282 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



October 



to ler iiiiii li I low at ouce of your decisioD 

 ■with rt'y;inl to M. de Merillac, for he knew 

 all about liiui." 



"Oh, my uncle knew?" 



"Yes." 



"And he approved?" 



"Yes." 



"Thou Gaston knew that it was pro- 

 posed I should marry this baron?" 



"Perhaps." 



"But he has said nothing to me about 

 it!" 



"I thought you had not seen him!" 



"Oh, ye.s — that is — oh, no! I have not," 

 replied the girl, turning her face av^ay in 

 her confusion over her little fibs with 

 which she was inexperienced. 



"Let as go. Are you coming?" 



Mme. Odiot turned away to hide a smile. 



"Is my prcisence very necessary?" the 

 young girl asked. Then she added: "I 

 think that my uncle and yourself will be 

 able to talk more at your ease if I go away ; 

 besides my uncle will question me, and I 

 shan't know liow to answer him." 



"That is quite sim|.le. You will an- 

 swer him just as you answered me!" 



"You are ijiakiug fun of me, mother," 

 replied Antoinette peevishly. 



"Not the least iu the world! It is net 

 quite natural that you should refuse a 

 match so agrcieable to your mother and 

 your tutor for .'io plausible a reason. You 

 do not want to get married. But here w^ 

 ftre talking again on this subject, which 

 %!e had agreeil to leave alone ! It was you 

 that started it again, you must notice!" 



"Oh, now, mother, you make me cry!" 



And Antoin(;tte burst into tears and 

 threw herself upon her mother's neck. 



"Why do you ci-y, ma mignonne? There 

 is surely no catise for tears in our conver- 

 sation." 



At tins moiiient a servant girl entered 

 the room and announced that the Barou 

 de Merillac and his sun were waiting out- 

 side. 



"M. le baron de ?Jivillac and his son,'- 

 fhe said. 



Then she witluircw. Antoinette Imr- 

 ricdly made up l;i^j' ir.ind to conceal her- 

 self, when tliere appearid upon the thresh- 

 old of the room lior uncle and Gai-;ton. 

 She stood gaping at them without moving 

 and examiiicd t..em. 



"What docs this mean?" she stammered, 

 turning t<jward her mother. 



"Ask your uncle and Gaston himself," 

 replii^d Mjne. Odiot. 



"It means," >'aid M. Lambert very seri- 

 ously, "tliat I come as your guardian to 

 ask for you in marriage to the Baron de 

 Merillac." 



"But — the) announcement just made by 

 Justine?" interrupted Antoinette, who 

 could not understand whv the baron and 



his father did not make their appearance 

 and wliy her uncle made this request, 

 when they were evidently both waiting in 

 the next room. 



Her interrogating glances passed from 

 her mother to M. Lambert and Gaston, 

 the latter of wiioni appeared a little dis- 

 turbed and nervous iu spite of his smiling 

 face. Antoiiiette had dried her tears, but 

 her eyes were still red and swollen from 

 crying. 



Gaston noticed this. 



"You liave been crying, Antoinette?" he 

 asked. \-vv xib.iln M. Lambert and Mmr. 

 Odiot stood apart and conversed in low 

 tones. 



"Yes," she r('()iied to her cousin's ques- 

 tioii. 

 "Why?" 



"I cannot tell you." 

 "O'j. " was all he said. 

 "Well, Antoinette," interrtipted M. 

 Lambei-t," you have given me no answer." 

 "Motlier i-.as already spoken tome about 

 this geniieUian, uncle, and — and" — 

 "Audi'" questioned Gaston's father., 

 "And" — continued Antoinette, playing 

 uervouj;ly with a skein of wool she held in 

 her hands. 



"Well?" insisted M. Lambert. "Is it 

 difficult to say?" 



GasLon made a step in the direction of 



the young gii'l as though to encourage her. 



"Tell them, mother, what I answered 



you," mui'mured the poor girl. Gaston's 



attitude wiis torture to her. 



"Well," began Mme. Odiot, exchanging 

 a glance with her brother, "my daughter 

 does not wish to get married!" 



Gaston made another step toward An- 

 toinette and seized Jier hand. 



"Not even with me?" he asked, with a 

 trembling voic<i. 



"Willi you?" cried the younggirl, blush- 

 ing and gro\ving pale by turns. 



" Yes, with me, for I love you! Do you 

 not know it:-'" 



"I was sure of it," replied M. Lambert, 

 with a wink. 



"For goodness sake, explain yourselves!" 

 exclaimed / ntoinette, looking at all of 

 them in turn. 



"It is e;isy to explain," said Gaston. "I 

 thought I had guessed your love for me, 

 and 1 told my father, confessing my love 

 for you at t hi! same time. He and your 

 motlier talked it over and laid this trap to 

 see if your 1; . (^ was strong enough to resist 

 a rich and lilted lover." 



"Oh, Gaston! and you have fallen into 

 the trap?" 



"Yes, petite cousine, fori, too, wanted 

 to feel qtiite sure that I was being loved for 

 myself alone. Now I know and can no 

 longer douiit, can I? You will be my wife, 

 won't you?" 



