The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-12
- BOOK w.
Love Will Have Its Way.
CHAPTER XVII, g..
Recognition.

the upper chamber although it was the
evening after the day of the battle and
the visit to the chateau. He had been
promptly put there again by the faithful
Jean-Renaud when his bearers had
reached the house. and after quiet night
and long day of perfect rest he felt
much better. DR.. Arnoux, who had called
to see him in the morning. had repre-
hended him severely for his excursion of
the day before. Although the surgeon had
been filed with generous admiration at
the devotion and courage Grafton had eX-
hibited in behalf of de Vitre in the
chateau. he had strictly forbidden him to
rise again from the bed for some time a t
least. With the remembrance of his un-
fortunate collapse in the chateau at the
trial Of de Wire the Englshman was
inclined to- heed his advice. Indeed, he
could no less, since his uniform, as a
further preventive. had been taken away
by jean Renaud under the orders of
Mademoselle de Rohan
The tedium Of the day had been relieved
by two short visits from the mistress Of
the household. Had she consulted her in
clination only. she would not have left
him for a moment. but she did not dare
trust herself long in his presence. Yet
bare hospitality. the consideration due a
sick man whom fate had thrown unon her
hands. CONTAINED her at least to inquire
as to his health and to supervise in per-
son the meaSre arrangements which the
straitened circumstances necessitated by
the rigorous siege Of Quebec permitted her
to make for his comfort
Her visits had been brief. however, and
while they lasted she had deliberately
stood in the shadow of the bed~curtai ms
so that no opportunity for a fair look
upon her face had been vouchsafed him
"a thing he was thirsting for and vet
which he felt utterly unable to bring
about. Indeed. his thoughts had been so
busy with her personality and her image
that the time, which might have dragged
as only time car linger, leaden footed in
the sick chamber, had passed before he
noticed it.
Yet he was very dissatisfied with the
situation. There was something about
the young demoiselle which moved
him powerfully, something he could not
explain. The thought Of her betrothal to
de Vitre filed him with a certain jealous
dismay-he could not exactly tell why
1t was hardly possible he could be in
love with her himself, a girl he had seen
but a day since! He seemed to have
known. or to have met her before, though.
How was it? De Couedic And vet
But what could he do? Nothing. He
was master of himself now-ln the full
possession Of his faculties. with no ex-
cuse Of weakness. wounds, or fever that
is--and there could be no possible reason
for so personal an appeal to her as he had
made when in fevered confusion he had
asked her if she loved de Wire.
During the day he was ATTENDED by a
strange servant. and saw neither jean
Renaud nor .,Josette, either of o. whom,
might have enlightened him had not both
been Kept from him by the orders Of their
MISTRESS The converse ton between the
two, therefore, the occasion Of these
two visits was necessarily brief; confined
on her part to inquiries as TO his we'll
being. his needs, and desires, and upon his
part to expressions Of gratitude for her
kindness. and earnest deprecat lions of the
trouble he was giving her and her house
hold. ....--
AS for her, every time she approa ched
him she longed to declare herself With
the passionate abandon Of French wom-
an who loved literally for the first time
who found herself in the actual pres
ence Of a long cherished ideal, before
realization of her girlish and n1aidenly
dreams, she would fain have thrown her
self upon his breast-into his arms. She
longed to gather him to her heart and
lavish upon him those treasures of affec-
ton which all the gaantry. courage, and
devotion of de Vitre could not evoke.
And all this in the face of the keen ieal-
ousy she suffered over the locket he wore,
and the resentment she felt, in despite
of the precautions she took to prevent it.
that he had not recognized her-which
was unreasonable but essentially feminine.
But she had controlled herself like an
American. The marquis himself could
not have been more coolly and coldly po-
lite than she. " AS for Grafton, he had not
yet. to use his own expression, got his
bearings Never in his life had he been
moved by the presence Of a woman as
during the last two days. He could
hardly reason about it clearly in his pres
ent condition. But at last he thought that
no ayrN1o st. ic i,,fof ,,of
lie in his weakness and her beauty, for
with singular faulty he had not succeed
ed in discovering any other reason for his
interest. $3.50
In the first place, owing to the precau-
t1ons she had TAKEN he had not yet had
that clear, full sight of the girl for which
he longed. She had always been in half
light, or concealed in some shadow, or
with lace turned away. when she had
been with him. He might have looked
upon her carefully in the hall of the
Chateau st. Louis but his mind was bent
upon other things then. and his physical
weakness and the resulting collapse had
possibly impaired his judgment as we'll
as his vision. ~
Besides all this, she had Informed him
that her name was de Couedic, which ap-
pellation not only told him nothing, but
had actually thrown him entirely on the
wrong track. By no possibility could he
have imagined that the Countess de
ISolldL whom ne nad left a child q few
years before in the Chateau de Josselin
In Brittany. would be found now inside
the walls of Quebec in America
Josette he had scarcely seen since he
was wounded. and he paid no attention to
her anyway in the presence of Anne-one
does not look at the moon when the sun
is by. The same night he said of jean
Renaud. The sergeant had not impressed
himself very deeply upon Grafton's con-
seriousness when he had been held a pris-
Oner at the cha teau, and the changed uni
form and dress, together with the lapse
of time, had prevented his being recos-
niZed. Anne had been very careful not
to call the names of her two servitors in
his presence after she had recognized
him, and during the day he had not seen
either Of them. Luck, too, was against
him. Indeed, how could he have recog-
nized in this glorious specimen of glowing
Womanhood the thin, undeveloped little
girl Of other days?
Anne de Rohan was now is years of age
and in the first flush Of beautiful wom-
anhood OF medium height. with figure
which combined the lovely proportions of
her American ancestors with the dainti-
ness and deicacy Of the women of France;
with a clear, cool. pale yet not pallid face
exquisite features. scarlet lips, proudly.
ay, even disdainfully elegant in, their
graceful curves; deep blue eyes, so deem
that they were almost violet when filed
with feeling or glowing with passion. and
the whole framed in her rnidpip1,+. b,;r.