Litchfield enquirer., 1875-06-10


 l the mother prattled on in harmless, nn- suspecting way. They had spent the | whole winter m Rome together, and thn tlme Of then yisit was drawing to close; l but Mrs. Despard's heart sweiled with 1 triumph when she remembered what she had accomplished that winter. She felt like saying. My power and the might of ! my hand hath done this thing" Paul Eyeleth, her favorite nephew, an orphan, and immensely rich, had offrred himself to Cathie, and been accepted. Her cup of bliss seemed to overflow whenever she thought of it. ''He might have been caught by some horrid matchmaking mother" she thought. "Now ue keep the fortune in the family, and he will make Cathie an excellent husband some what priggish, perhaps, and High Church; but that IS better than talking horse and l going to clubs, as most of the young men donowadays."
 Paul. for his part. had little dreamed of a wife in planning his visit to Rome. In- deed, he had been strongly imbued with the idea that cellbacy was the best for the clergy, and all his thoughts were of altars and rood-screens and vestments and altar cloths and the usage of the primitive Church. His aunt. Mrs. Despartl. had married an American, and he had not seen her since he was a child. His beau tlfnl cousin he had never seen at all So when Mir. Despard died, and the two came abroad, 1t so happened that they met in Rome, and Cathie's beautiful face, her sweetness, her fresh, genial nature, did the work. Paul fell madly in love-, The Church retreated into the background; the celibacy of the clergy was rag of po- pery. Paradise opened for him at once. And Cathie accepted her fate. She liked her cousin; she cared for no one else, and her mothers felicity was complete. Not ] that Cathie- was poor-she was quite lit- tie heiress Tn her way, besides being worth a million for herself-but then, Mrs. Des- pard argued, lone can't have too much of a good thing. and it was such comfort to have dear Cathie so we'll provided for. !"
 Mrs. Grants very pleasant rooms were filled the next night with medley of peo- pie which one could hardly bring toeeth- CT anywhere but in Rome. There were two or three long haired German artists, who gazed entranced through their spec tacles at the pretty American girls There were some short-haired young ladies, also Americans, who studied art in Rome most of them plain-looking, for the gods do not gift many with intellect and beau ty at once. Mrs. Grant had taste for lions; so most of the people present had a mission in life. They were workers, whether they worked to a purpose or not.
 Mel Stanley stood with the rest, look er-on, but he did not rouse to much inter- est till he saw party of three enter, and then he made his way near the hostess and inquired about them. 'tOh, Miss Cathie Despard and her mother," said Mrs. Grant. 'You see, I put her first. as she is pre-eminently sweet and good. The grave looking young man is her cousin Paul, to whom she is engaged. Bnt think just now he is getting into the snares of the l scarlet woman, and the sooner he leaves Rome the better.
 At these last words the party presented themselves to greet the hostess. and Mel was introduced at once, and found him. self uttering commonplaces to them while the words .senga9ed to him. kapt xinrine like a knell through his mind. Cathie was dressed in pale lavender crape. with some cream white flowers in her hair. To the artist who had been painting bronze hued Roman girls so long she seemed vision of beauty from another world-one of Fra Angehco's angels.
 ''The strangers will soon be leaving Rome, suppose, " he sald. with curiosi- ty to know how long they were intending to stay. Next month Mrs. Grant could hardly bring together such a party as this.
 ''No. perhaps not" answered Cathie; ''but would like to see the Roman sum- mer. l always have fancy for seeing more than other people, and so few stran- gers ever know anything of Italy in sum- mer. I've read that the luxuriance of frt1If fc nd Arxu l.. Al and sunsets, are something wonderful
 '1ou are talking to an Artist, ]" said Mrs. Grant, laughing, ''who understands it all, for he has spent summer here. Where did you go last summer. Mir. Stanley?"
 ''To Perugia first; afterward among the | Alban Mountains
 ''So you went through the gates and en- tered paradise?" Cathie said.
 "Yes, on a donkey" Mel replied laugh ing.
 Really now. interposed Mrs. Despard, | who had finished her survey of the room, "that was cha-ming-to go into the out 1 of-the-way places, and see the habits of | the people. though they do say they're | very dirty in their homes, which I'm sure 1 one can see even in the palace of the Cae- | sars, where they have such grand frescoes, and bedrooms like dog -kennels.'
 "Did you visit Assisi?" Mir. Paul asked. | apparently reused to sudden interest.
 "Oh I thought that would bring you | out, Paul" laughed Cathie. 'sOf course you saw the wonderful cathedral, with it's | old dim arches and wonderful frescoes. | telling the story of the life of St. Francis. Paul is perfectly daft about St. Francis, and believes all about the thornless roses, and his preaching to the birds, and all his l miracles He went to look at the room where he used to live as reverently as if it | had been shrine. The monk who show l ed us about told us wonderful legends of | the saints. to which Paul listened SO de- 'voutly that he took us for the faithful, I disclosed all the riches of the sacristy- | and there IS as much embroidery there as | in a brides trousseau--and then invited | me to do some work of the same sort. I | shall never forget that brothers blank look when told him we were Protest ants. | '~ II protest against that name,, Paul said.
 ''Oh, don't let us get into Church dis cusslons, because they're the worst kind" cried Mrs. Despard.
 ''Yes," archly replied Gathie, ..don't forget the significant line in Betsey and ' 1 are out:
  "The fust we quarreled about was suthin about B heaYen." Mr. Stanley. what are you painting now? Can you put the Italian sky on canvas. and all those domes and towers qniyerlng in golden air?"
 II have just painted the little boy in sheep-skid who offers vlolets on the Span ish steps. He devoured chiccory during his sittings; and I supplied him. When he finished the ehiccory, he finished his sitting" Jx.ezt 1.ss& sss.seg
 ''Oh, he's charming little fellow Do you l am very unconventional, but I should like to see his portrait1
 ''Do honor my den, then, i" Mel excIaim- ed, with secret joy for which he could find no reason; and he found a card with his address. which he handed to Mrs. Despard. g-ss
 Do you ever paint church interiors?''