The Washington herald., 1914-08-16

Carefully he reseaIed the letters. and
day or two afterward. when Henri
ette had become better. when the Gu
riosity OF the police had been satisfied.
and he had a chance to see Henriette
alone, the old man handed her the let
ters. saying where he had found them
that he had mentioned his finding them
and the note to Nine Chevassat to no
one.
Henriette looked at him for a while in
silence and then made a sudden resolu-
tion TO confde in him.
The story she told was a long and
painful one. After hearing II Papa Ravi-
net went down stairs and out into the
street Just as he did so a carriage
stopped in front Of the door and a we'll
dressed young man got out and entered
the house.
Disappeared.
"Ha," thought Ravinet, that Is Max
ime de Brevan! I knew he would come
to see II the charcoal had done its work
Sarah Brandon. the day Of my revenge
is approaching"
A few days after that Papa Ravinet
grufiy told Nine. Chevassat that he
would be responsible for the rent and
board Of Henriette no longer.
"Ah, ha," chuckled the woman to her
self, 80 the old rascal has been un-
successful. has he? Now. my little lady
we will see what becomes OF you"
The next day Henriette had disap-
peared from the house in the Rue de "a
Grange Thrown herself into the
Seine" said Nine. Chevassst.
Papa Ravinet appeared but little dis
turbed by the disappearance OF the girl
"Heartiess old man., chuckled Nine.
Chevassat.
A., r,,+.o- ~ F,c+ rsayJpa+ ba5 s,JrIr
ed Henriette away to the protection of
his widowed sister, Nine. Bertolle, who
lived in a distant part of Paris.
Now the story of her life as Henriette
had told it to Ravinet was as follows:
Up from the Country.
Her father. the Count de Vile Handry
was a provincial nsbieman of great
wealth, who had come to live in Paris.
and had obtained considerable reputa-
ton as a politician.
With the consent of her father ana
the approval of her mother, Henriette
had become engaged to a young naval
officer. rapidly rising in the service
Daniel Champcey.
When. shortly after this engagement
Henriette's mother died the count SEEM
ed to lose all his hold on politics and
all his common sense 1t had been. In
deed. his wife who had supplied him, un-
known to himself, with his political
acumen and his brains.
He had the greatest opinion of his own
merits, but was, in reality, a weak-mind-
ed simpleton with money-just natural
food for the sharpers and adventurers
of the Gilded Clique.
1t was not long after mis- wife's death
that he came completely under the in
fiuence Of Sarah Brandon, the most beau
tiful and most widely known Of the
Clique"
Beauty and Heiress.
Sarah did really go into good society
as good society'' was in Paris in the
golden days Of the Second Empire. Ugly
stories were told about her, but she was
received.
Who was she? Why. she was an Amer
ican heiress, daughter OF the late Gen.
Brandon. who, having distinguished him
self in the American civil war, had be-
come immensely wealthy through the dis
cUvtry of oil wells on his vast estates
in Pennsylvania.
Sarah was an only child. and her
ncther had long been dead. Her guard
ians were Mrs. Brian, a relative-a wom-
an of the most Puritanical and austere
type-and a cold, calm, tall, taciturn
Englishman, Sir Thomas Elgin. Sarah
had documents to prove all this.
The three had an elegant but modest
establishment in a fashionable quarter,
and gave most exquisite little dinners.
Sarah was so gay and heart-free: she
cared so little for the conventionalities
OF French high iife;" she was such a
Child Of nature" Mrs. Brian would re-
prove her before company. saying: "Sa-
Fah, your conduct Is perfectly shocking
But Sarah would reply that American
I girls had much more liberty than French
! girls. They cultivated the pure heart