San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-04-09
MADELEINE LEROUX..
By KATHARINE S. MAooUOID.

| faGner OF HoIner written 70 tell yon
about it?'
Mademoiselle Chaumelle smiled.
| 'About what:" she said. "They GER
tainly have not told me any news about
you, dear child"
mot that they have found husband
for me-
| Madelaine could not help laughing at
the sudden alarm she saw in her aunt's,
face.
''Oh, my dear! my dear! you should
have told me this sooner" and Made
moiselle Virginie clasped her hands in a
sort of despair.
why, what difference would it have
nader"
But Mademoiselle Chaumelle was not
going to make any unwise admissions.
+ .sTell me-" she said grayely, docs
this plan please you, Madelaine:'
mo! oh, mol said was too young
| to marry; and they said l must not be
in hurry, so asked if might not go
to see you; but am afraid my father
wishes it very much"
"And your mother, does she wish it
too:'
'.She is so good, you know" said Made
laine sadly; '-she always wishes the same
as my father. 1t was she who told me
he had long been thinking abont this,
and waiting till was old enough. I'm
sure" she said in heartbroken tone,
81 am much to young to marry a man,
ever SO much older than am"
"How old is this proposed husband,
! and what is his name?
'sHe is Monsieur Devrient. My mother
| said he was about thirty, but saw him
from the window the day left home
| and l am sure he looked more than
fifty"
| "My dear Madelaine, are you sure of
this?' Aunt Virginie felt indignant with
| her brother-in-law and his wife.
| 81 could not be mistaken. saw this
| gentleman come up the steps, and he
staid long time with father in his
study; then, when | had seen him go
away, asked Victoire who it was, and
she said it was Monsieur Devrient."
II wish had known; oh, how wish
itr' Aunt Virginie broke out so peni-
! tently, that her niece looked hard at
her. She longed to ask question, and
| yet she shrank from uttering 1t; she
| went on brushing her hair in silence till
she saw that her aunt was ready to go
| to bed.
"Good. night, my dear child" her
aunt said.
| Madelaine swiftly crossed the room
and put both arms around her.
"No, Aunt Virginie, that is cowardly!
You should not go to bed till You have
given me your opinion; you know !
came to Caudebec on purpose to get it. !"
| Then she hid her hot face on her aun.'s
shoulder and whispered, Ibid you mean
that if you had known it You would
have been less hospitable than you have
been lately?
Mademoiselle moved her shoulder SO
that she might see her niece's face. And
| what she saw did not reassure her. She
kissed Made!aine lovingly and patted
her shoulder.
Courage, sdear child, and try to
Sleep" she said. "The fault has been
mine; shall. therefore take the blame
on my old shoulders. No. Madelaine,
for once you must do what tell you; go
| to bed now and 90 to sleep"
| Aunt Virginie could not sleep. She
had seen that evening the parting be-
tween Monsieur Henri and her niece, and
che felt sure that, as she expressed it,
! the mischief was DONE "If had only
known" she repeated to herself; but
after awhile she reflected that this re-
greet was tacit reproach to the creature
she loved best in the world-her darling
| Madelaine. No, it was her own i'm
pulsiveness that had done the mischief.
If Madelaine had not seen so much of
| Monsieur Henri the child would no
doubt have gone home, and after time
would have accepted the husband chosen
/ for her by her parents; now that would
| be impossible.
what can | do? have just made
life miserable for her by my folly" and
she sobbed herself to sleep long after
Madelaine had entered into Kaleidoscope
dreams, in all of which Monsieur Henri
| figured.
Mademoiselle Chaumelle exerted her
self to be cheerful at breakfast, but
Madelaine thought, her aunt's manner
to Monsieur Henri had changed since
yesterday, she was SO much more polite
and ceremOnious.
He did not seem to notice the change,
but he devoted himself almost entirely
| to Mademoi5elle Chanmelle till it was
time to start homeward. The sky looked
SO dark and threatening that Aunt Vir-
ginie decided to have the carriage closed