Fabiola : or, The church of the catacombs - Digital Repository Services

THE PORTRAIT I.V MY CYCLE'S DINING-ROOM.
letter, in which I mentioned that I was leaving Paris and going
Jes,
iTiiey to the south of Fr:i
i" bo sure, I recollect it," my uncle answered. "It
10 last I ever received from you, and, without meaning
any reproach, it was written, if I mistake not, before the Revolution
in the mouth of August, 1789."
'
\\~hat a wonderful memory you have for dates !" M. de
" You are quite right, for I arrived
Champanbert exclaimed.
in this country some time after the famous night of the 4th of
August. But I must begin by explaining to yon the origin of
the friendship which existed between the Champauberts, an
ancient family in Normandy, and the Malpeires of Provence.
More than a hundred years ago, at the time of the war with
Piedmont, the division of our army commanded by the - Mare1
chal de Tesse occupied the frontier. My great-great grandfather,
Guillaume de Champaubert, served in the Regiment
d'Auvergne, as did also a young nobleman of this country, the
Baron de Malpeire.
as comrades in arms.
They soon became sworn friends, as well
Both were in the prime of life, and mar-
ried to young wives, who had accompanied them to the seat of
wnr ; that is to sny, they had taken up
their residence at the
dus and noble feelings. The young lady's dowry is amply
sufficient, and as to the name of Malpeire, it speaks for itself
it is one of the oldest in Provence. I have not made any
particular inquiries with regard to the beauty of your future
bride, you will soon be able to judge of it yourself ;
I only know that she is in her twentieth year.' My father
said this with a smile, which made me conclude that an agreea-
ble surprise was in store for me, and that Mile, de Malpeire
ry handsome. You see by that picture that I was not
mistaken."
"
Yes, she must have been a pretty girl," my uncle said,
raising his eyebrows, with the kind of look a peasant might
have put on if called upon to admire an ancient coin or a manuscript
in a dead language.
"
I arrived here, as I said before, towards the end of August,"
M. de Champaubert continued.
" I had been travelling eight
days on the dusty road in an uncomfortable post-chaise, and I
well remember the delightl felt at the sight of these mountains
and green valleys, and the pleasure it was to hear the sound of
running water in every direction. The present road did not
then exist; there was only a path for horses and mules. I was
riding, and a mule-driver followed with my luggage. This
man had travelled a little, and though a native of the country,
he spoke French, and told me the names of the various hamlets
which we saw at a distance, and had a story to relate about
each of them. When we came to the entrance of the gorge,
which is commonly called the Pass of Malpeire, he pointed out
to me a flat stone which juts out of the rock and forms a kind
Castle of Malpeii-p, which was considered an impregnable
fortress. Several engagements had taken place between the
French and the Pit-omontese, who were ravaging the low
country. In one of these engagements the Marquis de Champaubert
was wounded. His wife hastened to the field of battle,
about two leagues from here, and succeeded in getting him
transported to the Castle of Malpeire, where he died on the
following day. A short time afterwards, the Baron de Malpeire
was killed under the walls of C . After this double
calamity, the two ladies remained at Malpeire, shut up by the
snow which lies on these mountains, as you know, for six
months out of the year. On the same day they both gave birth
to sons, who were christened at the same time in the church of
the village. In commemoration of this event, two elm-trees
were planted and named after the new-born children. In my
time the shade of these trees covered the whole square. Are
they still in existence ?"
"
Yes, they are, monseigneur," I eagerly cried; "and they go
by the name of Monsieur le Marquis and Monsieur le Baron
but no one here knows why."
" The two widows spent the year of their mourning together.
Subsequently they were obliged to part but the ; similarity of
their fate had given rise to a friendship, which lasted as long
UM they lived. They took care to instil the same feelings in
the hearts of their sons, who in their turn transmitted them to
their children. Although living at the opposite extremes of
the kingdom, the two families did not fail to communicate to