Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-04-21

U u. che is still undergoing a course cf sii,fIY with various masters, and reading il, German three times 8 week with q erov crness-a girl of about her own ace. wno had lived so much abroad as to he an al- most naturalized Prusslan.
 Nadine Roche counted herself lucky when she sought and found employment in the home of Mrs. Brand She had d;unk sufficiently deep of the waters of aff1iction to be almost on the borders of despair when Fate, who is not always unkind shunted her on to the line that led to, at least, glimpse of prosperity. Her pupil blossomed into her friend. Mrs. Brand took special fancy to her. Her feet seemed to have dropped into the primrose way, and she felt at last, poor little soul, that she could lift her head to heaven with the firm assurance that she could walk, without fear of falling, upon the earth beneath.
 Her pupil, Millicent Grey, is almost as pretty as she is, if not quite. A tall, stately girl with fringed lids, from which the brown eyes look out as if in wonder ment at the world outside, and soft sleek hair of a dark shade, that contrasts oddly with her retrOusse nose, and that is so altogether put in the shade by the charming Grecian feature that distin- guishes her governess. To many people, indeed, Nadine's merry mouth, and fair dancing locks, and eyes blue as cav erned sea, would have had their objec tions; but the child herself is so sweet, so gay, so suggestive of all things good and pure, that it would be impossible to re- gard her in any light except kindly one.
 With only the memory of dear father who had been general in the Prussian army, although an Englishman-and 8 mother, very dear, but very dependent, to sustain her, Nadine, up to her connec- tion with Mrs. Brand, had been com pelled to look at life through anything but rose colored spectacles. And of late chance of still surer escape from her dreary surroundings has suggested itself to her. Into her life Chow, she hardly knew) young man has fallen, who, while declaring his love for her, has at the same time repelled her almost as much as he attracts her. There had been 8 slight touch of romance in the manner of their meeting, but yet nothing very worthy of comment. A dull Janu- ary night, ignorant of stars-a crowded crossings young man who had kindly come to her rescue in the absence of the necessary policeman, and who had piioted her across, through the tangled mass of vehicles, and landed her safely on the pavement at tHe other side. He had laughed aside her thanks, and when she had insisted on them, had demanded largesse in the shape of permission to es- cort her to her home. 'The night was so dark, so stormy so destitute of com fort in any form, and she was so evi- dently timid about the conquering of those terrible rubicons, the crossings, and he was so entirely master of his time for the next four hours.'
 It hardly took him one, however, to guide her to her home. She had steadily declined his offer of cabs or hansoms, but had felt it ungracious to refuse him further when he said he would traverse the distance with her on foot. In truth, she had been glad of his escort, and not altogether blind to the beauty of his face; and yet, as I have said, there was re- pulsion as well as fascination even then in her feelings toward him.
 There was one other thing that pug zled her. Had she seen him before? Those marked features, those soft bril- liant eyes-were they familiar? It seemed mediate past she had seen him; but yet when he so kindly came to her aid on that crossing, just as she left Mrs. Brands house, she could not connect him with any place or period, and after a while felt that her imagination had played her false in the matter.
 When he had taken her home that night he had stood ingeringly upon the door step, until at last, in an uncertain way, half reluctant, half longing, half desirous of his departure, half eager to show some gratitude to one who had been so courteously kind, she had asked him to come in and let her make him known to her mother. The invitation was accepted with alacrity. Mrs. Roche, 8 gentle, tender voiced woman, received him with little soft dignity that aston ished him; and two hours later, when he left them, as they fondly but erroneously believed, on his way to his bed, he laughed aloud to himself on the deserted pavements of that anything but aristo- cratic neighborhood, as he called to mind how he had indulged in tea and toast at that hour, and enjoyed them too What eyes that girl had! What mouthl How gentle, how sweet, how lovablel Yet there was 8 fire about her too, that sug- gested many things, and made the pulses beat, and added ten thousand charms to those she already possessed Well! He had lost his dinner, certainly, gazing at those beaux yeux, but there was al ways one's club, the gods be praisedl and a supper that would be undeniable.
 The acquaintance, thus opened, had been followed up with an ardor that per haps astonished no one so much as the young man himself. He soon-astonish- ingly soon, as it appeared to Mrs. Roche mastered the hours of Nadine's days. Knew when she was off duty and when on. Never put in an appearance on the Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays on which she gave her German lessons to Millicent Grey, Mrs. Brands niece; but invariably dropped in on the afternoons of Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Sunday his visits were uncertain, but he came even on that day more than he stayed away.
 Mrs. Roche was troubled little about him at first, but grew accustomed to him later on, and admiring him intensely as she did (regarding him, indeed, as a breath from that old world in which she once had moved, but which had proved cold and forgetful when fortunes sun went down upon her life), was openly glad and gratifed when one day her daughter came to her and told her how MT. Annerley had asked her to marry him, and how she had given him "Yes" for his answer.
 The girl had not seemed either elated