Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1872-07-18

with Madame de ZMeEIet.a, :, hosalle
has told me that the crucifx her
mistress was SO fond Of, and which
she had buried with herfwas made OF
ebony and. silver, Now, when he
first began tohvc with us, NJ. Feredia
had crucifx Of ebony and silver,
and have never seen it since. !
But have you never asked any
questions of Rosalie?"
/" g,deed, eIhavei monsieur; butt s
no good. She won t answer any more
than a stone wall. She knows some
thing, but I can't get it out of her"
Ny hostess talked with me a min
ute or two longer, and then left me,
a prey to vague and sombre thoughts.
Rosalie became in my eyes the most
interesting being ia Venld1Ytme .tAsd
watched her I discovered" the traces
of something locked within her BREAST
spite of the Aorid health which. beam
ed iu her plump face. She had some some
hidden cause for remorse or for hope.
Her very attitude always betrayed
the fact she had a secret.
mo" I thought, I will not leave
Vendome till I know the whole his
tory of La Grande Breteche. 10
cain my end I will even, if necessary,
n make serious love to Rosalie."
1t took .peYashlE month ,tqsssaMa "
Rosalie's good graces and confidence;
but when:I felt that l might do SO
safely, 1 broached to her the subject
of my unsleeping curiosity.
7 )" Rosalie," I said, coaxlngly, tell
me all@ySt, Skho~Sabons Madame de
Merret. %
= 20, don't ask me that, Monsieur
Horace =. she answered, with a look
. Her 9ss couutenance fell, her bright
and lively color faded, and her eyes
lost their. liquid sparkle of innocence.
Still, however, | insisted.
Wsl!sy sAs said sipce you wish
it, 1 will tell.
In the following pages the reader
will find a cold abridgment OF the
awful story which the girl told me in
her garrulous way, 'o <
The bedroom occupied by Madame
de Merret. at La Breteche was on the
ground. foorss "A little closets about
four feet deep iatothe- wall, sersad
for her wardrobe. Eersthnses months
before the evening Of the @edtspf
which I am going P helMSo H@ {,
she had been seridssB 5Aspossa /,
and her husband had accordingly
dept in chamber on the first floor.
By one of those accidents, which # is
impossible to 'foresee, he returned bn
the evening in question, two hours
later than usual; from the CLUB which
he frequented. His wife thought
tlat he had come in long before and
gone to bed, apdfhas hsw& sleeR.
But the invaSsh of France lad been
the subjected an spi4ated discussion,
the game of billiards had been ex-
citing, and he hadsl@tf@t francqF-,l
an enormous sum at Vendome, where
everybody lays his money by, and
where ahe HABITS Of the people are
contained 9taihs fHe1bomds Of a
praisewotthy moderation the source
perhaps of a,real happiness undream-
ed of by any Partisan. For some
,tims s2ast NJ. de 4lemet had .eolteptg
ed himself with asking Rosalie if his
wife had gone to bed. and after The
girls answer SMhieh was ihaariably
in the affirmative he,had retlrel, At
once to his chamber. But this time
it occurred to him 10 gointo Madame
de Merret's uomto give her an ac
count ,of, his ill-luck. Instead .ol
calling, Rosalie;; who was at tliis mo
ment in the kitchen. looking on while
the cook and coachman played 9
difficult hand at brisque. N. dezMer.
ret set down his handlamp upon4he
bottom step of THE stair~ase,9 and
walked b. its light to his wife's room
His sep was not difficult to recognize
as It eeEqs4 nloR theg e9tTnOr. eyyAss 4
he turned 'tSe handle he thought He
heard some one close the door Of t9it
closet. When, however, he enter ed
Madame Dc. .Mesrsa w$ssalone aEEtRld i /
ing before the fireplace. The hus-
band. in his simplicity, thought at
first that Rosalie was in the closet
but when he looked at his. ysste hs
found in her eyes Ian inaescribab!s
trouble and disinav
You are very late, she saiG:3 |
Her voice, generally 50 pure atn'l
sweet, seemed to him 10 he Slightly
TERED in its tore. NJ, de Mcrrct
did not answer, lor just at this lno-
mcnt Ros9isg entcisds This revela
ton struck him like II thunderhoit
He-ieean te--w4ik, up and -doast tilu
room betweg1l ii,r windows at j. uui.
form padS ehi$ arms fold,a &.fac
him. s ~ y ~ Il Al
Have You head anything 10 an
noy YOU. or ar yon QlWselP tls
wile asked :iim i:adii'V. &laiQ R.sa-
lie nnGrc-.e,l her
He waa still silent.
leave ine, S4i! Madame de Mer-
'rct 10. hei mai,l Il will errf my m
hair :anH,y.el.!I n, q 4. l. = ]. y, Ssi.
The ,xpressio:. 5r !er l'usbaiid' 5
face told her to prepareder soale!smk
fortune, and she wished 10 be alone
With him. When R sale was gone,
or supposed. ,t.. i@. :gpne, for *hs re-
nained some instants in the corridor,
NJ. de Mcrret took a seat In front oi
his wife and said, coldly:
Madame, there is some une in
your dressing-closet"
She looked at her huaband calmly
and said, with an an air Of silnpllcl-
ty:
No, Monsieur.
This :" NJ" dumfounded NJ. de Mer.
ret. He did not believe it, and yet
never had his wife. appeared. 10 him
.,inre dinnihed and innocent than at