The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-06-06

line TOR 0Whlle-DuG IL De paIleAV
till she's my wife, and if she doesn't
find me a match for her then-for, as
clever as she is, I am quite unac-
ouainted with the future Earl OF Win
dermere or the present Lord Clarence
Stanley"
While these reflections, partly in
silent thought and partly in broken
snatches of remark, were passing
through Stanley's mind, he was per-
forming O hasty morning toilet-a
matter which the professors limited
conveniences rendered difficult.
Hehurriedly completed his prepara-
tions for the street, glanced at his
luggage, not even unstrapped yet, and
at once decided to get new quarters,
whether Van Tassel had returned or
not, when he should have come back
again after breakfast
A strange and very unusual feeling
of depression took possession OF Stan
lev when he found himself in the
street, and he glanced about in fur
tive manner, but without knowing
he did so.
He quickened his steps, turning
into street that, after little wind
ing, brought him at once into a better
neighborhood, and then he directed
his course to the restaurant where ne
had dined with Van Tassel; but he
gave much less time than usual to his
breakfast. The morning paper,
which he glanced over while wait
ing for coffee and rolls, did not give
him the satisfaction that he had an
ticipated, and it was a distinct dlsap-
pointment when he saw that an un-
known man had rung the bell at the
house of Baron Helmholtz, with the evil
dent intention of committing some act
of violence against some member OF
the family-doubtless the beautiful
Baroness Helmholtz, whom he had
asked for as "Celestine.
"The man is evidently crank, or,
it may be an escaped lunatic," the ar
ticle continued, ''for when the terri
fed servant refused to carry his mes
sage, he drew a dagger from his
breast-pocket and, Aourishing it
wildly, declared that he must, and
would, see the baroness; because he
had come from Carlos, Carlos, whom
she adored He, then turned away,
and muttering what sounded like a
PRAYER for help, exclaimed: God,
God, pity me! Send some angel to
free me from the devil who pursues
mel At this, the servant, who felt
instinctively that she had madman
to deal with. fed upstairs, shrieking
to her mistress to be on her guard and
to lock her door before the lunatic
could get to her. At the same mo-
ment, Baron von Helmholtz, who had
Just entered the house unknown to
the servant, came hastily from the
back drawing-room into the hall; but
was only in time to see the would-be
assassin rushing from the house.
Baron Helmholtz pursued the man
into the street, but, on arriving
there, he saw man and woman dis
appearing in one direction and an
other man standing irresolutely near
the corner of the street, in the other
direction. Uncertain what to do, he
returned to the house and sent tele-
phone alarm to the nearest police
station. But no trace Of the lunatic
has been found, and no clew to what
may have been his intentions in re-
gard to the beautiful baroness, who
remains, happily, unharmed, and not
even alarmed at what looks very like
an attempt..on her life."
Stanley was not prepared for the
feeling of bitter disappointment that
took possession of him as he read the
above paragraph, at first hastily, and
then with slow and careful precision,
weighing the value of each sentence
as he read it. Until then, he had not
known how much he had depended on
the hypnotic suggestion which he had
imposed on the unhappy professor;
but, Notwithstanding the fact that he
had rldiculed the idea from the first,
and had been we'll disposed to curse
every species of occult knowledge af-
ter his experience with Dolores, his
own mysterious power over. Van fas-
sci interested him more than he knew,
and he had confidently expected to get
rid of the beautiful Celestine forever
through the agency of her half-crazy
"brother." ".
He hurriedly swallowed his coffee,
hastened to Van Tassels rooms, to
which their original owner had not
yet returned, and an hour later he
was settled in an obscure, but COM
Portable hotel, and registered under
IN assumed name; for he determined
to remain but few days longer in
New York, and to leave no clew by
which Mary Hamilton's father could
trace him. .
So rapidly had events chased each
other in his life for the past forty hours,
that Clarence Stanley felt himself
to be an older man when at last he set
out to call on his brilliant fancee,
but, happily, he did not look so, and
he was glad to think that Olive would
be satisfied with his appearance.
"I shall waste nc time in making
excuses for yesterday" he said to
himself, as he neared her house; and,
glancing up at it, saw a dark, laugh
ing face looking toward him from the
drawing-room window. 'By Jove!
There she is, and not bit offended"
And when he reached the door it was
instantly opened, before he had time
to touch the bell.
"Come I'M" said Olive, merrily. II
ought to scold you, but I can imagine