Jacqueline -- Volume 2

he wails of Hecuba were nothing to the lamentations of poor Madame d'Argy; the unreasonableness of her wrath and the exaggeration in

ity, that she could not be expected to love all the young men who might threaten

sh," she said, with true feminine deceit, "but he has taken the very worst possible means to make me care for him. Everybo

of three syllables that she had learned from the Odi

new it, of course. Madame de Nailles took care that he should not be ignorant of it, and the pleasure he took in such a proof of his power over a young heart was not unlike that pleasure Jacqueline experienced in her coquetry-which crushed her better feelings. He felt proud of the sacrifice this beautiful girl had made for his sake, though he did not consider himself thereby committed to any decision, only he felt more attached to her than ever. Ever since the day when Madame de Villegry had first introduced him at the house of Madame de Nailles, he had had great pleasure in going there. The daughter of the house was more and more to his taste, but his liking

en he found himself called upon to make a decision, and greatly interested meantime in the daily increase of Jacqueline's beauty. It was evident she cared for him. After all, it was doing the little thing no harm to let her live on in the intoxication of vanity and hope, and to give her something to dwell upon in her innocent dreams. Never did Gerard allow himself to overstep the line he had marked out for himself; a glance, a slight pressure of the hand, which might have been intentional, or have meant nothing, a few ambigu

pidity of Paul and Virginia, and his opinion of "calf-love," as the English call an early attachment, and something about the right of every girl to know a suitor long before she consents to mar

wishes. As for his intimacy with Madame de Villegry, Jacqueline thought nothing of it, notwithstanding her habitual mistrust of those she called old women. In the first place, Madame de Villegry was her own mistress, nothing hindered them from having been married long ago had they wished it; besides, had not Madame de Villegry brought the young man to their house and let every one see, even J

ed her to perform some marvellous feats upon the tight-rope without losing her balance completely. She, too, made fun of the tragic determinat

on love in its tragic aspect, and would have liked to resemble Marie Stuart as much as she could, "

with a crape veil covering her fair hair, her mourning copied from that of her divorced s

-dozen hearts should not be the prelude to every marriage. That, they said with much convic

was that of a young bride, who, thinking to please a husband, a stupid and ignorant man, was trying to obtain in secret a high place in the examination at the Sorbonne-'un brevet superieur'. The husband, disquieted by the mystery, is at first suspicious, then jealous, and then is overwhelmed with humiliation when he discovers that his wife knows more of everything than himself. He ends by imploring her to give up her higher education if she wishes to please him. The little play had all the modern loveliness and grace which Octave Feuillet alone can give, and it contained a lesson from which any one might profit; which was by no means always the case with Madame d'Avrigny's plays, which too often were full of risky allusions, of critical situations, and the like; likely, in short, t

wed, and M. de Cymier had never been remarkable for reserve when he acted at the clubs, where the female parts were taken by ladies from the smaller theatres. In this school he had acquired some reputation as an amateur actor. "Besides," as he remarked on making his apology, "we shall do it very awkwardly upon the stage if we are not allowed to practise it beforehand." Jacqueline burst out laughing, and did not make much show of opposition. To play the part of his wife, to hear him say to her, to respond with the affectionate and familiar 'toi', was so amusing! It was droll t

d he might soon have sealed his fate, had not a very

everywhere extolled. Fully conscious of what was expected of her, and eager to do herself credit in every way, Jacqueline took advantage of Madame Strahlberg's presence to run over a little song, which she was to-sing between the acts and in which she could see no meaning whatever. This little song, which, to most of the l

ying much when one thinks of all the nonsensical words that people set to music! It's a marvel how any one can

he was singing the verses she considered nonsense with as much point as if she had understood them, thanks to the hints given her by Madame Strahlberg, who was playing her accomp

he can not possibly go home with you! It is only half a

give a little cry, full of consternation. She

st go home at once-there is

ll

ood-by, leaving behind her a general murmur of "Poor thing!" while Madame d'Avrigny, recovering from her first shock, was already beginning to wonder-her instincts as an impresario coming once more to the front-whether the leading pa

este was at the door. The old nu

to papa?" cried Jac

his sudden transition from gay ex

tremble like that, my darling-courage!" stammer

k, you say. Where

we heard a noise as if a chair had been thrown down, and a sort o

? How is

r him. Madame came back.

ed her face w

t told me al

heart disease. The last time the doctor

ll the fiacre could be stopped, she sprang out, rushed into the house, opened the door of her father's chamber, pushing asi

poor dear-

to the face over which the great change from life to death had passed. "What does it

, papa! It is I-

to raise her-tried to

e!" she crie

power to look into human hearts, and know the perfidy he had known nothing of when he was living. He might se

more loving, more devoted? why had she eve

tood at the foot of the bed, and the doctor, too, was near, whispering to some one

as he had always been with the dead man, he shoul

ect it from profanation. She had an impulse to bear it away with

ng time, beside h

purchased for a fete, but circumstances had changed their destination. That evening there was to have been a reception in the