The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-15

game lad enough but you do not know
where you are going, nor yet what may
happen to you there. We will fight you
if you come back safe, but meantime
you are one of ourselves, and we of the
choir have sworn to stand by one an
other. Can you keep a pea in your
mouth without swallowing it?''
Why, of course l can" said Lau-
renee, wondering what was to come
next; Il can keep a dozen and shoot
them through a bore of alder tree at a
penny without missing once, which I
wot is more than any Frenchman
ever
We'll, then" whispered the lad Re
nouf, breaking in on his boast with a
white ccuntenance, 'harken we'll to
me. When you enter the chamber of
the marshal put this in your mouth.
And if nothing happens keep it there,
but be careful neither to swallow it
nor yet to bite upon it. But if it should
chance that either Henriet of Poitou
or Giles de Sille seize hold of your
arms. bite hard upon the pellet till you
feel bitter taste and then swallow
That is all. You are indeed a cock
whose comb wants cutting, and if all
is well, we will incise it for your souls
good. But in the meanwhile you are of
our company and fellowship. So for
=
bid. Fare you we'll"
As he followed Clerk Henriet, Lau-
renee looked at the round pellet in his
hand. 1t was white, soft like ripe fruit,
of an elastic consistency, and of the
largeness of a pea.
As Laurence assembled the stairs he
heard the practice of the choir begin
ming in the chapel. Precentor Renouf,
the father Of Blaise, had summoned the
youths from the cloisters with a long.
mellow whistle upon his Italian pitch
pipe, running up and down the scale
and ending with a fiourished "A-a-
meni"
The open windows and the pierced
stone railing of the great staircase of
Machecoul brought UP the sound of
that sweet singing from the chapel to
the ear of the adventurous Scot as
through a funnel They We're beginning
the practice for the Christmas services,
though the time. was not yet near.
Unto God be the glory
In the highest
Peace be on the earth.
On the earth,
Unto men who have good will.
So they chanted in their white robes
in the chapel of the Holy Innocents in
the castle of Machecoul, near by the
Atlantic shore.
The chamber of GILES de, Retz testi-
fled to the extraordinary advancement
of that great man in knowledge which
has been claimed as peculiar to much
later centuries. The window easements
were so arranged that in a moment the
place could either be made as dark as
midnight or flooded WITH bright light
The walls were always freshly white
washed, and the lime was constantly
renewed. The stone iloor was stained a
deep brick red, and that too. would
often be applied freshly during the
night. AT time when the very word
sanitation was unknown, GILES had
properly constructed conduits leading
from an adjoining apartment to the
castle ditch. The chimney was wide as
peasants whole house, and the vast
fireplace could hold on its iron dogs an
entire wagonload of faggots. Indeed,
that amount was regularly consumed
every day when the marshal deigned to
abide at Machecoul for his health. and
in pursuance of his wonderful studies
into the deep things of the universe.
''Bide here a moment" said Clerk
Henriet, bending his body in writhing
contortion to listen to what might be
going on in the chamber; II dare not
tdhe you III III L see WneJner my lord
is in good case to receive you
SO at the stairhead. by window lat
tice, which looked toward the chanel,
Laurence stood and waited. At first
he kept quite still and listened with
pleasure to the distant singing of the
boys He could even hear Precentor
Renouf occasionally stop and rebuke
them for inattention or singing out of
tune:
My soul is like a watered garden,
And 1 shall not sorrow any more at all,
SO he hummed as he listened and beat
the time on the ledge with his fingers,
lie felt singulariy content. Now he was
en- the eve of penetrating the mystery.
At last he would discover where the
missing maidens were concealed.
But seen he began TO lcok about him,
growing like the boy he was quickly
weary Of inaction. His eye fell upon
strange door, with curious marks burnt
upon its panels By hot irons. There
were circles complete and circles that
stopped half way, together with letters