The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-04

1 ing town. In the town he unluckily stopped in cafe with friend he chanced to meet While there he heard man the bully of the neighborhood, speak lightly of Valentine. Gaston resented the . speech, and the bully laughed as he said that everybody knew the relations exist ing between Valentine de la verberie and the heir of the De Clamerans.
 There was a fight, in which Gaston killed the bully and, before he made his escape wounded several others. Finally he reached the chateau, where he was followed by company of gendarmes, who surrounded the place. But he escaped, and hotly pursued, reached the bank of the raging river. There he disappeared. and was supposed to have been drowned until some years after, when 1t was found that he had survived the plunge into the turbulent waters and was in South Amer ica When he had emerged from the river on that momentous night he had sought out Valentine and had sworn that within three years he would return to make her his wife unless he was dead. The three years passed and Gaston did not return. His old father had died of grief when he had thought Gaston dead. Louis had sold the chateau and estate and gone to spend the proceeds in Paris.
 Weary with waiting and worn out by the importunities of her mother, Valen- tine had at length consented to take M. Fauvel for a husband. They had lived very happily together-the dream of her youth, her love for Gaston, had become only a dream pleasing but melancholy But there was something else that did mol appear upon the surface of things, but which Lecoq, by questioning old servants parents had told them) of a sudden trir which the Countess de la verberie hat made to England soon after the supposed death of Gaston.
 l An old woman was still living who had accompanied the Countess and her daugh' married man much younger than her self who abused her shamefully and she had become partly imbecile. But she had an idea that if she told the truth about that visit to England her conscience would I be relieved and her lot in life made easier. She had, in half crazy way, sought out Louis when he returned to sell his an cestral chateau, and told him the story.
 To M Lecoq, when he began his invest tigations, she also told it. It was to the effect that the Countess had taken her daughter to small English village where, under the name of Mrs. Wilson, Valentine lad given birth to a male child--Gastons son. The child had been delivered over l to an English woman to care for and bring up as her own. Upon her return from England Valentine had been married to M. Fauvel.
 When Lecoq found that the old servant had told this story to Louis de Clamerar he thought he saw the reason of the mys- terious hold which the Marquis and Raou had upon Mme. Fauvel. His visit to Eng land gave him additional facts. And so-- through hard-worked-out process, through minute investigation and through that detective instinct which a man must be born with and which 1t is impossible for him to thoroughly acquire-he came tc the knowledge that Louis de Clameran after having heard the story of the old nurse had gone to England and returned with Raul.
 He then had visited Mime. Fauvel ant i told her that his brother Gaston (this
 1t will be remembered. was before Gas ton had returned to- France and whei
 he was supposed to be dead) had diet
 poor in a lodging house in Paris. H
 had commended to him Louis, his sol
 by Valentine. and had told him tha