Year: 1871

not be doubted that it had been answered to


the satisfaction Of Judge Benham, who was


punctilious to a fault; but neither he nor


Adele chose to enlighten the public mind


upon the subject. All the information that


could be elected from other sources amount


ed to little. 1t was found that Souvreigne


had received letters addressed to the Count


de Landret, and had had transactions with
his bankers in the same name. Once while


in Philadelphia he had been visited by an


elderly French gentleman, who from various


circumstances, was believed to be q person


of distinction, and who had importuned


Souvreigne to return to France. A leading


publishing in New York, judging that


a book was likely to result from the observa-


tions of so intelligent a traveller as Souv-


reigne, had sent an agent to him soon after


his arrival in the country with a very liberal


offer for anything he might choose to publish; !;


but Souvreigne had replied that he did not
desire to make an engagement in advance OF
the completion of a work which, in fact,


might never be completed at all, and that in


any event he should not find it necessary to


publish with any view to pecuniary consider


ations. And once, opening a letter in the


presence OF an acquaintance, and finding
remittance inclosed, he had exclaimed, "Why


does he send me more money? l am an in
dependent citizen, and carry my fortune in


my own hands'


These few inconclusive facts, with a great


mass of conjectures, more or less plausible,


were diligently discussed for nine days at


least; and it being by that time generally


agreed that, whoever Souvreigne might be,


he was not at any rate a penniess adventur-


er, society was once more appeased, and


proceeded to address itself to q fresher topic.


And so, us to the essential and startling


fact, the question still remained unanswered.


Well it might, indeed for though Judge


Benham had demanded of Souvreigne, when


he came to sue for the hand of Adele, the


most explicit vouchers; though Souvreigne


had responded frankly, and satisfactorily, as


the result proved, yet neither Judge Ben


ham nor Souvreigne himself could have sus-


pected the answer that, to the dismay of both,


was given to the question by events I few


months later


Though Souvreigne was now more fire.


quently at Judge Benham's house than form


erly, his evenings there were passed in much
; the same way as before. This man was no


common lover. Superior to mere sentiment,


he may be said to have loved with his head


rather than with his heart. He seemed never


so happy as when, in conversation with her


father in the old way, he had succeeded in so


engaging the interest of Adele while she lis


tened, as that she would break out suddenly
into either impetuous contradiction or the


warmest approval Of his statements OF as


sumptions. Indeed, a man of pure intellect


like Souvreigne might well be pardoned for


yielding to the charm of such fine talents as


Adele certainly possessed; especially as her
beauty Of expression even more than OF feat
ure, reached its highest estate only when she


was thoroughly reused.


Il The group at these tireside Conversations
Ioc o1r al ,oI


as pleasant q picture Us will often be seen.
On one side Of the open crate lounged in his
easy chair the whte-haired and white beard
cd Judge. By his side sat Adele tondling
with her soft fingers, his snowy fleece, blow
ing little edlles in it with her lips, braiding
it into q scorce Of mimic pig tails, or spread
ing it into a silver veil through which she


peeped coquettishly at her future lord across


the rug. lie, Souvreignc, always III black,
erect large-eyed, and massive Of forehead,
, with his glossy black beard combcd now to q


point on his breast, looked at the girls face
almost constantly while he talked, never
quite losing the tinge Of sadness from his
own; while old Santo, the dog, with LONG
white hair like his masters, having early lost
his heart to Souvreigne, lay slumbering at
that gentleman's feet, or sat between his


knees and looked wistfully into his eyes
Souvreigne would sometimes, of clear
night, move his chair to the southern VIM
dow and looking with his great eyes st the
stars, discourse of the glory of the armament.
II Then all conversation would cease-the
Judge and Adele, and even the reverent San
| to, sitting spel-bound while Souvregne gave


himself up up to rhapsody upon the theme that
was most fascinating to him. The finest COM
pliment he ever paid Adele was when, upon
turning away from her once to trace u con-


stellation for her brother, he said, APOLOGIZE
cally ''Pardon! 1t is the face of Heaven that


| turn to, Mademoiselle y


No one of the hundred or two persons who
heard the lecture delivered by Souvreigne, at


the solicitation of friends in Maule's old hall
, in Charles street about this time, will find


any difficulty, even after the lapse of quar-


ter Of q century, in recalling the event and
the novel circumstances attending it. The
| subject of the lecture was ''The Great Con-
stellatons." After talking rapidly for twen-
ty minutes or more, and endeavoring with
rather i'll success to demonstrate by means of


charts the relative positions in the heavens of
the principal consultations, the lecturer sud-
denly paused and going to q window at the


end OF the stage, opened it and looked out.
!, Coming forward again, he said, ''The vast
chart Of the Almighty hangs over our head y


And he walked down the aisle to the door
and out into the street, his little audience,
amused and curious, pressed after him; and
there, standing upon the curb-stone, with in
tent listeners clustering round him, Souv-
reignc went on with his lecture to the end


sweeping the heavens with his rattan cane,
and greatly embarrassing the policeman on


that beat, who was by no means clear in his
mind, until haply he discovered his honor
the mayor in the midst Of the listening con-
{ gregation, whether or not it was his duty to
, dispersc tho crowd and arrest the speech
, maker Us disturber Of the peace.


Among the Souvreigne's auditors of this


occasion there CHANGED to be u gentleman,
| casually in the city, who was seeking in
structors for a new college in the West over
| which he had himself been chosen to preside.
This gentleman was SO impressed with the
J singular eloquence and evident erudition of
f the lecturer, that he sought an interview with
| him, and ultimately secured his acceptance of
a sort of omnibus professorship in the institu-


ton under his charge. Souvreigne accepted
this the more readily, because, in view of his


marriage, he had determined to reside perma-
nently in this country, and felt the necessity
| of entering as soon as might be upon some
t settled occupation, and of obtaining some


where fixed habitation. His original pro-
| iect of temporary residence in successive
} cities had been given up, for the time at least
} Convinced that in the position which had
thus fallen to him he would find abundant op-


portunity for honorable and useful labor,
Souvreigne devoted himself diligently to the


necessary preparations for assuming his du-
| ties at the commencement of the collegiate
year in April, barely two months from the
dow of his on orcO