The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1899-09-13
CHAPTER 7.
A BOLT FROM THE BLUE.


81 do not drink with thief"
| DEntrangues spoke in clear, distinct
tones, that rose above the hum OF voices.
and everyone caught the words. In an in
slant the room was still. The laughter on
all faces died away, leaving them grave; anil
twenty pairs Of curious eyes, and twenty
curious faces, were turned toward us. u was
80 sudden, so unexpected, this Earring dis
cord in our harmony, that Il fell as i bolt
from a mangonel, or a shot from one OF
Messer Novarro's new guns, had dropped
| in amongst us Even that, take u, would
have caused less surprise, although for the
present there was truce in the land. Pros
pcro Colonna turned half round in his seat
and looked at me- Our host and commander,
| old Ives d'AlegIes, who was pouring him
| self out a glass of white vernaccia, held the
decanter in mid air, an expression of blank
amazcment in his blue eyes. Even the
Englishman, Hardwood, who sat next to
me, was startled out Of his habitual calm.
Every eve was on us, on me where | sat
dazed, and on D'Entrangues, who was lean
ing back eighty, a forced smile on his face.
the fingers Of one hand playing with the
empty glass before him, whilst with the
other he slowly twisted mis- long red mus
tache. was completely taken aback.
! Only that afternoon | parted from DEN
trangues, apparently on the best of terms.
| We had played together and he had won
my crowns. Ii is true he was not paid in
| full at the time; but he knew the word OF
| a Savelli. On leaving, Nine. D'Entrangues
asked me to join her hawking party for the
morrow, and he urged the invitation. ]
accepted, and backed my new peregrine
against DEnttangues old hawk Bbbo for
ten crowns, the best Of three flights, and
| the wager was taken. Never, indeed, hal
| known him 40 cordial. | did not liSe the
man, but for his wife's sake was friendly 10
| him. OF a truth, there We're few of the
| youngsters in Tremouilles camp who weT.,
not in love with her, and some of us older
fellows too, though we hid our feelings bet
ter. | was grateful TO madame. She had
| been kind to me after the affair of San
Minato, when a Florentine pike somehow
found its way through my breastplate. In
deed, | may say owed my recovery to her
nursing. In return | had been of some serv-
ice to her in the retreat up the valley of the
Taro, after Fornovo-she called II saving her
life. In this manner friendship sprang up
between US which was increased by the o1,-
portunities we had of meeting whilst the
army lay inactive before Arezzo. Long years
of camp life made me fully appreciate the
society of a woman, remarkable alike for
her beauty and her talent; and she, on the
other hand, felt for me, | was sure, only
that friendship which it is possible for
good woman 10 hold for q man who is not
her husband.
do not for one moment mean to imply
that Doris D'Entrangues was perfection.
knew her to be hayward and rash, some.
times foolish, II you will but withal pure
woman. / soon found she was unhappy
and in time she got into way Of cOnfiding |
her troubles to me, and they were not a |
few, for D'Entrangues was-what all men |
knew him to be. Finding that could be of |
help to madame, i avoided all difference |
with ths husband, and foT her sake was, as |
/ have said, friendly TO him. Perhaps my |
course of action was not prudent; but who |
is there amongst US who is always guided BY |
the head! At any rate, expiated my fault. |
and paid the price Of my folly to the end Of |
the measure.
As / sat in the now silent supper-room
with the mans words buzzing in my ears, n |
curious recollection of a scene that oc-
CURED about month ago came back TO me-
Madame and j had overridden ourselves
hawking, and had dismounted at her re
quest and gathered for her a posy Of yellow
coronilla and scarlet amaryllis. This, in her
quick, implusive way, she held to her hus-
bands face when we met him, half league
or 30 on our way back, saying: "See what
lovely flowers Di Savelli has given mel" lie
snatched them from her hand, and flung
them under his horse with an oath, adding
something which did not catch. Madame
flushed crimson, and the incident ended
fnr \ 81 . Al |
1t all came back TO me now, in the oldest
manner, as ! sat staring at D'Entrangues
He had come in late TO the supper, and
after greeting D'Alegres, slipped into the
seat opposite me in silence. Across him
two men were discussing series of thefts
that had recently disturbed us. They were
not common thefts, such as are OF daily oc
in a military camp; but were the
work of some one both daring and enter.
prising Even then the matter would not
have attracted the attention il did but for
the loss OF ruby circlet by Duchess de IA
TremouIlle, which, besides its intrinsic
value, was the gift Of king Nine. de Ia
Tremouille made an cutlery, and the duke,
~ the matter touched him, was leaving no
stone unturned TO find the thief II had
tome 10 I've that every robbery in the camp
was put down to this same light-Gngered
and Visconti, one Of the two men
who were discussing the question, was loud
" lamenting the loss Of a rare medallion Of
which he had just been relieved. Through
put their conversation D'Entrangues,
though once or twice addressed, spoke no
word, but maintained moody silence.
When the wine was circlng round |, being
and wishing to stand well with the /,
husband Of madame made some rallying al
usion to our match for the morrow, and
offered to drink to him. His reply is known
The silence which followed his speech was
% utter that one may have heard feather
all and then some one, | know not who, /
aughed shortly The sound brought me TO
myself, and in fury, hardly knowing what !
was doing, jumped up and drew my dag |
ier, but was instantly seized by Colonna and I
lakewood. The latter was man Of great |
ize, and between him and Colonna ! was d
Helpless.
Give him rope" whispered Hardwood, I
nd his voice was kind, this is not an affair
o be settled with poniard thrust"
The whole room was in an uproar now, all