"No," she answered more sadly still, "she did not die here. I hope she is well and happy! We loved her very much." And here

"If

her voice was hardly audible. it would interest madame," she went on, trying to speak calmly, "I will return when I have seen to one or two little things about the house, and tell madame about it.” Some little time afterwards, accordingly, she came back with her knitting, and sat down by my side and asked me "how I was? Then she knitted on in silence for a few minutes; and the red August sunset came and spread a rosy glow over the little terrasse where the grape-vines climbed. bathed in red glory a white-sailed ship that floated by; and lastly its mellow rays fell full on the face of the "Middle-aged" and lit it up with their own splendour. I looked at her and thought how well the sunset had done in not forgetting her.

It

When the red tints were dying away over the sea, leaving our little salon and the terrasse outside sunless, she began in a voice which was now quite calm and steady:

'Well, madame, it was August, a little earlier than this. I was sitting in the shop with Maman, when I heard an impatient thump on the counter. I looked up and saw a demoiselle and a very young monsieur. She had a quantity of dark brown curly hair; she had a merry smile; but there was a sad look in her large brown eyes which troubled you if you looked at her too long. I felt, even before I knew her very well, that she must have suffered a good deal, young as she was. That day I thought she could not possibly be more than seventeen; but she afterwards told me she was twenty-one.

The young monsieur was very handsome. He too had splendid curly hair, and his eyes were large,

brown, and sad like hers; only he had more beauty for a man than she for a woman. I don't think anyone would have called her pretty, though she had beautiful hair and eyes and a neat little figure; but there was a charm about her which made us all here take to her from the very first. I saw at once that they were not French, and somehow guessed by their appearance that they were English, though we had never had any English here before. I supposed they had come to buy something, and was surprised when mademoiselle asked me in her broken French,

"This house is to let? May we look over it?".

"Is it for your papa and mamma?" I asked.

"No," she said, glancing at monsieur," it is for us." "Is he your husband?" "No; he is my brother,"

It seemed to me very extraordinary that two such young things -little more than children-should want a house; and how did they come to be wandering here all alone? But they appeared to see nothing at all strange in the proceeding. They ran all over the house like children; they clapped their hands when they saw the view of the sea; and then came the awful question of the rent.

"Seven hundred francs."

Oh, how their faces fell! Mademoiselle got up and whispered to monsieur; and they shook their two brown curly heads together in a most business-like manner; and then mademoiselle (for monsieur never spoke at all) said in a voice that tried to be stern, "that it was too much!" But they did not offer to go, they evidently thought we should relent. I asked them "where they were stopping?"

"At the hotel," they said in mournful voices.

I did not like to think of their going away, somehow. They were quite strangers; and yet-I don't know what made me-but I went straight to maman and pleaded with her. I said we might not let again this season, and it was better to make what we could. So she gave in, and we let them have the house on the terms they proposed. I shall never forget how pleased they looked, though they evidently thought it best not to let me know how glad they were, and mademoiselle turned back to say "they had a great deal of luggage."

She certainly did not exaggerate, for the next morning two trucks quite filled up the front of our shop. They had at least five great boxes, and no end of small baggage; and what amused both me and maman was the calm business-like way in which these two young people arranged their affairs. They paid the garçon what they considered right, without appealing to us at all; then they came in and said:

'Perhaps you would kindly find us a femme de ménage?"

My old aunt, who was staying with us, I thought would do. They seemed pleased to have this matter arranged so easily, and after a little I heard them running busily up and down, mademoiselle singing all the time, her brother sometimes taking up the refrain of her song. When I came into the little salon a few hours afterwards, I hardly knew it, the table was covered with books and photographs; no wonder they had so much luggage! It all looked so pretty that while they were out I put a large bouquet of flowers in the centre of the table.. They were so pleased when they came in and saw it. Mademoiselle clapped her pretty little hands and gave me such a bright smile.

I shall never forget that first evening they were here. When dinner was over they went out and

sat on the terrasse. Mademoiselle had changed her dress; it was still blue, but she had a white muslin over it; the moonlight was shining down on her, and making a halo of her rough brown hair; it streamed full on the young monsieur's face too, and made him more beautiful than ever. They were not laughing or singing now; the peace and beauty of the scene seemed to have subdued their spirits.

I was watching them and thinking what a pretty picture they made out there in the moonlight, saying to myself, "Surely they can have no maman, for what mother would let them roam about the world in this way?" when I heard my brother call to me. He had just come home.

(Here for the first time her voice faltered, but she went on bravely after a little pause),

I must tell you he was our youngest; he was six-and-twenty then; he had always been delicate, and his brain excitable; and many had been the days of illness through which we had nursed him. He was our darling-our pet! I said to him, delighted to have something to interest him,

"You do not know who has taken our house now, Charles?" "Mais non," he answered, not much interested.

(I sighed as the "Middle-aged" told me this, for I began to see that so he must have looked at her

And loved her with that love that was his doom!)

Well (she went on), I don't know how it was that every one here grew so quickly to love them! We often wondered how it was that these two young things came to be roaming about the world by themselves; and one day I asked Mademoiselle,

"Have you a mother ? "

"No," she answered very sadly, in a tone of voice that told me as plainly as words that she could not bear the subject; but I ventured on one more question,

"And no papa ?

And to this, too, came the melancholy "No!"

She looked so sorrowful I could ask her no more; but it was no longer any wonder to me that these two who loved each other so well, as we could see they did, should like to wander over strange lands together.

I never dared to think of the time of their going; and as to my brother, evening after evening he was on the terrasse talking to them. Once I saw him touch almost reverentially the bracelet on her arm! She used to laugh and talk with him so pleasantly. I'm sure she meant no harm, for she was a great demoiselle in England, and he was only a peasant! But evening after evening now I noticed how soon he came home, and how fast he swallowed his supper, sometimes he would not even wait to finish it he was so eager to join them on the terrasse.

One night he came into the shop much excited, and said that "the demoiselle Anglaise" liked music; he was going to fetch his organ for her. He brought it in a cart. I

remember well how surprised and pleased Mademoiselle looked when she saw it arrive! Then she heard

him playing and singing, and when the evenings drew in those three would spend hours together at the organ.

One night my brother got a boat, and we four went on the sea, and he sang, and so did mademoiselle. He had a beautiful voice

poor Charles!

When they had been with us about a month, my brother was asked to a ball. He did not seem to care to go; but I persuaded him to do so. I wanted to divert

his mind; for I was beginning to be anxious about him. He was very obstinate; but when mademoiselle said, "You had better go," he consented.

"I wish mademoiselle were coming too!" he said, looking at her with such a sad yearning in his eyes; and she answered laughingly,

"I wish I were! But never mind-I will dance with you some day!"

"What day?" he said. Then he took up her hand and looked at her rings; and said "she must be a grande demoiselle in England!" He was dressed all in his best, ready for the ball.

"And you are a grand garçon today!" she said.

He did not reply to her, and he never answered me when I called out to him that he was going to enjoy himself and dance a great deal.

One day soon after that I heard mademoiselle say, when she was talking to him, that she loved all flowers dearly, but she had a special love for wild flowers. The next morning he was up at four o'clock. I heard him unfasten the door and go out. I could not imagine what he was going to do; but two hours later,

when I was

downstairs, he came in with such a splendid bunch of wild flowers! I knew how far he must have sought for them, and how patiently!

He looked rather shame-faced; and I saw he had had little sleep that night; but there was a look of determination in his face which told me, as plainly as words could, that as long as he could see and know her to be there, he would do all that he could at any cost to gratify her lightest whim.

"Oh, my brother!" I said, in a half-chiding tone, "what have you been doing? Come in and have your breakfast, do !-you must be half dead."

But I got no answer; he only walked into the salon, and placed the flowers in a vase on the table, touching and arranging them almost tenderly. Then he viewed them them with a look that was half sorrow and half triumph, and said,

"Will she be pleased?"

"Pleased?" I echoed sadly. I dared not scold him. "Come and take your breakfast," I said again; "you must be so tired.”

He ate it almost in silence; sometimes he listened to the slightest sound on the stairs, and a sudden light of hope came into his face.

"She won't come yet," I said; "she is never down for two hours after this."

"But she will know when she does come?"

"Yes, surely," I answered. "Who else would have put them there?

Then he slowly got up and

not possible that he can have any serious idea of her; he knows too well the difference between them !" and yet my heart was very heavy all that morning.

About two hours after he had gone, mademoiselle came singing down the stairs and went into the salon. She looked at me and then at the wild flowers, and for the first time I saw a rosy conscious blush creeping all over her cheeks. She said in a shy voice:

"Who put them there?" knowing quite well who had done

So.

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My brother," I answered.

Then she looked at them almost tenderly, it seemed to me, and said "Oh!" so sweetly.

"I shall put some in my hair."

When he came home, she was sitting out on the terrasse with some of his wild flowers in her hair.

"Ah, you are kind, monsieur!" I heard her say; and she gave him her hand. And he, he never answered her, but he kept her hand a little while in his; and so, poor boy, he had his reward!

The next day I remember well, he was ill with a bad headache, and I tried to make him stop in his room; but about eleven o'clock he would come down, and went out on the terrasse. I know mademoiselle was very sorry to see him looking so ill; she made him lie down on the sofa in her little salon, and bathed his head herself with Eau-deCologne. I shall never forget that hot summer's day, when the room was heavy with that scent and the smell of the flowers that still stood on the table; and my brother lay as if in a trance of bliss, with such a look of peace upon his face!

I am sure mademoiselle must have been fond of him, and deeply touched by his devotion to her.

One day soon after that, there

"But you know well," he answered passionately, "they will all be too honoured if you come. They all love you-the demoiselle Anglaise !"

He added this almost in a whisper, but she heard it.

Remember how young she was; she had no mother to tell her that it was strange for a young English lady to join a peasant's ball; she thought only of the pleasure she should give our poor Charles. He went on in so low a voice I could scarcely hear it,

"You will dance with me? You promised!"

"I will, and with no one else." On the day of the ball Charles came in to breakfast looking triumphant; he had two splendid red roses in his hand.

"Where is she?" he said. "In the salon."

He went in, and laid the roses on her lap.

"Mademoiselle will be there?" he said.

"Yes, certainly," she answered.

The ball was to be early; the dancing began at three. We were there from the commencement, I and maman and Charles. It was a gay scene; all the nicest girls in Pornic were there and looking their best; we had a band of music from Nantes, they played so brilliantly, and the room full of dancers looked so pretty and gay; but Charles watched it all with apathetic eyes. When several dances

had passed by, in which he took no part, I went up to him.

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"Charles," I said, are you not going to dance? What will the demoiselles think of you? Remember how you disappoint them; and poor maman, who came to see you enjoy yourself, will be so grieved! Oh!" I said urgently, "go and dance!"

That seemed to rouse him, and he muttered,

"Yes, yes, you are right, my sister; but the time goes on SO slowly!"

"It will go all the faster if you dance; she will not come till sixit will soon be that. Go!" So he went, but with lagging feet.

Many of them came and whispered,

"Is the demoiselle Anglaise coming? Will she come, do you think?" and I answered curtly,

"I don't know; perhaps she will."

When the dancing had gone on a long time, my brother came back to me, looking worn and fagged. Charles," I said, "you can't be tired yet? You used to love dancing so much!"

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'Yes, I do," he said, "but let me rest this dance." He sat down; he wanted, I saw, to watch the door.

The next dance began; it was a round one, and in the middle of it, when every one seemed absorbed heart and soul in its enjoyment, they suddenly all came to a stop. Looking up, I saw that those two dear children of ours had come amongst us; and I heard a whisper run round the room,

"The demoiselle Anglaise !"

Even the musicians paused in their playing to look at her. All eyes had fixed on her, as if she were an Enchanted Princess out of a fairy tale. But it was no wonder. What a contrast she was to us all, as she stood there in her long