Year: 1868

cheeks and golden silky hair will
kisses. His friend continued


smoking, without growing Cheerful
or breaking his silence. But little
Vera was so very merry, and SC
very pretty, and she pulled his


moustache SO very gently, that be


could not help laughing heartily.
and taking her up in his arms.


f'Impossible to resist that" said


Basil whose face was radiant.
/ "She is very winning. l confess, y


replied the friend; nevertheless


| tell you that your wife is not


worthy of you, and of the child"


AS to Madame Basil Ostrof, suf-
flee it to say that she vanished
three days after, and that public
; rumor brought the elopement home


to Lieutenant Colonel M.
A few hours later the outraged


husband and the seducerr crossed


swords in the pretty isle of Petrol


sky. Basil killed the fellow.


But during these few hours


Madame Ostroff succeeded in en-


tering her husbands house, and
carrying off dear little Vera.
When Basil returned and found
that he had been robbed of his
child, he went mad. But there
was nothing furious in his insani-
ty. He used to sit silently for
hours, looking steadfastly at a
child's chair on which three dolls
had been carefully placed. They
were Vera's chair and dolls.>


Proceedings were instituted
against the wife, and the judges
ordered that the child should be
brought to her father twice a week
till she had attained fourteen years,
the age legally required for a girl
leaving the guardianship OF her
mother to return to her father.
Vera was then seven years DID,
Meantime Basil had retired from
the army, sold his mansion in the
most exclusive part of st. Peters
burgh, and removed to quiet
house in proximity to the summer
gardens of the Tauride Palace.


It was in that house that Basil's
child ought to have been brought
to him twice a week-every Sum
day and Thursday-according to
the order of the court. But Mad
anne Ostroff, who had become
very gay, was not very punctual
to fulfil her duty. More than
once the Sunday and Thursday |
elapsed without Basil having seen
his dear little Vera. Long, very !
long, were to him those hours of |
sad disappointment. Basil used
to pass whole days leaning against
the ratings of the garden in front |
Of the house; and what rendered |
his expectation more doleful was
the preparation of every magma
BILE kind he used to make for these
visits. On the eve of every Sun
day and Thursday, Colonel Basil
put on a full dress-a most extra
ordinary affair from him--and
went out to visit first the Bazaar
of Gostini Dwor, and then the
most fashionable shops of the
Mewski Prospect, to choose the
very best and newest toys.


On his return home, he would
place these toys on a table, and
surround them with bon bons and
The next day, when
the hour, SO longed for, was at
hand, he would survey his stall
with much satisfaction, his. eyes
would beam with happiness, and
at every moment he would dis
play the playthings in better
way. But when the hour had
passed, Basirs features smiled no
longer, Then he would come
down to the garden, and lay a.


/
yainst the ratings, his eyes try
ing to pierce through space. And
when he had lost all hope Of see
ing Vera, two big tears would run
down his cheeks, he would sigh
heavily, and then go in to dine,
Or, to speak more truly, to sit be-
fore his dinner, which he scarcely
touched; and then going to bed he
used to say to the housekeeper, to
deceive himself-sShe will come
tomorrow"


With such a state Of affairs you
my easily conceive that the house
of Colonel Basil was, encumbered
with toys Of all imaginable descrip-l