The Storyteller.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7850, 16 June 1905, Page 4

The Storyteller.

A SILLY LITTLE WOMAN'S ADVENTURE. (Continued). In thort, what is positive is that In five minutes afterwards X was Aon?. the key in my hand, aad Saving promised to go tile next evening. X pass over lie silenco th® historji of my nowqrse, of my agitation, of the taken and then forsaken. Thirty-two times I swore to. myself that I would not, KP> hut thirty-thre# times X represented to. myself that X ran ao risk, that the word cf » gentleman ought! tp sU-i fice nut, and curiosity carried thg day, by a majority of «M vsics. For that matter, I think it would have carried tS» flay unfiw any circumstances. The next evening, Ibring found an excellent pH3text»—excellent, beoquse ,t had taken me fourteen hours to Ind it—l teft my Koine furtively on foot. Count Alexis living in the leigttbjourtng street, I soon arrived* aider tiha porte-cochere of . Us house. This portecochere asemed to ir,» ei"raordinary< Since (bat time I have •went able toi convince myself tViat it Jiffereid in nothing* from others ; but ~-nly think, during my fife I toavei sever been under a portecochere on *oot; I only knew it as a place hrough which the horses ajitl oarriaga passed when coming to take me up at tfcfe Street door. tUs particular «tll give you a> idea ol n%at •jort of ■ woman I was fiea ; • widow and a mother, but mora ignorant of life than a chlfti el Usee. I perceived tih* #oor is Question | I ascondod three Step»—no sue saw aie —the coort-yaMI *raa dsß«r(cß, (q order, doubtless I bar* since thought I pushed the key into the key-hole, not wi&out trembling ai little, and 3 entered. ■ , A tiny ante-chancier lit by.a lantern of qoloured , glass and filled with | mirrors in somber frames offered mc a warm.hospitality ; there were flow- j ;rs everywhere, but little light, not I v breath of aSr. I, listened—not a icnind. "Hie stillness reassured rae. I ■ hrew off my cloak and opened the /joor.' ' Count Alexis bad said trulyhis cabinet wad a urarvql. Th» first fooW : gave ima an impression of entire satisfaction, such as we fee) when our senso of the beautiful has oothingj more to desire. The awed asd subtle perfume that the very hangings gave fort# charmed without intoxicating ; the lamps mere so cleverly; placed ait to leave nothing in shai dow, and at the same time not to hurt the eyes ; light and shade were here in irreproachable contrast from the aesthetic point of view: what beautiful things 9 Decidedly, Count Alexis was a great magician. When X touched every box, opened every drawer, tried on «very. jewel, I look'M at the door with supeiih hangings, whjqh apparently lod to, inner rooms. I examined the keyhole —it was locked on the outside. I put my ear to it without shame or confusion and I heard) these words, spoken probably Do come down ; ttt» Count will . be here before ten mSnut<s." Someone passed by on tip-toe, and silence was re-established. J retired safely to a low divan at the other end of Uw room, asd sat Qown to reflect. Aa the Count was coming, Why don't you go away 1 demanded the reasonable part eS my intelligence. Why 1 The other part would .have . been much embarrassed to answerwhy, indeed, if not because I loved Count Alexis, and that I h'ad eomo to see him evidently ? But this is what it was impossible to me to acknowledge to myself at that palace without its lord ? 'What did I care for caskets and aCent-boxeS ■ without the dark eyes and white teeth ol Count Alexis ! II was his voice, his gltmce, and gave me UioSa delicious sensations to «rfiich 1 surrendered mysell while shutting rpy eyes to their danger. Hiat was what I had iqoms in search of; and «ot the vulgar curiosity that could be ag well satisfied in a museum or in a bric-a-brac shop-. "Yes, decidedly," I said lo myself finally, after having* vacillated a litftlet, "I will remain, after all, X am youagantf free. I sUall only wfong myself ; ami if it pleases me,lor ooee to live for myinstead of fivito&tor the wprld. I am my own mistress to act as I choose." X rose with a decided air, and walked .quickly round the room tw« or three limes. Hie carpet came from Persia) but mine was much handsomer, and much softer. The motley; 'design which at first seemed so pi-

qliant and original now only struck . me as fantastic and irregulai*. Decidedly I preferred the Ambussoq 1 flowprs-Hbeautifu! full tyiown roses, symmetrical lilies and prouid poon- | ies. The resemblance of civilised 'Europe (brought me back to less poetTical thoughts. My home seemed to jmg charming just then ; but the recollectiom of my mother-in-law, the Princess XV , the most disagreeable of princesses and mothers-in-law," threw mo back again into the realms of fancy. At home I often saw tho • Princess.What doos it matter ? thought I. I want to make the most of my life ! At this hour women are dressing to go to balls, to listen to platitudes, and to dance quadrilles bar# at last— A small clock struck, 'half-past; eight. Its sound was exactly the same as that of a travelling clock I had received as a present three 3'sars previously. It was at the time {A my son's birth. Myhusfoand not knowing what to invent to give me plaawirw—for he Spoilt me dreadful-! iy, ray poor husbpnd—had ordered for me from Paris this Small clock, that was as high as my finger, and was placed in, a velvet case. It was a rar« gem, find since that time it had counted the hours by my son's cradle. At half-past 8 I. ahVgjs went to kiss him in his bed for the night. Ha knew this so well that he always waited for the clock fcoi strike, itol cali l out "Mamma ! " At this cry th« nurse came to tell me, if I was not there, and my baby received his evening kiss; after which he went) so sleep immediately, as if touched hy a niogio wand. I had not seen my «on that night before setting Out. When I went to the theatre or wkea I dined out, 1 waß careful tq hiss him before going, ami to account to him for my ajbisenco. By the help of this precaution, and a |)|®-Won placed in reserve for the Imoment of the clock striking, my lit-, tlo boy generally went to sleep with-. out any trouble. But that day I had not kissedi baby ij what Could I have said] to: him ? I had told my servants that I was going on foot to vespers at the neighbouring church—servants are of no importance; and, besides, if we rendered them an explanation! i of all our actions ! But my "on — 5 that waS another matter. Without explaining to 1 myself, Rhy, I felt tjiat' it would be painful for ime to lie ■tq the child, and to hear him repeat the praise that he generally said tq me when I went to cjiurch : "Greet the Good God for me i!('' This, which he mimicked from some grown-up person, was the delight of uJI the nursery, and |>eS>y repeated it to make the others laugh'. I felt remorseful at tho thought of my son, Boubtless calling me atJ that moment —no bonbon placed in reserve, no ciress for the n gilt's repose. Was it possibje that thisj Count Alexis, with his black eyes, had made me forget my little fooy? I recalled in. horror that in fact I hail not troubled myself about the child since the night before. Stilly worse, after his walk, when lie had come in, I neglected to have liim brought to me. Was I going to forget to to be a mother ? And for nfiom ? For a pair of black eyes and a littje bombast; A carriage stopped before the flight of steps in front of the house, deposited someone, and dashed noisily down the portecocherc, making all the nick-nacks around me tremble. It wap the Count coming in. But he promS sod me that I sliouldi be alone, cried I mentally. It was ] abominable ; he is breaking hie word. And what would he think of mo if he : found me here ? I'heard a step approaching the Boor of the apartment, the clinking of spurs and the grating of a key in the lock. I hurried into tho little ante-chamber. I flung on my c'oak without! taking time to fix my sleeves; slipped on the staircase, taking care to doujfjc-lock the door behind me by means of the pnwious gold key which I carefully carried away. Five minutes later I was at home, rajtfeer I ran,ifirsti oC lall to baby's bedside, who, very solemn), was seated upright, declaring to his nurse that in the first placo ho would not go to sleep until he had seen mamma, and that there was no) Use in teasing him. When he saw me batty held out his arms, and saidj to the frightened nurse—"l told you she would come!" After which, having kissed hie, he lay down en. his pillow, shut Ills eyes and his fists, and went to sleep. I had hardly time to change my dross when I heard horses stop beneath my window, I seated mj-relf comfortably in my usual place and ordered tea to be served. Count Aiexis enterodi, with his hair tossed about looking very and with- his eyes filled with l passion. ■ '"Thank God." he cried, "I find you alive !" His voice, his manner, all seemed to me as false as possible. " And why, dear Count, shoilW T not be alive ?" asked I, with the most trangjup mien. My assurance made him lose a litJtle of his own. v But,"said he, " I thougtet—you had deigned." I looked at him attentively and, thanks to I know not what miracle, I saw. him now nothing but an actor—and hot a* very good one, ■v Went? Why? Where?" H» looked at me with a o air of stupefaction. I coujd Bot holp smiling. '' You forgot 'yesterday this smalll object on the table," I said, pushing the key towards him. "It imidt be precious; do take it back." Completely at a loss. Count Alexis took the key and put it into-his watch fi clKl ' n Pocket without, saying a word. The servant who had just entered with tea on a waiter offered him hia glass. " No, thank you," said ;he, "I avft net time. I am expected at hom»." And Be disappeared. Now, when I think of it, I cannot help laughing ; but that night I cried) J crued from raige at the thought that I might have ruined myself for that fool. And all for tho sake of Eastern carpets and a little rnoaomontade. Well, they say there is a God for children,, and w 0 must 'believe that' there is one also for the giddy. As jor that they are about one and the same thing.