The San Francisco call., 1897-07-11
to be forever pitting yourself against
hand in tho dark9''

to be forever pitting yourself against
hand in the dark2"
The unpleasant train Of thought was
visibly affecting Marceau. Though eager
for him TO resume the narrative, l turned
might, unobserved, wipe the mist away
that obscured nay VS. on.
after such talk as this We would go
home, and, not stopping at the little fat,
we would clink the stairs to the attic
room. And Armand would sit down in his
chair and rock and rock, and never speak.
Then madame would come and sit beside
him and take his hand and charm his un-
happy mood away, until he was the brsve
man again. l would curl up in the win
dow seat the room was so small, and we
would watch the curling TO, come in from
the sea. a giant vapor walking the water
with noiseless tread.
ut was March afternoon and the ai-
was soft and sweet like that of La Belle
France. l had stepped out into the
ateIier to see Armand a moment, and
! met madame on the way out. Az
mand had preceded me. When / first
entered he was closeted in his private
office with a young man, and l walked
leisurely about, looking at the pictures,
waiting for him. He soon came toward
me, but his manner was constrained and
his face ashen-c colored. He turned away
end put on his coat and hat and | was
alone. l said, Som thing is wrong with
my friend, and l shook as if l might have
chill. followed him out. and as l told
you, monsieur, l met madame on the
stairway. Her face looked bright and
smiling, and | nodded TO her and went
my way, dismissing from my mind the
thought OF evil.
Madame went straight to Armand's s
private office. On his desk there lay the
letter that had been left by the young
man whom had seen talking with him.
1t had been carefully folded and p aced in
its envelope. Madame opened it and
read the contents. Ii a large sum was
not paid by the 18th OF the month fore
closure would be begun on the office. Her
brain reeled. She laid her forehead down
on the sharp edge OF the desk and little
notes of fire danced before her vision.
"Her hands trem bled as she unlocked
his private drawer. His pistol lay un-
touched, and with great cry of thankful
ness she hid it away. Armand should not
have it in the hour of his defeat. Then
she went slowly back 10 their little home,
entered in the dark and sat down.
but there came dream to her that
night while she waited the coming of Ar
man1. She thought they were children
playing a M erry game and he was hiding
from her in the little room under the roof.
Obedient to the vision she rose and
climbed the stairs. The pale rays of the
moon were directed into the room and fell
full upon the face of Armand sitting in the
rockiag-chair One hand was on the ham
die of her rocker. With cry of joy she
seated herself teside him and placed her
hand over his and tried to rock. The
heavy weight of his body held her i'm NOV.
able and the hand was inert. She pat;ed
the whi,e face and told him that his little
Marie had found him. For the first time
in their M arried life he failed to re pond to
her caresses.
"At last, when madame had caught her
br. a,h and the blood rushed back 10 her
heart, she cried fer help. Neighbors
workei over Armand until his face took
on the look OF waking life, and madame
kret by the chair, her face buried in her
hands and her speechless agony revealed
only ty the pallor which had crept 10 her
neck beneath her hair.
Finally she raised her eyes to the
crowd that had gathered round her.
What she saw then turned her face from
white to red and sent the blood maGly to
her brain. 1t was the face of Levin.
.'By some horrible fatality he had been