United States or Argentina ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
As he floated by, he caught a glimpse of a white shadow among the trees; Valentine still waited for him. He was gradually approaching the bank, as he reached the end of La Verberie, and attempted to land. Feeling a foothold, he stood up twice, and each time was thrown down by the violence of the waves.
But the blow had struck too deeply. When Dr. Raget arrived he said there was no hope. "At daybreak, the marquis recovered consciousness enough to ask for M. Louis, with whom he remained alone for some minutes. The last words he uttered were, 'Father and son the same day; there will be rejoicing at La Verberie."
Belonging to the battalion of grave, elderly men, M. Fauvel had not assumed a fancy costume, but merely threw over his shoulders a short silk domino. On his arm leaned Mme. Fauvel, nee Valentine de la Verberie, bowing and gracefully greeting her numerous friends.
She sadly yielded; surrendered herself into the hands of a mother whose conduct she refrained from questioning, to escape the painful necessity of condemning it. But she secretly pined, and inwardly rebelled against her sad disappointment; and thus her recovery was delayed for several months. Toward the end of July, the countess took her back to La Verberie.
I myself had not the courage to return to Provence. I could not trust myself to go to Clameran, where I would have to look into the park of La Verberie. Alas, the only happy moments of my life were spent there!" Louis's countenance immediately cleared. The certainty that Gaston had not been to Provence relieved his mind of an immense weight.
For a long time the old lady listened to him without interruption; but, when he had finished, she did not hesitate to tell him that his pretensions were presumptuous. What! he, a man of no pedigree, a Fauvel, a common surveyor, to aspire to the hand of a La Verberie!
But he was no longer the high-minded, pure-hearted Gaston, who had so devotedly loved and perilled his life for the little fairy of La Verberie. It is useless to deny that evil examples are pernicious to morals. The most upright characters are unconsciously influenced by bad surroundings.
Never had Lucien felt any emotion so deep as that which overcame him at La Verberie when comparing his own fate with that of his brother-in-law. The two Parisians were about to witness the same scene that had so much struck Lucien a few days since. Everything spoke of peace and abundance.
I instantly supposed that some impostor had assumed our name. I took the next train, and finally found my way here." "Then you did not expect to see me?" "My dear brother, how could I hope for that? I thought that you were drowned twenty-three years ago." "Drowned! Mlle. de la Verberie certainly told you of my escape?
When Mme. de la Verberie returned home, the servants were dumb with astonishment at her good-humor: they had not seen her in this happy frame of mind for years. And her day's work was of a nature to elevate her spirits: she had been unexpectedly raised from poverty to affluence.