Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-12-26


riage, not only should | fear no diff
Guilty on your part, but that | might
count upon your most hearty approval.
Those words, Madame, were too prec-
ious 10 forgotten. You, yourself, may
have the kindness to remember them
The Baroness, whom it was not at
| all easy to discomfort, lost counter
ance upon listening to that exordium,
and it was almost blunderingly that
| she answered:
''Heavensi is it possible? Yes,
did say something like that-but not
without conditions"
1T is true, Madame, there were
some conditions. You did, indeed,
| place two conditions to your kindly
| concurrence. The first was that your
nephew was to be excepted from
| those among whom l might choose my
husband. l have respected that The
second, Madame, was that | should
never enter into an engagement with
out informing you, and that is what l
have just done"
We'll, l hear"
Madame" continued Mademoiselle
de Sardonne, in the same tone of per
feet urbanity, ''the circumstance
| which you had the kindness to fore
see and so desire for me has pre-
scented itself today"
"Ahi"
"And L beg you to concur in the
| lii ioh 70
| brice has just honored me-"
did abrice ask your hand?"
Eyes, Madame"
at seems to me that he might have
begun by addressing me. That is but
elementary in formality.'
''It would have been, no doubt, Ma
dame, but he thought it useless to
| trouble you with the subject before
being assured of my personal senti-
ments, which, before all else, were
important to him"
l. And such a marriage pIeases your"
Eyes, Madame Monsieur Fabrice
is n honorable man, and a man of
talent, whose name I should be proud
to bear"
"You know, suppose, to whose
place you succeed? At his first wed
ding he married a washerwoman."
! Pardon me, Madame, she was a
florist"
1T is all the same-you will see a
clownish society in his world
Il shall be happy enough if I should
be treated with due regard
thrill ?-a(zc h aw-P indar
"And thus-and you place me thus
I, and willingly, forgetting all that
| have done for you since I welcomed
you here as a friend, as a daughter!'
''Be assured, Madame, that l have
not forgotten the singulr kindness
that you have shown me since you
| have taken me into your service"
Nine de Montauron had the faculty
Of Selling the least shades of langu-
| Uage. none of the correct impertiD
ences, the vengeful ironies that heI
| lectrice shot at her were lost upon
her With that last piercing reply the
Baroness arose. If she had allowed her
GlLSGI W COIt1Oi I1CA, II 40 AACl AhAA
probable that Nile. de SardOnne would
not have had two seconds more of
life. For lack of anything better she
could drive her ignominiously from
her home. She thought Of it. A little
| reflection showed her all the incOn-
| veniences Of a step of that kind. Bad
tongues might accuse her of opposing
the marriage of her pTotege by a
feeling of tyrannical selfshnesS, which
was after all very acceptable. What
ever she might do hereafter, Beatrice
had escaped her. However irreperable
that loss might be, it was necessary
to bear it and to give to herself at
least, the appearance and merit Of
good will Anyway that miserable
| marriage had one redeeming feature.
Il forever delivered Nine. de Montana
ron from the terror of seeing her
nephew, Pierrepont, marry that money
less girl
By virtue of these diverse consider
ations, the hostile conversation be-
tween the Baroness and her reader
came to have an ending such as could
not have been foreseen, though per
fectIy feminine.