THE WIDOWED WIFE. 405 



little at your expense; so, 011 being claimed by Mr. Claremont as 

 his brother-in-law, I acquiesced in the claim, and passed off for such 

 though how I escaped so long without detection is to me incredible 

 and had it not been that Madame Delcourt called me aside, when 

 introduced to her, and taxed me with being her husband or his ghost 

 I really do think I should have let you have gone to the church 

 door before I discovered myself." 



" Indeed you're very kind?" observed Madame Delcourt 

 evidently piqued at her husband's want of gallantry, and possibly 

 annoyed that the carriage he came in was not his own 



" But Lisette," continued her husband, " are you not overjoyed to 

 see me ?" 



" Yes indeed I am," replied she ; " but then the carriage, 



really " 



"Was not mine; but, as I have not travelled so many years 

 without deriving some advantage from it, if you are bent upon a 

 carriage .why a carriage you shall have." 



" Oh ! my dear dear husband," said Madame Delcourt, em- 

 bracing him ; (e how very very glad I am you're come back but 

 really Philip, it was very unkind your not writing to me for so long 

 a time." 



" My dear Lisette, it was quite impossible. I have been by turns 

 in Spain Italy England and America ; by turns merchant 

 soldier sailor doctor ; sometimes shipwrecked sometimes impri- 

 soned sometimes this and sometimes that in short, there's hardly 

 any place where I hav'nt been, and hardly any thing that I hav'nt 

 seen why, Lisette ! I mean to publish an account of my travels and 

 adventures." 



" Ah !" observed Madame Delcourt, " all your miseries happened 

 because you left your wife !" 



" And pray do you attribute all my riches to the same source?" 

 asked her husband. A general laugh, in which Madame Delcourt 

 joined heartily, followed this sally. 



At this moment a note was handed to Madame Delcourt, who redd 



it aloud. It was written by Monsieur Le Grande to Claremont, 



regretting that the dangerous illness of an aunt prevented him from 

 attending the ceremony at Andevin. 



" Never mind never mind," said Monsieur Delcourt, " I will 

 supply his place I will sign the settlement." 



" What mean you sign what settlement ?" asked his wife. 

 " The marriage settlement between Baptiste Claremont and my 

 dear little niece here, Lily St. Aubert. There be only to change one 

 name in it, you know." 



Let it not be supposed that either Baptiste or Lily, or indeed 

 Antoinette, had remained unconcerned during the progress of the 

 discovery of Monsieur Delcourt's real character, during the subse- 

 quent interval. Thanks congratulations vows hopes and va- 

 rious other well wishing, &c.'s had passed among them, and Antoinette 

 now easily saw how it was the assumed Monsieur Le Grande was 

 enabled to give so certain a promise that the marriage between 

 Baptiste and Madame Delcourt should not take place. 



