The Cook County herald., 1905-09-02

i1to the main building, after carefully
closing tho entrance to the cells 3%$ ..SI
Now, then" thought he, ~ will
take a peep at the two in the south
!. tower oom-though, Of course, they
must be. as I left them two or three
hours ago. >##% 4G>z,; .1Ss..>
Z" It was not long ere he was at the
ragged hole, across which he had
placed the blanket. The latter he re-
moved with less regard to noiseless-
ness than he had used in placing it
there, and peered down into the room
below.
Lord Genlis was still asleep, and
Martha was also where she had
crOuched.
The pastilles had ceased to burn
very soon after Sosia had tossed them
into the room, for they were not of a
composition to remain long uncon-
sumed when once aflame.
A'small dark and scorched spot re-
mained where each had burned away.
Their smoke and gas had dissipated
into the air of the room, or gradually
escaped through the curtained and
shattered window.
"Ho!" said Sosia, and not even in a
very low voice, for he had no fear of
the deadened ears below, "you sleep
we'll down there! Well, sleep-but
shall take good care that you do not
wake too soon.'
HAVING cai1 thic ho no Ct throo pooro
Of his pastilles into the room; and in
stead of going away Immediately, as,
he did before, he waited and watched.
Suddenly Martha sprang to her feet,
as if some pungent odor had just
aroused her from sleep not far from
complete awakening, IND brandished
her hands wildly in the air, rolling her
eyes fearfully and gasping as if to
scream.
The next instant she fell heavily,
but the noise of her fall did not arouse
Lord Genlis.
"So!' muttered the sorcerer, as he
ga2ed down through the smoke Of
the pastilles at the now motionless
form of Martha, "the effect of the 9TH
er pastilles had nearly passed from
the brain Of the woman. It is well
that I renewed and increased the dose.
She would soon have been awake, and
might have given me trouble. l do
not wish to make an end of her yet.
shall need her to wait on my future
bride. Ha! ha! to wait upon me and
my future bride for few days-for
few days only!'
He then left the place; nor did he
leave the blanket, for he suspected
that Clarence Darrell would not fail
to look in upon those in the room ere
descending to rescue Helen.
Having hidden the blanket in a clos
ct, the sorcerer now proceeded to the
door'of the main entrance, unlocked it,
and left it as Clarence had left it.
He then retired into the grim dark
ness of the building to await the re-
turn of Helen's lover.
He was quite confident that Clar-
ence would return alone to Dun Aen-
gus, for so great was the superstition
of the villagers Of Kilronan that, when
Sosia and Clarence were there, three
years before, not one of the peasants
or fishermen of the place could be
persuaded or bribed to accompany
Sosia to Dun Aengus even in broad
daylight.
"The ruins and the cliff are haunt
ed," the peasants had said, "and i'll
luck always speedily befalls all who
visit the place. If there were a hun
dred of us, and We went in a body to
Dun Aengus, bad luck would be the
luck of every one of us before the
weeks end
Therefore the sorcerer now had no
fear that any one would accompany
Clarence on his return.
Clarence did not return alone, and it
was about half an hour before dawn
when he entered the building by the
unlocked door.
His journey to Kilronan had been
successful, though tedious; for it was
not until much cautious looking about,
and wandering here and there among
the scattered houses of the village,
that he was at last able to recognize
that in which used to live the old fish
erman whose life he had saved three
years before.
ITO Be continued.)