Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1862-06-20

her costly India muslin robe, with it
frills of Mechlin lace. the splendor o
her bracelets, necklace and ear-drops
and the exquisitely wrought golden comb
which looped up the rich tresses. Why
was it that my face wandered from hel
to the pale, calm governess, with hel
band of raven hair and her great elo
quent eyes, and dress that fell in grace
full folds about her.
Blanche, said my host, allow me tc
present my old and valued friend-Rich
ard Vincent
The blonde beauty colored and sim
pered.
He then presented me to the gov
erness.
She greeted me with the grace of a
queen, and l, as respectfully as if she
had had been one, said;
'We have had the pleasure of meeting
before, CuthbertP ?
AS l told you, murmured the gov.
erness, l went down to tell him you were
absent
The ceremonies Of dinner now began,
and as a seat had been assigned me be-
side Blanche, | tried to play the agreea-
bic, but | often found my thoughts wan
dering to the pale, silent girl opposite
When the meal was over and the ladies
had left the table
What do you think of my sister ?
asked Cuthbert.
She is very beautiful, l replied.
And you have fallen in love at first
sight,
If 1 have l shall not tell youn ex-
claimed, and then we went on chatting in
merry strain. When we adjourned to
the great, cool, luxuriant parlor, | found
Mrs. Cuthbert and her sister, but the
governess was walking to and fro on the
terrace, apparently absorbed in thought.
The usual small talk ensued, and at last
at my request the heiress sat down to the
piano, and played and sang with much
skill. | had observed a harp in the
boudoir adjacent, and begged her to
sweep its strings for me.
Il cannot, she said ; but Miss Mar
guerite can will call her." And NOV
ing to the window, she exclaimed, i'm
Periously:
Come, Marguerite, we wish you to
play some upon the harp
The governess hesitated a moment,
came in, and took seat by the harp
AS she sat there, | noticed for the first
time the superb proportions of her figure,
the graceful poise of her head on the
stately neck. But forgot those when
she smote the chords of the harp, and
began to sing. Was she an improyisa-
trice l thought she must be, so full of
soul was the music she poured forth, and
n she concluded, / asked Mrs
Cuthbert whose composition it was
Her own,' sne replied, and she never
knows what she is going to sing when
she commences / used no fulsome words
of commentator to Marguerite, but my
eyes must have spoken volumes of appro-
val.
That night when / retired to rest, my
dreams were not haunted by the heiress,
but by the pale face / had seen at the
window--the face of Marguerite the
governess.
The next morning l was awake at an
early hour,and glancing ut,saw wMarguer-
ite gliding across the lawn. / fastened
to join her-her cheek wore a richer
glow, her dark lustrous eyes were full of
light, her lips tremulous with smiles, her
white apron was full of snowy blossoms,
and she had wreathed a spray of jes-
samine amid the blackness of her hair.
How we began to talk l scarcely know,
but l never was so entertained by any
woman as by her. could touch on no
subject in literature or art with which
she was not familiar, and Madame de
Stael might have envied her conversa-
tional powers. On the lawn we separated,
but when we met at breakfast in the
presence of the Cuthberts and the su-
percilious heiress, saw that the old gov
erness look had come back TO her face,
and she was more reticent than ever
My friend proposed a horseback excur-
sion to boiling spring in the neighbor-
hood, and when our party assembled on
the verandab, noticed with the keenest
disappointment that the governess was
excluded. rode at the bride rein of
the fair Blanche, who looked very pref
ty in the blue habit, and with her velvet
hat set coquettishly above her golden