The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1871-01-06

the brink of that pity which is akin {
love. Her husbands s words startled hf
from her perilous state, and she ha
scarcely time to shudder before IN
prospects of misery that another ste
would have opened upon her. befor
she felt her heart leap with ioy for tb
timely deliverance that came throug
the minlstration OF her wise and saga
cious husband.
Would you object to show me thos
notes I" he asked.
No, Marquis, replied she, blush
ing; 81 ought to have shown them {
you unbidden. But / was embarrasse
! lest should bring trouble upon Won
and my heart bled for that unhapp
young man."
She had risen meanwhile; and afte
few moments search in her daint
escretoire of ebony and ivory, she dre1
forth velvet portfolio, and from it
rose-scented pockets took the notes O
the love-sick Captain.
De Charnay unfolded them and be
gan to read. They were burning Will
love, but with love that professed {,
have no hope of return; and, as a mat
ter of course, the despairing adorer
who never, never could overcome hi
unfortunate passion, had no alternative,
left him. He must put an end to hi.
ife.
While de Charnay was reading thest
precious effusions, his young Mar
chioness looked on, pale and trembling
1t was clear that she, at least, had full
faith In de Breteuil's menaces of sui.
eide; and that which most excited hel
interest in the affair, and was therefore
likely to be most dangerous to hel
peace of mind, was her compassion for
his excess of love-a love that was to
be the cause of death, and convert her
into quasi murderess.
'tHe will kill himselfi" exclaimed
she, looking piteously at her husband.
Possibly responded de Charnay.
with the utmost composure. '.But, -"
continued he, with smile that was ut
terly at variance with the import of his
words, ''you must die before him.
The Marchioness started. "Gracious
heaven !" cried she, "what can you
meant"
II mean," replied the Marquis;
" that you have suddenly grown Ill;
that In few hours you will become a
corpse, and, finally, that the day after
tomorrow you Will be dead"
"Oh, +" exclaimed the young creature,
:" 1 have not deserved this at your
hands, Monsieur. I have neverspoken
or written a word that could compra
mise me to NJ. de Breteuil, and 1 swear,
before heaven, that the letters 1 gave
you were the only ones ever received
from him. Why then are his sins to be
so heavily visited on my head ~
1 see no other way of escape from
the predicament in which he has placed
me" was the reply of the Marquis.
g But calm your fears, Eugene; you
are about to simulate death, but not to
die in reality. 1 see, my poor girl,
that this fellow has touched your fancy.
You are good, and loyal but this con-
founded fop has managed to make you,
# not unhappy, at least melancholy.
You are sprghtless and languid, and
your life is less bright than it was
lew months ago. My remedy, 1 think,
vii restore you to health and happi-
hess. VIII you trust your case to me2"
81 viii, }" said she, extending her
land.
'Then, tonight 1 viii send you,
Inder the charge of a confidential SER
7ant, to my brothers estate in Tour
;aine. There you shall be treated with
and be permitted to
lSsociate with the gentry of the neigh
on two conditions: One is
hat you will bear another name, and
all yourself Madam Adrien; and the
,ther is that you will neither write to
Versailles, nor receive any letters there
rom"
"You will write to me yourself 2"
"No, my love; my letters would
nave no interest for you, for in them I
would not mention de Bre-
ieuil's name"
Chow long," began she.
81 cannot tell; but I think that your
sxile will last for four or five months. -
"Good heavens, What am I to do
LII these months ~
Remember that you are under no
restraint. You can visit and be visited;
you can draw and paint, and study and
improve your mind. You are under
1ne restriction only; that of being cut
1ff from communication with Yer
,ailles. Now, if these conditions are
90 onerous, 1 have but one alterna-
i've.
=
81 must run NJ de Breteuil through
he body"
"God Forbid But he will die of
grief"
"Better die of grief than by my
land, and ruin your reputation, Euge
1ie."
$50 be it, then," sighed the young
Marchioness. sEYou promise me on
your honor that 1 am not sent away for
IN indefinite periodl"
81 promise on my honor, that you
shall return home inlet me see-in
ess than four months.
So the Marchioness left Versailles
hat night, and on the morrow, de Char
nay appeared at court, and mentioned
the fact of his wife being seriously indis-
posed. The next day she was worse,
ind the night following she died.
The Marquis and his household went
IN deep mourning, and a splendid
funeral cortege left the Hotel Charnay
10 carry the body of the Marchioness to
the family vault, some distance from
Versailles.
A few days later, de Charnay received
a visit of coincidence from de BfeteuiL
The former, of course, saw nobody, but
be did for his wife's lover more than he
had done for anybody else-he wrote
him letter.
81 was exceedingly fond of my wife,
said he in his missive, :" but honor,
10 me, is a deeper sentiment than the
love of woman. can, therefore, bear
my loss with the calm regret of man
Of mature age, whose happiness had
been endange-e -ed by that which would
have been a far heavier blow than the
death of the beloved object. As for
you, however, whose passion was be-
yond all bounds of principle, and be-
yond all love of life /; who lived but to
breathe the air she breathed, and
longed for death when I asked you to
cease your visits to my house, 1 am IN
hourly expectation of hearing that you
have put an end to your intolerable ex-
istence. And let me add that my de-
oaoSa1 vito 1ar,oYfad fbic life in the fr111