Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-08-29

speechless. BY industriously working
my Jaw, | nj last succeeded In making
my mouth sufficiently free to produce
| the sounds which brought YOU to me,
| Now, monsieur, let us hasten after the
| maid, for mademoiselle will be vastly
annoyed to lose her precious Jeannotte.
! saw that Blaise knew with what
| argument ] was quickest to be moved.
'Blaise," | said, ''do not pretend that
| it is only for mademoisellc's sake that
you are concerned In your anxiety
about the maid, you forget tho danger
in which mademoiselle stu lies, and
| which requires me TO remain here. When
the ingenious De Berquin learns, from
his four hcnchmen, that madcmoiselic
was not awakened, he will certainly
repeat his attempt. He thinks to win her
favor by appearing to be her rescuer iron
these four pretended assailants, and,
at the same time, to make us seem un-
worthy to protect her. He does not
know that she has seen the four rascals
in his company He wishes TO work with
his own hand his revenge upon US, and so
he has let us live. | see the way to make
him so ridiculous in the eyes OF mademoi-
selle that he will never dare show his lace
to her again
''But the maidr' persisted Blsise.
"They will d ubtless secure her some
where in the woods, and return here to
enact, with mademoiselle herself, the
sham rescue which they mistakenly car
ried out with the maid, Go and seek your
precious Jeannot.e, II YOU please, but do
not let them discover you. Wait until
they leave her before you try to release
her"
Blsise was quick to avail himself of
this conditional commission. He went
with me into the kitchen, where the old
couple werc sleeping as noisily as ever,
and found his sword where he had laid II
before supper. The door to mademni-
.elle's room was ajar. Standing nt the
threshold, | could hear her breathing
peacefully, unaware OF tho peril from
which, BY blunder, she had been saved.
Through the small window of the room
came a bar OF moonlight which lighted
up her face. 1t WAS face pale, sad,
innoceat-the face OF girl transformed,
in an instant, TO womanhood by single
grief.
Leaving her door as had found it,
went from tho inn TO the shed, still wear
ing my sword, which | had put on in
first leaving the kitchen after my futile
attempt to sleep. Blaise was already
making rapidly for the woods.
quietly awoke Hugo and Pierre, and
bade them put on their weapons and re-
main ready to respond to my call.
then posted myself again behind the tree
stump near the inn door and awaited
occurrences.
Bv this time clouds had arisen, and the
moonlight WAS frequently obscured.
had waited about half an hour, when,
again, the sound Of breaking leaves and
sticks warned me that living beings were
approaching through the woods. At
last i made out the four figures of De
Beruuin's hlrelings as they cautiously
paused .at the edge OF the open space.
Apparently assured by the silence that
their presence was unsupported, they
came on to the mn. In a moment Of
moonlight, perceived, also, the figure Of
De Beruuin, who stood at the border of
the woods watching the proceedings Of
his varlcts. Even as | looked, he with
drew into the shadow AZ the same
time heavy mass of cloud cast darkness
over the place.
; But / could descry the black forms of
the four rascals huddled together at the
door of the inn, which the foremost eau
fiously opened. A moment later they
had all catered the kitchen.
/ glided rapidly through the darkness
after them, and took my stand just
within the door, where any one attempt
ing to pass out must encounter me. The
four rascals were now at the inner door
leading to the room of mademoiselle.
Stand off, rascalsl" / cried, assum-
ing the tone of De Berquin. In the same
moment, | gently punctured the back
of the nearest rascal with my sword.
TO be continued.