The Hartford herald., 1875-03-24

my arm to Madame Durmaitre and en-
deavored, by earnest attentions, TO make
her forget the storm which the mere shade
of sympathy she manifests towards me
had Just attracted upon her.
As you may have remarked, the Little
Countess had exhibited in the course of
this little scene, as always, an unmeasured
and unseemly freedom oflanguage' but she
had displayed greater resources Of mind
than had supposed her capable of doing,
and though they had been directed against
me, | could not help feeling thankful to
her-to such an extent do | hate fools.
whom | have ever found in this world
more pernicious than wicked people. The
result was, that to the feeling of repulsion
and, contempt with which the extravagant-
ly worldly woman inspired me, there was
henceforth mingled shade of gentle pity
for the badly-brought-up child and misdi-
rected woman.
Women are prompt in catching delicate
shades of feeling, and the latter did not
escape Madame de Paine. She became
vaguely conscious of slightly favorable
change in my opinion of her, and it was
not long before she even began to exag-
gerate its extent and to attempt abusing
it. For two days she pursued me with
her keenest shafts, which l bore good ma
turedly. and to which | even responded
with some little attentions, for l had still
at heart the rude expressions Of my dla-
logue with Madame de Malouet, and l did
not think had sufficiently expiated them
by the feeble martyrdom l had undergone
the following day in common with the
Malabar Widow.
This was enough to cause Madame Ba-
thilde de Palme to imagine that she could
treat me as conquered province, and add
Ulysses to his companions. Day before
yesterday she had tested several times du-
ring the day the extent OF her growing
power over my heart and my will, by ask
ing two or three little services of me; sers
vices to the honor of which every one
here eagerly aspires, and which, for my
part, discharged politely but with evident
coolness r. .s ---
In spite of the extreme reserve with
which had lent myself to these trials du-
ring the day, Madame de Paine believed
in her complete success; she hastily judged
that she now had but to rivet my chain
and bind me to her triumph, feeble ad>
dition of glory assuredly, but which had,
after all, the merit, in her eyes Of having
been contested. During the evening, as |
was leaving the whist-table, she advanced
towards me deliberately, and requested me
to do her the honor OF. figuring with her
in the character dance called the cotillon y
l excused myself laughingly on my COM
plete inexperience; she insisted, declaring
that had evident dispositions TOR dane
| NJ Of tl I hoI
displayed in the forest. Finally, and to
close the debate; she led me away famil-
iarly by the arm. adding that she was moi
in the habit of being refused. .-.
"Nor l, madame" / said, sin that ot
making show of myself"
"Whatl not even to crafty me?'
mot even for that, madame, and were
it the only means of succeeding in doing
So"
/ bowed to her smilingly after these
words, which had emphasized in such q
positive manner that she insisted no more
She left my arm abruptly and returned tc
join group Of dancers who were observ'
ing us at distance with manifest interest
She was received by them with whispers
and smiles, to which she replied with &
few rapid sentences, among which | only
caught the word reudnche. | paid no fur
ther attention to the matter for the time
being, and my soul went to converse annie
the clouds with the soul of Madame Dur
maitre
The next day a grand hunt was to tax,
place in the forest. / had arranged Il
take no share in it, wishing to make tn,
best Of whole day of solitude to pusf
forward my hopeless undertaking. To
wards noon, the hunters met in the court
yard of the chateau, which rang again fo
some fifteen minutes with the loud bias
of the trumpets, the stamping of horses
and the yelping of the pack. Then tn
tumultuous crowd disappeared down tn
avenue, the noise gradually died away
and remained master of myself and o
my mind, in the midst of a silence tn
more grateful that it is the more rare il
this meridian.
had been enjoying my solitude for
few minutes, and | was turning over tn
folio pages of the NeuStra pia, while smil
ing at my own happiness, when fancie,
heard the gallop of horse in the ave
nue., and soon after on the pavement O
the court. Some hunter behind time,
thought, and, taking up my pen, L begal
extracting from the enormous volume tn
passage relating to the General Chapter
of the Benedictines; but a new and NOR
serious interruption came to affiict me
some one was knocking at the librar,
; door. | shook my head with ill-humor
and l said, "Come inl'' in the same ton
in which ! might have said go away
Some one did come in. had seen, fev
moments before, Madame de Paine tax
; ing her flight, feathers and all, at the hea,
of the cavalcade, and was not littl
surprised to find her again within tw
steps of me as soon as the door was open
Her head was bare, and her hair wa
tucked up behind in an odd manner; sh
held her whip in one hand, and with tn
other lifted up the long trail of her ridin
habit The excitement of the rapid rid
she had just had seemed further to inten
sify the expression of audacity which
habitual to her look and to her features
And yet her voice was less assured tha
usual when she exclaimed as she came il
"Ah! | beg your pardon! though
> Madame de Malouet was here"
/, / had risen at once to my full height.
: "No, madame, she is not here"
. "Ah! excus me. Do you know yher
. she is?'
81 do not, madame; but I can 90 an
ascertain, if you wish"
Thanks, thanksl I'll find her eas
> enough. The fact is, met with littl
accident"
: "IndeedT'
ooh, not muchl a trailing limb tore tn