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As the day was pleasant, Madame Valmonde drove over to L'Abri to see

Desiree and the baby

It h to think of Desiree with a baby Why, it seemed

but yesterday that Desiree was little h the gateway of Val stone pillar

The little one awoke in his aran to cry for "Dada" That

was as ht have

strayed there of her own accord, for she was of the toddling age The

prevailing belief was that she had been purposely left by a party of

Texans, whose canvas-covered wagon, late in the day, had crossed the

ferry that Coton Mais kept, just below the plantation In time Madame

Valmonde abandoned every speculation but the one that Desiree had been

sent to her by a beneficent Providence to be the child of her affection,

seeing that she ithout child of the flesh For the girl grew to be

beautiful and gentle, affectionate and sincere,--the idol of Valainst the stone pillar in

whose shadow she had lain asleep, eighteen years before, that Ar her there, had fallen in love with her

That was the way all the Aubignys fell in love, as if struck by a pistol

shot The wonder was that he had not loved her before; for he had known