The times., 1897-05-09

| veyed the prisoner with curious eyes.
He was asking himself a remarkable qucs-
ton and was busy in speculation as to
| the answer. And the count question was
1 this-wonld Jacques de Serrcfort return
| 10 his cell n miserable o 4 a contented man?
.sThe King said lie TO himself, has
| wagered pretty Coriiine dc Alontesson a
thousand gold pieces aid this mans lib
i erty that she will not send Jacques dc
| Sprfcfort back To the conciergcre wiz
4 ingly. She is to heye s,iin in her house
until the clock strikes twelve. If then,
he confesses himself content to go back
| to his cell, Cornne Wins the wager On,
| it is a pretty question yet, | make sure,
she has Iost.it already, For Who ever saw
q fellbw so gloomy. st. Denis, the man
/ is at deaths door now"
/ The count, who was then one of the
| most DO owerful men III Paris, did not usu-
| aHv concern himself much about the suf-
| ferings of rogucs in the Conciergerie, but
| something in the face OF jacques de Serre-
fort, appealed to his pity; and beyond that,
| Ire was like all tie world. in love with
| Corinue de Montesson, who owned the
| great Hotcl Beautreilis He began TO
| hope. that she would win her wager, though,
| for the life of him, he had no idea as to
| the way she would set about il. He, at
| any rate, had performed his part faithfully;
! aid when anon, the coach drew up be-
fore the gates of Corinnes house, he
| had become so much Interested IN the
strange experiment as though his own
| money had been ventured upon 1T
The gates of the Hotel BeautreiIiis were
| open when the coach role up. Manyligits
| shone from the window of the greathoase,
| and it was plain that Serreeort had been
/ expected No sooner did the coachInan
rein in the horses than Iacqueys came run
ming from the house To greet the count and
to help the prisoner. Serrefort, accus-
| toned TO the gloom and silence OF the prison,
was haif-blinded by the brlliancy or all
lie saw; deafened by the ciamor and the
| CRIES of the many servants. Indeed, he
stood for spell gazing about him wildly,
| pitifully; and would have remained so had
it net been for a lacquey who touched him
upon the arm and bade him follow.
| And so he passed from the open court
yard to pavilion OF the house just
as \ ,fcck in one OF the turrets chined
| the hour OF o. The bell reminded him that
| he had three hours OF liberty before hin.
| three hours when he might live in the world
and hear mems voices and forget the cell
| if that were possible. Bat the promise only
added to his gloom. They torture me with
little liberty he said. Ito make my
punishment more cruel Nor could he
| imagine what strange mystery had brought
him to the house. All the events of that
won!erfal night had put a spell upon his
mind He was like a child obeying ais
master In we and wonder.
Bat they had conducted him 20 a room
in the house by this time; a cabinet with
painted frieZe and thick carpet and gilded
chairs and many tspers shedding a SOFT
light. He opened his eyes when he saw the
richncss ofthe apartments and was the more
surprised when two OF. three servants came
up and began 10 busy themselves with his
ragged clothes.
Monsieur" said one of the fellows,
bowling with great deferepce, ''wilI you be
pleased to dress now? MademOiselle waits
and will sup directly"
ITO dress" cried Serrefort, wonder
| ingly: where am |. then, and whose
house is this, that i should be carried
| here" ,,y
'oh, sir" said the man, surprised that
such "a question should be put you are in
the house of Mile. CeriHne de Montesson,
and be sure that she wishes well to you.
| Indeed, you are lucky To have found sucn "A
friend, Monsieur"
"A friend to me-" gasped Serrefort.
"How, then is that? You Jest, sir"
The lacquey did net heed the question
Rather. he made haste. TO take Serrefort' s
coat from him. and to bring him water for
his hands. When this was done he spread
out uniform upon the couch and invited
his mistress guest to pat ii on.
Monsieur" said he, my mistress thinks
that you would wish to appear here To-
night in the uniform of your old regiment.
| 1t is all laid out there, and 1 beg you
to hasten, for they viii sup before the
clock strikes"
| lie indicated the articles one by one as
he spoke, tie coat OF bright blue, with the
| gold facings, the brass helmet. the high
boots, the cunningly wreughtsword Serrc-
fort gave a little cry OF delight and hesi-
tated no longer. His weary brain. thinking
ever OF the Bombec, forgot its task for
moment, and carried him back swiftly 10
the years when there had been no finer
horseman, no more dashing trooper in all
France than Jacques de Serrefert They
said afterward that his hands trembled,
| that there were tears il aiS yes when he
stood before the long glass and buckled
the sword to his belt 1t was pitiful to see
his snowy white hair struggling beneath
the rim Of the great brass helmet, TO
watch the effort it cost him 10 square his
shoulders and walk as he had walked in
the years long ago. But courage came
with the memories, and erect, proud, al
most defiant, he turred to those who
served him and declared that he was
ready. ,e ..s
Tell your Mistress said he, that
jacques de Serrefort awaits her command. :"
Thelacquey bowed and babe him, for the
second time, to follow Had it been any
other who had thrown off the veteran to
ape the young man, the fellow would have
laughed aloud but there was light in
| SeTefort's eyes, a holiness in his carriage
before which many man would have
quailed. The lacquey said to himself that
there was true soldier, and there was a
certain pride in his voice when he threw
open the doors of vast salon and an
| nounced:
! Monsieur jacques de Serref0rt' y
| The great room in which Serrefort now
found himself was magnificently lighted,
hundreds of tapers burning brightly in
chandeliers and candeiabra of Venetian
work. Though the floor of it was wood,
none the less We're the boards polished and
waxed until they shown like glass; while
the walls were hid by paintings OF colossal
| size and all the ceiling was blaze of
mosaic. sovast was the place that Serre-