Year: 1860

A late number of the French Psyche
has story Of love affair which has
deeply moved the whole population of
Marseilles, but will hardly be credited by
persons who do not believe in supernatu-
raj apparilions. However, here is the
story in as few words as possible:


"Charies b, born in wealthy
family of merchants. and an orphan from
his childhood, had been brought up at
his uncle's with cousin whose beauty,
sweetness and graces never failed to pro
duce lasting impression on all persons
Of her acquaintance. 1t consequently
not at all surprising that Charles r., who
had grown up in her intimate society,
should have fallen deeply in love with
such fascinating cousin. Nor was his
love unrequited; for, when the proper
time came, she decided with the consent
of her family, that their marriage should
take place a soon as he was twenty years
Of age. Just about that time, his unc.e
having received from Calcutta the news
of the failure of house with which he
was carrying on An extensive business,
sent the young Charles to that distant
port to effect a liquidation. The mar
riage was necessarily postponed, and the
young lover left Marseilles, promising to
write as often as God and the ocean
would allow, and to return as soon as his
business was settled.


-Four months passed on, and no news
came from the young traveller. His iela-
tions, and more particularly his cousin,
began to feel uneasy, and were already
accusing him Of neglect, when one un.
happy day they read in the papers of the
fatal loss Of the steamer on board OF
which they knew that Charles had gone
The young Msrseillaise was lmost mad
with grief; and after long and danger
Gus sickness the poor girl earteaed,
seeing before her nothing but complete
blank, resolved to spend the remainder OF
her life in convent, TO mourn, far from
the world, for the only man whom she
had loved. 1t was in vain that her parents
tried to dissuade her from that resolution
All their entieaties, their misery,
their tears could not induce her to change
her mind, and she soon entered convent
of Marseilles as a 'postulant." ..-s


SIX months after that fata; day, just as
the time for her taking the vows was ap
preaching, her family was pleasantly
startled BY letter from their daughter,
informing them that she had altered her
mind, and wished to 60 back to them, 10
the word, to pleasure, to happiness. For
the last three nights, she said, she had
seen in her dreams her beloved Charles,
entreating her, with tears in his eyes, and
the sweetest voice, not to fulfill her ter
rible resolution, not to com plete a sac,,
fee which would be the death of them
both. For Charles was yet alive, and
would soon be back to keep his sacred
promise. and end all her griels. The
nuns of the convent had, good humoredly,
laughed at her, and tried to persuade her
to stay among them, in that quiet retreat,
where she might, undisturbed, lament all
her life the dear companion of her youth
For he was dead, sai1 they, and it was
foolish to believe in those supernatural
apparitions. But she was unskaken in
her faith, and to all their entreaties she
would answer that her betroth would soon
be back, and Of course she must be at


home to receive him.


Although the parents of the young
"postulant' did not believe, any more
than the nuns, that such a strange dream


would ever be realized, they were SO


much gladdened by the letter Of their
daughter that they decided not to say
one word to undeceive her. She might
60 on, from day to day, hoping all the
time for an arrival which would new
er take place, and by little and little :hey
thought the deep wound of the heart
might be healed. '....


Accordingly on that very day they
went to the convent, and in less Than one
hour their only child was crossing again
the threshold ol the old family mansion.
Her first thou uht was for her little room