Litchfield enquirer., 1881-01-20


 Then you are a much handsomer fellow than took you for, .said Frank. half to him. sslf, but Albert was listening. .sasgf'
 Ans, you are always so droll j! You find her handsome, then, my sister?
 She is perfectly beautiful, said Frank, in a lower voice still. Y. a'+s F }s.--s
 There was suppressed irritation about the tone of these remarks which gave Albert 8 certain malicious pleasure. He laughed to himself as he stood before the chimney glass brushing up his back hair. slas e7@,a 5a4 E#a II eTa *sa ea s-@ ..isa
 Monsieur le Baron and Madame la Bar onne de Saint Flor were by no means such agreeable people as their son and daughter. They were stiff with an old-fashioned pro- vincial stiffness. The baron had been in the navy, had gray whiskers, and g red ribbon in his button-hole. Madame was a dark, grave little woman with an important manner. They were both inclined to look on an Englishman as their natural enemy, and on this special one as thing of inferior creation. With ne title, not even in the army or navy, mer. chant actually-but that. must be some mis- take, the ba-onne was sure. Her son, with all his modern ideas would never have brought as guest to Chateau Maupas per son who made living by buying and sell ing. Monsieur and Madame de Saint Flor made these remarks to each other privately. If they had known the length to which Al ber's ideas had goue led by common sense and affection for his friend, perhaps they would hardly have behaved to Frank. with even outward courtesy But in that they were faultless; they both treated him with ceremonious politeness. a 7t
 Somehow Frank hardly knew how it hap hoe ter day, at the chateau. He had his excuses The roads were blocked with snow the news papers brought terrible accounts of the state of Paris buried In snow starving. Madame de Saint Flor insisted that her son should not risk his life on the railway in such weather, and was obliged to express polite anxiety about her guest, too, Frank knew it was all nonsense that under ordinary circumstances mountains of snow would not have kept him in dismal old place like this, with nothing to de but smoke aud stare at the ancient tonnes in the library, appear at meals when the bell changed, listen to the eternal prosings ol Mon- sieur le Baron, read the Union with it's one- sided politics. hand madame her coffee after dinner. s.- .s.= i-,a ..ss -,.,f4,-, Et'i ?
 After all he did not really want any amuse- ment. He was deeply interested was the way he put it to himself in Mademoiselle
 
 could hint to Albert that it was all humbug about waiting till he was for forty, and marry, ing a countrywOman of his own. Of course, he had very little talk with her, and their ac- quaintance did not seem to advance much . The sweet welcoming manner, the sympa- thetic smiles of the first evening, seemed to be her highest mark. In her mothers pres ence she scarcely ever went so far and she and Frank were never alone together, Now and then their eyes met, and though 1t was only for an instant, Frank felt d strong deep excitement, longing to make her look at him again. s .Hs.t
 By and by, when he was satisfied that she in her strange way was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, u dawned on.him that her usual expression was intensely sad |; that when her mouth and eyes were quiet, and her face bent over the tapestry she worked at for hours together, she looked as If she could never smile again. Frank thought about her day and night. He trembled at every sign ot thaw, and the white flakes as they steadily descended were more precious to him than showers of gold. Madame de Saint Flor came into the dining room one morning and found him standing at the window whistling cheerfully, as he stared out into a thick snow storm.
 You are most unfortunate, monsieur she said. Instead of improving, the weather seems to grow worse. 1 sympathiss most truly with both you and Albert .-- ,. ...e
 You are very good, madame said Frank smiling. I assure you that I never was more happy and contented If it had not been for this obliglng snow, might never have known Albert's relations
 You make the bad weather pass very pleasantly for us' said the baronne graciously We too are glad to know our sons best frend'
 She could not resist the conviction that this merchant was like gentleman, though it half provoked her that he should take their hospitality for granted in this sort of way.
 At breakfast that day the talk happened to turn on architecture, and Monsieur de Salnt- Flor assured Frank that the house which shel- tered him at that instant was pure specimen of Francois Premier. The outer walls and Notifications had of course been pulled down i; there had formerly been eight corner towers of which only one remained, the old disused colombier. But the three pavilions of the house itself, with the galleries connecting them, stood precisely as the sixteenth century had left them. Monsieur de Saint Flor told his companions that he was proud of their very diapidatioi. He remarked that restora- tion was the tomb of history Frank, who had often heard Albert speak of the old chateau in very different strain, was irrever- ent enough to wonder whether good balance at his bankers would not change M.de Baron's opinion. He discovered, however, that Marguer- ite-this was her lovely name, by which the bold Eng 'ishman already called her in his dreams-had a very affectionate admiration for the old place she looked up and smiled and joined in the conversation quite eagerly.
 After breakfast Albert walked down with his father to the village, half a mile off, to settle some business at the Marie. Frank, after wandering all round the chateau, even under the rugged walls of the south front. where there was patch of ground rallied off and planted with shrubs, and where he saw something that startled him a good deal, made his way back to the salon windows, where he looked in and saw Marguerite sitting over her tapestry. The wild old place with it's long history, It's owners with their stiff old fashioned ways; the stern winter that blocked it ln, the dead silence, only broken by the fall of mass of snow from some overladen tree, and now a real mystery to account, as it were, for all this suggestiveness these were certainly strange surroundings for matter-of- fact young Saxon. Marguerite herself was like an enchanted lady, so silent and lovely, and always dressed in wbite and black, like a nun, or a creature with some sad history, 1t was q privilege to find her alone, and he hur- ried into the room, where she welcomed him with smile. He stood and watched her needle as it passed in and out among the col arabesques she was working. uae ss.s y.,l,
 Have yeu been examining our architecture, monseur?' she said I saw you wandering round the house. ss4le "a sa s@ f@4gea Yes, smademeiselle. And saw something that puzzled me j., perhaps you can explain ftp
 Marguerite dropped her needle, leaned back, and fixed her eyes on him; the deep, won- dering sadness in them appalled, tue young man.
 Do not distress yourself' he said, coloring. It IS too curious of me to notice it, perhaps
 HWhat was it2 1 should like you to tell me- .s...fss .f.'.....- .-.+ .t.
 Well. was under the window of the south pavilion, where the garden is raiied of, you know. The windows. are barred, but one of them was open, and an old lady was standing at it, Her hair was white. She had nothing on her head 1 am afraid she would catch cold. She looked at me, and waved her hand