The National tribune., 1881-09-10
ATIONAL TRIBUNE: WASHINGTON, c., SEPTEMBER

to doubt the simple good faith of so pretty and
altogether attractive young lady as Mademoi-
| selle Lenoir. Still there was one obvious pre-
caution that ought to take, and did take it; for
l wish to make it absolutely clear that acted in
all respects as the most prudent of men could
! have done.
"Mademoiselle will permit me to ask, said l,
"smply as matter of business form, if she has
the written authority"
"Of Madame la Princesse? Assuredly," said
she, with bright smile. "It is good to treat with
Monsieur of the prudence of Monsieur!" She
handed me at once a little sealed note, perfumed
and gracefully written, that ran as follows:
| VILLA STEFANIA January 12
Monsieur Alfred Norris on the part of Messrs
-, will have the goodness to accompany the
bearer, Mademoisele Lenoir, to the Villa Stefania,
without any delay there to execute the commits
sion with which he is charged
STEPHANIE DE MOURANOV
have that note still, to remind me Of But
the end is not yet come. Suffice it that doubt,
under the circumstances, never entered my mind
nor dare to swear would it have entered the
readers, had he to judge before the event, as I
had to do.
| found Mademoselle Lenoir an exceedingly
pleasant companion on the way to Villa Stefania,
which fancifully named residence we reached in
about an hour and half, partly by rail and
partly Uoiture. supposed it some eccentricity
on the part of the Princesse that she did not as
she certainly might have done, send carriage to
convey us the whole way. Perhaps she was one
of those people who take pleasure in little mys-
teries and pointless conspiracies. Mademoiselle
Lenoir talked the whole time about all sorts of
things and places, and / found her sympathetic,
intelligent, and sngularly well informed, as well
as charming. 1 even began to flatter myself that
had made by no means unsatisfactory impress
sion upon Mademoiselle
Villa Stefania, where we arrived after dark
ness had fallen, 1 could not very distinctly see;
but / made out that it was a small house,
probably not long built, standing alone and apart
from all other dwellings in sort of shrubbery,
and approached through tiny court past the
lodge of the concierge. We were at once ad-
mitted, without any ringing or waiting. Made
moisele conducted me up a staircase and along
passage, both scarcely half lighted, into a room
so dark that could scarcely see where | was or
anything at all.
"Imbecilesn ~ cried Mademoisele Lenoir Not
light in the salon, not even candle! That is
how one is served when one has twenty servants,
Monsieur, each with his duties; we must have a
twenty-frst to do nothing but see that the sconces
shall not be empty in the salon-unless perhaps,
it shall be some fancy of Madame for nobody to
know you are here l will see Monsieur is
brave man? He is not afaid of being left alone
in the dark till Madame shall arrive? 1t will
be in a moment, Monsieur. Madame is anxious
very anxious for the"
I though uv being asked to wait in pitch
darkness a f# 1T 1 could only say:
"It is n nee / believed in Bogy,
Mademoise
"Bien. IL onaI, no, be long" And she was
gone, closing the door behind her, if my ears told
truly.
Without believing in Bogy, it is not pleasant
thing TO be left alone in a strange room in the
dark, all the same; tancies will come into ones
head, especially when the seconds grow into
minutes without counting themselves on visible
watch-tace, and when one has ones person
diamonds worth many thousands of pounds.
Everything was all right, of course; and yet 1
could not help wishing that the Princess Mou-
ranOv had received me at Les Bosquets by the
lISIlt vi at lcStSt oHe Ii VI Allu
though was but tradesman's employee common
French courtesy should not have kept me quite so
long waiting for light even though fine lady
might not be ready to see me the very instant |
arrived. [ felt my way to very comfortable
sofa, on which | sat down. and waited on, waxing
impatient, and feeling rather like prisoner con-
demned to the dark cell. Manners forbade me
to doze or whistle, and
But mpatience was soon to change into some !
thing more.
If not in the room, close to the room it must have |
been, for [ heard them planly-sometimes dark /
ness itself will strangely sharpen our ears, and |
there are certain words which once heard sharpen
them yet more keenly.
| heard three voices. One was Mademoisele .
Lenoirs. One was strange woman's The third .
was mans.
Neatly trapped enough said the last, so .
slowly, in the German manner that they brought |
their whole significance home to my dull British .
ears.
But for the rest" said Mademoselle Lenoir |
" what ought one to do?" If he goes back to Eng
land"
He must not 60 back to England" said the |
voice of the other woman-it was singularly cold, |
firm, and clear. "He must not leave France;
he must not leave Paris till we are safely gone.