Mademoiselle Mathilde (Volume 3); A Novel (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1868. Excerpt: ... MADEMOISELLE MATHILDE. CHAPTER I. NANCI. So they were all scattered and separated one from another, wondering were they ever to be united again. Each, however, had some hope, some pleasure. Adele had her baby and her castle, Mathilde had her Lionel, D'Isigny had his politics, De Valognes his society. One only of the whole group was utterly and entirely alone, perfectly without any hope: it was Andre Desilles. There had been misunderstandings, and things had gone wrong, and he was the victim. He quietly returned to his duty and his barracks. The old regimental life was so thoroughly distasteful to him now. He had loved his regiment, his duty, and his men; but all was now a wearisome VOL. III. B and to him an ignoble complication, difficulty upon difficulty, and among the whole of the Regiment du Roi there was scarce any one whom he could call a real, true friend, beside Peltier, and the other two. He was very popular among the officers. He was a gentleman, a kind-hearted man, a man whom every one in their hearts respected and deferred to before his face; behind his back, however, all the officers, from Colonel Denoue downwards, would regret that Andre Desilles, thorough bon homme that he was, was to some extent infected with the new ideas. A very young nobleman, the last joined officer of this most unlucky regiment, said one evening, as Andre Desilles left the mess-table, --" I don't like that man. He wears no moustaches, and his heart is with the people." Denoue was on him at once. " Captain Desilles, sir, is the finest officer I have. If the worst comes, I trust to his gentle influence with the men, which he has so long exercised, to prevent a catastrophe. If we had all been Desilles, sir, we should have rendered revolution both unnecessary and impossible...