Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-12-05

that he should be. He has seen more of the world"
 That silenced me for a moment, but she did not seem to notice it. q was looking for him little while ago, and I could not find him." I said, after a pause.
 He has been into the village" she answered.
 longed to pursue the matter far ther; but though she seemed to enter tain no suspicion of me, dared not run the risk. I tried her, instead, on another tack "Mademoiselle de Coch- foret does not seem very we'll to-day?"' I said
 "No?" she answered carelessly. Well, now you speak of 1t, I do not think she is. She is often anxious about-my husband"
 She uttered the last two words with little hesitation, and looked at me quickly when she had spoken them. We were sitting at the moment on a stone seat which had the wall of the house for back; and, fortunately, I was toying with the branch of a creeping plant that hung over it, so that she could not see more than the side of my face. For I knew that it altered. Over my voice. however, had more control, and I hastened to an- swer. ''Yes. suppose so." as inno- gently as possible
 "He is at Bosost-in Spain. You knew that, I conclude?" she said. with certain sharpness. And she looked me in the face again very directly. "Yes," I answered, beginning to tremble.
 q suppose you have heard, too, that he-that he sometimes crosses the border?" she continued in a low voice, but with a certain ring of insistence in her tone. "Or. if you have not heard it, you guess it?"
 was in a quandary, and grew, in one second, hot all over. Uncertain what amount of knowledge ought to admit, I took refuge in gallantry. T should be surprised if he did not" I answered, with a bow, Being, as he is, so close, and having such an in ducement to return, Madam"
 She drew a long, shivering sigh-at the thought of his peril, fancied, and sat back against the wall Nor did she say any more, though I heard her sigh again. In moment she rose. The afternoons are growing chilly she said; '1 will go in and see how mademoiselle is. Sometimes she does not come to supper. If she cannot descend this evening, I am afraid you must excuse me too, Monsieur"
 l said what was right, and watched her go in; and, as I did SO, I loathed my errand. and the mean contempt ible curiosity which it had planted in my mind, more than at any former time. These women-I could find 1t in my heart to hate them for their frankness, for their foolish confidence, and the silly trustfulness that made them so easy prey!
 Nom de Dieu! What did the woman mean by telling me this? To meet me in such a way, to disarm one by such methods, was to take an unfair advantage. It put vile-ay, the vil- 'est-aspect, on the work had to do
 Yet it was very odd What could M. de Cocheforet mean by returning so soon, if NJ. de Cocheforet was here? And, on the other hand, if 1t was not his unexpected presence that had so upset the house, what was the secret? ? Whom had Clon been tracking? And what was the cause of madam's anxie- ty? In few minutes I had began to grow curious again; and, as the ladies did not appear at supper, had leisure to give my brain full license and in the course of an hour thought of q hundred keys to the mystery. But none exactly fitted the lock or laid open the secret.
 A false alarm that evening helped to puzzle me still more. I was sitting, about an hour after supper, on the same seat in the garden-I had my cloak and was smoking-when madam i came out like a ghost, and. without seeing me. fitted away through the darkness toward the stables. For a moment I hesitated, then I followed | her. She went down the path and round the stables, and so far I under stood: but when she had in this way gained the rear of the west wing, she ! took a track through the thicket to ] the east of the house again, so came back to the garden. This gained, sh, came up the path and went in through the parlor door and disappeared-aft Ar making a clear circuit of the house and not once pausing or looking to I right or left, confess I vas fairly bafled. I sank back on the seat had left. and said 10 myself that this was the lamest of all conclusions. was sure that she had exchanged nc word with any one. I was equally sure that she had not detected my presence behind her. Why. then. had she made this strange promenade alone. unprotected, an hour after night
 fall? No dog had bayed. no one hai moved. she had not once paused. Oi listened, like a person expecting { reneontre. could not make it out And came no nearer to solving 1t though lay awake an hour beyond my usual time
 h the morning neither of the ladie'
 descended 10 dinner. and heaTt
 that n1adeuoi ssIls vas not so well