362 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



Becemher 



•wlilcJa sue was always naving to xeaa 

 aloud. 



"But your position and your income 



♦ * * If what you mention is all you 

 have to depend upon, you surely cannot 

 think of marrying yet awhile. For your- 

 self alone * * * of course it is enough, 

 but if you had a wife and children, why 



* * * it would mean misery * * * mis- 

 ery. " * * * And then, without giving 

 him time to argue the point, she rose, 

 and, on the pretext that she was getting 

 chilly, she took Louise's arm, and the 

 two ladies entered the house together. 



Lieutenant Tournier did not see the 

 young girl the next day, nor even the 

 next. Mme. Primeau, whose heart was 

 affected, had one of her bad attacks. 

 She staid in bed for the next few days, 

 and the young girl waited on her hand 

 and foot, taking her meals even in the 

 sickroom, little dreaming, in her per- 

 fect unoousciousuess, that there was in 

 the whole world any single human be- 

 ing who felt any interest in her and 

 who was longing to see her. 



Maurice Tournier was in despair. His 

 departure was now so near and Louise 

 was invisible. 



He gave a message to the servant for 

 her mistress, saying that he was leaving 

 and would like to say "Goodby. " Mme. 

 Primeau sent a cold, polite message 

 back, regretting that she was too ill to 

 see any one, and not even mentioning 

 her niece. 



Maurice did not give up, though, 

 even after that. The detachment was 

 to leave the town at daybreak in order 

 to spare the men the long march in the 

 heat of the midday sun. The young 

 lieutenant gave out that he would take 



his things away from the house that 

 night and sleep at the hotel in order 

 not to disturb the ladies in the early 

 morning. He made a great deal of noise 

 while packing, slamming the doors, 

 dragging his trunk and his sword along 

 witli a clatter — in fact, letting the in- 

 valid know that he was really going off 

 the premises. 



Two hours later, when it was just 

 getting dusk, he returned by a narrow 

 street to the other side of the garden, 

 climbed the wall and then dropped 

 down among the rosebushes. His hope 

 was that when Mme. Primeau thought 

 that he was out of the way she would 

 allow her niece to go out into the garden 



for a breath of air after being imprifs- 

 oned for two or three days. 



The young man waited, his eyes fixed 

 eagerly on the house door, dreading 

 every instant that the servant would 

 appear and close it for the ni,r?ht. ^a'^^ 

 at last the young girl appeared. A.S soon 

 as she had passed his hiding place and 

 was nearly at the end of the path he 

 came out and followed her. 



When she turned in order to retrace 

 her steps, she saw him and uttered a cry 

 of surprise. He advanced to meet her, 

 his cap in his baud, and then, when he 

 w:;s oijce fuce to f;ice with her, he told 

 her ail, hurriedly, eagerly, mixK:g 

 Bvcrything up together and yet fixiug 

 her attention in sjiteof his iucoherenry 

 :jf all he said by the pnnsiouate look in 

 hi,:; eyes and by the tender inflexion of 

 his voice, in which his whole soul vi- 

 braU d. 



fche listened to him in astonishment. 

 Ber face was paler than ever with emO' 

 tiou, bat she could not find a word to 

 "say tc him — her ideas .'eenied to be hope- 

 le.?rly scattered. Her hai]ds were clas^jed 

 to:-.ciher, and she shuddered perceptibly. 

 It was as though invisible wings were 

 hovering around her in the still blue of 

 the summer evening. 



Just like pome visi-ou she retreated 

 slov.Jy and then faded from his sight in 

 the gathering darkness amid tl.e treos. 

 As she was going, though, he said bur- 

 riedlr: "1 understand --■ * * it has been 

 50 sr.adeu * * * you cannot nns-,i'er 

 me "■ * * . Do not tell nje now, but ; i 

 di.j" break, when our detachment pi.-scs 

 in I'.ciit cf the house * * * be there * * * 

 tni-ke some sign * * * smile * » » or, at 

 any rate, let me see yon open the win- 

 dow even * * * nothing else but ji^.vSt 

 that * * * and I shall know that you 

 c:g not angry with me, that I may come 

 aLd £ee you ag;.in. " 



When once the young girl was back 

 in the sickroom, she took up her usual 

 place on a low sofa near the bed. 

 The invalid was breathing more regu- 

 larly and seemed to be sleeping 



Kovv thut she was calmer and could 

 thii:k it all over deliberately she felt 

 deeply touched as she remember, cl all 

 he had said, and presently a feelirg of 

 pride came over her. Lhe was proud to 

 have won the love of such a man, and 

 great tears of happiness gathered in her 

 eyes and rolled slowly down ber pale 



