The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1897-01-06
. i THE House @
W OF THf-WOLF.
LN lh@ u u 8&
SSEESl' BY STANLEY J. WEYMAN.
CHAPTER XI.-CoNr1NuEp.


l told Croisette, but warily, my sus-
picions of his purpose. He heard me.
less astounded to all appearance than
] had expected, Presently learned
the reason. He had his own view.
"Do you not thinl; it possible, Anne"
he suggested, tilnidly we were, of
course, alone at the time-"that he
thinks to make Louis resign made
moiselle?"
Resign her!" lcxal@.!nc,l, obtusely.
"How?"
by giving him choice--you under
stand?"
/ did understand saw it in mo-
ment. | had been Gull not to see it
before. Beers might put il in this
way: Let NJ. dc l'ayannes resign his
mistress and live, or die and.Iose her.
Il see," | answered. But Louis
would not give her up. Not to him!"
He would lose her either way" Crois-
cite answered, in low tone. THAT is
not, however, the worst of it. Louis
is in his power. Suppose he thinks to
make Kit the arpitcr, Anne, and puts
Louis up to random, setting Kit for the
price? And gives her the option of ac-
cepting himself, and saving Louis life;
or refusing, and leaving Louis to die?"
"St. CroiX!" | exclaimed, fercely
"He would lie so basel" And yet
was not e,, ,lis better than the blind
vengeance l had myself attributed to
him?
Perhaps not" Croisette answered,
while he gazed onwards through the
twilight. We were at the time the fore
most of the party, save the vidame;
and there was nothing to interrupt our
view of his gigantic figure as he
-,noyed on alone before us with bowed
shoulders. Perhaps not" Croisette
repeated, thoughtfully. Sometimes
] think we do not understand him, and
that after all there may be worse peo-
pie in the world than Beers"
looked hard at the lad, for that was
not what l had meant. "Worse?" l
said. 81 do not think SO. Hardly!"
'Yes, worse" he replied, shaking his
head. DO you remember lying under
the curtain in the box-bed at Mire-
poix's?"
"Of course do! Do you think
shall ever forget it?"
"And Nine. do coming in?"
with the coadjutor?" said with q
shudder. "Yes."
"No, the second time," he answered,
"when she came back alone. 1t was
pretty dark, you remember, and Nine.
de Pavannes was at the window, and her
sister did not see her?"
well, well, remember" l said i'm
patiently. knew from the tone of his
voice that he had something to tell me
about Nine. DO, and was not anxious
to hear it. shrank, as q wounded man
shrinks from he cautefy, from hearing
anything about that woman; herself SO
beautiful, yet movipg in an atmosphere
of suspicion and horror Was it shame
or fear. or some chivalrous feeling hay.
ing il origin in that moment when
had fancied myself her knight? am
not sure, for had not made up my mind
even now whether ought to pity OF
detest her; whether she had made q
tool Of me, or / had been false to her.
"She came up to the bed, you remem
Der, Anne?" Groisette went on. "Yor
were next to her. She saw you indis
tinctly. and took you for her sister
And then sprang from the bed"
II know you didl" exclaimed sharp
ly. All this time had forgotten tha
grievance. 'sYou nearly frightened
her out of her wits, st. Croix. Icnnno
think what possessed you-why you die
it?"
"To save your life, Anne" he an
swered solemnly, land her from
crime-an unutterable and unnatura
crime. She had come back to- car
hardly tell it you-to murder her sister
You start. You do not believe me. j
sounds too horrible. But could se'
better than you could. She was ex
actly between you and the light.
saw the knife raised. / saw her wicked
facel If had not startled her as did
she would have stabbed you. Sh
dropped the knife on the floor, and
picked It up and have it. See!"
/ looked furtively, and turned ava,
again, shivering. Why muttered
"why did she do it?'
"She had failed, you know, to get he
sister back to Payannes' house, wher
she would have fallen an easy victim
Beers, who knew Nine. do, prevente'
that. Then that dend slipped bacl
4 with her knife; thinking that in tn
common butchery the crime would b
overlooked, and never investigated, AM
that Mirepoix would be silentl"
l said nothing / was stunned. Ye
believed the story. When ] went owe
the facts in my mind / found that
dozen things, overlooked at the time
and almost forgotten In the hurry o