur Perrin talked Of Adolphe's coavic-
ton as salutary lesson, which, at the cost Of
his own tender heart, he had presented to the
young men OF Paris 1t was highly necessary
that confidential clerks should have such an
F ayaD,r,la I.F.,-. ~, T..
his nature to prosecnte-but both he and Ma
dame Perrin felt their moral responsibility
ana that. 10 let the thief escape. would have
been 10 imperil neighbor Therefore. Mon
. seur Perrin could boast that he had always
been an indulgent employer, whose heart bled
when he gave his clerk into custody. and was
lacerated when he brought him to trial All
this was said over and over again in various
cafes near the Bourse, as the share broker took
his abSinthe with client
After three or four months spent in the
country Madame Perrin and Julie returned to
town. Julie almost burst into tears when. on
entering the Old familiar bureau. she saw no
body az AdolpheS desk while his Office coat
still hung in the corner as of old. Her father
kissed her on her forehead and her mother on
both cheeks a they entered the saloon. and
then begged them to leave him. as ne had bu-
siuess with the saliow Young man who was seat
ed on the sofa.
jules heart vas iced everything was hard
and cold the very air seemed TO want, even
on that July night. genial warmth. l. was
odd to see that the flowers in the window
kept their bloom, even for four aud twenty
hours
Madame Perrin went ont Immediately 20 pay
her various visits. leaving Julie al home to
fret. Poor girl the world looked sad enough
TO her as she went into the bureau. and ndug-
ed in the thoughts it brought TO her nnd-
But, how infinitely was this sadness deepened
when. on the following day. her father and
mother told her that the salIow Young gentle
man she had seen on the dsy of her arrival was
destined IN he her husband He was rich
his family good ; and all the preIiminarie< had
beea arranged In Paris the custom for pa
TeRts IS 70 choose husbands for their daughters:
il Is the custom for daughters to accept suit
0rs without knowing them or caring for them
Julie had read Of refractory children In varions
romances, but III real life she had seen oulr
obedience She loved Adolphe e7en in bis
convict clothes, and 10 her soul believed him
innocent. Her mother. TO whom she coafde,i
this belief one dav. told her angviIy never To
express such belief again If she valued her
love AdoipLe had beea fairly tried and fair
ly convicted and she begged that his name
might never more be mentioned in her pre-
Seace-
Therefore, how could Julie, in tie presence
Of parents 10 whom uloHey aud family Eerc
the guiding stars of life whose ewes were as
cold as winter moonlight when they fell zpoD
her whose words Eere rigid and meant 10 be
commands how ooald she, tiEnid as bird,
venture TO 20 in the face of cUstoIn aud say
she Noa'e not marry :1e husband It thar