The times., 1897-04-03

Abbe's pony stopped. too. strong arm
enCiTCled his waist; he was lifted from
the saddle and hidden to walk; he knew
that he was entering some room in a
house-a gentle hand forced him into d
seat, il removed his bandage; he could
see again.
By this time the unhappy man was in
capable of surprise. The scene in the wood
had robbed him OF all power OF reason
When they stripped him of his bandage and
he was able to look about him, he neither
spoke nor wondered Yet the spectacle
was strange enough 70 have amazed a
bOlder man. For the able sat then in
room drapedin scarlet; and more than that.
he sat in high chair before long table
lit pIeasingly by the soft light 0f many
wax candles; and so weighed down with
plate and exquisite cut glass that the
scarlet drapery below was hardly 70 be
seen. As for the company, that also was
a scarlet company; devils, demons, witches;
their whitened faces now hidden by Grim
son masks. their very hair appearing 10
be OF the brightest red. Even the walls
were dIaped in the same glowing ColOrs;
while the attendants. some in hideUus
masks, some garbed ike scarlet elves,
capped the scheme rttlngly Yet this was
the curious thing-nO word was spoken,
no greeting given The company sat like
mUtes. The abbe shuddered again; he
could not altogether suppress the thought
that he might be supping with the risen
dead.
Such Il haunting suggestion was quick
to pass Though d grim fOreboding puT-
will it end? WHAT did they mean when
they called me the Lord Bishop of BIois.
and said that l must suffer- He. good
man that he was and there was none bet
ter in France, was like other men in pos
seSsing a healthy appetite. The groaning
table put some heart into him. Il have
ridden far. and a well-boiled capon with
q cup OF Burgundy will not come aniss
to me-" he thought And 50, for the
first time since he had entered the ter
ribIe wood. he permitted himself 10 hope.
They will let me ride ON when supper
is done he assured himself, "and /
shall be III Paris after all. by the last
day of the month. 1t would never do 10
be delayed over tomorrow. for the king
returns to Paris then. and COTinne Will
see him and cheat me once more. Ger
tainly. 1 must be in Paris tomorrow.
Meanwhile. l will see what sort OF u
supper it is. for l am very hungry
One OF the servants had set a plate
before him now. plate upon which was
a little silver dish. exqUisitely garnishcd
and served. SO tempting did the NOR
sci look that the good abbe FASTENED
to plunge his fork into it. but at the
first nOuthful he made an ugly gTimace,
and was unable to withhold an eN clama-
ton.
..Ciel." cried he. that is nothing but
bread crumbs"
He looked around the table appealingly.
but no one in the masked company vOuCh-
safed to him an answer. All were busy
upon similar dIshes, of which they appear
edto partake with exceeding relish. Indeed.
they had finished their portions before the
y bbe had recovered from his astoniSnment.
and while lie was still looking at them
lackey, dressed in crimson, carried in
slish, upon which was q smoking fish of
great size, and began to serve slices Of 10
to the Abhe first. aud afterwaTd To the
other suppers. AT the same moment
another attendant filled the Abbe's glass
"a magnificent glass of the rarest Venetian
then did a similar service for the rest
OF the company The action reaSsured the
hungry cure. For the second time he
plunged a ready fork into the dish before
him. s.Fish is fish, he said to himself.
while he smacked his lips in famiShed antiCi-
patton The assurance scarce had cour-
forted him when he broke out with a
word which was neither ecclesiastical
nor abbetorial:
Nom du diable,'' he exclaimed but
this is bread, too"
How it came to tie. in what manner { he
cheat had been Contrived, the Able knew
no more than the dead. Yet there was
the fish right enough, and second mouth
ful convinced him that it was made of
nothing but bread.
"St. john" cried he, sitting back in
his chair, who ever heard of that
fish made of bread crumbs; and everyone
eating of it as though it were a muIlet
from the kings table. Body of st. Paul =
they are all mad"
Mad or sane, the scarlet company ap-
peared to enjoy the fish very much.
Their heads bent over their plates, the
suppers varied their occupation OF eat
ing only by the equally pleasant one of
taking long dTaughts from the crystal COB
lets before them They did not appear so
much as to notice that the Able was ap-
pealing to them. His words, his eXclama-
tions, his questions, fell alike upon deaf
ears. Not a man listened to him, not
woman raised her eyes to watch him.
Nor did his anger, which presently sue
ceeded to his hunger, help him at all
That, too, was absolutely unohServed. Had
he roared like bull, the masked com
pany would have remained oblivious of his
presence.
''Hol hol" said he at last, while he
leaned back in his chair, and raised the
goblet In his hand, "a plague upon the
table which sets bread crumbs before q
hungry manl''