Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-02-17

have praised him. Because It was you no word has been spoken. If anything, your success has annoyed him. Several of the court spoke of it. He answered not. Iris the signal to ignore it and your
 Then are you courageous to brave public opinion and hold converse with me?' he replied with smile.
 Public opinion" she exclaimed. with flashing eyes. "What would they say of jestress? Who is she? What is she?"
 She ended abruptly, bit her lips, showing her gleaming white teeth. Then some emotion more profound swept over her expressive face. She looked at him silently, and when she spoke her voice was more gentle.
 q cannot believe" she continued thoughtfully, that the duke told his trooper to do that. 'Tis too infamous. The man must have acted on his own responsibility. The duke could not. would not, countenance such baseness.'
 You have good opinion of him, Se1llle lnlStIcSS, uc Sdiu III eoAS 'AA''' eXasperated her
 "Who has not?" she retorted sharply. He is as brave as he is distinguished. Farewell. If you served him better and yourself less you
 "Would serve myself better in the end?' he interrupted satirically. Thanks, good Jacqueline. A woman makes an excellent counsellor Disdainfully she smiled. Her face grew cold. Her figure looked never more erect and inhexible.
 i "Why,'' she remarked "here am wasting time talking when the music is playing and every one is dancing. Even now I see courier approaching who has thrice importuned me" And the jestress vanished in the throng as abruptly as she had appeared. i Thoughtfully the dukes fool looked not after her, but toward far end of the pavilion where he last had seen the princess and her betrothed.
 "Caillette should now be well on his way" he told himself. No one has yet missed him, or if they do notice his absence they will attribute it to his injuries"
 Around him. carmine, blood warm flowers exhaled a commingling redo lence; near him q toy-like fountain whispered very softly and confidential ly. Through the foliage the figures moved and moved on the air the music fell and rose, thin in Orchestration, yet brightly penetrating in sparkling de- tail. Buoyant were the violins, spor- tive the flutes, all alive the sitterns, blithesome the tripping arpeggios that crisply fell from the strings of the joy ous harps.
 ] The rustling of a gown admonished him he was not alone, and. looking around amid the crimson flowers, to his startled gaze appeared the face of her of whom he was thinking: above the broad, white brow shone the radi- ance of hair. a gold that was almost bronze in that dim light; through the green tangle of shrubbery. silver slip per.
 "Ah. it is you, fool! she said Ian guidly. It may be he contrasted the indifference of her tones now with the unconscious softness of her voice when she had addressed him on another oc' casion--in another gardenanfor his fafce flushed and he would have turned abruptly when
 "Oh. you may remain" she added carelessly. "The duke has but left me. He received message that the man hurt in the lists was most anxious to see him."
 Into the whirl of his reflections hel words insinuated themselves. Why had the free baron gone to the trooper What made his presence so imperative at the bedside of the soldier that he had abruptly abandoned the festivities Surely more than mere anxiety for tht mans welfare The jester looked al the princess for the answer to these questions. but her face was cold. smil ing, unresponsive. In the basin ol the fountain tiny fish played and dart ed, and as his eyes turned from hel to them they appeared as swift and il lusive as his own surging fancies.
 "The-duke, madam. is most solicit ous about his men, he said In voic' which sounded strangely calm. "A good leader has always in mind the welfare of his soldiers" she repliet briefly.
 Her hand played among the bios sons. Over the flowers she looked a him. Her features and arms were O the scuiptured roundness of marble but the reflection of the roses bathe. her in the warm hue of life. As he me her gaze the iIlumined pages of bool seemed turning before his eyes. Di, she remember:
 She could not hut perceive his emo ton. the tribute of glance beyon' , control. despite the proud immobilit. of his features.
 . Sit here. fool" she said. not unkind Y. and you may tell me more abou the duke. his cxploits-of that bntt! when he saved the life of the emperor. s>@ ' : E9 4iIEg;4g' MTsAaA g.f'