Evening star., 1932-12-17

| organized confusion. so typical Of his
countrymen in business, lay spread for
his immediate attention, but he sat like
| great rough statue of the Rodln
school, lost in thought.
| How had Alacia Sayers, an outsider,
an American, known the Prince
d'Orsant? There were very few who
knew the young man by sight. and
certainly 1t was extraordinary that she
should have been aware Of his identity.
Unlike most of the one-time aristoc-
racy, Armand had practically no So
cial connections. Such contacts as he
| quent visits which his mother. the
frail. white haired Princess Louise. ex-
changed with old and tried friends.
Even at oxford his identity had been
purposely kept secret, and Armand had
steadily refused to become entangled
by any familiarity with the people who.
under cover, were working for the
cause" as they called it in true classic
fashion. There we're. perhaps. a dozen
individuals in Paris who could have
identified the prince without hesita-
ton, and none of them were likely to
be numbered among the Sayers ac-
quaintance. Armands own stubborn
opposition to what he declared to be
hopeless effort, had made him some
enemies. too. At that moment when
| the franc had reached bottom and the
finances of the country ran wild with
panic. 1t had been more than mere
patriotism which allowed a famous
minister to form a strong government
out of hitherto bitterly opposing par
ties. 1t was fear which had lain at
the bottom of this sudden political
amity between the popular factions;
fear of q certain dark-haired, slim
young man, whose consent and leader
ship in that hour of trial might have
swayed France to accepting q parlla'
mentary kingdom. M. Piron shook his
head trifle sadly in remembrance Of
the boys stand. Again he seemed to
immovable as q rock before the empty
fireplace In the bleak salon Of the lit
tie chateau near Versailles: heard
again the stormy pleadings Of the dele
cation which entreated him to take
action at this God-given moment: saw
the firm smile with which the young
man, then little more than a boy, re-
fused again and again.
"Messieurs. I am a French citizen,
not revolutionist," Armand had said
MY birth is an accident of fate not
license to seize public property.
will take from France only those things
which 1 can earn"
Since then many of his adherents
had turned to the Right Wing: there
were fanatics who had even gone so
far as to threaten D'Orsant's life as Q
traitor to his duty and his people. Con-
Sequently the program Armand laid out
for himself, that of becoming an or
dinary Woodworking citizen. had been
increasingly difficult to follow. In
deed, without old Piron's help it would
have been almost impossible. and while
in his heart M. Piron applauded the
power to aid and abet the young man,
there was always the shadow Of O dis
appointment in his mind regarding the
course Armand was taking.
Perhaps the delicate. old Princess
Louise was responsible for this. To her
the royal lineage of her son was such
a vivid reality. and she had so COM
pletely sacrificed her life to what she
considered his cause. that M. Piron
could not but find reflected in himself
something of the feeling which agi-
tated the woman who was his lifes one
and real love.
1T is that American grandmother Of
his speaking in him!" the princess had
declared more than once. That
Huguenot from Neuve RochelIe!" Yes,
tcertainly her indignation had been con-
taotous. And now another American,
this lovely young Alacia Sayers had ap-
peared with the information that she
knew" How much did she know.
really? Had she known him before, and,
II SO, how well? Would she weaken
Armands resolve to keep out Of the
party, or urge him into It? To know
definitely would be well worth the bore
dom of one of Mrs. Sayers' hamboyant,
gala dinners! With q heavy sigh, old
Piron shook himself out of his reverie
and attacked the confusion Of papers
on his desk. After all, q more i'm
mediate problem lurked in the comp
tabilite!