A Gentleman from Gascony: A Romance of the Huguenots — page 51: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE WHITE BADGE. 47 by embracing the true faith, save this unhappy land from the miseries and bloodshed into which it has been plunged?” “Ts it wholly their fault?” rejoined Mademoiselle de Vrissac, a little timidly. “Surely, the other side has been to blame also in its excesses. But, at all events, the marriage of my dear princess is an augury of hap- pier times.” Now the marriage of a Catholic princess of the house of Valois with the Protestant Prince of Béarn, as she persisted in calling the King of Navarre, had been far from pleasing to the duchess, and Gabrielle’s remarks seemed tu her little short of heresy. But before she could reprove the daring girl, the door was flung quickly open and her son dashed gayly into the room. His face was flushed and his eyes bright with wine. Both the duchess and Gabrielle rose to their feet. Although Madame de Basssompierre’s first anxious glance told her the truth, that her son had been indulg- ing too freely, she said nothing but suffered the kiss he imprinted upon her cheek. Then she sank back again in her chair, thinking bit- terly: “The proverb is true which says when your children are young they trample upon your feet, but when they grow up they trample upon your heart!” The duke noticed nothing, but laughing a little bois- terously, he turned to Gabrielle and pinched her mis- chievously upon the cheek. “So, my pretty cousin,” he cried, “ you would stay to see the fun at Saint Germain, would you? and got your- self rarely frightened for your pains. Oh! you need not deny it. Hector has told me the whole story.” Gabrielle’s face flushed angrily. “And I call it very unkind of Hector, very uncalled Gomicboo S (©)