The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-01

maids of honor on the terrace, but not d
 look or sign did he received from her.
 One day the abbe came to see him, pass
 ing through the lines with the password
 which, he said, he had received from ] Tallyrand himself. Tom. lonely and with
 out friends. conflded ro the Abbe his story When he mentioned the name of Charles de Meudon the Abbe started. And do you know who Mile. Rochefort is?" asked the Abbe.
 Why" answered Tom, "I suppose she is Mademoiselle de Rochefort."
 "That was her mothers name. The First Consul made her take 1t because her fathers people were royalists. She is the sister of Charles de Meudon."
 Tom felt a wave of happiness. He knew that he loved the Rose of Provence, and now that fair girl turned out to be the sister of his earliest friend. Oh, if he could but sec her and speak to her again! But there was De Beauvais! The Mar !. quis loved her. and how could he doubt
 that the Marquis was loved in return? A
 deep sadness swiftly succeeded his joy. The Abbe came a second time. and. after skillfully but unavailingly trying to get
 Tom to utter some word of disrespect
 against the First Consul he begged that
 he would meet De Beauvaig at the out
 posts the next night and allow him to
 take refuge in his quarters. De Beauvais
 had fallen under the displeasure of Bon-
 aparte and was going away forever. But first he must say farewell to Marie-his love.
 Against his better judgment. Tom con sented, and De Beauvais arrived. He had the look of a hunted man and talked wildly But he must see his cousin. As he made his rounds the morning after the arrival of De Beauvais. Tom met Marie de Meudon walking in the park. For 0 moment she gazed steadfastly at him and then said. And you, too, the dearest friend of my dear Charles? Would you be false to those who have been true to you?"
 Tom stood in speeches. astonishment. She knew his story then--had known 1t all along. But what did she mean by her allusion to his being disloyal? Hastily she explained to him that the royalists, who were at that time actively plotting the Chouan uprising. were enmeshing him in their plots and using him for their pur- pose He was spied upon and suspected by the government. Tom protested his innocence and asked her to explain further, but she said: Leave me-quickiy --I see people watching us from the ter race" and was gone.
 When he returned to his quarters he spoke frankly with De Beauvais, and be Beauyais as frankly replied He was a Chouan emissary, and would, if he could, win Tom to the side of the exiled BNur-
 bons. He even threw on the table the
 commission of colonel signed by the hand
 of the fugitive King.
 Angrily rejecting the proposition, Tom
 conducted De Beauvais outside tbe lines
 But that night he received a ffote from
 Marie de Meudon saying that party of
 Chouans, among whom was Henri de
 Beauvais. were in a deserted castle some
 leagues off, and were to be surrounded
 and seized before daybreak. Would he
 risk all to warn her cousin? He did risk all--and lost. He had hardly reached tn )
 conspirators when the Consular troops ar-
 rived and Tom was a prisoner charged
 with high treason.
 General d'Auvergne. who still be- 1ieved in him. came to see him. Tom was surprised at the accurate knowi-
 edge that the government had of all his conversations and associations; but
 when he learned that the Abbe d'Ervan was the celebrated mutton" Mehee de Ia Touche his wonderment banished. Through the influence of Marie de Meudon with Josephine and of D'Au- vergne with Napoleon. Tom was at last
 freed from confinement and. as an of-