Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-04-21
Won by w aiting
EDNA LYALL

! conversation, winch ala not Lend u
raise Gaspard's spirits.
Every one seemed relieved wher
| they arrived at Calais; the hustle al
the station, the hurried search fol
! luggage, and going on board the
! steamer, all served to divert theil
thoughts. 1t was not till they had
fairly started, that Esperance realized
! that they had left France, and then a
| strange, dreary feeling of homeless
| ness crept over her, and she gaZed al
| the receding shore through mist OF
! tears. But in a minute or two Gas
pard, glancing down, saw her trouble
| put his arm round her protectingly
| and whispered, Courage, dear! we
are doing what our father wished.
| do not doubt for moment that it is
| best. You will try to bear it?"
And Esperance, looking up with
eyes full of love and trust, said, 81
will bear nything-everything with
ou''-unconsciously repeating the
words with which she had answered
her father when they were leaving
the chateau.
The landing at Dover was mex
pressibly dreary. It was dark, and
cold, and windy. All the French
passengers were in a fever of good
tempered anxiety about their luggage,
and the few English passengers
made matters worse by their cool
collectedness, and seemed persistent
ly to stand in every ones way.
Esperance was hurried along, she
knew not whither-nor cared, so
long as she had hold of Gaspard's
ARMAND eventually found herself
safely in a railway carriage, being
scanned from head to foot by sundry
pairs of English eyes. She, herself,
took a rapid survey of her fellow
travellers, wondered why they were so
quiet; hoped that in the course of
their staring they would notice Cas-
pard's honorable scar, and, after an
animated discussion with her brother,
as to the comparative merits of
French and English railway accom-
mediation, settled herself comfortably
and went to sleep, her head resting
on Gaspard's shoulder.
She woke just before they reached
Victoria Station, feeling dreadfully
tired and hungry. The English trav-
elers had by this time thawed little,
and two or three of the gentlemen
were talking together. Esperance de-
cided that English was certainly the
harshest and most wearisome of Ian
guages.
Then came the arrival at the sta
ton, the crowded platform, the push
ing and struggling toward the lug
gage van, finally a civil porter, a;
springless cab, a drive to the cheapest
hotel in the neighborhood, despairing
attempts at English speaking, and a
nights rest.
Esperance woke the next morning
much refreshed, and ready to enjoy
the sense of novelty and adventure
Fortunately, the day was fine, and
their first impressions of London were
favorable. The morning was an en-
joyable one. They wandered about i'll
Hyde Park, walked along the Thames
Embankment, and visited Westmin-
ster Abbey. 1t was not till the after
noon that Gaspard turned his
thoughts to the necessary search for
cheap lodgings, and began to make in
quiries as to the most inexpensive
quarter of London.
He was recommended to try Pen
tonville or Islington; and, leaving
Esperance to rest at the hotel, he
went out to try his fortune. 1t was
certainly lodging-hunting under diff
culties, for his English was sadly
deficient and though between each
failure he studied book Of dialogues
in which one page was devoted to
the hire of apartments" he was
sure to be utterly puzzled by some
ill-pronounced word or unknown idi-
ON. "SiXpence hextra for kitchen
fire. rapidly spoken, was quite unin-
telligib1e to him. and even the differ
coinage was bewildering.
The afternoon was closing in, and
still he had met with no suitable
rooms: he began to think that Esper-
ance would be alarmed at his long
absence, and was just about to give
up the search, when his eye caught
an advertisement of FURNISHED
Apartments" in the window of ba.
kerr shop. He entered without much
hope of success. The shop was small
but clean. A stout, good-tempered
woman stood behind the counter,
and perched in front of her, between
the fresh loaves of bread and the
scales. was a large, sleek, tabby cat
which stared at Gaspard in a patro-
nizing way with its great green eyes
He made his dialogue book" in
quiry, and was relieved to find that
the woman spoke distinctly.
''Sitting-room and two bedrooms
sir? Yes; l think we could suit you;
step this way and see them, if you
please. Come Bismarck"
Gasaprd started; then as a spring
from the counter and loud purl
followed, he laughed, and asked
THAT is your cat?"
Yes, sir, It's a queer name, to bt
sure, but my husband is a rare poll
tician, he is. and so he went for t.
call the cat Bismarck, after one o
them Germans"
1T is well-named. l observe al
ready likeness" said Gaspard
smiling
BY this time they had reached TIL
second floor, and the landlady, light
ing the gas, began to do the honor
of her apartment. while Bismarcl
. stalked about in a dignifed way