The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-03-22

y ! Besides" she added, with q, look I
l alarm, would not even you, be ,uri
ast Eaa1 70 n ny, Z, husband, now that go
Y 4 s"I do mot yet permit myselfN t
: fudge him." ] replied coldly.
: She took my hand, and said as
D il prayer, "I beseech you, do no
Judge either ofus too severely. Ihav
done wrong in allowing myself tt
, accuse him in my agony, but tn
, shock was too sudden. o Paul! m.
poor Paul! o my dear husband"
To- see her thus in despair, bu
without showing either bitterness o
anger, was more than my wOman'i
susceptibility could endure. I re
solved to try and clear up this mys
terious situation, which I at leas
was persuaded was capable of being
remedied. II - e,r-' . .stsa Z
"Will you permit me,"; asked
gently, .to put one or two question!
to you? How long has the state o
things Of which you speak lastedT
Five years. - nsi p.
"Five years" I" My astonishment
made me silent. Madame Fauvel
without appearing to notice my sur.
prise, looked at me with an expression
of sorrOwful resignation to her lot
After a moment of silence, / resnm.
ed, actuated by sincere cOmpassion:- -
fs.Pardon me if arouse painful
memories, but may I not know when
and how your separation begun ?n
he ftor ~
We made, you will scarcely believe
it, a real lOve-match. Both alone IN
the world, We were everything. To
each other and perfectly happy. Lit
tie by little Paul became mOrose, alb
stracted. 1 sought in vain for the
cause. ut is nothing; it will pass
away" he said when I asked him.
By and by rhe fell sick, and had a
violent fever. / watched over him.
When he had recovered he separated
from me-"
..How2 By what means For what
reason ?n
"For none whatever. He went
away for few days, and wrote to me
that we must separate that it was
inevitable; that, if 1 preferred, he
would not return, but that it was his
earnest desire that we might continue
to live under the same, roof; on the
lasting condition that we should
never meet.o
"And you have never metz" 'H
every rarely, and always by chance.
On such occasions he passed me with
out stopping or raising his eyes.
Once, during the first months of this
strange life, met him on the stairs.
1 was not then calm, or rather broken
hearted, as now, was angry, Offend
ed, and tried to pass rapidly by him,
casting upon him a look of scorn.
He stopped me by placing his hand
on my arm, and l stood silent before
him.y pNe have been very happy,
Juliette," he said sadly. "But we
can be SO no more" cried 1 in a pas
sion. "NO," he replied, "never
more" He looked at me attentiyely;
then withdrawing his hand, heSpass-
ed on. We have never spoke to each
other since.
If all this was true, and in spite of
myself was convinced that it was;
of what could she accuse her husband?
1t was absolutely incOm mprehensible.
Never, she told me, had tie least
restraint been imposed upon her. An
follow her everywhere, but only to
watch over her health and anticipate
her slightest desires.
do you not fear" asked her, "to
meet DIR. Fauvel in going home?
wait q little and my husband will ac-
company you"
''Oh, no" she replied, with a sigh;
he seems to be aware of everything 1
do. do not even see him at dis
tance, and am very much astonished
at what has happened to-day. He
seemed to be quite out of health, -
that evidently disturbed her most;
madame, I'Cbeg you to ask M.
COlonge to care for him."
promised everything she asked.
At tae same timelI promised myself
to neglect no means that might en-
able me to discover the key of this
riddle. Michel, to whom L repeated
this conversation, appeared even more
surprised and troubled than /. He
asked me hundred questions to
which could not reply, remained
long while in a reverie, and at last
asked grayely, "Wouldn't it be better
not to occupy yourself with this ?"
mot occupy myself with it? why
not?" ,-ss. ny . q !.
All that I could obtain from my
husband was serious recommends. /
ton to act with prudence. This as
tonished me but little, knowing as L
did his excessive reserve, and L did
not persist the less in my resolution.
Women have, at least so every one
persuades herself, shrewd and deli
cate tact. In this case 1 could pride
myself but little on my perspicacity,
and was even greatly discouraged
when weeks and months rolled on
without adding any thing to my
knowledge. We sent invitations fre-
quently to DR.. Fauvel, and he often
accepted them. 1t is needless to say
that his wife was always included in
these invitations, and that we always
received the invariable excuse. The
doctor took up insensibly the habit of
coming to our house several times
week, and appeared to enjoy our So
ciety more and more. He could
nevertheless not be ignorant that his
wife visited us on other days, for he
was constantly finding ON my table
some work or book that belonged to
her. .,--z4.. .s.--ss. - ~
s III. 80 ? ~
Time passed rapidly. The doctor
and my husband had become great
friends. Although he was perfectly
polite and agreeable with me, could
not help feeling towards him a GER
tain amount of bitterness. His quiet
and simple manners, without the
least shade of eccentricity, his unfail-
ing politeness, above all that perfect
courtesy which was never for a mo-
ment wanting, attracted to him
the sympathy of all the citizens
of Amerville.t When, as could not
fail to happen, the singular life led
by the couple was known by every
body, each person tried to find some
explanation to excuse the doctor at
the expense of his wife, who was
thus exposed, without the power to
defend herself, and happily without
knowing the necessity for it, to the
sneers and suspicious of all the little
village. From that the life of the
young. wife became more mono
tonOus and more isolated. "'fhe few
people with whom she had establish
ed an acquaintance abandoned her
one by one. 1 had need to defend
her courageOusly on every occasion,
but calumny did not the less produce
its usual effect. Some pretended to
be ill wheii Madame Fauvel called,
through fear that the doctor would
come to see them at the same time !.
others, on the contrary, desired to-