Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-03-31
CHAPTER V.

CHAPTER V.
Tout ce qui m'entourait me ramontait
ma perte:
Quand la mutt dams les airs jeta SOL
crepe noir.
Mon pere a ses cotes ne me fit plus
asseOir,
Eft j'attendi EN- vain a sa place deserte
| Une tendre caresse, ct le baiser du
soir.
The American lady, vino had acted
as nurse to M. de Maballon, did the
! kindest and most sensible thing she
could have done-took Esperance in
her arms, and let her cry quietly.
Gaspard, meanwhile, was speaking to
an attendant about the funeral which
was to take place early the next
morning. He soon returned to her
, side, speaking very gently.
Dear Esperance, we must come;
We hinder madame"
With strong effort, Espeyance COZ
trolled her suffering to murmur
thanks and farewells, and allowed
Gasptrd 10 lead her away.
At the entrance they paused for a
moment. 1t was hard, very hard, to
return to the world The sun shone
brightly, the street traffic went en-
bus1ly, all seemed cruelty the same,
while their lives had suddenly been
robbed of happiness.
Gaspard was, perhaps, the most to
be pitied, for with him rested all the
responsibility; already he felt the
; charge Of his little sister was no sine
cure-already the harassing thought
of their poverty began to press upon
him. With this in his mind his
first question was a practical one.
Can you walk, cherie? I think we
ought hardly to afford a fiacre.'
! Perhaps she thought him a little
heartless; she just inclined her head,
and they walked home in perfect ST.
lence.
Meanwhile, Gaspard, tired out with
the events Of the last two days, and
weak from hunger and loss of blood.
began to grow faint Once he
stumbled and almost fell, but Esper-
]
grief to notice, and from very neces-
sity he forced himself to keep I'D.
/ AT length they reached home, and
climbed the long flight of stairs. ia
Vote, hearing their approach came to
meet them, but Esperance cut short
her inquiries and chung to her sob
bling. AS for Gaspard, he passed on
quietly into the salon and CROPPED his
way to the sofa, just conscious Of re-
lief in the feeling that he need no
longer make an effort to see through
the gathering darkness-no longer
struggle to keep his senses.
Javotte coming presently into the
room gave little scream. Mon Dieu!
but it is impossible that we lose Mon
sieur Gaspard, alsoi"
Esperance turned in horror: the
look death-like.
She bent over him in an agony of
grief.
! All. Javotte, 1 have been SC selfish,
| quite forgot how tired he must be.
and he said not a word
| Wait then. child, he has only
tainted will fetch some wine-there!
see, he revives. All! he Grows like
! his blessed father, who never COM
planned
! Esperance watched in aRxioas ST.
lenee as by slow degrees iIaspard
: struggled back to life.
He would fain have resisted the
returning consciousness, aware that
there was a great weight upon his
mind, and longing to escape it. When
at last, he was recovered, and opening
his eyes saw Esperance'S tear-staln ed
face, he remembered everything, anu
for the first time broke down COM
pletely.
Esperance was thankful for those
tears; Woman-like, she loved Gaspard
far more now that he gave way to
his emotion, than she had, when for
her sake, he had borne up through
the long walk. She crept nearer to
him, and was glad to feel his arm
round her, and his cold trembling
hand pressing hers. Nothing is such
close uniter as a common grief;
Gaspard and Esperance had never be-
fore been SO much to each other!
Truth to tell, Gaspard had hitherto
been very much self-engrossed. The
early loss of his mother, and his SOL
ltary education, had strengthened the
natural tendency; but privation, grief
and heavy responsibility, were doins
their best to rouse him.
Espel ance's new love was a further
help; she had always been too much
wrapped UP in her father to spare
many thoughts for Gaspard. but now
that he no longer needed her lovins
care, she was able to transfer all he,
, sollcitude to her brother. All this
Of course did not take place at once
but it had its date from that terrible
evening when in the cold, dark. lionel,
, salon they first realized their orphan.
hood.
, Who has not felt the utter miser,
i OF waking in the morning after any
great change, the sense of oppres
sion, the dawning consciousness, tn,
) awful realization? We learn from tn,