The Cairo bulletin., 1904-08-12
CHAPTER w.
THE GARDEN AND THE ROSE

place not unknown 10 MS
4 tory, lay hard by the sea
shore a few miles from TIN
town of Brest toward which it turned
its landward side. 1t was a BUILDING
of great antiquity and had been in thu
possession of the family of de Rohar
from feudal times. One face looked
seward over the wild crags. where
the stormy waves of the Bay OF Bis
cay broke in ceaseless onslaught, beat
ing themselves into the white foam Of
sea agony upon the stern shores.
AT the foot of the keep or principal
tower, which was built upon the sheer
edge of precipitous headland, there
was a deep indentation in the cliffs,
which. If one possessed sufficient skill
and knowledge to thread the narrow
passage twisting between the roaring
breakers, afforded safe harborage for
boats and small coasting vessels. 1t
had been long unused, of course, ow-
ing to the spacious harborT of Brest
close at hand, but in old days II had
been favored haven of the adven-
turous lords of Rohan-and sometimes
of their enemies as well.
Landward the main chateau over
looked a singularly pleasant garden
filled with ancient fruit and shade
trees the whole Enclosed by high
wall from which, and better still from
the high tower full view of Brest,
its fortincations, its naval station, its
harbor and its shipping could be OBJ
tanned. 1t was to this castle that
Philip Grafton was conducted upon the
evening Of the arrival Of lie These in
the harbor
The Marquis de Chabot-Rohan, or,
to give him his familiar title, de Cha
bot, the heir and successor to the dig
mites of the de Rohans in those parts.
and consequently the master of rich
and extensive possessions, kept up
princely estate in the old chateau, and
It pleased him still to perpetuate the
ancient usages and customs of his
house so far as he could The castle
itself seemed to be maintained as q
medieval fortress might have been.
The ditch surrounding 1t on the land
ward side, instead of being dry and
grass-grown, as was the custom, was
kept well filled with water; the draw
bridge-the sole means of crossing the
moat--was raised and lowered at APP
pointed hours; and close watch and
ward were kept by the feudal retain
ers of the house at the gateway and
on the walls. To seward the walls
were SO high and so strong that the
castle. placed on the very edge of the
beetling cliffs, was believed to be i'm
pregnable.
His only son, the young Comte de
Rohan-and save de Kersaint almost
his only relative-had married Mis-
tress Anne Page, of Virginia. The
young man had been a naval officer
whose ship had been stationed upon
the coast of North America, where he
had greatly enjoyed the spontaneous
and warm-hearted hospitality of the
eolonists of the famous old dominion
Carried away by her charms Of mind
and person. and without waiting for
the consent of his father, he straight
way married this young woman from
the new world whose beauty and char
acter had made so deep an impression
upon him, and he had brought her to
France in his own frigate.
His father. at first highly incensed
nj what he deemed a mesalliance, had
sternly refused to receive him; but
the tales of the beauty of his unwel
come daughter-in-law, which were
poured in his ear by those who fell,un
der the sway OF her loveliness. and
certain substantial evidences OF the
great estates in the new world be-
longing to the honorable family from
which she sprang, and to which she
was sole heiress. which his son had
found means to bring TO his attention.
had first awakened his curiosity and
finally Modified his wrath. He had at
last consented to an interview. and |
thereafter had promptly succumbed to |
the charms OF the winsome and beanti- |
full American as completely az had his |
son. Resiening his commission in the |
French navy, the young count and his
wife. overjoyed AT the reconciliation |
had returned 10 his fathers house and.
as he fondly hoped. settled down to
years of domestic bliss and tranquil
lity
There a daughter. the first and only !
child Of this strange union, was born;
but the life that came was paid for by /
the life that went. for when the child
was but a few days old. the young |
mother died. The insonsolable young
count did not long survive the loss of
his adored wife To distract his grief
he resumed his service in the French
navy. receiving his old rank through |
bis fathers influence. and was shortly
after wrecked and lost with his ship /
on a voyage 10 the French East In
dies. while his daughter was still an
infant.
II was = crushing blow to the old
man. but with Spartan resolution he
bore up under II and turned to his lit
n. granddaughter for comfort and
onsolsisnn. AS the days sped away
he child intrenched herself more and
more IN the old mans heart. He with
rev himself from the world in which