Year: 1878

lou are snuSgI6Fs LnSH


ooh, noi'


Why, then, do you cross into France
every night? What other motive could
induce you to expose yourself to such
peril 7''


'fThat will never disclose"


Recollect that the only means of
saving your life is frank and unreserved
declaration Of"


"I know it, but I will not do it. 1
will reply to you, my lord, as I did to
your Judge: I have never smuggled.' ,
Whether I CROSS nightly into France or
not is my own business, and my motives
are my own. My doom is spoken; let
it be executed; am ready to suffer It.
Ny lord, I shall not answer another
inquiry"


From that moment she was insensible
to advice, mensces, or entreaties.
Nothing could overcome her obstinate
silence During threes days was con-
stantly with her, and did all that I
could to extract her secret from her; but
tshe treasured in the bottom of her heart
what she wished to conceal from Me,
while she sooD- guessed what dared not
disclose to her. Yes, it was in her chill
and comfortless cell that I--her Judge,
| her lord; the arbiter of her life-fell at her
| feetsard revealed in passionate accents
what she had already read in my looks
and gestures. 1t was in her prison that
she coldly repulsed my love and rejected
| her pardon on the terms l offered IL. No
one who had seen US then would have
said ~" He Is the judge and she is the
| victim" She was always calm, cold and
resigned, while Iendured all the tortures
of disappointed love irritated by repulses.
The vault of the prison resounded with
my entreaties and angry exclamations,
with my sighs and passionate appeals;
and momentarily was the prey OF every
cOntending emotion-now ready to kill
Milanetta, and now resolving to save her
at all hazards; now begging her to be
mine, and now determined to bid the
exscutioner perform his fatal Office. I was
no longer myself loved for the first
time, and the being to whom I poured
out my heart and soul in protestations
of alteration, transport, and idolatry,
coldly answered: "I cannot listen to
you; love another" After an awful
outbreak of rage at such an announce
ment, insisted upon knowing who my
rival was, but she replied, with the same
calmness of tone and look, "That you
shall never know"


~ Jil1S JouClIlO a NlOtOnL AAOCAlnR
was heard at the prison door. My peo-
pie were looking for me on all sides, as a
French nobleman had Just arrived in
great haste at the castle, and demanded
to see me Immediately. | went to him
at once, striving in vain to hide from my
servant the emotions with which ! was
sgitated, and at whose violence myself
was alarmed. I made my appearance in
the great hall, prey to the most gloomy
fOrebodings. l there saw q young man
who was pacing the hsll with hurried
steps, and who desired to converse
without witnesses.


az am the Marquis de Clairval," said
he; :" I possess a castle in France, which
like yours, is on the very frontier, and
like you l am engaged in suppressing
smuggling and executing justice against
those engaged in it."


The name of the marquis was familiar
to me, as we had corresponded together
to devise measures for the security of the
frontier.


But" continued he, however rigid
and unrelenting may be our Justice
against those taken in the act, it is
rather too much that we should condemn
innocent people to death merely because
they refuse to give reasons for their bes
havior.


ITO what do you allude, Monsieur ?'


Listen to me. A young girl, named
Milanetta, has fallen into the hands of
your officers"


Ha can you explaiD-?


That is the sole object of my visit.
It was but this morning that l heard of
her arrest, her condemnation and that
she declined disclosing the motive of her
frequent trips into France by night.
know the cause and am come to unfold
it to you but it is in full confidence OF
your honor and discretion. Milanetta is
mine ~


Yours? You Milanetta's lover %
You seem surprised at this. because
such beautiful creature as Milsnetta
did not reside with me in my castle, or
that did not take her with me to Paris
during last winter. You may be also
astonished that noble of France should
be sufficiently enamoured of a peasant
| girl to submit to the constraint of nays
| tery and the harass and trouble of nightly
and dangerous interviews. But Milanetta
is not one of those women who yield
easily, nor Is she one whose influence
can be easily shaken off,"


81 think 1 know her character"
added.


ooh, no! Yeu never can know the
deep well of love and energetic feeling in
the heart of that young creature. She
has risked everything to see me and te
love me in secret, and now you have the
| object of her nocturnal journeys, which
| she would not disclose to you because
she would have had to blush at the con-
fession, and least a public declaration
made to her judge should come to the
ears of her father. To prevent this she
would have died without opening hel
lips. Now, my lord, have said sufh
cient to convince you that she is unjUstly
condemned, You are absolute here.
ask her pardon of you and feel assured
that you will gladly concede it."


The marquis s language, the love which
he confessed, and Milanetta's passion fol
him, of which he boasted so proudly anC
fervently, threw me into rage and despair
Ideas of vengeance and of blood rushed
| through my brain till 1 grew giddy
| Without consciousness of what [ wa
doing, or going to do, I rang the bel
impatiently and ordered Milanetta TO be
brought Immediately before me.
"Do not let her see me" cried tht
marquis "let her not be acquainted
with what have done If she learned
that it was to me that she owed her life
her feelings towards me would be al
absorbed in gratitude, and it is her Low,
only that desire"


This expression increased my frenzy


whilei the marquis, who was nearly q


much agitated as was, did not Perceiv'
my emotion. He only heard the SOUND


of steps in the corridor, aud thinking


that it was Milanetta who approached


he asked me where he could concea


himself 1 pointed to the door O
my closet, and the moment it close,


upon him BIilanetta came into the hall
For a moment I was speechless, overpow


cred by transports of envy and passion


Milanetta turned away from the fierc
| c1-Drasaior, of NV fastuTes With 4 boars