Year: 1874




all over the carpet, and | looked round
for the door, for / wanted to run away
But as did so / saw lying upon little
side-table hat and pair Of gloves, and
across the gloves cane that knew al
once. My gOdmamma had given it to my
guardian six months before for New
Years present, and it had his monogram
in gold letters on the onyx head. Ther
l got very angry. / thought of my god
mother sitting crying at home, and ofhel
pale cheeks and her great hollow eyes
and my courage all came back with my
anger.


"What do / want with YOU? / cried
81 want to tell you that you have stolen
my guardian away from my godmother
and want you to give him back again
There was also something that 1 had to
say to you about reptiles; but we will
let the reptiles go; they would only COM
plicate the question. / want to talk to
you about my 'gOdmother. She is just as
pretty as she can be, and you are horrid
ugly, hateful woman" which was not
true, for she waS handsome. as have said
before. "She is growing paler and palel
every day, and the servants say she il
breaking her heart, and will be sure to
die; and it is all on account of you, be-
cause you have stolen her husband away
from her. Give him back to her, do you
hear Give him back to her right awayw


She shrieked out laughing at this, and
fell back upon her cushions still laughing
like mad. Then 1 lost my head COM
pletely. You dare to laugh at my god
motherw / cried "my godmother who
is so sick and is going to die! Wait, and
I'll teach you to laugh at her! Saying
this caught up the cane, and do not
know what might have done with it,
but just then felt a strong hand seize
my arm, the cane was snatched from my
grasp, and looking up, saw my guardian,
who must have been all the time in the
inner room.


"Come," he said to me, Gomez


Rose Topaze sprang to her feet, and
would have spoken, but he raised his
hand with warning gesture.


"Not word % he said; and then we
went out; but as we descended the stair
case I heard her laughing to herself in
the pink drawing-room.


My guardian never spoke one word to
me all the way home, but as soon as we
got there he went straight to my god
mothers room. There she sat all alone,
and the tears were chasing each other
down her pale cheeks as she looked at
something that was lying before her.
And what do you think it was thought
my godmamma had more sense than to
cry over such silly thing. Why, it was
just a foolish little cap, not big enough to
go on a good-sized fist; cap that sup
pose she had been working for some little
girls doll. My guardian went straight
into the room, and took up the little cap
and looked at it, and then he looked at
her. "My dear, dear wife," he said;
"can you ever forgive me % He knelt
down beside her chair, and he put his
arms around her; and she laid her head
OH his shoulder and sobbed little, but
not very hard. Then my guardian got
up, and took me and put me into herarms.
"Kiss him, Louise, and love him." he
said, for he is a good, brave boy" He
told in few words what had passed. And
how she did kiss me, and what pleasant
dinner we had that evening! My god
mamma was as lively as ever, and when
| went back to school the next morning
she gave me a beautiful cake and great
box of candied fruits; and the next Sun
day, when came to spend the day with
her, she had a lovely gold watch and chain
for me.


! believe that is about all. Only my
godmamma and my guardian are kinder
to me than ever, and | am going to spend
my next summer holidays with them at
their chateau in Brittany. And my god
mamma has little girl-baby, with great
brown eyes, just like her own; and her
name is Blanche, and they say she is to
be my little wife some day. But she
will have to grow good deal to get big
enough for me, for she is very, very small,
while as for me, am quite man.