San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-04-11
MADELEINE LEROUX..
By KATHARINE s. MACQUoID.

self. You VIII soon get to IKE Mon
,ieur Devrient. You have been away
more than week, and your father has
taken your silence for consent; il you
meant him to decline this gentleman's
offer you should have written at once"
''My father is Madelaine began
vehemently, then she looked angrily at
Madame Leroux. "Why did not my
father tell me all this before he brought
me away from Caudebec? Ishould have
refused to come with him."
Madame Leroux rose from her chair.
81 was afraid you would not be rea-
sonable, Madelaine, and that was why |
looked serious. Have patience, dear
child; you will think differently by and
by. Why do you not trust your father
with your happinessl He has always
been good to you. / am sure if, when
you have seen Monsieur Devrient, you
still say you cannot be happy with him,
your father will leave you Free
81 will go and speak to my father at
once" Madelaine said quickly 81 saw
Monsieur Devrient the day 1 left home
as he was going from the house; he is too
old for me-"
"That was the father of Monsieur
Devrient. Be reasonable, Madelaine;
you cannot see your father; he has gone
ont. We are to dine at five, remember;
and now must go out to buy fruit and
flowers. You will find that have had
your white frock freshly trimmed for
this evening""
She went away without waiting for
an answer, and Madelaine was glad to
be alone. She was too angry to be I'M
happy; her fathers treatment of her
seemed to her too tyrannical for belief,
and it was wholly unlike him. She was
not angry with Madame Leroux; she
knew that so devoted wife would think
it her duty to side with her husband.
Madelaine wondered for moment
whether her fathers talk with Aunt
Virginie had decided him to take this
imperative course; but no, this dinner
had evidently been arranged before her
father came to Caudebec.
She sat, lost in sad thought, till it was
almost time to dress; she had not moved,
even to look at the ''freshly trimmed
frock" which was doubtless hanging in
her wardrobe; she thought of it once
with a feeling of disgust. 81 would
much rather make myself look ugly"
she said. .
Suppose, after all, she should find her
self unable to dislike Monsieur Devrient.
What would happen? Could she find
courage to say to her father that she
could not marry this gentleman because
she was always thinking of some one
else? ...... # .r
She hid her hot face in her hands.
Even if she could say this it would not,
she thought, be accepted as a reason, for
she could not plead that Monsieur Henri
cared for her. She would simply dis
grace herself if she confessed how easily
she had been won to think constantly of
man who had parted from her almost
as though she had been mere acquaint-
ance. ..- -.... ...-r .- .r 2a
Heavy footsteps outside her door reused
her to decide on her conduct. Her step
mother had sent Victoire TO warn her
that it was time to dress, and the maid
staid to help her. E.@.
Victoire held out the frock to be ad-
mired, and Madelaine saw that it was
charming, but she pushed it aside and
told Victoire she did not want to talk.
An idea had come to her which she con-
sidered an inspiration.
She would try, when she saw her ia
ther, to convince him that she was un-
willing to marry Monsieur Devrient, and
she thought if she disliked this gentle
man all might go smoothly, but some