The evening world., 1920-08-03


preoccupied her mind. Her candle
was going out inside the Lam
tern, She was aware Of this, and yet
she had not the strength to pull her
self together and return to the Pr.ory
And she said to herself that II the
sun should not shine again within the
next few days she would not be able
to light the flame and that she was
lost.
She resigned herself. weary of fight
ing and realizing that she was defeated
beforehand in this unequal contest
! The only ending that was not to be
endured was that of being captured.
But why not abandon herself to the
death that offered, death from starva-
ton, from exhaustion? If you suffer
long enough there must come a mo-
ment when the suffering decreases and
when you pass, almost unconsciously,
from life, which has grown too cruel
TO death, which Veronique was gradu-
| ally beginning to desire.
That's it-thats it," she muir
INJURED. "To go from Sarek or to die;
it's all the same. What l want is to
get away"
A sound of leaves made hor open
her eyes. The fame Of the candle
was expiring. But behind the lantern
| Ais Well was sitting, beating the
air with his forepUws.
And Neronique saw that he carried
a packet of biscuits, fastened round
his neck by string.
Tell me your story, you dear old
| Alrs Well" said Veronique, next
morning, after a good nights rest in
! her bedroom at the Priory. For,
after all, / can't believe that you
came to look for me and bring me
food Of your own accord. 1t was an
accident wasn't it? You were wan
dering in that direction; you heard
me crying and you came to me. But
who tied that little box OF biscuits
round your neck? Does it mean that
we have a friend in the island, Il
friend who takes an interest in us?
| Why doesn't he show himself2 Speak
and tell me, AIS Well"
She kissed the dog and went on:
And whom We're those biscuits In
tended for? For your master, for
Francois? Or for Honorine? No?
Then for Monsieur Stephane per-
haps?"
The dog wagged his tail and moved
| toward the door. lie really seemed
| to understand. Veronique followed
him To Stephane Maroux's room.
Ais Well slipped under the tutors
| bed. There were three more card
| board boxes OF biscuits, two packets
Of chocola e and two tins Of preserved
meat. And each parcel was supplied
! with a string ending in a wide loop,
| from which Alrs Well must have re-
| leased his head.
What does II mean?" asked Veron-
| ique, bcwildered. Did you put them
under there? But who gave them to
you? Have We actually a friend in
the island who knows us and knows
! Stephanc MarouX? Can you take me
to him? He must live on this side of
| the island, because there is no means
| of communicating with the other and
you can't have been there"
! Vcronique stopped to think But in
! addition to the provisions slowed
| away by ALPS Well, she also por Ced
! a small canvas-COvered satcheI under
| the bed: and she wondered why
! StGpfene MarouN had hidden it, She
! thought that she had the right to
open 1t and to look for some clue TO
the part played by the tutor, to his
| character TO his past perhaps, to mis-
relations with NJ. Enlargement and
| Francois.
yes" she said, ait is my right and
| even my duty
without hesitation, she took a pair
Of big scissors and forced the frail
lock.
The satchel contained nothing but
| a manuscript book, with "A rubber
band around il. But, the moment she
opened the book, she stood amazed.
On the first page was her own por-
/ trait, her photograph as girl,
with her signature in fun and the in
scription:
90 my friend Stephane."
81 don't understand l don't under
stand" she murmured. 81 remember
the photograph: l must have been
sixteen. But how did / come to give
il to him? | must have known hiu!'
Eager to learn more she read the
next page, a sort of preface wordcd
as follows:
"Veronique, l wish TO lead my life
under your eyes In undertaking Tho
| education Of your son, OF that gOr
| whom / ought to lcathe, because he
rs the son OF another, but whom
love because he is your son, my in
tcntfcn is that my life shall be in ful
harmony with the secret feeling that
has swaycd II so long, One day,
have no doubt, you Will resume your
| Mace as Francois mother On that
day YOU will be proud Of him. I shall
have effaced all that may survive In
| him of his father and l snail have
exalted all the fine and noble qualities
which he inherits from you. The aim
is great enough for me to devote my
self to il body and soul, I do so with
gladness. Your smile shall be my re-
| ward"
Veroniuue's heart was flooded with
a singular emotion. Her life was III
| with calmer radiance; and this new
| mystery, which she was unable 10
fathcm any more than the others, was
at least like that OF Maguennoc's
flowers. gentle andN comforting.
As she continued TO turn the pages
she followed her sons education from
day to day. She beheld the pupil
progress and the masters methods
The pupil was engaging, intelligent
studious, jealous loving, sensitive. i'm
pulsive and AZ the same time thought
ful. The master was affcctionatc. pa.
tient and borne up by some profoun
feeling which showed through ever,
line Of the manuscript,
, And, little by little, there was a grow
ing enthusiasm in the daily comics.
sion, which expressed itself in term,
less and less restrained:
"FranCois, my dearly-beoved SON
for | may call you So may I not?-
Francois, your mother lives once agl,r