MAM'ZELLE EUGENIE A RUSSIAN LOVE STORY.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 134, 26 December 1885, Page 3

MAM'ZELLE EUGENIE A RUSSIAN LOVE STORY.

BY HENRY GREVILLB,

Author' bt "Ds)ia," " Shell's ( Expiation, '•MarrjingOff a Daughter," "The Princes* Offherot". "Markof,"" ThtS'Trialß of Ratasa," "Sylvle's Betrothed." "Douroof," "Gabiiille,'' "Luoie Bodfey," " Bonne-Marie," "Xenie'fl Inheritance,"' "A Friend," u Sonia.f "Ptfetty Little - Couotess ZtnmJ' ''Guy's Marriage,', '••Tania'a Peril," " Philoinene's MaTriageu,"&o.

CHAPTER X. DECIDED ACTION. The Berlaguine household was enjoying its siesta ; not the' mistress only, but the servants had lain down to sleep in all manner of places, more especially in the open air ; still the sonorous ante-chambera resounded with melodious snorea. Anton Petrovitch's arrival disturbed their rest, and the menservants fled in every direction, even into the maids hall, which speedily became iivejywith the caokle -of terrified h.ens. • 4'Good heavens !" growled the old house-keeper'-to Malissof's coachman, who was 'slowly loading his panting horses into the shade, " whatever possesses your master to come driving across country at an hour when every Christian is taking refuge from the heat?" "Oh, it would be well if that were all," returned the coachman. " Our people say that the .master spent the whole night in walking up aod down his room or in the garden. He must be head over ears in love with your yqun£ mistress to lose his sleep in tbat way. You are likely to have a wedding soon, I think." While these and similar remarks were being exchanged outside, Madame Berlaguine, whose eyes were still heavy with sleep, but whose heart swelled joyous impatience, was keeping up a disjointed and uninteresting conversation in the draw-ing-room with Anton Petrovjtch. He kept his eye fixed on the door, awaiting Eugenie's entrance, before touching on the object of his visit. The mother saw this, and rang twice to let her daughter know he was there, though she was well aware that the poor child was iv the hands half a dozen waiting-maids, who were attiring her in all haste in a white dress fresh from the laundress. At length she made her appearance, and walking straight up to Malis3of, gave him her hand without the least trace of embrass ment. A furtive smile, accompanied by a slight gesture which betokened surprise at his comeing so aoon, repaid him for the /pains he had taken. Sne sat down, and every one waited in suspense. ' "Madame," 'said Malissof, "you have been kind enough to receive me well, and your daughter also is good enough to give me some encouragement — are you disposed to. entrust her happiness to me ?" Madame Berlaguine put her handkerchief to her eye 3; real tears of pride and affection were stieaming down her cheeks. " With what joy, dear Anton Petrovitch ! Who could be more worthy of my treasure ?" '•'Then you place unbounded confidence in me, and feel sure that I can wish for nothing but to ensure your daughter's happiness?"- "' ' *• Neei you ask such a question ?" ex- " claimed the enraptured mother; " it is easy to see how passionately you love her !" Eugenie turned pale andlooked at Malissof ; he put a good face ont the matter, and veiled the stab beneath a winning smile. " Then, dear Madame, will you leave her fate entirely in my hands ?" "Of course I will !" said Madame Berluguine, slightly surprised at his persistency. " In that case," pursued Malissof, " allow '"me" to give her hand to the man whom she prefers, one who seems far better suited to her in age and tastes than myself, a man whom I esteem and am prepared to treat as my son— Nicholas Markof." "To him!" cried "Madame Berlaguine, starting up from her seat : '• you are turning me into ridicule, Monsieur Malissof ! And as to you, shameless girl, who have been plotting with strangers against your ' mother's peace of mind—" Eugenie, too, had risen instinctively to avoid her mother's threatening hand, which had come dangerously near her cheek ; she clung to Malissof, who put his arm round her. " You place me in a strange position, Madame," said he calmly ; " pray, notice that it is I. the stranger, as you call me, who have to protect your daughter from your anger !" "You are a dishonest man!" hissed Madame Berlaguine between her teeth, with subdued rage. " After compromising my daughter by your visits, and making the whole country talk of her approaching marriage to you—" "The report was not circulated entirely by me," said Malissof quietly. "It has circulated, at any rate, whoever set it on foot, and now, after compromising her, you put forward in your place some wretched—'' "He is the man I love, mother," said Eugenie, raising her head and stepping forward ; " a man worth more than—" Her sentence remained unfinished, cut short by a stinging blow. Malissof folded her in both arm* and hid her outraged cheek on his shoulder.. " Madame, " said he, ' l you " retain your maternal rights and can use them ; but until you return to your senses, it may be well to shield your daughter from your violence." He caught up his hat, and led the young girl, still encircled in his arms, to the steps. The coachman was waiting a few paces off ; at a sign from his master, he drove up ; Malissof got into the carriage with Eugenie, almost lifting her in, and off they drove without a word, much to the astonishment oi the household. Madame Berlaguine, who had failed to catch ti*e real import of Malissof's words, rushed to the head of the steps at the sound of the wheels, but was only in time to see the carriage vanishing round the corner in a cloadofdust. Our travellers hardly exchanged a word during their drive ; Eugenie was without a hat, and the sun beat down on her head j Malissof ordered the hood to be put up, and botb/suffered much from tE& heat ;' at length, thanks to his excellent' horses, Madame Pajarof's house came in aighfc sooner than he had anticipated. On seeing Eugenie appear on the scene witnout a hat, in a white 'dress and blue sash, with one cheek very • red,' and the other very 'white, Madame Tajarof feltthat something very unusual must baVe happened, and without a single exclamation she conducted her visitors to the drawing- room,' and closed the door behind, them' ; but just as they entered on- the left, Markof, who 'had seen their strange arrival from his window, appeared on the rteht. The quartet stood petrified ; the* first impulse of the lovers was to rush up to

each other, But they were "Unstrained tby dhltiHfe" pMen^VHiilb'bKea atlthtm affectionately, and -more stifling the bitterness which lurked at his heart, took IBugenie ,by the; hand,,?;" I^yg L he£ Asfc> jfou keeping," said he^to Markof $ may you both be nappyi" ' ' ".* uThe yduhg v 6suple -tfiftlclly : iaid*-h 5 61 d( of ! each other's jban'd; then : Markof, growing folder, graced that of tf& young girl, and by a ooinmon . impulse they, knelt i dowa. before Malissof; as if he were their father, to ftsk for his blessing. -He gave it, and raising them from, their knees; pointed; without, speaking, to the garden.. They, went out hand in hand, and the door closed on their youthful raptures. MaUssof, still mute, sat down and buried his troubled face in his hands. His old friend drew near, and laid her Hand on his shoulder without a word. He turned round. "I thought, for one moment, of earring her "off ts my own house,'*Baid he j " I am glad'l resisted the temptation.". "God will bless you;"- sWd Madame Pajarof, "you are a good man." Malissof struggled a moment with his uncontrollable emotion j then he choked back the swelling tears, pressed his hand to his heart, which beat oruelly, and paced up and dotfn the room, "This is not all," •said he, as soon as he was able to speak; "what are we to do now? Her mother struck her; if she returns home, the marriage will never take place." • * • " Oi course not," said" Madame Pajarbf ; " she will not return till ehe is-married, 1 shall arrange it all." -She rang the bell, and a servant entered. "Go and fetch the priest," were her orders. In tweenty minutes the priest appeared. He was a g<sod old man, rather deaf, and so good-natured that if the adjective had not been in existence, it must have been coined for him. He came in, bowed, and took his seat with a winning smile, which x would have softened the heart of a wild beast. " See here, Father Andre," said Madame Pafarof, reverting to stratagem ; " something very extraordinary has just happened. Madame Berlaguine, my friend and neighbour, was intending to .marry her daughter Eugenic." " Father Andre smiled, and glancing knowingly' at Maiissof. " JNo, not to that gentleman," pursued the good lady, -Mbut to young Markof ; I invited the young man to come here a week age, for the very purpose. The wedding was to have taken place at Madame Berlaguine's church, and Sunday was the day fixed, but the priest has been obliged to leave home for a little while ; these young people are naturally impatient, you see, and we thought you might consent to marry them from ray house. " Certainly," said Father Andre, falling Into the trap. " Madame Berlaguine has begged me to represent her on this occasion ; I suppose you will not require any documents, since you know the young people." "Why should I, for children I have known from their infancy?" said the old man, emiling. "I am to represent the mother ; Monsieur Malissof is to acb os father to the bride, and we will have them married a^ seven o'clock this evening." This evening ?" repeated the priest, rather startled. " Yes, Monsieur Maiissof hag to start on a long journey tomorrow, and as he has promised to give the the child away, we are obliged tq hurry it on." "I shall be gratefnl if you will render me this service, my father," said Malsssof, holdiug out his hand, to thejold man. The hand contained a hundred rouble note, which it left in that of Father Andre", who, knowing his rich neighbour's wealth and liberality, was troubled with no suspicions, but departed with profuße bows and thanks, to tell* his wife to look out his best clothes. In spite of the gravity of the situation, the two accomplices could not refrain irom a laugh as the door closed behind them. " I have played my cards well," said Madame Pajarof. "Now, Madame Berlaguine might take it into her head to come in quest of her daughter ; she had better not, for upon my word, I should be ready to return her the blow she gave poor Eugenie ! But this might create some disturbance." " I will send Pelagic off to her at once," said Malissof, "with my horses, so as to lose no time." "that will never do," broke in the old lady ; Pelagic would say next day that you were going to marry her, and had given her the horses as a betrothal giftj send mine; if you please." In less than a quarter of an hour, a light carriage and swift horses rolled up with Malissof to the house of the aimable spinster. " Anton Petrovitch !" cried Pelagic, at the top of hervbiee. f'The same, come to apply to his kind neighbour, as we do to the saints for a favour which we are afraid of being refused by the Almighty." Pelagic, delighted with the comparison, displayed all her teeth in the most bewitch' ing of smiles. "I have had a slight quarrel' with Madame Berlaguine," proceeded Malissof. Pelagic opened her eyes wide. "I feel persuaded that you are the only person in the world who can make my peace with her ; I want you to tell her how distressed I am at what has happened, and to obtain my pardon. But pray go without losing a moment." "Without my dinner?' asked the lady, her appetite and curiosity striving for the mastery "Yes, dear friend," replied Malisaof, with a squeeze of the hand ; you can dine with her, her dinner hour is bix, but there is not a moment to spare. Madame Pajarof i has sent her horses to spare yours." "Very well, I will go !" sighed' Pelagic. j "But whatever has happened ?" I "Madame Berlaguine will tell you all j about it ; make haste, my dear lady." i " You are not going to marry Eugenie, at all events?" suddenly exclaimed the jealous Pelagic. "I give you my word of honour that I am not going to marry her, but for the love of heaven and Christian charity, pray make haste and put an end to my suffering !" "I wish I could remove them all as easily 1" observed Pelagic, throwing him a look of consummate coquetry over her Bhoulder, as he helped her into the carriage " Where are you .to receive your reply ?" ! "At Madame Pajarof 's," said Malissof, i who had made Ibis calculations'. As he walked back to his old friendjs house, his thoughts were still .busy with this kind of mental arithmetic. ("It is now aye o'clock," said he to himself >j "Pelagic will be there in an hour, tfiey wijl wrangle for twenty minutes before jshey come to an and their explapations will t*ke another twenty, that "makes forty ; an Mm to drive back, that, makes two hours andjbhree quarters. ; If .they Jose no, time by dinning, they may possibly arrive before the ceremony 4s over." • s ' (To be Continued, J

Tar-water is an. excellent thine for the throat. Mr Sims Reeves, the incomparably, says that, up to tHe present, he has alwaes contrived to preserve his voice by carefully pitching his notes, : t y u _ .^ ,^