Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-04-22
AN ACQUAINTANCE.

from Stanstadt stopped on the road below the SOnnenSchoiu hotel nt Eugelbcrg to let down two passengers, a tall dark young man of distinguiShe[. domeaRor, with discreet looking person of the un- mistakablo valet typo in attendance.
 The SOnnCnSchCin visitors, aWSiting tho tablo d'hutC, were assembled on tI.c terrace in front of tho hotel. Thc newcomer, as ho took his way through them with n light, swinging step, was tho onjec: of many curious Elanc>s especially from feminine eyes. Handsome youny men of seeming distinction and att2ndc.i hy val stS arc not common at Swiss mountain TO- sorts. A group If ladies seated toScther- Lady Hunter and lion. Mrs. Pearson, with their respective daughters Rosie and Amy-studiod him with great attention. They belonged tu the class whose priuci- pal fields ut operation arC foreign hotels. Both fauiil'tS Ind lived much abroad, tho girls speaking several languages with na- two llurncy. They wCrc friends, ns Irish landlords and tenants might he between whom quv>ti"ne of rrOprictOrship in spn- cial property are liaAlc to arise Tho ladies bad l,'ol ru;..lcd to decide the strangers nationality. T nush hu looked foreign, there WIS something English in his gait and manner. Tho entry in tho visitors book next morning settled tho matter, M. le Vicente do BoiSvillo ct domcs- tiquc, Paris"
 An English viSCount-with n verifying D. brett to appeal to in the casc-would have Ivcn m>,1I satisfactory, but neither the Hunters nor pvarsons had insulnr prrjudiccs, beyond possessing certain am>Unt Uf nervous dread of bagman ''uuAwarrS. " The latter feeling made them ErslJatc tu Inakv the ViCOmtc's acquaint- ancv, Whilr they CndCavorcd to obtain further information through tho usual ho- tel channels. Discretion, howrvcr had net brvu vIiuly written on the lineameuts of the vicumtp's valet, and the wiliest la dies maids found him unapproachablc
 Meanwhile public opinion in the Son. uCIIschrin Was unanimous on tho point that NJ. dc Euisvillo's manners wcre as distinguished as his looks and bore tho byst social stamp Caution and reserve had d hard struSal to hold their own with tho Hunters and pcarsons, especially as M. Gr H,i~Nillc showed unmistakable though w,u rr,d signs of a desire to make the English ladies acquaintance. Were they WAu had lived but to grasp tho skirts of such Chances nuw losing the best op- portuuity which had ever como within thlir reach: Whilo hrsitating. the two mothers kept c!nSo wa;ch on each othor
 Four CT i've days had passed when Amy Pcar<on ran brcathlcSSly into her mother $ ru,,m ono morning.
 Tho Hunters havr found out sumo- thing"
 How: Why" Mrs. Pcarson's excite mcnt cqualrd her daughters
 II saw Rosie talking to NJ. dc Boisvillc in tho woods just now"
 Good gracious! And they havc kept | it secret from Us! What mcannrss! But I will be even with Maria Hunter, for all that"
 shortly aftcrward Mrs. Pearson had an interview with tho head waitrr-short. but busincsslikr In tho evening sho did not occupy hrr usual place at dinner opposite | the HUntprS She and Amy sat at tho | other end uf tho table, with M. dc Bois- l vile between them.
 Tho Hunters, on taking their seats, were first aware of tho change and were | naturally filled with surprise and chagrin. Tho PrnrsunS have found out some | thing" Rosie exclaimed, and l was SC | chilling with the man this morning when | he picked up my sketChhOOk in the woods '' | She cast V:ndiCtivo glance at Amy, who was being anything but chilling to the | viCOmtc at the moment.
 | 1t will be easy to correct tho mistake, dear, and the sooner you do it tho better. Tho Prarsuns havc found out something I yi.f for that said Lady Hunter. You must bo polite 10 M do Boisville in the draw. Ing room after dinner and introduce him | to mo.
 On tho basis of false assumption, which plays such leading part in lifo's transae tions, the struggle for tho vicomte begar that evening" Tho Hunters and Pearson. were so evenly matched that the contest once entered on, engaged all their atten I tion. Doubt, caution and reserve wcr, completely abandoned. What need to harl back on them? Each party felt absolut, trust in the worldly wisdom and discrimi nation Of the other.
 The students of humanity-lcss respect | fully called gOssipS-who ahOunded i'll tn
 hotel. We're ubSorVant from the beginning The vicOmtc seemed duCtility itself in tn ] hands of the rival mothers and responded with polite alaCrity to every russo whicl
 threw him into the society of the riva
 daughters. The fact that he only spok French made no difference in either case
 both girls speaking that language as flu entity as their mother tongue Tho battl
 had varying fortunes. For some timo tn ; sharprst observation failed to detect a bal
 ance in either dircction. After fort
 night. however, the opinion that victor
 was inclining to tho Hunter girl bCga
 to prevail
 , Mrs. Pearson could not shut her eyes t
 tho situation. One hope kept her up Thi , hopc CcntCrrd in a young Englishmar
 John NavaS,'ur. Ho had been supposed |. in the previous spring, at Cannes, to |
 engaged tn Rosie Hunter. The affair
 howcvcr-thruugh no fault of Lady Hunt : CT s-hid not hrrl finally settled, ohjc,
 tiunS having come from tn" NavaSou
 family. Ah>rnrr had not ubltCratCd th , impression made hy RoSie's big blue eye
 on Navasour's heart His appearance [
 Engrlbcrg might bc looked for any da!
 The arrangement had been made befOl
 the advent of M. de BoiSville, and thoug l, it now weighed heavily on Lady Huntt
 could not, for many ruasons, be cancolet
 No element of doubt or hesitation, how
 ever, added complications to Lady Hun
 CTS uncasinrSs. John Navasour was nt .; brilliant parti like the vicomte. In sue
 a situation q mother might sigh, but nevt , faltcr.
 Nevertheless Mrs. Pearson, from h, point of view, forcsaw dramatic possibi = ities in John Navasour's appearance c z the scene. Her delight was unfeignG E' when the long desired event happened oI
 afternoon The time could not have bee D. more opportunc. Only that morning Lac
 Hunter had scored her greatest trump b She and Rosie with the vicomte, had S
 out at an carly hour on an excursion
 TrubScC.
 Mrs. Pearson and Amy, in the absen n of the Hunters, dil tho honOrs of Eng n berg and warmly welcomed VavaSoI