Evening star., 1898-12-31
CHAPTER NLU.
The She Wolf Astarte.

In a dark wainscoted room overlooking
that branch Of the Seine which divides
the northern part of Paris from the isle
of the city. Giles De Retz. lately chamber
lain of the King of France, sat writing.
The hotel had recently been redecorated
after the sojourn of the English. Wooden
pavements had again been placed in the
rooms, whera the barbarians had Strewed
their ruSheS and trampled upon their fish
bones. Noble furniture from the lathes of
Poitiers, decorated with the royal ermines
of Brittany. stood about the many alcoves.
The table itself. whereon the great soldier
wrote. was closed in with drawers and
shelves which descended to the floor and
seemed to shut the occupant in in a
cell.
Before De Retz stood a curious inkstand.
made by some cunning jeweier out of the
upper half Of a human skull of small size
cut across al the eye holes. inverted. and
set in silver with a rim of large rubies
This was half filed with ink of a startling
yermillion color.
The document which Giles de Retz was
busy transcrioing upon SHEETS of noble
velium i'll this strange ink was of the most
mysterious character. The upper part had
the appearance of charter engrossed by
the hand of some deft legal scribe but the
words which followed were as startling as
the vehicle in which they were made to
stand out from the velium.
Unto HAERAN SATHANAS. LORD MOST CLIO
N TIIE EARTH ABOVE. l. HIS UNWORTHY
SSERHlroR GILES DE EE,rz. MAKE Ny Vows.
CHRIST AND THE BLESSED SAINTS
To this appalling introduction succeeded
many lines of close and delicate script in
terSFerSed with curious cabalistic signs in
Whlch the sign OF the cross reversed could
frequently be detected. GILES de Retz
wrote rapidly. rising only at intervals TO
throw fresh log of wood across the vast
IRON dogs on either side Of the wide fire
place, as the rain from the northwest beat
more ana more n6rcely upon the small!
glazed pancs Of the window and howI1d
among the innumeTable gargOyles and
twisted roof stacks of the Hotel de Pornic
nilhlh the chamber Itself, in the inter
Nais oil IN storm. a low, continuous groWl-
ing made itself evident. At first it was dis
Regarded by the writer, but presently by
Is sheer pert!naCjty the sound so frrifa ed
him that he rose from his seat and strid-
Ing 90 narrow door covered with a heavy
curtain. m throw it wide 10 the wall Then
through The black Oblong 50 made a huge
ana shaggy she wolf paced slowly into the
room
The marshal kicked the brute frnna +ien+1,-
with his s!ippered foot as she entered and
strange TO relate, the she wolf skunk ma ST
MN with me cowed air of a dog conscious
OIL naNlnE deserved punishment
Asiarte. VileSt beast" ne cried sbava T
not thousand times warned you to be ST.
lent and wait outside when [ was at work
in my cham bfr?t
a q
back toward his table Then seeing him
III MS pen with sigh OF content she
dropped down upon the warm hearthstone
iSlhS with her launches toward the blazing
logs and with her bristling head couched
upon her paws Her yellow shining eyes
bHnked sleepily and approvingly at him.
While with her tongue she rasped the soft
rads OF her feet one by one, biting away
the fur from between the toes with her
ltnS and cleaning teeth. Presently AS
tarte appeared 10 doze of Her ewes were
smut her attitude relaxed. But so soon as
even her master moved an inch to CON
suit a marked list of dates which hing on
hook beside him. or leaned over to reach
MS ink. the flashing yellow eye and the
siean OF white teeth underneath told that
AStarte was awake and intentIy watching
every movement of the worker
Through the heavy boom of the storm
without. the thresh of the rain upon the
LtttlCe easement and the whipping gusts
which shook the house. the soft wheeze of
the engrosstng Quill could be heard the
craekle of the burning logs and the heavy
regular breathing of the couchant she wolf
htHhS the only other sounds audible within
The apartment.
Giles de Retz wrote on, smiling to him
self as he added line after line to his man.
1ScHpt- HIS beard shone with q truculent
hlUe-black lusteT. For the moment the
aged look had quite gone out of his face
His cheek appeared flushed with tAe hues
of youth and hope. yet withal a youth
without innocence or charm Rather II
seemed as if fresh blood had been Injected
into the veins Of some aged demon. rnori-
bund and cruel, giving instead of health or
grace, only a new lease Of cruelty and lust
Presently another door opened. the main
entrace OF the apartment this time. not
the small private portal through which AS
tarte the wolf had been admitted A girl
came in thrusung aside the curtain and for
the space of moment holding it out
stretched with an arm gowned in white be-
fore dropping 1t with a rustic of heavy silk
en- fabric upon the ground.
The Marshal de Retz wrote on without
appearing to be conscious OF any new pres
ence In his private chamber The girl stood
regarding him, with eyes that blazed with
an intent so deadly and hate so alI-pos-
sessing that the yellow treachery in those
OF Astarte the she wolf appeared kind and
anectionate by contrast.
At the girls entrance that shaggy beast
Ind half raised herself upon her forepaws
and given vent to a low growl half of dis
trust and half of warning. which at once
reached the ears of the busy worker.
Giles de Retz looked up quickly and
catching sight of the Lady Sybtlla, with 8
sweep Of his hand he thrust his manuscript
into an open drawer Of the escritoIre
All. Sybills," he said. leaning back In his