Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-09-24
CHAPTER XIV.
T0 e.. -nI.Nf4

| dress and name of the man he wanted were
| waiting for him. The detective who made
inquiries vas in attendance and handed
| him q slip on his entry into the bureau des
| measurements There was a man who al
most entirely answered to the description,
| and there was only one in the district. His
name was Henri Riechenberg. and he was
| the owner of the vineyard called La Pib-
| louette, about two kilometers northeast of
Roufiet which in turn was village four
| kilometers north of Clermont.
With joy he saw that there was no moon
and that the sky was covered over with
| black clouds. He took cab to Routiet,
| dismissing it just outside the village. The
night was then confirmed and dark.
He drew the collar of his macintosh
| high over his ears and chin and passed
quickly down the street. Then he struck
northeast over the open country. He met
| no one anywhere.
In three-quarters of an hour. following a
! winding road, he came upon chalk cliff
| which stretched right across his path: its
| bare white cragginess Just doomed upon
him in the darkness before he butted upon
| it. The edge of the cliff ran about fifteen
| feet above his head.
He had received description sufficiently
| minute of the place. He turned to the left
| along a footpath which ran along the base
| OF the rock In his course he passed by
| square spot of deeper blackness 10 the rock
| face. He tapped 1t: 1T was wooden. 1t was
| a door-the entrance to the cellars of Henri
Reichenberg
He walked on and in three minutes came
| to break in the continuity OF the cliff. il
was narrow, steep flight of stone stems
| cut out of the rock to the upper level of the
/ cliff. He ascended.
AT the top he found himself at the en-
trance of an extremely long avenue of lin
| dens, which met overhead. Here It was
/ very dark. He proceeded up the avenue
| with intense caution, though in reality
there was little need for it. for not sound
| broke the silence of the world, and the moss
| lnder loot was deep and continuous. render
| ing the football noiseless. Presently. at the
| far end of the avenue, where the trees al
most met in perspective remoteness. he saw
most at once.
| He went on. THAT light" he said. lis 4
| light in the house of Henri Rcichenberg
some one has opened and shut door or a
Wlndow-hence its appearance and disap-
pearance. Is Mrs. Vansittart really and
| truly behind those shattered apertures? |
wonder-1 wonder. The mere suffering of
| them Is suspicious. | shall know Henri
Reichenberg, within fifteen minutes
But he knew sooner. He knew within
NE minutes. suddenly, as he walked
through the now dense darkness on the alb
solutety soundleSs moss, he came into sbar.
collision with some one coming in the oppo-
site direction down the avenue. 1t was
man bigger than himself and heavier Fol-
llet nearly fell backward.
Pardon, m sieur" said a rather thick
ana drowsy voice. Collisions are natural
to Erebus and modern civilization alike"
me remark was quite in the tone of the
i@Aeiii Aodi rohlet with a start IiO-
lent as though he had heard the devil
speak, recognized Armand.
An, NJ Armand-you"' ne gasped
What. you, NJ. FolIiet?''
1t is L. admitted Folliet
Armand'S hand went ont and hit ,,nop
toliiets in the dark. He gave the detect
i've hearty grip.
IN; Foiiiet." he said, ''allow me to con-
graduate you You are great man."
Howl exclaimed Folliet-'it is you,-
You were here ffrstr'
That is true, monsieur. But then T did
the right thing. You did the wrong-anI
get here all the same That is WHAT all
greatness |'''
Well, if this fellow isn't a gentleman 70
ms nd.a marrow ROW said Folliet TO himself He
mere sophistry of generosityi Don't yn,,
see IL Is you this time, at least, who are
the great man.
Monsieur, we are both great men," said
armand with large sententtousness
'But-but-how long Rave Won been hero ~,
About two hours"
.Good Lord! not in the house,"
yes: IN the house. / have lust left If -
ana Is Mrs. Vansittart there?'
FOR tne last hour and half have been
Sleeping In the room adjoining hers"
..S S.eepins! on. this is incredible"
only at first, monsieur Not whom Won
knoW the facts. The truth is monster
nave it peen-drunk on Argonue wine ar
IL drunk is too coarse a word 20 apalv ia
the effects OF Argonne, saw tran.ti-rI,rs,oL
Il IA
tloh. Nectar is not a Wine-it il an os
now II SIN SUPER
Yes. You are. I believe YOU are soharesr
Mten you are drunk. Pray tell mellow
did you manager nv"
mere Is man, monsieur, who. accord
iIs 10 my present recollection, is called
Henri Riechenberg This man ain,.,St 81
soon as L saw him, and as soon as + bea~J
MN knew to be one of the four. 1t is
no. rue mat he speaks perfect French
~ ms french Is near perfection He
mas IN fact, lived half his life in Nupicb
tiaVlng understood this, [ persuaded him to
ger drunk IN my company. When [ an,
trahsnsured, monsieur, 7 do nor fail 10 70
Hterth certain empire Of my soul. a little
SLt allld the gloom; but in the case of
rlenrl Rlechenberg, if that is bis right
; you get a gloom when is the pri-
t5iepal gloom itself. L played chess with
hiechenberg, and beat him only sufficiently
10 lnduce him to ksep on PLAYING Fina1y
as we are both ardent philateiisis, ne took
me nome TO see mis- collection of stanps
ana While he was showing me We both fiji
aslep Rlechenberg, believe me- still SUM
bers.' ' -t "iuii-
But, Mrs. Vansttarti You saw hero"
1 sa" her, monsieur. She will die soon
# not rescued NC 'ooh
He said it in an awed whfsper. and i, o.,
aWed whisper Folliet answered.
no" Ole, you say? How do you mean p,
MI oniy caught one glimpse of her face.
Inc mousse, l may tell you is A small me-
ohe-tWo stories-built of white freestona
not more than eight rooms Bur six of
these rooms are crowded with men arue.,
soiuler-lKe people, Germans The seventh
room, on the first floor. is Riechennerg's
VINO mas her under his immediate slIryeiI,
iahce' the eighth is Mrs. VansIttarrs ASH
passed into Riechen5ers's room saw
through slightly opened door-a woman
Sne appeared to be sl1wly waIking To ami
no. 1t was evident at once -aar She VS.
Harassed to the point of .unl..y. But her
az 1, monsieur! Anything as wan, ANA
Drawn, and pity-kindling, you can hardly
imagine Ii This lasts"
He stopped.
AN, out 1t won't Iastr' cried Folliet
win WIN cienched fists. 1T is you who have
touha her. What do you adviser
don advise anything, NJ Folliet" said
armand. "A practical point like thar 7
cave to YOU But have one warning m
give youIdont make an attack upor Inc
Eouse unless You are quite sure that your
loice OF Sendarmes very largely preponder-
ates over the force of armed men WITHIN II
bring merely equal force against the
piaee, and we lose Mrs. T-ansit.lrf''
An mats the point" said F'olIiet Can
l pflhg a sufficient force? Look here. This
IS matter which no man bur one shoIIid
take INTO his hands-and ha. man Mr. Va
sittart." i' az
entirely agree with You. monsieur
IEen let us go to him and consult him
by all means-and at once" A
Can you rider |