Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1863-06-30
THE PERILs OFAN EARLDOM


! took lodgings at MauriCe's famous English
hotel. Having been shown to my apart
meDts, made some change in my toilet,
| and went out for short stroll in the great
1 and magnificent city-the heart, as it were,
| of the world. had some letters OF intrO~
ductiOn but. as / had not yet presented
/ them. believed myself wholly unknown
to living soul in that metrOpOlis-except
1t might he to the officers who had read my
I passport at the gate, and the clerk who
had seen me register my name and tt at
EAsIiher should have fixed that name in their
recollection was something that mOdesty
had not permitted me to take into coEsid-
Grafton.
Judge of my surprise, therefore, when !
had gone but few steps from Maurice's,
AZ Rue Rivoli, toward the beautiful palace
! gardens nearly opposite, to hear myself ad-
dressed as follnws:-
viii Monsieur Henry Neville have the
kindness IL answer me few important
questions p
turned to the speaker, aud saw at n
glance he was a total stranger to me--that
| had never, to my knowledge, looked I'D
on the face before.
lie was middle aged man, of rather
prepOssessing appearance, with gray hair,
eyebrows, and moustache, and was dressed
as piain, substantial citiZen.
Il viii do mysslGtha pleasure to oblige
yCu,' replied, in a polite and courteous
J tCnP. Permit me first to remark, how
! ever, that you have little the advantage
Of me, in that you already know my rame ,
/ Monsieur will please know me as Eugene
ST. Medard
Did we ever meet before? p
| 1T is Monsieur that has now become the
! questicner,' rtjoined the Frenchman, with
| ?ecullar smile and kind of formal bow,
half dfghifed, half polite, as if he would
have said the questions were only to come
! frGm his side.
Somehow | felt trihe vexed and netilsd
at the look and tone, and remarked little
coldly:
i take it for granted one has the same
! right to interrogate as the other
The features Of the stranger grew grave
as one who feels q little ANNOYED, and bis
reply was impressive without being exactly
stern,
If Monsieur will be kind enough to
waive his right in this instance he suid.
| 1T will save US both some time and trouble ,
l scarcely knew why-perhaps some
thing in the look, tone, and manner-but
the idea suddebly occurred to me that
was speaking to man in authority; and
said, respectfully:
Proceed, Monsieur St. Medard,'
THANK yOuS Monsieur. You are an
Englishman p
/ i am
You are distantly related to the Earl of
Malvern p
SO distantly that his lo-dship could new.
er get near enough to know our family
replied, pleasantly, not little surprised
that French stranger should know so
much about me, and wondering all the
while to what results his questions might
be tending.
You we're an only childT
YES
Your parents are deadg
Yes H---
You were left small inheritance, which
you have lately converted into money and
brought with you, thinking it not unlikely
that you might take fancy to settle on
the cOntnent?'
All true, Monsieur; Tut your intimate
knowledge of me and my private affairs
astonishes me-
| Let that pass. The family of his lord
ship, the Earl of Malvern, has been un.or
tunate-no near of kin remain to hint?
Two prOfligate sons of deceased sister
are the nearest, believe
They are both dead, Monsieur
Dead ! exclaimed |, with a start; fol
this was news to me. a.#.- .r-
One died Of heart disease in Germany
the other was stabbed to death in Rome.
Are you sure p uarr.
Certainly, Monsieur ..a-
Good heavens this astonishes me still
moro had not heard of this.'
i know it,
1t seems to me you know everything,
said /, with stare Of Honder.
Monsieur St. Medard smiled, and then
continued:
! You are row the heir presumptiVe, Mon.
sienr.'
If what you tell me is true, am 2 ex,
claimed /, almost startled at the thought
] OF being 50 near to an earldom-for the
then lord was cid and feeble, and might
drop of any minute. So.
do you know who is next of kin after
yourself, Monsieur? 2 inquired my strange
lnterrogatOr.
Byerly.' 80 -
Right. Do you know him?'
Z. Something by report
Personality n ~
No. I'D.
Did report speak favorably of him?'
i am sorry to say it did not
From what you heard, do you considel
him an honest man p
i do not
AS you alone now stand between him
I and an earldom, after the death of the