Evening star., 1899-02-04


drop of blood that distils from your white
neck. Aha, you shall change your tone
when at the white throat apple, which your
sweetheart would have loved to kiss, You
feel the bite of the sharp, slow knife. Then
you will not thrust aside La Meffraye. Then
you shall cry and none shall pity. Then
she VIII Spurn you from her knees.
Out said GILES de Retz briefly, and like
some inferior imping devilkin before the
great master of evil, La Meffraye retreated.
hobbing to the doorway of the marshals
chamber, where she crouched nodding and
chucklng and mumblins fnaudible words,
mingling them ever with her dry cackling
laughter.
GILES de Retz stopped at the corner of
the platform and looked long at Maud and
Margaret, where they stood on the great
central square of marble. 1t was the little
maid who spoke first.
Dear messire, she said. sweetly and al
most confidently, you have little girl of
your own. know for 1 have played with
her. l love her Therefore you will not
hurt US. / am sure you will not hurt us
You are going to send us back in a ship
to our own country. because it is lonely
here, where Maud and ] know no onei'
The marshal smiled upon her his inscrut-
able inhuman smile. He leaned against
pillar of strangely twisted design and con-
templated the two victims at his ease.
Life is sweet to you, Is it not? he said
at last. You are truly happy, being
young, and so have no need 10 pe made
young again"
| "Oh. but l am very old" said the maid,
| gaining some confidence from the quiet OF
| his voice. Il am nearly eight years old
And our Maudie here she is3oh' dread
| full age! She is very very old
You would not like to die?' suggested
| GILES de Retz, with certain soft insinua-
| ton.
"Oh, no." said Margaret Douglas. Il am
going to live long and long-til every one
| in the world loves ! am going to help
every one to get what they most desire.
| And you know l can, for l shall be very
| rich. And If what they say Is true. and /
am Princess of Galloway. l shall marry
and be a very great lady. But ! shall
never marry any one who is not Doug
las.
The marshal nodded.
| Il do not think that you shall marry any
| one who i5 not Il Douglas, he said with
| a certain grave and not discourteOuS irony
| in his tones
Yes" the little maid went on. She had
| lost all fear in the very act of speech.
| yes. and Maud. she is going to marry
SholtO-and they Will be so happy, for they
love each other so. | know it, for she told
| me so tonight just before you sent for us
| to come to your feast That was kind of
| you to remember us, though it was past
bed time. But now, good marshal, you
will send us back, will you not? Now, look
| kind tonight. You will be glad afterward
| that you We're good to two maids who
never harmed YOU but would be ready to
| love you if you were kind to them"
| Hush, Margaret said Maud Lindsay.
| 1T is useless to speak such words to such
| a man"
| ne MdFSUdl uc ftclZ luilltu Sltdl pIS ~
her.
| All" he said, with curious bite in his
! words, then, my young lady, you would
| not love me, even if l should let you GO
| 4 should hate and abomnate you for
| ever and ever even if you helped me into
| paradise!' quoth Maud Lindsay. giving
| him defiance in full eye-voiiey.
| So he said. calmly, Il am indeed likely
| to help you into paradise this very night
| that is, unless St. Peter of the keys makes
| up his mind that outspoken and trick
| some maid had best take q few thousand
| years of purgatory-is ii were, en- passant|'
| sudden lowering passion at this point
| altered his COuntenauce.
NO" he Numbered, standing up erect
| from the pillar against which he had been
| leaning, and his whole voice and bearing
| changing past description 1T is enough
| listen! I will be brief with you. l have
| brought both of you here that you may die
| cannot expect of you that you Will un-
| dcrStand or appreciate my motives, which
are, indeed, above the knowledge of chill
| dren. This is a temple to a great god and
he demands the sacrifice of the nOblcst and
most innocent blood. l do you the honor
| to believe that it is here to my hand. Also.
your deaths Will cause a number of people
| both in Scotland and elsewhere to sit easier
| IN their seats. Lastly. l had sworn that
you should die If your friends from Scot
| land came to trouble me. They have come,
| and Giles de Retz keeps his word-as doth
| the great master whom he serveth,"
| He bowed in the direction of the vast
|
| appeared to turn toward his niche with a
! leer, as If to say, Listen to him. What a
fool he is.''
The maids stood silent, not comprehend
| ing aught save that they were to die
| Then suddenly Giles de Retz cried out in
| his loudest military tones, "Henret, Poitou
| De Sille, bind these maidens upon the iron
| altar that Barran-Sathanas may feed his
| eyes on their beauty and rejocei'''
| And as they stood m0tionless upon the
square of white marble the servitors came
| forward and led them to the great altar of
| IRON. They lifted the maidens up and laid
| their bodies crosSwise upon the vast grid
| the bars of which We're as thick as p man :
| arm, arranging them so that their heads
hung without support over the bar next
| the shadowy image
AS they bound them rudely hand and foot
| the long and beautiful hair of Maud Linde-
say escaped from its fastenings and fell
down till it reached the great bath of red
porphyry which extended underneath the
whole length of the altar of iron.
| Then through all the Temple of Evil there
ensued silence. Not sob or a moan es-
capped from the doomed madens and the
| feet Of the assistants fell silent and soft as
| the paws of wild beasts upon the ebon
| floor.
CTO be cOntinued)