The Penn's Grove record., 1884-11-01

Her guide knocked at an Oaken door,
pushed it D and withdrew. Sophie
wa received by a thin s~harp-featured
man with iron-gray hair. He was pol
ishing the barrel Of a foWling- piece, and
two dogs living at his feet looked up
and growied, but were silenced by a
kick. at which, stranger though he was,
Sophie could not help raising a cry of
protest. His angry look changed to
one of surprise and evident admiration
when he turned to her. He led her to
a chair, saying
''You look well. So you ran away,
Valerie ? But, you see, we brought
you back to France in double-quick
time .
monsieur" cried poor Sophie, it is
all a mistake Have The kindness to
pardon the trouble | have given and to
enable me to go to my home in Paris.
1t was foolish and wrong OF me | ran
away from school, and you are all mis-
taking me for some n else, whose
dress | put on"
Don't you begin your tricks againi'
Numbered the supposed uncle, shaking
i warning finger at her, while a cloud
of dust flew from the leather rubber in
his hand. "They did well to make you
look charming. don't care to make
YOU cry with that pretty white dress on;
so [ will say no more about your run
ming away if you give up your tricks
and marry my friend the Marquis"
II know nothing about it. am"
"How could you know much, when
| hardly ever dared to let him see you,
lest you should begin in your headstrong
way to pretend madness to brighten him
off ? But marry him you shall. | tell
you, Valerie, it Is a necessity. Kerga-
dec is im~ortgaged to MIN if you are to
be his wife, he will give me good terms
any day. He is as ready for you now
as he was five years ago; so don't play
at madness again"
"I am not mad p Sophie protested,
s~pringing to her feet. 4 am not the
girl you think me; | was not here at
all five years ago. | am the daughter
of Monsieur Larlque, the silyersmlth III
Paris, and l insist on going-"
"You cannot escape from Kergadec ;
so don't make a scene, interrupted the
old man coldly. 81 know you are not
mad / always said you were not when
everybody else said you were. But you
have come back the same wilful girl
you always were. And look here, Val
erie-if you have not been cured by
your five years with Doctor Moritz and
his really insane patients, | shall send
you back to the mad people again %
Sophie lmplored him to believe her ;
every word only enraged him. At last
she was led up the winding stairs again
by the old nurse. Any assertion that
she was not Valerie made the old wo-
man 50 wretched that Sophie resigned
herself at last 10 asleepleSs night IN the
ghustly bedroom. A clock in some re-
mote turTet ch!med the hours the sea
in the distance sounded always. On
the couch III the next room the old nurse
was keeping watch; but, when Sophie
heard that ''Barbe" had come to keep
guard instead, and when she recognized
the voice Of "Barbe" as that of the
harsh woman who had brought her
from London, she lay silent in terror,
even fearing to stir.
Daylight only brought fresh proofs to
Sophie that there was no escape, and
dreary days and dismal nights made
her understand her terrible plight. She
learned beyond doubt that she was truly
believed to be Valerie de Kergadec, a
young girl of unsound mind who had
been for five years under a doctors care
not far from her own old school. Doc
tor Moritz had sent the news of her dis
appearance to her home in Brittany, and
traced Sophie's flight by her general de-
scription and dress. Valerie de Kerga-
dec had been fond of the sea, and was
permitted to battle at a safe part Of the
shore ; but twice before her disappear
ance she had wandered down the beach
to POntignOn, where the rocks were dan
gerous and the water was %tTeacherous
IN its rise. Doctor Moritz, in his let
tiers of excuse, cited these rambles of
Valerie de kergadec in self-defense,
for, after those two expeditions, she
had been found and brought back. The
letters of the Doctor only made the
Baron de Kergadec exclaim-
THAT wilful girl | What trouble she
took to foil mel She has actually SIM
ulated madness well enough to deceive
the Doctor. She would do anything on
earth to have her way. But III break
her in; she shall marry Rougemont ~
Whether she was called Sophie or
Valerie, Sophie heard her own charac-
ter described. Had not her dear and
kind old father often spoken Of her too
as''that wilful grip? All, if she could
but get back to him again
a bright idea struck her. She ceased
TO entreat and argue, and sent word to
the Baron de Kergadec that she would
act as reasonably as could be wished, if
he chose to present the Marquis to her.
She saw a way to escape. This Marquis
de Rougemont would understand her
position and take her part.
After the message, she was allowed
to leave her rooms and range through
the chateau at will She might cross
the broad moat full of leaves, but the
walls and locked gates could not be
passed. Still 1t was a relief to breathe
fresh air in the messy courtyard where
the sun'dlal stood, or to wander through
plcture-galleries, panelled halls, suites
OF rooms where the furniture had be-
come faded by the wear of a century or
two or better still it was to walk in
the neglected garden, looking up at the
gray towers and pointed round roofs,
and building for herself other castles
castles in the air. Forromantic Sophie
began to dream that She might marry
the Marquis, after all. Yet no dreams
could give her rest, torn as she was by
the thought of her poor father, broken
hearted. mourning, and searching all
this time for his lost child. That thought
and her fear of the harsh Baron de Ker.
gadec were the troubles of her new
nightmare life-very different troubles
from those light and easy ones, her freck-
les and Pierre Brun.
"Look your best tonight said the
Baron n day, overtaking her in the
garden wilderness of grass and weeds.
DE Rougemont is coming TO dinner.
Remember, he is under the impression
that you have spent these last years at
school, making up for the ignorance
caused by your wilful ways, When you
refused hum before, your last wicked
resource was to feign insanity. kept