Madame Delphine

e sign, others came to notice which were especially bad,-for instance, wakefulness. At well-nigh any hour of the ni

sort of evidence. If he showed distress of mind, it

und so long that he began rea

t to those who held preconceived notions of a banker's calling. As a banker, at least, he was certainly out of balance; while as a promenader, it seemed

de on the tiled floor of the church, "yonder is Miché Vignevielle! If you will only look at on

that Monsieur Vignevielle should always b

direction whence you could faintly catch, in the stillness of the daybreak, the songs of the Gascon butchers and the pounding of their meat-axes on the stalls of the distant market-hou

ht she, as she started timorously on her way. But she had not gone a doz

s not prepared to consider that. A terrible secret was haunting her. Yesterday morning she had found a shoe-track

frights were upon her at once-one for herself, another for Olive, left alone in the house; but she had but the one prayer-"God protect my child!" After a fearful time she reached a place of safety, the cathed

by which she had entered, her eyes in al

me Ca

d mild. Monsieur Vignevielle came slowly forward from the shade of t

elle, I thang de g

dame Carraze?

me all dad way

ame, I sa

d 'im? Oo

h. De people say he's crezzie. Mais

care' fo' my

trouble you' lill'

aker's strangely kind and patient eyes

gnevielle, "wad pud you ho

She asked if he thought

' bécassines-de-mer, ou somezin' ligue. But

hout ever succeeding half so well in lifting the curtain upon the whole,

w, Madame, w

nding in either eye, and then looking down once more a

thi

no

and, "you see? 'Tis impossible to mague you' owze shu

non,

ss'bil'ty fo' me to be dad

started with sur

one wad can be

oo, M

od

elle--" She looked

izzerd you, Madame

ell, she bit her lip, smiled, and suddenly dropped her face in

d I mean, Mad

id no

now one 'uzban'; an' noboddie are hable to do dad egceb

up. He

ze; I fin' you' da

as about to resent this offer. Monsieur Vignevielle put forth his hand

prattycabble. One w'ite jantleman, Madame. You can truz

own, twining her handker

ed his pr

firz by you's

you

ore her eye of faith

y, "I wan' sen' some b

rown so exaltedly bold that she said as they w

g Père Jerome mighd be ab'