The Hartford herald., 1875-03-24
"well, yes, madame, rather busy d

"Why so?' 40 us4t -5.isasa:a.
Because, | had no idea = ] thought
of asking you to accompany, me to the
forest. The gentlemen will be nearly
there when ] am ready to start again
and can not very well go on; alone so
far :" 49,. i.
While lisping this somewhat confused
explanation, the Little Countess had an
expression at once sly and embarrassed,
which greatly fortified the sentiment of
distrust which the awkwardness of her
entrance had excited in my mind.
Madame" | said, "you really distress
me. shall regret all my life to have
missed the delightful occasion you are
kind enough to offer me; but it is indis-
pensible that tomorrow mail shall ear
ry of this report, which the minister is
expecting with extreme impatrnce."
You are afraid to lose your situa-
tion2'
81 have none to lose, madame" +"
"Well, then, let the minister wait, for
my sake; it will fiatter me-" s-t
THAT is impossible, madame"
She assumed very dry tone:
"But, that is really strangei What
you are not more anxious to be agreeable
to mel' rer fs-G
Madame. " l replied rather dryly in re-
turn, 81 should be extremely anxious to
be agreeable TO you, but 1. am not at all
anxious to help you win your wager"
l threw out that iusinuation somewh hat
at random, resting it upon some recollec-
tions and some light indications which
you may have been able to collect here
and there in the course of my narrative.
Nevertheless, / had hit, exactly. Madame
de Palme blushed up to her ears, stam-
cred out two or three words which / fail-
ed to catch, and left the room, having
lost all countenance.
This precipitate retreat left me quite
confused myself / can not admit that
we should carry out our respect for the
weaker sex so far as to lend ourselves to
every caprice and every enterprise it may
please woman to direct against our
peace or our dignity; but our right of le-
gitimate self-defense in such encounters is
circumscribed within narrow and delicate
limits, which l feared l had overstepped
1t was enough that Madame de Paine
should be alone in the world, and without
any other protection but her sex, to make
it seem extremely painful to me to have
thoughtlessly yielded to the irritation
just though it might be, which her inn
pertinent insistance had aroused. As
was endeavoring to establish between oul
respective wrongs a balance that might
serve to quiet my scruples, there was an
other knock at the library door. Thi:
time, it was Madame de Malouet who
came in She was much moved. .-.
"Do tell me what has taken place." sh,
said
gave her full and minute particular
of my interview with Madame de Palme
and, while expressing much regret at m,
vivacity, added that the lady's conduc
towards me was inexplicabls; that sh,
had taken me twice within twenty~foul
hours for the subject of her wagers, ant
that it was great deal too much atten
ton, on her part, for man who asked
her, as a sole favor, not to trouble her
self about-him any more than he troubled
himself about her. ..r.. .....
mon Dieul" said the kind marquise
~ have no fault to find with you hav,
been able to appreciate with my own eyes
during the past few days, your conduc
and her own. But all this is very disa
greeable. That child has just throw
herself in my arms weeping terribly. Sh
says you haye treated her like crea
ture n \"
I protested: ri have repeated to you
word for word, madame, what passed be
tween as.
at was not your words, it was you
expression, your tone. Monsieur Georg
let me speak frankly with you: are yol
afraid of falling in love with Maname d.
Palmer"
"Not in the least, madame"
"Are you anxious that she should fal
in love with you?"
"Neither, / assure you"
"Well, then, do me a favor: lay asid
your pride for one day, and escort Mad
anne de Palme to the hunt"
"Madamel'
"The advice may seem singular to YOU
But rest assured | do not offer 1t withou
mature reflection. The repulsion whic
you manifest for Madame de Palme
precisely what attracts towards you tha
imperious and spoilt child She become
irritated and obstinate in presence of rC
sistance to which she has not been accu,
toned Be meek enough to yield t
her fancy. Do that for me-"
Seriously madame, you think? n
81 think" interrupted the old lad
laughingly, with due respect to YOU, tha
you will lose your principal merit in he
eyes as soon as she sees you submit t
her yoke like all the rest. --...
"Really. madame, you present thing
to me under an entirely new aspect. ]
never occurred to me to attribute Madam
de Palme's mischieyous pranks to sent
ment of which | might have reason to b
proud"
"And you have been quite right" sh
resumed sharply: "there is, thank HEAVIER
nothing of the kind as yet; but it migt
have come, and you are too fair man I
desire it, with the views which l kno
you to entertain"
81 trust myself wholly to your direC
ton, madame: | am going to fetch nv hi
and gloves. The question is now, no
Madame de Palme will receive my som
what tardy civility."
"She will receive it very well, if you O
fer it with good grace" ..
Gas to that, madame, l shall offer
with all the good grace can command
On this assurance, Madame de Malou
held out her hand. which | kissed wit
profound respect, but rather slim graf
tude.
When ! entered the parlor; booted al
spurred. Madame de Palme was alor
there: deeply seated in an arm chair; b.
ried under her skirts, she was putting Il
finishing touches to her hat She rails,