Connecticut western news., 1873-07-11

made for his lady love. The Chamber lain at once promised his assistance, ordered his men to saddle his steed and hackney for the goldsmith, and they rode together to the Abbey of Saint Germain. The Abbot of those days was the Lord Hugo de Senecterre, who was very old, being ninetythree years of age. When they were ushered into the Abbot's guest chamber, the Cham berlain, in pleasant way, begged the Lord Hugo to grant him something which would be very agreeable to him. The Abbot, shaking his head, replied that the canons of the Church strictly inhibited any such blind engagements of ones word.
 Said the Chamberlain: " Dear father, this good man you see here is the gold smith of the Court, who has fallen des- perately in love with a young girl, 8 daughter of serf belonging to the Ab- bey. And I ask of you, if ever you hope to have your dearest wish granted, to free that young girl"
 "Who is she ?'' demanded the Abbot of Anselm.
 "She is called Tiennette," said he timidly.
 "Ho, ho," laughed the good old Hugo. "The bait has brought us fine fish. This is a grave matter, and l cannot de- termine it alone"
 "I know well enough, good father, what you mean by that, said the Cham berlain, knitting his brows with disap- pointment.
 "Beau, iSsre," replied the Abbe, edo you know the girl ?'
 So saying, he ordered Tiennette to be brought in, telling his Secretary to have her clothed in fine dresses, and to make her as brave as he could. In the mean while the Chamberlain drew the Tour angean apart and advised him to give up his whim, seeing that it was likely to cost him dear. There were many young girls even of noble birth who would gladly marry him, whereas the monks would make him pay 8 round sum for Tiennette.
 "I am satisfied" said the goldsmith. "I have laid up few crowns"
 "Well," replied the Chamberlain, "you will want them all. I know the monks. With them money is every thing"
 Monseigneur," said the goldsmith, turning to the Abbot, and speaking very softly but very resolutely too, "you represent here on earth the goodness and the mercy of God, who shows him. self so full of pity towards us, and is so gracious to our miseries. If you will aid me in espousing this girl in lawful marriage, so that my children may be free, will not only pray for you every night and every morning, but I will make for you pix for the holy Euchar- ist, which caslzet shall be so elaborately worked, so rich in precious stones and sculptured with figures of winged an- gels, that there shall be nothing like it in Christendom, and it shall remain a unique and lovely thing to rejoice your eyes and to be the glory of your altar, so that not only the townspeople, but strangers and lords of far countries, shall run to see it, so magnificent shall it be-"
 "My son." replied the Abbot, "sure- ly you lose your senses. If you are re- solved to have this girl for your lawful wife, then you and all that is yours will belong to the Chapter of the Abbey"
 "Oh, my Lord Abbot, though I have lost my senses over this poor girl, and am more touched even with her misery and Christian spirit than am with tie perfections of her body, yet I am still more astonished at your hardness o1
 heart, and this say knowing my fatetc
 be within your hands. Yes, Lord,
 know the law. But, if my goods fal
 into your domain, if become a serf, Ii
 I lose my house and my rank as free
 burgess, know," said he, with hot tears
 of indignation bursting from his eyes
 "that you cannot have the best part O.
 me, Here" striking his forehead
 "here is thatwhich have won byp pain full labor and long study and here ivei : that of which no one, excepting God
 can be lord and master save myself And the whole wealth of your Abbe, cannot repay to the world what it vii , lose when you have silenced this. Yol
 will have my body, my wife, my child ren, but you cannot have my art, for no , even tortures shall induce me to give i you. Know you that I am stronger tha1 l the hardest iron, and more patient thai 7 suffering itself" So saying, the goldsmith, naddene'
 by the calm, self satisfied look of tn Abbot, who seemed resolved to have hi crowns for the Abbey, struck, with hi clenched fist, on an oaken chair, an 3 shattered it into hundred pieces, as
 it had been broken by an iron mace. "See there, great Lord. what sort 0 t servant you will have, that from e maker of divine things you will degrad : into beast of burden.'
 "My son." replied the Abbot, "yo7 @ are doubly wrong, in that you hay broken my chair and judged my soul i t error. This girl belongs to the Abbey a not me. I am but the faithful gua1
 dian of the rights and usuages of thi glorious Monastery, and though y should give to your wife the power t 1 bear free born children, yet must I at e count to God and to the Abbey. Sine :: there has been here an altar, monks t and serfs, id est, from time whereof th n memory of man knoweth not to tn
 contrary, such a case has never hal e pened where free burgess has becom l the property of the Abbey by marvin t with serf-girl. Hence it is my dut T to exercise this right, and to make us y of it, otherwise it would become To! 5- and would fall into desuetude, whic
 would be the cause of thousand trol l, bles. And that this should not be, is ( |, a greater advantage to the State and a the Abbey than your caskets, beautif1 }, as they are, seeing that from our trea d ury we can purchase these thing 1T whereas no money can buy establishe e laws and customs. And for the trut 1T of this call as a witness Monseigneu @ the Chamberlain of the King, who knov d what infinite pains our Sire takes eve1 y day to battle for the establishment a his ordinances"
 le "That bitsis to stop my mouth d grumbled the Chamberlain.
 It The goldsmith, who was not much 'f lawyer, remained thoughtful. Int st came in Tiennette, clean and bright, h er hair neatly dressed, having on robe 1t merino, with lavender-colored girdl 'k and her pretty feet clad in white stoc le ing with delightful little shoes. Al m she looked so royalty beautiful, al le had so noble a carriage, that the gol of smith Was petrifed with ecstacy. Jud, = that the 1aair exch cod ,,ooro fhar, Q,