LITERATURE

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 942, 2 July 1877, Page 3

LITERATURE

WHO WAS HE ? WHO IS HE ? ( Continued.) ‘ I need not tell you, my dear Raymond,’ said the count, after a brief pause, ‘how truly sorry I am for your sad misfortunes. You know that I have a'ways entertained the sincerest friendship for you ever since chance threw us together in that ticklish adventure some four years ago, when your gallantry rescued me out of the murderous clutches of the New York rowdies. It is no use, my dear Raymond’—this in reply to a deprecatory gesture made by the young man —‘l will dwell on it. I shall remember it to my last breath, and I will always mention it with heartfelt gratitude. Now, in the midst of my deep regret that occasion for it should thus have arisen, I cannot help expressing my pleasure that it should happen to be in my power to testify my friendship and gratitude to you at once in a practical way. I have only this very morning come back to Paris, after a two years’ absence from France, and one of the first men I met was Count Montalivet, an intimate of mine, who tells me that my old friend DuplessisI ersac, who is wielding just now vast influence at Court and in the Cabinet, is giving a great dinner and fete to-morrow at his mansion in the Rue St. Dominique. Now I intend to give him a surprise. He cannot possibly know yet that I am back ; so I shall come upon him quite unexpectedly, and I propose to take advantage at once of his pleasure to see me again to ask him for something in the administration suited to your talents and acquirements, my dear Raymond. And, as I think of it, you must go with me on the occasion. I will take no denial. Indeed, you will greatly disoblige me if you refuse,’ * Well, my dear Count Dartigue, if you wish it, 1 will go; and believe me, I am deeply sensible of your kindness. When and where shall I meet you, then, tomorrow ? ’

‘At five p.m.,’ said the count, after a few moments’reflection, ‘at the Hotel Tersac, in the Rue St. Dominique. I have to go to Oersailies in the morning, and I may be detained a little beyond the time. You need simply give my name, and say that you expect me there. It will prove a sufficient passport and introduction, even should I uot myself le there to the minute. Now I must wish you good-bye for the present. I have urgent business to attend to. Good bye, my dear Raymond, d domain.’ The two friends, who had thus unexpectedly met, warmly shook hands and separated. General Duplessis-Tersac sat at his large library table, eagerly studying a gigantic descriptive plan of the battle of Waterloo, spread out before him. The general was in the hot midst of his strategic and tactical movements on the paper when the door behind him opened softly, and a graceful young girl glided in, and moved up to the chair on tiptoe, to clasp her fair hands over his eyes, crying, in a bewitchingly sweet voice, ‘ Guess, papa, who it is 1’

‘ Ah, you wicked little gipsy ? You have just come in time to save that fellow Bulow from a crushing defeat at Planchenoit,’ cried the general, gently removing the soft hand from his eyes, and tenderly embracing his daughter. Estelle Duplessis-Tersac had fully kept the promises of her childhood. The fair blossom had expanded iuto the fairer flower ; the sylph-like child had develoyed iuto the beautiful maiden.

‘ You sent for me, papa. Is there anything new?’ ‘Yes, there is, darling; but I am afraid you will not like my news. Armaud is coming to day, so your aunt Castres writes to me. Do, darling, be as kind to him as you can bring yourself to be.’ ‘ I will, dearest papa, But it is too bad of the Vicomte de Vauguyrou to persecute me in this fashion, after my last emphatic declaration to him. I cannot possibly like the man. I cannot even esteem him.’

‘ For the matter of that, my darling, I can conscientiously assure you that I do uot like him much either. He is too Legitimistic for me by half, and too conceited and dogmatic. But then, darling, you know how your aunt has set her heart upou this match ; and if it were possible, my dearest Estelle, for you to reconsider your decision—’ ‘Dearpapa, you will not surely urge me to sacrifice the happiness of my life ! ’ ‘ No, no ! ’ cried the general hastily. * I will not, dearest, I will not indeed ! It is ot ly that your aunt pleads so pertinaciously for Armand, and gives me no rest in the matter. But never mind, dearest; we shall get over to-day, and there will not be much chance for Armaud to perse uto you with his love-making. There are some other young men coming, too, aud there may be one among them to please Mademoiselle Estelle’s most fastidious taste,’ he added banteringly. ‘N ot likely, dear papa ! Ido not want to leave you, dear papa You are my love aud my only love. Or if ever 1 love to marry, it will be the one who rescued me from that appalling peril in the mountains, some eight years ago now,’ Estelle said, apparently half in jest, ha f in earnest. ‘ Ay, dear, but who was he ? I also have long had some one in my mind’s eye, but unhappily I do uot know either who he is, and so—’

A knock at the library-door interrupted the general. Hfs confidential valet enters, to present a letter to his master on a silver salver. It is Joseph Baiguier, brother of the lamented Jean, whom the general has taken into his service in grateful remembrance of that faithful humble friend. The general opens 1 ho letter, and reads aloud : ‘ My dear General, —I have just received his Majesty’s commands to run down to Chateau d’Eu. The king wishes to have a long interview with Madame Liste-Civile ; so 1 deeply regret that I cannot be with you Please present my excuses and my affectionate regards to my charming friend Estelle. By the bye, you may expect a great surprise to-night. But I must not tell. Mum is the word, and Dartigue.— Yours, as ever, Monte livet.’ « There, we have it now, dearest. Two gri vous di-ap, ointments. Armand, whom we don’t want, is coining, armed with aunt Gastres’ powerful protection, whilst Moutaliver. whom we do want, is not coming. It is most contrary,’ said the general, with vexation. ‘ But what can this mean? Mum is the word, and Dartigue. Mum and Dartigue ! What can it mean ?’ ‘Oh, I have it, papal It is that dear Count Dartigue who has come back, and he will be here to-day. You’ll see whether I am not right. I am so delighted. He will

manage, in his easy charming way, to keep the Vicomte de Vauguyron in proper bounds, and prevent him from tormenting me with his hated love professions. And do you know, papa, maybe he will bring with him the hero of his N r ew York adventure, about whom he was always talking, and whom he jocularly promised to “catch” for my own spec.<d behoof and benefit. Who knows whether this may not actually be part of the surprise intended for us to-night ?’ But I must be off now. I have a world of things to do to prepare for to-night.’ ‘ A world of things to do ! Why, how big you talk, you little silly ; and all about a body and skirt and a few trashy bits of tinsel and sparkle ! Ah, vanity, vanity I what pretty fools thou makest of the fairer half of creation ! A world of things to do ! What think you of that, Joseph?’ *I, general ?’ replied the old servitor, his rugged countenance smoothed and brightened by a genial smile, and looking with affectionate admiration at his young mistress’s animated pretty face. ‘lt is not for such as old Joseph to trouble his foolish noddle with knotty questions, general; but this I do know, that Mademoiselle Estelle is so very beautiful that she needs not adorning.’ * Thank you, Joseph, thank you for the neat compliment. You make me blush with your flattery,’ said the young lady ; then turning to her father demurely, ‘ I plead guilty, papa, to the heinous charge of vanity. Papa, dear,’ she added, with a slight tinge of malice in voice and manner, * are you going to don your grand uniform, and to wear all your orders, and the grand cordon of the Legion of Honor, and the diamond collar of the what do-you-call-it order, and the jewel hilted sword presented to you by the city of Paris ? Ido so love to see you in all the pride and pomp and circumstance of the glorious reminiscences of glorious war; and those diamond and jewels do so sparkle, they quite dazzle one. Of course there is no trashiness about them ; oh, dear no 1’

‘ Be off with you, you mocking little mon key!’criedthe|general; With a half-blush tinging his honest cheeks. ‘ Be off with you, I say! True, this also is vanity,’ he muttered to himself. ‘There is really, after all, not much to choose between the two sexes in that particular matter-’ Estelle ran off laughing. ‘Come along Joseph,’said the general; ‘ I must think of dressing. Just to show that I do not care for little madcap’s sally. I will put on my orders, and wear the diamond collar and the jewel-hilted sword. I know very well she likes to see me in them. ’

At five o’clock punctually young Raymond presented himself at the Hotel Tersac. He inquired whether the Count Dartigue had yet arrived. Now Joseph Balguier happened to be in the hall just then. Count Dartigue was a great favorite with the old servitor, as he was in fact with every one he ever came in contact with ; and Joseph re membered all about Count Montalivet’s letter, and the remarks made upon it by his master and his young mistress. So it was no great that he should jump to the conclusion that this visitor, who was personally unknown at the Hotel Tersac, r d who was inquiring now for Count Dari . e, was in all likelihood actually the hv.o of the count’s New York adventuae, which had been narrated more than once in Joseph’s presence. Upon the strength of this seemingly extremely plausible supposition, Joseph took the young visitor at once under his special guidance and protection. He told him that, though Count Dartigue had not yet arrived, his friend’s visit had been duly announced, and Monsieur —, with an inquiring look at the young man, 1o which the latter replied ‘ Raymond,’—yes, M. de Raymond was expected. ‘Plain M. Raymond,’ said the young gentleman, smiling. ‘ I have no handle to my name.’ M, Raymond then was expected, Joseph repeated, and proceeded at once to announce M. Raymond and usher him into the saloon.

M. Raymond was most corteously and kindly receievd by the master of the house, who gazed at him a few brief moments with a startled look. Surely he remembered that face : he had a strong impression that he must have seen this young man before, some time and somewhere, ‘but when and where he could not make out. He asked Raymond when the count had returned to Paris ; to wh ch query the young gentleman simply replied, ‘ V esterday ) morning,’ adding, for the general’s information} that the count had been compelled to go to Nersailles on urgent business, but would certainly not long delay his appearance there. The general presented M. Raymond to his daughter, who could barely repress a cry of pleased surprise at the sight of him and at, the sound of his voice. Impressions made on the mind in supreme crises are hardly ever effaced and the female heart has its intuitions. So, though eight years had e'apsed since the calamitous catastrophe in the Swiss mountains in which poor John Balgnier had perished, and her own life had hung on a few slender silken threads, and though her preserver then had since passed from youth to full manhood, Estelle felt in her inmost heart a firm unerring conviction that she had met him once again, and that the young man before her was the same who had saved her from such appalling peril. And it was indeed he; and he also was startled, and an eager look came into his eyes, and he traced, with the rapidity of thought, in the dazzling beautiful face before him the well-remembered noble fearless features of the child whom he had rescued eight years before. Just then the announcement of the arrival of the Marquise de Castres, attended by her faithful squire and protege, the Vicomte Armand de Yauguyron, called host and hostess precipitately away._ Uuests continued to arrive, and the performance of his duties as host kept the general from pursuing the train of thought on which the sight of Raymond had started him. Estelle also was amply occupied, of course ; besides that the marchioness and the viscount kept pertinaciously near her. She managed, however, to whisper to old Joseph that she was quite sure in her mind that this M. Raymond was the identical youth who, with her, had beheld his lamented brother in his last moments, adn to recommend the young gentleman to his special care. (To he continued .)