Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-06-16

OhS Gay WHICH Hdu Dttu over
whelming with disillusions and contrarieties
he found the greeting of those upon
whose influence he relied to be more dist
ant than usual. His energy was over
come by the shock, and an acute sadness
took possession of his spirit In this SOM
Der mood he arrived at Lady Cavendish's
His handsome face was worn and pale; his
speech, ordinarily so sparkling and fluent,
was curt and devoid of those pretty moth
ings and gilded compliments to which she
was so accustomed. She was struck by
the change, without suspecting the cause
Between her opinion of NJ. de Blainvilliers
and the reality there was vast wall
which, stone by stone, was crumbling
away.
Have you heard of the grand fete
which is to be given at the Ambassador
querled she to open the conversation.
Yes, Madame"
You will be there?"
." Not this time"
b" 1ou are not in earnest -
/ am speaking the truth. am not in
mood for fetes"
" What is the matter, pray?'
/ have lost faith in myself"
Are you really serious ~
Perfectly"
Explain, Monsieur"
Madame, have just made an import
ant discovery"
'Indeed Let us hear"
81 have found that | was not born for
greatness"
"What an excellent bit of pleasantrym
Son the contrary, Madame, | am quite
i
worth the pains that one must take to ac-
quire them"
"You astonish me beyond measure"
"Ah. that is because you are not aware
of the difficulties which are strewn in the
paths of some of us"
"But you certainly are not of the num-
Der ~
''Yotl mistake. My life is full of bitter
ness and fruitless agitation. | am wearied
of it. For some, fortune and honors are
gifts from the skies for others, a painful
road which has no issue. To walk from
office to office, to solicit, labor, lose sleep,
make enemies and be in constant dread are
the disagreeable conditions upon which
one succeeds in gaining a little fame, or in
obtaining an ephemeral influence over
other men. Such an existence is incom-
patible with my nature. feel that there
is in me something which calls for tran
quillity, repose-nay, even mediocrity.
But pardon me, madame why should 1
weary you with these melancholy refec-
tionS?"
son the contrary, Monsieur de Blain-
vifliers, i listen to you with great interest.
Surely, you cannot doubt it. But have
you not many influential friends ?"
81 no longer have any faith in those
friends"
"Yod were on the eve of being called to
some important position, so you said"
81 renounce it."
"Apd societyw
81 withdraw from it."
"What will people say"
"Is it worth while considering the opin-
ions of the world?"
81 think so; but at any rate, why should
you leave the world, when you have such
a fine patrimony The Blainvilliers lands
are yours, are they not? ?"
''The name alone belongs to me-"
81 thought it applied only to heredi
tary domain"
THAT is not always the case in France"
Glow strange! but no matter. Let us
drop that subject, and talk of yourself
Your fortune is perhaps insufficient, or en-
barrassed?'
"My fortune will, hereafter, correspond
to my wants. have done with foolish
ness and vanity. | will seek my sweetest
pleasure IN the inspirations of the mind
and heart. l have the wherewith to peo-
pie the greatest solitude, and combat the
most obscure mediocrity. This wealth of
souvenirs, Madame, | owe entirely to
you"
"You are poetic; tomorrow you will be
more matter-of-fact."
The breast of NJ. de Blainvilliers heaved
with emotion, and he said huskily: 81 fear
not, Madame"
This interview left painful impression
on the mind of Lady Cavendish, but she
persuaded herself that his sadness was
greatly exaggerated.
In truth, NJ. de Blainvilliers' chagrin
was not so poignant on the morrow. He
repented of his frankness, so he merely ex-
lied himself from the world, without leav-
ing the salons of Lady Cavendish. The
hand of necessity weighed heavily upon
him, however, and he was capable of max
ing all honorable designations.
I-dAN SENCnulSh ulN lOL lOE Il IODp
time believe in his determination and en-
deayored to win him back to society. She
sent him invitation after invitation to
balls and fetes, and was astonished on each
occasion at not seeing him at Duke or
Countess Blanks, nor at any concert or re-
ception. After a period of hoping and
waiting in vain, the resolutions of NJ de
Blainvilliers caused her genuine sadness.
This was evident from the unusual pensive-
ness of her manner. To this phase of sad
ness succeeded an actual anxiety; she be-
gan to feel uncomfortable in his presence,
to blush like child when conversing
with him, showing her embarrassment and
corstraint unconsciously.
One evening, when he presented him
selfas usual at her house, he was informed
that she had gone. He protested that
there must be some mistake, but he was
assured that she had really departed.
as there no letter for me?" he asked
blankly.
"Yes, Monsieur"
"Giveit to me at once, then"
He broke the seal in a fever of impa-
tience, and read:
Ny Dear NJ de BiainuUierS: Lady Cading-
ton and myself leave in great haste to-day to
attend to a family affair which requires my i'm
mediate presence in England wished TO wait
in order to inform you of this sudden resolution,
but Lady Cadington thought it best that the in
teryiew should not take place. and exacted
from me the sacrifice of pleasure in the name
of duty. Adieu.
NJ. de Blainvilliers attributed the cold
tone of this letter, as well as her abrupt
departure, to an actual occurrence in
Lady Cavendish's family, but he soon dis
covered that she had neither relatives nor
friends in any danger, nor any interests in
peril. In word, that there had been no
real necessity for her hasty trip to Eng
land. He pondered deeply upon her in
explicable conduct and found the solution
of the problem in himself. 1t was from
him, evidently, that she had fled. She
had not loved him for himself uniquely;
what she had loved was the eclat of his
social standing; her affection was, there
fore, only conditional, and he found in his
own dignity a balm for his regrets.
The absence of Lady Cavendish left the
field clear for Madame de Flavigny. The
heart wounded by memories of the first
love turns to the second with tenderness
born of the gratitude which it feels at
having, at least as yet, been spared any
sorrow from that source.
After a lapse of several months Il minis
terial courier brought him one day the long
despaired-of official document. He had