The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1870-05-12

lookout" And still preyoki6gly unoon-
ce:ned she put her leaves into the flow.
) group, aud began putting her writing
things together.
"And you are not afraid, madame, Of
the damage which may befall this
handsome furniture, for which my
daughter paid so large sum ?" cried
the oil lady, in voice Of suppressed
thunder. "She took care of 1t, but
yon, no doubt, not having contributed
anything, can afford :"
Catharine looked up frightened, and
was shocked by the angry CLEAN she
encountered; Madame Nlcrard looked
stiff with indignation.
"You have, without doubt, madame,
engaged servants in abundance to at.
tend to your various wants 2" she went
on quivering. eve quiet people must
seem to you very contemplate as you
sit in your elegant drawing-room. Pray,
do you intend to receive your fine
friends here, in the apartment upon
which my poor Leonie bestowed so much
care and expense? Ah! there are on
y English capable Of such baseness."
Madame Merard stopped, much satis-
fed, for Catharine had turned pale, and
then looking round aud seeing Fon-
tame standing in the doorway, the silly
little thing ran up to him and burst out
crying.
"Poor childv' he said, very tender
ly. "Go, 60. Twill explain to my
good mother; she does not understand; =;
perhaps little eau sucree Try it,
mon annie. We will follow Immediate
iy."
This was the first encounter between
these very unequal opponents. Fon-
taioe was 50 humble and afectionate
that he presently brought the old lady
down to breakfast almost mollifed.
She was really fond Of him, and when
he made a personal request, and talked
OF the rest after his mental occupations,
the diversion and rcpose the pursuit Of
music gave him, she reluctantly :cn-
sented, with pinch OF snuff, to them
novation. 1t was not the only one.
At one time Madame Merard sudden
ly became quite affectionate in her
manners. This was soon after her ar
rival, when N. le Cure was a great
deal at the house. He also treated
Catharine with great kindness, and
called her mon entant. Old Merard
would dispose himself for sleep during
these visits, and Monsieur le Cure and
Madame Merard would enter into long
and pointed conversations upon the
subject Of their common faith. Mon
sieur 10 Cure would produce little
brown books from his ample pockets.
with pictures Of bishops, and fathers
and mothers, aud agonizing saints upon
their narrow pallets; and from one
sign and another Madame Fontaine
guessed that the time had come when
it was considered fitting for her to pre-
pare to go over to the religion of the
strangers among whom she lived. She
would look at the two sitting in the
window, Madame Merard taking snuff
as she listened, the cure, with his lo1 e
brown nose, and all the little buttons
down his shabby frock, and his heavy
black legs crossed, and his thick 6ugers
distendcd as he talked. The Abbe
Verdier was a gentleman, and once
Catharine might have been willing to
be gently converted by him 10 a faith
which had at all times great attrac-
tion for this little hereto but now to
be dragged over by main force, by the
muscular cure, to the religion of Mad
ame Merard never, never. Fontaine
used to look in sometimes, and retire
immediately on tiptoe when the cure
was there. The maire had promised
before his marriage not to interfere with
his wife's religious OPINIONS but, all
the same, be. did not wish to disturb
the good work by any inopportune
creakiog noises. When Cathariue wes
younger, before she had gone through
q certain experience which comes to
most people, he conversion might have
been possible. and even. likely; but
now it was too late. From inner causes
working silently, and from. outer ad-
verse influence, a. change had come
over h,r; she could no, longer accept
new beliefs and ereeds, and vivid emo
tions which she could not even realize,
they seemed so distant. She could on.
ly: cling with = loving persistence to the
things Of the past, which were still her
own and part of her own old life.
The cure was clever man, although
bigoted, and unlike the able in hi,
gentle charity aud sympathy even for
heretics after tins he ceased impor-
tuning, aud only snubbed Madame
Fonea,ue; Madame Merard soowled
afresh Justine, who tad also tempora.
nly suspended hostilities, banged her
door in disgust, and took care for macy
weeks to iron Madame Fonta,ne's fine
things al crooked and on the wrong
side. Monsieur le Maire was erievous-
ly disappointed, but he said nothing,
and only seemed, if. possible, .nore ten.
der, more gentle and anxious to make