The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-07-09

fair pace, as the road was good ana We
were well able 20 see our way by th'
moonlight. but after crossing the Taurion
by frail wooden bridge. which creaked
and groaned omniously as we passed over
81, Lalande took turn to the right and
followed a narrow track whereon we had
10 ride nose to tail Womanlike. began
TO think he was taking the wrong road
and asked him whittier he was leading
us
st Priest-Taurion lies on the main
road madame, and IL would be well To
avoid H. Let not madame have any fear.
i could make my way To Meymac blind
fold"
And want 10 show of by picking the
most horrible pathsr' shrilled out Mou-
settle, whose temper. never of the best
had gone TO ribbons. and little wonder,
too. poor thing.
.''It would be well II we speak in lower
tones-better still not 10 speak az all,
said the equerry, and. silencing Mousette
with a reprimand, / asked Lalande TO
lead on.
While the motion was fast II was not
possible to think. but now that we were
going at something like a snaifs pace l
unconsciously gave myself over TO my
reflections though l had by this time
reached a state Of mind when II seemed
impossible for me TO distinguish between
right and wrong or 90 think coherently
The proof OF the truth OF De Clermonts
story had accentuated the bitterness In
my heart against my husband. ana TINS
was not lessened when ! remembered
the infamy OF the enterprise which he
had undertaken and OF which i was the
price had IL once or twice in my
mind TO try TO prevent the crime he con-
templated by attempting 10 warn the
Bearnnois but IL was impossible 10 do
so from here, and j should have TO make
the attempt from Meymac. Then that
thought gave place 10 DE Clermont ana
with the memory of him regrets that l
had not taken his offer and by one
desperate stroke freed myself forever
from DE Lorgnac, even at the cost OF that
good opinion OF the world we pretend 10
despise and yet value 40 much, even
against what / felt 10 be the teachings
of my conscience After all, was mere
ly holding to vows that had never really
made The priests benediction surely
could not bind me forever 10 hateful
life.
had my dreams. as all young women
and young men have, OF a life that l
could share with one whom l could trust
and honor and love. one whose joys would
be my Joys whose sorrows would be my
sorrows, whose ambitions and hopes
would be my ambitions and hopes, and so
10 pass hand IN hand with him until one
or both of us were called away to fulhH
the mystery OF life by death And Do
clermont? Could he have been the one
10 have so Travelled with me? Did love
him? For the life OF me l could not
tell at that moment AT one time u
seemed dragged toward him, at another
there was "a positive repulsion. ana
through IL all there was an ever warning
voice within me. like the tolling OF bell
hung over a sunken rock to warn ma
riners of danger. telling me: Beware!
Bewarev' felt I'm my heart that he did
not ring true metal Why, / could not
tell. nor can / tell now, but l suppose
that God, who has limited the capacity OF
us women to reason as compared with
man. has given 10 us this faculty OF IN
tuition by which We can know. Would
that IL were followed more often; would
that its warnings were ever Needed Such
were the thoughts that chased each other
through my brain as the long hours
passed. and then they seemed 10 twine
themselves together into network that
left me powerless TO follow them ana
unrayel the tangle. oh. IL was weary
ride! Overhead hung the moon' now
light. then darkened by Hitting clouos'
with a few stars showing here ana there
in the sky on all sides of us fioated
aim silyerey haze that made II appear as
n we were going through dreamland;
dark shadows of trees, fantastic rocks
that might have been thrown here and
there by giants at play and a road that
turned and twisted like a serpents track,
full OF stones and powders, on whlch our
horses continually stumbled, nut mer-
cifully did not come down and bring us
with them There was one advantage We
derived from these powders. They Kept
the horses and ourselves from sleeping,
for after n stumble and a jerk both beast
and rider began 10 see the folly OF nod
ding and bravely strove 20 keep awake.
Al last we came 20 something that
looked like level ground. and Lalande
suggested that we should increase our
pace 20 a canter. adding, truly enough
that II would rouse us all up. We fol-
lowed his advice, nothing loath. and kept
at this pace with occasional halts TO
rest the horses for the best part OF the
night Al last, however. neither Mou-
settle nor myself could endure going on
longer. and indeed our horses We're as
much II not more worn out than we were.
In short, we were so fatigued that l had
got into a frame Of mind In which did
not care what happened TO me, one way
or the other, and Mousette. poor girl,
was crying softly 90 herself. though she
kept her way with the greatest courage
This being the case. l called 60 Lalande
that we could not 30 on any farther. but
At his intercessiOn we made yet another
effort. and at last We halted near clump
of beeches. close TO which a small brook
purled by do not think shall ever
forget the kindness and attention OF the
honest fellow. he made us as comfort
able a resting place as he could contrive
with the aid Of saddle and rugs. and then.
giving us some ~TSe To drink. bade as
sleep. while he retired little distance.
not 20 rest. but 90 attend 20 the horses
and keep a watch. So utterly tired out
were we that we must have fallen asleep
NJ once. and the sun was already rising
when raiapde aroused us.
.srf madame does not mind he said.
s1t would be well n we moved farther
ND into that wood yonder and rest
there while ] go 10 a village hard AZ
hand and procure some food and take
news OF the state OF tho road"
To this I assented readily. and after
walking for about n quarter OF a mile
We found a spot which exactly suited
our purpose and where both we and
the horses could be concealed for the
remainder OF the day, II Il was 80 nec-
s~sary. without any fear of discovery