Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-10-21
CHAPTER w.

place not unknown to his
tory, lay hard by the sea-
shore q few miles from the
town of Brest toward which 1t turned
its landward side. It was building
of great antiquity and had been in the
possession Of the family Of de Rohan
from feudal times. One face looked
,seaward over the wild crags. where
the stormy waves Of the Bay OF Bis
cay broke in ceaseless onslaught, peat
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 cllns,
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. II
had been long unused, OF course, ow-
ing to the spacious harbor of Brest
close at hand, but in old days 1t had
been a favored haven Of the adven-
turous lords of Rohan-and sometimes
of their enemies as well.
Landward the main chateau over
looked singularly pleasant garden
filed with ancient fruit and shade
trees, the whole inclosed by a high
wall from which, and better still from
the high tower, a full view of Brest,
its Notifications, its naval station, Its
harbor and its shipping could be OBJ
tanned. It was to this castle that
Philip Grafton was conducted upon the
evening of the arrival Of LIE Thesee 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
mediaeval fortress might have been.
The ditch surrounding it on the land
ward side, instead of being dry and
grass-grown, as was the custom, was
kept we'll filled with water; the draw
bridge-the sole means Of crossing the
moat-was raised and lowered at ap-
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 seaward 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
colonists 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
at what he deemed 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 mollified his wrath. He had at
last consented to an interview, and
thereafter had promptly succumbed to
the charms Of the winsome and beauti-
full American as completely as had his
son. Resigning his commission in the
French navy the young count and his
wife, overjoyed at the reconciliation,
had returned to his fathers house and,
as he fondly hoped, settled down to
wears 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 inconsolable 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
his fathers influence, and was shortly
after wrecked and lost with his ship
on a voyage to the French East In
dies. while his daughter was still an
infant.
1t was a crushing blow to the old
man, but with Spartan resolution he
bore up under it and turned to his lit
tie granddaughter for comfort and
consolation. AS the days sped away
the child intrenched herself more and
more in the old mans heart He with
drew himself from the world in which
he had been so great and gay a figure
and devoted himself assiduously to her
welfare.
Little Anne, Countess de Rohan In
her own. right. lived alone with hel