The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1872-08-16
THE D0n's VENGEANCE.
A Tale Of the Seventeenth Cen.
tury.

fury.
The bedroom occupied by Madame
de Merret at La Breteche was on the
ground floor. A little closet, about
four feet deep, let into the wall,
served for her wardrobe. For three
months before the evening the events
of which l am going to relate, she bad
been seriously indisposed, and her
husband had accordingly slept in a
chamber on the first floor. BY one
of those accidents which it is impos-
sible to foresee, he returned on the
evening in question two hours later
than usual from the Club which he
frequented. His wife thought that be
had come in long before and gone to
bed, and that he was asleep. But the
invasion of France had been the sub
ject of an animated discussion; the
game of billiards had been exciting,
and he had lost forty francs-an enor-
nous sum at Vendome, where every
body lays his money by, and where
the habits of the people are contained
within the bounds of pra:seworthy
moderation-the source, perhaps, of a
real happiness undreamed of by any
Partisan. For some time past NJ. de
Merret had contented himself with
asking Rosalie If his wife had gone to
bed, and after the girls answer, which
was invariably in the affirmative, he
had retired at once to his chamber
But this time it occurred to him to go
into Madame de Merret's room to
give her an account of his ill-luck-
Instead of calling Rosalie, who was at
this moment in the kitchen, looking
on while cook and coachman played a
difficult hand at brisque, Nj. de Mer-
ret set down his hand-lamp on the
bottom step of the staircase, and
walked by its light towards his wife's
room. His step was not difficult to
recognize as it echoed along the cor
ridor. AS he turned the handle he
thought he heard some one close the
door of the closet; when, however, he
entered, Madame de Merret was alone,
standing before the fire place The
husband, in his simplicity, thought at
first that Rosalie was in the closet
but when he looked at his wife he
found in her eyes an indiscribable
trouble and dismay.
"You are very late," she said.
Her voice, generally so pure and
sweet, seemed to him to be slightly
altered in its tone. NJ. de Merret did
not answer, for just at this moment
Rosalie entered. This revelation
struck him like thunderboldt. He
began to walk up and down the room
between the windows at q uniform
pace, his arms folded before him.
"Have you had anything TO annoy
you, or are you unwell!' his wife ask
ed him, timidly, while Rosalie un-
dressed her.
He was still silent.
Leave me-" said Madame de Mer-
ret to her maid; Il will curl my hair
myself"
The expression of her husbands
face told her to prepare for some mis-
fortune, and she wished to be alone
with him. When Rosalie was gone,
for she remained some instants in the
corridor, NJ. de Merret took q seat in
front of his wife, and said, coldly:
Madame, there is some one your
dressing-closet."
She looked at her husband calmly,
and said, with an air of simplicity:
mo, monsieur"
This "no" dumbfounded II. de Mer-
ret. He did not believe it; and yet
never had his wife appeared to him
more dignified and innocent than at
this moment. He rose to open the
closet, but Nine. de Merret took his
hand, held him back, and looked at
him sadly, saying to him in tone of
peculiar emotion:
"If you find one, remember that all
will be over between u.s."
The incredible dignity of his wife's
attitude created in him a profound
sentiment of esteem for her, and in
spired him with sudden resolution.
"Then, Josephine, 1 will not open
that door. In either case we should
be separated forever. Listen to me !!
l know all the purity of your soul; 1
know that the life you lead is relig-
ious; and you would not be guilty Of
a deadly sin to save your life"
At these words, Nine. de Merret
looked at her husband with haggard
eyes.
'See, here is your crucifx," he went
on. "Swear to me before God that
there is no one there; l will believe
you-I will never open that door,"
Madame de Merret took the cruci-
fix and said:
II swear it"
Louder" said her husband, "and
repeat my words; Il swear before God
that there is no one IN the closet"
She repeated the oath without a
sign of disquietude.
at is WELL" said M. de Merret
coldly, and, after moments silence
"You have very pretty crucifix
there, which l have not seen," he said
as he examined the crucifx.
1t was of ebony, inlaid with silver,
and the work showed great artistic
merit.
II picked it up at Duivier's; he
bought it of Spanish monk, when
the prisoners passed through Ven
dome last year,
"OhI' said M. de Merret, hanging
up the crucifix upon its nail.
He rang the bell. Rosalie did not
keep him waiting. He went hastily
to meet her, took her into the en-
brasure of the window which looked
out upon the garden, and said to her