The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-15

comb wants cutting. and II all Is welt We vii
incise y for your souls good. But, IN tn,
meanwhile YOU are OF our company and fellow
ship. SO for Gods sake npd. your own do a
you are bid. Fare you well"
looked at HE round pellet in hts hand. 1t wa
tency. and OF :he lurgeness " "a pea.
As Laurence assembled the stairs he heard
the practice OF the pirheulnning N the chap
g.; PTeGsnt9s .'Sn9Hi; the iHoI LSt lEl Of Of Rl1tse' ,F h9f
a long, mellow whistle. upon lila Italian ritcl
pipe. running up and, down the scale and end
The open windows and the pier ced stous rail.
ing OF the great staircase Of Macheroul btpugh;
NJ the sound OF that sweet SINGING from the
through "a funnel They we're beginning the
practice for the Christmas services. though the
time was not yet near.
Peace be on the earth.
On this earth.
into men who have good Will.
SO they chanted in their white robeA IN the
chape! OF the Holy lnnocents in the castle OF
Machecoul, near by the Atlantic shore.
The chamber of GILES de Retz testified to
the extraordinary advancement Of that great
man IN knowledge which has been claimed rs
peculiar to much later centuries. The win
dow easements we're so arranged that in u mo-
ment the place could either be made as dark
rs nlIUnlKnI OF UOOURl WIKI DTkn lRnI. i ne
walls we're ALWAYS freshly whitewashed. and
the lime was o nstantly renewed. The stone
floor was stained a deep brick red, and tint,
night. At a time when. the. very word santa.
ton was unknown Giles had properly con-
apartment to the castle ditch. The chimney
was wide as q peasants whole house. and the
vast fireplace could hold on its iron dogs an
entire wagon load Of fagots. Indeed. that
amount was regularly consumed every day
when the, Marshal deigned to abide at Mache-
A~E1 F~. "a nRI IN ptE ~ "a - q
wonderful studies into the deep things OF the
un!yeTse 49,, c,.., uu,..
bending his body in a writhinG contortion to
listen 70 what might be going on in the cham
Der, Il dare not take you in Jill l see whether
SO at the stairhead. by q window lattice
which looked toward the chapel, Laurence
and listened with pleasure to the distant sing
ing Of the boys. He could even hear Precentor
Renout occasionally stop and rebuke them for
inattention or singing out OF tune.
My soul is like a watered garden,
And l shall not sorrow any more at ALI
SO he hummed as he listened and beat the
time on the ledge with his fingers. He felt
penetrating the mystery. At last he would
discover where the missing maidens were
But soon he began to look about him. grow
ing. like the boy he was, quickly weary OF mae
curious marks burned upon its panels by hot
irons. There were. circles complete and
circles tndt StODIel nlIt way, together Win
letters of some unknown language arranged
mostly in triangles.
This door fixed. the lads attention with a
certain curious fascination. He longed TO
touch it and see whether il Opened. but for the
moment he was too much afraid Of his guides
return TO summon him into the presence OF
He listened i%ntently. Surely he heard a low
like the wind in a distant %keyhole.
or as 1t might be and IL seemed more like i'll
the moaning Of a child in pain. 1t knows no:
why,
II came. to him that he had hit upon the hiding
pla ,e of Margaret Douglas. the heiress Of the
great province of Galloway. His fortune was
With a trembling hand he moved a step to-
ward the low door, OF whitewood with the
moment listening, half for the returning foot
steps OF Clerk Henrtet, and half TO the low, per-
be felt his right foot !" wet. Tor. as was the
he wore only a velvet shoe pointed AZ
the toe. He looked down and 10! from under
Laurence drew his foot away with q quick
catching sob OF the breath. But his hand was
almost Of its own accord He found himself
looking from the dusk Of the outer white;
end there was a great altar OF iron standing
the whole height of a man from the platform
tinctly against n greenish glow OF light and
imagined rather than clearly defined, the vast
fIS1pe q a could 0fd n NOT dis fhSs2fsfy a snsf%fs eat nges.
so deep was the gloom, but the whole figure
seemed to be bending, slightly forward. as if
But what struck Laurence with a sense
Of awe, and terror was the fact that as the
could see shadowy horns which projected
from each side of the forehead. and lower.
short ears pricked and shaggy like those of a
Nearer the door where he stood in the dens-
gloom something moved 70 and fro, and
could see that it was the bent figure
Of a woman. He could not distinguish her
age and bodily weakness. whose tangled hair
hung down her back and who halted curiously
upon one foot as she walked, Sne, was bend
shrouded figure from which proceeded the low
sound which he had heard from
waited trembling at the door. the moaning
ceased. and there ensued a long silence. in
Which ta1r eP &c could SSnh distinctly diSttngntsh
The streets Of a city.
The figure OF the, woman, bent !og ~ the
and then with a satisfied air she threw
l white cloth ever the shrouded form which lay
it. Then. without looking toward the
great iron altar. at the upper end Of the weird
'hapel. and threw something on the red embers
"Barran-most mighty Barran-Sathanas.
.ccept this offering and reveal thySelf to my
A greenish smoke Of sitting odor rose and
1lled all the place. and through it the huge
horned ngure above the altar seemed to turn
Is head and look at the boy.
Laurence could scarcely repTess a cry Of
error. He set his hand to the door and 10! az
{ had opened SO it appeared 10 shut Of itself.
1a sank almost fainting against the cold ron
of the window which looked, out upon the
'ourtyard below. The wind blew in upon
lin sweet and cool. and with II there came tho
ound OF the singing Of the choir. They were
inginS the song Of the holy innofents which
ienouf had set to excellent and accordant
music. Of his own inventions:
Ayoice was heard in Ramah,
In Ramah,
LamentAtion and bitter weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refused 10 he comfOrtsd
For her children.
Because they were not.
Obviously there was some mistake or lack
( attention on the part Of the choir. for the
line had TO be repeated three times:
Because they were mott
CHAPTER IL
THE MARSpAT'S CUAMRER