The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-10

hunger. After her recent adventure, she
was determined to make no further
efforts to look after her interests, and,
therefore, having RECALLED herself with the
remnants Of a stale bun run1maged out
of her bag, sat down to write letter to
her aunt, and to wonder when it would
be dinner time.
Rather more than an hour passed, and
Molly's healthy appetite had reached a
frantic point, when there came tap at
her door, and obeying her invitation to
enter, a brown-faced, grizZled, queer lit
tie man, in greasy dress-clothes, app
peared on the threshold: ~vrs
Dinner will be served in little quar-
ter of an hour. eve dine at half-past
five at the chateau)-this parentheti-
cally. Mime. la comtesse is not well
enough to descend. Does mademoisene
wish her dinner to be served to her IN
her room?''
Certainly not; am not ILL., returned
Molly who did not see why Nine. Ia
comtesse's indisposition should cause her
to be treated as an invalid.
Dame! there will only be M. lie baron
but as mademoiselle wishes. Would
mademoiselle like me to show her the
way to the dining-room?"
"Madamoiselle'' having intimated de-
sire to that effect she was piloted
through the aforesaid mazes of passages,
the little man, whose name, as he inform
ed her, was Isidore, and whose office that
of maitre d'hotel. Besides these inter-
esting facts, he impaired to her a variety
of others more or less noteworthy, and
by the time they had reached the dining
room Molly was in possession or much
valuable information respecting the m
habitants of the chateau. She knew that
we did not see much company, Nine.
la Comtesse being always suffering and
M lie Baron being a bachelor, and, more
over "un peu farouche"-that I'VE" were
occasionally a little more gay at the
chateau when the young Comte de
Treilles, only son Of Nine. la Comtesse,
came to visit her; but he took cara not
to stay longer than he could help. Made
moiselle would conceive that he found us
a little dull-that was easily understood
and young men accustomed to the great
world did not like to be bored.
''Ah, but-we are now at the dining
room. Will mademoiselle go in? She will
find M. lie Baron there, and dinner will
be served Immediately
NJ. de Sauvigny, who looked up in evil
dent surprise as she entered was al
ready in possession of the great gloomy
room, with its tapestried walls and heavy
carved ceiling. Beside him, on the faded
hearthrug, stood a large black retriever,
with solemn and rather unamtaole ex-
preston of face
Molly. according to her custom with all
dogs, endeavored to make friends, but he
resented any attempts at familiarity;
finally uttering a deep, bass growl and
showing the whites of his eyes in so
alarming a manner that she was forced
to desist
as he ill-tempered? 'she asked, hasti-
ly withdrawing her hand from the dogs
velVety head
Not exactly, but he does not like
strangers"
Like his masterl" thought Molly.
An embarrassing pause ensued. M. lie
Baron gazed out of the window, Our
son, the dog, laid his head between his
paws and glared suspiciously at the new
conner, while the latter debated in her
own mind whether she should, or should
not, venture to make small remark
! about the weather.
Before she had decided this knotty point
! Isidore entered, bearing a large soup
tureen.
IN. lie Baron is served" he said a mo-
ment later, making a low bow to his
master.
"Win you sit here?' said M. de sau-
vigny. pointing to the foot of the table,
| while he installed himself in a chair
opposite, and lsidore, with soup plate in
/ each hand, proceeded to minister to their
| wants.
! Molly was, as has been said, extremely
hungry, and shared the impression preva-
| lent among so many of the untraveled
! that French cookery must necessarily
| be good; therefore, it was with certain
amount of p1easurable anticipation that
she prepared to attack the fare set before
| her.
But her countenance fell as she con-
templated the pale fluid in her plate, at
| the bottom of which were thick Jumps
of sage, while the top was completely
| covered with amber-colored grease.