Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1878-03-29

OllNe OF ner expansive DrOW tine sun,
you know, kisses our Spanish maidens
with a scorching embrace), her dark
tresses floating loose in the mountain
breeze, her noble attitude and the ma
iestic bearing of her head, like me, you
would first of all have admired like me,
you would have felt an involuntary re-
spect for her like me, perhaps, you
would have loved her l was then only
twenty five, and knew nothing of wo-
men but what I had learned in the clois-
ters of Salamanca or the courts and re-
vels of Madrid. My heart was yet in
its virgin freshness, my head was heated
under our burning sun, and felt that
inscrutable want of something to love /;
something to invest with the rich wor-
ship of my soul; something which ehnnld
burst upon me like a vision of light,
even if it consumed me in its revelation.
When 1 commenced my examination 1
was much more agitated than my prison
er. We were alone, and 1 am sure my
emotion must have been apparent when
l said:
"Do you know the punishment to
which the steward has condemned you ?"
LCb, LII 1Oluy bllO uLb WClCug III Il
low, calm voice." to DEATH"
"Before confirming the laws sentence
[ have desired to see you, to ascertain
from yourself whether you have no ex-
tenuating circumstances to allege."
Nothing"
"You are smuggler, then p
"Oh, no i''-
"Why, then, do you cross into France
every night? What other motive could
induce you to expose yourself to such
peril p"
"That will never disclose"
"Recollect that the only means of
saving your life is frank and unreserv-
ed declaration of ="
"I know it, but 1 will not do it. I
will reply to you, my Lord, as 1 did to
your Judge: l have never smuggled.
Whether I cross nightly into France or
not is my own business, and my motives
are my own. My doom is spoken let
it be executed I am ready to suffer it.
My Lord, shall not answer another in
quiry."
From that moment she was insensible
to advice, menaces, or entreaties. Moth
ing could overcome her obstinate silence.
During three days was constantly with
her, and did all that L could to extract
her secret from her; but she treasured in
the bottom of her heart what she wished
to conceal from me, while she soon
guessed what dared not disclose to her.
Yes, it was in her chill and comfortless
cell that I-her judge, her lord, the ar
bitter of her life-fell at her feet and re-
vealed in passionate accents what she
had already read in my looks and ges-
tures. 1t was i'll her prison that she
coldly repulsed my love and rejected her
pardon on the terms I offered it. No one
W no had seen us then would have said :
" He is the Judge and she is the victim. 1"
She was always calm, cold and resigned,
while endured all the tortures of dis
appointed love irritated by repulses.
The vault of the prison resounded with
my entreaties and angry ordinations,
with my sighs and passionate appeals !;
and l momentarily was tho prey of every
contending emotion-now ready to kill
Milanetta, and now resolving to save her
at all hazards; now begging her to be
mine, and now determined to bid the ex-
ecutioner perform his fatal office. I was
no longer myself loved for the first
time, and the being to whom I poured
out my heart and soul in protestations
of alteration, transport, and idolatry,
coldly answered: 81 cannot listen to
you; love another" After an awful
outbreak of rage at such an announce
ment, I insisted upon knowing who my
rival was, but she replied, with the same
calmness of tone and look, "That you
shall never know"
At this iuncture a violent knocking
was heard at the prison door. My people
were looking for me on all sides, as a
French nobleman had just arrived in
great haste at the castle, and demanded
to see me Immediately. I went to him
at once, striving in vain to hide from my
servant the emotions with which I was
agitated, and at whose violence I myself
was alarmed. made my appearance in
the great hall, prey to the most gloomy
forebodings. there saw young man
who was pacing the hall with hurried
steps, and who desired to converse with
out witnesses.
"I am the Marquis de Clairval," oaid
he; "I possess castle in France, which
like yours, is on the very frontier, and
like you am engaged in suppressing
smuggling and executing justice against
those engaged in it."
The name of the Marquis was familiar
to me, as we had corresponded together
to devise measures for the security of
the frontier.
But" continued he, "however rigid
and unrelenting may be our Justice
against those taken in the act, it is
rather too much that we should condemn
innocent people to death merely because
they refuse to give reasons for their be-
havior.
"To what do you allude, Monsieur ~
"Listen to me. A young girl, named
Milanetta, has fallen into the hands If
your officers"
cha can you explain-?"
"That Is the sole object of my visit.
1t was but this morning that heard of
her arrest, her condemnation and that
she declined disclosing the motive of her
frequent trips into France by night I
know the cause and am come to unfold it
to you; but it is in full confidence of
your honor and discretion. Milanetta is
mine p
"Yours? You Milanettas lover p
"You eem surprised at this-because
snch beautiful creature as Milanetta
did not reside with me in my castle, or
that did not take her with me to Paris
during last winter. You may be also
astonished that noble of France should
be sufficiently enamoured of peasant
girl to submit to the constraint of mys-
terry and the harass and trouble of night
ly and dangerous interviews. But Mil
anetta is not one of those women who
yield easily, nor is she one whose influ-
anca can ha easilv shakan OFF,