The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-12-29
SHAPTER xV-Continued.

o oooI Tue Unread OF 1t all In
your mind. For two acts you have
Deen asked to focus your attention
upon the increasing brutality of the
MARQUIS. Remember that, won't your
Not likely to forget it," John re-
pheo. How we'll they all act!"
1here was a quarter of an hours
interval before the curtain rose again.
huinors concerning the last act had
Oeen hoatlng about for weeks, and the
mousse was almost tense with excite
ment as the curtain went up. The
scene was the country chateau Of the
Marquis de Guy" who brought a
noisy crowd Of companions from Paris
without any warning. His wife showed
signs Of dismay at his coming. He
had brought with him women whom
she declined to receive.
The great scene between her hus-
band and herself took place in the
square hall of the chateau, on the first
floor. Louise reaffirms her intention
OF leaving the house. Her husband
laughs at her. Her position is hope
less.
What can you do?" he mocks.
She shrugs her shoulders and passes
Into her room. The marquis sinks upon
settee, and presently Is Joined by
one OF the ladies who have travelled
with him from Paris. He talks to her
Of the pictures upon the wall. She Is
n fhn No %
Guy.
The marquis knocks at his wife's
door. Her voice Is heard clearly, after
a moments pause.
"In few minutesi" she replies.
The marquis resumes his filtration.
His companion becomes impatient
the marquis has pledged his word that
she should be received by his wife. An
ancient enmity against the Marquise
de Guy prompts her to insist.
The marquis shrugs his shoulders
and knocks more loudly than ever at
his wife's door. She comes out dressed
for travel and Is met by Faraday, who
suddenly appears.
"You asked me what I could do"
she says. pointing to her lover. 'You
see nowr
There was a moments breathless ST.
lence through the house. The scene In
itself was little beyond anything that
the audience had expected. Sophy,
who had been leaning over the edge of
the box, turned around in no little
anxiety. She heard the door slam.
John had disappeared!
He left the theater with only his hat
in his hand, turning up his coat by In
stinct as he passed through the driving
rain. All his senses seemed tingling
with some nameless horror. The bril-
lance Of the language, the subtlety Of
the situation, seemed like some evil
trail drawn across that one horrible
climax. It was Louise who had come
from that room and pointed to Fara-
day!
He reached his rooms-he scarcely
knew how-and walked upstairs. There
he threw off some of his dripping gar
ments, opened the window wide, and
stood there.
He looked ont over the Thames, and
there was q red flare before his eyes.
Stephen was right, he told himself.
There was nothing but evil to be found
here, nothing but bitter disappoint-
ment, nothing but the pain which deep
ems into anguish. Better to remain
like Stephen, unloving and unloved, to
draw nearer to the mountains, to find
Joy In the crops and the rain and the |
sunshine, to listen stonily to the cry |
Of human beings as IL to some voice |
from an unknown world.
He leaned little further from the |
and gazed into the court at a |
dizzy depth below. He had cut himself |
adrift from the peace which might have |
been his. He would never know again |
the Joys of his earlier life. 1t was for |
this that he had fought so many bat
lies, chung so tightly to one ideal-for
Louise, who could show herself to any
one who cared to pay his shilling or
his half-guinea, glorying in her dis
honor; worse than glorying In it-hnd-
ing some subtle humor In the little ges-
ture with which she had pointed, I'M
to her lover.
John bent a little lower from the
A sudden dizziness seemed
10 have come over him. Then he was
forced to turn around. His door had
been quickly opened and shut. It was
sophy who was crossing toward him,
he rain streaming from her ruined
opera cloak.
"Johni I" she cried. ooh, Johnl'
She led him back to his chair and
melt by his side. She held his hands
lightly.
"You mustn't feel like this" she
'obbed: you mustn't, John, really
1ou don't understand. It's all a play.
Iouise wouldn't really do anything like
hati"
He shivered. Nevertheless, he
lutched her hands and drew her closer
o him.
do, please, listen to me, she
legged. "It's all over. Louise is feft3
elf again-Louise Maurel. The Mar q
luise de Guy never lived except upon7
hose boards. It is simply wonderful
roStion Anv one of the great &C.