The Yale expositor., 1905-02-24
Cbe DUCHESS
PACHELLI

winter, but the duchess was spending
the season at her villa at Nice, and
from her window, into which the warm
sun shone she could look down the
quay lined with tropical plants.
twenty years." she unused, ''since 1
came here, and what change in my
condition! What dangers have passed
to gain my present position! One by
one have got rid of all who could pos
sibly drag me down. There was Nicho-
las Vassaliovitch, who knew more than
he should know Of my antecedents, but
he has gone to Siberia. That was a
neat job of mine, proving an innocent
mans guilt Then there was Constan-
my poodle till 1t suited me to try my
ring on him, after which he died so
suddenly that the police half suspect
ed. Had he turned against me it would
be under the sod, not he" A troubled
look fitted across her face. "Andreas
may yet live, though 1t is ten years
since l have heard from him. 1t was a
bad failure my putting the police on
his track to arrest him, and the worst
of it was that he knew I was the insti-
gator. But l was inexperienced then,
and, after all, we soldiers of fortune
must make some mistakes, and l am
conscious of having made but one.
hope Andreas has either died naturally
or been executed under an assumed
"Good morning, your grace"
A man with shocky red hair and
freckles, dressed in the garb of a peas
ant, had stepped into her boudoir. The
countess looked at him with all the
hauteur she could summon.
'Your grace does not remember me-"
he said.
II do not. beg you Will leave by
the door you entered"
'Not till l have refreshed your mem
DRY. Twenty years ago Q little peasant
girl was scullion in the villa OF
family in this place. She was endowed
with great beauty and, though she was
but fourteen years old, had her lovers.
Her brain was very quick, and she had
a keen sense of the Importance Of get
ting on in the world. \ young carpen-
ter-Andreas, we viii call him for the
want OF n better name-fell in love
with her, and she, wishing to get out
of the kitchen, married him. 1t was lie
who gave. the little scullion her start.
She studied hard and in two years
knew enough to pass for lady.
"This Andrcas, her husband, adored
his young wife, not yet eighteen, and
as she wished to dress in keeping with
her knowledge and her beauty he spent
all be could make at his trade upon her.
| Then when he could not make enough
to satisfy her demands she persuaded
him to turn counterfeiter. She was
shrewd enough not to be mixed UP in
his ruin when it came. Indeed, it was
she who informed on him. But he was
too quick for her and the police and
| fed to America.
but Andreas' love, turned to hate,
grew through the years, and as each
year he sank lower he wished to return
| and take his revenge. But he never
dared remain anywhere long enough to
accumulate sufficient funds to make a
| Journey which, after all, might lead to
his arrest and Imprisonment. At last
he went to a new town in the far west
and worked at his trade till he saved
enough to go in search of his beautiful
wife. He found that after he had left
her she had ensnared a duke, that he
had died and left her his fortune, that
society had opened its exclusive doors
to her, but love for adventure andyil-
lainy had led her to take service as
spy for crowned heads-a Delilah to en-
trap the rulers enemies-and that
| many secret murder was laid up
against her.
"And where, my good man." asked
the duchess, deadly white, did you
learn all this?"
81 met in New York Russian who,
under the charge of being a Nihilist,
had been sent to Siberia, from whence,
after twelve terrible years of exile,
he escaped and fed to America"
The duchess started. His nameW
she asked under her breath.
Nicholas Vassaliovitch."
The duchess staggered as though
struck by n blow and caught at the
back of chair.
"It was fortunate" the man contin-
ued, "the meeting of these men, An
dreas and Nicholas, for they both
wished for revenge. But neither would
be safe in this old country, and so il
looked as if the scullion duchess would
end her days in peace, pet of socie-
| ty, favorite of the car of Russia,
rich and still beautiful. But both had
been kind to the little scullion. and
their love had turned to wrath. One
possessed written proofs of one of the
duchess crimes. That proof is now
in the hands of the car of Russia
and requisition has been lodged with
| the government at Paris"