Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1906-06-14

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THE ROUND TABLE.
The round table whereat We dined was
spread inside the open door which led
to the garden, so that October sunshine
fell full on the spotless linen and
quaint old plate, and the fresh balmy
air filled the room with the scent Of
sweet herbs.
By-and-bye, as the meal went on,
as Louis trod to an fro across the
polished floor, and the last insects Of
summer hummed sleepily outside, and
the two gracious faces continued to
smile at me out of the gloom-for the
ladies sat with their backs to the
door, began to dream again. I be-
gan to sink again into folly-that was
half pleasure, half pain. The fury of
the gaming-house and the riot of Ia
tons seemed far away. The triumphs
of the fencing-room-even they grew
cheap and tawdry. I thought of ex-
istence as one outside it. | balanced
this against that, and wondered wheth-
er, after all, the red soutane were SO
much better than the homely jerkin,
or the fame of a day than ease AMI
safety.
And life at Cocheforet was all after
the pattern of this dinner. Each day,
I might almost say each meal, gave rise
to the same sequence of thoughts. In
Clon's presence, or when come word
of madam's, unconsciously harsh, re-
minded me of the distance between
us, l was myself. At other times, in
face of this peaceful and intimate life,
which was only rendered possible by
the remoteness of the place and the Pc
culiar circumstances in which the la
dies stood, I felt a strange weakness.
The loneliness of the woods that en-
circled the house, and here and there
afforded a distant glimpse Of snow-clad
peaks; the absence of any link to bind
me to the old life, 50 that at intervals
it seemed unreal; the remoteness of
the great world, all tended to sap my
will and weaken the purpose which
had brought me to this place.
On the fourth day after my coming,
however, something happened to break
the spell. 1t chanted that | came late
to dinner and entered the room hastily
and without ceremony, expecting to
find madam and her sister already
seated. Instead, I found them talking
in a low tone by the open door, with
every mark of disorder in their appear
ance;: while Clon and Louis stood at
a little distance with downcast faces
and preplexed looks.
! had time to see all this and then
my entrance wrought a sudden change
Clon and Louis sprang to attention;
madam and her sister came to tho
table and sat down and made a shallow
pretense of being at their ease. But
mademoiselle's face was pale, her hand
trembled; and though madam's greater
self-command enabled her to carry Off
the matter better, I saw that she was
not herself. Once or twice she spoke
harshly to Louis; she fell at other
times into a brown study. and when
she thought I was not watching her,
her face wore a look of deep anxiety.
wondered what all this meant; and
wondered more when, after the meal,
the two walked in the garden for an
hour with Clon. Mademoiselle came
from this interview alone and | was
sure that she had been weeping. Madam
and the dark porter stayed outsida
some time longer; then she, too, came
in and disappeared.
Clon did not return with her and
when went into the garden five
minutes later Louis also had vanished
Save for two women who sat sewing
at an upper window, the house seemed
to be deserted. Not a sound broke the
afternoon stiffness Of room or garden
and yet I felt sure that more was aap-
pening In this silence than appeared on
the surface. began TO grow curious
suspicious; and presently slipped out
myself by way Of the stables and skirt
ing the wood at the-back of the housn
gained with a little trouble the bridge
which crossed the stream and led u
the village.
Turning round at this point, l couit
Gee thu house and ! moved a little asidr
into the underwood and stood gazirl
at the windows. irving to unriddle thu
matter. 1t was not likely that M. d
Cocheforet would repeat his visit 81
soon; and, besides, the womcn'i
emotions had been those Of pure dis
may md grief, unmixed with any o
the satisfaction to which such a meet
ing, though snatched by stealth, woult
give rise. discarded my first thought
therefore---that he had returned un
expectedly-and sought for annthe
solution.
ITO Ea Contin"ssl