The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1854-11-10

unbOundeu devotion. iio i"y"ssy was "isu
out reproacb, and he was esteemed one Of
the most rising and respectable characters
at the French court.
The expensive manner in which the Coun,
lived might have Afforded. but for one cir.
cumstance, some suspicion that no enjoyed
sill weiyhtier fiiyors 'oi government than
crosses and decorations. The pny OF lieu
,enan, colonel, with any fragment nc might
have recovered Of his hereditary possessions
was not enough to account Tor liberality
as unbounded as il was unostentatious. The
inexhaustable fund on which bo drew was
neither squandercd nor spared; he had
money for all legitimate purposes; and
when other men had recourse, on extraor'
binary emergencies, to loans and mortgages,
the Count do Saint. Helene had nothing Ia
do but to write chequc. His marriage &c
counted for this. His noble wife was the
mine on the produce of which be lived; and
her Spanish gold was daily transmitted in
any quantity into French sil,cr
1t was supposed at the tiiue, haweyer, r,tbal
other men had recourse TO more disreputa
bic means of supply; for the Wholesale rob,
berries that were committed on oil hands had
become us alarming as they were inexplica'
bic. No precautions were sufficient Tor the
safeguard of valuable property. In the re-
cesses Of palaces thcfls we're as common as
in the shops Of the citizen; and It was OBJ
vious that there had been established sys
TEN Of brigandagc. whose organization com
pretended much higher class than usual
Even noblcman was not safe from suspic
ion, whose habits exhibited anything OF the
mysterious but rs fer our count and coun
tess, they lived so much in public, they be-
longed so completely to the court and socie
ty, tha, the suspicion must have been wild
indeed which could attach itself to them.
One day, the count was at the head OF hl'
regiment in the Place du Carrouqel, assist
ing at splendid military parade. On one
side of the square were the garden and pal
ace Of the Tuillerics on the opposite side
the Avenue du Neuily, extending as straight
as an arrow along the side of the Champs Ely
sees, to the verge Of the horizon, now termi'
mated by n triumphal arch on the third
The Place Ventlome, with its noble column
and on the fourth, the Seine spanned by Q
bridge loaded with statues. This maSniii
cent scene was crowded with spectators
even to tho trees oil the Champs Elysees
and us the Count dc Sainte Helene felt him
self to be one of tho great actors in the
pageant, wild throb must have heaved the
chest of tho escaped forcat. But the word
he hardly now considered to apply to him
for his fourteen years senterce had expired.
If not fulfilled. Some days before, no had
celebrated in his own mind the fourteenth
anniversary of his condemnation, and de-
clared himself to be free man 1t is nc
wonder that on this occasion he should re-
vert exul'ingly to his escape from the bagne
as an event which had turned the current o.
his life, and given 10 him his fortune; but
as his thoughts lost themselves in the recol
lections, he leaped suddenly in tho saddle
as if transfixed with spear.
AT first he hardly knew what 1t was thai
had affected him, or knowing it, he set II
down as u delusion growing out OF his wax
ing dream. An eye had rested upon his fol
u moment, rs his face was turned toward
the crowd-a phantom eye, doubtless, such
as sometimes Glarcs upon us from the abyss
cs of memory, for he never could meet Will
it again. Yet the Count could not help re-
peating to himself, nor avoid o sensation o
sickness Us he did so, that the conrade he
had abandoned to his chains, spnvning him
with his foot while he did so was now free
man like himself, and by more Legitimate
title In case Of almost any other human
being in any other circumstances, this would
have been Of little consequnce, for he wa:
now rich enough to buy silence from hate
itself. But Points knew his man.
That night the FORTRESS of common look
ing house in the Rue Saint Maur WAS called
from her repose by gentle ring of the bell
"What is your pleasure! " said she
speaking through The wicket. !" am alone
and although very poor, do not care to oper
to strangers"
The yisiter muttered word in reply, ant
the door was opened us nstsnlly us its pom
derous bolts permitted. Ho followed hel
through u ruinous court, and sisnifying by
silent gesture that he would dispense with
her further service he knocked ut another
door. Here he was again challenged; but
his voice gained him udmittance as before
and presently he found himself in room
much more comfortable than might have
been expected from the exterior.
"What! you here ~ said the man wnc
opened the door to him, and who was the
only inmate Of the apartment. "Wby,
Peter, this is an unusual and unexpected
honor.h
81 have reasons, Alexander replied the
yisiter, grayely; and as he opened his clonk
and threw his hat gravely upon the table
the striking resemblance between the two
mon, would have enabled stranger to pro
nounce them at once brothers.
Reasons of course you have, for YOU
never act without them but before YOU
open your budget, let me put you in good
humor, by presenting you with thiy hand
some sum ol money, your share of US rich
spoil rs we have yet taken"
'Set 1t down; cannot attend to buines.
at present. have seen ghosts
"A ghost know man who would
even scare you; but was not aware thai
YOU stood in special awe Of the immateria
world. In what form appeared the ghost! ! /,
''In the form Of human eye, which wa.
fixed upon mine to-day for an ins an, in the
Place du Carouzel Whether it was an,
thing more than the fragment Of dream
had fallen into ut the moment, cannot tell
but If 1t was really in human head, it be-
longs to the man you allude to-"
TAnd what then!"
"Merely that mn lost,
"What nonsense! You arc too clever
too selfpossesscd, to iar seeing for that Yor
aretoo unknown even to your own band
|, your lieutenant, and your brother bein,
the sole medium Of communication between
you. Besides me, you have no confident II
the world but your own wife, your splendid
countess, who is the life and soul of the as
sociation, without whose guiding voice W,
could moi stir step, nnd who could moi
criminate you without destroying herself"
Z" All this Is true; but you do not know