The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1896-12-16

- $3.50 f@N"Js P''yeh6 vs. ohtt iCdIiuS-
think, fhnt we were rushing on our
dea+hs, she cast aside her caution aud
called after us aloud. We toplSno heed,
running after Croisette, who had not
waited fog ouv answer, as fast as young
limbs could carry us down the street,
The exhaustion we had felt moment
before when all seemed lost--be it re-
membered that we had not been to bed
or TASTED food for many hours--fell
from as on the instant, and was clean
gone and forgotten in the joy of this
respite. Louis was living and for the
moment had escaped.
Escaped But for how long? We
soon had our answer. The moment we
turned the corner by the riverside, the
murmur of n multitude, not loud. but
continuous, struck our ears, even as
the breeze off the water swept our
cheeks. Across the river lay the thou
sand roofs of the lie de la Cite, all
sparkling in the sunshine. But we
swept to the right, thinking little of
that sight, and checked our speed on
finding ourselves on the skirts of the
crowd. Before us was bridge-the
Pont au Change, l think-and at its
head on our side of the water stood the
Chatelet, with it's hoary turrets and
battlements. Between us and the lat
ter, and backed only by the river, " as
great open space half-flled with peo-
pie, mostly silent and watchful, come
together as to show, and betraying,
at present at least, no desire to take an
active part in what was going. on.
We hurriedly plunged into the
throng, and soon caught the cue to the
quietness and the lack of movement
which seemed to prevail, and which at
first sight had puzzled us. For mo-
ment the absence of the dreadful symp-
toms we had come to know so we'll
the flying and pursuing, the random
blows, the shrieks and curses and bat
teriDg on doors, the tipsy yclls, had re-
assured us. But the relief was short
lived. The people before us were un-
der control. A tighter grip seemed to
close upon our hearts as we discerncd
this, for we knew that the wild fury OF
the populace, like the rush of bull,
might have given some chance of es-
cape in this case as in others. But
this cold-blooded ordered search left
none.
Every face about us was turned in
the same direction; away from the
river and toward block of old houses
which stood opposite to it. The space
Immediately in front of these was
empty, the people being kept back by
score or 30 of archers of the guard set
at intervals, and by as many horse
men, who kept riding up and down,
belaboring the bolder spirits with the
fiat OF their swords, and so preserving
liRe. At each extremity of this
more noticeably on our left where the
line curved round the angle of the
buidings-stood handful of riders,
seven In O group, perhaps. And alone
in the middle of the space so kept clear,
walking his horse up and down and
gazing at the houses, rode a man of
great stature. booted and aFmed, the
Feather noddlng in his bonnet.
could not see his face, but had no need
to sec 1t. / knew him, and groaned
aloud. 1t was Bezers:
| understood the scene better now.
The horsemen, stern, bearded Swi+Zers
for the most part, who eyed the rabble
about them with grim disdain, and
were by no means chary of their blows,
were all in colors and armed to the
teeth. The order and discipline were
Of his making; the revenge of his
seeking. A grasp us of steel had set
tied upon our friend. and / felt that his
last chance was gone. Louis de
Pavannes might rs well be lying on his
threshold with his dead servant by his
side, as be in hiding within that ring
of ordered swords.
1t was with despairing eyes we looked
at the old wooden houses. They seemed
to be bowling themselves towards us,
their upper stories projected 50 far,
they were SO decrcpit. Their roofs
were a wilderness af cutters and
crooked gables, of lettering chimneys
and wooden pinnacles and rotting
beams. Amongst these Judged Kits
lover was hiding. Well, it was a good
place for hide and seek-with any other
player than Death. In the ground
floors of the houses there were no win
dows and no doors; by reason, l learned
afterwards, of the frequent flooding of
the river. But long wooden gallery
raised on struts ran along the front,
rather more than the height of man
from the ground, and aceess to this was
gained by o wooden staircase at each
end. Above tbis first gallery was SEQ
Ond, and above that q line ofwiBdows
set between the gables. The block
it may have run Sor 70 or 30 yards slong
the shore contained four houses, each
with door opening on to the lower
gallery. saw indeed that but for the
vidanls's precautions Louis might well
have escaped. Had the mob once poured
helter-skelter into that labyrinth OF
rooms and passages he might with
luck have mingled with them, unheeded
and unrecognized, and effected his es
cape when they retreatSd.
But now the& were sentries on each
gallery and pore ON the roof.Whenever
one of the latter moved OF seemed to be
looking pward- where NSearch party,
] understood, were at w0S&--indeed il
he aid but turn his head, thrill ran
through the crowd and murmur arose,
which once or twice swelled to savage
roar suth as earlier had made me