My Little LadyPoynter, E. Frances (Eleanor Frances)
General
My Little Lady
Poynter, E. Frances (Eleanor Frances)
Fiction
She turned again disconsolately to the window, and there was
another pause. Madelon relapsed into the silence habitual to
her with strangers, and Graham hardly knew how to continue the
conversation; yet he was unwilling to leave the child alone
with her anxiety at that late hour: and besides, he was
haunted by vague, floating memories that refused to shape
themselves definitely. Some time--somewhere--he had heard or
seen, or dreamt of some one--he could not catch the connecting
link which would serve to unite some remote, foregone
experience with his present sensations.
He moved a little away from the window, and in so doing his
foot struck against the book which Madelon had dropped on
first seeing him, and he stooped to pick it up. It was a
German story-book, full of bright coloured pictures; so he saw
as he opened it and turned over the leaves, scarcely thinking
of what he did, when his eye was suddenly arrested by the
inscription on the fly-leaf. The book had been given to
Madelon only the year before by a German lady she had met at
Chaudfontaine, and there was her name, "Madeleine Linders,"
that of the donor, the date, and below, "Hotel des Bains,
Chaudfontaine." It was a revelation to Horace. Of course he
understood it all now. Here was the clue to his confused
recollections, to the strange little scene he had just
witnessed. Another moonlit courtyard came to his remembrance,
a gleaming, rushing river, a background of shadowy hills, and
a little coy, wilful, chattering girl, with curly hair and
great brown eyes--those very eyes that had been perplexing him
not ten minutes ago.
"I think you and I have met before," he said to Madelon,
smiling; "but I daresay you don't remember much about it,
though I recollect you very well now."
"We have met before?" said Madelon. "Pardon, Monsieur, but I
do not very well recall it."
"At Chaudfontaine, five years ago, when you were quite a
little girl. You are Madeleine Linders, are you not?"
"Yes, I am Madeleine Linders," she answered. "I have often
been at Chaudfontaine; did you stay at the hotel there?"
"Only for one night," said Graham; "but you and I had a long
talk together in the courtyard that evening. Let me see, how
can I recall it to you? Ah! there was a little green and gold
fish----"
"Was that you?" cried Madelon, her face suddenly brightening
with a flush of intelligence and pleasure. "I have it still,
that little fish. Ah! how glad I am now that I did not give it
away! That gentleman was so kind to me, I shall never forget
him. But it was you!" she added, with a sudden recognition of
Graham's identity.
"It was indeed," he said laughing. "So you have thought of me
sometimes since then? But I am afraid you would not have
remembered me if I had not told you who I was."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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