Year: 1878

eyes still Dandaged, into a KIND OF Gel
lar, where his eyesight was restored tC
him. Here he found two men, botl
armed, and with their faces concealed
by masks. The poor man was in al
agony Of terror, believing that his las
hour had come, but WAS somewhat re.
assured by the gestures of his compan'
ions, who, fearful of trusting their vol
ces, made signs to him to make some
mortar of the lime which was lying Oh
the floor. A hole in the wall disclosed
"A recess, and the two men raising with
difficulty a weighty strong box, placed
1t in the interior and made signs 10 hin
to build up the wall afresh. Bocher
seeing that nothing was required OF
him but the Legitimate exercise of his
craft, quickly recovered his self-pos-
session, and guessing that the proprie-
tors of the treasure were obliged to
quit the country, and had hit upon this
device for concealing it until better
times should dawn upon them, the no
tion of appropriating it to his own use
flashed like lightnining across his
brain.


When he concluded his work ,as if wish
ing to give last polish to its compile
tion, he placed his hand, thickly Oy-
cred with mortar, OH the new wall, and
thus left the distinct impression of his
five fingers on the hiding place of the
treasure deposit. The promised five
and-twenty louis were then faithfully
counted out into his hand, his eyes were
again bandaged, and he was re"cOnduc-
ted to the carriage, which after follow
ing the same course of deception fol
three long hours, at last deposited him
In the same street as that in which the
man in the brown cloak had found him.


From that day forth Bocher aban-
dOned the use of the hammer and trOw-
ell, and passed his time in wandering
about Paris inspecting the houses adj
yertised to be sold, directing his attcn-
ton especially to the cellars and lower
regions of the buildings, seeking every
where, but without success the im-
print of his hand which would point
the way to unlimited wealth. In the
pursuit of this phantom, not only the
twenty-five louis but all the little sa-
wings of his hard work rapidly melted
away, and misery and hunger began to
knock loudly at the mason's door. One
after another he sold the pretty articles
of furniture which had embellshed his
humble home, to procure the bread
which was necessary to sustain life, land
pale and in rags he wandered about
Paris, reading every new announce
ment of vacant houses, and became a
nuisance to the porters intrusted with
the care of showing them.


Two years thus passed away-two
long years, occupied day by day in
seeking fortune, and night by night
in dreaming that it was found. He was
returning home one evening, sad and
dispirited, with the proceeds of the sale
of the bed upon which his mother had
died, and which had been one of the
very last articles of furniture he pos
sessed, when his eye was caught by a
large posting-bill announcing the sale
of a magnificent mansion belonging to
the Due de CairouX, in the immediate
vicinity of his own dwelling. He re-
collected the story of the sudden disap-
pearanCe of the Duke, and on reading
the bill, found that the property was
sold under legal decree, which con-
stituted the heirs proprietors with a
power of sale. A last hope crossed poor
Bocher's mind, and he at once proceed
ed to the house, and knocked hastily at
the door. 1t was almost dark, and no
one paid any attention to his eager sum-
mons. After sleepless night he again
made his appearance at the portal of
the Dukes mansion, but although it
was now opened, another difficulty pre-
sented itself, for the porter hesitated to
admit man so ragged and dirty as the
poor mason had become. At length,
however, he agreed 10 do so upon the
understanding that a servant accompa-
MED the strange visitor during his sur
vey of the premises. The powdered
lackey was scarcely more courteous
than the porter, and scornfully eXhib-
tied the rich furniture, pictures, and
priceless china which adorned the
apartments, to his humble companion
But these were not what Bocher had
come to see, and at last he induced the
man to show him the cellars. Whilst
the footman was descanting upon the
quantity and quality of the wines round
them, Bocher was anXiOusly scrutini-
zing all the walls, in hopes of finding
that print on the mortar which was tC
open to him the door to untold wealth
1t was all in vain, and deaf to the mans
| insolence, Bocher was on the point OF
leaving, convinced that his last hope
had vanished like its predecessors, and
that this could not have been the house
he had visited on that eventful evening
when he suddenly perceived a small
cellar situated in an angle of the wall
which had hitherto escaped observa-
ton. He turned back and examined n
closely, his technical knowledge as q
mason at once showing him that the
mortar in one part OF the wall was
much fresher than elsewhere. He ap.
proacned the spot, and there yes
there was no doubt about it-there were
the marks of the five fingers, plain and
distinct.