The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-02-12

EnGuSu WVmo.
susn IlsS she said, wagging her head,
,an,,ad at me with asdiabolical sheer.
anu = IN, TT well, then, let that be; / am
,srhsns better acquainted with English
p,an' and let my experience teach your
innocence, my dear young lady. Your
dear Henri, as you cell &c cher peti mari,
will soon give a bargain of your pretty airs
and graccs, your little nervous shrieks and
tender clipgipgs. All, your English hus-
bands, they are the nice lot! could tell
you stories, my little love, that would rise
the hair up of your virtuous head ; and as
for ce cher Henri, he is no better than an
other. Ha, hal"
Here she broke into an odious chuckllng
laugh that thrilled my blood.
"Well there, then shall it go to sleep
like a good child, or shall / tell it few
stories Of the Englishmen I have known 2"
Much alarmed at her name and language,
T family answered that I thought | should
60 to sleep.
every good; well, then, to sleep with
you but first, baby shall drink something
to settle its nerves; it is a cordial, ana l
think it will be better than the coffee Mon
sieur went in search of. Hs, ha! How
green of him to swallow my little inven-
ton of the twenty minutes; but the Eng
lish are SO bette. Ny little angel, was de-
termined to secure a tGte-a-tate with you.
Here, now drink"
Afraid to refuse this dreadful, mad wo-
man, I drank some of the cordial she
offered it had an odd taste: and seeing
that she was busy replacing the bottle in
her bag, I hastily threw the rest out OF the
window, and handed her back the glass.
She was much pleased at my obedience,
and took great pains in settling me COM
fortably and wrapping cloaks about me.
For some time / kept watching her was
determined not to 60 to sleep, and l Kept
nv wakeful eyes like ~sentries on her, in her
corner, following her, while she seemed al,
sorbed in some calculation with pencll anu
paper.
mind. What should | do when got ~
Marseilles? How should | find OUT our
uncle, for I had forgotten bis ADDRESS.
Would that dreadful creature muroer me
if I fell asleep for a minute? What coulo
have been her object in getting my nus
band out of the carriage? She was evl-
IDENTIFY mad, and possessed OF Gil Inc cun
ming of insanity. Ny eyelids gre" sore IN
nv efforts to keep them open ana on
guard. I would close them Tor nVe
minutes only to rest them. feel Gamer;
She is still in the corner, all safe. MY
eyelids are getting heavier ana heavier;
resistance is vain, and sleep gets posses
sion of me.
How long I slept I didn't know, but by
degrees I began to dream l was in prison,
and under sentence of death and that
when I came to the scaffold the execu-
TONER had the features of the French
lady. Then it changed, and I was at Mar
settles, and saw my husband, but he did
not seem to know me and then I called
to him he turned and showed me the
face of my odious fellow-passenger. At
this moment I awoke.
The train was whizzing along. The
lamp was swinging above, and the air in
the carriage was very dense and confined. |
was so confused, and felt my head so
heavy, that I lay for some minutes not we'll
knowing where I was. Then I slowly
raised my head. Has my hateful tor
mentor gone? She is not in her corner,
thank goodness; but who is that figure
with its back to me, bending over my hus-
bands carpet-bag, turning over all its con-
tents? Am l getting mad? Is it my hus-
band? No. it is too tall. an still sleep.
ing. I shut my eyes and open them again.
No, it is ste there. 1t has on my hus-
bands travelling coat and cap. l am the
victim of some horrible delusion. My
tongue cleaves to my mouth. / would
| give worlds if the French was here,
or that something would break the horrid
stiffness. Presently the man turned slowly
around. Good Heavens! it was the face
of the French woman, her cleaning eyes
and sarcastic mouth! Cautiously he is
tying on a black beard, which he adj usts
carefully. Then he lets down the window
and throws a bundle out.
I see it all. Our companion has been a
man disguised as a woman. Overcome
with horror, I gasp in very agony of mind.
Immediately the wretch turns to my side
of the carriage, and our eyes meet.
"Diablesse! Treacherous cat" he cries,
so you have been awake and watching
me. You spy on me do you. Twice have
you circumverted me your pretty little
shrek prevented the chloroform doing its
work on your husband, and now you shall
pay luc pCudltJ. Ills ploUOl Will hlahC
quick work of you, and your body, thrown
out this night, will tell no tales. You will
pass for some unfortunate who has com
mitted suicide, and you will make a pretty
article for the newspapers" In my agony
l fell on my knees, and implored mercy Of
this ~ruffian, offering him money-jewels to
spare my life. He listened then after a
few minutes be said
"There, that's enough get up. I will
spare you on one condition; and, remem-
Der you have no one to blame but your in
formal curiosity; only for that feminine
propensity you need never have known
but that the French woman got out and l
got in during your sleep. But you must
peep and spy, curse you. But you can be
Of some service, so listen but first swear
never to reveal what has happened this
night, and, secondly, swear solemnly to
follow most implicitly my Instructions"
Trembling in every limb, l gave the re-
CURED assurance.
"Now get up, little fool, and listen to
me. But first to show you l was not idle
while you reposed, here is plenty Of money
for any little we may take, and l will look
to you to find me more from your store of
pretty things"
So speaking, he showed ME Henri's
pocket book, filled with gold and notes
from his travelling case. Obeying his di-
rections, I unlocked my dressing case, and
while he disposed of its contents in va
rious little bags about his person, he pro-
ceeded to unfold his plans. He would, he
said, make little or no alteration in my
husbands arrangements, with which he so