The Portland daily press., 1894-02-12
hat with difficulty. Every mouth


glass eye in his room. Shall it be sent to
him?''
Had the heavens been opened to let fall
on the table the sun and the moon 1 could
not have felt greater shock The end of
the world will perhaps be nothing to equal
it. repeated, with horror:
"His glass eye, Justine?"
eyes, mademoiselle. 1t is on the wash
stand''
Mamma grew pale, but remained calm.
every well, Justine, you may leave the
room. We will see if it is necessary to
send it to him."
/ had only two alternatives-either to
faint away or burst into convulsiTe sobs.
chose the latter.
"Mamma, mamma, he has glass eye!
Good heavens, is it possible? How horr1-
blel I shall never console myself! / shall
die of griefl''
e'Calm yourself, my child, calm your
self 1t is ridiculous to put yourseii IN
such state This gentleman has deceived
us, that is all. | always Thought ne hao
rather queer expression.
Mamma had risen, and was sobbing
on her breast.
"Why did he not tell me2 I, who had
avowed all my own defects-the nail, the
wisdom tooth and the anger-all, every
thing! Dear me, how unhappy / am! And
only last evening hehad said, You are the
joy of my eyes Heshould have said, You
are the joy of my eye All, it is dreadful,
dreadful
sCome, quiet down. Don't cry like that.
tell you it is ridiculous. Think no more
about it. Try to calm yourself. How I'M
fortunate it is that things have gone SO
fart Only eight days before the wedding
and everything ready! Well, it is good
thing we found it out in time"
hardly listened. One question burned
in my throat.
''He has another eye to change with,
mamma, and this one which he has used
is probably put in water to cool.''
Mamma was horribly worried. I knew
nothing whatever about it. I have never
known any one intimately who had a glass
eye and do not care to know how they man
age.
She continues little monologue all to
herself: ssIt is pleasant. All this trous-
seau, marked with V. We never will
find the same initial again, and my hus-
band will listen to no one else. He was
charmed with this gentleman at first sight.
The references were perfect The Jesuit
fathers, his colonel and every one. That
is so like a man--one can never count on
them. A pretty discovery indeed! l al
ways thought there was something ex-
traordinary about him. The individual
never pleased me, and was quite right. F"
had raised my head. The vision of the
glass eye gazing at me from the depths OF
the wash basin still troubled me profound
ly. But another vision came also to my
memory.
I saw again my fance, SO good, SO ten
der heard once again all our prospects
for the future, all our plans made together,
and suddenly it seemed to me to be last
evening, and a rain of kisses was falling
on my hair had not told mamma about
these kisses, but felt that loved Raoul
with his one eye, and that nothing would
induce me to give him up. All my cour-
age came back to me.
ttMamma, I am sure he lost that eye in
some honora BILE, magnificent way. 1t isa
wound of which he should be proud-in
saving some one perhaps from fire, Ill
sacrificing himself, it is certain-he is so
good, he has such noble sentiments.
quite understand he would dislike confess
ing it"
"What do you say? Are you quite era
zy? Do you think l am going to allow you
to marry this man with such an infirmlty?
You, beautiful as you are and only II, and
with your fortune too? No, thousand
times no, my child. Do not forge yourself
romance of devotion and sacrifice-it is
perfectly useless. I will never consent to
your marriage with a man with one eye.
Should he lose the other, he would be quite
blind, and how agreea BILE that would be!'
tsBut, mamma, will be his faithful dog.
will lead him, / will take care of him and
will love him in spite of his infrmity, in
spite of everything which interferes to sep
arate us!"
was in an extraordinary state of exal-
tation. My sobs began again harder than
ever and did not promise soon to stop,
when Justine re-entered the room, her hon.
est face showing every expression of as
constituent and stupefaction.
''It isn't possible that mademoiselle can
put herself in such state because M. de
Valente has forgotten his eye. At all
events, he can buy another if he needs It
before this evening, and he won't throw
himself in the river because he hash t that
thing in his face.
And Justine showed me, hanging deli
cately at the end of her fingers, Raoul's
mOnOClG tudU hhCW 81 VClis w Aoh ico iOoAAu
glass encircled with tortoise shell, which
seemed to me for the moment like lumi-
nous halo. My emotion forbade my speak
ing. Mamma, however, went quickly to
ward Justine.
IT'S that what you call glass eye, JUS
tine?''
''Certainly, madame. 1t seems to me
that's the name for it. In any case, it
doesn't suit M. Raoul, and mademoiselle
would do well to give him spectacles when
they are married. 1t is strange that men
of the present day think it pretty to look
with one eye-like that. 1t must be very
difficult to keep it in place. Ishould never
know how" And Justine, with a COM
ical grimace, stretching her mouth and
turning up her nose, tried to introduce the
monocle underneath her right eyebrow.
could contain myself no longer. My tears
and sobs turned to idiotic laughter, was
SO content-so happy!
1t is now a5 years since all that happen
ed.
Raoul has been an excellent husband,
quite as uncomfortable as that order of indi-
viduals always is. He has worn spectacles
r,oxu for q lopU time and when he wishes