The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-12-28
The CleVerness of CardillaC
By ROBERT BARR

By ROBERT BARR

: oh. you heard the abbess say that;
tut neither you nor she realizes the
despair of a father who finds mis- only
daughter whisked away from all his
knowledge, as If she had vanished from
/ the face of the earth. A man in such a
plight will clutch at any straw. Not
that 1 am a man of straw. as my smile
would seem to indicate, but one whose
lineage IS as old as that OF the duke
himself. / have sat at the duke's table
as equal with equal, and he intrusted me
with this mission 1t is maddening to
think ! have come within an ace Of sue
Ceeding, 20 be bafIled az first by an III
tempered old woman, and secondly by
q chattering maid
Monsieur, 1t seems that you are doing
most OF the ChatterinB yourself I have
remained silent If, then, you hold any
written testimony that will convince
mademolselle you come from her father,
1 shah take IL to her"
'Vrai Dieul How little you know the
folly you are speaking To carry
written document from the Due de
MOntreuu through the country Of the
king would mean my own arrest, and
the notification Of my plans, the mo-
meat / was searched and the letter
found. The Due de MOntreuil is a mid
d e-aged man Of experience. and he
/ trusted me without any letters, and
without any credentials II his daugh-
ter possesses but a 1.-THE Of his good
sense. / shall convince her in half the
tine L have been taking to you"
You profess great faith in your
powers Of persuasion, monsieur
If so, my faith is becoming less and
less. IF you object much longer you
viii destroy it altogether"
The girl smiled, and the despairing
! Cardillac seemed to gather some hope
from her change Of expression.
1T would be a pity to dampen your
self-conhdence, monsieur. II you an
shell put TO you' I may succeed IN re
establishing It. How long have you
known the Due de Montreun?'
mot two days yet"
Il never saw the man before until
| yesterday"
Then how came so conservative a
man as he TO intrust you with a slis-
his shoulders) ION such short aCQuaint-
ance, and with no credentials from him,
as I understood you to say?'
you ignore a fathers love and his
anxiety for an only daughter"
True, so I do; but you, monsieur. II
you could confess no loyalty 20 his
highness, and could scarcely claim &C
QuaintanCe with him, how came 1t that
you undertook an expedition so can
gerOusZ Although you have spoken con
ViDcingly Of a fathers love for his
da lighter, and, therefore, persuaded me
that the Due de MOntreuil might 1--we
acted as you say, on your part IN ere
was not even friendship to enlist you
How came you, then, to run your neck
Z into the nOOs52'
For two reasons, Marie Duchamps-
First, I am q young man with name
20 make, so 1 fairly jumped at the
chance offered me- second, am poor
man. with my fortune to make. and the
duke offered me q thousand pistoleS IN
gold II I Were successful.
'Ahn' cried the girl I'm long drawn
out information, her eyes lighting up with
intelligence. Now j understand! The
money that tempts woman tempts a
man also"
81 viii see my mistress at once, ana ana
report to her what you have said VIII
you trust me to return to your
Yes, II you say you VIII return.
after your treatment OF meE
ut is not my treatment, but your
word, that I trust"
This girl LAUGHED. and ran halfway
up the stair, then, with her hand
against the wall, she turned round ana
looked down at him
Monsieur" she said, while 1 am
absent rebuild speedily your faith In
your powers of persuasion. You have
so far convinced me that, whether you
are genuine or not, 1 shall conniye at
your escape. JnbOlt the door. there
fore; go 20 the tall Hagpole that rises
from the courtyard and overtops our
highest building; cut the rope that Is
TiVen through the pulley at the top,
draw IL completely away, coil II up.
return to this hail. and wait for me
With chat she disappeared. Cardlllac
did not wonder at the Obscurlty Of the
hail when he had once more emerged
into the courtyard Night was falling
rapidly, and before many minutes were
past complete darkness would be upon
the landscape: but he knew that, once
clear Of the convent, the gloom would
facilitate his escape Correctly he sur
missed that the girl intended him to de
eceud from one Of the small gable win
dOWs I'm the third story. n such win
dOWs Were in existence at the back of
the convent as they were at the sides
All sounds Of battering at the door had
some other plan was about to be adopt
ed. so, he thought that The sooner he
was quit Of the place, the better.
Taking with him the long rope he
passed under the clOisters and re-en-
tered the hall. where, to his Cstonish-
menJ, he found Marie waiting for him
She had g. cloak thrown over her arms,
and some kind Of covering on her head
which the dImneSs rendered indiSttncS,
You haven't been long away he
said en- surprise.
mo; madcuoiseTe makes uD her
mind very quickly She refuses to see
vou.''
What nousense"' cried CardiTac I'm
patiently Won have not had time fully
TO explain 90 her the sItua Con. I must
see her"
That is impossible. monsieur. You
cannot enter my Iady's APARTMENT
without her permission, and I'm such
crisis 70 would be folly TO make the at
tempt. You should know by this time
that the doors Of the convent are not
so easily broken down as an outsider
might think. Mademoiselle. neverthe-
less. asks a favor Of you, which IS to