The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1865-05-19

/ bearing tlHN Will u NIUE SlNCl Don
of the richest coffee, a cream pitcher
minus nose, but filed with excellent
cream, a sugar dish without handle,
cracked bowl with battered spoon,
steel knife and fork, an old chicken
on half platter, pat of delicious
/ butter on a dish notched at the edge
some delicate tarts and bottle Of
choice wine As there was no help
/ for it, Rosine made the coffee and cut
the bread her own little share Of the
repast; while Monsieur sat down by
Madame and gave her pathetic ac-
count of his housekeeping trials
With perfect gravity, he asserted that
lady friend had, in spite of his pro
testations, given him not only the cat,
but canary bird, hooking bird and
parcel Of plants in pots, which were
really the torment Of his life. He
couldn't under the circumstances
Z 5i'' tNHN tiltot III Litst9i ,NFA tatt itiN9
were often hungry and dry, and the
plants were dying for want of care
Madame, who didn't once suspect that
this was n pleasant fiction devised for
the occasion by her guest sympathiz-
ed with him so heartily that new
idea then and there appeared to oc-
cur to him. "Nlight he venture to ask
could she take the trouble Of look
ing after this inconvenient household?
He had no claim, but the temptation
was great. He had seeds in abund-
ance for the birds, and the millman
and butcher had orders to leave milk
and meat for Pompine"
Rosine looked walniugly at her
mother, but Monsieur did not appear
to perceive it. 1t was Madame whom
he relied on, and she did not fail him
'She should be delighted 1t would
give her something to think Of when
Rosine was from home. Rosine was n
good girl, but, really, she was out
more than appeared necessary or even
proper to her. Oh, yes; she should
be not only willing but happy to
oblige Monsieur in this way"
The call to dinner interrupted the
flow of Madames eloquence. The
meal passed pleasantly Monsieur was
ployfully protective toward the young
lady, but profoundly deferontial to the
elder one, and his wit was so light,
his humor was SO genial and his anec-
dotes wero so full Of fun, that even
Rosine forgot her cares and felt some
what Of her old time gaiety. AS the
evening drew TO a CLOSE, M Brillan
hung the bird cages and arranged the
flower pots on the balcony. This
done, he remembered but one other
trouble that he need conhde to Mad
anne He wished to use the adjoin-
ing room for a library, bat the char
woman arranged it Wiley II Mad
anne would condescend sometimes to
give it finishing touch, SO that he
could feel little at home she should
be welcome to the use Of any and ali
the books which she might find
there.
There was another warning look on
Rosine's face, but Monsieur, fearful of
its effect lifted the hand Of his hostess
to his lips, and took his departure
with a shower of bon-mots which pre-
vented all discussion on the topic.
Rosine's dissuasives had no effect
upon Madame, who arranged the
apartment which NJ Brillan had spok-
en- of, and which she found full of
books, pictures and statuettes in the
utmost disorder. There were excel
lent novels, works of travel and biog-
raphy, volumes of exquisite engrayings
and all the best French periodicals
These were treasures, indeed, and
Madame smiled again. What was
still better, Rosine's time was fully oc-
cupied by pupils who paid literally
and in adyapce. She suspected NJ
Brillan's influence in all this, but she
could not decline to benefit by it, for
without it she must starye, It's ac-
ceptance, too, was entirely unlike that
of the flowers and birds, which she
Efelt persuaded were intended from tho
first as gifts, and in which she could
therefore take no pleasure.
For two months NJ. Brillan was seen
but little about the house, and yet
/ great baskets of fruit and lovely bou-
quets were continually finding their
way into the apartment of the Cha
telles, and Madame pocket was never
without supply of bon-bons, of
which she was excessively fond She
pleaded ignorance of the giver; and
Rosine, finding remonstrance unayail-