Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-06-11

not how to dispose Of you blot an honest and
hitherto stainless name. You break fathers
heart; you turn from her God-you destroy
body and soul-a mere child, motherless and
unprotected. will not tell you what Suzanne
has been to me: how / have reared her,
worked, hoped, prayed for her, loved and
trusted. All these things are, doubtless, tame
and commonplace and contemplate to you.
But if you had no fear of God or considera-
ton for man before your eyes, could you not
have had a little feeling. little pity, an atom
of respect for father and daughter sitaat-
ed as you know us to be? Knowing, more
over. that it is not in the heart or the hand of
the Minister of God to avenge the wrong and
shame done him by the means other dishonor
ed fathers adopt?"
Utterly abashed-and conscieuce-stricken.
stroye to explain, but my emotion, and the
sudden difficulty that come over me in .ex-
pressing myself adequately in foreign Ian
guage-f1uently as. under ordinary circum-
stances, spoke it-were little calculated to
reassure him.
No." he said, 81 know all. Your daily
meetings, your prolonged interviews, GER
tain embarrassment l have lately noticed in
my child. hitherto so frank and fearless; her
altered looks and manner-even note the
demeanor of both when i surprised you
what can l conclude from such Indications
II swear to you" 1 at length found words
and perfectly innocent Think of me as
you VIII, but at least believe me in this,
and assure yourself that your child is SIM
less.''
He looked at me scrutinizingly for some
seconds; then his face and voice relaxed. II
believe you! There is but one thing you can
now do, if you are sincere in your wish to re-
pair this evil. Promise me you will never see
Suzanne again, and that you VIII. as soon as
possible. unit this npOhbOrh0OC -
promised and we parted.
How passed that night it needs not now
TO tell, nor all the revolution the thoughts it
brought worked in my heart and in my ideas
The Immediate result was, that next morning
at dawn l rose from my sleepless bed, and
wrote to the pastor, asking his daughters
hand; not concealing Il e difficulties of my
position. but adding that if he would over
look present and material disadvantages he
might trust that no sin of omission or com
mission on my part should ever cause him TO
regret his having accorded his sanction to our
marriage, and that feared not but that with
time, patience and perseverance,, should be
able to secure a means of existence. AT
nineteen it is so easy to dispose of these ques
tons of ways and means; to obtain everything
and to dispense with everything.
The answer came quickly, brought by the
pastor in person.
"You are an honest lad" he said. II will
not now enter into the question of your youth
and OF Suzanne-my child's reputation is at
stake, and she is deeply attached to you
That of your prospects is one we have yet to
discuss; but the first subject t. lie entered
upon and fully explained is the one of your
fathers consent to the marriage. In the first
place, by the law of France, which is, be-
lieve, different to that of England. no man or
woman, even if of age, can marry without
producing proof of their parents acquies-
cence. In the second, even were the law 9TH
erwise, should hold myself bound for con-
science sake, not to take advantage of the
most desirable proposal, if II were made
against the wishes and without the sane
ton of yours. Are you likely to obtain
this!;
Here was a difficulty l had neither antici-
pated nor provided for. | had thrown off all
authority, deeming my own sufficient for my
governance, and here, at the first important
crisis of my life, found its inefliciency to get
through my earliest difficulty. Surprising
made up my mind tacitly to admit my mis-
take, and ask my fathers consent to my mar
riage, was it in the least likely that he would,
under all the circumstances. accord it?
Never mind, must make the attempt, and
so admitting to the pastor that | had not as
yet provided for such contingency, he left
me to write to my father.
A week of agonizing suspense passed, dur
ing which |, in accordance with a promise
made to SuZanne's father, never sought to
meet her-nay, to avoid a shadow of suspi-
cion never even went to our chesnut-wood, to
get peep of her in the garden.
AT last the letter came, and, sick with agi-
tation, tore it open. 1t was brief. grave.
somewhat stern, but yet not different to what
l deserved, and what expected
My father said he had reflected much on my
demand-that he saw many reasons why he
should refuse it. yet he was so anxious to
meet my wishes when they pointed to any
course that was not likely to lead me into
moral mischief, and that afforded me a chance
of obtaining a stoadiness of conduct that II
could provide him proofs OF my intended
Driue.o character and position being such as l
represented them he would not withhold his
permission.
[CONCITDED TOMORROW