The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-05-05
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I II fear, l greatly fear, in spite of
| our conviction of his innocence, that
old Battiste will be condemned, said
Monsieur Tasset, mournfully. II
cannot see who else can have been
guilty, although I feel morally sure
that he is not; but everything is
against him. 1t seems he has, with
out the smallest scruple, said that
he possessed a duplicate key of his
masters room"
"A duplicate key!" exclaimed the
Cure. "Then why did he suffer the
| doors to be broken DOWN."
"He does not know what has be-
come of it. He will not, or cannot,
say why or when it was lost. He is
half in his dotage."
But that he should have men
toned that duplicate key does not
seem like guilt, and must be in his
| favor" said the Cure, quickly.
$50 it is old Battiste whom they
accuse?" said a voice, very gently
and slowly, whose tones made all
three start to their feet.
1t was Antoinette. She had come
| into the salon and had heard the last
words. She was perfectly calm, but
| she had pushed back all the fair hair
from her brow, and that and her
deadly pallor gave her a look of ex-
IRENE desolation.
Arthur advanced quickly to lead
her to chair. She gently put him
aside, and leaning one hand on the
table, she said: ut was not Battiste,
| Messieurs; of that / can assure you. p"
"If, Mademoiselle, you have indeed
| any proof" said Monsieur Tasset,
eagerly, then it may indeed save the
old mans life"
She sank into a chair, and her pa
thetic eyes turned from one to an
| other of the three anxious faces.
"Messieurs, she said, tell me the
truth as you hope for salvation. Will
Battiste be condemned?"
A cold terror of what she might
be going to do or say struck upon
Arthur's heart He spoke eagerly.
mot necessarily, Antoinette.
Juries rarely convict on circumstan-
tial evidence only. There is an alb
sence of motive admitted, and we
have yet to communicate with your
cousin"
She turned her eyes from him to
Tasset.
San Englishman cannot be fully
eonversant with French law" she
said. Il conjure you to tell me the
truth. Will he be condemned?"
II fear, / greatly fear" he stam-
mered.
Arthur shrank back, shrank back
against the wall. He knew what was
coming. She turned to him with her
eyes looking up to his, wild, despair
ing, terrified.
mo! mol" he cried. "Do not ask
me! l cannot!"
Your oath!" she answered, in a
voice out of which all tone had died
away.
Heaven help me! Must it be?"
She only repeated once more,
"Your oath!"
AS if under a resistless spell, he
placed the tallsman in her out
stretched hands. The silver case fell
to the ground. In the dead silence
that followed, they heard the clink-
ing OF the metal as it rolled away
from under foot.
AItoinette had covered her face
| with her hands. She remained SO for
some minutes, so long that Tasset
| and the Curo o1opaad of GOAL, o+hor
fearful lest she should have tainted.
Arthur never moved He stood fas-
cinated, motionless. He put his finger
to his lip when they would have inter-
rupted her.
At last she put down her hands
and rose slowly to her feet, and the
three men started with thrill A
most strange and awful change had
passed over her, all the softness had
gone out of her face. 1t was hard,
rigid, carved in marble, like that of
Medusa. The large, gray eyes
strained wide open, the lips apart;
all the wild, fair hair, blown back
ward, seemed to stand erect round
her head as if it had been halo. She
saw nothing, heard nothing of those
beside her. Then for the first time
the two perceived that she held be-
tween her hands, in strange, stiff
way, a slender willow wand, and they
knew instinctively what it was.
No, no." cried the Cure, springing
forward; but the Mayor put his hand
on his arm; he was watching with a
strange fascination.
Gently, gently, Monsieur lie Cure, .
he said. "Who dares say that this
power is other than from Heavenl"
Then the Cure also drew back, and
they stood watching. Antoinette
was or the scent.
TRY