Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1893-11-07
A LIFETTME LOVE.

My sister once related to me a love
story, which illustrates the peculiar in
tensity, especially in matters of the
heart, which marks the Breton charac-
ter. The tale was related to her by one
of her friends, the daughter of the hero
inc, whom will call Emma Rosilis.
She was not perfectly beautiful, but
her face had an indescribable charm
Her eyes had the most exquisite softness,
and her delicate eyebrows almost seemed
to possess soul, while her skin was so
fine that it betrayed the slightest agita-
tion by fugitive bushes.
Little Emma Rosilis went regularly to
church with her book of hours, and the
truth is that toward the age of 10 or 1S
there was no place in her little soul but
for one young man, of about 90 or 90,
whom she saw often, and whom will
call Emilien.
Emma had known Emilien ever since
she had known herself. Moreover, she
dreamed what she did not think, until it
happened one day that she found Emil
len was occupying the entire cavity of
her little heart.
The young man whom she loved had a
good, though not q strong, nature, but
his simplicity, his absence of all pre-
tense, were most pleasing to Emma.
She had not known any young man su-
perior to him, and indeed in the little
world where she moved she had not met
many young men of any kind.
This love of Emma's soon became most
absorbing. During entire days she would
remain motionless, almost as though she
were in trance, dreaming of her be-
loved. Naturally she said nothing of
what she experienced either to the one
she loved, or to her relations, or to her
companions. Her discretion was so alb
solute that no one knew anything of
what filed her.
While Emma lived only. in her love for
Emilien, he thought little of her. He
found her pleasing, as did all the world,
but he never thought of telling her so.
He ewas commonplace and passive be-
ing, and then, after all, was he to blame?
Emma was SO modest that she could
scarcely be distinguished from her
friends-you would have said she sought
only to hide herself.
One day, while she was talking with
her companions ut little reunion at the
foot of the garden, many things were
spoken of. Tho news which had q fresh
ness for all was of the approaching mar
riage of Emilien to Anna Nj. 1t was
spoken of as certain thing. Emma
heard it all. Such was the control which
she had over herself, however, that no
one suspected that a poniard had en-
tered her heart. She was quiet, arose a
little while after and retired without
giving any sign of the frightful wound
which she had just received.
Another bit of news was circulated a
few days after, in the company of the
Same young people, assembled in the
same garden. Emma had entered as
novice into the community of Ursulines
Of the little village of L-I AS she
was very pious, this surprised no one.
Her secret had belonged SO exclusively
to herself that no one reproached her.
The idea occurred to no one that the
marriage of Emiien was the cause of
her cohsecrating herself to religion.
The convent of the Ursulines admitted
divers degrees of religious vocations. BY
the side of the sisters bound to the order
by perpetual vow there were pious per-
that Of the order, minus the veil. These
practiced the same observances without
assuming any permanent obligations.
The greater part took the vows at the
end of some years, but there was more
than one example of devoted sisters who
re-entered the world after years spent
in the convent.
It was into this class Of sisters that
poor Emma entered. Everything was as
usual in her admission, in her novitiate,
in her conduct in the convent.
She became devotee of the most per
feet regularity, pious as the others, never
in fault. esteemed by her superiors. Her
pale face in the white linen which sur
rounded it had the beatifc calm char
acteristic of the sistsrhood Assiduous
in prayers and in al other pious exer-
cises, she yielded quickly to the religious
habits of the cloister At the end OF
some days the slow and monotonous
routine of the regular convent life had
du1led her sensibilities, and her ordinary
state became kind of gentle sleep.
Had she succeeded in driving from he1
heart the image which had captured hel
whole being?
After fashion-yet she had not even
tried. The suspicion came not to her fol
an instant that her love was culpable
1t was, as In the canticles, "a bouquet Of
myrrh In her bosom" She wonld have
doubted God rather than her right to
this sentiment which filed her. She
distinguished not her love from, her
piety nor her piety from her love. She
even tasted IN her austerities an addi.
tional charm. She found in wounding
herself sort of delight. She expert
enced an intense joy IN believing thai
she suffered all this for theone she loved.
and in saying that she saw no Other
man bnt hitn. Such were the innocence
"a q -. Ai.r, 4I..& r,..r.r