that the movements he would have wished
to appear alert were only convulsive; and
that the smiles with which he attempted to
relax his features, were but distorted grimaces.
However, the church was not the place for
further inquiries; and whilst Natalie gently
pressed his hand in token of sympathy, they
advanced to the altar, and the ceremony was
performed; after which they stepped into
the carriages waiting at the door, and drove
to the apartments of Madme. de Bellefonds,
where an elegant déjeuner was prepared.

"What ails you, my dear husband?"
enquired Natalie, as soon as they were alone.

"Nothing, love," he replied; "nothing, I
assure you, but a restless night and a little
overwork, in order that I might have to-day
free to enjoy my happiness!"

"Are you quite sure? Is there nothing
else?"

"Nothing, indeed; and pray don't take
notice of it, it only makes me worse!"

Natalie was not deceived, but she saw that
what she said was true; notice made him
worse; so she contented herself with observing
him quietly, and saying nothing; but, as
he felt she was observing him, she might
almost better have spoken; words are often
less embarrassing things than too curious
eyes.

When they reached Madame de Bellefonds'
he had the same sort of questioning and
scrutiny to undergo, till he grew quite
impatient under it, and betrayed a degree of
temper altogether unusual with him. Then
everybody looked astonished; some whispered
their remarks, and others expressed them by
their wondering eyes, till his brow knit, and
his pallid cheeks became flushed with anger.
Neither could he divert attention by eating;
his parched mouth would not allow him to
swallow anything but liquids, of which,
however, he indulged in copious libations; and it
was an exceeding relief to him when the
carriage, which was to convey them to
St. Denis, being announced, furnished an
excuse for hastily leaving the table. Looking
at his watch, he declared it was late; and
Natalie, who saw how eager he was to be
gone, threw her shawl over her shoulders,
and bidding her friends good morning, they
hurried away.

It was a fine sunny day in June; and as
they drove along the crowded boulevards, and
through the Porte St. Denis, the young bride
and bridegroom, to avoid each other's eyes,
affected to be gazing out of the windows;
but when they reached that part of the
road where there was nothing but trees on
each side, they felt it necessary to draw in
their heads, and make an attempt at conversation.
De Chaulieu put his arm around his
wife's waist, and tried to rouse himself from
his depression; but it had by this time so
reacted upon her, that she could not respond to
his efforts, and thus the conversation
languished, till both felt glad when they reached
their destination, which would, at all events,
furnish them something to talk about.

Having quitted the carriage, and ordered a
dinner at the Hôtel de l'Abbaye, the young
couple proceeded to visit Mademoiselle
Hortense de Bellefonds, who was overjoyed to see
her sister and new brother-in-law, and doubly
so when she found that they had obtained
permission to take her out to spend the
afternoon with them. As there is little to be seen
at St. Denis but the Abbey, on quitting that
part of it devoted to education, they
proceeded to visit the church, with its various
objects of interest; and as De Chaulieu's
thoughts were now forced into another
direction, his cheerfulness began insensibly to
return. Natalie looked so beautiful, too, and
the affection betwixt the two young sisters
was so pleasant to behold! And they spent
a couple of hours wandering about with
Hortense, who was almost as well informed as
the Suisse, till the brazen doors were open
which admitted them to the Royal vault.
Satisfied, at length, with what they had seen,
they began to think of returning to the inn,
the more especially as De Chaulieu, who had
not eaten a morsel of food since the previous
evening, owned to being hungry ; so they
directed their steps to the door, lingering here
and there as they went, to inspect a monument
or a painting, when, happening to turn his
head aside to see if his wife, who had stopt to
take a last look at the tomb of King Dagobert,
was following, he beheld with horror the face
of Jacques Rollet appearing from behind a
column! At the same instant, his wife joined
him, and took his arm, inquiring if he was
not very much delighted with what he had
seen. He attempted to say yes, but the word
would not be forced out ; and staggering out
of the door, he alleged that a sudden faintness
had overcome him.

They conducted him to the Hotel, but
Natalie now became seriously alarmed; and well
she might. His complexion looked ghastly, his
limbs shook, and his features bore an
expression of indescribable horror and anguish.
What could be the meaning of so extraordinary
a change in the gay, witty, prosperous
De Chaulieu, who, till that morning,
seemed not to have a care in the world?
For, plead illness as he might, she felt certain,
from the expression of his features, that his
sufferings were not of the body but of the
mind; and, unable to imagine any reason
for such extraordinary manifestations, of
which she had never before seen a symptom,
but a sudden aversion to herself, and regret
for the step he had taken, her pride took the
alarm, and, concealing the distress she really
felt, she began to assume a haughty and
reserved manner towards him, which he
naturally interpreted into an evidence of
anger and contempt. The dinner was placed
upon the table, but De Chaulieu's appetite
of which he had lately boasted, was quite
gone, nor was his wife better able to eat.