The Irish standard., 1890-06-14

regaining his se1f-control, he threw
open the drawing room door and stood
before the astonished group.
"Ariely' cried Marden, rushing for
ward and clasping him in his arms
'.Ariel! my friend! my brother! Whence
earnest thou, dear boy? How didst
thou find thy master?''.
Ariel gently withdrew himself from
the embrace. His face was flushed, his
eyes flashed through the tears that
could not dim their brightness. The
witnesses to this strange scene gazed
silently as if they beheld an unexpected
and brilliant tableau vivant at the
theater, and the first to recover him
self was the boy. Stepping back a
pace, he waved his hand to command
attention, and began to talk rapidly
with his fingers while the group around
him looked on with growing interest.
Marden, to whom alone the sign
language was ineligible, soon be-
came absorbed in the revelation, and
| Nine. Chevreul observed that the smile
! gave place to grave expression which
anon became stern and even fierce. She
had never before seen that open cheer
| full face put ON the "wrinkled front OF
war" and at once returned to her ''pre-
monitions." When Ariel concluded,
Marden led Major Chevreul and De Bar
FAC aside, and briefly explained the af-
| fair. Chevreul offered to send a guard
| to apprehend the assassins; but the
| younger men objected that the guard
| would not know where to look for them.
'Lend me g. sword, Major" said Marden;
''De Barzac is armed, and being on our
for the villains"
Chevreul declared that if they would
| go, he would accompany them, but De
| Barzac argued that the brigands would
not attack if the numbers were equal.
| 1t was finally agreed that Ariel should
go forward as a scout and Major Chew
reul follow the young men at a discreet
distance. While the major took Mar
| den with him to select sword, De
Barzac invented a plausible story to
allay the apprehensions of the ladies,
and then the friends took their leave.
'But where is the boy?" asked Ninon.
s'He is gone on before u.s." replied
Marden.
The guests departed and the ladies
were about to question Major Chevreul
as to the import of Ariel's communica-
ton, when he suddenly remembered
some Instructions he should have given
De Barzac and hurried after them.
The ladies looked at each other with
anxious faces. They were not deceived.
Presently a shot rang out. Nine.
Chevreul arose and looked out of the
window. She thought she saw figures
moving in the dim light. Then came
another shot not very distant. She ran up
stairs hoping to get a wider view. AS
she looked she became sensible of a
smarting sensation in her eyes which
increased momentarily. She CROPPED
her way towards the rear of the house to
call servant. A confused sound came
from their apartments. She pushed
door open and volume of smoke filed
with tongues of fire rushed into tho
room. She recoiled with shrek Of
| terror. 1t seemed to be echoed from be-
low. Her senses began to reel, when a
hand grasped hers and led her down by
a back passage into the open air, and
! then she tainted.
! When consciousness returned she
found herself surrounded by her servants
and others attracted hither by the con-
hagration. The flames poured forth
from the windows, and soon the roof fell
in with mighty crash, and a shower Of
sparks and cinders. The once gay and
happy mansion had passed away in a
whirlwind of fire and left but heap of
| blackened ruins.
| Where was Ninon Destain? Had she
persisted i'm the flames? No one knew.
| CHAPTER K,