The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1883-03-11

many PAGES from him, stood female figure which
lyresembod the dead Comosso do Florlon whose
Iuuctal ne had seen go by but q few hours ago.
TOW nc passed the phantom Pierre could never
Afterwards tel. The next thlpg which ho could rc-
member, when In future days lie thought over the
mattcr, was standing IN tho cool NIGHT air and the
moonlight huhhoring IN % most hoartv AID open
fashion, with Babctto pouring upon him from her alf
Ups What was not exactly shower " roses such
should meet @ returning hero. She rejected with
scorn, IKE the advanced frocthlnker that She was his
story about the countesss ghost and called the whole
thing The produce Of his coward's fancy.
Next morning tho Mayor of Verrove made q legal
INSPECTION OF the chateau, to Tor the Govorn
lonl' as he said, but IN reality for himselffor he
hrd no absolute right for such preceding
Yaluables lie might nnd there. Io was, however,
no more fortunate than poor Pierre had hcon he did
not ind single object of value or single gold coin
In the chateau His worship flew Into a rage, aud
insisted ON having the servants and tho servants
rooms searched, but with no success Flnnc,
Maullcc, aud their companions submitted quite
calmly 10 The indgnity, though the Mayor had more
,uan once shrowd and unpleasant suspicion that he
but WHEN he looked back ho only saw Mile. Finne
ana VI. Maurice following him with respectful
gravity. The whole business was certainly, to say
.no least OF IT, singular for It was Wen known that
tncro was deal VI rich plato ana iewclry In the
gna,eau' aud That tho count before his arrest and
reUovi 10 inc prison at TOulOn, had collected
considerable sum VI money preparatory tn the trying
WIN MS wife to make their cscipo from France.
~ was some lew months after tho events Just mar
rated that the good folks Vt Ncrreville began to he
disturbed Ivy stories which went floating about In the
Town concerning the church being haunted. IL was
SAD that people who had passed the old building at
midnight had seen mysterious Hight cleaning
through the windows; but hitherto those who told tho
tale had none ot them had the courage to look further
into the matter Tho old church was now com.
pletely deserted; religious services had, 1t Is true,
begun again to he publicly performed In the land,
but In Nerreyle they were ut this period carried ON
III pretty new chapel which had been nearly built
before me tionbous days began, and lately finished.
IhuS tue Ola church had become place well fitted
for ghosts TO frequent.
We must mention hero that the Count de rlorlon
had escaped, In some way that had never been ex-
planned, from his prison at Touon the worry day after
MS wlte's funeral ana had made his home, II was
said, since then In England As for FGne ana Man.
rice, they had married soon after their nistress's
dcath, ana were now living on altle farm which they
h9d taken near the town, and which they cultivated
But to return to the mysterious light In the old
church. one night Rabette and Pierre. who were
sill plghed lovers, though the extreme contempt Of
the maiden for her adorer had hitherto prevented the
hha Knot being tied, We're coming back from friends
house, where they had spent the evening. When
they reached the old church both OF them perceived
that thero was most certainly light shining through
its Windows. Plerre's immediate impulse was sudden
hight, hut Babette, still true to her coors phil
oSophc freethinker, declared her intention Of clear
Ing up once for all the mystery She made the trem-
bling Pierre walt close by and then boldly advanced
herself toward one Ot the church windows and
looked In.
As Babette gaaei at the sight which met her view
was so strange and utterly unaccountabe that she
rubbed her eyes, thinking she must be under some
optical Illusion, but when she looked again It was all
stu there. What she saw was, shortly, thls-and 1t
was little wonder that She bewildercd with Wild
est establishment. She behrld the COuntess's grave
ocll' ana Nv tue sue ut " stood rune, the farmers
wife, with great gtterinE mass Of something which
looked like heap ot gold aud silver and Jewels lying
1T her feet, Babeto's railroads.&c. principles for
sock her most trcacherousy, and melted away like
morning mist: tho notion Suddenly flashed her
mind that flnne was witch, aud she sank Insensho
to the ground. rierre's love was stronger than
plerres fear; having heard Habette cry out rs she
tainted lie came TO her help, though she was lying In
the very CLEAN OF the mysterious light. When she
came To herself In the house whittier he had borne her
habete was so far touched by his devotion that She
promised to become his wife next morning, aud kept
her word. On the very morning after Bahette's
vision Fihno and Maurice disappeared from their
farm In a sudden aud mysterious manner.
Not until many years after, when political changes
In France allowed OF thu of the FlOrion fam.
lily to their native land, the whole strange story
with regard to them aud their servants Maurice and
Fihne, cleared up II was then publicly known that
The young countess was not dead, and that tho
money and plate and Jewels Of the family had been
hurled Instead OF her body In the old church at
Nerreville The fact OF the countess being regarded
as dead had moreover, enabled her 10 carry ont with
greater safety scheme for her husband escape.
When things had grown a little quetor IN France
Maurice aud FiRne had dsinterred the buried treas
ure and conveyed II To their master and mistress In
England. The whole had been invented and carried
ont by the courage and wit and devotion OF Fitne.
lIIifpHa}I RppipID