The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1883-03-11
THE SECRET or THE CHATEAU.

II was in the DAYS Of the French Reyolu
tinn, when the reign OF the Goddess Of Liberty hat
closed al the churches and s0pped every outward re.
pous form, and when the Reign Of Terror was AZ III
height In the land. The little town OF Norrevillc "
the south Of France, lay all wrapped IN glory %
evening Sunshine that wrought rare magic among IN,
dingy houses and III the dr0wsy streets ami alleys
Now II played golden Jokes with the fountain thai
danced In broken basin In the ttlo square; now u
clothed With q new, wOndrous, picturesque charm
tue gable Of yondcr old dccayng mansion; now 4
glded Into small gloomy back court, and turned u
into fliry's gfoito by changing every pauo uf gns
In The tiny windows round 1t into living gem.
Up the principal street Of the town came numbering
q cart hearing sad burden. II was q conn, oyei
way OF pail. At each side Of the heavy cart horse
which drew the vehicle walked q dark-robe figure
q man aud woman. Slowly tho little funeral party
advanced over the rough pavement, that made the
wheels OF the cart Jolt nosliy, aud with revcrcnt
sound of woe, slowly ON they came through the
river NJ sunlight; and rs they went two or three
women, lettering with their pitchers the foun-
tain, watched them with eyes which had n touch oi
sorrow In them, aud made thor comments, as. they
An, poor Young lady - said the oldest of the
group. 'She's the last Of thcm-the very last.
rccoect tho coming home nf her mother, Madame IA
ComteSse, as bride, and all the train Of lackoys IN
gold lace and the praucing Of the six gray horses and
the cheering OF the crowd she threw silver pieces
among them Ike rain on autumn. And now 10 think
that this should be the funeral " her daughter!
have seen strange changes In the land since was
your age, Bahettc, my Child.N
Babotte tossed her head aud the red handkerchief
upon II little disdalntully, u her modern lights
showed her things which were more worthy Of note
call up out Of the past.
What good were they In The land these arlsto-
Gratis y'' she cried ''They Of no more than
the statues In the garden Of the old chateau where
poor folk can wander now with our babies or our
sweelhearts at our VIII"
But the young countess was " q different pattern
from those who went before her - here put In third
woman. ''Mhou my husband lay sick with the fever
and everybody He'd from our cottage on account Of n
a hp1
often aud felt his pulse better than the doctor and sent
him strengthening food aud medicine. She was no
more like her grandmother, who used when was q
chd to go rolling along In her coach all one piece
OF SILK and pride, than Of the gtteriug buttons
the livery coats Of tho counts footmen was like y
bright bt OF money that we can spend to buy chocolate
aud sugar and All sorts Of good things that viii
Iolce our husbands and chldren's hearts. ~
'Well, anyhow, II she had not died now she soon
WOULD said Rabatte decidedly. "Her husband Is
In the prison at TOuon, and she was quickly enough
to have followed him there, know on good authority;
aud what prison ends In for arlsocas In these days
we all know better than used to know our pater-
nosters in the times when 1t was the fashion to say
them.n
'ller death seems TO have been u sudden and
rather strange one - said the old woman who had first
spoken.
eyes, A" replied the elder woman, ait was hut two
days since saw her crossing this oOtpath through the
Held opposite our COTTAGE
'''rhey say she fell down In ut as she was stand
Ing before her dressing table arranging her hair and
never spoke afterward,' said the other old dame,
pouring ont her Information rapidly. as though she
feared BaDotte might be beforehand with her.
. lhat Us niteh 'he way these arlstocfhts 20 OUT OF
the world, ~ iney are lett To die natural death,
eAGa,neu baoet.s, ulpping er manu- mo te fountain
anu tossing some drops OF
as II they were drops OF arlstocratlc blood. "They
eau ana drnk anu sleep SO much that telr hraihS anu
bodies get dun and heavy and they Just fan down and
die for very WEAKNESS of lifc.'.
' wonder what is to become OF all the rich plate
anu lewelstha belong To the familNY said Rose tie
eldest Of the women.
"Oh, NJ. Ia Mayor will soon fnd out that, ~ cried
Rarhette 'Hc win be In the chateau, depend
upon ~ ny tomorrow morning or before and he'll
u 1 mo eNetNtnihg anu MAKE eoon use "I u, 700.
ne u man ulat KNOWS what mes ABOUT, ana llat
hs no false me feeling about tho arisocrats. Very
hkelS ne u Distribute some OF the plhhder pi tue
chateau among us poor lolk'
rlhhe LOOKS grave anu SAD enough as she walks
ny her uead mstfess's body " remarked the other
elder woman;
no Wonuer' poor glfI ~ answered iosei 'they
were nrought uptogether, anu loved each nlher more
11 i ISL, rs, .n ia, IKE mistress ana servant
bnl loi 'tll her sau looks, ! Wonlu wager my
silver earrings against your cars necklace Rose
tnai she Is 'hnehs more OF her lover Maurice man
OF me heau' US beautiful arrangement Tor her'
III ia,tn, 10 nave MN Tor her companion III bIsl-
ness IKE lhS, an hies a sly one, iof an iei ue-
hhie ways am her smooth lace that seems to nave
Nv more lh ~ Hhah au empty k-pall' bapelte
lnaue h,ie expressive WINK, whlch might Imply
more or less according to me fancy OF her COM
Paiilnms, 'a Hie spoke These last words;
lmev VIII mary NetS soon now, should MINK,
shiu o'u Rose, takhs UP her Pcner, Which hau Deeh
'ong drumming over patiently ~ her SIDE.
ph' won say 'nat u VIII ever come 10
marriage aller all, EXCLAIMED bhDette WIN Slch
Toss tnlS lne tnat tlie lods OF lhe red handker-
chleI got loose anu hntlered IN the breeze Does
ne iook lhe bridegroom as ne strlues aohE there,
win JusI le sae gilh US hSual on ms proau lace;
ne eau ger rn OF ~ even ~ u funeral, inc block
heau. DOES ne look IKE bridegroom tnat any SeS'-
oie e',l wou.l EiNe ah olu lih,het'Ie lor
Well us strahEest OF all That they should bury
her III ms way, H. as You say, there's money and
,iunes o. ,l' Sor,s ,elt w ,e cl'ca" SUM- SAN the
younger OF me TWO on women.
AZ Mollir' Finne and NJ. Maurice know more
about maj matter suspect than any one else " re.
Jolneu haoellc, WIN II Wink Vet more saturated
WIN meaning thah tne iaSt. ihey are master ana
mistress at the chateau, now that the Count Is In
PRISON alu we ,ouhtess " uea anu they are making
tle ,,, ol te,r t,me, aS l,le i"s 40 III Tue VINE
yards before tne vintage begins;
Aiter that the group round the Ionntalh broke up,
ana The women dispersed In different directions. AS
sue weht bapetie han het own speclal tram oi
,nougnt, mo wh'en sue pronaDy would not exactly
nave hken any Oh her iilelus 10 look
As sure as the countess 5 diamonds are real, ana
not GiasS Inns was tne way IN which her ieiiec-
lions ehueh- i1erle shall Try ms luck Tonight. l
aoi see why hahelte anu Pierie Shoull not he the
fortunate PAR, MS wen MS finhe SUI Maurice
Me"hwnlie l,'e Souis man ana me Eiii OF Whom
heit heghpor mouths ana minds had INST All mn
consciously 20 the,r Two selves, been so inll had
reached the ctuIoh ior te completion "i TIER sad er-
RAM No iehglons ceremonies OF any Kind were per-
itted at ms time IN France But stil the servants
OF the young tomtesse ne riofon perhaps. recoect-
NJ lat III ner le se aa secretly clung to the rites
,i ei cIlurch were Eoins 10 ny her remains III nal
lowed ground, anu orioh OF me pavement beneath
rue southern wan OF the ehuich ana inside the build
ing had been raised 10 allow OF The body being placed
underneath It, The family vault of the de Florions
was iar away III a Instant large Town; but, rs the
Ionpons times forbade inc tonatess,s remains being
transporter miner tr servant anu iosierSister and
companion, fimhe de fouVflnre Iad chosen the inte-
lor Oh NeIreElle chutch us ther iestlng-place As
long rs no religious iltes We're used tile civil anthOr
es OF me llte town hhd made no objection to this
ARRANGEMENT
. "hurice WIN 40 al Inc resi- sild Flhne, wien
me conn hah Deeh lowered into the place prepared for
II, turning 10 me Two men VINO had been helping
them IN their monrhtul work. 81 should like my
poor mstresss own faithfu! servant to perform the
very iast olhces Tor iier.
III Is strange that Flihe de Fouyri"re's grief at
her mistress loss IL not more evident In outward
signs said the elder OF the men to MS companion as
they Withdrew from the church In obedience TO the
grI WORDS ~ hhd expected 10 see Her drowned In
tears
mere must nave neeh some coolhes4 between
then before Tue iauY dleu H. Is always So sooner or