Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-05-14
Continued.

promised to tell nobody.
ct seems 10 me, Constance" said
Madeline gravely, that you are very
reckless; you seem ready to run great
risks"
II know perfectly well what | am
about" said Constance. Il have no
need of any Mornings or preachings,
thank you. I must say that your an
xiety for Lancelot's welfare confirms
my impression as to your feeling about
him; if you wish to conceal your affec-
ton so sedulously you should be more
particular as to what you say
She swept from the room as she
spoke and Madeline was left alone. 1t
was perhaps natural that when she was
relieved from Constance's presence she
should burst into passionate, shame
stricken tears. She sobbed for some
dime; but at last calmness from sheer
exhaustion supervened and she was
atle to sit up and think quietly over
the situation. 1t was not an encourag-
ing one, although she could not help
believing that a way out of every diff
fculty could be found
1T is cruel of her to speak in that
way" she said to herself, when at last
her tears we're stayed. "But when was
she anything but cruel? And she dis
likes me more than ever now because
I saw her the other night with NJ de
Marsac / am sure it is not right that
he should meet her and come about the
" 1.o n I 1nT E
Lady Esler has any idea of it? No,
that is impossible. Ought | to tell?'
She hesitated a moment, then sighed
deeply and buried her face in her
hands. eff | were not so much in
terested I should know better what to
do. 1t is because I care so much that
| am puzzled. I do not understand
Constance's motives nor what she hopes
to gain. She is paying double game
end it is a mystery to me- / really
think" said Madeline, with a wintry
smile, chat it would be an advantage
tC her if she could make a confidant of
me and tie my hands by trusting me.
1t would be quite the safest plan. I
am inclined to believe that she is not
nearly as clever as I thought I should
Go differently if I were in her place
But of course I do not know the cir
cumstances, so perhaps I ought not to
criticise"
She sighed as she rose from her seat
and made her way to the open window,
where a soft summer breeze gently
moved the curtains to and fro. She
felt as if the fresh air upon her fore
head would revive her and when she
drew aside the blind and found that all
the outer world was bathed in golden
moonlight she extinguished the lamp.
raised the sash of the window as high
as possible and knelt by the windowsill
with her chin pillowed on her hands
The soft calm of the scene seemed to
enter into her whole being and to diff
fuse a feeling of serenity in her inmost
soul. She felt stronger to endure, to
dare and to suffer, from the sight of
those blue depths of sky, the diamond
like glitter of the stars the encircling
light of the full-orbed moon.
Suddenly she heard a sound. 1t
seemed like the opening of a door and
Madeline recognized the peculiar graf
ing noise which was always made by
the garden door as it turned on its
hinges. But who could possibly be
leaving the garden house by the garden
coor between u and l o'clock?
The garden door was in corner of
the building, just where a small wing
turned at right angles to the main body
of the house. Madeline's room was sit
uated in the wing and she could look
down almost directly on the garden
door, which, however, lay in shadow
and was not easy to distinguish. But
surely-surely it was open now and a
white figure stood within the passage
Madeline gazed at it. half-paralyzed by
fear. Was it one of the servants ad-
hitting burglar into the house, or was
she setting off on some clandestine eX-
petition? Madeline wondered whether
she ought not to alarm the house. But
she decided to wait little while. for
the pale figure was perfectly motionless
in the shadow
Presently a step was heard on the
graveled path in the shrubbery. It
was evident that some one had been
lurking in the shade of the evergreens
and was now making his way slowly
and stealthily toward the house. But
ii was not very easy for him to ap-
prOach without once or twice crossing
The moonlight spaces of the pathway
and at one moment his face became
perfectly clear and plain to Madeline.
She shrank back with a gasp of hor-
ror and amaze. 1t was the face OF
Rene. Count de Marsac. and he was
creeping into the house like a thief.
Why? Was it to meet Constance
again?
Madeline suddenly remembered that
the garden door opened on a staircase,
which led to little suite of apartments
generally known as Miss Fsler's
rooms" They were reached first. then
came another fight of stairs which led
to rooms usually occupied by Con-
stances maid And from Constance's
rooms ran a passage which led straight
to Lady Esler's dressing which.
however, fronted the other side of the
house.
She leaned forward and gazed eager
ly. A Rene de Marsac neared the
door, the white figure glided out little
way and extended a pair of slender
hands. Rene took one of them in his
own and kissed it. She looked up into