The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1894-05-09
WALTZED HER AWAY.

All society was agreed upon one point
that for me there were but two suit
able fiances-my cousin Gontran, the
duke de Lannis, and the Duke de Cour-
talin.
l saw him--at the ball of the De
Fresnes. He did me the honor to dance
three times with me, and | went home
absolutely intoxicated with joy. But
the joy was of short duration, for the
next day he said to his brother, who
told his sister, who told me;
1T seems thatsI am to marry my
cousin Marceline Last evening 1 was
literally thrown into her arms. Out of
pure goodness of soul took pity on the
poor little schoolgirl and danced with
her three times, But there must be no
more of it. have not yet had enough
of life. Besides know of nothing more
ridiculous than marriage between cous-
ins. +"
But that was not all, He also said to
Robert, Il saw her in evening dress last
night for the first time, and she is so
thin. -
That night, after Gabrielle had told
me all this, l disrobed before the mirror
and studied my poor little shoulders
with their great hollows and had a fit
of weeping. Mamma came in the middle
of it.
My angel, what is it?'' She took me
in her arms.
But l could not speak. The tears
choked me. ''My treasure you pain me-
Speak, dearest. p"
Then, to reassure her, managed to say
between my sobs; 1T is because 1 am
thin, mammal Gontran, last evening,
thought was so thinp'
Thereupon mamma began to laugh
She told me that at 2 she was much
thinner than /, and she assured me very
solemnly that l would certainly develop.
That winter Of my first season mamma
took me to a dozen great affairs, but
they were occasions of mourning and
sorrow, for Gontran was not there.
He did not want to marry He even
told me so. I did not know then that
this was by order of my mother.
One day about o'clock in the after
noon-it was the second day of June
mamma came into my room with a look
on her face that was new to me- my
child, she said, my child. -
She had no need to say more un.
derstood All the evening before at the
Prince de Vearn's M. de Courtalin had
IA fbf L..
mother had told mamma that her son
knew of nothing more beautiful than my
Mamma tried to make me listen to
reason If / refused him, l threw away
a splendid chance. The Duke de Courta-
lin was the mark at which all the ma.
ternal guns were pointed. Great name,
great position, great fortune.
For me, / had but one word to oppose
to all these just and proper remarks
Gontranl Gontranl Gontran or the con-
vent, and the most severe convent at
that-Carmel
NJ. dc Courtalin was perfection. /
listened to his praise all the afternoon
and hated him. The more he was eulo-
gized the more turned from him. With
Gontran could be quite at my ease, for
he never impressed one with his superb
GRITTY / knew but little, but my igno-
rance, compared with his, was erudi-
tion.
Nine. de Courtalin had called to ask
my hand for her faultless son. / do not
know what mamma said to her after my
refusal. / only know that l was left for
awhile in peace.
And where was Gontran through the
long summer? Making tour of the
world very quietly and quite at his ease.
i learned afterward that this also was
mammals doing; that when he was in
Japan he had brought me number of
lovely little things, placed in tiny case
that bore my name. The case had been
sent to mamma, but had never seen it.
All that year one name was sounded i'll
my ears-Courtalin, Courtalin, always
Courtalin. He had all the virtues under
heaven. My determination began to
weaken, l say it to my shame,
After all, what advantage there was
in being a married woman! Absolute
freedom would be accorded me. Then the
thought of being duchess was not dis
pleasing
All winter mamma displayed perfect
taste and exquisite sweetness. She never
urged, never tormented me. know,
however, that she said to her friend,
Nine. de Nelly: my dear, she will
yield before the goth Of June. 1t must
be-"
On that date we left Paris for AK
les Bains.
And did not continue to say no with
the savage energy of last year. l only
awaited Gontran' S return. | knew that
he would reach Paris on the I'd or 3D. of
April The following day he would GER
tainly come to see us.
And SO it happened He called about
O'Clock, before mamma had quite COM
pleted her toilet | was alone. / ran to
him.
"Ah, Gontran, how happy ] am to
see youp'
And l kissed him without ceremony.
He kissed me in return, was very much
affected and began to speak such gentle,
kind words that my heart melted. He
found me a new creature. I was no
longer thin. / had grown taller and
fuller
But just then mamma came in, then
papa and then my brother George. An
odious conversation regarding the merits
of English and French boats followed
how the French boats made better time.
how the food on them was 80 much
finer, and so on. 1t was SO enjoyablei
It was not until three days after that
we met him again, by accident, but he
was no longer himself. He was icy. His
good morning was icy; the shake Of his
hand was icy; his words icy. He was
awkward and embarrassed. He quickly
lost us in the crowd and reappeared no
more.
I returned to throw myself once more
into the arms of my mother and cry out,
"Yes; shall marry De Courtalin.
How many times between that and
the 18th of May did repeat the opera