Litchfield enquirer., 1872-04-25

IS sensible and clever, they would have 1 inaugurated 1t i'll her honor.
 She was in moraing-room when the count was introduced, and exquisitely dressed in g peignoir of buff cashmere, with wide trimming Of lace round the round the waist In the rich clusters Of her black hair she had set scarlet rose. and a small cross of black pearls that hung to velvet ribbon served to show of the snowy outline of her throat. She was arranging flowers in Japanese vase; and beside her, with her tiny dimpled chin resting on the the tables edge, stood Mile. Lucie, her daughter, little mite of 8 thing four years old, who held her apron full Of the dew-wet flowers, and handed them up one by one to her mother as they were wanted. There was an air of home and gayety about the tastefully furnished room which offered many pretty knick- mack for the sun to try it's golden arrows on; and through the zaatseliz, e,,rts;.as,- 1 which were closed to prevent the ingress of autumn wasps, who might have waged war on Miss Lucie, came fresh, healthy scent of morning, with swittering of bhthesome sparrows.
 | The servant announced Monsieur le Compte de Ris, ' and Mme. de Claire held
 
 smiles.
 'You are most welcome, my dear count. 1 only returned yesterday, and Lucie and l were just wondering together whether our good fortune would send us any vis- itors''
 "4ou see before you the most perplexed Of men, answered the count, raising her hand to his ips,-for one is sorry to state that Angiomania has not yet generalized ln France that charming mode of saluta- tlon which consists in squeezing a ladys hand, and working it up and down like -handle,-'' most perplexed of men, who comes to beg aims of you in the shape of advice" added he, proceeding to salute Mile. Lucie, whom he lifted up and kissed.
 'I dot noo dol, une grande poupee avec bloc eyes, tn sais, monsieur" ob- served Miss Lucie, who, having a Scotch nurse and an English governess, spoke at times very odd tumble of languages.
 '"Then Lucie had better leave us, said Mime. de Claire, with an apolegetic glance towards the little thing, who was the min ature portrait of herself. You will find her terribly noisy if she remains. Put make your best courtesy to NJ de Ris. { ''Oh! Lucie and are old friends ro- piled RI. De Ris; ''she shall sit on my 1 knee;" and Mile. Lucie, who foresaw that her withdrawal might lead to an hours i spelling lesson ill the company of Miss 1 Thompson, the goverEess, protested: "Je he talkeral pas, maman; jecouterai tout ce que le monsieur says"
 On that understanding Mile Lucie was i allowed to sit on the visitors knee and play with his watch-chain, where the name "Pritchard, :" embossed on the locket, soon engaged her undivided attention. Mme. de Claire took her place on the sofa oppo- site a tambour-frame, on which shone, half completed, one of those smart chasu- bles which French ladies fill their leisure 1 by embroidering for the country clergy. M. de Ris then drew out the letter of the great parsonage, and handed it to the baroness, beginning at the same time to unfold his most painful story.
 ''Then 1t is true?" said Mme. de Claire, returning him the letter with smile, af- l ter reading it's contents, and making 8 slight inclination of the head, which might be construed into congratulation. ''I saw it announced ill the papers, but it is only mentioned as rumor''
 ''It is in the papers already!' exclaimed the count, in real consternation. ''Then i the matter is worse than expected. They have done that in order to make it more difficult for me to refuse. But shall not be caught for all that. l aCiU refuse
 ''You will refuse?" echoed the baroness, quite quietly, and working at her chasu- ble.
 1 "Why? Is not such your advice?" in- quired the count, little astonished; and he unlocked his watch-chain to facilitate Mile. Lucies inspection.
 '"That must depend on the reasons you have to give," said she, raising her large, clear eyes, and fixing them on him inter- negatively.
 ,"P-R-1-T-Prit," j." broke in Mile. Lucie, in 8 speculative whisper, ''c-H-A-R-D- Chat, ,-Prit- Chat at'-(here apause) "Dat Is FOOT cats name: le chat Prit?'' and she softly nudged the counts elbow ''Dis moi de quelle color il est, black or tabby, ton chat Prit?"
 The name of the missionary who was nearly being the cause of war between France and England, hsped out from be- from between Mile. Lucie's small lips, acted like clarion upon the distressed count, waking him to sudden eloquence. Mime. de Claire wanted his reasons: he gave them her.. Quickly, and with that fervor which fires us all when we speak of our own hardships, he sketched the un- ruffied life he had led hitherto, and grew pathetic about the proposal that tended to transform him in four and twenty hours from the happiest man in all Paris into the most wretched cabinet minister of all Europe. It was like shell falling upon a pleasure villa; blight settling upon tree; drug mingling with wine,- anything that was unexpected, needless, and unkind. Why had they not appealed to one of those men who are constantly running after appointments, like certain edible quadruped after trufies? There were plenty of them encumbering the l Versailles Hobbies, men who did not care for the jibes of the press, nor blink koo- tooing to grocer-poiticians, and whose consciences were not sensitive to pee cadillo more or less when it suited the public good or their own. A minister should be man with vigorous lungs, for ward of speech, and impressed with the belief that Heaven had put him where he was, to sit upon the public like 8 hair shirt without paying heed to remon- strances No man was fit to be 8 minis ter who could not shed opportune tears over his own civic virtues, his integrity, his disinterestedness, and yet fight with desperate energy whenever an attempt was made to unseat him. Nobody had ever seen minister take his place in cabinet with the private wish to be relieved from his emoluments as soon as possible. This l would be a breach of faith towards ones colleagues, g precedent likely to create confusion and bring the ministerial office into ridicule Thus argued M le Comte de Ris for the better part of quarter of an hour; whilst Mime. de Claire, continu- ing to embroider, listened patiently and attentively Mile. Lucie, less patient and attentive, slipped at an early stage of a the argument off the counts knees, and . went to fetch of hearth-rug her Angora kitten, Minette, with a view to establish ing points of comparison, by and by, be- tween this much-favored cat and the counts own ch0t, Prit.
 ssAnd now," said the count, by manner