New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-05-16
And he followed til, mad woman down the

A singular idea had come into his miild.
s'All is lost - he sand to himself this IN
happy woman cannot reason, cannot compre-
bend questions put to her; but she has seen
mething-her instinct may lead her,
1t is almost needless to add that the Pro-
yost was amazed. The worthy magistrate
lost not a moment in double-locking his door;
that done, he was carried away by noble
indignation.
"a man like me threatened seized by
collar! Aha, Colonel! Wen see whether
there are any laws in this country! To-
morrow morning shall address a complaint
to the Grand Duke, and expose to him the
conduct of his officers.
LII.
Meanwhile The Colonel followed the mad
woman, and By a strange effect of the super
exctation of his senses, saw her in the dark
ness, through the mist, as plainly as in broad
daylight; he heard her signs, her confused
words. in spite of the continued hiss of the
autumn winds pouring through the deserted
streets.
A few late townspeople, the collars of their
coats raised to the level of their ears, their
hands in their pockets, and their hats pressed
down over their eyes, pressed, at lnirequent
intervals, along the pavements; doors were
heard to shut with a crash, an ill-fastened
shutter banged against a wall: a tile torn
from house-top by the wind fell into the
street; then, again, the immense torrent OF
air whirled on its course. drowning with It's
luoubrious voice all other sounds of the
night.
It was one of those cold nights at the end
of October, when the weather-cocks, shaken
by the north wind. turn giddily on the high
roofs, and cry with shrill voices, winter!
winter! Winter is come"
On reaching the wooden bridge, Christine
leaned over the pier and looked down into
the dark, muddy water, that dragged itself
along in the canal; then, rising with an I'M
certain air, she went on her way, shivering
and murmuring:
sob! oh Its cold!'
The Colonel, clutching the folds of his cloak
with one hand, pressed the other against his
heart, which felt almost ready to burst.
Eleven O'Clock was struck by the church of
st. Ignatius, then midnight.
Christine Eyig still went on; she had gone
through the narrow streets OF PImprimerie,
of the Maillet, of the Halle aux WINS, of
the Vieilles Boucheries, and of the FOsses de
PEveche.
A hundred times, in despair, the Count had
said to himself that this nocturnal pursuit
would lead to nothing; but remembering that
it was his resource, he followed her as she
went from place to place, stopping, now by a
continuing her uncertain course-absolutely
like a homeless brute wandering at hazard in
the darkness.
At length, towards one O'Clock in the morn
ing, Christine came once more into the place
de PEveche. The weather appeared to have
cleared UP somewhat the rain no longer fell,
fresh wind swept the street, and the moon,
now and then surrounded by dark clouds, now
and then shining in full brilliancy, shed its
rays, smooth and cold as blades of steel, upon
the thousand pools of water lying in the hol-
lows Of the paving stones.
The mad woman TRANQUILITY seated herself
on the edge of the fountain, in the place she
had occupied some hours before. For long
time she remained in the same attitude, with
dull eyes, and her rags clinging to her with
cred form.
All the Counts hopes had vanished.
But, at one of those moments when the
moon, breaking through the clouds, threw its
pale light upon the silent edifices, she rose
suddenly, stretched forward her neck, and
the Colonel, following the direction of her
gaze, observed that it was plunged into the
narrow lane Of the Vieilles Ferrailles, about
two hundred PAGES distant from the fountain.
AT the same moment she darted forward
like an arrow.
The Count followed instantly upon her
ings that overlook the church of st. Ignatius.
The mad woman seemed TO have wings !;
ten times he was on the point of losing her,
so rapid was her pace through those winding
lanes, encountered with carts, dung-heaps,
and faggots piled before the doors on the APP
proach of winter.
Suddenly she disappeared into a sort of
blind alley, pitch dark, and the Colonel was
obliged to stop, not knowing how to proceed
further.
Fortunately, after few seconds, the sickly
yellow rays OF a lamp pierced the darkness
of the depths OF this filthy hole, through a
small cracked window-pane; this light was
stationary, but now and then it was momen-
tarily obscured by some intervening figure.
Some one was evidently awake in the lane.
What was being done?
Without hesitation the Colonel went
straight towards the light.
In the midst of the distractions, he found
the mad woman, standing in the mire, her
eyes staring, her mouth open, looking at the
solitary light.
The appearance Of the Count did not seem
at all to surprise her; only, pointing to the
window ON the first floor in which the light
was seen, she said: ''It's there! :" in an ac-
cent so impressive that the Count started.
Under the influence of this impulsion he
!
one pressure of his shoulder burst it open
impenetrable darkness filed the place.
The mad woman was close behind him.
s'Hush!' she cried.
And, once more giving way to the unfor-
tunate woman's instinct, the Count remained
motionless and listened.
The profoundest silence reigned in the
house it might have been supposed that
everybody in it was either sleeping or dead.
The clock of st. Ignatius struck two.
A faint whispering was then heard OH the
first floor, then a vague light appeared in a
crumbling wall at the back; boards creaked
above the Colonel, and the light came nearer
and nearer, falling first upon ladder-stair-
case, heap of old iron in corner, a pile of
wood; further on, upon sash window look
ing out into yard, bottles right and left, a
basket of rags-a dark, runous, and hdeous
interior.
At last a tin lamp with a smoky wick, held
by small hand, as dry and sinewy as the
claw Of a bird of prey, was slowly projected
over the stair-rail, and above the light APP
peared the head of an misunderstanding wo-
man, with hair the color of tow, bony cheeks,
tall ears standing almost straight out from
the head, light gray eyes glittering under
deep brows in short, sinister being,
dressed i'll filthy pettieoat, her feet in old