104 THE WIDOWED WIFE. 



" Chu, chu 1" replied she, sharply ; " don't talk to me ! and two 



postilions all his what have I lost ?" 



" Come Baptiste/' said Claremont ; " take your bride's hand. " 



" Indeed father, you must excuse me, but after what has happened, 

 I cannot think. But," added he, suddenly dropping his voice, " I 

 see a sight which revives me. " 



Madame Delcourt, (who probably thought that if she went on at 

 the same rate she was then going, she would have ultimately to re- 

 main in the same predicament she was then situated ; that is, remain 

 a widow, now began to consider it necessary to endeavour to obli- 

 terate any little unpleasant feelings that might have generated in the 

 mind of her elect bridegroom, in consequence of witnessing all that 

 had lately passed), now advanced towards Baptiste, with one of her 

 sweetest smiles, and said, " Come then, dear Baptiste, I will keep 



you in suspense no longer Come we will But see !" and she 



pointed towards the door of the inn, from which issued Monsieur Le 

 Grande, dressed in the peasant costume of the country. Madame 

 Delcourt rushed forward to meet him. 



" My husband my dear husband are you not my husband ?" 



" Well Lisette, I suppose it is so I suppose you are my wife !" 



" Why, my dear brother-in-law ! what means all this ? my brother- 

 in-law, and the husband of my son's wife ! What the devil do you 

 mean ? Why do you come here, sir, to disturb the family ? Go sir 

 leave the house Monsieur Le Grande." 



" My name is not Monsieur Le Grande, it is Jean Philippe Del- 

 court I am not your brother-in-law ; I am this lady's husband, and 

 my object in coming here, at this moment, is to preserve 3,000 francs 

 in my family, that I fancy was on the point of being very unworthily 

 bestowed." 



Monsieur Claremont seemed quite satisfied with the explanation 

 thus gratuitously made him, at least so it may be supposed, for he 

 slunk behind, without another word, to the very back of the peasant 

 circle, who were fast pressing towards the centre of attraction, Mon- 

 sieur Delcourt. The truth was soon known amongst them, and the 

 long-lost Monsieur Delcourt was greeted with three cheers." 



" But tell me, dear Philip," said his wife, regarding his altered ; 

 dress " what means this disguise ?" 



f( Disguise ! my dear wife it was my other dress that was a 

 disguise !" 



" What mean you ?" asked she, in evident anxiety " your car- 

 riage ?" 



" My carriage ! ha ! ha ! ha ! ha ! then all your good people 

 really did think that that beautiful carriage belonged to me ! ha ! ha ! 

 ha ! well that's good 'faith its none of mine. I met it on the road 

 and as I was somewhat tired with a goodish long walk, I begged 

 the coachman's permission to get inside, promising him, by way of 

 remuneration, that on our arrival at the first inn, I would defray 

 the expenses of feeding the horses and treating the men. I thought, 

 you know, I could promise that with safety, as he was driving me 

 to my own house ; when I arrived here, I gained, no matter how, 

 intelligence of certain facts, so I was determined to divert myself a 



