Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1898-05-05

noticing this, rose too.
Father, our cousin has arrived"
then aside to Esperance, speak loud,
he is little deaf"
Welcome. my dear" said the dean.
kissing her on her forehead. you
You have had an agreeable journey.
Il hope?"
Yes, thank you, uncle, said poor
Esperance, fibbing for the third time;
would these dreadful people never ask
Ter anything else. she wondered.
You are welcome, my dear" re-
Gated the dean, still holding her
Land in his. and shaking it gently,
welcome for your mothers sake. /
owed your mother dearly, though she
cted against my wishes once, but
owed her in spite of that"
II should hope So" thought Esper
nee, coloring. and trying to disen-
gage her hand; but her uncle still
held it.
Let me look at you dear said he,
drawing her to the window and scam
| ing her features. while Esperance
ook the opportunity to study his
ace.
'Ah. l had hoped you would be like
poor Amy, but there is no resemblance
too foreign," And the dean sighed
eeply. ''rhe image of her father-a
ocular De Mabillon-so terribly
| 0rench,"
Poor Esperance flushed angrily;
his last sentence was doubtless in
ended as soliloquy, but it could not
all to hurt her. She had not re-
covered herself when the dean, re-
apsing into his ordinary tone, said.
And so your father was killed In the
iege of Paris?"
He did not mean il unkindly, but
he was self en-grossed man, and
often quite Internationally inflicted
pain on others; the remark was too
sudden and unexpected, however.
Esperance could not bear to speak of
her father after that unlucky SEN
tence. terribly French" The refer
ence to his death had brought back
all her sad recollections of the 30th
of November, and such yearning for
his presence that, do what she would
she could not restrain her tears
She faltered ont something inarticu-
late, and then turned appealingly 10
Cornelia
you would like to come to your
room, would you not? I will show
on the way
Esperance gladly followed, making
no secret of her tears as her cousin
ed her through the hall once more
and up a dark oak staircase
All the sympathy which Cornelia
showed was in the remark, "Do not
mind. | don't suppose my father no.
iced you were crying" which. how
ever much it might have comforted
an English girl, was not the slightest
onsolation to Esperance.
She took her to her room, and left
Ter with injunctions to be ready fol
inner in an hour: and Esperance
brew herself upon the bed. calling
espairingly to her father, and crying
i'll she could cry no longer.
|
she dried her eyes, and though by nc
means comforted, put her grief aside
and began to survey her new room
t. was large and bare, with curions
Id beams supporting the ceiling
which was so low that she felt quite
oppressed by its nearness: an ugly
Kidderminster carpet ,.lso offended
Ter eyes, and she would greatly have
preferred the uneven, red-brick floor
Of her room at Mabillon to the hide
us combination Of red, white and
yellow which Mrs. Mortlake had Sc
ected
Wearied with her short view of her
commonplace surroundings, she rose
nd went to the window, hungerinp
or something fresh or beautiful
Once more an eager exclamation es.
aped her as she gazed again on the
grand cathedral; each buttress ant
canopied niche, each beautifully pro
portioned window was a new delight
while greater distance only lent
resh beauty to the glorious tower
The Ginning of the clock recalled
Ter to her present misery. II was
ertainly time to dress for dinner
he hated the thought of encounterine
gain her most disappointing rela-
ions, and now that the first excite
ment Of her arrival was over. began K
eel very tired and i'll, quite unequal
the effort Of English speaking.
For the dinner she was unprepared
and therefore dreaded nothing; bu,
her heart sunk when, the gong having
sounded, and the solemn procession
from drawing-room to dining-room
AIKEN place, she found herself in a
hot gaslit room, with all the windows
curtained, and the beautiful sunset
light shut out.
Mrs. Mortlake explained that her
ather disliked dining by daylight
and Esperance, though she could
scarcely breathe, tried to endure 1t.
She was so unaccustomed to formal
meals, and had for the last year