The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1879-01-12
M srAR AVID CATHOLIC aRssRNGRR SUNDAY JANUARY 1879

| family should come, Wnou uo6tu ouOuiu scn
Natalie from her. She lived but in th'
present =; day and night she remained by tn,
side of the sick girl; she listened to every sigt
which escaped from her exhausted frame, ant
every COZ CHING fis weut like stab to the
| mothers heart
"Oh, Maryp once said Natalie, as Louis;
was bending over her fall of love, bathing tht
burning forehead of the suffering child with 6
cooling mixture, Il do not think my mother
could take better care of me than yon do
and am afraid-but do not tell her OF it
| that l shall never love her SO dearly as love
yon. But when is she coming thoughf"
| Louisa's fortitude failed her at this; she
| sank down before her daughter. and, embrac
| ing her. she sobbed out Have you then no,
suspected it, Nstalief What stranger would
over W helm you with love as l dof %, look
| at mel do you not recognize your motherT
Then, as the maiden still stared In astonisn
| meut, she drew forth the medallion and wed
| ding ring, Look" she said. that 1s your
father as he was on onr wedding-day' aud TINS
! ring on which your coa5.of-arms is stamped
was the sign of our uulon.'
| Natalie for O few moment, was lost in con-
| temptation, then with an exclamation of the
| sweetest Joy she threw her arms round her
mothers neck: so now / know you, mamma,
dearest mamma, have often seen your image
in my dreams. How ,eften 1 have thought t
you must be my mother ! but 1 was afraid 1
was deoeiying myself, that this would be too
great happiness. Oh, now can die in peace /;
and then-ah. if papa we're bat here nowp
On this anne evening the physician sent
for Madame Moustiers and told her that Ma
prise the family of. the fact.
Immediately on this, the Zealous governess s
wrote to ST. Petersburg, but forgot to tell
Louisa she had done 80.
Que dsy, therefore, mother and daughter
were sitting together, Madame Moustiers hav-
ing gone to the city, the Princess Dalmatohine,
whose arrogance and bodily strength were in
nowise diminished by her years, entered the
room 10 which they were.
Speechless with horror, she gszed on the
scene before her: her grand.den ghter IN the
monetroue No wonder that she could fnd no
words in which to express her Indignation
Louise, too, was taken by surprise az her m
expected appearance.
Natalie alone fonud words. "Granlmamma,"
she said, ~ have, in these my last days, been
SO happy as to fad my bess nurse iu my own
mcthel"
'You hers!' ct len 9Th she suffered; this is
not Your pace---gc"
'.Madamew answered Looisa, with trembling
lirg bGt resolu tely, you drove ma from the
side of my husband, from tho cradle of my
chId, bat 10 bnman being will be found ABLE
to forca N from the death bed Of my daugh-
ter.'
No, 10. mamma you rnst nosle,ve me !
All, if b ad always had you b. my side need
not die o ycungw
These words, which escaped NstaIi4--for abe
had not chosen them pnrposely-.Dade at tlcst
no great Impression on the princess; bat wien.
full of anger, she left the room to geek Madame
Muustiara, w ho was no :. here to bs found, she
began TO reflect upon them. What could she
dot Make fuss, npd send Louisa away
Every one would blame her then, even her son,
Madame Monsters knew nothing of the atfAr;
tue testimouial had baen made out in due
form. She herself had sanctioned the arrange
ment which gave Miss de Roode to her grand.
daughter IS lady-companion. What was it
now best to dof To wr!t5 an account of the
whole matter to her sou, and meanwhile let
her daughter in-law occupy the position of q
servant; in that way ct least the matter
woHd remain concealed.
While she was pondering over this, NAtalie's
words again recnrred to her, ard excited her
anger to the last degree. She wrote to Cssi-
mir that this the way in which Natalie
had salutel her, aud besought him most
pressingly 10 come soou as possible.
Casimir had most earnestly desired to do
this long since, bat he had fallen into an IN
pleasant sit1at on. For some time paat, those
who had eDvieG him he rank and fiji 20, aud
who through envy had become his enemies,
were seeking tn ruin bin with the Car. Some
noArtious words which fell from him on giving
o toast, his kuo ~n opinions, disiiking the Ger
mau element in Russia. and the protection ne
had afforded to some compromised Poles, had
put weapons "a their hands which they knew
how to uss at the right moment.
He defended himself as we'll ae he
could; bat bis enemies were powerful; the
Em peror, worried by anxieties and carried
away by chimerss of the brain, lent only too
willing ear to tbem. aud at the very moment
that CnsirDir received his mothers letter he
was informed that he was dismissed from Ctfios
and that q lawsuit was commenced against
him.
But be YVES 80 shaken at the news he re,
ceived OF the state Of Nstalie's health, at the
OK expression she had psed as also at the unex-
pected appearance of his wife at the deathbed
Of their child, that be scarce gave thought
to the other blow which had been aimed at
him Without rejecting on the consequences
of his leaving ST. Petersburg SO suddenly at
the crisis. he set out Immediately and flew
through Germany to the sick bad of Natalie.
In the long wearisome hours he spent in the
coupe tho whole of his past life unrolled itself
In letters of flame before his spirit. OF what
use had it been for him that he had for long
years lived sad and lones ome life, far from
vife and child, on account of tleeting honors
ard GRANDEUR He had now lost what he had
s5riyen and struggled for long with such
feverish zeal that for which he had sacri feed
his wife, broken his oath, stained his con.
scic0oe! Add his cai!d was dying in the bloom
Of yonth, a:d laid tho blam9 Of her death on
him. uappinesz! No, he had never known
that iu ihe rest!ess driving life amidst court
iGtisnes of TIC Lowest kind of uning and
oCHfoo Mover, never, he must ackuo wledge
ths6 to himself, bad hA been calm and cor
toured since he had driven his l. ouisa from