The Monticellonian., 1904-07-28

coming of her fiance. Her fiancel An, how sweet that word was to pronounce; how deliciously it made her heart throb.
 Finally the great day came and Her nance was notified that NJ Bastide would present himself at her house at l two o'clock.
 Everything in and around the house had been put in perfect order, and all was ] ready. Hermance kept repeating to her servant:
 T hear some one coming, Ionette."
 "Mademoiselle has said that very often"
 Well don't go to sleep in the porch, and be sure to bring him in-that person ito the parlor"
 Surely, mademoiselle. Don't you fear. l will hide myself in the corridor and run at the first sound of the bell" The bell rang The visitor, the tall drum major with the long beard, ap- peared, but limping with one foot, and walking with a cane. "Mademoiselle Desriguy?" said he.
 Tt is I, Monsieur Bastide," trembling ly answered the little humpback. drop ping the book in which she seemed to have been reading.
 You! But! Mademoiselle Hermance Desriguy who wrote to mel"
 Yes"
 And both stood thunderstruck facing each other, stupidly gazing without word
 But. mademoiselle, you have never you ought to have told me" And Her. nance replied, her cheeks now grown scarlet:
 Yes I know, I ought to perhaps, but you. you also, monsieur. I was born so -me-no-oh, no. Adieu, monsieur"
 And our poor little heroine, wholly confused, her eyes filled with tears, fled away, leaving the room to her visitor, her exfiance.
 The great giant stood still some min- utes. What was there to do? Finally he opened a door into the hall and shuf- fled back to his hotel. There he seated | himself on one of the soft banks of grass, and with eyes mechanically fixed upon the windings of the valley, tried to medi- tate over the occurrences of the after noon, and gave himself up to the strange 1 thoughts to which they gave rise.
 Humpbacked! She was a humpback, and she had said nothing about it. This was the game. shallow trick, and that maternal directress of the Matrimonial Institute of France. whose only object was to enable her children to make a better acquaintance and to shield them l in marriage-charlatan. cheat l But how about himself? What had he said about his infirmity? He had been very careful in not speak | ing of that He he tried to trick her? No. truly, that was not his object. He had not wished to hurry And she-oh without doubt, 1t was her timidity; perhaps in her case also l she felt ashamed. He had no reason to be proud.
 Adrien Bastide had been tende-ly brought up by a mother who idolized him. Jealous of every woman who ap- preached him yet she had had an inten- tion certainly of seeing him married. and she truly meant not to disappoint him. But years passed on and she discovered no one worthy of him. and finally she died without placing her hand upon the fine pearl sought for.
 Adrien at the age of 22. on account of a fall from horse, had lost the free use of his right leg. After his mothers death he said to himself that now was the time to replace her. But how? Providentially. as he then thought, he saw the advertisement of the marriage institute and paying his subscription and i enrolment fee he received photograph and communication in which Hermance, No. 19724, was deseribed
 Orphan, 29 years, musician. dowry 000 francs, living in a neat cottage with garden and running stream of wa ter. would espouse man of honor, in pre- ference official. This exactly suited him; perhaps even the 10000 francs no less than the garden and stream full of fish attracted , him.
 Alas, some points had been omitted in the advertisement in the Nuptial Veil and also in the letters from Mime. de St. Elme-yet how full of sweetness and spirituality her letters had been. We'll he was not coming 200 miles for nothing; he would go and explain him. | self at least.
 Hermance during this time was re- i feeting on the situation. It was not so easy to find a husband at 29, she we'll i knew
 He was a cripple, yet, but she was well little peaked.
 Nothing" she thought. will make NJ BastiGe return to the house. There are three trains to Paris. two in the morning and one in the afternoon at 4:S0
 He will do nothing until train time. I might at least try to meet him, as it were by accident. at the station"
 So with hat and mantle she quickly set out. But two steps from her house i she ran into the good giant.
 Monsieur Adrien, must you leave i town at once?" she asked.
 And she had look so contrite. and l eyes so ready to fill with tears that the f giant bent over her and took her hand respectfully.
 .I ask your pardon he said, for all l I did You were much excited so was I. But do not wish to return without see- ing you again. Permit me to enter with you Now we know each other, and we i can speak more quietly" There were two happy persons in that