Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-04-27
Richard Pardon Peril.
BY B. l.. FARJEON.

| ouAlAs Iuhnuoou my SOfhhamDullsuc pf~-
 pensities occasionally broke out, but they
 were always of the most harmless kind and l grew to regard them as of small moment. Shortly, however, after the engagement of
 Eunioe and Harry was greatly disturbed by | an incident to which could attach no satis- factory explanation. My wife told me that | she woke in the night, and was not by her | side. She was about to rise and seek me, l when I entered the room, undressed myself, and lay down in bed, being all the time in a sound sleep. "I have no remembrance" said, ''of 30 ing anywhere, or doing anything" | "You never have" remarked my wife. | 'It is very annoying" observed. "I wish to Heaven they had thrown bucket of cold water over me when was child. It might | have cured me-" | "It might have killed you," said my wife, l gravey. 'It is too late now to fret over it, Richard.''
 "I should not mind" said, eff could re- member where got to-, or what do; but all | is a blank" We spoke of other matters, and went down | to breakfast. After the meal my wife and l strolledinto tho garden, ,and spent an idle hour
  l in the grounds, and Samuel Fleetwood made his appearance to give me report of some | task had set him to do. When he came to- | wards me I was conversing with Mdlle Ros- l allie, my wife and Eunice being at a little dis tance, and I left my daughters governess to | join him. Certainly my mood was Q pecu- | liar one on this morning, for the short con- vorsation I had with Mdlle. Rosalie left an uncomfortable impression upon me. And yet nothing was spoken by her or me to ac- count for it; we had eonversed upon ordi- ! nary matters but there was in her manner a coniSinS tenderness-I can think of no other | words in which to describe it-which was new and strange so me. After hearing Fleetwood's report referred to something had observed as he approached | me and Mdlle. Rosalie. She had nodded to him, with pleasant smile on her lips, and he had returned neither the nod or the smile I inquired the reason. 'I do not like her, sir" he said after a pause.
 "For any particular reason?" I asked. No, sir" he replied, after another short pause. "My feelings toward her may spring from prejudice"
 Speak moro plainly, Fleetwood" urged.
 "Well, sir" he said, Gin the first place, she is not Fronchwoman." Il discovered that some time since," op- served.
 There was a look of surprise in his eyes as he said, "But her name is French" "Quite true, Fleetwood. Her father may have been French.'
 May have been, sir!" be remarked, re- beating my words with emphasis. "Then he is not living?" "Mdlle. Rosalie is doubly orphaned" said. Come, come, Fleetwood, we may be doing the young lady an injustice.in canvass ing her so freely behind her back"
 You arc right, sir, as you always are. I am very sorry spoke"
 "But,"I persisted, having gone so far, we may be adding to the injustice by not carry ing this conversation to its legitimate end. We cannot be too careful of reputations. Say what is in your mind."
 "very well, sir Mdlle Rosalie has no par ents, but she has relations"
 "I think not, Fleetwood"
 No sisters or brothers?'
 'So I understand. She is alone in the world, with not soul to depend upon ex- cept oursolves.''
 'Then the man she meets, sir,' said Fleet wood, "is not relation"
 'I was not aware" I said, "that Mdlle. Rosalie was in the habit of meeting any man !; but, after all it is no affair of ours."
 'No, sir.'
 'Go on, Fleetwood; you had best finish. Are these meetings frequent?"
 "Very frequent, should say, sir. I have passed them, by accident, at least half a dozen times"
 ''How long has this been going on?"
 "It is four months since I first saw them"
 I reflected. Mdlle. Rosalie had been in our service only five months, and 1t was gener- ally understood, through her own state- ments. that she was a stranger in the neigh borhood, and had no friends or acauaint- ances. Here, then, was another duplicity to trouble and perplex mo.
 Fleetwood?"
 "In Ivybush Lane, sir"
 Ivybush Lane was, perhaps, the most secluded part of the locality round about but .if Mdlle. Rosalie and her friend were lovers was it not natural that they should meet in spot where they were least likely to beintruded upon2
 "And at what hour, in your observation" I asked, "do they meet"
 "Always at night, sir, when there is no moon."
 "You are quite sure," said, somewhat startled, "that you are not misguided by pre-. judice?"
 T speak of facts, sir, not impressions" "You have impressions-bu of course you have; it is ridiculous to ask such question. What mean is, that your impressions are not favor able to Mdlle. Rosalie2'
 "They are not sir. If she has a sweetheart, what req son can there be for so much se- crecy2 When have approached them-and beg you to believe that have always come across them by accident-they have stopped talking and have shrunk away from observa- tion, the man especially. Once am certain they were quarreling." ..
 "A lovers quarrel, Fleetwood"