Litchfield enquirer., 1874-03-05

.sNAk 4H&-s.t lived alone, and then he goes away to the Sonth-to his cousins there. Very soon, indeed, back he comes with fine young wife. We'll, Mademoiselle, you see the master was young no longer, and he had got into fixed ways, and he wanted his wife for himself He saw no use in hav- ing young ones for her to frolic with. We'll, she tried coaxing, and then pout- ing, and then no one knows what had happened; but one morning, quite early, she came running through these trees in her white night-gown, all her long, black hair hanging over her shoulders, and she plunged into the pool! It is deep, Mad emoiselle-how deep no one knows; and it is said there are large holes in it. Ger tainly, she was never seen again in life or | in death, and since then the pool has been as you see it."
 Eugenie's face has grown paler and paler, but as the housekeeper ends her | wits come back.
 ''But if no one knows this, how can you be sure it happened?"
 She looks incredulous. Margot's black eyes are gleaming with l excitement. ''VOil1, that is the whole matter. It is my mother, Mademoiselle, who has been hOusekeeper to the relation of Monsieur Furet, and she has kept the secret close. It has been, perhaps, for that reason among others that Monsieur has chosen me to be his housekeeper when he came to live here."
 ''I wonder you could stay" said Flu genie, dreamily.
 ''DGnae, Mademoiselle, the pond is far enough, and the house is very pleasant. have harmed no one, so why should I fear ghosts. If the poor young lady's conscience had been clear, she would not have drowned herself" She checked her words by strong effort. She longed to say something on the sin of a young girl who married an old man for his money, but something in Eugenie imposed re- stralnt, and the consciousness of this ad- ded to Margot's dislike. She stood aside and let the young lady pass on to the rocher, and then she slip ped into the kitchen-g garden and began to gather herbs.
 Two hours have passed and Jacques | Roussel grows impatient. "DGme, what can they be doing all this time at Furets?" He has smoked two pipes, and since then has taken nap, and now stretches himself, yawns, and comes down the steps again to look for his wife and daughter.
 In the distance, at the foot of the hill, the ground belonging to the mill is shut in by tall, black, wooden gates. One of these is opening now. Jacques looks ea- gerly; but 1t IS only @ man who passes through the gate and holds it open. Jacques shades his eyes with his hand and tries to make out the intruder, and then he claps both hands to his sides with 8 chuckle of exultation.
 ''Well done, old Furet," he laughs, Chow we'll the old fellow bows. Good, it must be settled thing, or I don't think he would have given them his company again" Jacques sighs in the midst of his content, ''Somehow had not thought my little Eugenie would have been won l 50 soon.'
 But though the er-0vooat bows the la- dies through the gate, he takes his leave of them there, and does attempt to follow them as they slowly mount the hill. ''Ah! thou art in the wrong, friend Flu | ret Jacques looks disappointed as the gate closes on his daughters suitor. 'Faint heart never wins. However, if he has won," he said, refectively, "tGnt n1ieuC'
 Madame Roussel quickens her pace as she comes nearer, till at last she runs into her husbands arms and kisses him on both cheeks. But this achievement bay ing left her too breathless for words, she stands smiling and panting. while Jacques pushes by her and meets Eugenie. At the sight of her face his hopes got sudden chill. She looked so pale and her | eyes had a strange, scared look in them.
 ''What, my bird" he said softly, Cart thou faint, my Eugenie." "Faint!' Madame Roussel had recover ed herself, 'fshe is little weary with | amusement, that is all. thought we l should never get to the end of all the wonders we have seen. Think, then, Jacques, of Q man who knows all about | the Romans and who has 8 coin which came out of pyramid. The nauSee at Rouen is nothing to him, he has treasures from every part of the world"
 ''Iais toi, bavarde," Jacques speaks good humoredly, but he is puzzled by the sadness in his daughters face and puts her hand under his arm and helps her up the hill.
 No one speaks again till they reach the foot of the steps; then Jacques says, "We 0dA SO N1u-uOOrS IO bdIhs MHTlo ears are of the longest"
 As soon as they reached the kitchen, Madame Roussel united her cap strings, wiped her face with her handkerchief and prepared to chatter her fill, but she was stopped at the outset.
 "Pardon, my mother" Eugenie rises up and stands between her parents, looking first at one and then at the other with wistful eyes. ''I want to speak first, she says simply, "because I want to spare my father disappointment"
 Disappointment the girl is a fool" Madame Roussel speaks angrily, her pink face is ahame.
 "Veur tu te t0ire, Jeanneton." Jac- ques cannot be angry with his pet, so he vents all his wrath on his wife.
 Eugenie presses her hands tightly to- gether, and feels very shy, but she must follow the impulse which urges out her words.
 "My father, r,"-instinctively she feels that her best chance of being understood lies with her father-"this morning it seemed to me possible to marry and live happily with any one, even with so old a husband as Monsieur Furet; and now a grave fear has come to me, that l might be unhappy, and then you and my mother, and Monsieur Furet would all suffer through my fault. "
 Madame got on her feet. She was in- tensely eager to put in a word, but Jac- ques pointed to the door, and then laid his finger on his lips, with so much stern ness of expression, that she subsided quietly.
 ''Do you mean" the Miller spoke nus kily, for the disappointment was heavier than Eugenie had guessed at, "that you will not marry our neighbor?"
 Eugenie's head droops, and she goes back to the thoughts which have been pressing on her ever since she rejoined her mother in Monsieur Furet's garden.
 She had remarked, as they left his house, Monsieur Furet's look of vexation