Year: 1863

herself upon her great insensibility, and heI


profound indifference had repulsed all those
gallants who had volunteered to offer their ad
diseases. The country was fer her veritabIe
retreat; she Stunned FelGnions, and was only
happy in solitude. The charms Of q chosen
circle, the pleasures of the world, had for hel
no attraction; and her favorite recreation was
that Of angling, an amusement worthy of an
unfeeling woman.


She was accustomed every pleasant day to
stat ion herself at the extremity of the lonely
island of Chalon, and there, with her book in
one hand and line in the other, her time was
passed in fishing, reading or dreaming.


A lover who had always been intimidated
by her eoldness, and who had never ventured
on spoken or written declaration, surprised
, her at her favOrite pursuit one day, when be
bad come to the island for the purpose Of en-
joying swimming bath.


He observed her for long time without
discovery, and busted himself with how he
might turn to his advantage this lonely amuse-
ment of angling. His reYeries were 80 deep
and so fortunate that he al last hit upon the
desired plaza novel expedient indssd-yet
they are always NOR successful with such
women as pretend to be invulnerable.


The next day our armorous hero returned
to the island, studied the ground, made his
arrangements, and when Madame D.
had resumed her accustomed place, he slipped
away to remote and retired shelter, and after
divesting himself of bis clothing, be entered
the stream. An excellent swimmer and a
skillful diver, he trusted to his aquatic talent
for the success of his enterprise. He swan to
the end of the island with the greatest precau-
ton, favored by the chances of the bank and
bushes, which hung their dense foliage above
the water. In his lips was a note folded and
sealed, and on arriving near the spot where
Madame D was sitting he made dive,
and lightly seizing the hook, he attached it to
his letter.


Madame D, preceiviDg the move
ment of her line, supposed that fish was bi-
| ting.


| The young man had retired as he came; he
had doubled the cape which extended out into
the water separating them from each other,
and had regained his spot without the least
noise in his passage under the willows. The
deed Wos dene. Fi7.1'a5 ~ s3.i =


Madame D, pulled in her line, and
what was her surprise to observe dangling at
the hook, not the expected 'shiner,' but an IN
expected letter.


This was, however, trihing, but her surprise
became stupefaction when, detaching the
transfxed billet, she read upon it-her name.
So, then, this letter which she had fished up
was addressed to her.


This was somewhat miraculous She was
afraid. Her troubled glance scrutinized the
surrounding space, but there was nothing
to be seen or heard, all was still and lonely,
both on land and water.


She quilted her seat, but took away the
letter. As soon as she was alone and closeted
with with herself, and as soon as the paper
was dry-a paper perfectly water proof, and
written upon with indelible ink-she unsealed
the letter and commenced its perusah.


"a declaration of love !" cried she at the
first words. ''What insolence? ?'


Still the insolence had come to her in such
an extraordinary manner that her curiosity
would not suffer her to treat this letter as she
had so many others-psttishly burn it without
a reading.


No-she read it quite through. The lover
who dated this letter from the bottom of the
river, had skilfully adopted the allegory and
introduced hinselfas grotesque inhabitant
of the waters. The fable was gracefully man
aged, and with the jesting tone which he had
adopted was mingled a true, serious, ardent |
sentiment, expressed with beauty and elo- |
quence.


The next day Madame D. returned |
to the island, not without emotion and trace
of fear.


She threw her line with a trembling hand, |
and shuddered as a moment after she preceiV- |
ed a movement of the hook.


Is it fish? Is it letter? 1t was a let |
ter.


Madame D. was no believer in mag |
ie; still there was something strange and su-
pernatural in all this.


She had an idea of throwing the letter back |
into the stream, but relinquiShed it. The |
most stubborn and naughty woman is always
disarmed in face of the mystery which capti-
| Yates her imagination.


The second letter was more tender, more pas
sionate, more charming than the first Mad |
anne D. read it several times, and could
not help thinking about the delightful mer-
man that wrote such bewiching letters.


On the subsequent day she attached her line
to the bank, and left it swimming in the wa
ter, while she withdrew to landing place up !
on the extremity of the island. She watch |
ed for long time, but saw nothing. She re-
returned to the place, withdrew the line-and |
there was the letter.


This time an answer was requested. IL was /
rather premature; yet the audacious request
obtained full success. The reply was writ
ten after some hesitation, and the hook drop |
ped into the stream, charged with letter that |
was intended to say nothing, and effect a sort /
of badinage-which was, nevertheless, a bulle- |
tin of victory gained over the hard severity Of
woman till then unapproachable.
| Madame D. had too much shrewd- |
ness not to guess that her mysterious cores /
poudeut employed, instead of magic, art of q
skillful diver. Scruples easily understood re-
strained her from that portion of the bank
where she was sure that the diver would emerge
| from the water.
| But the game of letters amused her. First
it pleased her intellect, and her curiosity be-
came SO lively that she wrote


Let us give up this jesting which has
pleased me for a moment, but should continue
no longer, aud come with your apologies to
Chalen."


Yes, if you will add "Hope."


"If only word is necessary to decide yen,
be it So"


| And the word was written.


The young man appeared, and was not
loser The gift of pleasing belonged to his
person as much as to his style, and be had
made such rapid progress under water, that
it was easy to complete his conquest on land.
They were married.


/ On Tuaedav dashinO voung vvomar call.