Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1894-08-02

tory account of the marriage. Il wat
this that had induced him TO break
through his resolution and call in Park
Lane. He wanted to see for himself
whether Constance was obviously I'M
happy, He saw little, howe YER, to en-
tighten him on this point, He found
the girl he had so fondly loved trans
formed into perfect woman of the
world; and he could draw no inference
from her careless gayety Of manner
except that James Wyatt had said more
than was justified by the circumstances
OF the ca q
Instead of returning to Davenant for
the autumn months, Mr.. Sinclair
chose this year 10 go to Germany, an
extraordinary sacrifice Of inclination,
one might suppose, as his chief delight
was to be found at English race meet
ings and in the supervision of his
stable at Newmarket,
Mrs. Sinclair's doctor had recon-
mended change of some kind as cure
for certain lOwness Of tone and gene
raj arrangement OF the nervous sys-
tom under which his patient labored.
The medical man suggested Harrow
gate or Buxton, or some Welsh water
drinking place, but when Gilbert pro-
posed Schoenesthal In the Black For
est, he ca lght at the idea.
Nothing would be better for Mrs.
Sinclair and the baby" he said, "and
you'll be near Baden-Baden if you want
gayety.
81 don't care for brass bands and q
lot of people," answered Gilbert; ST
can shoot capercailzies / shall get on
well enough for month or so.
Constance had no objection to offer
to this plan. She cared very little
whore her life was spent, so long as
she had her child with her. A charm
ing villa had been found half hidden
among pine trees, and here Mr.. Sin
clair established his wife, with d mixed
household Of English and foreign serv-
ants. She was very glad to be so COM
plotelY withdrawn from the obligations
of society, and to be able to devote
herself aim lst entirely to the little
girl, who was, of course, u paragon Of
infantlne grace and Intelligence in the
eye OF mother and nurse. The nurse
was q young woman belonging to the
village near Marshbrook, one Of the
pupils of the Sunday school, whom
Constance had known from childhood.
The nurse-maid who shared her duties
in London had not been brought TO
Schoenesthal, but in her pace Mrs.
Sinclair engaged a French girl, with
sharp dark eyes and very intelligent
manner. Martha Briggs, the nurse,
was rather more renowned for honesty
and good temper than for intellectual
qualifications, and she seemed unusual
ly slow and stolid in comparison with
the vivacious French girl. This girl
had come to Baden with q Parisia
family and had been dismissed with
an excellent character upon the fam
ily's departure fer Vienna with u re-
duced staff. Her name was Melanie
Duport, and she contrived very rapidly
to lngratiate herself with her mistress,
as she had done with the good priest
OF the little church she had attended
during her residence at Baden, who
was delighted with her artless fervor
and unvarying piety. Poor Martha
Briggs was rather inclined to be ieal-
GUS OF this new rival In her mistress
favor, and derived considerable COM
fort from the fact that the baby did not
take to Melanie.
If the baby preferred her English
nurse to Melanie, the little French
girl, for her part, seemed passionately
devoted to the baby. She was always
eager to carry the child when the two
nurses were out together, and resent
ed Martha's determination to deprive
her of this pleasure. One day when
the two we're disputing together upon
this subject, Martha bawling at the
French girl under the peculiar idea
that she would make herself under
stood If she only talked loud enough,
Melanie repeating her few words of
broken English with many emphatic
shrugs and frowns and mods, lady
stopped to listen to them and admire
the baby. She spoke in French to
Melanie, and did not address Martha
at ALL much to the young PERSONS i'm
She asked Melanie to whom
the child belonged, and how long she
had been with it, and whether she was
accustomed to nursing children,
adding, with smile, that she looked
rather too lady-like for q nurse-maid.
Melane was quite subdued by this
She told the lady that
this was the first time she had been
She had been lady's-maid
in her last situation, and had preferred
the place very much to her present po-
sition. She told this strange lady
abcut that apturous affection
for the baby which she was in the
habit OF expressing in Mrs. Sinclair's
presence, She only told her how UNI
she had heen made by the
English nurses jealousy.
Il am staying at the Hotel du Roi,"
said the lady, after talking to Melanie
for some little time, "and should like to
see you If you can find time to call up
on me some evening. might be able
to be of some use to you In finding a
new situation when your present mis-
tress leaves the neighborhood"
Melanie courtesied, and replied that
she would make point Of waiting up
on the lady, and the two nurses moved
on with their little charge. Martha
asked Melanie what the foreign lady
had been saying, and the French girl
replied carelessly that she had only
been praising the baby.
And we'll she may, answered Miss
Briggs, rather snappishly, "for she's
the sweetest child that ever lived:
but, for my own part, l don't like for
eigners, or any of their nasty, deceit
full ways"
This rather invidious remark was
lost upon Nile. Duport, who only un-
derstood few words of English, and
who nnrnd unru littln for hnr fnlln,u