The Washington herald., 1912-11-24

with the parcels beside her, she said to
the young man, who was standing hat
in hand at the door, "Will you not get
inT
Bowling low, he did as she asked him
closed the door, and the carriage
started.
Emotional, deeply in love, scarcely
twenty-five years of age, and with SEN
sibilities that neither time nor the
world had hardened, the young man,
for the first time alone with this wom-
an who had fascinated him, could
scarcely speak
Then, with the charming impulsive-
ness of youth and in a manner quite
without offense, he boldly laid his hand
upon her little gloved hand resting in
Der lap. Without resenting the action,
she released, her hand and with smile
that atoned for her words, said, Il
did not ask you TO take a seat in my
carriage for that purpose, but because
| wished TO speak to you alone, Are
you my friend?'
"Oh, Madamep cried De. Lussac.
For days past | have sought the OPP
portunity to see you, to speak to you
alone, to tell you quite plainly that |
have but one thought in the world
and that is you, to tell you without
any of those compliments that men
use toward women that ! have but one
desire in life, to die for you If need
be-and you ask me am l your friend !"
She looked at him for a moment
meditatively, almost seriously. Older
than he, a woman of the world, with
-I....-.I II
that, however wsyward, always return
ed to balance, the truth and ingenious
ness of the young man pleased her as
we are always pleased by the thing
that is real
Tell me-" said she. You speak as
though you knew me as l know my
self, as though you had proved me
from long mountaineering. Do you
even know who l ann"
DO l know you you are! All, do |
notp
who, then, am II"
Yourself"
She laughed.
Where do / come fromT
"Heaven-at least you bring it with
you"
Taking Vienna and Paris on the
way? Alas, no, Monsieur, / am not
even a fallen angel-just a Viennese.
l always travel in a straight line, and
as / am returning to whence ] came
on Friday, shall simply go TO Vienna,
which, indeed, is far enough removed
from heaven"
She laughed again, not seeing for a
moment how her words had struck him
nor how pale he had become.
you leave on Friday!" he said. "On
Friday of this week.
Eyes, and as / leave Paris to-day
for a visit to Compiegne and shall not
return till tomorrow afternoon, took
this opportunity of speaking to you
alone in my carriage where there are
no Monsieur Behrens or Mesdames de
Joyeuse to overhear my words. Mon
sieur, / have only met you four times:
once at the Duchesse de Chartres, the
in the forest of Senart, the next day
by accident at Monsieur BEGINNERS,
the jeweler in the Rue Royale, and
this morning by accident in the shop
of Monsieur Behrens. Nov, Monsieur
lie Comte, three accidents of that sort
rarely come together by accident, and
| asked you into my carriage to in
quire of you how you knew | was
to attend the kings hunt, how you
knew I was to be found in the shop of
Monsieur Boehmer, and in the shop of
Monsieur Behrens at II o'clock this
morning Have you been spying upon
my movements!
Madame" said De Lussac quite
simply, Il have"
And the name of your spy?'
Madame, / can not give you his
name because he is a brother affiliated
to the order to which l belong"
"a freemason?"
mo, Madame; society of brethren
who have sworn to free the people of
France and the world from the ty-
ranny under which they groan."
"a secret society,"
Secret, Madame, because we live
under the shadow of the sword and
each one of US knows not at what mo-
ment death or the Bastile may be his
portion"
"And you tell me this terrible thing
which you ought to mention to no
man"
Il tell you it, Madame, because . 1
love you"