The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-10-28
CHAPTER XIII.

1
50 %A OOD NIGHT, monsieur the
- cure" said the turnkey, let
AI ting US through the outer
door,
"Good night, good night" the priest
responded.
"And to you, sacristan.'
Good night" I muttered, and he
came step after me. The candle was
yet in his hand, showing him my bulk
and perhaps the small clothes be had
longed to vend. I expected hue and
cry, but walked on after the priest and
! heard the heavy doors jar, and breath
ed again.
Hearkening behind and in front, on
the right and the left, I followed him
in the direction Of what I have since
learned to call the Jardin des Plantes.
It is near Ste. Pelagie.
The priest, wearied by his long Office,
spoke only once about the darkness, for
! it was a cloudy night, and did not at
tend to my muttered response. do not
know what sympathy the excellent old
man might have shown to an escaped
prisoner who had choked his sacr1stan,
and had 40 mind to test it BE turned
corner, and with the wall angle be-
tween US I eased down the sacred fur
niture, drew off the surplice and laid
that upon it and took to my heels up
the left hand street, for the guard had
brought me across the river to Ste. Pc
lagie.
had no hat, and the cut Of Izy coat
showed that I had lost a-waistcoat.
Avoiding the little circieSof yellowness
made by lamp posts, Preached without
mishap Of falling into the hands Of any
patrol a bridge crossing to an island
point, and from the other side Of the
pcint to the opposite shore. At inter-
walls along the parapet dim lights were
placed.
Compared to Lake George, which
wound like river, and the mighty st.
Lawrence as I remembered it, the Seine
was narrow stream. Some boats
made considerations on the surface.
The mass OF island splitting it into two
branches was almost the heart Of Par
is. There were other foo$ passengers
Oh the bridge, and gay carriage rolled
by. did not see any gendarmes, and
only one foot passenger troubled me.
I was on the bridge above the left
arm of the river when an ear trained
in the woods caught his footstep, paus-
ing as mine paused and hurrying as
mine hurried If the sacristan had
been found in Ste. Pelagie a pursuer
would not track me so dehcately, and
neither would Skenedonk hold back on
the trail. 1 stopped in the shade when
we two were alone On the second span
and wheeled, certain Of catching my
man under the flare oe a cresset. !
caught him and knew that it was Bel
lenger following me.
My mind was made up in On instant
walked back to settle matters with
him, though slaughte: was far from
my thoughts. had done him no harm,
but he was my enemy and should be
forced to let me alone.
The fellow who had appeared so fee
BILE at his cabin that opened the door
for him, and so poor spi,eed that his
intellect claimed pity, stood up as firm
as bear at my approach and met my
eyes with perfect understanding.
Not another thing do I remember.
The facts are simply these: faced Bel
lenger; no blows passed; my mind
flashed blank with the partial return
Of that old eclipse which has fallen
upon me after strong excitement in
more than one critical moment. The
hiatus seems brief when awake,
though it may have lasted hours.
know the eclipse has been upon me like
the wing shadow Of eternity, but
have scarcely let go Of time.
could not prove that Bellenger
dragged me to the parapet and threw
me into the river. If had known it
should have laughed at his doing so,
for I could swim like fish through or
under water and sit on the lake bot
tom holding my breath until Skene
donk had been known to dive for me.
When next I sensed anything at all
it was feeling of cold.
I thought l was lying in one Of the
shallow runlets that come into Lake
George, and the pebbles were an IN
easy bed, chilling my shoulders. was
too stiff to move or even turn my head
to lift out Of water the ear on which it
rested, but / could uncloSe my eye
lids, and this is what I saw: A man
naked to bis waist half reclining
against leaning slab Of marble down
which q layer Of water constantly
moved His legs were clothed, and his
other garments lay across them. His
face had sagged in my direction There
was deep slash across his forehead,
and be showed his teeth and his CLASSY
eyes at the joke.
Beyond this silent figure was wo-
man as silent The ridge Of his body
could not hide the long hair spread upon
her breast. I considered the company
and the moisture into which had fall
en- with unspeakable amazemenI We
were in a low and wide stone chamber
with groined ceiling supported by
stone pillars. A row Of lamps was ar.
ranged above us so that no trait or fea-
ture might escape beholder.
That we were put there for show en-
tered my mind slowly and brought in
dignation. To be so helpless and so ex-
posed was an outrage against which I
struggled in nightmare impotence, for
I was bare to my hips also, and I knew
not what other marks carried besides
those which had Scared me all my
conscious life.
Now in the distance, and echoing,
feet descended stairs.
knew that people were coming to
look at US, and could not move mus
n1o ~,