The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-09-22
CHAPTER VI.
HORACE MARGRAVF'S CONPFSSTlS

Life in the Faubourg St German
seemed very dreary to Ellinor after the
brilliant London society to which she
had been accustomed since her mar
riage. Her aunts visiting list was very
limited Four or five old dowagers,
who thought that the glory of the world
had departed with the Bourbons, and
that France, in the van of the great
march of civilization, was foremost in
a demOniac species of dance, leading
only to destruction and the erection OF
a new guillotine upon the Place de lie
Revolution; two or three elderly but
creditably preserved aristocrats of the
ancient regime, whose political princi-
pies had stood still ever since 1888, and
who somewhat resembled ormolu clocks
of that period, very much ornamented
and embellished, but entirely powerless
to tell the hour of the day; three or four
very young ladies, educated in con-
vents, and entirely uninterested in any
thing beyond Nj. Lamartine's poetry,
and the manufacture of point lace; and
one terrifically bearded and mustaeh-
ioed gentleman, who had written a vol
ume OF poems, entitled Clouds and
Mists y but who had not yet been 50
fortunate as to meet with publisher
this was about the extent of the visiting
circle in the Rue st. Dominique; and for
| this circle Ellinors aunt set apart 8
particular evening on which she was
visible, in conjunction with eau Sucree
rather weak coffee, and wafer biscuits
The very first day of Ellinor's visit
happened to be the day of her aunt re-
ception, and it seemed to her as if the
tiresome hours would never wear them
selves out, or the equally tiresome guest!
take their departure. She could no
help remembering how different every
thing would have been had Horace Mar
grave been present. How he woul(
have fought the battle of the tiers eta
with the white-headed old partisans o
the departed noblesse; how he woult
have discussed and critically analysed
Lamartine's "Odes" with the youn!
ladies from the convent how he would
have flattered the vanity of the bearded
poet; and regretted the Bourbons witt
the faded old dowager. But he wa
away--gone out of her life, perhaps, EN-
tirely, Il shall never see him again,
she said; "that dear and honorabl
guardian, in whose care my dead fathe
left me-
The next day she went with her aun
to the Louvre, to see the improvement
that had been made beneath the sway G
that new ruler, who had already bega
his work of regeneration in brick ant
mortar The pictures only wearied her
the very coloring of the Rubens' scenes
to have lost half its glowing beaut
since she had last seen them; and Mari
di Medici, florid and resplendent, bore
her terribly. Many of the recent &C
QUESTIONS she thought frightfully ovel
rated, and she hurried her aunt ava
from the splendid exhibition before the
had been there half an hour. She mad
a few purchases in the Palais Royal
and loitered for little time at mi
liners, in the Rue de rEchelle, discuss
ing new bonnet, and then declare
herself thoroughly tired out with he
mornings exertions.
She threw herself back in the cal
rage, and was very silent as they drov
home; but suddenly, as they turne
from the Rue de Rivoli into the ope
space between the Tuileries and tn
Louvre, they passed close to a hackne
coach, in which gentleman was seated
and Ellinor, starting up, cried out
'Aunt! my guardian, Mr.. Margravt
Did you not see himP He has just thi
moment passed us in hackney coach.
She pulled the check-string violentl
as she spoke, and her aunt's coachma
stopped; but Horace Margrave was OF