The Hartford herald., 1875-03-17


aware of the contrary"
well, then, where do you get the right
of Judging your neighbors so severely"
II do not acknowledge Madame de
Palme as my neighbor."
''That's convenient! Madame de Paine,
sir, has been badly brought up, badly
married, and always spoilt but, believe
me, she is genuine rough diamond"
81 only see the roughness.
"And rest assured that it only requires
a skillful workman-I mean good hus-
band-to cut and polish il. ~
"Allow me to pity that future lapida-
ry."
Madame de Malouet tapped the carpet
with her foot, and manifested other signs
of impatience, which knew not at first
how to interpret, for she is never out of
humor; but suddenly thought, which 1
took for luminous one, occuas1 in my
mind. l had no doubt that l had at last
discovered the weak side and only failing
in that charming old woman. She was
possessed with the mania of match-mak-
ing, and, in her Christian anxiety to snatch
the Little Countess from the abyss Of per-
dition, she was secretly meditating to hurl
me into it with her, unworthy though
be. Penetrated with this modest eonvic-
ton, kept upon defensive tha seems
to me, at the present moment, perfectly
ridiculous.
"Mon Dieul" said Madame de Malouet,
because you doubt her learningl ~"
81 do not doubt her learning" ] said;
81 doubt whether she knows how to
read"
'But in short, what fault do you find
with herr" rejoined Madame de Malouet
in a singularly agitated tone ofvoice.
/ determined to demolish, at single
stroke, the matrimonial dream with which
| supposed the Marchioness to be deluding
herself.
Il find fault With her." replied, "for
giving to the world the spectacle, SUI
premely irritating even for profane like
me, of triumphant nullity and naughty
vice am not worth much, it is true,
and i have no right to judge, but there is
in me, as well as in any theatrical audi
ence, a certain sentiment Of reason and
that rises Indignation in pres
ence of personages wholly devoid OF COM
mon sense or virtue, and that protests
against their triumph"
The old lady's Indignation seemed to
increase.
do you think that would receive her,
if she deserved all the stones which SLAM
der casts at herY''
81 think it impossible for you to be-
lieve any evil"
"Bahl l assure you that you do not
show in this case any evidence OF pene-
tration. These love-stories which are at
tributed to her are so little like her! She
is a child who does not even know what
it is to lovel' .--- .... ......
81 am convinced Of that, madame. Her
coquetry is sufficient evi,
dence Of that am even ready to swear
that the sllurements of the imagination
or the impulse of passion are wholly for
eign to her errors, which thus remain
without excuse"
"Ohl mon Dieu!" exclaimed Madame
de Malouet, clasping her hands. "do
hushl she is a poor. forsaken childl> /
know her better than you do. ] assure
you that beneath herappearance-most too
frivolous, admit-she possesses in fact
as much heart as she does sense"
"Thst is precisely what l think, mad
anne; as much of one as the other"
"Ahl that is really intolerablel" mur-
INJURED Madame de Malouet, dropping her
arms in diseonsolate manner.
At the same moment saw the curtains
that half covered the door by the side of
which we sat shake violently, and the
Little Countess, leaving the hiding place
where she had been confined by the exe-
gencies of know not what game, showed
herself to us for a moment in the aperture
of the door, and returned to join the group
of players th at stood in the adjoining par
lor / looked at Madame de Malouet:
"What! she was there"
"Of course she was. She heard us,
and, what's more, she could see us.
made all the signs l could, bat you were
off t .. 3.
! remained somewhat embarrassed.
regretted the harshness of my words; for,
in attacking 30 violently this young per-
son, / had yielded to the excitement of
controversy much more than to euti-
ment of serious animadversion. In point
OF fact she is Indifferent to me, but it's a
little too much to hear her praised.
Sand now what am to dor" l said to
Madame de Malouet
She reflected for a moment, and replied
with slight shrug of the shoulders:
Ma fol! nothing; that's the best thing
you can do"
The least breath causes a full cup to
overflow; thus the little unpleasantness of
this scene seems to have intensified this
feeling of ennui which has scarce left me
since my advent into this abode of Joy.
This continuous gayety, this restless agi-
tation, this racing and dancing and dining,
this ceaseless merrymaking and the eter-
nal round OF festivity importune me to the
point Of disgust. | regret bitterly the
time have wasted in reading and inves-
legations which in no wise concern my Of
fetal mission, and have but little adj
vanced its termination; regret the en-
gagements which the kind entreaties of
my hosts have extorted from my weak
ness; regret my vale of Tempe; above
all, Paul, regret you. There are GER
tainly in this little social center suffi,
cient number of superior and kindly dis
posed minds to form the elements of the
pleasantest and even the most elevated re-
lations; but these elements art fairly SUBJ
merged in the worldly and Vulgar throng,
and can only be eliminated from it with
much trouble and difficulty, and never
without admixture. Monsieur and Mad.
anne de Malouet, Monsieur de Breuilly
even, when his insane jealousy does not
deprive him Of the use of his faculties,
certainly possess choice minds and
hearts; but the mere difference of age
opens an abyss between us. As to the