Litchfield enquirer., 1879-01-30
THAT FRENCH GIRL.
A STORY IN THREE CHAPTERS.
 CHAPTER I.

due of the estate would clearly fall to the wad of the court. yr client. (Signed) Jos. Culpep- per. To MT. Splller, Staple Inn, London, At torney at-law." This upon scrap of paper, seemingly part of an old letter, with burned edges, as if It had | narrowly escaped destruction by fire, the hand | writing and general appearance assigning it to the end of the last century.
 "What dye uak' of it, MT. Phillip ?" asked my client eargerly; there's deal hidden l there, don't ye think? And the d. s. p.-ah, i that's awful deep."
 My client ras me Bridget. Scotchweman, 1 and confidential servant to Lady Hazlewsod, a very ancient denizen of Kensington tine fashionable part but Hornton- street, in dull, 1 old-fashioned house, brighteneds however, to those who visited there, by the presence of three charming young women, her grand daughters. My first acquaintance with the EaZ!ewoods was made, not professionally am junior partner with my father, Carey < Carey, soliciters-but through my sister, who attended an art-class at South kensington, l where Fanny Hazlewood was also pupil La dy Hazlewood was very old, nearly 90, and rarely left her room ; and the girls, who were orphans. had no one to look after them blI Bridget.
 Bridget, who had brought up two ogeneratians of the Hazlewood family, trotted after her
 
 trained sheep-dog; but she was getting old now and scant of breath, and the charge WIS almost too much for her. The HaZlewoojs were poor, and without definite expectations, except of being poorer still in the future for Lady Hazlewood's income died with her, and the girls had nothing of their own Thus they were working against time to qualify them selves to earn living. Fanny, the oldest, had lively artistic sensibility, which found an outlet in water colors. The two younger sis ters were studying to become teachers of some kind. A very poor profpect, one would say !; but the girls were full of courage bright, ciev- er. handsome girls. who under more favorable circumstances would no doubt have married well. and become ornaments of society. As it was, Fanny Hazlewood's friends thought she made great mistake when she refused your humble servant, who was certainly de votedly attached to her, and whose prospects, if not brilliant, were tolerably safe and solid. Refused I had been anyhew-kindly, but de- cidedly Not that she had made any other choice or that was personally distasteful. Fanny was good enough to say but that she had chosen her path in life-she was married to art
 Fanny had no mother to take counsel with, and it was natural enough that she should tell the faithful Bridget all about my offer. And Bridget could hardly contain herself with SUD- pressed indignation that her young mistress should throw away such good chance for a mere shadow Bridget had no opinion of painting as an art, of artists themselves or of the results of their labors-which she charac- terized vaguely as the works of the t1esh-and she had no mind that the matter should rest there. She betoek herself in secret one day to my office, with full confidence in her own di- plomatic powers and determined, if she could, n hrinp 0h0uf a oQtiSfactnrV understand ing.
 It was some time before Bridget could ob- tain an interview, for there were d good many people waiting to see me and this evidence of any well-doing and importance seemed to af- ford her lively pleasure. She looked com placently round at the comfortable appoint ments of the office, the business like deed-boxes and calf bound law books, and snffed up the latent perfume of size and parchment with a contented air.
 "A verra business-like and nice; and Pm gey glad our Miss Fanny has made so guid d choice, Mr. Phillip"
 But she hain't chosen, as it happens, Bridg- ct; as you know, no doubt, if you know any thing"
 Boot, Mir. Phillip. don't fash yourself with a bit lassie's 'ontarities Didn't bring her up myself, and would she say yes to man the vera first time of asking? And then there's just the. Hazewood pride, that she wouldn't come tocherless bride to an honest mans hearth"
 looked little incredulous at this last pas sage. It was form of family pride quite new to me.
 "Ah, but you don't uneerstand the feelings of the quality" said Bridget, in answer to my look. ''I tell you it is so; and there's nothing that would bring my young leddie round soon CT than to think that there was something coming to her-if it was only in the way of ex- pectation. And what's more, Mir. Phillip" went on Bridget, warming to her subject, ''rm certain sure there's money waiting somewhere for my young leddies, if there were some clev- CT, willing callant with good interest in the matter"-she emphasized these last words warmly-''to look it up."
 AS cenching what she said, Bridget drew from her pocket a fat battered pocket book, and produced therefrom the scrap of writing mentioned at the commencement of this histo-
 ''Fhere may be good deal hidden in it." said, in reply to Bridget's eager question. An awful lot perhaps But it's likely to remain hidden, should think unless you can throw some light upon it. First of all, how do you come by it; and what does it mean ?"
 Bridget explained that she had found the manuscript in a basketful of old papers that the hussies in the kitchen had been lighting the fires with Combined with what she knew of Lady Hazlewood's history. it gave her the nOtion-so dear to the credulous mind-of some great sum of money waiting for claim- ant. l had no more time to give to Bridget just then but at her earnest request promis- ed to come up to Hornton- street that evening and see old Lady Hazlewood.
 A good many precautions and ceremonies attended my introduction to Lady Hazlewood j; was not to say How do you do?" or to bow, or offer to shake hands, but just to sit in a certain chair, as if had been sitting there all my life, and then Lady Hazlewood would be wheeled out, and brought to bear upon me, just IS if she were a field piece, and I some eb ject to be bettered.
 The process was trying one, when Lady Hazlewood-a mere shadow of a woman, dark and fragile, with face like an old painting, and as full of crevices -boought her eyes to bear upon me. Fanny was leaning over her chair, and eyeing me in curious, half-awak- ened way, something like young ioness looking at you between the bars of her cage
 You have been very kind to my girls, hear, began Lady Hazlewood, after an awful pause, speaking in low, vibrating accents. II thank you, Sir. And you wish to hear some of my family history. Sir, will tell it you" ]"
 Lady Hazewood was the granddaughter of one fnlllp hankln, worthy 0f the last cen- tury, who had made a large fortune, in the slave trade, it was said, in the Barbadoes. He died in the year 1793 intestate leaving for tune of about one hundred and sixty thousand pounds, all personal property. He had mar ried a French creole, who died young, leaving him with two daughters, the elder of whom was Lady Hazlewood's mother, and married to MT Smith. The younger sister had mar ried Frenchman of good family, M De la Motte, and taken up her abode in her hus- bands country. Mrs. Smith and her husband both died before Mir. Rankin. leaving an only daughter, Grace, the present Lady Hazlewood. This child and her aunt in France were thus coheiresses of this nice little fortune. News of her inheritance was despatched to Mme. De la Motte, th0n with her husband in Paris. but she never came home to claim it. The Reign of Terrsr was then in progress. The De Ia Mottes, trying to leave Paris, had been seiz- ed as intending emigres, put in prison, tried. and forthwith sent to the scaffold. They had daughter, quite a child, who had been in prison with her parents, but who had disap peared at the time of thelr execution and had never been heard of since This was the French girl spoken of in Bridget's manuscript. q Q fnr 4roa Cyosfh kl,