The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1912-11-14
CHAPTER VII,
A Distant Menace,

But guests come and guests go;
pastimes draw to a close, and the
hour arrives when the curtain falls
on the masque. The friends Of my
lady, however reluctantly, were
obliged at last to forgo further holi-
day-makiEg, depart from the Mount,
and return to the court. An imposing
cavalcade, cleaning in crimson and
gold. they wended down the dark
rock: laughing ladies', pranked-out
cavaliers who waved their perfumeG
hands with farewell kisses to the
grim stronghold in the desert, late
their palace of pleasure, and TO the
young mistress thereof.
"Good-by, Elise" The marquis was
last to go.
"Good-by."
He took her hand; held it to his
lips. On the whole, he was not i'll.
pleased His wooing had apparently
prospered, for, although the marriage
had been long arranged, my lady's
beauty and capriciousuess had famed
in him the desire to appear a success
full sutton for her heart as well as her
hand If sometimes she laughed and
thus failed to receive his delicate gal
lantries in the mood in which they
were rendered, the marquis vanity
only allowed him TO conclude that
woman does not laugh if she is dis
pleased. II was enough that she found
him diverting: he served her; they
were friends and had danced ana md
den through the spring days in ami
cable fashion.
"Good-by." he repeated When
are you coming to court again? The
queen is sure to ask | understand
her majesty is planning all manner
of brilliant entertainments. yet Yer
saillee-without you, Elise"
Me-" arching her finely penciled
blows. Oh, I'm thinking of staying
here. becoming a nun. and restoring
the Mount to its old religious pres
tige"
Then III come back a monk" he
returned in the same tone.
"If you come back at all" provok-
ingly. There, go The others will
soon be out OF sight
81, too-alas, EIise!'
He touched his horse; rode on, but
soon looked back to where, against
a great, grim wall, stood a figure all
in white cleaning in the sunshine.
The marquis stopped; drew from his
breast a deep red rose. and, gazing
upward, gracefully Kissed the glowing
token. Beneath the aureole Of golden
hair my Iady's proud face rewarded
him with a faint smile, and some
thing-a tiny handkerchief-dutte
like a dove above the frowning, time
worn rock. At that, with the eloquent
gesture OF a troubadour, he threw
his arm backward, as if to launch the
impress on the rose to the crimson
lips of the girl and then, plying his
spurs, galIoped off
And as he went at a pace. head
long if not dangerous and fitting the
eXigencies OF the moment, my lord
smiled. Truly had he presented per-
feet, dainty and gallant figure for any
wOman's eyes, and the Lady Elise, he
fancied, was not the least discerning
OF her sex. And had he seen the girl,
when an unkind angle Of the wall MD
him from sight, his own nice estimate
OF the situation would have suffered
no change. The Mount, which for
merly had resOunded to the life and
merriment of the people from the
court, on a sudden to her looked cold.
barren, empty.
'Heigh-ho!" she murmured. stretch
ing her arms toward that point where
he-they-had vanished. Il shall die
of ennui, ! am sure!" And thought
fully retraced her steps to her own
room.
But she did not long stay there;
by way Of makeshift for gaiety, sub
stituted activity. The Mount full of
early recollections and treasure-house
mystery, furnished an incentive for
exploration, and for several days she
devoted herself to its study; now
pausing for an instant's contemplation
of a sculptured thing Of beauty then
before some closed door that held her,
as at the threshold of a Bluebeards
forbidden chamber.
One day, such door stood open
and her curiosity became cured. She
had passed beneath machicolated
gateway, and climbing a stairway
that began in a watch-tower, found
herself Unexpectedly on a great plat
form. Here several men, Unkempt,
pale, like creatures from another
world were walking to and fro; but
at sight of her. an order was issued