The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-18
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touching. And something like. pale
spirit of the girl seemed gently, sweet
| ly, always to be present in the house,
! the house that Love had built for, her,
not guessing that Death gwould come,
as soon as it was finishedt and call her
| away. "Oh, but it Is a;Joy, Monster,
| that you have left us her room," the
old couple were never tired of repeat
ing. One day Madame took me up into
| the room, and showed me Eulalie's
pretty dresses, her 'trinkets, her books,
the handsomely boand books that she
| had won'as prizes at the convent. And
| on another day she shoYedE me some
of Eulalie's letters, asking me if she
hadn't beautiful handwriting, If the
letters were not beautifully expressed.
| She showed me photographs of 1.-The
girl at all ages; a lock of her hair; her
baby clothes; the priests certificate of
her first communion; the bishops GER
| tificate of her confirmation. And she
showed me letters from the good sis
ters Of the Sacred Heart, at Rouen, tell
| ing of Eulalies progress' in, her stu
| dies, praising her conduct and her
character "Oh, to think, that she is
gone. that she is gone!" the old woman
walled, in a kind Of helpless incom-
prehension, incredulity, ofSloss. Then,
| in a moment, she murmured, with
what submissiveness She could, lie
bon Deu salt ce,aqn'il fait,' crossing
herself. %'%.- ..i".".
On the 18th of August, the annivers-
airy of her death, went with them to
the parish church. where a mass was
said for the repose of Eulalie's soul.
And the kind old cure afterwards came
round. and pressed their hands, and
spoke words of comfort to them.
In September left them. returning
to Dieppe. One afternoon I-ehanced to
meet that same old cure in the high
street there. We stopped and spoke to-
extraordinarily, of the Loreux of
what excellent people they were, of how
they grieved for their daughter. Their
love was more than love. They adored
the child, they idolized her. ] have
never witnessed such affection" the
cure told me. when she died. I SER
iously feared they would lose their rea-
son. They were dazed. they were be-
side themselves; for lorg while they
were quite as if mad. But God is mer-
ciful. They have learned to live with
their atiiiction."
1T is very beautiful" said the way
they have sanCtified her memory, the
way they worship it. You know, of
course, they keep her room, with her
things in it, exactly as she left it. That
seems to me very beautiful"
Her ROOM" questioned the cure,
looking vague. What roOm?"
"Oh, didn't you know?" I wondered.
Her bedroom in the chalet They
keep it as she left it. with all her
things about. her books. her dresses"
Il don't think follow you" the cure
said. she never had a bedroom in
the chalet
"Oh. I beg your pardon. One of the
front rooms on the first floor was her
ROOM" informed him.
But he shook his head. There is
some mistake. She never lived in the
chalet. She died in the old house. The
chalet was only just finished when she
died The workmen were hardly out
of it,"
NO" ] said, 'it is you who must
be mistaken; you must forget. l am
quite sure. The Leroux have spoken
of it to me times without number"
But. my dear SIR" the cure insisted,
Il am not merely sure: | know. l at
tended the girl in her last agony. She
died in the farmhouse. They had not
moved into the chalet. The chalet was
being furnished. The last pieces of
furniture were taken in, the very day
before her death. The chalet was never
lived in. You are the only person who
has ever lived in the chalet. l assure
you of the fact"
We'll" said, rthat is"very strange,
that is very strange indeed" And or
a minute was bewildered, I did not
know what to think. But only for a
minute. Suddenly l cried out, "Oh, l
see-I see. I understand"
l saw, | understood. Suddenly l saw
the pious, the beautiful deception that
these poor stricken souls had sought
to practice on themselves; the beauti-
full, the fond illusion they had created
for themselves. They had built the
house for their daughter, and she had
died just when 1t was ready for her.
But they could not bear-they could
not bear-to think that not for one
little week even, not even for one poor
little day or hour, had she lived in the
house, enjoyed the house. That was
the uttermost farthing of their sorrow,
which they could not pay They could
not acknowledge it to their own strick-
en- hearts. So, piously, reverently-
with closed eyes, as it were, that they
might not know what they were doing
they had carried the dead girls
things to the room they had meant for
her, they had arranged them there,
they had said, This was her room;
this was her ROOM" They would not
admit to themselves. they would not
let themselves stop to think, that she
had never even for one poor night,
slept in 1t, enjoyed it. They told a
beautiful pious falsehood to them
selves. 1t was a beautiful pious game
of "make-helieve." which, like children,
they could play together. And-the
cure had said It: God is merciful. In
the end they had been enabled to con-
fuse their beautiful falsehood with re-
ality, and to find comfort in it; they
had been enabled to forget that their
make believe" was make believe"
and to mistakefit for a beautiful COM
forting truth. The uttermost farthing
of their sorrow, which they could not
pay, was not exacted. They were suf-
fered to keep 1t; and II became their