The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1871-12-14
deep voice, in bright purple kid gloves,

table are sitting Eve young girls, sisters
-Er-Iish c'r'ai"l, i"s"lvcrt prob..
oy They "re Of the usual type Of
British dovdy-red checks, hearty
laughs, big fat waists. Among thsn
jack among the Maids-sits NJ.
Cesar bis eye-glass is in his eye, and
a piece Of tapestry-work IN his hand.
An English couple, and French gen.
tleman 10 drab thread gloves, whose
nane never transpires, complete the
gathering. Lenore, whom I have had
great difficulty in inducing to appear
at all-Lenore, who, if she is in COM
pauy not cougenial to her, or if she
has nothing osay, maintains that at.
solute silence which IS unluckily Taboo
ed In society-throws herself after the
hrs, salutations and presentations have
been gone through, into corner of The
sofa, and keeps her head bent direct
ly over her work. I draw a chair
next to NJ Cesar and the moderator
lamp, and ask him . halting and ur-
| grammatical French questions about
bis Berlin wools. The fantasia comes
to an end.
care you fond of music, NJ. Cesar"
I ask, having exhausted the subject Of
the woods.
eyes, mademolselle I love it pas.
sionately."
"Do you play or siog yourself?"
"No, mademoiselle; draw"
"Cesar sketches from the Nature"
says his mother, coming up, laying her
fat white hands on her sons shoulders,
and smiling in her plump debonna-
ire widowhood over his head.-"My
child, show to Mdllle. Erreech t,at
pretty little drawing that thou mad
est yesterday when thou wentest cn
horseback with thy uncle to Cozseul."
"But, mamma, it is but bagatelte,"
r'pl'es Cesar, with proud humility.
His modesty being overcome, the
sketch-book is produced.
els it not of surprising resem-
blancc 7" asks his parent, proudly
smiling, and leaning forward in order
to feast his eyes.
"Monsieur has not yet perhaps quito
finished it" say, hardly able to con-
tain my laughter, as examine, with
admiring gravity, the rolling trees,
little wriggliug black shades, and
houses utterly out of the perpendicular
NJ. Casar's make Of treating foliage is
singularly wormy. Then, seeing that
II added, "a thousand thanks,
monsieur! It is, indeed, a charming
talentH
"But it is nothing " rejoines Cesar,
with bow and deprecatory wave of
the hand
! At this moment Stepanie enters,
bearing tray, and thereon weak tea
and spongecakes, supposed to be a 2
dnyla,se. AS she bands these delica-
cies to me, she stoops over me, and
says, in confidential half whisper:
| ''There are two messieurs down.
stairs, cone to make visit to madem-
OF elle"
"Tw' messieu7s !v' cry I, surprised;
while the five Misses Brown pick the
attention ear-rarer than green peas in
January are resident men at Dinan
-"and who are they Stepanie ?"
"One mademoiselle, is the little min
tstre A"ytais with the spectacles-
and the other mover, madcmoiselle, have
I seen him before he is tall geat]e-
man, with great red beard"
| [ look iavoluntarily across at my
sister; her head is raised, her work is
dropped-she Is listening.
every WE'LL" say, with sigh of
impatience; cit MdlIe Leroux will
have the goodness to permit it, ask
them to walk up here"
AS speak lay down the chip
am plating on tho table, and cross
over to Lenorc.
"Stephanie tells me" begin.
II know" she answers, briefly; "I
heard"
| "And don't you think" continue I,
with doubtful suggestion, ",hat it
would be better for you to be out of
the way while they are here-they
cannot stay long-and it can hardly be
pleasant for you to meet that man ?"
''It is neither pleasant nor unpleas-
ant" she answers, doggedly. II shall
not stir not for the world would I
give him the satisfaction of thinking
that was ashamed to face him."
In two minutes more they have en-
tered-Frederick first, sbyly smiling,
small, and priestly and behind him
a large, grave, and unpriestly stranger.
When first the bril- ightness of tho lit
room smites his eyes, when first tho
smell of the hot tea and cakes assails
his nose, when first the clack of tho
many wonen's tonsues-French ard
Epglish-attacks his ears,::he shows an
involuntary inclination to turn and
flee, but, overcoming the temptation,
advances, with the air of a martyr, to
where We are sitting. Glad Of the op-
portunity of gratifying my curiosity af.
forded by Frederick's tremulous and
deprecatory presentation, 1 look up
at him. So this is lie NJ esuierer -
| Snrolv eurolu choul1 ,ou., h.vn