Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-01-16

rose in it like a breath Of sweetest
incense. He was lounging YEARLY
about the lawn, with a cigarette be-
accomplishment, which the lad of Is
was still proud of, but on this night
he looked as if it did not afford him
define and spoke to one of her friends.
any particular satisfaction.
Col. Vanbrugh and the count were
still seated at the table, on which des-
sert and wine were laid. The servants
had gone and the candles were not yet
lighted. The soft summer twilight
filled the room and Rene de Marsac
moved impatiently in his chair.
Cecil, how can 1 tell?" he muttered.
Then, in a louder tone: You want
lights, mon cher; how can one talk in
this dismal gloom?"
Il like it better than candlelight
Wait a moment; answer my question,
if you can. What shall I do with
Lancelot?''
The count blew a cloud of smoke
from his finger airily through the thin
blue rings. Vanbrugh was not smok-
ing; he looked downcast, melancholy,
troubled.
''Lancelot is difficult person to deal
with" said De Marsac, presently. He
has the old ideas-the crude ideas, we
sometimes call them-about love and
faith and morality. He still thinks
every woman a saint and every man
a hero. That's what makes him so i'm
practicable
'Impracticable! Why?" said Col.
Vanbrugh, his eye still fixed on Lanc8's
tall, slim figure, as the boy wandered
about the lawn.
do you need to ask why? Well, be-
cause he will not be able to judge of
things from your point of view-or
mine"
The count shrugged his shoulders.
even, that we do not differ greatly
about essentials"
"Essentials?"
eve still hold that man should
be hOnOrable-a woman pure and true,
but it occasionally happens that one OIL
other breaks through the old laws and
forgets.''
You are intOlerable when you NOR
alize," said the colonel, with impa-
thence that seemed to veil a stab of
pain. "Confne yourself to facts this
evening. Is the boy to be told the
truth?"
Il think he had better be told some
thing" answered Rene, TRANQUILITY.
whether the truth or not is another
thing. But he has got hold of a sus-
picion, a doubt of some sort-I wonder
who first put it into his head-and
he won't resign himself to circum-
stances, [ should say, until he has as
certained the truth or falsehood of it"
He spoke truthfully and the colonel
sighed.
cit is almost impossible for me to
tell him. he said, at last.
He did not look at Rene's face, but
if he had looked he might have seen
a faint subtle smile steal over the
usually impenetrable mask. The count
looked as if something had both
pleased and amused him. But the
smile vanished as quickly as it had
come.
When Roger Vanbrugh turned to him
again he was perfectly grave. ''You
must tell him." said the colonel.
Tell him what?"
What you like. The truth; it must
be truth, I suppose"
mot necessarily" said Rene, in the
sOftest, silkiest of tones.
Eyes, necessarily" said Vanbrugh,
rising from the table and speaking
with what seemed to his friend need
/ less warmth: II will not have him
/ told anything but what is absolutely
! correct. He may blame me or not, as
! he chooses"
/ "He probably will
/ ""Then I must bear the blame" Ro
/ ger Vanbrugh drew himself up to his
/ Hottest height and looked at the mo-
ment veritable king among men. eff
/ he chooses to suspect me, I can leave
/ him to his suspicious. I know what
! the world has said, but surely my
own SOM leave it in your hands,
Rene Tell him what you like; after
ward he can speak to me-it he
/ chooses"
And then the tall figure moved away
/ from the table in the gathering dark
ness: and a moment later, the closing
of the door told Rene de Marsac that
/ he was alone.
He shrugged his shoulders and NUT
tered something which sounded like an
imprecation on his friend. why on
earth can't he manage the affair him
self? Why should l be saddled with
the story?" he said to himself, as he
rose and lounged slowly to the window
where he stood for moment or two,
contemplating Lance as he still lin
gered on the lawn. Il thought we had
done with all that. [ have a certain
dislike to recalling the cid times; they
were stormy and-well, disagreeable.
What a handsome woman Venetia Zav-
ertal was in those days, by the bye.
Well, | think she has been punished
for her scorn Of me. [ did Roger good
service when l divided him from his
wife. But what line shall | take with
her boy?"
Go Be Continued)
NAPOLEON AND ROBERT FULTON.