The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-15
A PLOT FOILED.

iiuSV ptSib an ONtT tEhlIl UlC weary,
hcartbrcaking search for work. No ON
ploymcnt of mino seemed to last long. AL
ways now struggle to obtain my daily
bread lay darkening before me.
But the month was unfuvorablc AT
tho beginning of August work mt any
rate i'll London, is scarce. looked over
the advertisements in tho penny morning
papers, but could find nothing which oven
promised well.
One afternoon, however, 1 obtained the
loan OF Tho Times, and in it 1 found tho
following advertisement:
Wantcd.-Culturcd lady (undcr 30 prcferreti)
to take charge of valuable domestic pet dur
ing owners absence i'll country; carctaker
left in house; liberal honorarium. Apply to-
day (frday) to Mime. Lcbrun, -.
And hero followed tho address of n house
in ono of tho old fashioned squares in tho
north of London. An omnibus landed me
within about ten minutes walk of tho
square.
The exterior of tho house which was
seeking was ut first sight plain; thcn l
saw that the handles of the bells were of
sphnxcs' heads and each knockcr u bronze
cats head.
An old manscrvant asked me my bust
ness, and on hearing it admitted mo with
out II moments hesitation.
y bronze sphinx stood sentinel on either
side of the great chimney piece, and tho
walls were covered with paintings such rs
arc found in Egyptian tombs.
But all was changed when the wide door
of the drawing room was thrown opcn
Here was Franco; France of tho beginning
of tho century was seen in the deep Grim
son satin hangings; France of today in tho
small wood fire which smoldcreti on the
hearth, for tho evening was chill, in the
tiSl, hon, H.
the furniture
My attention was fixed by Il figure
standing in the middle Of the room The
figure WAS small, slight and fragile dr,pcd
in long gray folds and crowned bya bushv
mass of gray hair. Its arm was out
stretched, and on tho wrist sat pcrched an
old parrot
This old bird and its Older mistress
seemed to understand each other perfectly.
II called, madame, " l began whcn seat
cd, 'in answer to your advertisement
which l saw in Tho Times this morning"
All! ma fol, yes. That announcement
what trouble it has given mo! You can
not figure to yourself the persons L havo
seen today who all declared themselves
ladies of cultivation. But for you made
moiscllc, it is ii different thing. | could
not leave you alone iii this great house;
you are too young, too pretty. 1t would
how shall say it:-it would walk out of
the convcniCnccs
Il implorc You, madame, not to let con-
sdcrations like these influence you. am
entirely dependent on my work, and there
is so little work l can do. -
All, we shall see. My doctors tell me
must positively have IL change of air
My parrot, Gustavc, like other old people
for he is older still than I-cannot bear
to be dcringcd in his habits He is mis-
cradle if he quits this house. 1 cannot
leave him To servants, so / thought If 1
could get some lady 10 see To him, to talk
to him during my two months absence
Gustavc, dost thou think thou couldst stay
with madcmoiscllc?"
Gustavc, with great socnnity, nuttcrcd
to the floor and, to my alarm, began sol
cmnly hopping round me in ever lcsscniny
circles. "A last Inc stopped in front of me,
and looking straight up into my facc
emitted IL sound like drawing IL cork and
screamed out in II high, fast, monotonous
Shrek:
Pretty girl, pretty girl Don't cry, my
dear. Don't like being kissed? That's
what pretty girls are made for Hal hal
ha'
Nine Icbrun was apparently quito sat
isficd, and then and there we settled our
business arrangements, salary, which was
indeed liberal, included. AS rose to 20
Mmc. Lcbrun said:
''Two last injunctions must give you.
You will not, will you, leave Gustavc for
more than two hours at % time? And YOU
must not permit him to go into tho eel
lars, madcmoiscllo. He is curious bird.
Ho belonged, as did this house, to NJ.
Rockford
1.-The great Beckford, tho author of
'Vathck?' {" cried
'Ah, you have heard Of him? Yes, to
him. My mother rented the house from
him."
a week after found mo comfortably cs-
tablshod i'll tho house, in tho care of tho
old mansorvant and his wife, who found
was II supcrcxccllcnt cook
Ono day tho manscrvant asked me if ho
and his wife might go that evening to
some family gathering and fcstivity to
which they were hidden. l gladly consent
ed. At & O'Clock they left me. was ab-
sorbcd in u book and hardly noticed what
happened till the clock on tho mantclpioco
chimrd z.
"Gustave," called. No answer.
searched in vain for him. Then conviction
flashed across nc. He had run away into
tho cellars. ] took II candle and box of
matches and started on my quest down,
down through the hall, tho kitchen, till
reached the great vaultod cellars went
through them, guided by the sound Of
Gustavc chattcring and swearing cxcitcdly
at last, in tho farthcst vault of all, |
found him. lIc was hopping cxcitcdly
round and round i'll II circle in tho middle
of the floor.
Suddenly. rs l sprang after him, folt
tho paved floor beneath my feet trcmble.
The stone on which l stood was giving
turning. l sprang off it, unconsoiously
giving 1t a farther impetus ne did so 1t