, 1862-01-23

such entire devotion, still more dear 10 him she
loved so tenderly, redoubled her zeal, and ended
by causing that to be regarded as duty which
was only the outpourings Of her love. Dapfe-
mont soon required what delicscy onght to have
made him refuse. He constrained Helen to pre-
side every day at his toilet and ordered her more
than once in q tone which he ought to have used
only to servants This despotism, which be now
constantly exercised IN private led him insensbly
to despise the real merit Of his wife, no longer
allowing her to make the least objection or re
monstrance. Deceived by the angelic sweettiess
Of Helen, and by her neverfailing mOdesty, he
began to consider himself vastly her superior.
and measured with arrogance the immense dis
lance which be imagined existed between them.
Hardly would he answer the necessary questions
she put To him; always rude, or coutemptuOus
exacting everything, and dissatisfied with 81, he
reached TO that degree Of tyranny and irritabiity
which wearies and destroys affection, renders
marriage miserable and too often changes all its
harmony to the bitterest discord. Helen, Tar
from her family and country, had only her love
for q support and her tears for q consolation. It
was in vain the advice Of Madame de Meryal re-
CURED to her, and made her forebode the long
sufferings which must result from her own weak
ness She had not the strength TO overcome It.
As 0 reed beaten down by storm cannot rise
again from the wave into which the wind inces-
sanity piunges 1t, Helen could not brave the i'm
perious tone, the stern look Of DapFemont and
saw herself exposed to the worst Of slavery.
Heaven at last took pity on her affection,
Dapremont, whose haughtiness hadprejudiced
certain high personages against him. on whom
the success Of bis mission depended, was re
called to Paris He wasalso on bad terms with
the French ambassador, whose rank and author
ity he wished to rival The modification he
cnif s,,oo daau Hnlaa magyar IN nlInF him
every consolation in her power; but the pain
she felt for him was soflened BY the idea Of again
seeing her mother, her family and her country.
The journey was very disagreeable. She had to
endure more than ever. The Baron was embit-
tered by adversely. Helen 10 vain redoubled
every attention and kindness: she ewasansWered
in dry, cutting tone, sometimes even by insult
ing rudcness, which the poor girl always bore
with resignation.
She resolved to affect in her mothers presence,
a happy calmness, and TO bring back to her eonn-
tenance that composure which for six months
had been banished from It But, however well
she disguised what she had suffered, nothing es-
capped the serutiniziBg eye OF Madame de MervaL
How her daughter was changed her eyes,
whose expression was usually so soit and frank,
seemed dimmed BY tears. Her voice trembled
with constantly suppressed signs; each word
her lip essayed To utter bore marks Of . broken
spirit. Il was chiefly in her husbands presence
that all these indications Of secret suffering es-
caped her. She could not overcome, even before
her mother, the kind Of terror with which he in.
spired her. .l ~, -.t-t, 4. .-ss,
/" You are not happy said Madame de Meryal
to her one day. "My dear Helen, you wear
fetters which weigh you down"
y, mamal Think, then, my chain is dear to
me, that find under Il many advantages.-- 81.
"Of an elevated rank--Of gratiiled ambition:
but there is something wanting, nv child, at your
heart. | can read that better than al others,
and ia that YOU cannot deceive me-" s'l
Helen was moved BY her solietude, and could
not resist SO touching an appeal. She threw
herself into her mothers arms and burst into