Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-06-19
LY MISS TutCEEEAN.

EY MISS TutcEEE,Y.
The courtyard opened upon the higl
road. the high road led to the village. wher
everybody WAS up, and awake and excited
For hours past the church bells had beel
iiuslinc. aad gun had been going of a
intervals 1t woke up Hugh Gourlay at tn,
same minute as NJ. lie MaiTc, and old Made
uoi~clle dc Iatouche in her warm bed. II
the Prc>bvterv the children were jumping
about in great excitement. 1t was pretty t,
see the little cluster in the court-yard-thC
babies in front. the little elder girls. in then
broad hats. pecping at NJ. le Cure and hi.
assistant. as they passed and re-pa>-ed
through the gateway. H., who never can
resist the children's voices. was also there,
with q lace veil over her head. Madame
Ialeniin was discoursing To the tohacconiSt
ou. OF her bedroom window as usual. He
had ~tcppcd into the court in his wooden
shoes to borrow an umbrella. "Ah you
will all want umbrellas, says Madame
Xaleuiin ~acelv. MY son started an hour
arp. lie /. not in the procession; he goes
to receive the Archbishop with the other
gentlemen.
All llL- llllif lflNt@NlNll llliA iiANAl lti
inc. rain and mud notwithstanding-tal
tive. excited. French people certainly have
a special art for holding umbrellas, tidily
defyinr the elements their starch keeps
stiff. their garments are dry. their spirits
undampel. at times when an English temper
would lie drcnched. Perhaps IN the long
run the English temper might best with
stand the onslaught Of adverse circum-
stances hut certainly for brief adyerSitie~
We have little patience. The procession
started at last. to the peal of bells, to the
barking of logS-windowS opened, the
church porch WIS crowded. people joining in
from every doorway. late recruits following
A, fast a> they could 20. The women wore
clean white skirts and ~tarched white caps
with satin ribbons the men were dressed in
their usual sunday best -fag-bearers had
the additional glory of a green ro>ette.
Monsieur lie Care and Monsieur le Nicaire
We're both there. encouraging ard marshall
ling their trooI-. They had their breyiaries
under their arms. they Wore their beautiful
muslin ,tole~. their ocmgonal caps The
chori-ter- were also in iul dress, and the
church beadle. in hi- long. tapping gown.
came away from the hell which he had been
ringing uninterrupteiiy since four O'Clock |
in the morning.
\ few cap->trins- joined still hot from the |
ironiug-board where Madame Wachtel had |
been standing uninterruptedly lab)rinr for |
twcntv-l0ur hours. Poor woman. She now |
sank down exhausted. She had counted |
upon going herself there was her own |
iape all ready. but she was too tired to |
move-tired She was broken. there was no |
other word. Ah there goes MademoiSelle |
De Latouche is it possible that she walks
on foot when She might drive in her aunts |
carriage
Hugh. who had dressed and come out 10 |
see what was going on. now appeared in the |
market-rlace He had seen Blanche pass |
bis window. which was Just about four feet
from the ground, and on level with |
people heads Nathilde, of the night he
fore, was following with n waterproof. and |
expo>tulating a. She went. You will |
catch cold, he heard her say: your aunt
the carriage, and then Blanche's sweet.
shriil "po You suppose that in the con-
yent?" ami 50 they passed on.
Ih- whole thing seemed to Hugh like
some sort Of fantastic continuation of his |
dreams. Still more 50 when he found him
self, an hour later. steadily ploddinc in the
wake Of the retreating procession that was
alidiy disappearing beyond the horizon of
the sloping field lie had remained a little
behind. talking to H.. with whom he had
>tifily claimed acquaintance as she stood in
the gateway. on the strength of the night /
before and, as usually happened in such
clSe~, in return for his stiff excuse. She had
charmed him by her kind manner and
sweetness of greeting. That pale and
tremulous H. ha. gentle genius quite her
own. II is not only sympathy, not only |
kind-heartedness, it i> a peculiar instinct
(~pringing in truth from kind heart and |
quick and delicate intelloct). which
teaches her To understand the silent language |
Of the people She meets, aS well as their
spoken words. Some persons can play the
piano others, with 4 look, can tune far
nohler instrument. | often envy II. her |
git, dearly As she pays for it. We can most
of Us sympathize, but to understand Is a
subtlcr quality. Unseliish sympathy, that
iorEets itself and does not obtrude, Is the
sweetest and rarest of all. Sometimes rs
she comes in, in her black dress and mourn
ing garb, look into H. pale face, with its
sweet, pensiyc lines old and worn as it is.
it seems 10 me iaircr than many n Young
and brilliant beauty; its sudden smile i
more tender and radiant. Some bright tenn
lers are little obliyiouS. carried away by
their own excitement; ii. i not 80 she Is
hopeful and quietly pleased, because her
heart is humble and full of love, and by her
example She teaches us to practice this hap
Tiness of gentleneSs and faith, and to believe
in it, even though it may not always he
for Us.
Hugh promised TO come and sec us again.
and then walked off across the field in pur-
suit of the procession, that was now rapidly
beyond the horizon. In order
to save time he had tried another of his
short cuts, and wandered into the boggy
centre Of a turnip-feld, and was glad to
scramble out of it into the pathway again.
The land was monotonous enough, plains on
every side, here and there village crowd
ing. white against the sky overhead noun
tains and valleys were tossing, and storm
was still impending, although the sun had
come out bright for the present; and As it
cleaned from the mountainous clouds above
To the fiat plains below, Hugh could see the
little village. and the spire Of the castle
couple Of miles away.
Sometimes some tune comes haunting one.
one knows not why, and to-day wild
Hungarian dance music, that Hugh had once
heard by chance. seemed to him to he ring
ing in his mind, and echoing from across the
plains, and from the distant line of breakers.
Then some soft burs. of wind would catch it
up and carry it into the drifting clouds. and
then light would seem to break out sud
denly and repeat the tune in another key
People have odd waking dreams at times.
All this gray light and swiftness overhead,
all this desOlation under foot, over which
the slippery lights were Pickering the sea-
birds flying upon the wind: the excitement
and strangeneSs of the scene, seemed best ex-
pressed by the tune that was haunting him,
and which he associated ever after with that
mornings chase. lie caught the procession
up at last, and as he did so the tune died
away One or two stragglers had already
lallen out OF the ranks. There was Madel- 4.
SINE Matthew, the bakers daughter, careful
iy holding her white pettieoats out of the
mud, and naturally too much engrossed by
this occupation to think of much else. Hugh
soon discovered Alademoiselle de Latouche
struggling .n with the Tapping tongue of the
image nag, to which piece of ribbon had
peeh ued, and which it was her duty to
loid. ~ She was dressed in white, as were
=. ..e others she wore little white bonnet.
tied under her chin.
lear you are tired, my child,' said NJ.