The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-11-19


seigneur."
: Then some ONE was i'm hiding before
we came, Lorgnac. IlSten-l was just
about to come for you, when i heard
a laugh and q rllstling in the hedges.
rushed forward, but could see nothing
At last | heard voices and came here
Then, as if Il sudden suspicion had
struck him: 1T was not you, de BInls
quet p and he cast keen eye ON me.
| shook my head and Conde went on
! TURNING again to Lorgnac, whose eyes
were bent reproachfully upon him;
MAN, do not look at me like that. III
sapngose it will be all over Paris lin an
was madness my coming here. | know,
but | could not help ut. And now
hour" And he looked at me once more
| knew we'll enough that the king was
boiling with wrath against Condo. Young
AS he was. his brilliant achievements.
his personal grace and happy spirits had
won all hearts. Everything that a sub
iect cam hope for seemed within his grasp
and he was more than am ordinary sub
iect. as the second prince of the blood.
In moment all this was changed. His
commission as colonel general was taken
from him, his government of PlcaTdy
given to Coligny, and he who, in the
morning was i'll the full tide of court
favor had hurried off. at dusk, Il simple
volunteer for the defense of Malienbourg.
What the secret of this was | did not
know. but Condos last words and the
look he gave ME pricked me; and | am
swered him coldly.
'fMonseigemr, so far as i am concern
ed. no one will know that | have seen
YOU"
Il would put my honor oil M de
Resme's word,'' said LOrgnac, rs he
added: "And now, monseigneur, let us
go at once. pray YOU Too much mis-
chief has been done already.
1T is not for myself, | fear but
and the prince stopped, for lsorgmc
made ii warning gesture that stayed his
words.
For a space we three young men
looked at each other. and then mon
seigneur held out his hand to me.
M de Besme, | spoke in haste. |
thank you for your promise. Adieu'
Till better times"
| took the hand he held out to me.
and his grasp was firm and cordial.
Then he went back as he had come. and
Lorgnac with him; but, ere the latter
left me, he bent forward, and said in
low voice
Stay here for an hour or SO! Let me
know if any one passes. There is life
and death on this, old friend"
With that be followed the prince, leav-
ing me with all my day dreams knocked
out of my head. a prey to the most COM
plete wonder and establishment.
| made up my mind to do what Lorg-
nae wished There was n council tnat
day. at which it was not necessary thar
lie Brusquet should attend. and | would
net be required until after the dinner
hour. Besides, my curiosity was stirred
to its depths; and so | fingered, keeping
a careful watch to the right and left
of me, but saw nothing At last | be-
gan to weary Of this. and on rejecting
that there were three ways out of the
garden--one by the wicket leading into
the Louvre, the second near the Porte st.
Honore. and the third at the tour de
Bois-I came to the conclusion that if
there was spy about, he would have
plenty of chance to escape. So | con-
suited the oracle / picked Pompon
up and let him drop on the sward, de-
termined to follow the course he took.
As he touched ground, the little beast
gave a chuckle, and scampered across
the grass in the direction of the river.
In brief. it was the river bank near the
tour de Bots that the oracle pointed at,
and | followed Pompon across the
hedge. and we went noiselessly through
Il tangled maze of brush and shrub and
tree, until we came to the old city wall,
that ended here on the river face. No
sooner had we reached 1t than Pompon
swarnled up the wall. With the aid of
a friendly yew tree, / followed his ex-
ample. and, stretching myself on the
fiat surface. with the ape curled up
close beside me, | waited and watched.
The day was perfect, and / basked like
a lizard in the warm sunshine, listening
to the buzzng of the wasps, and the
CHEEKY whistle of a blackcap from Il
thorn bush not a bowshot from me. But
my eyes were not idle. | had good
view from where | was. and / watched
like Il hawk from a cliff. But nothing
came in sight except the slow procession
of boats passing UP and down the river
and the crowd on the opposite bank, like
so many ants hurrying to and fro. |
was beginning to despair, and was laugh
ing to myself at my oracle when little
skiff that had been hugging the shore
on my side stole quietly up, and ground
cd softly on the bank just beneath me.
There was only one man within; but |
saw at a glance he was not regular
boatsman of our river. He was too tall
and dark and had foreign air about
him. With the aid Of a towline he fas-
tened the boat to a heavy stone, and
then, throwing his coat on his arm-for
he was in his shirtsleeves-he stepped
mp the bank, and sat contentedly down
beneath the yew tree.
20 ho!' | muttered to myself, 'the
oracle is working" Craning over, l
took another look at my man; but |
could see little except his shoulders and
the top of his head. His coat, however,
was on the grass beside him, and on its
breast was embroidered the arms OF
Spain.
From the Spanish embassy" | muir
INJURED again. This grows interesting"
And stretched myself so that | could
watch him without moving. My only
fear was lest Pompon should make some
noise, or start off in pursuit of some
idle fancy; so | stroked his fur gently
to keep him quiet, and the ape blinked
at me with sleepy, bead-like eyes.
| had not long to wait. maybe a half