Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1906-06-21
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I was in q quandary, and grew, IN
one second, hot all over. Uncertain
what amount of knowledge / ought to
admit, l took refuge in gallantry.
81 should be surprised il 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, I fancied, and
sat back against the wall. Nor did
she say any more, though heard her
sigh again. In a moment she rose.
''The afternoons are growing chilly"
she said; 81 will go in and see how
mademoiselle is. Sometimes she does
not come to supper. II 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, | loathed
my errand, and the mean contempt
ible curiosity which it had planted
in my mind, more than at any former
time. These women-1 could hnd
it in my heart to hate them for their
frankness, for their foolish confidence.
and the silly t~rustfulness that made
them so easy a 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. 1t put a vile-ay, the viii
est-aspect, on the work had to do.
Yet it. was very odd! What could
M. de Cocheforet mean by returning so
soon, if M. de Cocheforet was here?
And, on the other hand, if it 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 ankle
ty? In a few minutes l 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
hundred keys to the mystery. bu'
l none exactly fitted the lock or laic
, open the secret.
A false alarm that evening helped
i 70 nlzzle me still more. | was sitting
about an hour after supper, on th'
d same seat in the garden-I had m.
;, cloak and was smoking-when MADAM
U came out like a ghost, and, withou
:. seeing me, fitted away through tn
u !. darkness toward the stables. For
Il T Loci+ofod than i T0ll0Wp
~ her. She went down the path an
round the stables, and so far I under
Il stood: but when she had in this wa
gained the rear of the west wing, sh
y took a track through the thlcket I
- the east of the house again, so cam
back to the garden. This gained, ST.
" came up the path and went In throug
: the parlor door and disappeared-af
~ err making a clear circuit OF the nous
y and not once pausing or looking
- right or left! | confess | was air
- bafled. I sank back on the seat
u had left, and said to myself that tn
. was the lamest of all conclusions.
=. was sure that she had exchanged
word with any one. was equal
sure that she had not detected II
~ presence behind her. Why, then, h!
she made this strange promenao
\. alone, unprotected, an hour after nigh
III fall? No dog had bayed, no n h
moved, she had not once paused,
or listened, like a person expecting
re r~encontre. I could not make it OF
bo And I came no nearer to solving
-. though I lay awake an hour beyond
is usual time.
AZ In the morning neither of the lad,
he descended to dinner, and | hea
me- that mademoiselle was not so W.
ed After a lonely meal, therefore
ile missed them more than l should ha
all supposed-I retired to my favor
seat and fell to meditating.
ire The day was fine and the gard
pleasant. Sitting there with my e!
to on the old-fashioned herb-beds, W
an the old-fashioned scents in the
ing and the dark belt of trees bounding
md view on either side, l could bell
ch- that l had been out of Paris not tn
IT weeks, but three months. The 81
he Tapped me round. I could fancy t
I had never loved anything else. :
ok %wooddoves cooed in the stiffness; oc
ast. siorally the harsh cry of a jay jar
aid. the silence. 1t was an hour after nc
and hot. I think | nodded.
alb On a sudden, as il in a dream, l s
Clon's face peering at me round the
red. gle of the parlor door. He looked,
in a moment withdrew, and | he
her. whispering. The door was gel
closed. Then all was still again.
!" But I was wide awake now
talk thinking hard. Clearly the people
the house wished to assure themse'
cen that l was asleep and safely out
the way. AS clearly, it was to
d, a interest to know what was pass
lave Giving way to the temptation |
quietly, and, STOPPING below the !
/" of the windows, slipped round the
end Of the house, passing betwee
re-" and the great yew hedge. Here l fc
ural all still, and no stirring. So, keel
nore a wary eye about me, I went on re
the house-reversing the route W
but madam had taken the night befo
was until I gained the real Of the sta
and Here I had scarcely paused a secon
err a scan the ground before two per
came out of the stable-court.
she were madam and the porter.
They stood a brief while outside
far looked up and down. Then ms
inter- said something to the man and
not nodded. Leaving him standing W
|, on he was, she crossed the grass WI
OCH quick, light step and vanished al