Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-22

the floor Yes, yes, to be sure,
they had tried to scrub them out, but one
that every one of the messieurs was in
bandages the next morning, and one, mon
dieu. one so near the point of death that
he was carried down to a 1acre like dead
man, save for his cursings In some foreign
tongue, and driven away to hospital prob
ably!
I think nearly cried out at this Won
Steinbrucke wasn't dead after ALL then!
Dangerous dodgers, indeed, one would say,
1 FASTENED to assure her with the proper
amount of horror. And the house well rid
of them. 1t would seem to be case for
the police. But the lady? Did she leave
with the others?
Another inimitably French shrug.
All! Monsieur arrived at the point! What
would monsieur think of the lady's COM
plete disappearance the night of the quar-
never been seen since, nor the young Wo-
man who was her maid. 81. one saw
strange things from time to time when one
was concierge, but none SO strange as
this. No more Allemands for 10 bis impasse
du Maine! Mon dieu! they might be an
archists. One might be blown out of ones
bed some fine night. No, no more Allie
mands! Would monsieur care to go up and
look at the rooms?
I had found out all wanted to know, but
to oblige the old woman went up to the
bare and disnantled rooms and listened to
much unnecessary information as to their
desirability. 1t gave me, upon my word,
something of thrill to stand again on the
spot where 1 had fought my long battle
with that villain Steinbrucke, to go through
! the little passage where we had made our
first attack and where Won Altdorf had so
nearly come to grief, but 1 was glad, at
last to get away from the place-it smelled
warm spring sunshine, leaving the old con-
cierge smiling and delighted with a gold
louis.
AS 1 have said, we saw In these days lit
tie of the Princess Eleanor, for she kept
much by herself, solitary and Queenly
brooding over her grief and injury, her
wrecked love, and, she believed, her blight
ed life. She passed her time reading or Idle
In her own apartments, or walked through
the great garden in a tragic isolation that
no one dared brave.
l was glad to perceive, however, that as
the days and weeks went by she showed an
increasing desire for the company of her
cousin. Miss Mannering, and that the cold
ness between them seemed in fair way
to disappear altogether. Toward Sir Gavin,
Won Altdorf and myself she was ever cour-
teous and considerable, but never familiar.
She maintained always certain barrier Of
formality, an evidence constantly in view
that she found herself unable to forgive
the injury we had done her.
And now that I may look back upon 1t
all dispassionately, with the impartial
clearness that time gives to the eye,
I cannot feel any of the resentment, any
Of the anger that filled me in those days at
her seeming blindness to the fact that what
we had done had been done for her own
good to save her life, indeed, and greatly
to our discomfort.
I can see now. as in those days I would
not see, that woman may hold the saving
Of her life cheaply beside the wrecking of
that life's happiness in the cruelest fashion
possible.
I can see how she must have suffered,
what unspeakable agonies of shame and
despair and hopelessness she must have
endured at having the promise of very
heaven upon earth: passion OF love too
great for words, held to her lips only to be
dashed away when she was about to drink
Aye, can see now, that few women have
suffered so, and / wonder little at her re-
sentiment toward those who had brought
i grief and shame upon her.
Still, for some reason-indeed, know not
what-toward me, among the three of US,
! she seemed to cherish least I'll will 1t
seemed to afford her certain pleasure to
| talk with me when we met by chance in
the garden, as sometimes occurred, for ]