The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1907-06-28
CHAPTER XVI.
The Death-Mask Again.

One does not expect TO find in
| Switzerland grace and charm in archi-
| lecture. There are no historic cha
teaux worthy Of a pilgrimage. This
castle of Alterhoffen gave one the sim
pie impression of sheer strength. 1t
was primitive and savage and bare OF
pretense to beauty as its founder must
have been.
A rather squat tower of immense
solidity, the roof steeply sloping, the
windows narrow and few, it would
have been commonplace and ugly in
the extreme had il not been for three
smaller semicircular towers placed at
each angle of the larger one. The eff
feet of this triangular-shaped tower,
with its three supporting towers, was
bizarre, but not unpleasing. 1t pre-
pared one for an interior unique and
interesting.
We passed beneath the arched door
way, severe and bare of ornament, into
the great hall At the left was the
grand stairway, the balustrades of oak
massive and dark with age, but adj
mirably carved At the end of the
hall, on the right, fire of logs was
blazing brightly. The hooded mantel,
Gothic in design, was also of oak and
blackened with the smoke of CEN
turies. A stand of banners stood near
the foot of the stairway. Not far from
the fireplace was a curious spiral stair
case leading to the gallery that ran
the length of the room above. Tapes
tries covered the bare walls and filled
the spaces between the narrow win
dows that looked out on the court
yard. The furniture was of the period
of the French Renaissance-covered
for the most part with stamped leather
of gold and dull red.
could not repress a cry of delight
as / entered. | had passed in an in
slant from the world of commonplace
hotels and railway trains into an at
mosphere of charm and beauty. For
no matter how industriously the con-
noisseur in America may gather about
him exquisite and beautiful things, he
cannot shut out the scream of the
railroad train; he cannot transplant
across the seas the charm of medieval
ism that clings to castle walls. IL is
one thing to see the Cluny with a
guide book; it is quite another to find
ones self a guest at the Cluny.
''You like my Castle of Happiness?"
asked Madame de WARMER, pleased at
the pleasure | showed.
ut promises its adventures" l re-
piled meaningly.
81 have told you that your hour of
romance has come. But remember,
romance in these prosaic days is gift
of the gods given only to children and
poets, a few women and lovers, and to
the very bold. If you would claim the
gift, monsieur, you must have some
thing of the nature of all of these. The
= sincere trust of the child, you must
certainly know what this is, monsieur.
The poets Imagination, his delightful
power of make-believe, you must not
despise that. woman's tenderness,
and a lovers ardor, these, too, are
necessary. And last of all, the daring
of the hero"
She had whispered these rather
comprehensive attributes as | walked
across the hall to the staircase follow
ing the servant with my bag.
"A rather large bill, madam" sug-
gested humorously.
"Oh, but | am serious, very serious.
| assure you that it is not sentimental
talk"
Il am afraid l must contradict you.
. The daring of the hero, for instance,
i even one so optimistic as yourself
> could scarcely expect that of me-"
Monsieur" she protested earnestly,
81 have already told you that | refuse
to believe you a coward. Do you be-
lieve it yourself? You know you do
not. The task am to give you would
. appall any but the bravest heart 1t
requires audacity. absolute assurance,
and a clever brain. But | believe in
l you. You will not disappeint me. We
dine in half an hour"
DIR. Starva had stood with his back
u to the fire. He called after me, scowl-
ing, as / assembled the stairs:
you will find, as l have said. that
: madam is an admirable host. But il
, the guest Is to be quite happy he must
: accept the diversions madam offers
and when they are offered"
i. Il was not the words so much as the
tone that menaced. 1t emphasized the
= conviction | already felt: DIR. Starva
did not welcome my coming to the cas-.
tle AS ! reached tho gallery | saw
Madame de WARMER address him al
most fiercely. l was not blind to his
sulfen contempt, though evidently the
/, woman was the ruling spirit. here.
CTO BE CONTINUED
DO your work and your worth will