The Princeton union., 1903-02-19

8
braced his new family with ardor, and,
whether the young lady should prove
his sister or his wife, he felt convinced
she was an angel in disguise. So much
was this the case that he was seized
with a sudden horror when he reflected
how little he really knew and how pos
sible it was that he had followed the
Vandeleur
The porter, whom he consulted, could
afford him little information, but, such
as it was, it had mysterious and
questionable sound. The person next
door was an English gentleman of ex-
traordinary wealth and proportionately
eccentric in his tastes and habits. He
possessed great collections, which he
kept in the house beside him, and it
was to protect these that he had fitted
the place with steel shutters, elaborate
fastenings and chevaux de frise along
the garden wall. He lived much alone,
in spite of some strange visitors with
whom it seemed he had business to
transact, and there was no one else in
the house except mademoiselle and an
old woman servant.
SIS mademoiselle his daughter?' in
quired Francis. .=-
"Certainly,' replied the porter MA
demoiselle is the daughter of the house,
and strange it is to see how she is made
to work. For all his riches, it is she
who goes to market, and every day in
the week you may see her going by
with basket on her arm"
"And the collections?" asked the 9TH
"Sir.'' said the man, ''they are i'm
mensely valuable. More cannot tell
you. Since NJ. de Vandeleur's arrival
no one in the quarter has so much as
passed the door,"
Suppose not" returned Francis.
''You must surely have some notion
what these famous galleries contain.
Is it pictures, silks, statues, jewels or
what?'
MY faith, Sir" said the fellow, with
shrug, ':it might be carrots, and still
I could not tell you. How should I
know? The house is kept like a garri-
son, as you perceive"
And then as Francis was returning
disappointed to his room the porter
called him back.
II have just remembered, sir,'' said
he. IN. de Vandeleur has been in all
parts of the world, and once heard
the old woman declare that he had
brought many diamonds back with
him. If that be the truth, there must
be fine show behind those shutters"
By an early hour on Sunday Francis
was in his place at the theater The
seat which had been taken for him was
only two or three numbers from the
left hand side and directly opposite one
of the lower boxes. AS the seat had
been specially chosen there was doubt
less something to be learned from it's
position, and he judged by an instinct
that the box upon the right was, in
some way or other, to be connected
with the drama in which he ignorantly
played part. Indeed it was SO STU
ated that it's occupants could safely
observe him from beginning to end Of
the piece il they were 50 minded,
while, profiting by the depth, they
could screen themselves sufficiently
we'll from any counter examination on
his side. He promised himself not to
leave it for moment out of sight, and
While he scanned the rest of the thea
ter or made show Of attending to the
business of the stage he always kept
corner Of an eye upon the empty box
The second act had been some time
in progress and was even drawing to-
ward close when the door opened and
two persons entered and ensconced
themselves in the darkest of the shade.
Francis could hardly control his emo
tion. 1t was Mr.. Vandeleur and his
daughter. The blood came and went
in his arteries and veins with stunning
activity; his ears sung; his head turned.
He dared not look lest he should awake
suspicion. His playbill, which he kept
reading from end to end and over
again, turned from white to red before
his eyes, and when he cast a glance
upon the stage it seemed incalculably
far away, and he found the voices and
gestures Of the actors to the last de-
gree imDertinent and absurd
TO BE CONTINUED.
Red Color In Battle