The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-12-10

what 1t was that she had seen. e And then. my friends" continued Robert Darzac. bis voice beginning to
 tremble. "l left the superintendent
 office. but I had no sooner got out of
 the room than l went back and slam-
 ued the door behind me. I. too. had seen Larsan- My wne mad nid no IT, fusion. Larsan was there in the stu ton upon the platform outside that door. He was there in front of the superintendent's door. standing under a gas jet. Evidently he expecte<s m and was waiting for us. He made no effort 10 hide himself. On the ~con- trary, any one would have declared that he had stationed himself there i for the express purpose of being seen-
 "MarhiIde was staring at me. her great eyes wide open. speechiess as ' though she were a somnambulist. In a moment. however. she came back to herself sufficiently to ask me whether ! it were far from Bourg to Lyons. At the same time she begged me to give orders about our baggage and asked me to accede to her desire to rejotn her fa- ' ther as soon us possible | immediate ly entered into her plans Besides. now that 1 had seet Larsan with my own eyes. knew well that the long honey moon trip which we had planned must be given up. and. my dear boy" went on Darzac. turning to Rouletabile. "l became possessed with the Idea that \ we were running the risk of some mysterious danger from which you alone could rescue us. if not already too late. Mathilde was grateful to me for the readiness with which fell In with her wish to join her father when told her that in a few minutes we would be on board the 9:29 train. 1 which reaches Lyons at about 10 ! o'clock. and we discovered that we | would overtake M. Stangerson himself at that point I will pass over his amazement when be beheid us upon the platform of the stntion at Lyons Marhilde explained to him that on ac- count of serious accident which had closed the line at Culoz we had de- cided to join him and spend a few days with him at the home of Arthur Rance and his young wife. as we had before been entreated to do by this l friend" l here interrupted M. Darxac's mar rative to recall to the memory of the reader of ''rhe Mystery of the Yellow Room" the fact that Arthur William Rance had for many years cherished a hopeless devotion for Mile. Stanger- son. but had at last overcome 1t and married beautiful American girl who knew nothing of the mysterious ad- ventures of the professors daughter. | After the affair at the Chandler and ! while Mile. Stapgerson was still . pa- tient in a private asylum near Paris. where the treatment restored her to health and reason. we heard one dne | day that Rance was about to wed the ] niece of an old professor of geology at the Academy of Science in Phiiadei- phia- Those who had known of bls | luckless passion for Mathilde and had | gauged it's depths by the excess with i which it was displayed believed that Rance was marrying in desperation and prophesied little happiness for the union. They were living al Rochers Rouges ip the old castle on the penin- sula of Hercules.
 Darzac continued his story:
 .when we had given these expiana- ! tons 10 Nj. Stangerson my wife and | sa W that he seeuied to understand very little of what we had said. and he ap- peared very mournfuf Her father saw that something had happened since we had left him which we were conceal ing from him. Mathilde began to talk of the ceremony Of the morning and in that way the conversation came around to you. my young friend'-and | again Darzac addressed. himself to | Rouletabi bilie-'and 1 took the occasion | to say to M. StaugPrsou that since your vacation was just beginning at | the time that we were all going tof Mentoue you might be pleased with an invitation that would give you the chance of spending your holiday in
 our society. There was. said. plenty
 of room at Rochers Ronges. and was | certain that M. Arthur Rance and his bride would extend to you a cordial | welcome While 1 was speaking Ma | thiIde looked gratefully at me and | pressed my hand teuderly. Thus it happened thri when we reached Va | lence 1 had M. Stangerson write the | dispatch which you must have receiv- | ed. While. her father rested in his
 compa rtments next to ours Mathilde
 opened my traveling bag and took out
 my revolver. saying. If he should at
 tack us you must defend yourself' | An, whnt a night we passed. l longed
 to console her. to comfort her. but l
 found uo words. And when C-ce at-
 tempted to speak she made gesture
 so full of misery and desolation that
 realized that would be far kinder if
 l kept silence"
 This was Darzac's story. We felt. | RuuletabIlle and myself. that the mar
 rative was so important that we both l resolved on arriving at Mentone that
 we would write 1t down from memory.
 At the station of Nentone Caravan
 they found Arthur Rance. who was
 astonishrd at beholding the bride and
 bridegroom. But when be was told
 that they intended to spend few
 days with him he was delighted Ar
 thur Rance had not. even after his
 marriage to Miss Edith Prescott. been
 able to overcome the extreme reserve
 with which DarZac had always treat