The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-06-30
CHAPTER XXI.
The Postern In the Impasse de
0aradla

Quaintance had spent some agOn-
fling hours since hhe had reached
the st. Roch at half-past
four IN sthe morning and found
that O'Ferral was absent. He
had been counting on the CORE
spondent for sympathy and coun-
sci in the most heart breaking pre-
) dicament which had evolved itself
out of his we'll meant effort to pro-
tect Miles Quaintance's adopted
daughter from the cruel measures
his uncle had devised against her
and himself. He would have given
his right hand now to revoke the
past, since he could not doubt that
his scheme had signally miscar-
ried, had recoiled on his own head.
Neither did he doubt now that
the man whom he had first en-
countered at the Cornucopia, and
last, less than an haur ago, at the
Blue Rabbit, had somehow man.
aged to possess himself Of the
identity of that dead Stephen
Quaintance who should have been
safe in his grave at Yola on the
Benue In Africa. And had tracked
the girl down with the idea of in
ducing her to comply with the
terms of the will. But that UNI
scrupulous adventurer had also
come too late, since she was wed
already.
That was what hurt beyond all
else. The thought that his blind
sacrifice had cost him his fair
chance of winning the only woman
In the world who could now COM
fort him, her Of the pure pale face,
the sorrowful blue eyes. the
duchess of his dearest dreams
whom he had seen his last of as
she passed out of his life on a
dukes arm. He groaned aloud in
the extremity of his regret.
All. could he but have known
in time. He had meant well, but
fate, with which he would have in
terfered, had struck back at him
viciously, cowardly blow, from
behind. in the dark.
He sat down in his own rooms
to wait up in case the correspon-
dent should come in. He was still
sitting there, cold pipe between
his teeth, staring fixedly at the
dead fire on the hearth, when a
servant came In with coffee at nine
o'clock. When Cornoyer called at
noon to carry him off to breakfast
he found him in the same attitude,
and O'Ferral had not yet returned.
.trl.t 90 rNvnauar hauauar
he pulled himself together. drank
the stale csffee at his elbow and
made ~ ,sty toilet. A cold bath
braced Ms system. and, by the
time they had walked as far as
the Rue de la Chaussee d'Antin,
where they turned into the Pail
lard, he was once more able to
think clearly. And the trend of
his thoughts was toward revenge.
against the man who had. however
unwittingly, come between him
and his one hope Of happiness. The
other. that vulgar scoundrel who
was impersonating him, might be
brought to book afterwards, since
no great harm could meantime re-
suit from his Vaccinations.
Over the breakfast table he took
Cornoyer into his late confidence.
telling him briefly the strange
story of Stephen Quaintance, his
uncle's will and the girl who was
now the Duchesse DIES Reeves. And
eCornoyer heard him out In aston
ished silence, had no comment to
make when he finished The SIT
uation In which he found himself
was so unenviable. and there SEEM
ed to be no way out of II.
Cornoyer told him. somewhat re-
luctantly and In reply to his point
ed questions. that the Due des
Reeves record was almost as bad
as his reputation. He wondered