The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1908-01-16
CHAPTER xxIII.-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 hs could come to a decision.
wait herei" I said in a tone OF
command. Il have an appointment
with Madame de WARMER. You were
coming for me. of course?"
mo" he answered sullenly. MA
dam is at her devotions; she is not to
be disturbed"
Il am the best Judge of that" And
added again, wait here."
I found myself in a great barn-like
room when had. locked the door be-
hind me at the head of the staircase.
Il 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
we're the three closed doors. So far
the crafty knave had told the truth.
But in which Of these rooms should
ind Madame de WARMER, And in
which Captain Forbes?
II ayailed me little TO have pene-
trated SO far into the enemy's strong
hold unless I could accomplish still
more. At any moment Alphonse might
give the alarm. and wished to take
Madame de WARMER by surprise.
1 began 10 make a circuit Of the tri-
angular room. i paused at each door
and knocked softly. At none of the
rooms did I receive any response.
was az once perplexed and dismayed.
There was no reason why either Cap
lain Forbes OF Madame de WARMER
should keep silence.
And then a maddening thought
struck me. Perhaps my crafty knave,
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 II Alphonse had
deliberately lured me here? What II
were a prisoner myself?
Dismayed that / should have been
% 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, 1t yielded to the
touch and swung silently on its hinges.
l stood at the Intel. abashed at my
angry intrusion.
1t was the oratoyy OF Madame de
WARMER.
Little larger than a closet. and In
shape a half crescent; the walls were
A
was an altar. Two tapers .flickered on
either side of the crucifix.
Before the altar, her eyes bent to
the crucifix, knelt Madame de WARMER.
the adventures, absorbed in her de-
votions Even my entrance was I'M
noticed.
But it was not piety of this ex-
traordinary woman that held me petri-
hed In establishment and speeches..
Within arms reach. as l stood there,
was a bier. And On II, his hands
crossed on his breast, his pallid face
strangely calm. lay the mortal remains
Of him whom / knew at once to be Sir
Mortimer Brett.
1t was a terrifying apparitton. 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 l 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 1 opened my lips to call to
the woman who knelt there. But /
could not bring myself to speak. The
holy dead banished passion from this
place. Here / could not reproach and
threaten her. I stood silently at the
threshold, plying rather than con-
demnfng, 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. No
terror or shadow of guilt distorted her
tragic beauty. l had come to de-
nounce, to demand justice. ] found
myself rather plying.
Madame de varnier." l 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 chung N, mo in tho fervor of her
appeal.
YES" she whispered. ut is the hour
when you must know the truth"
CHAPTER XIV.