, 1896-12-10


for a breath of air after being impris-
oned for two Or three days.
The young man waited, his eyes fixed
eagerly on the house door, dreading
every instant that the servant would
appear and close it for the night. But
at last the young girl appeared. As soon
as she bad passed his hiding place and
was nearly at the end of the path he
came out and followed her.
When she turned in order to retrace
her steps, she saw him and uttered a cry
OF surprise. He advanced to meet her,
his cap in his hand, and then, when he
was once face to face with her, he told
her all, hurriedly. eagerly, mixing
everything up together and yet fixing
her attention in spite of his incoherency
OF all he said by the passionate look in
his eyes and by the tender %infexion Of
his voice, in which his whole soul vi.
brated.
She listened to him in establishment.
her face was paler han ever with emo.
ton, but she could not find a word to
say to him-her ideas seemed to be hope
lessly scattered. Her hands were clasped
together, and She shuddered %perceptibly.
1t was as though invisible wings were
lowering around her in the still blue of
the summer evening.
Just like some vision she retreated
slowly and then faded from his sight in
the gathering darkness amid the trees.
AS she was going, though, he said hur.
riedly: II understand it has been
SO sudden = you cannot answer
me *~*. Do not tell me now, but at
daybreak. when our detachment passes
In front of the house %** be there ~%~
make some sign *+% smile ~* or, at
any rate, let me see you open the win
dow even *%~ nothing else but Just
that and I shall know that you
are not angry with me, that I may come
and see you again."
When once the young girl was back
in the sickroom, she took up her usual
place on a low sofa neal the bed.
The invalid was breathing more regu.
larry and seemed to be sleeping.
Now that she was calmer and could
think it all over deliberately she felt
deeply touched as she remembered all
he had said, and presently n feeling Of
pride came owe her. She was proud to
have won the love Of such a man, and
great tears OF happiness gathered in he-
eyes and rolled slowly down her pale
cheeks.
Suddenly, at daybreak, Louise was
awakened by a bugle blast, bold, clear,
victorious, rousing from slumber the ST.
lent fields and the whole country round.
The young girl started up, and she
saw a faint, rosy light penetrating
through the closed venetian blinds.
In the distance she could hear the
confused murmur of mems voices.
An invincible desire took possession
of her to break away from her monot-
onous existence, to live and breathe
and to answer the appeal to her love
which had So bewildered her yesterday.
She went quickly to the window and
stretched her two hands up eagerly to
open it, fearing to be too late-when q
cry OF distress stopped her short.
The sick woman, livid and shivering,
was sitting up in bed. and seeing what
her niece was just going to do she cried
out in q hoa-se, desperate voice:
"You are opening the window, Lou
Use. Whatever possesses you? I am
cold-oh, SO cold! ss< Come here to
+%% FONT leave me. Oh,
what pain l Am in! l am terrified. ~**
Child l am dying-I know l
am" 80
Just at that moment Louise could
hear tho measured tread of the soldiers;
but. nevertheless, she went to her aunt.
As oon as she reached the bedside the
sick woman seized her in her arms and
kissed her over and over again. But for
the first time Louise was impatient and
tried to d~isengage herself from her
aunt's embrace. 1t was rs though she
were attracted toward the window by
hitherto unknown force, powerful
and almost unearthly.
The sick woman took the girls hand
and placed it on her w heart, which
was beating wildly. 1t was enough.
A deep, an infinite, pity overcame
the young girl. = She resisted no
longer. but quietly and submissively
sat down on the bed, and, taking the
invalid in her arms, she kissed the poor,
wrinkled face and soothingly promised
never-never to leave her. The two
remained thus, with the blinds
still down, while with a measured tread
of heavy boots on the pavement and q
changing of steel the soldiers marched
Oh, and on, and OH . = until finally
heard nothing more but the beat
ing of her own heart
=
In front Of the old gray house, hold
ing his sword loosely. Maurice Tournier
had felt a terrible pang as he gazed up
at those closed blinds. When the detach-
ment had passed, he had stopped short,
and then. walking back under pretense
of inspecting his men, he had gazed and
gazed ut that window.
When at last the thick screen of pop
lar trees hid from him, first, the house,
then the square, and last Of all the lit.
tie church, he clinched his teeth tightly
together, for he felt sobs rising in his
as though they would choke him.
Suddenly. ashamed Of his weakness.
himself by a tremendous ef.
Fort of his will against his grief and
emotion, he tried to feel anger instead,
and he kept repeating to himself:
at is all her pride and vanityi"
Al 49, 1s--~ kt.nk s,s~kk b~rH H1oAu