Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1867-09-28

t1atneSs consequent on The nnusual exc
citement. Besides this. Elise was new
er now seen in her old haunts; when he
went to the house she was not in the
drawing room. He feared that she was
annoyed with him. aud purposely
avoided him whenever she could do 80.
When a meeting was inevitable there
was a greater reserve and an uncertain
manner so different from the old gentle
pleasantness, that it made him unhap.
by.
81, don't know what ails her." COM
planned the old father one day to nj. de
BeIandi. She pleased herself, or might
have done So But she is no longer the
same girl. / was saying to her mother
L wish you might call; for if any one
can rouse her or find out what rs the
matter, it is yourself"
TO please the poor old gentleman, nj.
de Belandi went at once to fluid Elise
i'm small boudoir where she sometimes
sat. He had often been privileged to
enter this room; and now. as his knock
met with no notice, hepushed open the
door without scruple.
Elise had been crying, but as she
turned and saw him blush covered her
face, and she nervously tried to hide
what looked like photograph, which
she had evidently been looking at.
"What. another photograph! he ex-
claimed, trying to carry off little awk
wardness he felt by joke. 'Why,
Elise, is it possible that there was a
reason for your failing to see the charm
of VILLAIN? Have you too been caught
by a carte-de-visite?"
To his surprise, instead of meeting
his joke with smile or a saucy retort,
she bent her head, striving to hide her
tears, and the hand which held the pic
ture trembled.
"My dear Elise, what is it? Your
father is quite unhappy about you. You
are not an undecided person; but it is
possible that you regret saying Mop
A lady lis allowed TO change her mind.
Still her agitation seemed to increase,
and she could not keep down her sobs.
Presently she snatched her hand to her
head, stammerring some incoherent
words about not being well. She forgot
for the moment the photograph, which
was by this movement exposed to view.
M. de Belandi's astonishment was great
indeed to see a by no means fattering
of himself!
He stood transfiKed for a few mo-
ments, while a veil seemed to be sud
denly raised frsn. his mind, disclosing
old things in a@different shape, clear
and defined-things which had hither-
TO been but dimly guessed at, and then
hidden again; ana while he
was so gazing and so thinking she
looked up and discovered what she had
done.
By way of correcting the mistake she
made another; catching up the photo
graph with a little exclamation of
alarm. and then, with sudden precep
ton of what she had done, choking her
sobs she tried to explain "that she had
been turning out her desk, and so-and
So
But his eyes were now bent so earn
estlv on her face that she was in man
ner compelled to meet his look.
stElise. is il pOssible?" he whispered.
Then presently he held ont his arms.
La moment she was in, clasped close,
her tears falling softly, But a sudden
change came over her face, and she
struggled to release herself, saying:
'sLeave me Instantly You have TAX
en- advantage of like you as friend,
of course, but you misunderstand--"
"Apd / love you not as n friend,
Elise. have long done so. But l would
not allow it to myself even, / was too
old for you; you only thought of me, so
I believed, as a grave relation and a
mentor. know now what 1T all meant;
my dread of losing you
s'But Won urged me on" she inter
rupted. "It was your words which
nearly all but induced me 30 consent.
You seemed to have set your heart on
it,"
''Not SO. Let us sit down and quietly
talk together" he said.
This they did. and he managed to
convince her that, il her heart had been
given to him, it was not until she had
full possession of his. But how could
he. at his age, be so vain as to suppose
that he had the shadow of a chance?
He had tried to stifle every feeling
brayely: too much so, indeed. But
now, surely. she would not punish him
for this?
The result of all this was, to the utter
of Mr.. Borno, his friend M. de
Belandi made formal proposal for the
hand of his daughter, Elise. The old
gentleman had to seek for, and then
put on, his spectacles before he eonld
believe that he heard rightly, looking
first at one and then at the other IN ii
way to bring mp bushes as we'll as
smiles on the face of Elise. When he
really took it in, consent was fully Civ
en-, and. after a little more talk between
papa and mamma, they began to won
der how it was that they had never
thought of this before, So tins was
why Mademoiselle Elise had shown
herself so hard TO please.
La the course of time she confessed
hat she had only given up all her hope
when Nj. de Belandi had so urged her
10 accept VILLAIN; and in the pain of
hat moment she had very nearly been
lriven, in fit of pride and despair, to
follow his advice.
There was a gay wedding; and when
It was over, and the Maison Ponteuf
was restored to it's wonted quiet, old
Madame Borno, sitting ia her easy
chair after the fatigue of the morning,
exclaimed, "And it was all owing to
after alll'
strange Adventure ON the Part of a
YOuug Lady.
n