The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1912-01-11

ticular it was arranged that the train
service back from st. Anselm and
V%illebonne should be discontinued for
two days. Furthermore, on her ar
rival at the Abbey the monks were to
contrive to hold her prisoner for that
period, under some pretext which
should appear convincing. That would
enable Albert to be crowned king of
Belgium. For my part, 1 planned to
escape secretly as soon as 1 had de-
livered the baroness to the head of
the monastery. 1 would not face the
woman l had deceived.
At eleven o'clock we stole softly
down the back stairway, emerging at
the servants entrance to the palace.
Wrapped in a hood of some coarse
material, the baroness no doubt passed
muster for a maid. 1 carried two
grips-our sole baggage. We went
softly into the almost empty street
and round to the front of the palace.
There n ominous circumstance at
tended us. The great gates, which
were closed upon the hour, shut soft
ly in front of u eyes. We had come
out, but there would be no going in
without scrutiny. 1 felt the baroness
clutch at my arm in agitation; a mo-
ment afterward and the incident was
forgotten. We walked at a brisk pace
through the streets until we reached
the station. There we purchased tick
cts for our destination and, having OBJ
tanned an empty carriage, fell to
watching the scenery fly swiftly past
us, each busy with the thoughts that
came into the brain.
She was so trusting, SO confiding, so
changed from the imperious woman,
from the virago who had attacked the
guards in. the corridor. that l was for
finging myself at her feet and con-
Tossing all. Nothing but an over
whelming sense of duty restrained me.
And l was determined that, the task
completed and the baroness deceived,
l would hand in my resignation to the
king and look for some other and
more honest occupation than such as
this.
The hours passed heavily. Now we
had left cultivated lands far behind
and entered upon the belt of bracken
and pine trees that binds the shifting
sands of the seashore and prevents
their encroachment upon the land.
Now even these had disappeared, and
we were travelling among lonely sand
dunes, the homes of thousands of
hares, but bare of all other life. Only
at rare intervals did some lonely hut
appear, black among the silver sands.
Then we heard the roaring of the
ocean and knew that we were nearing
our destination.
At last we stopped at Villebonne, a
little seaside station now deserted un-
til the ummer influx should fill it's
streets and houses and draw new Gus
tom to it's suffered shops. At the
platform a nan with a carriage and
horses awaited us, wearing the blue
and gold livery Of the baroness
household. She had a small country
cottage hard by the monastery, with
er the king had frequently withdrawn
during the last years of his life, and,
although this was a member Of the po-
lice force who had been summoned
thither by Vanderpoel, the baroness
naturally suspected nothing but that
he was one of her household. But
the fellow, who apparently knew more
than he had been told, was impudent.
"His majesty awaits you at the
monastery, madame he whispered,
leering at her. Next moment l had
struck him to the ground.
Speak when you are spoken to, my
man." l said angrily. I would be no
party to this unnecessary torture. The
fellow picked himself up doggedly and
got upon the box. placed the baroness
inside and got upon the box beside the
fellow, to insure that he played no
tricks. He took the reins in his hands
and the horses started off. When we
had gone some distance he turned to
me.
"Give me a hundred crowns or I
betray the trick" he said surlily.
You cannot knock down a member of
the police force of Brussels with i'm
punity."
Il knocked you down for insulting
the baroness with your lies," I said. I
shook my fist under his nose. IF you
dare to say a word to her, under any
pretext, I will half murder you, you
dog" I said. Drive on"
He drove, very sullenly, the horses
feet making no sound as they plunged
through the soft sand, the carriage
lurching from side to side as it
countered the dunes, which, here and
there, had half obliterated the road,
which was seldom used by travellers.
At last we saw the outlines of a large
building in the distance, surrounded
by a grove of poplars. 1t was the Alb
hey. In the east there was the faint
est suggestion of the coming dawn. I
looked at my watch. It was past five.
Evidently l had miscslculated the
time; our journey had taken longer
than I expected.
At a further stage we halted. There
was no possibility Of progress across
the drifts. The carriage was already
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