The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1910-07-15
more taDidly titan they lad -

more rapidly titan they had ~
preached.
They passed thus up the broad
main streets Of the town, from one
place to another; then through small
er, humber streets, till darkness
gathered more and more closely and
the evening drew on. At last An
toinette passed.
They were in an obscure part OF
the town, street Of tall gray houses
let in apartments to all grades Of So
ciety, according to the height of the
story. A wide door opened on the
common stair, and as they reached
the place the door was somewhat
ajar. In this quiet street they had
not SO escaped without notice. Some
idle boys gathered outside the house,
shouting and talking to each other.
and heads began to look out of the
various windows.
Antoinette moved forward, It
seemed once more as If the heavy
door fell back at her approach, and
she entered in.
Something unwonted in the noise
without made itself heard as Antoin-
cite gllded UP the stairs. On every
landing, as she. passed, the groups Of
dodgers poured out to see what was
happening. The house was densely
populated, from the rich bourgeois
who occupied the second floor to the
families Of those up in the attics;
they all gathered round and followed,
murmuring, half-curious, half-fright-
ened, La folle! La folle!'
But the three men close to Antoin-
cite needed nothing now. Arthur
could once more hear the deep-drawn
breaths coming from her lips, and he
knew that they were drawing very
near the contamination
The bystanders pressed behind
them; in the street below they gath
cred thickly round the door. Upward
still they went, up to the fifth floor
of the house, and there Antoinette
passed in. 1t was a garnet, mean
and bare, shorn of every luxury, or
even necessity. In the centre of the
room. upon the ground. lay a small
portmanteau; before it, in the act of
packing, knelt, in his shirt sleeves,
man with his head turned, furtive-
ly looking over his shoulder, in every
feature agonizing fear. In that
shrunken, pallid face, with Iivid lips
and hair glued together with cold
drops Of terror, they recognized Paul
Leduc.
He sprung TO his feet with hoarse
ry, and a rapid look to right and
left, up and down, as II seeking any
where some mode of escape. But
the crowd had gathered round the
doorway; couple of gen d'armes,
hastily warned that something was
amiss, showed themselves among
them. But still, terrible as Nemesis
itself, Antoinette went forward under
the spell Of that horrible compulsion.
Now the wand dropped from her
hands. She stood before the shrink
ing, covering wretch, and spoke.
Her voice rang out clear and wild.
with the sound of wailing cry in its
vibration.
Paul fLeduc! In you I denounce
the murderer of my father!'
He glanced round him, then with
a desperate bound he leaped through
the crowd. They parted to right am
left as he flung them aside, utter
ing short painting sobs. like a wild
beast caught in trap.
Cries and shouts, tumultuous
noises followed his mad struggle for
escape (
Arthur alone Joined not in the pur-
suit. To him the result was nothing.
All were gone; he was alone with
Antoinette.
All the force, the power of super
natural strength had left her. She
stood there once more. gentle. ter
ror-stricken girl. She held out her
hands to him with an implorirg ges-
ture. In her own natural tone she
uttered faint .""v. Arthur! Ar
thur"
Then he caught her as she fell
not in the strange trance as before,
but looking. indeed. as IL this were
death itself.
The roar and cries and shoutings
without grew more distant, then
ceased altogether. and he knelt still
over the senseless form of his be-
loved.
To be Continued.