Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1890-01-06
RETIRE Z TON
BY "THE DUCHESS
CHAPTER XIV.

CROWDED. as the filNa was 10 sing
L hate the ultra fashionable concertsr'
says her sister-in-law, Mrs. Brand, who
is feeling slightly fractions. The others
are nearly, if not quite, as good, and
there is tire advantage of finding ones
self alive after them; but this afternoon
To look at the Duchess of Downshire
was to guess the rest. Poor woman! she
grew so flushed. so heavy, toward the
end that / wonder the chair didn't give
way under her
Where j. Millicent;'' asks Lady
Valworth. rather inconsequently.
In her boudoir with Miss Roche. "
Mrs. Brands tone is slightly sharp. Il
asked Brown as / came in, and he told
me So"
How did she spend her day."
with some people rather cut of my
set. though i'll a specially good one-if a
rather dull One-of their own. You re-
member the Durans old Fanny Duran
more particularly She is keeping house
for her nephew now
Maurice Duran, who lost his wife
some wears ago. \ silly little woman
with a temper, as / remember her. A
daughter Of Lord AShborOugh 5.
Yes The wife was insupportable to
a degree Well-he lives with his aunt
now. And what on earth Niillicent could
see in Fanny Duran to make her miss
tu-day-S concert is more than / can con-
ceivc: sometimes that girl worries me
beyond belief.
Well | think it was very nice or her,
returns Lady Nalworth, pleasantly.
Few girls nowadays would give even a
thought to an old woman like Fanny.
Yes. it was kind of her
She taps her spoon softly against the
edge of her cup, and tells herself that this
niece of hers-so soon to he her daughter
in-law-is indeed a treasure to be desired.
i dare say you are right" she says.
"And as to Nadine Roche, that little
Friend of hers, l have wanted to say
word TO you about her for some time.
She is such a sweet girl-so gentle, so
thoroughly bred-but poor, you know.
Her father. Gen. Roche, died suddenly,
and there was no provision for the family
"a very usual thing with military men
and so the poor child has to give lessons
to exc out the slender income that she
and her mother possess "
"A sad story-but hardly an uncOm-
mon one. You suggested that l could
help her-that yOu wished to enlist my
svmpathies with regard to her, but as
yet hardly see how I can he of use. IT
money
on! no. Nothing at all Of that sort.
Bat of late it has seemed to me that
she 5 looking pale; and, now that the
season is drawing to Il close, and Mill
cent and l are to go to you to the park,
/ think it would be very good of you If
you would ask the poor child there, too,
if only to give her breath of fresh air.
She is looking really i'll, it strikes me,
and, if you could put her up for bit, L
know it would delight Millicent."
why, of course-of course" says
kindly Lady Valworth. ''Anything to
please dear Nlillicent; and, besides, all
YOU have said about Miss Roche quite in
terests me-
She is well worth your interest,"" be-
gins Mrs. Brand warmly, when foot
steps on the landing outside check her.
''Ahl here she comes, probably. Now
you will be able to see for yourself what
a remarkably charming creature she is. "
The door, opening, admits the two
girls AIillicent smiling, and little mis-
chievous perhaps, as a sort of armor
against the scolding impending. Nadine
calm and gentle as usual. Lady ValwOrth,
us she takes her hand, holds it kindly,
and gazes long into the girls lovely face.
Her blue eyes, innocent as a summer
sky. her soft waving hair the charm of
her mobile mouth, all make a deep inn
preston upon the mother of Grant,
Boyle.
Mrs. Brand tells me You are looking
pale nv dear" she begins, drawing the
girl down upon the seat near her; THAT
London smoke has robbed yOu of all yOnr
pretty roses | cannot speak from my
own experience, of course, rs this is the
first time we have met, bat il seems to
ne that a pretty child like you should
not have such sorrOwful eyes.
Nadine laughs little, but the tears
rise aS she does so To the 'sOrrowful
eyes
Are you strong-are you well:' goes
on Lady Valworth, still keeping posses
sion of the girls hand.
i think so. You are very good. To
trouble yourself at all about me is very
kind And indeed there is nothing the
laatter with me-eXcept-eXcept that
sometimes 1 feel a little tired"
Tired All! yes, l see. Well, there
IS little scheme aflOat about you. A
tiny conspiracy. let me tell you. Have
you ever heard of ValwOrth Park? Yesi
1t is very pretty place, L will allow, and
one calculated to bring back the bushes
- pale cheeks, p" touching Madness face
as she speaks. ''Well! What do you
think of our scheme? VIII you like to
come to me to the park for week or
tyO>''
To 90 TO the country-to see again the
green fields-the trees-the flowers, 5"
breathes Nadine family.
And more than that laughs Lady
YalwOrth gayly. ''You shall not be left
10 the lambs for company. Millicent
is coming TO me, too, and a good many
others Some friends of yours. Mr..
Duran and his little Clytie, for example"
Where are the pale cheeks now, the
Ianguid lids? Gone. Uplifted are the
lids, and from beneath them two great,
eager, sparkling eyes CLEAN forth.
1T is true, my DEAR" chatters on her
ladyship, pleased with the effect her an
nouncement is having on the pretty child
beside her, though she entirely misunder-
stands the pretty child's agitation. Il
always have my house full in August,
for many reasons. For one, the grouse;
for another, because Capt. Boyle's birth
day my son, my dear) occurs in Au-
gust. and / always give my big dance
then" She smiles charmingly and pats
Madness hand as though the mention of
her handsome son is sweet to her. $50
you see you Will not be compelled to
prosy tete-a-tete with an old woman.
You shall have youth to make you merry
and take that tired look out of your
pretty eyes. Though l regret my son
will not be with lis until the seventeenth,
the evening of his birthday fete-just
barely in time for it, in fact
HE is going awaY?' nurmurs Ma
dine, by way OF making conversation,
though, in truth, she hears little, and
cal think OF nothing but that Maurice
Duran is to be at the park at the time
Tor which she has been invited. Can she
accept the invitation? Dare she? But,
oh, how good thing it would be to be
near him for a whole week-perhaps a
fortnight!
Yes. - Lady Valworth is saying apro-
pos her son he is going abroad 20 Swift
Zerland, he tells me, with some bachelor
friends of his OF course he has many
friends When yOu me>5 him. with a
proud smile .'you will understand that.
And 50 you will come. my dear? Mill
cent, l hear, viii he inconsolable if you
refuse
II should like it''-begins Nadine
stammering and faltering, afraid to refuse
afraid Cfar more afraid) to accept, that
little struggle with her conscience not
being yet ended.
Then that's all right, declares Lady
Valworth heartily mistaking her indecis-
ion for shyness ''A1ilhcent, darling, -
calling TO Miss Grey, who has just come
of victorious in an encounter with her
auntie, who has, at the close of it, found
herself declaring, very much against her
better Judgment, that Gerald Massareene,
for a pauper is Il wonderfully well regu-
lated young man. and that, of course,
there was no harm in Miss Grey's meet
hin, at Misc nuPansa afternoons