The Yale expositor., 1907-08-09
CHAPTER XXlIl.-continued.

He attempted to close the door
again. Finding that impossible, his
presence Of mind deserted him.
brushed by HIM, and had pushed open
the door at the head of the stairway
before he could come to a decision.
'Wait here!" | said in tone OF
command. Il have an appointment
with Madame de Varnier. You were
coming for me, of course?"
NO" he answered sullenly. Ma
dam is at her deyotions; she is not to
be disturbed"
81 am the best Judge of that" And
added again, wait here!"
l fopnd myself in a great barn-like
room when | had locked the door be-
hind me at the head of the staircase.
1t was lighted dimly by narrow win
dows placed high against the roof OF
rafters, and was almost bare of furni-
ture At the three angles of this room
were the three closed doors. SO far
tie crafty knave had told the truth.
But in which OF these rooms should
find Madame de Varnier? And in
which Captain Forbes?
!t availed me little to have pene-
tvated so far into the enemy's strong
hold unless could accomplish still
more At any moment Alphonse might
give the alarm, and | wished to take
Madame de Varnier by surprise.
l began to make a circuit Of the tri-
angular room. | paused at each door
and knocked softly. At none of the
rooms did l receive any response.
wcs at once perpleXed and dismayed.
There was no reason why either Cap
tain Forbes or Madame de Varnier
should keep silence.
And then a maddening thought
struck me. Perhaps my crafty knaye,
Jacques, had been more cunning than
had given him the credit of beng
What if he had cleverly whetted my
curiosity, acting on instructions from
DR.. Starva? What if Alphonse had
deliberately lured me here? What if
l we're a prisoner myself?
Dismayed that | should have been
so great a fool, | again made the
round of each of the doors, not knock
ing this time, but shaking the handle
of each. And as | seized the handle
of the third door, it yielded to the
touch and swung silently on its hinges.
| stood at the Intel, abashed at my
angry intrusion.
It was the oratory OF Madame de
Varnier.
Little larger than a closet, and in
shape a half crescent; the walls were
MI mi A
was an altar. Two tapers fllckered on
either side of the crucifiX.
Before the altar, her eyes bent to
the crucifx, knelt Madame de Varnier,
the adventures, absorbed in her de-
votions. Even my entrance was un-
noticed.
But it was not piety of this ex-
traordinary woman that held me petri-
fed in establishment and speechless.
Within arms reach, as | stood there.
was bier. And on it, his hands
crossed on his breast, his pallid face
strangely calm, lay the mortal remains
Of him whom knew at cnce to be Sir
Mortimer Brett.
It was a terrifying apparition Ter
rifying, because it might have been
myself lying there, so strikIngly SINH
lar at first sight was the likeness of
myself to the dead minister. But as
the candles, which had fiickered in the
draught made by the open door
burned more steadily and / looked at
his face closely | saw that after all
the resemblance was but superficial.
recovered my senses. Now at last
was to know the truth.
Twice l opened my lips to call to
the woman who knelt there. But
could not bring myself to speak. The
holy dead banfshed passion from this
place. Here l could not reproach and
threaten her. / stood silently at the
threshold, pltying rather than con
demning, waiting for her to discover
my presence.
Minutes passed before she turned
her head
Our eyes met, myself sternly ques
tioning with look. Startled she was
at my dramatic entrance, but she met
my stern look in absolute calm. Nc
terror or shadow of guilt distorted heI
tragic beauty. | had come to de
nounce, to demand justice. / found
myself rather plying.
Madame de Varnier," / said gently
"the hour has come when you must
tell me the truth"
| raised her to her feet and led her
from the oratory, closing the door be
hind me.
She olung to me in the fervor of hel
appeal.
Yes" she whispered. 'it is the hour
when you must know the truth"
CHAPTER XIV.
A.. A. To,uar ~ the Three Roonos