Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-26

! shaded my face with the load that his
inattentive eve dwelt on my surplice
which would have passed me anywhere IN
France.
/ Goodnight. monsieur the cure" said
/ the turnkey, letting us through the outer
/ door.
Goodnight. goodnight" the priest re-
/ sponded.
"And to you. sacristan."
/ Goodnight" I muttered, and he came
/ step after me. The candle was yet in
/ his hand, showing him my bulk, and per-
/ haps the small clothes he had longed to
vend. ! expected hue and cry, but walked
on after the priest, and heard the heavy
| doors jar. and breathed again.
| Hearkening behind and i'm front, on the
right and the left, ! followed him in the
| direction of what have since learned to
call the Jardin des Plantes. 1t is near
Ste Pelagie
The priest, wearied by his long office,
! spoke only once about the darkness; for
II was cloudy night; and did not attend
TO my muttered response. I do not know
what sympathy the excellent old man
might have shown to an escaped prisoner
who had choked his sacristan, and I had
no mind to test 1t. He turned "A corner,
and with the wall angle between us, I
eased down the sacred furniture, drew Off
the surplice and laid that upon it and
took to my heels up the left-hand street
! for the guard had brought me across the
river to Ste. Pelagie.
had no hat and the cut of my coat
showed that had lost waistcoat
Avoiding the little circles of yellowness
made by lamp posts, I reached without
mishap of falling into the hands of any
patrol, bridge crossing to an island
point and from the other side of the
point to the opposite shore. At intervals
along the parapet dim lights were placed
Compared to Lake George, which wound
IKE a river, and the mighty st. Lawrence
as remembered 1t, the Seine was a mar
row stream. Some boats made constella-
uons on the surface The mass of island
splitting 1t into two branches was almost
the heart OF Paris. There were other foot
passengers on the bridge. and a gay car
rage rolled by. ! did not see any gem
oarmes, and only one foot passenger
troubled me-
was on the bridge above the left arm
OF the river when an ear trained in the
WOODS caught his footstep, pausIne as
hlne paused and hurrying as mine hur-
Gu' rieu' ~ the sacristan had been found in
Ste. Pelagie pursuer would not track
me so delicately. and neither would
Skenedonk hold back on the trail
stopped IN the shade when we two ware
alone on the second span, and wheeled.
certain OF catching my man under the
.u VI cresset' caught him and knew
that IL was Bellenger following me
My mind was made up in an ins,a,.
l walked back to settle matters wifi
l,im, though slaughter was far from, ,,,,,
thoughts. | had done him no harm: but
ne was my enemy, and should be forced
to let me alone.
Ihe Fellow who had appeared SO feeble
az MS cabin that ! opened the door for
nm ,iln' ana SO poor-spirited that his intel
,ect claimed pity, stood up as firm as a
Dear at my approach, and met NV a,,as
with perfect understanding.
Not another thing do 1 remember The
iaets are simply these: / faced BeIIenS
ger no blows passed; my mind flashed
plank with the partial return of that ola
eclipse which has fallen upon me oftar
strong excitement in more than one
critlcal moment. The hiatus seems brief
"hen awake, though II may have lasted
hours l know the eclipse has been upon
me, like the wing-shadow of eterni,,,.
but l have scarcely let go of time
could not prove that RelIanoor
dragged me TO the parapet and threw
me into the river II I had known n 7
should have laughed at his doing 40 fo,.
could swim like a fish, through ~.
under water, and sit on the lake botton,
holding my breath until Skenedonk had
been known to dive for me-
""Sn meat sehsed anything at all Il
was feeling OF cold.
1 thought / was lying in one NJ ,h.
shallow runlets that come into Lake
George and the pebbles were an uneasv
Deu. ehillng my shoulders / was TOO
sum to move, or even turn my head ~
hit out of water the ear on which N
rested, But 1 could unclose my eyelids
ana this Is what / saw--a man naked 10
ms ms waist half reclining against a lean
ing slab OF marble. down which a Iayer
or water constantly moved. His Iegs
were clothed and his other garments Isv
across them His face had sagged IN
my direction. There was a deep SLASH
across MS forehead. and he showed his
teeth and his CLASSY eyes at the Joke
Beyond this silent figure was a woman
as silent The ridge OF his body couid
not hide the long hair spread upon her
breast considered the company and
the moisture into which had fallen with
unspeakabie amazement. We were IN !
low and wide stone chamber with q
groined ceiling, supported by stone piI.
lars. row OF lamps was arranged
above us. 30 that no trait or feature
might escape a beholder.
Ihat We were put there for show
entered my mind slowly and brought In.
disnation. To be 50 helpless and so ex
posed was an outrage against which !
struggled IN nightmare Impotence; for
was DareN TO my hips also. and / knew
not what other marks / carried beside
those which had Scared me all my con-
sciouH life.
Now in the distance. and eehoing, fee,
descended stairs.
knew that people were coming TO Iooh
az US. and ] could not move a muscle IN
resentment.
heard their voices. fringed with echoes
before either speaker came within my
vision.
This is the mortuary chapel Of the
Hotel Dieu?"
Yes. monsieur the marquis This is the
mortuary chapel"
uni Cheerful placer
Much more cheerful than the bottom
Of the river monsieur the marquis"
mo doubt Never empty. chr