Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-01-25
While the Clock licked
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~ o stealrhiIy did Duroc come down
the Rue de la Harpe that his
steps hardly made a sound. lie
~ moved like q shadow, and when
at last he came to Il halt before
the house of the Citizen Repre-
sentative ClairvauX it was as If he had
totally effaced himself, as if he had be
come part OF the general gloom II
was IN the time of the French revolu-
ton.
There Duroc paused, considering, his
chin In his hand, and perhaps because
the ground floor windows were equip
ped with bars he moved on more
steathily than ever along the garden
wall. Midway between two of the Ian
terms slung across the narrow street and
shedding feeble yellow light he paused
again.
He stood now at q point where the
shadows were deepest. He listened in
tently for a moment, peered this way
and that into the night, and then went
over the wall with the swift. silent ac-
tivity of an ape. He found the summit
Of that wall guarded by row of iron
spikes and one one of these, FOR all his
care, Duroc left a strip OF his breeches.
The accident annoyed him. He be-
rated all iron spikes pronouncing them
an excerable aristocratic institution to
which no true patriot could be guilty Of
having recourse. Indeed, from the
manner in which the Citizen Represent
ative Clairvaux guarded his house 1t
was plain that the fellow was bad
republican. What with bars on its
windows and spikes on its walls, the
place might have been a prison rather
rhan the house of a repre- sentative of
the august people.
OF course, as Duroc well knew, the
citizen representative had something TO
guard. Ii was notorious that this mod
est dwelling Of his in the Rue de Ia
9arpe was something of a treasure
house, stored with the lootings of many
- nobleman's property, and it was
being whispered that no true patriot
and a citizen representative into the
bargaip-could have suffered himself to
2masS such wealth in the hour OF the
nations urgent need.
!; + x
nUROC advanced furtively across the
garden, scanning the silent sleeping
house. Emboldened by the fact that no
light or faintest sign of vigilance showed
anywhere, he proceeded so adroitly that
within five minutes he had opened n
window and entered a room that was
used by the deputy as his study.
Within that room he stood quite still
and listened. Save for the muff1ed tick
ing Of the clock. no sound disturbed the
silence. He turned, and softly drew the
heavy curtains across the window.
Then he sat down upon the floor, took
a small lantren from his breast and
finder box from his waistcoat pocket
There was the sharp stroke Of steel on
flint, and presently his little lantern was
shedding q yellow disk of light upon
the parQuetry floor.
He rose softly. placed the light on
console, and crossed the room to the
door, which stood half open. He listen
ed again a moment, then closed the
door, and came back, his feet making
no sound upon the thick and costly
rugs that were flung here and there.
In midchamber he paused, looking
about him and taking stock of his lux
Urious surroundings. He considered the
painted panels, the inlaid woods, the
Eilded chairs and the ormolu-incrusted
cabinets-an plundered from the palaces
of cidevants who were either guiilotined
or in flight, and he asked himself If II
was in this sybaritic fashion that 1t be-
came a true republican to equip his
home.
He was a short slender man. this
Duroc, whose shabby brown garments
looked the worse for the rent in the
breeches. He wore a fur bonnet, and
his lank black hair hung IN wisps about
his cheeks and neck. His face was
white and wolfish the jaw thrust for
ward and ending in lean, square chin;
his vigilant, quick-moying eyes were
close set and beady as rats; his thin
lips were curled now in a sneer as he
considered the luxury about him.
However, that attitude of his was
D1omentary. Duroc had not come then
TO make philosophy, but to accomplish a
purpose, and to this purpose he ad-
dressed himself forthwith. He took up
his lantern and crossed to a tall secre-
talre that was a very gem Of the court
furnisher's art in the days of Louis
XIV.
Setting the lantern on top OF it, he
drew from his pocket bunch of skele-
TON keys, gripping them firmly so that
they should not rattle. He stopped to
examine the lock, and then on the in
slant came upright again, stiff and tense
in his sudden alarm. A knock had
fallen upon the street door, and the echo
Of it went reverberating through the
silent house.
DUROC'S lips writhed as he breathed
~ an imprecatlon. The knock of
moment before was repeated, more in
Eistent now. To the listening Duroc
came the sound OF a window being
thrown up. He heard voices, one from
above, the other replying from the
street, and guessed that the awakened
clairvaux was challenging this mid
night visitor before coming down to
open.
Perhaps he would not come down.
Perhaps he would dismiss the mop
perfume intruder. But that hope was
Boon quenched. The window went
raspingIy down, and q moment later
the fiip-fiop of slippered feet came
Shutting on the stairs and along the
passage TO the door.
A key grated and a chain clanked-
this Clairvaux made a Bastille OF his
tiwelling-and then voices sounded in
The passage. The door of the house
closed with a soft thud. Steps and