Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: unencumbered estate and a large fortune some day; she Would have everything that Marie Delorme had envied her for possessing, everything but the home affection she longed for; and as the thought of her desolate position amidst all this wealth crossed the girl's tnind, she said, passionately and aloud, I would give all this up for ever in return for the love of one human being, ?if my mother only loved me Ah, this grandeur, this stiffness and formality?I hate it all If I were but poor in riches, and rich in love, I would ask for nothing else. CHAPTER III. Mademoiselle Marie I am falling; save Marie Delorme was pacing the little play, ground with a book in her hand, her eye reading while her thoughts followed Gabrielle, who had left that morning, when the above words greeted her ear; she turned quickly and looked up; a man, handsome, young, and tall, but very awkward-looking, was balancing himselfon the top of the high wall which divided the playground from the garden next door. The wall was a narrow one, and the young man, in an undisguised agony of fright, was in the act of falling, and just as Marie burst into a fit of laughter, he rolled helplessly down at her feet. She drew back, laughing too much at first to speak, and then, when she had recovered her voice, she exclaimed indignantly, in a tone rendered slightly tremulous by the laughter she could hardly yet repress, ? Monsieur Josef what is the meaning of this ? had I not forbidden you ever again to look over that wall ? Undoubtedly you did, mademoiselle, was the rueful answer, as poor Monsieur Josef picked himself up and stood rubbing his knees, the picture of mortification. Yet I could not believe you meant to be so cruel; I was just leaning over to catch sight of your face, that overhanging...