Litchfield enquirer., 1881-02-10
From BlAckwood's Magazine.l tf lfs.e eysH ss. THE SEER. "s
A TALE. BY RUDOLPH LANDAU.

|
 Stachowitch's proposal had been well re-
 ceived by Madame de Baudy and her niece,
 and my friend was the -happiest of men, He
 was transformed The hnaccountable sad
 ness of former days had given place to a joy l so exuberant that had some trouble in get
 ting accustomed to It. rraf
 After all, 1 could see nothing very extraor-
 dinary in what happened to Stachowitch.
 Marie de Massieux was, DO doubt a charm l ing girl, aud te certain point his satisfac-
 ton seemed natural enough: still, with lit- l tie clear -sightedness he might have known beforehand that he would be accepted, and
 could not comprehend why he was sostrangely
 surprised at his own good fortune.
 ie T am the happiest of men, he kept repeat l ing to which would reply, Il am delighted l to hear it; but really, my good fellow, it is your own fault if you were not as happy as 1 this three months ago"
 Upon this, Stachowltch would look at me
 wistfully, as though he were deliberating with
 himself whether he would confide something to me or not. But he kept silent, and left his
 exceeding happiness as unexplained as his former sadness had been
 Drieux had left Paris immediately after the
 duel, and learned by chance that he was travelling in Greece.
 Il wish him well, with all my heart, :" said I Stachowitch, when l told hIm this. ''I owe him all the happiness of my life"
 "At your riddles again"- 1 exclaimed. "What possible connection can there be be
 tween Drieux and your happiness ?? ...
 Stachowi;ch smiled mysteriously, as if to
 say ''I alone know, but am not mistaken" !"
 This conversation ended as many others had ended before; and when Boris Stacho-
 witch left me, I could not help wondering
 whether there was not son,ethiug disordered in
 the state of his mInd.
 This doubt recurred with greater force some l days later, under the following circumstances. One evening, towards ten o'clock, 1 went ts see Stachowitch by appointment. We were | [" go together to-spend the evening with the
 Countess de Villiers. The servant who open
 cd the door, knowing how intimate l was with
 his master, let me go in alone. The drawing
 room was empty. I crossed it noislessly.
 thanks to the thick carpet which covered the
 floor, and was on the point of enering the
 bedroom, when, on the very threshold, my steps were arrested by the straDgest sight. Two lighted candelabra stood on the chim-
 ney y-piece, and were brilliantly reflected in a | large mirror and in front of that mirror
 stood Stachowtch, indulging in the most sin | gular grimaces. First, he looked at himself with that deep, searching gaze, which re..lind- | ed me involuntarily of the way in which he
 had looked at the murderer Bechouard in the l railway carriage then he drew back few | paces, without taking his eyes off his own inn
 age in the glass-which, naturally, at that distance, became less distinct. After while
 he began to screw up his eyes, draw down the
 corners of his mouth, wrinkle up his brow, | and, in short. try to impart to his face wearied and dejected expression. When he | lad performed these tricks for few seconds ! he once more drew near to the mirror, and, to l my astonishment, saw him take up crayon
 and, like an actor about to play the part Of an | old man, trace with it wrinkles on his fore head and round his mouth.
 | looked on in mute and painful surprise. | Here was 1, the unexpected witness of dis nal farce-of an act of madness! l retreated
 on tip-toe to the door of the drawing room, l and after waiting minute to recover my composure, 1 opened the door, close 1t again l noislly, and, from the entrance, called out to
 Stachowitch. twill be- with you in,l an instant, ";he an-
 swered, from the inner room, with no appar-
 ent emotion in his voice :sss read the paper, to 1 take patience" A
 He closed the door of, the bedroom with
 out showing himself. and, after leaving me
 alone for few minutes, he appeared, with
 the smiling, cheerful countenanoe which he | had worn ever since his duel witliDrieux was sorely tempted to question him about | the strange scene of which had been an in. voluntary spectator, but the fear of appearing
 obtrusive kept me silent.
 We went out together At the corner of
 Avenue Friedland and of the Faubourg St. Honore we took a cab.
 "Here's good number" said, glancing
 at the little ticket which the coachman had given me, No 11O6."
 "Why should that number be better than
 another p inquired Stachowltch, -/ Because it can be divided by nine.' Stachowitch looked at me interrogative- ''I make ita rule, "a said, "to read atten. | lively the number of every house go to- If
 the sum total produced by adding up all the | figures of which the number is composed can | be divided by nine, 1 call it good number,
 and am pleased If, on the contrary, the
 addition of the figures gives me thirteen as a | result-as, for instance, in case of No. 643-I | feel uncomfortable. I like to go and see l friends whose houses are luckily numbered l whereas live in dread of quarreling with
 people who live at Nos, .49, 67, Ec, dEc. Fort unately, there are not many such. Now, for 1 example, l like your street, because there is 1 no Ns 13 in Avenue Friediand. The houses on the side of the odd numbers follow thus:
 No II, No. II 6s, No. 15. The owner of
 that No. Il 6is is wise man, I do not
 know him, but cannot but respect him. | Stachowitch listened to me with deep at- | tention. -. e.a- 'e s-.'s-'
 Seriously, do you believe in such things ?"
 he asked. | AS 1 scarcely knew whether he was in earn
 est or only joking, answered, graveiy, .Of course do." o...-f ss.sl as..1's . .l 1''''.E
 ''Thsn suppose you have Likewise fear
 of Friday, and would not choose that day for | setting out on journey ?'' @ . ',, - ''Oh! ,ahf f"I replied, keeping up the same | serious tone, that would be sheer supersti-
 tion. To take account of No. g, and No 13 is quite another thing. It is a habit one may l cultivate and cherish till it develops into a
 ullblowne mania. One may indulge in it 1 quite harmlessly, twenty times a-day; and, l for my part, find that it adds considerably l to the enjoyment of life"
 'Take care," exclaimed Stachowitch, sharp ly ;y..'you are playing dangerous game Be lieve me, speak as one who knows by sad experience"
 Are you speaking seriously ?" "Qute seriously"
 ''Then, my good fellow, let me tell you, no less seriously, that you are once more becom- | ing incomprehensibe. would like to know what harm can accrue to me or to any one else | from my preference for cab No 999, over cab No. 13? Or why should I not. when select 1 ing an apartment for friends or for myself, be attracted by No 27 rather than y No S5?' s.Eyery mania is dangerous. Manta, Man.
 tacas are terrible words, my dear friend Any one who leaves the path of reason, is on his 1 way to madness"
 l did not care te continue the conversation, l as the serious turn it had taken seemed to me. considering the object, rather absurd. there-
 fore merely replied by an ''Oh yes of course, quite true, quite true !" knowing by experi enee that unconditional assent generally puts an end to all argument. Then we talked of | other things. 1 must add that I felt disin. clined to go on with the joke The remem- | brance of the scene before the mirror, which had just witnessed. made me feel uncomfort. able when heard Stachowitch speak of mad. ness.
 P The painful impression produced by that
 scene wore away quickly enough. The be- havior of my young Russian friend during the
 days that followed was, as far az could see,