ONLY A GIRL'S HEART.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 2337, 1 September 1875, Page 4

ONLY A GIRL'S HEART.

BY MRS. SOUTHWOHTH,

Author of "Self Made," "Brnndon of Brandon," "Fashion and Famine," "Eudorn,"&o. CHAPTER XLV." MADAME LA BAttONNE. Geraldinb drew her comfortable lounging-chair around towards the fire, put her feet npon a hassock, leaned back and settled herself for reflection. " ' Go, counsellor ! Thou and my bosom henceforth shall be twain.'" she murmured to herself, as she repugnant advice, and resolved then thought of the good priest and his and there to be guided only by ' her own fierce passion and perverted will. Geraldine's devotion to. her chnrch and obedience to her spiritual director were after all very much like those of many other people, perfect and absoluto so long as she could turn them to her own sellish purposes, and no longer. She had scarcely time to form her fatal resolution, before there came a rap at the door. " Come, in," she said, wondering who could have any business with her in a strange city to which she had only "arrived on the night before. A servant entered with a card upon a small waiter. She took it np and read : " Madame Ln Baronne De La Vallette." Her surprise increased as she answered :

"This cannot be for mo. I know no lady of that name." "But yes. Pardon me. I think you do, ma lelle," said a sweet, bird-liko Toice at the door, as a beautiful little blonde fairy fluttered into the room. " Veronique ! Is it possible !" exclaimed Geraldine, eagerly rising and advancing to welcome the visitor, whom ■he now recognized as her favourite schoolmate in the convent of the Benedictine nuns at Paris, where they had both been educated, and where they had shared one room for a dozen years. "So you ' did not know any lady of that name ?' You did not remember Veronique de 1* Ande under her new name ? " gleefully laughed the little lady when long-severed friends had joined hands and lips in a warm erabrace.

" I did not even know you were married, dear Veronique," said Geraldine, as she placed her visitor in her own easy-chair and kissed her again. "Ah ! then you did not get my letter ; and I wondered why yon did not answer it ! Mais helas ! Yoxx are in mourning ; I am grieved," said the baroness.

"For my uncle and guardian. Ho was an aged man," said Geraldine, as if throwing off nseless condolence. " Ah, yes ! I see ! Mais Monsieur le Fiance ? The brave and handsome Colonel Feezegorard ?" rattled on the little lady. " Veroniqne, it has come to nothing between us. He is wedded to another woman," replied Geraldine with an assnmed air of supreme indifference. Madame la Baronne shrugged her pretty shoulders. " Oh, well," she said. " You do such things in your country. With us it is unknown to break a betrothal."

"This is a land of liberty, you know. But tell me abont your own marriage," Baid Geraldine, anxious to change the subject of conversation. " Was it a love-match ?"

" A love-match ? What is a lovematch ? I know not yet all your Engleese," complained the little beauty, shrugging her shoulders. "Never mind ; tell me all abont your marriage." "Eh bein! What would you have ?

Monsieur le Baron saw mo at my first ball at the Tuileries, in June. The next day ho attended Monsieur, mon pcre, and these two arranged the marriage. On the third day Madame ma mere told me that Monsieur lo Bnron De La Valletto was to be my husband, and in tlio afternoon she presented him to mo. The next month we were married. Monsieur le Baron's presents were magnificent. There was an Indian cashmere shawl that had been iniwle for an empress, and there was a set of emeralds — "

Here the voluble little lady launched out in a full description of India shawls, jewels, velvets, silks, &c.

" Bat ma chere, tell roe bow ft is that I have the happiness to meet you here in Washington ? " inquired Geraldine, who had grown wearyof the descriptive catalogue. " Ob, well, Monsieur le Baron was sent out as bearor of dispatches to our minister here in Washington. We left Paris on the first of August, arriving in Washington on the- twenty-third. So, yon perceive, we havo been here a month. Monsieur took a furnished houso near La Fayetto Place, but only for a short time. Wo return in October. I look in the papers this morning. I see your name in the list of arrivals. lam here. Vuila tout ! " " And you are wolcome ! I ana so rejoiced to meet you, dear Veronique !" said Gerakline, kissing her visitor with effusion. Other explanations followed. Geraidino told her friend that she bad reached her majority about three weeks previously ; that she was now mistress of her own fortune, with liberty to go whore she would and do what fiho would. Veronique expressed much surprise at this. ''"It is never so in France," she said. ii A demoiselle is never freo until she is married." '* I am sure she is not freo then, even here," Bne.fered Miss Fitzgerald. The little buronesn lifted her eyo< brows, but said nothing iv reply.

"And now perhaps you will wonder to see mo in Washington," said Geraldine. "Eh bien! They say it is not the season until your — Parliament — " "Our Congress," amended Geraldine. "Old! Merci! your Congress iv December convenes." " Well, I did not come here fer the season. I came up with a religieuse, who is abont to enter the Convent of the Visitation in Georgetown, in order to become a nun." Veronique shrugged her shoulders. " We got enough of the convent in our school days," she said ; " did we not, my dear ?" " Yes," said Geraldine, forcing a smile. " Very well. You are not going into the convent with the holy rnadame, and you are not going back to the country. You are free to go where you will. Is this not ? " " Certainly." " Bon ! You will come to mo. lam ennvyee in this dull city. You will como home with me, and stay with me until we return to France. And we will talk of the convent and tho nuns and our schooldays in Paris. That will be happy. You will not say no. You will say yes. You will say yes. You are free, you know. You will say yes. Say yes !" eagerly implored the little lady, as she seized both Geraldine's hands and gazed into her eyes. " Yes, then. Yes, I will go to you," promptly replied Miss Fitzgerald, who i quickly made up her mind that this would bo the most convenient and agreeable arrangement that she could mako.

"Angel !" exclaimed the enthusiastic little lady, kissing her with effusion. "Audit may be that I can persnade you to accompany us to France for a visit. You are free,- you know. And, ab, how divine that would be ! But you will come with me now to La Fayette Place ? Now ! now ! now !" " Not this moment, dear Veronique. I must not bo so unkind as to leave the old friends of my party so suddenly. But I will go to you to-morrow. Miss Dnbarry will probably wish to enter her convent; as soon as possible, and she will be glad to have me taken off her bands so readily." " Son ! I will como and fetch you to-morrow."

" Thanks, dear Veronique." " I will be here to take you home to us. And, ab, perhaps you will go back to France with me ?" pleaded Veronique, looking long and wistfully into the eyes of her friend. " Perhaps I may. It is quite possible," said Geraldine, smiling. " Oh, you angel ! How good you are !" exclaimed tho eager little lady, kissing her with enthusiasm as she arose to take leave.

When Geraldine was left alone, she wheeled her chair up to a table whero writing materials lay ready for use, and she wrote a hasty letter to Mrs. Doy Fitzgerald, enclosing one to Desirce Labbie, requesting that the French maid should be sent to Washington, charged with all the wardrobe left behind by Miss Fitzgerald. Then she rang for a waiter, Und dispatched her letter to the post-office. "Yes," she said, as she reseated herself iv her easy-chair, " I will go to Madame de La Valette's and try to amuse myself as well as I can in new scenes, lest I grow melancholy mad over all this. Afterwards, perhaps I may accept her invitation, and go with her to Europe. That depends. If Gerald Fitzgerald, my perjured betrothed, should remain here, I shall stay as long as he does. If he should go abroad, I shall accept Veronique's invitation and go, also." When the priest and his sister returned to the "house, Father Dubarry took occasion, while the old lady was gone to her room to lay off her wraps, of saying to Geraldiue ; "My child, lam sorry to inoonvenieuce you in any way, especially at a time like this, but the trnth is that my sistor Mary has arranged with tho mother superior of the convent to enter upon her postulate to morrow. Now I dislike to hurry you back to the country ; but you would scarcely care to remain here without female protection ?"

" Certainly not, Father Dubarry. But set your mind at rest, good father, for I have just had a visit from a married schoolmate of niino — Madame la Baronne de La Valette, who is temporarily living in Washington — and "

"Oh, yes, the wife of tho French envoy who camo over with dispatches last month," said the priest. " The same ; and she has invited and besought me to como and stay with her, and help her to endure existence at this dull season."

The next day the good priest took his sister to tho Convent of the Visitation to enter upon tho postulate, and Geraldiue Fitzgerald went home as tho gncst of Veronique, Madame la Baronno de La Valette.

[to be continued.]