The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-15

| Tor week. And If you do not mend your
manners, Master Antoine
Go round the buttress?' he retorted
| with a grimace.
Il Will? l answered. Il will And
You dare notr'
Come" 1 said; come, and seel And
when 1 have done it, my friend"
| did not finish the sentence, but led the
} way back TO the chamber. assuming
I courage which, as a fact, was fast OOzing
| from me. The cold air that met me as
/ approached the open window sobered me
| still more but AntOine's jeers and my COM
! panons' lncredulity stung me to the ne
| cessary point, and 1 stepped on the ledge,
ana without giving myself time to think,
turned my face to the wall and began TO
| eoge slowly along 1t, my heart in my
| mouth, my flesh creeping, as / gradually
! realized where 1 was: every nerve in my
body strung to quivering point.
! certainly in the daylight / could not
| nave done 1t. Even now, when the depth
| over which balanced myself was hidden
| by darkness, and had only my fancy to
conquer, l trembled, my knees shook,
| bat Swimming by my ear almost caused
me to fail; 1 was bathed in perspiration.
| Yet turned the corner of the buttress
| IN safety and edged my way along its
came at last, breathing hard, to the sec
ond corner, and saw with a gasp of re-
| lief the lights in the room. A mOment-a
! moment more, and l should be safe.
| At that instant / heard something, and
| cast a wary eye backwards the way | had
come. / saw a shadowy form at my ell
! bow. and guessed that Antoine was fol-
! lowing me. With a shudder l FASTENED my
| steps to avoid him, and 1 was already in
! the angle formed by the wall and buttress
| whence could leap down into the room
| when he called to me.
Hist he cried softly. Stop mani the
1 thought it only too likely. for could
| see none of our comrades at the window;
and heard voices. To go on, therefore,
! crouched down in the angle. I recognized
| the kings voice and NJ. Gourdons, and
| st. Martins, the captain of the guard
caught even their words, and in less than
a minute 1 had surprised a secret-so
great a secret that l trembled almost as
much as ! had trembled at the outmost
| angle OF the buttress, hanging between
| earth and sky. For they were planning
! the great assault on Cahors; for the first
| time heard named the walnut grove and
! the three gates, and the bridge, that
! fame and France will never forget 1
! heard all-the night, the hour, the num-
bers to be engaged; and turned quaking
! 10 learn what Antoine thought of it. Turn
/ ed, but neither saw nor addressed him.
! Tor my eye, incautiously cast down, saw
Tar, FAR beneath me a torch and a little
| group OF men, ana turning giddy at the
! sudden view Of the abyss, l wavered an
! instant, and then with "A cry of fear chose
me less pressing danger, and tumbled
| forward INTO the room.
NJ de Roquelaure had his point at nv
throat before l could rise; and had
VISION OF half dozen startled faces glar-
ing at me- Fortunately, however, NJ. de
Rosny knew me and held the others arm.
I was plueked up and set on my feet be
seat; and amid a shower of threats I was
pldden TO explain my presence.
Do You knaye! l wish had spitted youY
had done so. You heard all?'
| Yes, Monsieur"
They scowled at me between wrath and
ee i6ig Friend Rosny,' you were a
| fool NJ. de Roquelaure said grinly.
| Il think l was" the other answered
But a nogglng, gag, and the black hole
| VIII Keep his tongue still until it is over"
| Henry laughed. Il think we can do bet
ter than THAR he said. with a glance of
| good nature. "Hark you, my lad; YOU are
big enough to fight. We will trust you, and
you shall wear sword for the first time
| But If the surprises fail we know whom
10 10 b 1i ne and you vii! have to reckon with
| fell on my knees and thanked him
| with tears; while Rosny and NJ St
| Martin demonstrated. Take my word for
it, he viii blurt it outr' said the one; and
the other. You had better deliver him to
me, sire"
No, Henry said, kindly IT will trust
h nm lie comes of a good stock; Il the oak
The oak bends fast enough. sire. when
IT Is sapling," Rosny retorted
IN that case you shall apply your sap
| ing! the king answered laughing
And with that, and mind full Of amaze
ment, l was dismissed, and left the pres
ence, a grown man; overjoyed that the
| greatest scrape of my life had turned out
| the happiest foreseeing honor and re-
wards, and already scornine the other
pages as lmmeasurable beneath me- II
was full minute before 1 thought of
Antoine, and the chance that he, too had
overheard the kings plan. Then l stood
IN the passage horrhed-my first impulse
to return and tell the king 1t came too
late, however, for in the meantime he
and M. de Rosny had repaired TO the clos
ct, and the others had left: and while
stood hesitating, Antoine slipped out of
the chamber unseen. and came to me on
| the stairs.
I His first words
tor they told me that he had overheard
| something but not all. enough to know
tnat the king intended to surprise place
the name of the place. AS soon as | I'M
derstood this, and that l had nothing to
fear from him, 1 could not hide NV tri
umph: When he declared his intention
or going with me, | laughed at him.
You" | said You don't understand,
this IS not chid's play"
And you will not tell where IL is?" he
No! Go to your nurse and your pap
He flew at me at that like a mad cat.
and | had to beat him until the blood
him Own of FY is i4 16er before eould shake
nm out sobbing, he begged me to tell
| nlm-oniy to tell him. Nor was that an
and prosecuted. now with PRAYERS and
| now with threats; following me everv-
where with eyes of such hot longing that
| marVeled at the irrepressible spirit that
! Shone in the lad.
or course told him nothing. Yet 1
| was glad when evening came, and with
| II an announcement that Henry would
| visit NJ. de Gourdon and lie that night at
MS house, four miles from Montauban.
only eight gentlemen We're invited to be
! of the party, with as many ladies: the
| troop, with a handful of servants riding
out of the city about o'clock, and no
| one the wiser. No one saw anything odd
in the visit. nor in my being chosen 70 at
tend the king But l knew; and | was not
surprised when we stopped at NJ de
Gourdon's only to sup, and then getting
to horse rode through the night and the
| dusky oak woods. by sleeping farms and
hadmlets, and under rustling poplars-
| lights of Cahors below us, and the glim-
mer of the winding Lot, and heard the
bells of the city tolling midnight
By this time every road adding to our
+ numbers, we were a great company; and
how we lay hidden through the early night
IN the walnut grove that looks down on
| the river all men know; but not the qualrns
and eagerness that by turns possessed me
| as peered through the leaves at the dis
/ tant lights, nor the prayer I said that l
might not shame my race, nor how my
heart beat when Henry, who was that day
l old 81.