The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-03-12 00:00:00

CHAPTER XIII.

M. LECOUR imperatively motioned to Adrienne to leave
him, and she rose to obey, asking:
"How am I to comply with the prince's wish with
reference to my dress, mon pere? I have only two
robes, an d both are black."
" True ; that must be remedied. There are loads of
finery in the house, that once belonged to Madame
Lecour. She was most extravagant in her toilette,
and her figure was not unlike yours. Tell Eady to
open some of her hoards, and deck yourself according
to your fancy. I care nothing for the wardrobe
which has so long lain useless, and you can take un-
limited possession." _ _

With many thanks, Adrienne turned to leave him,
but M. Lecour suddenly barred her egress from the
door, and sternly asked;
Do,you comprehend the vital importance of the
secret imparted to yow, Adrienne? Will you defend
it, even at the risk of your life? Ay, even if that
wily priest tells you that your future salvation de-
pends upon your faithfulness to the trust reposed in
you. will you be true to it?"
This question placed Adrienne in a cruel dilemma,
but the natural uprightness of her character showed
her clearly that to this old man she owed her first
allegiance, even if the other was her father; for M.
Lecour had given her shelter beneath his roof, however
grudgingly it had been done, and her whole soul re-
coiled from the idea of domestic treachery. The would
guard his secret faithfully, and she firmly replied—
"l fully comprehend the weight of the trust reposed
in me, and I promise fidelity, even unto death.'
M Lecour regarded her face with a look of intense
scrutiny, before he replied—
"l believe you, child. I believe you are of the true
metal, and I am not afraid of treachery on your
part."
"'1 hank you for that, mon pere. I will surely prove
myself worthy of your confidence."
Adrienne left the room, and M. Lecour regarded the
portrait of Marie Antoinette with an expression of
mixed fear and awe, as he muttered—
"Enlighten me, oh, royal shadow, as to the course
to be pursued in this crisis. Will it be best to keep
him here in his seclusion, or permit him to become
the puppet of another's ambition? Speak! Your sad
lips have before unclosed to threaten or to warn.
Why should they be silent now?"
He bent his head in a listening attitude, and watched
the sad face; but to-day it wasmotionless—the effects
of the Indian drug had died out in his veins, and the
hallucination did not come at his command.

"Silent !" he exclaimed,. "Then I may follow my
own will; so ho for France, and royal state! I accept
the Corsican's offer, and swear vendetta against him i'
he plays me false r
Adrienne went at once to the domains of tie negress,
and without preamble informed her of the permission
given by M. Lecour to choose from the wardrobe of
his late wife such attire as might suither fancy. he
old woman regarded her with even moro intense
amazement than she had manifested during the scene
in the apartment of the prince. She rolled up her
eyes till the whites were alone visible, and said—
"1 'clar' to Moses, you mus' have de sarpint's power
to fascerete folks. Give you my missuses' finery,
mus' 1? I only hopes you'll be 'lowed to wear it in
peace !"
" what do you mean? Who is to interfere with my
wearing them, since my grandfather has given me
perm;ssion to do so P"
Eady regarded her with a singular expression, as
she said, in a suppressed tone— _ _ _

S'posen de ghose was to take it in her head to
claim 'em, what den? You saw her put on de
bridal dresses, an' why shan't she choose to put on some
o' de res' ? Dey all b'longed to her onst."
" Ah ! you admit the reality of that scene, then?'
said Adrienne, aroused to vivid interest. "Phantoms
do not put on real garments, Eady, and that white-
haired woman was no more a ghost than is the prince
upstairs. You see, I have penetrated the secret of
his presence beneath this roof, and it will be to your
best interest to take me into your c( nfidence respect-
ing the mysterious presence in my room last night."
Eady shook her head ominously—
" Our perlosofy don't teach us all de tinge what
goes on in hebben, or on yeth, as I heard my ole
marster read outen a book onst ; an' it sounded
mighty gran'! It was from a play, whare a sure 'null
ghose ccmes to tell his son dat his brother have
murdered him. Ef a pose comes to dat young man,
why c,,rnt a ghose come agin, I axes yer, young
mistis ? An' I tell you, taint no use to come after me
to tell you nothin'. care I don't know nothin' to tell.'
With these words, Eady assumed an expression -of
doggod obstinacy, and Adrienne saw it would be useless
to question her further. With the resolution to use
her own eyes and senses to fathom the secret of the
sable hotsekoeper, she silently followed her to het own
chamber.

Eady produced the key of the armoire, and un-
locked the door next to the window. A row ef
shelves was before Adrienne, filled with linen bag%
each one of which was found to contain an elegant
and expensive dress. They were made in the fashion
of a past day, but that mattered little in the out-of-
way place in which they were to be worn. The
voluminoua skirts, pointed waists, sleeves tight to the
elbow, with deep falls of fine lace, showed that many
years had passed away since the mantua-maker's art
had fashioned them. But the materials pere of the
richest texture, and most graceful designs, and
Adrienne regarded them with the natural delight of a
young and attractive girl, who is conscious that
tasteful costume imparts a new charm to even the
fairest form and face.
S le selected one of the plainest among them for
pres .nt use. It was a lilac brocade, and with trim-
reingi of black lace, relieved by knots of pink ribbon.
Ea v the-, unclosed a drawer in which fine laces, filmy
ant: elves were laid away. The kb-1
s,t'ores w,re hard and spotted, rendered unfit for use
by the dampness of the climate; but there were
gloves of white and black lace which fitted Adrienne'shands as if made for them, and from these she selected
a pair of the latter:. . .
Eady looked on with a dubious expression: a doubt
evidently existed in her mind as to what might result
from this appropriation. She muttered--
"I 'spose, since you've got one part o' de fixin's,
you mought as well have t'other, too;' and she next
unlocked a drawer filled with slippers of every colour,
trimmed with large rosettes, and mounted on high,
narrow heels. There was a pair.to match each dress,
and the most of them seemed as if they had scarcely
been wora at all. Eady said—
Now, ef you can wear de madam's shoes, young
mistis, you'll 'stonish me, for she had de eunningest
little feet in de won'."

Adrienne sat down, and, taking, off her own shoe,
drew on one of Madame Lemur's slippers as easily as
if it had been made for her. She laughed as she held
out her foot and said—

"It is small enough for Cinderella, but you Fee it
fits me perfectly. I half believe your mistress was my
fairy godmother, Eady, and endowed me with a b,dy
to match her nst-off finery, because she ktiew it wou'd
be my only chance to obtain a suitable wardrobe. It
she comes back in ghostly form again to dispute
possession with me, I believe I will really do tattle
with her for my finery."
" Hush-h-h, chile ; don't talk sich idle talk ; it
makes my flesh creep to hear you run on so. 6. Pr I—. 1E
do come back, young mistia, it won't be to hurt you, 1
an sure, and you won't say nothin' to him, even el
you do git badly scared."
She pointed impressively towards her master's
room to give stronger emphasis to the pronoun, and
Adrienne seriously replied—
"l shall not break the promise I gave you this
morning, Eady ; but I warn you that I shall be on the
qui cite to make discoveries myself, and I pledge
myself to nothing in regard to them. Since you
wil
not confide to me the real secret of the White Terror, I
shall make every effort to fathom it myself. Once
mine, I shad make what use I please of my know-
ledge."
While thus occupied, the time sped away, and Pierre
came to h r door with the announcement that M.
Lecour demanded her attendance in the presence
-
chamber, this grandiloquent name having been given
by the old recluse to the apartment occupied by his
ward.
With swift steps Adrienne proceeded towards the
prince's chamber; she came as a radiant vision of
youth and loveliness into the old ante-room, passed
Eady with a smile, and glided into the royal presence
with a graceful obeisance. Louis sat expectant and
impatient before a small table set out with silver and
tine porcelain. M. Lecour, in his robe of state stood
with his robe of office, and as his eyes fell upon the
young girl, ho trembled and grew white as death,
!viiking a violent effort, ho mastered his emotion, and
his set face vowed more marblo•like than ever, es ho
motioned to her to rocare the dishes brought hv
EAdr, mad Mice thetti before the vrino9;

- Adrienne accomplished this service with ease and
grace, and Louis
,ohuckled with satisfaction._ ,
"Well done, la belle comtesse ; you have earned
your title fairly, and now you shall have your
reward. You shall eat with my royal self"

"That will b a useless and troublesome inno-
vation, atom roi," objected M. Lecour. "if you would
eat your food in peace, do not ask a woman to sit
down with you. Then you must wait upon her, and
at present it is the duty of the comtesse to attend to
you."
"If it is my pleasure to have it the other way, who
shall refuse me? Am I not king? Is it not your
duty to obey me, monsieur ?"
" It is my pleasure to do so, mon roi," replied M.
Lecour, with a mocking reverence. "Since it is your
will, la comtesss shall eat with you. Mademoiselle,
take your place opposite to Prince Louis, and see that
he wants for nothing."
Adrienne would gladly have excused herself, but
there was no alternative, and she assumed the place
indicated. Louis immediately commenced heaping a
plate with the daintily prepared viands, which he
offered for her acceptance. At a sign from M. Lecour,
she took it, and before Eady could bring on a second
plate for his own use, the prince drew the most tempt-
irim dish, before him, plunged in a spoon, and com-
menced eating as if half-famished. After despatching
that, he seized unon the next, and proceeded thus
until Adrienne had reason to congratulate herself that
he hai thought her worthy of being first served. He
sw Illowed large libations of burgundy, and nodding
to her over his glass, said—
" Not good for you, la comtesse; too much like
blood—too much like blood. But I was nursed on it
—the red flush is too familiar. Ah-h-h !" and
he again fell back in an attack of catalepsy.
After a few convulsive struggles, Louis sat up,
looked stupidly around, and commanded dessert to be
brought in. This consisted of oranges and nuts, and
again he was polite enough to supply the wants of
Adrienne before taking any himself.
The dinner was at last over, and M. Lecour knelt
and offered a bowl of water and a napkin to the mimic
royalty to whom is was his whim to do homage.
Louis condescendingly
_said— _ . _

-
"My lord chamberlain, I am pleased with you to-
day; very much pleased wi, h your consideration in
permitting la tomtesse to become the companion of
my solitude. Leave us now to be read to by her.
She shall reveal to us how the Princess Schebezerade
kept her head on hershoulders by amusing the caliph;
what wonderful new stories she invented for that
purpose. La Comtesse can imagine berself the
princess who was so severely tasked, and may be she
cen tell something out of her own head to make the
time pass pleasantly."
"She will no doubt do her best, mon roi, for she
wishes to be of use to you."
"Good child—good child, and pretty, too—pretty
--pretty !" Thus muttering, he threw himself back
upon his seat, and M. Leeour placed a cushion under
his head. Eady rapidly and silently cleared the table,
and brought forward a small stand, on which was
placed a large volume elegantly bound.
M. Lecour addressed Adrienne in a low voice—

"It is my custom to read to him till he falls asleep,
and then, with Pierre's assistance, he is removed to
his bed for the night. When he is in that state, ring
the bell for Pierre, and you are released until to-
morrow."

He pointed to the bell-handle near the head of the
couch, and, with a deep reverence towards Louis, he
left the apartment.
The Prince had closed his eyes, and seemed scarcely
conscious of what was passing around him. Adrienne
opened the volume, and, finding a mark between the
page, she commenced her task at once. At the
sound of her voice, he aroused himself up, and drowsily
said—
"Don't begin there where my lord chamberlain left
off. I know the book by heart, and I choose you to
turn back to the first part."
"If you know it by heart, how can you find any
interest in hearing it road? Had I not better get some-
thing else to amuse you with ?"
"No; I can't think of new book people. These are
all I have ever known about, -and I like them best. It
is like going on a visit to old friends to hear cf them
again, and I shall like to listen to your voice telling
about them. It is a very sweet and pleasant voice,
and veu're very pretty to look at, too.”
Adrienne did not blush at this openly-expressed ad-
miration; her heart was too full of sympathy for the
unhappy wreck before her, to attach any importance
to his words. She simply said—
"l am gl td you have taken a fancy to me, for I
hope to be useful to you, mon prince. I can tell ta'es
to von as well as read them, and when you get t'red
of the wonders of the Arabian Nights, I can repeat to
you the history of a remarkable personage who came
on earth eighteen hundred years ago, to preach love,
forbearance, and good will towards men; who gave
us the assurance of the life to come after this, in
which the sins and infirmities of earth shall be removed
rom us." _ _ _

Louis listened with half-awakened interest; hesud-
&llly enquired—
"ln that new world shall I get rid of these helpless
limbs of mine, and be able to walk as other people do?
Alt! that would be fine !" .

\-e, there your spiritual body shall be wi bout
sect ir blemish—beautiful and active and your
mind shall resume the highest functions bestowed upon
it at its creation, though accident may have dulled it.
while in its earthly tenement."
The speaker had scarcely expected him to under-
stand her, but he evidently did, and he aroused him-
sel f ro:n the lethargy that had been creeping over him
to enquire—
., tt by has not someone told me of this before? • It
is much for a poor creature like me to look forward to
a tiansfiguration like that. It might make one willing
to give up this life, but not to have my head cut off.
No, no. I have seen that. The king, my rather, the
queen, my poor mother, lost theirs, but I must keep
rn-ne. —n ! that visicm of 1;1=d ccl.-..zes atam
to blast my s.glit."
He fell back, and again the convulsions distorted
his poor face, and large drops of perspiration burst
out upon his brow.
Adrienne hastened to bathe it with cold water, and
Louis in a few moments recovered his usual ex-
pression of dull serenity. Fearful of arousing the
terrible memories which had evidently left their in-
dellible traces upon his mind, feeble as it was, the
young girl at once commenced her task of reading
_ _ _

The prince closed his eyes, and remained perfectly
quiescent, only occasionally making some faint sign
that he was still awake and listening. The light from
the window in the roof began to fail, and the reader
paused with the intention of lighting the wax candles
which Eady had placed upon the table before leaving
the room, but Louis arrested her and said—
"1 like the twilight, and I shall like to h,ar you
talk. Tell me about that wonderful personage of
whom you spoke just now. Was he a man and where
did he come from? and where has he gone to? I am
sure we need him as much now, as the people did
among whom he lived.
"That is true, for we cannot live as we should
without him; but he left his teachings with us when
he went up to heaven; they are found in the same
book which tells of his life and death."
"Where is this book? Why has not my lord
chamberlain told us of this thing before? It has been
very remiss in him not to do so, when we need it so
sorely, too."
"Let me supply that need, my prince, and de not
reproach my grandfather with his negligence. People
who live in the world are often indifferent to this
wonderful revelation; but to the weak, the suffering,
and the oppressed, it is a consolation and a hope"
"Then give it to me, la eomtesse, for I am suffer-
ing, I am weak, though the royal blood of France is
my her:tage. I know very well what I should have
been, though my brain is shattered, and my body
as and deformed. When I sit here aline, I have
gl mpses of former days; I remember, as a dream,
the stately palace in a hich my infancy was passed;
the rush of the people that came against it—the proud
hearing of my mother, though she was pale as marble.
I can also Pecail the awful scene at Versailles, when
she carried her children upon the balcony as a pro-
tection aga;nst the mob that raged for her life and
the journey back te Paris amid all those terrible
people, comes before me. Oh that was the first blow
to me—something in my childish brain gave way,
then, and it has never been exactly right since."
Louis sat erect, his eyes grew brighter, and a new
life seemed to be breathed into his langu:d frame by
the sympathy and companionship of one re ar his own
age. Gralually Adrienne succeeded in lulling the pain-
ful memories that surged out of th.! melancholy pact
of this victim to man's inhumanity. She returned to
the subject on a hieli she had first spoken; and with
simple words, and a ,ft intonation, related the incidents
of the Saviour's life to the attentive listener. When
she had finished, Louis sail—
"lt is beautiful, and it seems to me that I have
been taught the same things before all the dreadful
troubles that came upon us. You must tell about the
Good Man every day, Is comtesse "
Adrienne read ly promised to do so; and wearied by
this time by the unwonted efforts at reflection which
he had made, Louis sunk back like a child, and
almost immediately fell asleep.
Fearful of arousing him, the young girl sat perfe tly
still in the gathering twilight, watching the faint
tlicliering of the smouldering fire upon the hearth as
it flashed up into a blaze at intervals, and 'hen qui k y
died out, le avir /j, the shadows in the room deeper than
be ore,

rich It wasfu
n iat
usrter aanagde rse et—r
trappings—the;
n e; ltyh
er
po
ao its
swluitmhbe r.
ing prince, robed in purple and fine linen; and the
fair young girl, seated on a taburet at his feet, dressed
in the style of a past generation whieh so well became
her, as she sat withdier hands clasped over each other,
thinking of the singular developments of the past
ho.,v, and wondering what stranp thing would next
happ'.n in this mysterious old house.
A. large mirror occupied the space over the mantel,
and in this wai reflected the heavy folds of drapery
that cone e.led a long narrow recess, from which
opened a dormer window. Suddenly the curtain was
lifted, and from the setting sun a stream of light
flowed into the apartment. Startled from her reverie,
Adrienne looked up, and sat as one spellbound;
within the mirror, she saw distinctly, reflected a
tall figure. clothed in a IMO white robe, with wide
hanging sifeves, which fell from her throat to her
feet, Fier face wits noloorleso as that ftba de. and