Year: 1873

Adele completely trusted me indeed, | very
soon discovered this, partly from her manner,
and partly through intuition. She would talk
to me quite openly, and even confdingly, ask
ing my advice and opinion on various subjects,
and she treated me with a familiarity that
showed her unsuspicious by its very openness
Of course, | treated her in the same way. |
could not do otherwise. To have been formal
| or indifferent was impossible to have ventur-
ed to make love to her would have seemed to
me like abusing a privilege and betraying a
trust. | am very glad now to think that |
never allowed myself TO say anything to her
that from our intimacy was not perfectly ex-
cusable.


In the meantime the days passed on, and
grew more and more in love with her. | felt
that something ought to follow. But what
Ut course, the wisest thing | could have done
was to go Immediately away but that was far
easier said than done. The fascination was too
strong for ME. could not resolve to volun-
tarily say good by to Adele. seemed to see
her sweet face looking up sorrowfully and
pleadlngly into mine, and to hear her soft mu-
slcal voice, as she begged me to stay, even for
little longer. " No, no, said to myself,


L can't goat least, not just yet" So !
stayed on, and put off the evil day, and gave
myself up entirely to the pleasure of Adele
society. How long this might have lasted il
is impossible to say, if suddenly the end had
not come.


This was how it was One morning went
as usual to the Bertons. | found nobody in
the garden, so L pushed open the door of the
house and went in. All was silent, there was
Monsieur Berton was generally in the garden,
and Madame Berton and Adele in the little
room dlgnltied by the name of parlor | was
puzzled, and was just going to call out, when
remembered little back room which Madame
BertOn sometimes used as a woI kroom.
looked in and saw Adele lying huddled up on
the couch, weeping bitterly. | sprang forward
and kneeling by her, entreated her to tell me
the cause OF her grief. At first she only shook
her head, and continued to cry, but after 9
time she grew calmer, and tried to speak


Tell me what it is, urged perhaps
can help you; you may trust me, indeed you
may"


Il know, l know" answered she, "you arc
so kind, but in this you can be no help"
! AT least tell me, repeated |, g is your
father or mother ill What is it ?"


| placed myself at her side on the sofa anC
| stole my arm around her waist. 1t was an ir
resistable impulse, but am glad to remember
that she did not notice it !; her mind seeming
quite absorbed by her trouble could moi
imagine what it was, and certainly never sus
pected that it would so nearly affect me, so
continued to persuade her to confde in me
" Do not be afraid, Adele; if you only knew
| how 1t grleves me to see you SO unhappy. Tel
me, MY was going to say something
much tenderer, when she stopped me by put
ting both her hands on my shoulders and said


!" Dear friend, | will tell you, for know you
| will pity and be sorry for me, as | should be
tor you if you were in trouble. My poor Ru
dolph is very i'll, dying perhaps, he prays tC
see me, and we have not got the money to &C
| to him. He is in Rome, you know a long way
from here, and it would cost a great deal Of
money to get there. We would sell anything
| would give anything to 60 to him. Oh! tC
think he is SO far away, dying even, and help
less here. And l would give the world to see
him, to touch him, to hear his voice. only oncC
again before ne dies it is cruel, cruel-I shal
20 mad. Oh. Rudolph, my dear, dear love !!


She burst into passion of crying, and start
ing up, walked up and down the room, wiring
ing her hands piteously.


l sat stupefed, as if had been struck by
blow. This was the end of my dream she hat
no brother; this Rudolph was-well, l haC
been an idiot


don't remember what I said or did afte
4 that, but l believe | muttered some sympathiz
ing words and then walked mechanically out O
the house and back to Vigneles. When go
tneIe L eAdnlueu my lttle store OF money ant
deducting only what was absolutely necessar
put the rest in an envelope and sent it to Mon
sieur Berton with few lines of regret that
was suddenly obliged to return to England, ant
begging him to accept the money as loan,
he would not do SO as gift, in token of M
friendship and sympathy Then | went straigh
away fr0m Vignelles without leaving any ad
dress. and from that day to this have hear
nothing more of the Bertons. tried hard I
forget Adele, and after time succeeded.
But | do wonder if she is as charming no,
as she was then; let me see, she must be no,
old? Seventeen and twenty make thirty y-seven
and | am forty-two. l suppose that poor fe
, low Rudolph died, or any how she could nc
have married him, as her name is still Bertor
| He might have been her cousin, you say,


some other relation of the same nameP Yer
. true but if she is not married, and is as mic
: as ever, perhaps-well, anyhow, may as we
20 and see her. And did.


1t may interest some people to know tha
she is looking over my shoulder as | write th


and that she thinks no more need be said O


the subject K. KEMBLR.