Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-05-25

enant Of cuiasaiefs, at my service
answer my question what are You do'
ing hereY l sconed TO answer such an
inquiry pst In such tone, The young
lady blushing and siammcflng, aud ap'
parcntly trembling with fear, mnrmnredi
"A lizard was almost upon mo, Lieut.
Kharyiell heard me shriek- ~ Lieut.
Of Cuimsslea Khaiyloll had not been
trespassIng Oh my property, he would
not have heard You shrek, he would not
have jumped tho wall, aud thereby
found himself where he IL not want
cd At that l turned to Nara, To
tire, said 1, What ! have TO say to this
gentleman II not for your cara ] Kiss
ed hCr hand respectfully, u will make
him repent, hut will not hurt him,
varya burst into tears and 6obs and
rushed toward tho house, Monsieur the
gentleman count burst into u hyena
laugh DO you say you will not hurt
moY Thanks my gay young cock !
,mbucklel my sword aud handed II to
him, Sir said I, give me your stick,
and let me sec whether You can fence or
not. Ilo exchanged Mt once, and We
took position, Don't he afraid because
the blade h sharp ! said, lilo made
several passes at mo with inconsidomblc
skill ! almost rcpcntcd OF my rashnoss,
when | made ono Of my lucky hits,
The sword How out Of his hand, and the
next minute ! had him on tho ground,
my knee on his breast, and my hand
twisted in his collar Apologize, said
|. Il apologize hc managed to glrglc'
THANK me for saving your daughters
lifc.' You did not save my daughters
life. The lizard was not pois-' gave
his neck wrench. u thank YOU he
said with difficulty. Now invite me and
my friends to come to your house ny
often as We like. lie looked rcbcllions;
! gave him look and my hand m addi-
tional twist, aud he yielded, ] then let
him up, In few minutes he recovered
his breath, and then, unexpectedly,
shook my hand warmly. Nou have con-
qucrcd, said he. 'iou may come to my
house, hut you will he the first gentle
man who has set foot within it for
twenty years."
The fever of excitement into which
this adventure threw MS is not TO be
described. We felt as il the regiment
had gained victory. We We're in great
doubt as to what kind of n reception We
should meet with from Bolaron, but
were agrccably surprised. While the
rest of us treated Bolaroil with studied
Difference, Kha,vieil' assumed the airs OF
n privileged person; and, strange to say
instead of drawing down upon himself
an cbullition OF fury from Bolaron, he
rather seemed to advance in his good
opinion. Bolaroll' laughed at all khar.
viell's fiat contradictions, took all his
badinagc with perfect good Mmor, and
received all his suggestions with the ut
most amiability. Victor told him that
he ought to have fine house also that
he ought to cultivate the society of the
officers who wcro from timo to timo
stationed at Vladi Kavkoss. Bolarotf
agreed to everything, and promised to
take his propositions into considem'
tion.
This was only the beginning OF m0nY
evenings at Bolaroil's. Whether it Was
Kharviells asccndency over him, or that
he really enjoyed the society ofeducated
men, certain it is that we had no reason
to complain of our treatment.
But whatever advances we made in
the regard of Loris Bolarofl, we made
none with Narva, the daughter, for, with
the exception of Kharyiell, she was as
iealously secluded from us as ever. BY
q tacit agreement it was understood
amc ng us that, as Kharvieif had made
us sharer in all his other privileges, in
Bolaroif's house, her acquaintance was
reserved for himself. As for asking
Bolarof' himself to present us to his
daughter, we should just as soon have
asked the emperor fo, II similar honor
One day, chatting with Kharvieif, 1
alluded in laughing manner to this
selfshness of his.
"Seriously," said he, edo you suppose
would make all the coXcombs in the
regiment acquainted with girl like
Varva Bolarofl,-so innocent, so igno-
rant, and the only heiress of very rich
man? They would be making love to
her in week."
One evening we called at Bolarof1's
When we knocked Mt the door it was
opened by an unkempt boy, half valet
and half hostler, whom Victor desired to
announce us to Mademoiselle Bolarotl.
We were ushered into the little sitting
room which Varva used. There she sat,
reading.
I had expected to see dazzling
beauty, instead of that, she was only n
slender and rather pretty girl, and, so
far from the startling originality L was
prepared for, she appeared to be very
much like other young ladies OF her
rank. But before I had been five min
utes in her company succumbed to the
nameless charm which she possessed.
She had the power of awakening SYM
pathy in all who knew her, except her
brutal and half-cmzy father. And she
knew how to smile and lower her long
lashes at the same time in coquettish
manner; but whether Nature or Victor
Kharviefr had Taught her that, l know
not.
But the result I had foreseen in re-
gard to these two young people was
only partly fulfilled. Varva, as I had
expected was evidently infatuated with
Kharvief1, while, to my surprise, he
treated her with brothcrly friendliness
that was devoid of q particle of senti-
ment. His feeling for her was the
careless kindness of u man for friend
less girl; hers was the desperate affec-
ton for which the world holds but one
object.
-Four days before our actual departure
Victor Kharvief and / were idly saun-
tering past Loris Bolaroll's fence, when
VIC saw Varva leaning over the gate.
The change in her appearance since
had first seen her was startling. Her eyes,
from being the softest and most placid
eyes / had ever seen in woman, had be-
come r, stless and brilliant. Her color
came and went rapidly. The agitation
of her mind and heart had transformed
her feminine prettiness into n sad and
. womanly beauty.
She still laughed and jested, but hei
eyes involuntarily fixed themselves on
Kharvieff with an appealing expression
piteous to behold.
~