, 1891-10-31

"Uhere can I sec youf" Come 10 me 10.
night"
Now that everything had been spoken
between the lovers, there seemed to be
no reason why they should not be made
entirely happy forthwith, and negotia-
tons were entered into which resulted
in appointing the first Of May as
the wedding day. The announcement
formed the chief topic of polite converse
ton during Lent. Society took the
counts dinner party as a base, and upon
that erected their surmises of what the
wedding would be like. 1t would be
something worth living to see, that was
certain. AS to the wife, society was so
unfortunate rs not to know her. Olym-
pia Raven? No. There was n 10 recollec-
ton of such a name. She must be some
thing remarkable. There were SO many
lovely girls in New York whom one did
know something about; why couldn't
the count? = = /" However, the count
was rich enough to be eccentric, and the
fashion of marrying unknown girls
might catch On.
Come to think of it, though" said
DIR. Venables, "was there not an Olym-
pia Raven mixed up in that murder trial
some years ago? Why, yes! Now,
there's a curious instance, Miss Hess
Hesketh, of the confederation Of ideas.
Thinking of the count, you know,
brought up the idea of his house. His
house suggested poor old Trent, who
built it. Trent suggested the trial, and
the trial the persons concerned in it.
There was the young fellow, Darke, the
murderer, and Sallie Matchin, and then
l remembered that there was some one
that Darke was in love with, and-do
you see? Olympia Rayen-yes, the
same person. Well, now, that is curl
GUS again; one of those mysteries-coin-
cidences, we call them-but who knows?
If you recollect, my dear Miss Hess
Hesketh, it came quite as a surprise that
Sallie Matchin should nave turned out to
be Mrs. Harry Trent, for it was in evil
dence at the time that Trent was intend
ing to marry this same Olympia Raven.
But today the tables are turned. After
that dinner party I'm sure we all expected
that Sallie was going to marry the
count, instead Of which he throws her
over and picks up her old rival, Olym-
piar"
Old Miss Hess esketh laughed. 1.-THE
girl lost nothing by waiting a bit" she
remarked. "If she'd got Trent she'd
have lost the count. But l expect Sallie
will be mad. l don't blame her. I'd
marry the count myself if he asked mel'
Miss Hess-Hesketh was seventy, and had
the reputation of being the ugliest WON
an in New York, but she wa far from
being the greatest fool.
Meanwhile the two persons chiefly con
cerned in the approaching ceremony had
no intention of making "A grand display
of it. To be married was their object,
and they regarded the social obligations
rather as a necessary nuisance than as
an opportunity. Olympia, in short,
would be married in travelling dress.
There would be accommodation for
everybody at the church, but at the
house, where the wedding breakfast
would be served, not more than fifty
guests were to be invited. The count
had arranged the details of the affair
with Garcia, who, to his many her re-
markable qualities, added fine jthetic
taste and an inexhaustible inventiveness,
The count had already learned by expe-
rience that whatever was left to Garcis
to do was sure to be well and thoroughly
done. So he laid down the general line
only that were to be followed and per
mitted Garcia to manage the rest.
1t was a quiet Lent, and no doubt /
was the happiest month of the lover
lives. They deserved it for the sorrow
they had passed, and they needed it 70
the numerous disasters that lay befor
them. They saw each other every day
Mrs. Bannick fell in love with the coun
out of sympathy with Olympia, an
Tom conceived a romantic tenderness
for Olympia because she was beloved b
his friend, the count. These four, dun
ing the March evenings, talked owe
many things and made many plans fc
the future-as people still persist in d,
ing in this world, notwithstanding I'll
sinister experience of thousands of yea
of history. Mrs. Raven sat at the tab
a by reading her interminable new
papers, n once in a while Garcia mao
his appearance for a few minutes to n
port progress and to receive instruction
One day Garcia went into a shop
make some purchases, and while wal
ing at the counter he was conscious
some one standing neal him. He turne
N beheld Sallie Matchin.
The unexpected encounter startl.
him. BE had not seen her since he hi
heard her swear his liberty way tv
years before in court, except On that oil
occasion when she had been placed u
der the spell Of his wizardry. he 6
tempted to look as If he did not kno
her, but she smiled frankly upon hi
and held put her hand.
Don't let us be enemies" she sal