White Lies | Page 5

her heart, and delicious first love nestled deep in her nature,
and thrilled in every secret vein and fibre.
They had parted two years, and he had joined the army of the Pyrenees
about one month, when suddenly all correspondence ceased on his part.
Restless anxiety rose into terror as this silence continued; and starting
and trembling at every sound, and edging to the window at every
footstep, Josephine expected hourly the tidings of her lover's death.
Months rolled on in silence.
Then a new torture came. He must not be dead but unfaithful. At this
all the pride of her race was fired in her.
The struggle between love and ire was almost too much for nature:
violently gay and moody by turns she alarmed both her mother and the
good Dr. Aubertin. The latter was not, I think, quite without suspicion
of the truth; however, he simply prescribed change of air and place; she
must go to Frejus, a watering-place distant about five leagues.
Mademoiselle de Beaurepaire yielded a languid assent. To her all
places were alike.
But when they returned from Frejus a change had taken place. Rose had
extracted her sister's secret, and was a changed girl. Pity, and the keen
sense of Josephine's wrong, had raised her sisterly love to a passion.
The great-hearted girl hovered about her lovely, suffering sister like an
angel, and paid her the tender attentions of a devoted lover, and hated
Camille Dujardin with all her heart: hated him all the more that she saw
Josephine shrink even from her whenever she inveighed against him.
At last Rose heard some news of the truant lover. The fact is, this
young lady was as intelligent as she was inexperienced; and she had
asked Jacintha to tell Dard to talk to every soldier that passed through
the village, and ask him if he knew anything about Captain Dujardin of
the 17th regiment. Dard cross-examined about a hundred invalided
warriors, who did not even recognize the captain's name; but at last, by
extraordinary luck, he actually did fall in with two, who told him
strange news about Captain Dujardin. And so then Dard told Jacintha;
and Jacintha soon had the men into the kitchen and told Rose. Rose ran
to tell Josephine; but stopped in the passage, and turned suddenly very

cold. Her courage failed her; she feared Josephine would not take the
news as she ought; and perhaps would not love her so well if SHE told
her; so she thought to herself she would let the soldiers tell their own
tale. She went into the room where Josephine was reading to the
baroness and Dr. Aubertin; she sat quietly down; but at the first
opportunity made Josephine one of those imperceptible signals which
women, and above all, sisters, have reduced to so subtle a system. This
done, she went carelessly out: and Josephine in due course followed her,
and found her at the door.
"What is it?" said Josephine, earnestly.
"Have you courage?" was Rose's reply.
"He is dead?" said Josephine, turning pale as ashes.
"No, no;" said Rose hastily; "he is alive. But you will need all your
courage."
"Since he lives I fear nothing," said Josephine; and stood there and
quivered from head to foot. Rose, with pitying looks, took her by the
hand and drew her in silence towards the kitchen.
Josephine yielded a mute submission at first; but at the very door hung
back and faltered, "He loves another; he is married: let me go." Rose
made no reply, but left her there and went into the kitchen and found
two dragoons seated round a bottle of wine. They rose and saluted her.
"Be seated, my brave men," said she; "only please tell me what you
told Jacintha about Captain Dujardin."
"Don't stain your mouth with the captain, my little lady. He is a traitor."
"How do you know?"
"Marcellus! mademoiselle asks us how we know Captain Dujardin to
be a traitor. Speak."
Marcellus, thus appealed to, told Rose after his own fashion that he
knew the captain well: that one day the captain rode out of the camp
and never returned: that at first great anxiety was felt on his behalf, for
the captain was a great favorite, and passed for the smartest soldier in
the division: that after awhile anxiety gave place to some very awkward
suspicions, and these suspicions it was his lot and his comrade's here to
confirm. About a month later he and the said comrade and two more
were sent, well mounted, to reconnoitre a Spanish village. At the door
of a little inn they caught sight of a French uniform. This so excited
their curiosity that he went forward nearer than prudent, and distinctly

recognized Captain Dujardin seated at a table drinking