The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-11-23


|a day as tina There vss tho ssod viii
Idu pays--morl tnen ens Sat etRnw co8o4
Task which had 6o1,e Gexow she znoun- q
Itains from naly--and 70 crown tho 1s>et
certain cobwebhfd bottle9 Of 3 spsoinI
vintage, which MA been lad down to>{
view of such an occ4kiou as tl,ts and had
quietly rcposed Tor tneny D long year N
the farthest corner o{ the cave.
Outside tho house al wps hustle and e.
Iciternert. A fresh buAh adorpea tho door,
and the signboard with It's announce
ment that ''lm on vcnd 10 Bon Vim" had.
been decorated with q grsen wreathl tho
courtyard had been swept till not o
grain OF dust appeared; the little tables
and the benches under the tilleuls on the
side facing the house had been scrubbed
to spotless whiteness. while Pierre, tho
old head waiter, who had grown gray In
the service of M. Daipont. bustled about
superintending the proceedings Of his
subordinates who were carrying the wine
out of the cave, the entrance 10 which. as
is usual in such places, is at the side Of
the house door.
'Depechcz doac mes enfauts. nothing
viii ever be ready II you 60 on at this
rate. Hurry now and get these things
out Of the way, Where do you think
people are to dance by aud by IL the
place is numbered up like thiss''
Turning sharp round on one Of the
walters coming out of the cave with 9
basket Of wine:
"What are you doing there, Louis7
Hero, give mo thatT
please. sir, I'm doing nothing, siry'
Nothing! just so, nothing, but that's
not what you are here for. Here you,
lFrancoisl Louis, put that plank there;
now put the barrel on it--so; that will DC.
Garry those bottles into the house and
then go into the garden and get the bou-
lQuets ready, Hurry now; M. Germensl
and Mile Clementine will be here before
1--WE know where we are"
Just then NJ. Dumopt, followed by
Charles, came out of the house.
M. Dumont woro his usual serene and
benevolent expression, but tho young
mans face was sad and troubled.
"Well, Pierre" said NJ. Dumont,
show are our preparations getting on?
You must bestir yourselves"
Don't be afraid, not bourgeois, ! will
answer for everything, though indeed
IL were not here to look after heselazy'
fellows the guests would come and find
nothing ready"
"Well, well, Pierre, ! rely on you and
have given you full powers. All say is,
don't spare anything; let there be plenty
of everything above oil, wine. Nothing
like that to make the violins throw of 3
lively measure, and want nothing here
today but love and pleasure. Eh,
Charles, what do you sayf"
''Ill be bound he agrees with that.
said Pierre.
"Dear! dear! to think that you were q
little baby in arms when / knew you
first, and here you are going to be mar
ried and have babies of your own for old
Pierre to nurse"
Charles heayed deep sigh.
'.Saperlottel What sight And you
iust about to be married to the girl Of
your heart-and such face! Why, you
look as melancholy as il you had been
drawn in the conscription this morning!
What's the matter, M. Charles?"
Nothing, my good Pierre, nothing
"Why, Pierre" said M. Dumont, 'it
is quite natural the lad should feel lit
tie serious at the thought Of all the re-
sponsibility he is taking ON himself"
"Of course, of course--only /
thought
at seems to me-" said M. Dumont, in.
terrupting him, ''that you are chatter
ing here instead Of seeing after what has
to be DONE"
"Quite true, patron. So I'll be of. It
would never do not to DO ready when
the company arrives"
AS soon as Pierre had disappeared in
doors NJ Dumont passed his arm affec-
tionately through Charles, and they
walked up and down the courtyard,
the younger man with gloomy, abstract
ed air, while the elder watched him with
an expression of kindly affection.
''Come, come, my boy, cheer up lit-
tie. This will never do. What will
Clementine think if she finds you with
such long face ON the eve of your we'd
ding day?"
"'My wedding dayr But win it be in-
deed my wedding day? When M. Ger
menil learns this fatal secret, viii he still
be willing to give me his daughter?
That is tho question l ask myself over
and over, and dread to think what the
answer may be-"
"My poor Charles! i would have kept
this knowledge from you if 1t had been
possible But it is necessary that both
you and Germenil should know it."
81 know, know. 1t is not only nee
essary he should be told, but it is right
and honest. 1 would not so deceive
him, even to become Clementine's hus-
band"
'You will be her husband. my boy, in
spite of all. So cheer mp. Gormenil is
too just and reasonable to punish you
for what is not your fault. Hewill only
see in you the man his daughter loves
and the good, dutiful son Of his old
friend"