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HISTQRIC ROMANCES.-e
on WONDERS IN REAL LIFE.
In'the city" of Vannes, in the pro-.
vincenof Brettagiie, in France‘, lived
it gentleman of noble family and great
wealth; his name was Monsieur ‘dc
Caerstaing. By his lady, Madam
de la Valle Blanche, he had two sons,
the ‘ eldest named Quattresson, the
youngest Valfontaine ; the former be-
ing about twenty-eight years of age,
the latter about twenty-three andboth
of'them accomplished according to
their rank.‘ Valfontaine, being on a
‘visit to his uncle in the city bf Nantz,
‘became there acquainted with‘ a lady
of the. name of La Pratiere, a young
yvomau of exquisite beauty, and not
inferior tohim either in birth or for-
. tune. A,Valfontaine,‘ therefore,‘ took
the first opportunity‘ of declaring his
. passion. to this rich heiress, and ,was
by the young lady referred to her fa-
ther. It is needless, perhaps, to men-
tion, that La Pratiere herself was
friendly to his addresses. , M‘. de
Penuelle, the father of the young
lad)‘; entertained Valfontaine very
c.ourteously- for . two or three . days,
but when the youngman mentioned
his business, replied that -he had other
. VXEWS for his daughter. The matter
.' OF ‘fact ayes‘, that Valfontaine was
‘ merely.a"younger brother, . and there-
Pennelle. A
Upon Valfontaine’s' return to his
father's house at Vannes, he acknow-
fore did not answer the wishes of De
-dellged his for La Pratiere, and
' wllclted his "interposition with her
father. Both of his parents approved,
“f h.l.3. choice, but did not ;deem it
consistent with their rank to descend
iqsolicitation. ‘They declined, there-
Ore this oiiice. 'Valfontaine next
.; aPPllFd to his brother Quattresson,
and mtreatcd him, to make a journey
‘Q Nahtz, and become his advocate
Wltll. M. de Pennelle. Quattresson
"add? yielded to his‘ brother’s re-
, “ ‘ ' , P
Q
L son‘ FEBRUARY, 1811.’
739
the purpose of his visit, as to givehim
a, letter to De -Pennelle, ‘expressive of
his consentxto the union oftheir.fam1'..
lies. ' . .. - J . -
Quattresson arrived at Nantt at
short time before the family were go.
ing to their dinner. Herdeliveredihia
exquisite beauty produced a fatal im-
pression on him.,s -In a moment ‘he
forgotihis brother, and resolved-to
supplant him.‘ I '
Under some pretext La Pratiere ac-
companied him into the garden, pro-
had some letter from "her lover.
her. After a pause of a feiv minutes,
taking ‘her hand :-'--‘-‘‘'I‘ have some-
to you, but you must swear to be se-
cret. v It intimately concerns your fu-
cate it to you on‘ any other condition
honour and salvation to secrecy” '
strange nature of this reqtlest,'fot
some moments stood mute; but at‘.
was her lover, and Quattresson his"
was somecontrivance between them,
if they should-not succeed vvith her
father, to steal her away. Under this
impression she‘ granted his request.
Quattresson then made; a full ac-
‘knowledegment of his dishonourablc
invincible misfortune, and imputingiit
tiere was for some time in "too rnucb.
confused’ to stop him in this offensive
discourse, but at length iriternipted
him. “ Sir, to have offered this un-
kindness to a friend would have been
treacherourand ignoble in the",ex.
your own brother." I have only to
. ’ add, .
'quest ; and his father so far seconded V
fat-her’s letter, and was introduced by - I
De -Pennelle to his daughter. Her '
bahly because she ‘expected that he '
Quattresson very eagerly accompanied .
thing most important to"com'niunicate: .
ture ‘welfare, but I cannot cornmuni-‘ ‘
than that you pledge yourself by your .
. La Pmtiere, wondering . at the
length remembering that Valfontaine
brother, beg-auto imagine that there .
passion, lamen ting his treachery as an. ,
toher exquisite beauty. La Pm. .
treme 3 but I know not what to term. A
‘it when the ‘object of this perfidy is '