The Washington herald., 1913-02-02
"THE MINISTER OF Police 35535 .e...s.]
By HENRY MoUNTJOY

But | think, Monsieur, you have been
| precipitate. In breaking from prison
! you laid yourself out course that in
evitably entailed disaster to others, il
not to yourself. Take. for instance.
| Monsieur le Due de Richelieu."
| "He is not hurt"
This Monsieur dc Beauregard"
He will recover"
! The agent" -.t
Whom fclled, Oh, rnondieu,
wager he is even now joining in the
hunt for me"
Take myself. give you refuge,
very safety. You have been precipi.
tate, whereas you should azye been
J philosophical"
In what way1" asked Do Lussac,
who had risen to his feet.
! You should have remained In hi,
majesty's fortress OF the Bastile, and
sent for me- would have seen the
King, | would have used my influence;
| your friends would have helped me
then all would have been well"
| De Lussac had not told Jean Jacques
of the document which had led to all
this trouble, simply stating that his
imprisonment was due to his connec-
tlon with the Society of the Midi; nor
did he tell him now.
Monsieur" said he, moving toward
the door, what you say is true My
\ presence here is inimical to your safe
| ty. | 60"
i You will not" replied Rousseau
placing himself before the door "No.
| Monsieur, you have cast yourself on
/ my protection, and my protection YOU
shall have. Besides, you have another
friend with whom I must communi-
cate.
! He told of the Baroness Linden's
| visit that morning, OF the packet she
had asked him TO keep and OF her state
ment that the packet contained a
weapon giving her entire power over
the fate OF Monsierr de Sartines. As
he told this, De Lussac sat down again
in his chair. He saw the situation at
a glance. Madame Linden had, in
deed, in some miraculous manner, sue
cceded in gaining possession of the
Porcheron paper. He remembered De
Richelieu's words. the statement about
her visit Heaven! what devotion
what genius had been working on his
behalf She had risked everything for
him; liberty and honor itself.
Rousseau noticed that the Young
mans eyes had become filled with tears
that his hands were trembling; his
lips. too.
"Ah. Monsieur Rousseau. Monsieur
Rousseau" said De Lussac. suddenly
leaning on the table and covering his
eyes with his hand. Philosophy-wis-
dom-what is it all compared to the
love of the heart that never reasons
and knows not fear? The lady you
speak OF, the woman you saw TO-DAY
=! has given me life and liberty at the
risk OF her own liberty and life You
have never seen any one more lovely
than she, and YOU will never see any
thing more beautiful than her act This
packet for which she riSked every
thing must remain in YOUR keeping till
she sends for 1t. | do not know her
plans. but | shall know them Tonight
If YOU will give a corner to lie in till
dust. will snatch few hours sleep. and
then | will seek her house You need
have no fear: the weapon she holds
protects us all-you who have given
me shelter and | who have crayed II.
house. only that to enter it in the
broad light OF day might interfere with
whatever plans she has formed She
is doubtless watched"
Rousseau. without a word. led the
way into the parlor and pointed TO the
; Couch. He shut the door on the Young
man and returned TO ths wprkroom
glanced at the music paper on the ia
bic. and sat down before it.
His mind was very much perturbed
alone now with his fears and apprc-
; tensions. he forgot everything but
them. At any moment he felt that the
police-deSpite De Lussacs assurance
might arrive. and even more than the
police he dreaded the arrival OF The
reese. He could have wept at the mess
he had got himself into. Then his
mind sought refuge in sound cleo
trifed by the troubles he was passing
through. his musical intellect became
again abnormally clear. De Lussac.
had he not been sound asleep, might
have heard the iaint tinkling of the
Spinet. and at dusk. when the cornte
opened the door OF the work room to
take his leave, he found the master
seated at the table. with a complete
musical manuscript before him.
II 1t was Rousseaus dream, destined to
be tiTkled forth on every spinet in Eu-
rope. begun in distraction, wrecked BY
a potato salad. and finished in the per-
turbation of spirit that drives some
men TO wine and some men to music