The Cook County herald., 1905-06-03
CHAPTER x.-(continued)! i!

CHAPTER x.-(continued)!
"Well, my daughter, will tell you a
story-a true story-and there is a
name in it of which you may have
heard.'
what name. dear mother?" asked
Helen, with perfectly feigned drowsi-
ness.
"She will be fast asleep before get
half through with il" thought Martha.
"The name, my dear child, is De
Lavet''
"De Lavet? I have never heard of
that name before"
"Why the name of the great gentle
man-the nobleman Dr. Sosia told you
of to-day-the name of the nobleman
you were nearly married to in Gal
way"
81 do not know what you are talk
ing about, mother. l never was near
married to anybody Please don't tease
me, but tell me the story"
"Poor thing thought Martha; 'she
is, indeed, quite delirious. She has
forgotten all that has happened to her.
Well, so much the better; she will
never remember what I tell her.
well, my dear, my story is about
Robert de Lavet, now Lord de Lavet,
they say, though I have not seen him
nor heard of him for many year-no,
not for twenty-five years-till I heard
a man speak of him here this very
day."
Clarence, PROSTATE on the floor of
the room above. and with his gaze
piercing downward, through the rag
ged lathing, listened attentively.
He was eager to hear something of
rival whom he had never seen but
once, and then at a distance, but who
had very nearly welded Helen Beau
clair.
He was not fearful of interruption,
for he correctly judged that the Osreds
and Bashfort would not visit Helen's
prison again during the night.
"And Sosia is dead and cold at the
bottom of the WE'LL" he said to him.
self. II perceive dear Helen's scheme.
Bless her cunning wit
Robert de. Lavet, when I knew
him." continued Martha, after taking
glass of wine from the tray, to freshen
herself up little, "was a proud and
jealous-minded man, about thirty years
of age; a very stately and handsome
young man he was, but not lord then.
He was not very rich then, and l don't
know that he is now. Well. he thought
he loved a very beautiful young lady
q say thought he loved, for l don't
think he could have loved her very
much and have acted toward her as he
old after she was his Wife). She was
only sixteen when he married her, and
she did not know what love was when
she married Robert de Lavet-though
l am sure she did love him and was
true to him after she was his wife.
"Her name was Rachel Allenstone,
and she was the only child of rich
Puritan knight, Sir Lucas Allenstone.
''Now I, then quite young woman,
was Miss Rachel Allenstone's own
maid. I did not know Neil Bashfort
in those days-I wish I had never met
Neil Bashfort But that is neither here
nor there, for all that I am about to
tell happened before I ever saw him.
'The match was made between Rot,
ert de Lavet and Rachel Allenstone by
Rachel's mother, who knew that Rob-
ert de Lavet would some day, If he
lived, be lord-Lord de Lavet. Per-
haps the pair would have lived very
happily together till now but for the
Jealous nature of Robert de Lavet. He
had a pretended friend, man about
his own age, who secretly loved Rachel
Allenstone before she married Robert
de Lavet This pretended friends
name was Zeno Sosia-that very man
Who
"But how that rat startled me-" sud-
denly exclaimed Martha, in very diff
ferent tone from that in which she
had been speaking SO monotonously.
A sound above had startled her.
Clarence was so amazed at hearing the
name of Sosia in Martha's narrative
that his Involuntary starting had dis
lodged a bit of plaster, and the frag-
ment had fallen into Helens room,
rafting as it passed through the laths.
'Rats! I hear them gnawing up
there! Are you asleep, my daughter?'
said Martha, reassured by the rasping
noise.
NEARLY. If you had not changed
your tone should soon have been
sound asleep, dear mother. was just
sinking into dozy dream of my dear,
darling Clarence Darrell, and imagin-
ing what very big rat he might be
which was very queer!"
II wish she would go to sleep and
the devil fly away with the rats!" NUT
tered Martha, who then resumed her
story in that monotonous tone which
she believed would be most sporiic in
its effect.
"Well, Zeno Sosia, not so ugly then
as he was when I saw him to-day,
loved Rachel Allenstone, and she de-
tested him; and when she became
Robert de Lavet's wife, Sosia deter
mined to ruin her in the mind Of her