Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-07-22
PROLOGUE

And you are certain of the year he was
married imp
Perfectly-therei is no possibility Of my
oeiD2 mistaken. He was married on New
Tears Day, 5S; was born in May, 80 u
Two men, both about the same age
twenty-five, were seated in private room
At an Inn, known as the Hotel Bellevue
at LIE Nocq, dreary fishing town with a
good though small harbor, dozen miles
west of Havre.
Down below the cliff on which the inn
stood' the port was visible, and in the
port was to be seen an English cutter, the
Electra, III which the friends had run for
LIE Nocq when the storm, that had now
.been raging for twenty four hours, broke
upon them.
The first night in the inn. to which they
mad come up after seeing the yacht made
snug and comfortable in the harbor below,
and the sailors left in charge of her also
provided for, passed easily enough.
They had stood all the morning looking
cut of the window disconsolately, had
smoked pipes and cigarettes innumerable,
and had yawned a good deal.
What are we to do to prevent our
selves from dying of ennui. Philip" the
one asked the other
Jerry" the other answered solemnly,
know no more than you do. There is
nothing left to read, and soon-very soon.
alas!there will be nothing left to
smoke"
The one called Philip began looking
about the salon that was at their dis
posal, whistlng plaintively, and peerng
Into the cupboards, of which there were
two.
"Hullo?' he suddenly exclaimed, "here
is great mental treat for us-a lot of old
books; and precious big ones. too! l Won
der what they are? All! old registers of
bygone years"
Nevertheless, let us see them" the
other answered; ''at any rate we shall
learn what kind of company the house
has kept"
So, obeying his behest, Philip brought
them out, and they sat down ito begin at
the beginning" as they said Iaughingly !;
and each took a volume and commenced
to peruse it.
Every now and then they told one
other of some name they had come across,
the owner of which was known to them
by hearsay. and they agreed that the
"Hotel Bellevue" had, in its day, had
some very good people for its guests.
They found several titles-English-in
scribed in the pages of the register, and
the same nationality.
Probably half these people have occu-
pied this very sitting room at some time
or other" Philip said to Gervase. Il
only wish some of them were here now,
and that
He stopped at sudden exclamation Of
his friend. who was gazing fixedly at the
page before him.
What kind of a find is it now, Jerry?"
he asked. ANY one very wonderful:''-
''It must be mistake" the other said
in low voice. And yet how could such
mistake happen? Look at this!' and he
pointed with his finger to a line in the
book.
WHY the other exclaimed, as he read,
'Aout Il, 1851, I'Hon. Gervase Occleve
and wife" Then he said, "Your father,
of course, before he inherited his title?'
"Of course! There never was any
other Gervase Occieve in existence, ex-
cept myself. while he was alive. But
what can it meant
1T means that your father knew this
place many years ago, and came here;
that is all, should say. 1t is a coinci
dence, but after all it is no more strange
that he should know lie Vocq than that
you should"
but You don't see the curious part of
1854 He never had wife until he mar
ried my mother, and then he was Lord
Penlyn and no longer known as Gervase
Occleye.'
And then followed the conversation
with which this story opens.
at is strange thing" Philip said, ''but
1t must be a mistake"
After a few moments spent in thought.
Gervase TUNED to his friend and said,
1.-THE landlord, the man who stared SO
hard at me yesterday when We came in,
was an elderly person. He may have had
the hotel In "a, might even remember this
mysterious namesake of mine. l think l
will ask him TO come up"
In a few minutes the landlord tapped
at the door. When he had received an
Invitation 10 enter, he came into the room
and bowed respectfully, but as he did so,
Lord Penlyn again noticed that his eyes
were fixed upon him with a wondering
stare; stare exactly the same as he had
received ON the previous day when they
entered the hotel.
I'VE found these registers in your cup
board, and, for want of anything else to
read, we took them down and have been
amusing ourselves with them. / hope
we did not take liberty" began Ger
vase In going through this book-the
one Of ISL have come upon a name SO
familiar to me- the name Of Gervase Oc-
cleve, that
But before he could finish his sentence
the landlord jumped up from his chair,
and was speaking rapidly while he ges-
ticulated in a thorough French fashion.
"Occleve-of course" he cried. THAT
Is the face Sir Milor! l salute youl
When you entered my house yesterday, I
I
him? Or is it but the spirit of some dead
one looking AT me out of his eyes? And
now that you mention to me the name of
Occleve. then in a moment he comes back
TO me and | see him once again. All!
Milor, but when L regard you, then in
verify he returns TO me, and / recall him
rs he used to sit in this very room-in
that very chair i'm which you now sit"
The young men had both stared at him
with some amazement as he spoke hur-
riedly and excitedly, repeating himself in
his earnestness, and now as he ceased,
Gervase said:
DO | understand You to say, then, that
/ bear such a likeness to this man, whose
name is inscribed here, as TO recall him
viyidly TO youE
"Yes. you are his son! 1t must be so.
There is only one thing that 1 do not
comprehend You bear different name"
He ba u.e Lord penlyn later In life,
anu a. I.Is ITtsc So1uc 20 Ioc'
"And SO he ia dead! He can scarcely
have lived the full space Of mans yeara
And Madame your mother? She 10 weilT
. For a moment the young man hesitated
Then he said:
"She is dead, too"
"Pauvre dame," the landlord said, and
as he spoke 1t seemed as though he was
talking to himself. "She was bright and
happy In those days SO fur of, bright ane
happy once: and she. too, Is gone And
Il. who was older than either Of them, am
lIeftl But Lord Reulyn." ha aid EAad-