The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1875-03-31
LED ASTRAY.
TRAEsLATED FROM THg FRENcH OF
OCTAVE FEUILLET.
VII.

9TH OCTOBER.
Dear Paul, I take part in your grief
from the bottom Of my heart Allow me,
however, TO assure you from the very de-
tails of your own letter that your dear
mothers illness offers no alarming symp-
toms whatever 1t lie one of those painful
but harmless crises which the approach
of winter brings back upon her almost
invariably every year, as You know.
Patience therefore, and courage, beseech
YOU.
Ii requires, my friend, the formal ex-
preston of your wishes to induce me to
venture upon mingling my petty troubles
10 YOUR grave solicitude. As you antici-
mated in your wisdom and in your kind
friendship. il was consolation and not ad-
vice that | stood in need of when | re-
ceived your letter NY heart is not at
peace, and, what is worse for me, neither
is NV conscience; and yet. / think have
done my duty. Have l understood it
right or not? Judge for yourself
take up my situation towards Madame
de Palme where had left it in my last
letter The day after our mutual expla-
nation, took livery care to maintain our
relations upon the footing of good-felow-
ship on which they seemed established,
and which constituted, ia my idea, the
only sort of intelligence desirable and
even possible between us. 1t seemed to
me, on that day, that she manifested the
same vivacity and. the same spirit as
usual; yet fancied that her voice and
her look, when she addressed me, assum-
ed meek gravity which is not part OF
her usual disposition; but on the follow
ing days, though had not deviated from
the line of conduct had marked out for
myself, it became impossible for me not
10 notice that Madame de Paine had lost
something of her gayety, and that a vague
preoccupation clouded the serenity of her
brow. / could see her dancing partners
surprised at her frequent absence of mind:
she still followed the whirl, but no longer
led it. Under pretext of fatigue, she
would leave suddenly and abruptly hel
partners arm, in the midst of a waltz, tc
20 and sit in some corner with a pensivt
and even a poutlng look. If there hap
pened to be a vacant seat next to mine
khe threw herself into it, and began from
behind her fan some whimsical and dis
jointed conversation like the following:
"If can not be hermit, am goin,
to become a nun. What would you say
hyou saw me enter convent to>mor
row p
81 should say that you would leave j
the day after tomorrow"
"You have no confidence in my resolu
tons ~
"When they are unwise, no..
II can only form unwise ones, accord
ing to your
According 10 me, you waltz admirably
When person waltzes as you do, it's q
art, almost virtue"
as it customary to fiatter one
friends2
81 am not fattering you. ! neve
speak single word to you that | hav
not carefully weighed, and that is not tn
most earnest expression of my thought
am serious man, madame"
at does not seem 80 when you are wit
me verify believe you have unde
taken TO make me hate laughter as muc
as used to like it."
81 do not understand you"
"How do you think look tonight
"Dazzling"
"That is too muchl know that a
not handsome"
81 don't say that you are handsom
but you are extremely graceful"
That's better; and il must be true, f
feel it. The Malabar Widow is real
handsome.
"Yes, should like to see her at Il
funeral pile"
ITO jump into it with herr"
Exactly"
do you expect to leave soon?"
"Next week, believe"
Twill you come and see me in Paris
"If you will allow me-"
NO, don't allow you"
"And why not? great heavens"