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    408 . THE SORROWS OF ESTELLE LAMAGE.

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    ¦* »¦ The Other Day I Walked With Madame...

    ing Monsieur and had le Cure it not . been She was for the a hard forg -natured iving and child affectionate from the disposi begin - -

    - tions , of Estelle and Blanche , they must have been giad to be rid of her .

    " The best in the house she always would have , and it was suspected in the village that she had carried off with her Estelle ' s red

    silk shawl which she prized so greatly becaxi . se it had been brought from the East Indies , in his first voyage , by that good lad Luc

    Venelle ; and also Monsieur le Cure ' s gift to Blanche , her favorite little silver crucifix . That these treasures had not been 1 given to Henriette ¦ " For five , I or have six my years own little private was hear reasons d of for Henriette knowing as . during that

    , time the De Bonnevals were in-England and Italy . It was known , howeveriii the villagethat Henriette had become madame ' s maid

    and . was , in high favor , with her mistress , but not a present did she ever send over to her mother and sister . In the meantime , Blanche

    grew up into the loveliest girl in the neighbourhood . Far and wide she was known and beloved for gentle ways and kind thoughts and

    deeds . She was a beautiful needlewoman too . Every bit of linen that Monsieur le Cure now has was made and marked by Blanche .

    You can see how beautifully she marked , " observed Colette with a sigh ; and she lifted up the corner of the fine napkin upon the

    coffee-tray , and showed us the Cure ' s initials beautifully embroidered . " She was never idleand all that passed through her fingers was

    done with the greatest , care and exactitude . She might have made her fortune at Paris by her needle , but nothing at that time would

    induce her to leave her mother and the Holy Well . She had various offers of marriagebut she shook her head and gave the same answer

    , for a long time—that she could not leave her mother and the Holy "Well . The most devoted of all her lovers was her old village

    schoolmate , Luc Venelle , the sailor . He had always been , like a son to Estelleand it was easy to see that Estelle ' s wishes went with

    his . A braver , , handsomer lad than poor Luc you could not well meet . I can fancy I see him now , with his clear , bright grey eyes ,

    bronzed cheek , curly brown hair , and little golden rings in his ears . To Luc she could not give the same answer as she had done

    to her other admirers , because , had she married him , she could still have remained at the Holy Well and with her mother whilst he was

    at sea . For my part , it always seems to me that this was the peaceful path offered to her by Heaven , which being rejected , brought

    her into the power of Satan . However that may be , Luc did not some seem to hit her fancyand she spoke some hasty words to

    him seawithout one way night a , leave poor -taking lad , which 1 of any , made one him and start that off was suddenl the y last again time to

    he was , seen in our village . Whether , he is alive or dead is not for any of _lis to say , but there are those who believe that he lies at

    the bottom of the ocean . He had returned home to use the waters of the Holy Well , 1 having suffered from a severe illness which

    408 . The Sorrows Of Estelle Lamage.

    408 . THE SORROWS OF ESTELLE LAMAGE .

• Citation
  • English Woman’s Journal (1858-1864), Feb. 1, 1859, page 408, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ewj/issues/ewj_01021859/page/48/