Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-30
CHAPTER Ill.

CHAPTER III.
But Saint-Gery's death had accomplished one
thing, at any rate. 1t had furnished me with
confirmation strong as Holy Writ that he had
murdered Aurore and that it was her materialized
spirit whom had met in the old castle, whose
icy cold hair had combed, whose low purring
of relief 1 had listened to as 1 went about the
awful task OF playing hair dresser to the dead.
Putting speedy end to my sport in the
woods / fastened to Rouen. resolved to seek
out Roger, if he were still alive, and, with the
proof L had, extort a confession from him.
The old chateau had been sold for taxes and
had passed into the hands of a wealthy manu-
facturer, who had completely transformed the
place, destroying its ancient carvings, panel
ings and hangings and replacing them with
tapestries. l didn't know the property. 1t
was utterly shorn of its beauty. It made me
heavy hearted to gaze upon it, so repulsivey
fresh and new looking was the renovated cas-
tie and its garish and pretentious surroundings.
But thank heaven. Roger was still alive!
came upon him almost like one from the dead,
and when he had listened to the account Of my
finding Saint-Gery and of his strange death,
with the strand of Aurores hair clutched in his
grasp, the aged servitor wept bitterly.
'Salnt-Gery," began Roger with a sigh, after
he had emptied out his grief in tears, "was
ungovernable temper, closely bordering upon
disordered intellect He had fallen madly in
love with the daughter of one of his tenants,
Aurore, as beautiful a creature as ever breathed,
but the girl feared him-nay, almost loathed
MIN, think, at times: and yet he exercised
wonderful power over her, and when her father
died and she was left alone in the world Saint
Gerry lured her to this old chateau with prom
Use of marriage. For a year or 80 their happi-
ness seemed to be complete, but gradually
Arrn 80 r.
doris and vast, dismal chambers with the re-
pulsive-looking Saint-Gery for jailor. and
made several attempts to escape. Failing in
this she seemed to become desperate and at diff
ferent times lured an old lover of hers to the
castle. l knew of this, but had not the heart
to tell Saint-Gery OF it. Indeed, feared
that he might kill her in fit Of rage
ii it should come to his ears. One day, how
ever, returning unexpectedly, he surprised the
young man in Aurores company. She was re-
Ginning on sofa and he kneeling beside her,
as had been his custom when she was a child
in her fathers home, was combing and braid
ing her wonderful hair. Saint-Gery fell upon
the young man like an Infatuated demon, and
would certainly have killed him if had not
providentially been in the chateau and rescued
him from my masters clutches Now Saint
Gery's demeanor underwent still more sinister
change. He became moody, silent and sullen.
1t was only too plain to me that he was plot
ting some terrible revenge upon Aurore. Ono
day all the demons enchanted in his soul broke
loose at the same instant. Selling the terrified
Aurore by the hair he dragged her-now 80
paralyzed with fear as to be unable to utter a
shrek or even a groan-to the lowest chamber
of the ancient donjon-keep, and there with
hideous cruelty he first bound her hand
and foot and then, having securely woven
the long thick strands of her hair
into an iron ring in the wall,
left her to starve. Ten days after, when he
imagined that his devIlish work had effected it's
purpose, he suddenly informed me of his in
tent to leave the castle and never again
to cross its threshold. l paid little heed to his
wild words and let him go without syllable Of
dissent had had my eye upon him all along.
fortunately there was a secret underground
passage leading to this dungeon prison known
only to me. Its existence had been made
known to me by my father. Through this
impressing upon her mind the necessity OF
Stimulating death in case Saint-Gery should
enter the dungeon. This he did on the tenth
day, and hearing the clank Of the bolts Aurore
obeyed my injunction to the letter, rolled over
on her face and lay stretched stark and stiff on
the stone floor. Saint-Gery uttered harsh
breath Of relief and turned away After the
demons departure l made haste to release
Aurore and entreated her to betake herself to a
convent in the neighborhood, but SO unfixed
was her mind by the terrible experiences she
had gone through that she refused to obey.
On different occasions the tenants caught sight
OF white figure with long flowing hair seated
at the window in the moonlight, and the
chateau soon acquired the reputation of being
haunted. At this period-it was about a year
after nt-Gery's departure that you came for
the papers
..fhen it was not beautiful specter,"I
cried, in establishment, "but Aurore herself in
flesh and blood"
smile; lin flesh and blood, the beautiful Aurore
herself, the Inflated mistress of Chateau Saint
Gerry, who, by chance, wandered into the room
while you were searching for the papers"
''One day" continued Roger, "a curious idea
flashed through my mind. 1t was that il
could only succeed in cutting of that glorious
hoad OF hair perchance Aurore might recover
her reason completely"
This, my dear friends, Roger now proceeded
to do. Having administered q sleeping potion
to Aurore he sheared off her glorious tresses
with bold and pitiless hand while she slept.
Rising to his fee. the marquis unlocked
panel closet and took out Of it a silver casket,
from which he drew forth q long braid OF
golden hair made up of four strands each
nary daughter of Eve.
"Ihese are the radiant tresses, gentlemen"
said the Marquis de la TOur-Samuel. solemnly,
(which belonged to the beautiful ghost OF
Chateau Saint-Gery which combed on that
eventful night, and which l ween would have
made Lady Godiva hide her head in bitter
envy"
The two friends Of the marquis drew near
almost reverently, felt the braid and caressed
it. pressing it first to their cheeks and then to
their lips This done they both fixed inquir-
ing eyes upon the marquis and a. one man
pronounced the words:
"And Aurore?'
''Roger's experiment was completely success
full, replied their host. Shorn of her ILL
stared glory. Anrore soon recovered her reason
and was easily persuaded to enter a religious
house in another part of France, where, no
doubt, she has long since fully atohed for her
transgressions. if any she committed, by prayer,
contrition and repentance.
peace, Aurore. to thy bruised heart, if thou
be living. and rest eternal rest, to thy pure
soul il thou art deadI' murmured the army
officer reverentially.
'Amcn! Amen! responded the two others,
and then, rs with one impulse, they stretched
out their left hands and joined them in q triple
grasp, while with their right they raised their
glasses to their lips.
The day was lost and we were sent
In haste to guard the baggage train,
And all the night, through gloom and rain,
Across Y land Of ruin went.
D--AA