Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-05-13
a chance of your giving me the kind of well

"Benefactor, pshaw !' he said, impatiently
rising and turning away from her. 81 hate
that sort of talk. You talk of receiving ben.
e6ts, when you have bestowed upon me more
happiness than I ever knew before-short,
lived happiness" he added, bitterly. II was
foolish enough to think it might last"
Poor Alice hung her head, feeling as grieved
and penitent as if she had really been guilty
of some wrong. II am very sorry" she MUIR
INJURED again. "You ought never to have
brought nae here, to make trouble in this
way"
Don't say that" he returned, impetuously
"I shall always be thankful and glad for the
privilege of having enjoyed your society, even
though you have disappointed my dearest
hopes. Don't look so downcast," he added
with some compunction, as he caught sight of
the tears in her eyes, "or I shall feel like a
brute for having annoyed you in this way"
At this moment thesound Of approaching
footsteps was heard and Alice precipitately
retreated by side door, while Gervais took
up book, and feigned to be absorbed in its
contents when his mother entered the library.
"Where is Marion? I thought heard
her voice in here" said Mrs. Delatour, in her
soft tones.
"She was here but she went out minute
ago." replied Gervais, indfferently.
"Went out! Where?"
II don't know-out of the room, NEAR" Z"
"Oh !" said his mother" who had watched
his countenance narrowly during this brief
dialogue, and felt convinced that something
had happened, though she could not quite d.
vine what the nature Of the something was.
She asked no question, but she kept watch
during the evening on both the young peo-
pie. She saw that her sons manner to Alice
was constrained, and Alce's to him very shy
and little deprecatng; and she drew her
own conclusions therefrom, and secretly re-
ioiced over them. 1.-THE silly chit has abso-
lutely refused him. she said compacently to
herself; "thanks, no doubt, to that cousin
somebody or other of hers, of whom she seems
so fond" And it came to pass that after the
young girl had gone to bed, and Gervais, as
was his wont, fingered over the fire with his
mother for parting chat, the latter contrived
by little iudicious manGuvering to elicit
the confession she desired to hear. Gervals
never kept any secrets from her, and he soon
came out with this, frankly enough.
"Ofcourse it serves me right, mother" he
said. 81 deserved punishment for being 30
presumptuous as to expect to win her affection
in such short time"
Mrs. Delatour had experience enough to
know that while the fever was still on him,
the most unwise treatment she could bestow
would be that of casting any slight on the OBJ
ject Of his alteration so instead Of saying that
she thought the presumption was on Alice's
part, in rejecting such magnificent offer as
that of her peerless SOD, she quietly remarked
that it was great pity; but that girls so
young seldom knew their own mind, and it
was difficult to know what to expect from
them.
"Oh! she never gave me the least encour-
agement," said Gervais, quickly. "The fault
was all mine."
"No. I never blamed her." said his mother.
81 believe she is good, innocent little thing"
"She is an angel" cried Gervais, enthusi.
astically.
Next day, when Alice returned from the
village, Mrs. Delatour detained her in the
parlor for little private talk, before she
went up to her room.
"Maron, DEAR" she said, holding her hand
caressingly between both of hers, II want to
make a definite arrangement with you. /
don't wish matters to 60 on in this unsatisfac-
tory way any longer. Why, you look quite
alarmed" she added, smiling, as Alices color
came and went, in apprehension as to what
might be coming next. "It is nothing very
terrifying want to say to you. Sit down
here moment, by me" ..
Alice accordingly took seat on the sofa,
and Mrs. Delatour, still holding her hand,
went on in the same afectionate manner.
ut is only that want to make sure, my
dear, of your companionship while my son is
absent. Did you know that he was going
away very soon ?"
"He spoke to me of it." said Alice, trying
to look unconcerned, "but did not seem quite
sure whether he would 60 or not"
'He has been talking of it for some time,
but has just succeeded in making up his mind
on that subject. 1t is decided now, that he is
to start from New York early in April. This
is-let's see-the thirteenth Of March, is it
not? So he will leave home in a very few
days time. And I want you to promise not
to desert me while he is gone, unless, indeed,
you find my home and my company too dull. -
81 think you must be laughing at me, }" said
Alice, little reproachfully, "or else you must
think me very ungrateful."
"For what, my dear ? If we come to talk
of gratitude, it is I who should be grateful to
you, for enlivening me with your cheerful So
ciety," said Mrs. Deatour, who felt, at that
moment, overaowing with benevolence toward
Alice and all human kind. It is settled,
then? You promise to stay with me? Ger
vais will be gone for year-perhaps longer !;
and should be very lonely during his ab'
sence, without you"
Eyes, l will stay and 1 thank you, most
gratefully, for your kindness" said Alice. 81
shall never, never be able to repay it"
"Yes, you will" said her friend, kissing her
forehead. "Always be the dear, amiable
little girl you are now, and your companion
ship will be an inestimable benefit to me.
Alice wondered, as she went up stairs to
take off her things, whether Mrs. Delatour
would have been so friendly to her if she had
known that she had refused her son! She
little knew, in the innocence of her heart, that
the proceeding for which she so deeply re-
preached herself, far from being considered
an ofense had won her ten fold the favor she
had before enjoyed in the mothers estima-
ton She of course considered her an ex-
tremely foolish girl but she was disposed to
view her folly with a very lenient eye, since it
had brought about result which so exactly
accorded with her wishes.
Toward the end of March, Gervais bid
adieu to Elmwood and its inmates, and de.
parted on the long talked-of visit to the land
Of his ancestors. His mother was very low
spirited for some time after he left, for she
was too devoted to him not to grieve over his
absence, though it was at her own desire that