CHAPTER VII.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 142, 20 February 1886, Page 3

CHAPTER VII.

THE ENGLISH TAVERN". Sartilly had left the club in a state of oxcitement difficult to express ; he seemed decidedly unfortunate, as all that he undertook turned against him, and having gone to the club with the firm intention of diverting himself, he left it furiously angry with the members of it, as well as himself, and to make it worse, he had got into a quarrel of the most unpleasant kind. It was not the prospect of. the duel that disquieted him so much, but at this moment his greatest interest was not to be spoken of. He knew that this affair would bring h>m before the public; besides, it had an origin that the Viscount dreaded to have known, connected as it was with Roger's disappearance ; and he also felt°that his friend'a absence imposed upon him a heavy responsibility, as he had not the right to expose his life when there was so much at stake. But it was too late now to think of this, and Sartilly saw no means of avoiding a meeting ; upon the whole, he was not corry to fight with a friend of the odious De Noreff, hoping to avenge himself upon him, while waiting to reach the real criminal, and even longed for the next day to come to have it over. In the paroxysm of his anger, he had forgotten completely that he had gone to his club to dine, and had rushed out like a crazy person to the Boulevard, going straight forward without knowing where he was going. By force of habit he took the way to the Madeliene, which led to his home ; he knew it so well he could have gone with his eyes shut to the rue d'Astorg. But this evening, preoccupied as he was, he passed there with out noticing it, and went on to the faubourg St. HononS, the faubourg De Roule, ani from there to the Avenue dcs Ternes. It was about eight o'clock ; the night was dark and cold ; a fine rain, mingled with thin flakes of snow, was falling, and a few passers-by that Sartilly saw were hurrying along, drawing their great-coats tightly around them. This part of Paris, now built up with luxurious houses, was then a solitude a succession of badly-paved streets, and so dimly lighted that after night it was almost dangerous to ventrue there. Sartilly had passed the barrier some time before, running rather than walking, observing nothing that was passing around him, and this eenselesspromenade might have con tinued through the night, if he had not by chance got into a dark, badly-paved blind alley, which obliged him to retrace his etepn to find an issue. This simple act exacting an effort of will, brought the Viscount to aconsciou3ness of his actions, and f orgettin q for an i nstan t h is plan s, and the combinations that absorbed him, began to wonder why he was here, and why he had come to this deserted part of Paris, After a moment's reflection, he understood that he had completely lost his way, and at thesame timehis mind becoming clear again, his physical wants made themselves felt, and he was obliged to acknowledge that he was extremely hungry. His first idea was to take a carriage to return to Paris, but he looked round and listened in vain, neither seeing a carriage, nor hearing the leastsound of wheels ; it really peemed as if he were in a small village. As he felt horribly fatigued, rather than return again on foot and fasting over the long route he had ju3t taken, he preferred trying to find in the neighbourhood a tavern where he could eat and rest himself, even if it were a very common one. After- going about a hundred paces over these rough paths, he cut into a rather large avenue that seemed familiar to him, and at a short distance toward the left ho discovered a lantern whose rather vague light he welcomed in his distress as a haven of safety, and walked on without hesitation toward the luminous point, which was before the open door of a garden. Chance had been propitious to Sartilly ; the lantern gave sufficient light for him to read the sign on the Trail, printed in large white letters, "English Tavern," and beneath he read this pleasant notice for a hungry man : "Pale ale, porter, Irish whisky, York hams, roast beef." This liet of drinks and eatables wag a pleasant surprise to the Viscount, who preferred infinitely going to an English establishment than to one of those miserable cook shops that he expected to find in this part of Paris. Taverns of this kind, so common now, were rare at this epoch, and were very seldom eeen but in special quarters. The proximity of the Champs Elyeees and the Bois de Boulogne brought to the Ternes a class of grooms and English jockeys, which was the cause of this establishment prospering in a solitary avenue. Sartilly hastily crossed the garden, and went into the tavern, which was built of wood in the form of a cottage, and although there certainly had not been much money spent in its construction, yet many guests could be seen through its brightly-lighted windows. As soon as he pushed the folding-door open, he found himself in such a cloud of ■moke that it was impossible for him to distinguish anything. Gradually, however, his eyes became accustomed to

the obscurity, and he perceived that the owner of the establishment had followed the English fashion, even to his interior arrangements : the longand only room being divided into narrow compartments, separated by a board partition, seven or eight feet high ; each stall, ot box as it was called in London, boing furnished with a table or bench that could accommodate three or four persons, and opening on the central passage. And this isolation, so dear to the islanders, was complete, as they could neither sco their neighbours nor be seen by them. Sartilly finding a compartment free, went into it, after ordering a slice of ham and a glass of ale, which was brought to him promptly, and immediate payment demanded, according to the English fashion, lie hastened to satisfy his appetite, doubly sharpened by hia long walk ; but in proportion as be recovered his strength, his anxieties, for an instant forgotten, returned to him, and he was puzzled to know how he could manage to meet the notary at MademoiselledeMensipnac's — visit the mysterious bookcase, when he would probably have to arrange with his seconds the conditions of his duel. A noise of loud voices coming fromtheneighbouring compartment, drew him from these reflections, for although the stalls were perfectly private, conversation could bo heard from one to the other. The Viscountwould notcertainly have paid attention to the chattingof somegrooms who occupied probably the next stall, had ho not been struck by a singular peculiarity, as they alternately and even simultaneously spoke in three languages. English and French he understood very well, and he recognised the other language to be German. It even seemed to him that he had heard the German voice before, which made him listen more attentively. It was an odd dialogue, which the Viscount could scarcely understand ; and besides, the commonplace remarks did not interest him ; but after a short time he caught some words that seemed to relate to bis situation. " You say, then, that he managed it very well," murmured the French voice. " Perfectly well, indeed," was the reply in English. Here a long explanation was given by the German, followed by roars of laughter. "Ah ! but ho 13 powerful, our master," repeated at the same time the first two epaakers. '• Ye?, if wo had not this cursed nobleman against us," replied the Englishman, "the money would be ours already, and the girl no longer in our way." Then they spoke German in a threatening voice, and the French voice said, laugh ingly . "You, old fellow, are angry with him because he played you a famous trick yonder, — in the morning, you know. Well, you had good legs, certainly." " We will get rid. of him very soon, you say," remarked the Englishman, after a short answer from the German. " I ask nothing better ; but in what way?" Sartilly heard more words perfectly incomprehensible to him ; then nothing more ; it might have been supposed his three neighbuors had suddenly left. Extremely surprised, he wondered if a happy chance had not put him on the track of the criminals. A slight noise made him [ raise his head, and he thought he could distinguish, through the smoke that hovered over the box, a head looking at him from above the partition, and he got up to have a nearer view. But, if it were any one, he disappeared with so prodigious a celerity that Sartilly thought he had been deceived. Had he been watched and recognised ? Was this the cause of the profound silence that had taken the place of an animated conversation ? He was very much perpelexed, and listened in vain; nothing more could be heard. This uncertainty ended by irritating him so much that he decided upon imitating the manoeuvre of his neighbours, and mounting upon his chair with great precaution, he put his head above the boards, and found the stall, so noisily occupied a few moments before, empty. The disappearance of these men seemed to him like a flight; and they must have had serious motives to interrupt their conversion in this manner, as people of thatjstamp, thought the Viscount, do not give up the pleasure of an evening at a tavern from caprice or fatigue, and if they had run away, it was through fear of being overheard. But after all, their conversation was not very compromising; but there must be a particular reason for their sudden flight, and Sartilly, remembering the head that had shown itself tor a moment above the partition, understood it all. " They must have recognised me," he thought, " and were afraid of being recognised in return." Very much puzzled by this new mystery, Edmond resolved to cleir up his doubts immediately by calling the waiter, who, as usual, was in no hurry to como, and when he did come, it was to offer him all the drinks of the establishment, with so much volubility that the Viscount had some trouble in stopping him and making known his wish. "Do you know the persona who were here a short time ago ?" he said to him, pointing out the neighbouring stall. " Do you think I occupy myself with the people who come here ?" he answered, insolently. " No, no ; I have something else to do, and provided they spend their money, that's all 1 care for." And then, beginning again in the monotonous voice of a waiter at a ca/6, he said : "What shall I bring you, sir? Porter, pale ale, whisky—" Sartilly felt inclined to give a lesson to the insolent servant, but as he desired above all thingß to gain intormation, he took a fivefranc piece from his pocket, and showing it to the waiter in a significant manner, said : " I thought I recognised the voice of one of my friends ; but he left so quickly that I had not time to speak to him. I will give you this if you can tell me if it were he." Persuaded that his offer, which he considered very adroit, would have a good effect, he wa3 a&tonished to receive a still ruder reply, as the waiter, shrugging hisshoulders, answered sneeringly : " Ah, no. You cannot catch me in that way ; you must look to some one else : and besides, my master does not want persons of your stamp here," he added, turning on his heels. Sartilly, stupefied at hearing the fellow answering in this' manner, and refusing money, thought he must be dreaming, when it suddenly occurred to him that he perhaps was taken for a police-agent, and he would never be able to draw anything from him. He was confirmed in his suspicion on hearing the waiter giving an account of his conversation with him to his master, and also heard him say : "jAh ! but he is a sharp one, coming here in an overcoat trimmed with fur, and wearing varnished boots, to get me to tell him what I knew of his neighbours." The Viscount felt that it would not only be useless, but dangerous, to remain ; besides, he could not hope to learn anything more to interest him, and his supper being over and paid for, he went out through the passage. The proprietor, who held the outer gate open for him to pass, eyed him from head to foot, as if wishing to know him well enough to prevent him ever entering his establishment ; and the Viscount could no longer doubt he was supposed to be a policeagent, — not being able to restrain a smile at the absurd mistake. After a moment of gaiety, he fell back into hia old reflections,

taking again mechanically the road to Paris. It was now past ten o'clock ; the rain and snow had ceased falling, and the stars sparkled in the heavens ; but it being a very long distance to the rue d'Astorg, Sartilly was quite determined not to go there on foot ; and hoping to find a carriage at the Barrie're de l'Etoile, as he wished to avoid the deserted streets by which he came, he walked in the direction opposite, in order to take the wide Neuilly avenue. The lamp at the tavern was the only light ' in this deserted quarter, and the Viscount, pulling up his collar, and putting his hands in his pockets, walked rapidly on to warm himself, when, thinking he heard other steps than his own, he stopped, looked round, and neither^hearing nor seeing anything, believed he was mistaken, and began walking again at the same rapid rate to warm his benumbed feet. He ran so fast that he soon came to the end of the avenue, and could sco before him the houses at Rond Point, when his foot slipping on a piece of ice, he fell, loosing his equilibrium more easily by his hands being in his pockets. Hurt and angry at his ridiculous fall, he got up muttering, and saw distinctly two men coining directly toward him. They were about thirty paces behind him on the other side of the way, and their appearance had been so sudden, it seemed as if they had sprung from the ground ; and Sartilly knew that his fall had decided them to show themselves, aa they hoped to find an easy prey in a prostrate man. This thought restored all his vigour and skill, and judging it useless and dangerous to struggle alone and unarmed with two armed brigands, he began again his rapid walk. He at least expected to meet in this more frequented part of the town, passers-by, open houses, and be ablo to rid himself ot those men who were following him ; but on arriving at the Rond Point, he thought that one of them had disappeared, and he wondered if he bad abandoned the chase, or if it were a manoeuvre to cross his way. The Viscount, however, felt very little uneasiness now while running on, as ho thought he must meet some passers-by very soon ; and he was trying to imagine who these persons would be, whose bad intentions could no longer be doubted but whose animosity he could not explain, when it suddenly struck him that they must be his neighbours in the tavern, and the idea was not disagreeable to him, as he wished to find out who they were. Ho had nothing to defend himself with, not even a cane, and it seemed to him impossible but noises must bo heard in the houses that bordered the street, and now his deeire was so great to see the aggressors that he almost feared they would abandon the pursuit ; nevertheless", no one could be seen on the avenue, nor asolitary light in the houses ; when making a short cut to the Rond Point, on arriving at the. angle of a narrow street, a man stood bsfore him, and at the same instant a club, whistling, turning injtho air, fell upon him. Edmond was light and agile, his English education had given him great suppleness of body and unusual vigour, and to these qualities might be attributed his partial escape from the blow, as with great presence of mind and strength, he made a sidelong motion, so that the blow that would have broken his skull only reached his shoulders. The club had certainly been brandished by a well practicod and strong hand, for the Viscount staggered under the blow, and he felt so keen a pain that he thought his arm was broken ; however, he did not lose a moment, as his situation was critical, for the villain lurking in the corner of the street was raising his club for a second blow, while bis accomplice was running with all his speed to attack Sartilly in the rear ; therefore the only method left him was to divide the forces of the enemy, as ho would be lost if he gave the other brigand time to arrive, and he might escape if he could rid himself first of the man with the club. So, with a movement quicker than thought, he bent down, fixing himself firmly on his legs, pushing his head forcibly against the man's breast ; and this feat, that he had learned from the Breton peasants, did not fail in its effecr, as the club which had again threatened him swung through the empty air ; and his opponent, struck violently in hia breast, was thrown against the wall of the alley. Sartilly, not giving him time to recover his breath, clasped his throat violently with his hands. He already heard a rattling in the wretch's throat, but he had not fallen ; his accomplice was near, and in a few seconds more this unequal combat would have taken a fatal turn for the Viscount, when an unhoped for chance changed the face of the fight, as at the moment when this newassailant was in search of him a door opened on the other side of the av9nue-the door of a tavern, doubtless, and from it rushed out men, full of wine, singing and laughing, and the fellows, fearing without doubt the intervention of these drunkards, ran away as fast as possible. His companion, abandoned in this manner, was conquered, as Sartilly had only to tighten his hold on his neck to throw him down half strangled. He felt, nevertheless, he had not a moment to lose in gaining a place of safety, another attack being very possible, as the two villains were probably not alone. But he did not wish to leave without examining the man he had thrown down, wanting to, know whether this nocturnal attack had been made by his neighbours in the tavern. The brigand was not dead, but breathed heavily, as a half-strangled man recovering his breath ; the important thing was to see his face, but it was not easy to do so, as the pale light the stars gave was quite insufficient to enoble him to distinguish the features of his vanqnished foe. In the wide avenue there was more ' light, but it would be [both difficult and imprudent to draw the body there. The Viscount knelt down, examined the man closely, and was convinced he had never seen him before. He was a tall, strapping fellow, with closely- shaved beard, and whiskers cut brush fashion ; was young, and strongly built ; this was all that Sartilly could distinguish in the darknesp, Neither did his dress point out his occupntion ; it was clean ; his coat was of dark coloured cloth, and he wore a cap upon his head. He might be a mechanic in easy circumstances, or a groom in a citizen's drees,— a groom, the Viscount thought, from the other side of the channel ; and his opinion was merely founded upon his wearing a vest of an English cut. To remain here any longer would be perilous to Sartilly, therefore he picked up his hat, and turning his face homeward, determined not to mention this affair to anyone but Jottrat. He was very much exhausted, and feeling a severe pain in his shoulder, he longed to reach his house, that he might see if the brigand's blow had caused a fracture; so he jumped in the first carriage he met, and in twenty minutes reached the rue d'Af torgi He croseed the court-yard rapidly, and while mounting the Btaircase, he saw the stable open and lighted, and being both surprised and displeased at seeing a light there at this hour, he "drew r near and recognised Toby, who seemed busy examining Ralph's foot. On hearing a noise the groom turned round quickly, and seemed very much astonished at seeing his master, became extremely pale.and Sartilly thought he trembled slightly.

" Why are you not in bed ?" he asked, angrily ; " and what are you doing in the stable at .night?" " Sir, you know that Ralph was injured the other day," answered Toby, who had already recovered his self -possession, "and doctor had ordered nic to rub his foot three times a day with this ointment." " I forbid you to do it at night, running the risk of setting the stable on fire !" said Sartilly without examin'ng particularly what bis groom was doing. " Send Antoine to me immediately, and go to bed. I will want you early tomorrow morning ; and be ready, for I do not like to wait." After this reproof, the Viscount ran up to his room, hastily undressing himself, and old Antoine, from whom he had no secrets, ' found him when he came into the room examining his shoulders ; the skin was not broken, but it was stiff and bruised. It was really a most unfortunate accident, happen ing the night before his duel, and Sartilly, who in the midst of his nocturnal adventures had forgotten his quarrel at the club, remembered now with some anxiety that perhaps he would have to fight the next day. " Oh, sir," said Antoine, " what has happened to you ?" "Nothing; I have had a fall," Sarfcilly answered, absently. He was reflecting at this moment on the probable consequence of his affair with M. de Dohna", and the more he thought of it, the more impossible it seemed that it could ( take place the next day. "In the morning/ he thought, "I will see his seconds ; they cannot see mine until the afternoon ; it will take some time to make arrangements ; therefore it cannot take place until the day after to-morrow,or perhaps the n,ext day. I will have time to see the notary, find the History of Normandy in Roger's bookcase ; so I have thirty-six hours before me to restore the strength of my shoulder." And this conclusion quite tranquillising him, he turned to Antoine, and asked him if anything had come for him during his absence. " Yes, sir ; here is a letter for you." He took the note, but the handwriting was unknown to him, and, breaking the seal with indifference, read : Fir : After what has passed between \is, yon will not be surprised at receiving a visit from my two seconds to-morrow morning. I beg that you will have the goodness to let them kbow who yours are, in order that our meeting may take place the same day: a diplomatic mis3ion given me by my Government obliging rao to leuvc Paris without delay. I desiro that by to morrow evening all may be finished. Respectfully yours, Baron be Doiina. " Zounds ! but he is in a hurry !" This was the exclamation that the perusal of this •note drew from Sartilly, and Antione, hearing it, did not neglect the opportunity of speaking, for he had his privileges, and he liked to use them. The footman who brought the note made the same remark ; he was a great, strapping fellow, with red whiskers, and with so strong a German accent that one would think he was born at Strasbourg. " At what hour did he come ?" "About eight or half -past eight o'clock ; he spoke first to Toby, who was coming out of the stable to go out, as he does now every evening." . " Well, he has not lost much time," murmured the Viscount; "one might really think he has divined what I have to do tomorrow, and wishes to kill me quickly, to prevent my going to the De Mcnsignac mansion. We will see," he added, walking very fast up and down his room. Well skilled in the use of arms, Sartilly felt no apprehension as to the material result of a meeting with, M. do Dohna ; but he felt annoyed at the delay and derangement this duel would cause to his plans, and this anxiety betrayed itself in an agitation that did not escape the eye of the faithful Antoine, accustomed for thirty years to observe the physiognomy of his master. "Have you received bad news, sir?'' he ventured to ask, on seeing the Viscount continuing his walk and muttering between hia teeth. "No, my friend, no," he said, gently; " I have a^ great many unpleasant affairs to accomplish to-morrow, and I am suffering a little,— that's all." Antoine shook hia bead, for this vague answer did not satisfy him, — instinctively feeling, as he did, that some danger threatened his master. "1 hope," he went on timidly, "that if you have au affair of honour on hand, you will not think of fighting with your shoulder in the state it ip, for it is very much hurt, and tomorrow your arm will be quite swollen." " And what makes you think I am going to fight?" Sartilly asked, smiling. "If I had not guessed it," said Antoine, Badly, " I would have learned it from Toby." " What, Toby ? What has he to do with it, and who could have told him ?" " He must have heard it from that squareheaded footman who brought the note, for he told me that you had had a quarrel at the club, and that to-morrow—" " This is too much !" interrupted Sartilly, very much irritated ; "and I shall turn Mr Toby out of doors." "Ob, he remained out as usual all the evening," replied Antoine, delighted at having an opportunity of finding fault with the groom ; "he had just come in when you arrived." "Very well; I will attend to him tomorrow, and as Cor you, my old Antoine, 1 have several commissions to give you in the morning, and' I want to bo awakened at eight o'clock." j|T " But this, duel, , sir !— injured as you* are !" " Don't be uneasy" ; my hand is still strong enough to give aiesson to this German ; and besides,-! if I^om .in too much pain, I will fight with pistols. Go to bed, and do not ftfeget toji3a.ll me. #t eight Qjclock." Antoine left his,. piaster with regret, and the.Tiscountcontfnlued his* walkV reflecting on the comitfgeyenWbf ' the next flay. The first thing to beffdone ' was to choose his seconds, and* in, s 'the absence of his best friend, Roger, he thought of applying to M. Chateaubrun, who had been present at the quarrel, and even thought of asking him to choose another second amongst the officers of his regiment, that his meeting with M. de Dohna might not be much spoken of. The Viscount, therefore, before going to bed wrote a letter to the captain, for Antoine to take early in the morning ; and in spite of the precise terms of M. de Dolina's note, he concluded the day would be spent by his seconds in arranging the conditions of the duel, so that he w ould have time to meet the notary at twelve o'clock, at Mademoiselle de Mensignac's ; afterward make his search in the library, and in the afternoon have leisuro to make his last arrangements. Of course, he could not decide upon anything before knowing his friend llogor's secret, for on this secret depended the instructions he must leave. "Decidedly," he thought, on going to bed. " I shall be able to arrange everything to-morrow, and even if M. de Noreff s defender insists upon it so much, can meet him in the afternoon." And with this consoling idea, in spite of the pain in his shoulder, he fell into that deep sleep that always follows violent emotions. When he awoke in the morning, he saw Antoine standing by the side of his bed, holding in his hand a tray on which were two visiting cards, with names unknown to him ; but understanding perfectly who they came from, he rose immediately,

, "As soon as you have brought these geni tlemen in," he said to Antoine, while dreesing in great haste, " take this note to M. I Chateaubrun ; wait for an answer, and return immediately, without losing a moment. Let Toby know that you are absent, and forbid him to go out." The valet, much more agitated than his master, took the letter, and then introduced the two persons, who from their appearance and actions Sartilly easily recognised as two Russians. They treated him from the first with a stiff politeness, saying they had eorne merely to know the address of M. de Sartilly's seconds, and expressed clearly M. de Dohna's desire that the duel should take , place the same day. "Our friend also, having received the offence, demands the choice of weapons," said one of the Russians, to close the conversation. "That is the business of my seconds," Sartilly answered, rather disdainfully. "And I will conform to whatever M. de Chateaubrun decides upon." A] oneagain ,the Viscou nt finished dressing, and waited impatiently Antoino'sreturn. As this affair was goin gon so rapidly, he regretted not having notified Chateaubrun earlier, aa he might be out, or prevented from acting by some necessary service ; but he was soon reassured, as, in less than an hour after, Antoine brought the Captain's letter. -It began : " I accept, my dear friend, and am waiting the arrival of the Muscovite ambassadors ; and De Brehal, whom you know very well, will act with me with pleasure. We will do our best ; swords, if we can manage it, and the Bois de Boulogne to-morrow morning, if the savage De Dohna does pot insist positively upon having the meeting to-day , As soon as everything is arranged, I will come to you. I have your letter, and know exactly what to do." This note was vory agreeable to Sartilly, and he felt quite satisfied. He had written to the Captain to meet him at the De Mensignac mansion at twelve o'clock, and as he suffered very little now from his arm, felt he could depend upon his skill as a swordsman ; but he was also an excellent shot, therefore cared very little what weapon was chosen. He gave his orders to Antoine not to leave his house until, his return ; to have his carriage ready for him at half-past eleven o'clock; wrote a few letters on personal affairs; put his deeds and family papers in order, and afterwards ate his breakfast with a very good appetite. He reserved his lcist directions until his return, putting Roger's letter into his pocket, to servo as a guide in his visit to the mysterious bookcase. He had notf orgotten his causes of complaint against Toby ; but as he absolutely needed his services for the day, he put off until tomorrow tho reproofs he had in store for him ; besides, the groom, not seeming to think there waa any cause for finding fault with him, was standing waiting for Sartilly in an irreproachable toilet, and while mounting behind the cabriolet his childlike face retained its habitual expression of mildness. At 12 o'clock , precisely the Viscount stopped his horse before the De Mensignac house, expecting the notary' 3 carriage at the door, as his punctuality was proverbial; but it was not there. Another surprise awaited him, as, at the moment he was crossing the court-yard, the porter ran after him to tell him that Mademoiselle de Men - signac, being indisposed, wished to post pone the interview with the notary until the next day. Rather distressed at this disappointment, which deprived him of seeing Jeanne the day of all others he wished most ardently to speak to her, but desiring to accomplish his other mission, he went directly to the library. When he reached the massive oaken door his heart beat violently ; his hand trembled when he touched the lock, for he knew he would again see the spot of blood, and he thought sadly of the murdered woman. The noise of the heavy brass key turning in the lock, awakened a prolonged echo in the spacious room. It was only the evening before that Sartilly had felt, in crossing this formidable threshold, a feeling of unutterable fear ; but the time for superstitious dread had passed, and phantoms are not thought of when facing terrible realities. At this hour, also, the gallery, lighted by a bright winter sun, had the appearance of a museum, with its pictures, its amor, and old china shining on the dark wood and tapestry. Sartilly drew near one of the high French windows that looked upon the Seine, and could not avoid gazing for an instant upon the wonderful view he had so often admired with Roger. Below him the waters of the Seine rolled slowly on, and their leaden coloured hue brought out strikingly the dazzling whiteness ol the houses ol Passy, situated on the side of a hill. In the distance the large forest of Meudon extended its dark masses, intersected by the clear line 3 of the terrace and chateau. All breathed of busy life in this bright landscape. The manufactories of Grenelle sent forth their clouds of smoke from their high red chimneys, standing up here and thore like Egyptian obelisks, and a heavy steamtag raised with its wheels the waters of the river that fell again in silvery cascades, and at the end of the plain a locomotive puffed forth its floating feather of grey vapour. This joyful movement contrasted so strongly with the silence and solitude of the library that Sartilly unwillingly left the window, and it required almost an effort to bring back his thoughts to the object of his visit ; but time was precious, and the Viscount wished very much to return home before the duel. In order not to be misled in his investigations he again read Roger's letter, which he had brought with him, and all the indications being so clear and precise, Sartilly felt sure of easily finding the hiding-place ; but he first must discover the bookcase. De Mensignac had told Jiim there was one between each window ; at the first glance all' seemed alike, and the Viscount, examining them one after another, could detect no difference in them, and began to fear some difficulty, when a V3ry simple idea occurred to him, that, although he did not remember tho exterior of the bookcase that had formerly belonged to him, he had not forgotten the hidden secret of the interior, and that he knew exactly the place where he must touch the knob to move the spring, and discover the double shelf. He began, therefore, to open each piece of furniture successively, and saw with joy that the keys were in all the doors ; he examined two without finding the spring, but as soon as he opened the third he remembered and recognised it. Roger's secret was there, but, at the moment of penetrating it, Sartilly felt a singular uneasiness, as the scruples that had assailed him before breaking the seal of Roger's letter returned to his mind with redoubled force. It seemed impious to violate this deposit, and he hesitated a long time before making the decisive movement ; but at last, touching the spring, the bottom shelf went quickly back, displaying in the hiding-place twenty large books, with red edged leaves and antique bindings. All the ! titles were the same, and the Viscount repeated twenty times, " History of the Province of Normandy," and taking the seventh volume that De Mensignac had pointed out to him, he sat down with it at the large table in the middle of the library, and, placing the volume before him, he opened it. "Page

119, 19th line," murmured Fartilly, turning the leaves rapidly : and be was about reaching the page where his friend's secret was contained in one sentence, when he heard a gentle knock at the door, and on opening it was disagreeably surprised at seeing M. de Chateaubrun. 11 Pardon me, my dear friend," said the Captain, " for disturbing you ; but they told me at your house that you were here, and we have not a moment to lose." "You have done right," eaid the Viscount who never forgot his politeness ; " but, first of all, I must thank you." " You can thank me this evening, but at this moment, there are more serious matters in question." " What are they, then ? Does my duel seem so serious to you ?" "Oh no ; the duel itself, I know, does not annoy you much, but it is important for you to know the wishes and incredible pretensions of our Russians." " Nothing can astonish me that you can tell me about them." "Well, everything was arranged according to our wishes. De Dohna had chosen swords himself, the meeting was to take place to-morrow morning, at eight o'cleck ; the seconds had left and I was just stepping into my carriage to give you an account of the interview, when my two savages came back to tell me that, their friend being obliged to leave by post this afternoon, the meeting must take place to-day." " He wrote to me yesterday, making the same statement ; and after all it is not disagreeable to me to have it over sooner. I am going home, and at four o'clock will be at the Bois de Boulogne." " Oh, if it were to take place at four o'clock, I would not have fought against it as I have done. But this crazy Muscovite says he must start before three o'clock, and he wants to force us to be on the ground by two." " But it is absurd ; and affairs like this are not managed in this manner. T have letters to write, arrangements to make, and absolutely refuse." "I have said all this, and many other things beside, but they would not listen. They told me that M. De Dohna would be at the meeting place at two o'clock with his travelling carriage; that he would wait forty five minutes with hi 3 watch in his hand, and if you did not come by a quarter before three o'clock, he would quit the place." " Very well ; a good journey to him !" " Wait ! this is not all ; his two seconds will be on the ground with him, and if you do not come, they will draw up an official report after their fashion, and have it sent to all the clubs." "Ah ! is it so ?" said the Viscount, pale with anger ; " this miserable fellow wants mo to kill him immediately. So be it. I warrant you that post-chaise will not take him to Russia." "Indeed, my dear friend," said the Captain, " I think you are right ; but to refase would be your right also ; no one would blame you, as youhave given sufficient proofs of your courage. Perhaps it i 3 better that all the wrong should be on the side of these brutes, but that will not prevent my saying two words to morrow to one of these rascally seconds — the little one particularly, who has a name to make a horse sneeze, has displeased me extremely, and I have a good lesson in reserve for him." "But we will have only time to reach there," interrupted Sartilly, taking out his watch. "Plenty of time; we have still three quarters of an hour, and the pond of Auteuil is not two steps from the Bois." " And cmr weapons ?" " I was almost sure that you would not do him the favour of letting him wait for us, and I brought De Brahal with me, vho is below in a carriage with two pairs of swords." "Let us start, then !" The book that contained Roger's secret remained upon the table, and Sartilly thought an instant of examining it, but he did not feel sufficiently composed to read and understand it " It will be time enough this evening," he muttered, and shutting the bookcase quickly, took the volume under his arm, to the profound astonishment of the Captain, and wen'j toward the staircase. " What are you going to do with that old book ?" asked De Chateaubruu, laughing. "Is it the history of Russia that you want to read M. de Dohna on the field." "No," answered the Viscount,^ ""but when I have killed M. de Dohna with my sword, I will kill those who sent him with this book." (To be Continued.)