Omaha daily bee., 1899-01-15

The chamber Of GILES de Retz testified to
the extraordinary advancement OF that great
man in knowledge which has been claimed
as peculiar to much later centuries. The
window were SO arranged that In
O moment the place could either be made
as dark as midnight or flooded with bright
light. The walls were always freshly white
washed, and the lime was constantly re-
newed. The stone floor was stained a deep
brick red, and that, too would often be ap-
piled freshly during the night. At a time
when the very word sanitation was unknown
GILES had properly constructed conduits
leading from an adjoining apartment to the
castle ditch. The chimney was wide as a
PEASANTS whole house, and the vast fire.
place could hold on it's iron dogs an entire
wagon load of faggots. Indeed that amount
was regularly consumed every day when the
marshal designed to abide at Machecoul for
his health, and in pursuance of his wonder
full studies into the deep things of the
universe.
"Bide here a moment" said Clerk Henriet,
bending his body in a writhing contortion
to listen to what might be going on in the
chamber; II dare not take you in till 1
see whether my lord is in good case to re-
ceive you"
So at the stairhead, by a window lattice
which looked toward the chapel, Laurence
stood and waited. At first he kept quite
still and listened with pleasure to the dis
tant singing of the boys. He could even
hear Precentor Renouf 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 all!
So he hummed as he listened and beat
the time on the ledge with his fingers. He
felt singularly content. Now he was on
the eve of penetrating the mystery. At
last he would discover where the missing
maidens were concealed.
With a trembling hand he moved a step
coward the low door of whitewood with curl
Gus burned marks upon it. He stood for a
moment listening, half for the returning
footsteps of Clerk Henriet, and half to the
low persistent whisper behind the panels.
Suddenly he felt his right foot wet, for, as
was the fashion, he wore only a velvet shoe
pointed at the toe. He looked down and 10!
from under the door trickled a tiny stream
of red.
Laurence drew his foot away with a quick
catching sob of the breath. But his hand
was on the door, and at a touch it appeared
to open almost Of its own accord. He found
himself looking from the dusk Of the outer
NhitcNaShcu pdSSdSc INV q hi6h VII
chapel wherein many dim lights glimmered.
At the end there was a great altar Of iron
standing the whole height Of a man from the
platform on which it was set up, and behind
it, cut indistinctly against a greenish glow
of light and imagined rather than clearly
defined, the vast statue of a man with a
curiously- shaped head. Laurence could not
distinguish any features, go deep was the
gloom, but the whole figure seemed to bs
bending slightly forward, as II gloating upon
that which was laid upon the altar. But
what struck Laurence with a sense OF 1--WE
and terror was the fact that as the greenish
light behind waxed and waved he could see
shadowy horns which projected from each
side Of the forehead, and lower, short cara
pricked and shaggy like those Of a he-goat.
Nearer the door where he stood in the
densest gloom something moved to and fro,
and as his eyes grew accustomed to the
bent figure of a m He could not dis
tinguish her face, but 1t was certainly q
woman of great age and bodily weakness
whose tangled hair hung down her back
and who halted curiously upon one foot as
she walked. She was bending over a low
couch on which lay a little shrouded figure
from which proceeded the low whispering
sound which he had heard from without.
But even at that moment, as he waited
trembling at the door. the moaning ceased.