Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-07-11

while with the 0tner $40 tnSeW tns gold
piece out into space. Then the wailing
sobs of the poor girl fell once mole
npop his stricken ear, until. driven for
ward BY the old lady, the girl entered
the hail door, which closed behind
them. and oil was silent again.
"That must be the old Countess de
Talvere, . great lady in her day" mur.
INJURED be, as he urged his horse to the
trot, "but she reminds me woefdlly Of
,be Duchess Grognona notwithstand-
ing"
An hour or two later in the morning
a vision. more strange than that which
a few weeks before mad burst upon the
sight Of Count Honore de Bellegarde,
might have been seen gliding across the
orchard Of the Chateau de Talyere, and
stealing through the gate which led out
by short cuts and by-paths to the
high road to Luneville. 1t was He
lene dc Talvere. attired in the
quaint costume we have already seen,
hut enveloped in large cloak, and her
face concealed by the old. fashioned hood
and wimple which had been forgotten
by the msidens Of her own time. On
her arm hung large basket filled up
with long branches Of the passion flow.
er, which, according to the gentleman
who had paid that early visit to Tai.
we're, would be purchased at such exor-
bitant price in Luneville.
She FASTENED along the way she re-
membered to have trayersed with old
Hubert, when upon rare occasions he
had suffered her to accompany him to
market, and arrived in the city just as
the cathedral bells were beginning to
ring out the Te Deum peal, always re-
served for the grandest festivities of the
church. The grand place to which she
hurried was filled to OVERLOOKING; crowds
from the back streets and by-lanes,
crowds from the suburbs and the coun-
try, al were fastening to see other
crowds ofaristocratic personages attend
ant on the Kings High Mass, as this
ceremony was called. Well was it for
the poor child that every individual OF
that immense multitude was bent on
making way to the front, in order to
catch the best view of the royal process
sion, which had entered the building by
the Canon's door and was to leave it by
the great gate, so that no one paid the
smallest attention to her, but suffered
her to glide stealthily through the diff
ferent groups until she arrived at the
fight Of marble steps, and took her sta
ton outside the iron balustrade by
which they are protected.
Here she remained, patiently waiting
until the gate should open for the King
and the Court to pass through. She
knew we'll enough that none Of the
bourgeois and artisans, of whom the
crowd was composed, could afford to
purchase her passion-howers at dou-
ble-louis apiece; so she gathered her
long, dark cloak of Lyons cloth closely
around her, and hiding her basket be-
meath it, took out her beads, and bend
ing low, went steadily through the whole
rosary, imploring the Virgin to grant 4
blessing on her endeayor to save
grandmere from the perjury amid
which she had languis1ed so long, and
likewise most particularly to bless the
kind young gentleman whose suggestion
had put her in the way of accomplishing
her desire. How could she dream tina,
at that very moment another prayer was
rising to heaven from the Count de
Bellegarde, in thanksgiving for the
Kings consent to restore the estates OF
her family TO Helene de Talverc, and
his Majesty's promise to assist his
favorite in his desire to obtain the hand
of the now great heiress. So fervent
was she in her invocation, so long did
she liDger over the prayer, that the
crash Of she great re Deum bell, an
nouncing that mass was over, burst
forth before she hsd concluded. The
shock OF the vibration aroused her to
consciousness of her situation, and
when the great doors Of the Cathedral
were thrown open, and the congrega-
ton (all composed of the lords and
ladies attendant on the King streamed
forth in proud procession, preceded by
their halberdiers and followed by their
pages, she started up, and, throwing
aside the long cloak, stood forth in all
her beauty and her singular attire,
holding the basket, filed to the very
brim with the passion-hower, in sight
of the richly-dressed company, not
one of whom seemed to be provided
with single blossom, so rare
was evidently her merchandise at
Luneville. 1t was clear that the caya.
lier had spoken the truth, and that con-
viction filled her with joyful hope.
And so she grew bold enough to call
aloud, in her own sweet voice
"Who'll buy my passion.a over
Only a double-louis the blossom All
bright and freshly gathered, and well
worth tho money!" There must have
been magic in the words, for scarcely
were they uttered when loud shout,
whether Of admiration or derision she
could not tell, burst out from the by.
ISLANDERS, and mingled its shriil echoes
with the laundering notes Of the organ
which came rolling ma estically through
The open door and the Changing OF the
bells from tbs Cathedral tower.
So uncertain WAS the little maiden
with regard to the meaning Of the shout
which had greeted her first appeal that
she repeated it in q tone yet more clear
and confident. This time there could
be no mistake as to the effect produced
for there arose from the portion Of the
multitude within hearing Of the cal
such a sharp, discordant howl Of laugh
ter that it made her turn pale as ashes,
and tremble from head to foot. "Look
at her! Who is she 2" was the cry
Look at her strange dress. She must
surely be some maniac escaped
from the asylum at Sainte Barbe
with her trumpery flowers, too, az !
double-louis apiece, forsooth :" "Nay
nay, don't YOU see? 1t is some mas
querading farce she has come out tc
play upon us poor, ignorant folk thai
we are? Rely on it, she is one Of the
stage girls from the Kings Playhouse
perhaps the Coraline herself in disguise
/ ~