Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1898-06-23

If my brother changes his mind, /
may still be free to stay in London
but OF this | now feel sure there Is
no hope. for, besides his former OBJ
lection to our marriage, he has now,
| fear, a personal dislike for Monsieur
de Mabillor. | can not tell you how
terribly all this has grieved me. Had
1t not been for dear Christabes kind
ness, | don't think | could have borne
il. She has, indeed, been a good sister
to me.
Under the circumstances, both AL
phonse and think it will be best that
our wedding should be perfectly quiet;
50, with many thanks, | win decline
your kind offer of accommodation for
any guests. If it will be quite con-
NeLient to you, and to the clergyman
OF the parish, we should prefer some
day in the first week of June and
/ should like it to be early in the morn
ing
Again thanking you for your great
kindness,
Believe me, your affectionate
Amy Collinson."
"Christabel, then, was the name of
my aunt?" asked Esperance, looking
NJ with swimming eyes.
Seeing how great an interest her
companion took in the matter Mrs
Iassmore became at once both sym
pathetic and communicative.
Poor child. Yes, indeed, it was a
sad story from first to last My
daughter Christabel was devoted to
your mother; and though. of course.
she could not do much to promote the
marriage In direct opposition to your
uncle, yet she always gave ANY her
sympathy and herself begged me to
help her. Poor young thing, she was
sad enough all the time she stayed
with me. On the very morning of the
wedding | remember she received a
final letter of remonstrance from Dean
Collinson, and was terribly upset by
It, And then came the service in
church. which seemed to give her new
strength, for her face which had been
so troubled, grew quiet and serene:
and | remember thinking what a hand
some couple they were, and wishing
that the dean could have been there
to hear your fathers earnest heart
vows, though perhaps his foreign Eng
fish might only have ANNOYED him. |
heard from her two or three times
after that, and then your father wrote
to tell me of her death when you
were born; but we shall not find that
letter, for | believe it was sent on to
the dean"
The conversation was interrupted by
the servant bringing in the tea
things and Esperance, having asked
leave to keep the two letters, put
them away for private reading. In
the evening, when Mrs. Passmore had
fallen asleep in her armchair she
TOOK them out again and eagerly
though reverently opened the foreign
one. 1t was written from the chateau
and dated in June, 1854. Much of it
was incomprehensible TO Esperance.
being in answer to a letter of Mrs.
PASSWORDS and full of references to
English matters, but on the third
page she caught sight of familiar
names which made her heart beat
quickly She read on still more Gag
erly:
And now | must tell you about
by dear little boy, Gaspard. How
wish l could show him to you He is
fy. years old, the very image Of his
father and so tall and strong for his
age. He is always with me, for our
good bonnie Javotte though she is
quite devoted to him, has plenty to
do, and | would not have him away
from me for the world My husband
tells me too, that our nursery does
not exist in France, the children are
always with their mothers The only
thing | have to wish for now is
little daughter; it would be so good
for Gaspard, and he is so loving that
l am sure he would make a good pro
tector! You ask if am any stronger
than | was last year and | hardly
know what to say. In some ways
/ think not, but | think | have
learned at least to be less fretful and
impatient with regard to James's con-
tinued displeasure. Still | can not
help longing to hear from him. If
he could only know what Alphonse
really is! But you must not think
that | am grieved unduly over this.
feel how wrong it was to do so
the first two or three years, and now
can not help hoping that in some
way all will come right at last-if
not in our time at least to our child"
Esperance read the last sentence
over many times. Was her mothers
hope coming true? Was all that now
seemed so hard to bear really help
ing its fultillment? Certainly II was
true that Dean Collinson had taken
her into his own house, that he had
treated her kindly that she showed
almost everything to him; but then,
had not Gaspard Inundated himself
TO actual begging for assistance first,
and did not her uncle still detest the
very name OF De Mabillion? No; there
was still much to be done before all