The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1901-08-01
Very well, indeed. He is my hus,
CHAPTER V.
A Priest and a Woman.

! v.
A Priest and Woman.
He is my husband!'
The statement was made in the pur>
/ est innocence; yet never, as may well
i be imagined, did words fall with more
/ stunning force. Not one of us an
/ swered, or, I believe, moved SO much as
limb or an eyelid. We only stared,
wanting time to take in the astonishing
meaning Of the words, and then more
| time to think what they meant to us in
particular.
Louis de Pavannes' wife! Louis de
| Pavannes married! If the statement
were true-and we could not doubt,
looking in her face, that at least she
thought she was telling the truth-it
meant that we had been fooled indeed!
That we had had this journey for moth
! ing, and run this risk for a villain.
1t meant that the Louis de Pavannes
who had won our boyish admiration
was the meanest, the vilest of court
gallants. That Mile. de Caylus had
that we in trying to be beforehand
with Beers had been striving to save
a scoundrel from his due. 1t meant all
| that as soon as we grasped it in the
! least.
Madame said Croisette, gravely.
smile faded pitifully from her face,
scared by our strange looks, your
husband has been some time away
from you? He only returned, I think,
a week or two ago."
i "Ihat is so,' she answered, naively,
and our last hope vanished But
/ what of that? He was back with me
| again, and only yesterday-only yes
terday" she continued, clasping her
| hands, I'VE We're so happy"
And now, madame?"
She looked at me, not comprehend
! ing.
Il mean, I hastened to explain, Eve
do not understand how you come to be
here. And a prisoner l was really
thinking that her story might throw
some light upon ours.
II do not know, myself" she said.
Yesterday, in the afternoon, l paid
visit to the Abbess Of the Ursulines."
Pardon me-" Croisette interposed
quickly, but are you not of the new
faith? a Huguenot?"
"Oh, yes" she answered, eagerly
But the abbess is a very dear friend
of mine, and no b!got. Oh, nothing OF
that kind, assure you. When I am in
Paris I visit her once a week. 4ester-
day, when 1 left her, she begged me to
call here and deliver a message"
Then I said, you know this
house?'
VERY we'll, indeed" she replied. 1T
is the sign Of the Hand and Glove,
one door out of the Rue Platriehe. l
have been in Master Mirepo1XS shop
more than once before. / came here
yesterday to deliver the message, leav-
ing my maid in the street, and was
4 asked to come upstairs, and still up
until reached this room. Asked to walt
a moment, began to think 1T strange
that l should be brought to so wretched
a place, when I had merely message
for Mirepoix's ear about some gaunt-
lets. I.tried the door; I found 1t was
locked. Then l was terrified, and MADE
a noise"
We all nodded. We were busy build
ing up theories-or it might be one and
the same theory-to explain this Yes,
l said, eagerly.
'Mirepoix came to me then. What
does this mean?' / demanded: He
looked ashamed of himself but he
barred my way Only this, he said
at last, that your ladyship must re-
main here a few hours-two days at
most No harm whatever is intended
to you My wife will wait upon yon
and when you leave us all shall be eX-
planned He would say no more and
it was in vain that I asked him If he did
not take me for some one else: II ne
. thought l was mad. To all he answered
NO And when l dared him to detain
. me he threatened force. Then I sue
cumbed. 1 have been here since, sus-
pecting I know not what, but fearing
everything.
This is ended, madame" I answered
my hand on my breast, my soul in arms
. for her. Here, unless I was mistaken
was one more unhappy and more deep
ly wronged even than Kit; one toe
who owed her misery to the same vii
lain. Were there nine glovers on the
, stairs I declared roundly, I'VE would
take you out and take you home!
Where are your husbands apart
, ments?"
"In the Rue de Saint Merri, close tc
the church. We have a house there
IN. de Pavannes," 1 suggested, cum
ningly, "is doubtless distracted by youl
: disappearance"
ooh. surely" she answered, with ear
nest simplicity, while the tears sprang
to her eyes. Her innocence-she. had
, not the germ os suspicion-made me
grind my teeth with wrath Oh, the
base wretch! The miserable rascal!
What did the woman see, wondered
what had we all seen in this man, this
Pavannes, that won for him our hearts
when he had only stone to give in re,
turn?
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