Evening star., 1899-01-28

But all suddenly, at the very height of
| his exalta ton. thelcup from which he had
drunk slipped from his hand ana rolled
| upon the tesselated pavement of fthe tenn
pie, staining it in gouts and vivid .btotches
| of crimson. .srrg. u ~E7
Hasten, ere 1 lose the powerAI feel it
checked Potion. De Sille, Henriet, go
bring hither from the white tower the SEQ
,tish maids. Run dOgs-or you die! Quick
Henriet, good De Sille, quick! Fail not
your master now! 1t ebbs, it weakens, and
It IT,, was SO near completion. Stay, oh, Barran,
till l finish the sacrifice, and here at thy
feet, offer up to thee the richest and the
fairest and the noblest! Bring hithar the
| maidens! I tell you; bring them quickly"
And the terrible lord of Retz, exhaust ed
| by his own fury. cast himself at the feet
OF the gigantic image, which, bending over
him, seemed, with the same grmace, sar-
donical!y to mock alike his downfall and
his aXaltation.
But Laurance heard no more. For sense
and feeling had wholly departed from him.
and he lay as one dead behind the door of
the temple of Barran-Sathanas lord of
evil, in the thrice -abhorrent castle of
Machecoul.
CHAPTER LvI.
The Shadow Behind the Throne
Within the grim walls of Black Anglers
Duke John of Brittany and refgnng SOW
ereign of western France was holding his
court. The city and fortress did not prop
erly, of right and parchment holding an
pertain TO him. But he mad occupied it
during the recent troubles with the Eng
hSh, ana ms LOVING cousin and nominal
suzerain Charles VII of France had nor
yet been strong enough to make him render
ii up again.
The duke sat in the central tower Of the
fortress OF Black Anglers, that which locks
between the high fiankng turrets of that
mighty encente of walls. He wriggl.f dis
contentedly in his chair and grumbad nm
der his breath.
hi
with lantern jaws and a mouth like a
wolf trap, deep-set eyes that famed under
the bushy eyebrows, stood Pierre de rHopi-
tai, the true master of Brittany
- tell You, VIII go to the tennis courts
the three Scots must wait audience till
tomorrow. What errand can they have
with me-some varlets whom Charles win
not pay row that his job is done? They
come co to take service, doubtless. A begsar-
ly lot are all such varlets, but brave. YES.
excellent soldiers are the Scots so lory as
they are well fed, that is
Nay. my lord duke" said Pierre de
iHopital, standing up tall and somber, his
long black gown accentuating the ne
culiarities of his figure, ..it were almost
necessary to see these men now and hear
VIVA. what they have to say. 1, myself. have seen
John of Brittany threw down the f;tt,a
scepter. fashioned in imitation of that made
for the King of France. with which he had
been toying The action was that of a
pettish child.
oh" he cried i'if you have decided
there remains nothing for me but to obevu;
Il thank your extellency for your prac,-
Gus readiness ITO grant the men an inter
view" said Pierre. ae rHopital, having re-
gard to the essential matter and disreear6-
ing the unessential manner.
Duke John Sat glpomng and kicking his
feet to and fro on the raised dajs ShiIe
behind his chair. imDassive as the grand
iEquisitor himself, Pierre de rHonitaI
president of Brittany, raised a hand to an
unseen serVltor and; in few moments the
three scots were ushered into the ducaI
presence o., e,
The Lord James, in virtue of his nua1jtv
stood little in front, not by his own vii,
or desire, but because Sholto and his father
had so placeda themselves that the voIine
noble should have his own rightfuI nreca.
dehce. For as to these things all Scots are
careful by na$ure.
Duke John continued to keen his eyss
averted tr1m the men who sought his nrsSN
ence. He teased n little lop-eared snanieI
and nipped it's ear till it yelped Rnt tbs
president of Brittany never took his eyes
on the strangers examining them with a
bold, keen, remorseless glance in which
however, there was neither evil nor the toI,
erance of it. Not man to make birossif
greatly beloved, this Pierre de PfIonitol,
And little he cared whether or no In
Brittany men did his will. That was
enough. -...-
James Douglas was nettled at the inat-
tention of the duke. He was of that iarpa
and sanguine nature which is at once easiiI,
touched by any discourtesy and very quick
to resent 1t.
My lord of Brittany" he began in q
loud clear voice. and In his usual immacu-
late French, Il claim your attention for n
little. come to lay before you that which
touches your kin and Kingdom
Duke John continued to play with the