Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-08-27
A FLOWER
AMONG WEEDS
Story of the Eighteenth
Century.
BY P. A. mitchell.

During the reign of Louis XIV. France
reached a elimination of profligacy
which had been growing for years.
While the king was in his minority the
regent, his uncle, Duke of Orleans, set
the example of debauchery to the court
and through the court to the kingdom.
Louis himself, on assuming the scep-
ter, by. continuing in his uncle's foot
steps completed the work of laying the
foundation for the French revolution
which broke out during the reign of
his successor.
During the regency Of the Duke of
Orleans the wealthiest mobiles owned
estates in different parts Of France.
Only the more moral of these lived in
their country %chateaus, for the profit
gate could not endure to live elsewhere
than in Paris, where the intriguing
and debauchery were going on. Among
those who preferred the virtue of rural
life was the young Marquis CASTOR de
Roquette, who, though a soldier of &C
knowledged bravery, had a mind capa-
Bile of foreseeing the ruin the regent,
the princes of the blood and the nobil-
ity were bringing upon France.
However, the marquis was obliged
occasionally to go to Paris either at the
call Of the regent or on account of
some duty connected with his station
as a peer of the realm. One day on
the street on which stands what was
th1rn tho -n1Na, 20 A. H.
passed a young lady riding in her
chair" the very sight of whom deeply
impressed him. She was not only
beautiful, but a natural purity showed
itself in every line of her countenance.
This was the more noticeable, for at
that time the women of the court were
as bad as the men, and the lives they
led were d~iscernible In their features.
The marquis followed the young lady
with his eyes, and when he saw her
carried into the palace he heaved a
sigh, for he did not believe that any
woman could enter that royal abode
and be good. Her entrance there, how
ever, proved that she was a lady of
rank.
The marquis duty to the sovereign
later called him to the court, and he
saw there the lady whom he had met
in her chair" Hanging over her
was a famous but notorious duke, the
most pronounced and successful beau
of that period. He was a very wealthy
man, and he was also the most accom-
plished villain of his day. Three times
he had been in the Bastille, the third
time for having attempted to betray
France.
Another sigh marked the marquis
discovery that the girl who had made
such an impression on him was prob
ably falling into the hands of this no
tOrious villain. Leaving the palace
without even inquiring the name or
rank of the young lady, M. Roquette
returned to his estate and, shutting
himself up in his chateau, ~endeavored
to Danish her image, which had haunt
ed him since the first moment he had
seen her.
This was not possible. To the young
such impressions are very strong.
What it was IN that pure face that had
taken hold of him he did not know.
What he did know was that she was
a member of a p%rofligate court, that he
had seen its most notorious rake hang
ing over her, and he did no doubt that
sooner or later she would go down un-
der the influences which surrounded
her.
CASTOR de Roquette remained on his
estate for a month without returning
to Paris. Often was he tempted to go
there for another glimpse of the face
that had enthralled him, but he be-
lieved that in yielding to the tempta-
ton he would only bring upon himself
greater pain. So he devoted himself
to the care of his estate and to his en-
ants. He e~ndeavored to occupy him
self with his books, but this was i'm
possible, for, whatever he did, his mind
was upon that pure being, growing like
q flower I'm the midst of poisonous
weeds.
Whether ii was hat the young mar
quis was a poor sleeper or that Cupid
was keeping him awake, he went to
bed late and Mt times when unable to
sleep would arise, dress himself and
walk about outside. Not far from the
chateau was the church where he and
his household and his tenants wor-
SHIPPED and about which their fOrefa-
theirs slept. Within the structure were
the bones of the De Roquettes incased
in sepulchers or under the flags, the
sepulchers supporting marble figures of
the departed, while here and there
were the arms the men had borne in
war.
CASTOR de Roquette often strolled
about during his midnight walks i'm the
c~hurchyard. but had never cared to
enter the church at night when it was
deserted. One night when troubled
with sleeplessness he was strOlling in
the grounds near the chateau when,