A PARISIAN ROMANCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 161, 8 July 1895, Page 6

A PARISIAN ROMANCE.

By A. JD.EALL.

CHAPTER IX. '.(Continued,) v As Armando entered the room there was a certain look of surprise on her face.*'. It-was very rarely bhab her husband requested her preeenee. They lived as entirely separate lives as ib is possible for two beings' to do under the same roof. N ' You desired to speak to me ?' she asked, quietly, in her low, clear voice. . •Yes, my dear,' replied the baron, pushing forward Ja chauy and courteously motioning her to be ■seated. '.I am sorry if I have disarranged^ your plane, bub I have an interesting piece of news for you. , 1 received bhis morning a visib from Monsieur DeTargy.' '.-•", ■■'< I ■„-,.■ •Indeed! From Monsieur de Targy? f He ia still here, in bhe antechamber.' ; • What was the reason of his visib ? Anything 'important.', i"**1 , ' Important?' chuckled bhe baron. ' Well, by Jove! I should think ib was rather importanb, bhab is, for him. , The facb is, bhe De Targy a are ruined. Armando Chevrial started to her feeb, •hocked and disbressed beyond measure ab this brusque announcement of a misfortune to people to whom she was'warmly attached. ♦Ruined!' Bhe exclaimed. 'Is ib possible ?' ' .-,., •Nob only possible, but a facb,' replied her husband, calmly, polishing bis monocle and fibbing ib in his eye. • Ah!' said Armande, in a pitiful tone, her beautiful eyes suffused with bears. 'How sorry I am. Poor people! poor little woman that lam so fond of. Bub, good Heaven.!, how did ib happen, so suddenly,',too? Why, they could have known.nobhing aboub it lash night', , The baron gazed curiously through his glass ab the troubled face of his wife. What were these De Targya t-o her that she should take their financial disaster so to heart ? How abeurd to worry over evils which do not hurb one'« self. Women were odd creatures, anyhow, and his wife the oddest of her species. • Sib down,' he said, shortly, " and I will tell you aboub ib. As far as I have been able to understand the story, through the young man's circumlocutions, his father Borne years ago received in trust a legacy, which he'was charged to deliver some day to a certain person mentioned by the testator. Now, the elder De Targy squandered the money in one way or another. The son has.only just been informed of bhis facb, by his mobher, in all probability, and he restores to-day the money ab bhe expense of his own fortune. lb will take all that he is possessed of, in fact' Madame Chevrial had listened eagerly to this recital, and as her husband finished, she exclaimed, her eyes shining with honest enthusiasm: ' How noble of him !' The baron laughed a contemptuous, irritated laugh. • Yes, very noble of him,' he said, in a tone which ga^e the lie to his words. • And now, ib only remains for mo, to tell you the name of the person to whom this legacy, which amounts to nearly three millions, was lefb. Well, thab person is you.' She stared ab him in utter stupefaction; she heard the words withoub ab all baking in their meaning^ ( "■' HlfiH li •JPpnfyou hear me? The.;for tune i was left bo^you,' reiterated bhe baron. 'To me !' she murmured, in a dazed sorb of way.""*'"*l"-''"' *""••'■ ■■ "'•:'' '■,: ■? !, -■■ "*<■• '■. f • Yes, to you,' said the baron, snappishly. • The legacy was lefb to you.' Armande made no reply. There was a pause, during which a variety of expressions Bwepb over her face, firsb amazement, then doubb, then horror, then absolute fright; Ab last, she rose bo her feeb; and burning upon her husband a face from which all colour had fled, she asked in her low, bense bones :,'■'•■ ' Who was ib bhab left this money to me?' ' Someone who was well-disposed toward you, of course,' replied the baron. ■' But why do you care to know more? You understand nothing of business. All that concerns you is to be certain thab bhis fortune belongs to you ; and ib very evidently does, since ib is surrendered bo you. People don'b as a rule strip themselves of everything and ruin themselves utterly, for the pleasure it gives them.' 'Pardon me,' she persisted in the same quiet, determined voice. ' I insisb upon knowing who left me this fortune V • ' Oh ! you insisb, do you V said Chevrial, dryly, with a twinkle of malicious'enjoyment in hie eyes. • Very well, bhen, you shall know. Ib was an old friend of your family.' He paused a moment, while, with parted lips and quickened breabh, his wife waited for his nexb words. * The Counb de Fervieres!' . As she heard bhis name, Armande uttered a cry of horror. Her worßt fears were realiaed. ' ' The Counb de Fervieres !' she exclaimed, passionabely. * I refuse bo accept it' Magnificently beautiful she looked, as Bhe stood wibh her figure drawn up to its fullest height, and her blue eyes ablaze with horrified indignation. Poor and insignificant looked the shrivelled figure of the baron beside her. The two might have served as models, for Venus/the goddess of beau ty and her misshapen spouse. Bub his was the dominant spirit, as Bhe had learned more than once to her cosb. ' Whab did yon say ?' he asked, in his softest, most insinuating tones. •I refuse to accept ib !' • Indeed ? And why, may I ask ?' There was something in the manner in which he asked this simple question that arrested her attention and struck terror to her heart. Surely he was nob going to insist upon ber baking this money, which seemed to her almost like the price of shame. She had long since lost all illusions in regard to her husband, if indeed she had ever had any. Almosb from bhe very day of their marriage he had shocked ber sensibilities and outraged her principles. She knew that, if his mind were made up, no enbreabies of hers could move him one ioba. Bub she determined to make a desperate appeal. 'I implore you,' she said, piteously, clasping her hands, 'nob bo force me bo take this money. Ido not wish ib! Ido nob wish ib! We are rich! We do nob need ib. Why should we ruin those honest people? Why ' • My dear,' interrupted Chevrial, suavely, « one alwas needs bhree millions.' •Baron,' she enbreated, 'listen to me for juat one moment. You know thab since our marriage, I have nob been very happy. Ihave more than one wrong, more than one cruel wrong to reproach you with. Well, I forget all from this moment, if you will yield to me in this one thing." Totally unmoved by bhe disbress of the woman whom he had sworn before the altar to honor and protect, the baron calmly proceeded to light .a cigarebbe, .and then said with a coldness which had a touch of malignity in ib : 'At leasb, give me your reasons for nob accepting what belongs to you.' 1 My reasons! exclaimed Armande, in a voice quivering with agonised emotion. 'Do you know whab you are making me suSer? No, you cannot know it If you had the slighbesb suspicion of ib, your con-' duct would be unpardonable. My reasons ? My God ! Must I tell them to you ? Do you think then, thab a woman who goes Into aociety, as I do, who has her friends, her enemies, never hears anything of the pact 1 J

bhab she does not finally know all that bhey say in Paris, all that they say bobh aloud and ia whispers of her family, of her father, of her mother, of her mother;' especially?' And; bhe .poor woman, unable longer to bear the strain upon her rierves, buried her face in her hands and burst into a passionate flood of tears.' "* ' •No.', she sobbed., 'No ;Ldo not wish this" fortune, 't.db.not.wjsja it. Have mercy upon me?' The baron blew along whiff of smoke from his cigarette. 'My dear,' he said, 'this is really very bad form. I cannot understand such absurd sentimentaliby. . Ib was my dubyto inform you of the good fortune thab haa come to you, and I have done so. You refuse; so far, so good. Bub I, as bead of the family, accept' .'•■ , As be finished speaking, he turned bo the table, and touched the bell. Armande knew that she had lost, and that it was useless to struggle further. Stung to the quick, her pride canw to her aid, and she stifled her sobs and dried her wet eyes. •Tell Monsieur de Targy that he may return, thab I am ab his disposal,' said the baron to Ambroise, who had answered his summons. • The baroness moved toward the outer door, intending to escape before De Targy should enter. 'One rhomerit,' said the baron, eoing to her aide, and speaking in a low voice. 'I requesb you to remain. And remember thob ib is your diiby bo obey your husband.' She burned "uporihim a face as white and sob as bhab of a sbabuei, save tor the eyes which glittered wibh unspeakable contempt 'It is well,' she said, icily. « You need have no fear.' When Henri entered, a moment laber, he found husband and wife standing quietly together near the table.' Hebowed low to Madame Chevrial, who returned his salute, and then there was. an embarrassing silence. Finally, in obedience to a sign from her husband, Armande said in low, hub perfectly distinct tones: ' Monsieur, my husband has informed me of the misfortune which has overtaken you, and of which I am, to my bibber regreb, the involuntary cause. • Ib appears thab I cannbb, or rather thab I musb not, refuse bhis money which you offer me. I »ccepb it, bherefore, bub only because forced bo do so by — by my duty; I shall always be grateful to you, monsieur, not for this fortune which I owe to you, bub for the example of hercic honesty you have given me. There is no person in the world, there is no woman especially,' and here her voice shook a little, in spite of herself, ' who does not need at times bhe strengthening power of such an example. In the midst of so many unworthy actions of which one is every day the witness, it is well to be able to Bay : " There are -still"some"honest- people after all 1 Ib helps one to go on. Say bo your mobher, monsieur, tiiab I Bhall endeavour to be a second daughter to her.' She extended her hand, and Henri, who had a pretty shrewd idea of how matters stood, raised it reverently to his lipß. In another moment she was gone. Chevrial breathed an inward Bigh< of relief. The affair had passed off better than he had hoped. • You see, my dear monsieur,' _he said, blithely, 'that my wife appreciates, as I do, the uprightness of your conduct Now, leb us reburn to business. You understand, of course; thab 1 musb firsb examine those papers. To do thab, I shall require bhree or four days. Bub seriously, according bo your calculations, how much will you have left, after our accounts are adjusted ?' i ;'i hava..told you already—nothing... ....- ---' 'Chevrial raised his eyebrows. ■ 'The devil! Is thab really so* How will you live ?' ' «I do nob know. I have scarcely had time bo bhink of that yet I shall have greab difficulby, probably in finding anything to do, for unfortunately, I have no knowledge of any sorb of business. Bub we shall Bee!' ' Do you know Englishfor German ?' asked bhe baron, after a moment's pause. «I know English.' •Well, then, while you are waiting for something better to turn up, will you accept a sibuation in my bank, which would be modesb to begin with, of course ?' Henri's first impulse was to refuse; the offer stiuck him, taking all things into consideration, almosbt as an insult Bub a moments reflection showed him bhab here was an opporbuniby which mighb be a long time in presenting itself again, and that, in justice to his family, he ought to embrace it So he answered, as politely, as he could; • Certainly, monsieur, I will accepb any honourable sibuation wich will permib me bo gain my bread.' ' Very well, then, thab is understood. I will place you for the time being in charge of the correspondence.' 'I am deeply obliged,'said Henri,.moving toward the door. ' Au revoir, my dear monsieur.' ; *Au revoir, monsieur. 'Pray present my compliments to -the ladies of your family.' It was long after his usual hour when Baron Chevrial reached -his office, but he did not feel thao his morning had been lost. In bhe firsb place, his interview with Rosa had been highly satisfactory. If she followed his advice, as she undoubtedly would, her financial ruin was a mabter of the near future, and then he had bub bo spread his neb bo capbure the pretty bird. Then, this three millions, which had so unexpectedly fallen into bis lap, was not a morsel to be despised. And, finally, with De Targy in his office, and dependent upon him for his bread and butter, he would have a hold upon the young wife; and she was certainly very pretty, as he though b, wibh a complacenb smile. Ibwas an article of the worthy baron's creed, thab poyerby, sooner or laber, is forced bo sell itself, and alas ! for poor human nature, ib was an article thab was based to a large degree upon truth. No, from his point of view, bis morning had certainly not been lost. ( To be Contiriued.)