Middletown transcript., 1881-09-09


plunged in grief. It was a great
loss. .
Who Belroy ?''
"No, his wife, who is charming,
but always invisible. Society sees her
no more. =
Merisi now waited anXiously for
another find in the coupe. But, alas
for whole week neither note book nor
anything else was forgotten. But the
little saint, )" who spent her time SO
piously, occupied his mind incessantly.
So he said one evening to the coach
man
81 have discovered that my coupe is
also used by a Madame de Belroy. Do
you deny it. | am sure. Now, | am
curious to see this lady. Tell me
where 1 might do so.
" Well, sir, every morning at nine
O'Clock take her to mass at the church
of st. Philippe
Next morning Monsieur de Merisi
was punctual, and saw his saint at her
devotions. 1t seemed to him that
never before had he seen such lovely
face. She was still in mourning. She
wore a small bonnet of black tulle,
which framed her lovely blonde hair a
long veil of black gauze hung down on
the train Of her dress, which was OF
dead-black silk, trimmed with black
surah. In her black-gloved hands was
missel full of saints pictures and
illuminated texts.
Merisi paid little attention to the
mass. "Ah,' thought he, :" if | had
known there was on earth such a
woman-beautiful, young, modest, and
stunning society, oh |! 1 would have
adored her. How gracefully she
makes the sign of the cross. She is
little saint. But that Julius-whO the
deuce can he he ~
From this moment Monsieur de
Merisi hung upon her steps. He saw
her every morning at the church of st.
Philippe, and followed her coupe in
another one. Her route was nearly
always the same To her grand
mothers, to the parish priest, to the
Sisters of Charity, to the lawyers
office, and long stay at house on the
Boulevard st. Michel.
At last De Merisi came to the conclu-
sion that he was fool. He was occu-
pied with Madame de Belroy to such
degree that he neglected for her sake
the affairs for which he had come to
Paris. There was only one thing to be
done, to ask permission to be presented
to her, and to pay his addresses. His
state of mind was becoming intolerable.
So one day, at the club, he said to Mon
sieur Villeperte, who was nicknamed
the " elite directory y
"Do you know the Belroy family,
Villeperte ?''
Very well, indeed but there's not
many left-only the grandmother and
her daughter-in-law.'' =
"Could you present me ?"
Hum-not easily the grand
mother is eighty years old; the young
widow is nearly always in the country,
and lives very retired since the death of
her husband"
''Come, now-as a great favor to
me-
well, I'll see.
'sBut at once, because I'm going
away"
Well I'll go tomorrow and see the
grandmother. =
+" Are you acquainted with the young
widow, too ?"
known her ever since she was
born, my dear boy {; handsome dis
tinguished and graceful woman"
The grandmother had been very
amiable, and had given Monsieur de
Villeperte permission to present his
friend. This was soon done, and Mon
sieur de Merisi fell deeper in love than
before, if it were possible. The old
lady befriended him, too. He was her
partner at the card table, and used to
read to her the newspapers and the
newest novels. He was clever fellow,
was De Merisi.
But he was suspicious fellow, too,
AMI he had retained the coupe, hoping
again to find the note book which had
so deeply interested him. " julius
stuck in his memory. But his re-
searches were far from being success
full. Being more and more captivated
by Madame de Belroy, he at last de-
clared his intention, in which he was
strongly supported by the grandmother.
Madame de Belroy did not say "No,"
and so the engagement began.
One day DE Merisi leaped into his
coupe to make purchase required by |
his new situation-an engagement |
ring. Instinctively he looked into the
carriage pocket. The gray notebook
was there. He opened it. The memo
randa had changed very little "The
lawyers, the priests, the milliner's
flowers bring Julius shako.''
A shake Not one of the friends of the |
Belroy family was in the army; what
could it mean ? With feverish haste
he turned the card over. Alas he
found too easily its meaning, "He
looks adorable in his new shake. How
silly 1 am. He would not leave my
room last night, and pretended to be
angry"
Tingling with jealous rage and
shame, Merisi ordered the coachman to
drive him Immediately to Madame de
Belroy's house. She was waiting for
him of ba1. window