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diff --git a/41284-8.txt b/41284-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d280d95..0000000 --- a/41284-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7814 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Arm-Chair at the Inn, by F. Hopkinson Smith - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Arm-Chair at the Inn - -Author: F. Hopkinson Smith - -Illustrator: A. I. Keller - Herbert Ward - -Release Date: November 3, 2012 [EBook #41284] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ARM-CHAIR AT THE INN *** - - - - -Produced by D Alexander, The Internet Archive (TIA) and -the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - -THE ARM-CHAIR AT THE INN - - - - -[Illustration: Mignon] - - - - - THE ARM-CHAIR - AT THE INN - - BY - F. HOPKINSON SMITH - - WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY - A. I. KELLER, HERBERT WARD - AND THE AUTHOR - - [Illustration] - - NEW YORK - CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS - 1912 - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1912, BY - CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS - - Published August, 1912 - - - - -AUTHOR'S PREFACE - -[Illustration] - - -If I have dared to veil under a thin disguise some of the men whose talk -and adventures fill these pages it is because of my profound belief that -truth is infinitely more strange and infinitely more interesting than -fiction. The characters around the table are all my personal friends; -the incidents, each and every one, absolutely true, and the setting of -the Marmouset, as well as the Inn itself, has been known to many -hundreds of my readers, who have enjoyed for years the rare hospitality -of its quaint and accomplished landlord. - - F. H. S. - -November, 1911 - -[Illustration] - - - - -CONTENTS - -[Illustration] - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. THE MARMOUSET 3 - - II. THE WOOD FIRE AND ITS FRIENDS 18 - - III. WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO A CERTAIN COLONY OF PENGUINS 34 - - IV. THE ARRIVAL OF A LADY OF QUALITY 60 - - V. IN WHICH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CANNIBAL AND A - FREEBOOTER IS CLEARLY SET FORTH 95 - - VI. PROVING THAT THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE NEVER DID RUN SMOOTH 120 - - VII. IN WHICH OUR LANDLORD BECOMES BOTH ENTERTAINING AND - INSTRUCTIVE 144 - - VIII. CONTAINING SEVERAL EXPERIENCES AND ADVENTURES SHOWING - THE WIDE CONTRASTS IN LIFE 163 - - IX. IN WHICH MADAME LA MARQUISE BINDS UP BROKEN HEADS AND - BLEEDING HEARTS 182 - - X. IN WHICH WE ENTERTAIN A JAIL-BIRD 211 - - XI. IN WHICH THE HABITS OF CERTAIN GHOSTS, GOBLINS, BANDITS, - AND OTHER OBJECTIONABLE PERSONS ARE DULY SET FORTH 240 - - XII. WHY MIGNON WENT TO MARKET 267 - - XIII. WITH A DISSERTATION ON ROUND PEGS AND SQUARE HOLES 280 - - XIV. A WOMAN'S WAY 304 - - XV. APPLE-BLOSSOMS AND WHITE MUSLIN 335 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - -[Illustration] - - - Mignon _Frontispiece_ - - FACING PAGE - - Howls of derision welcomed him 30 - - Flooding the garden, the flowers, and the roofs 60 - - As her boy's sagging, insensible body was brought clear of the - wreck 132 - - Herbert caught up his sketch-book and ... transferred her dear - old head ... to paper 184 - - Lemois crossed the room and began searching through the old - fifteenth-century triptych 240 - - "Just think, monsieur, what _does_ go on below Coco in the - season" 308 - - First, of course, came the mayor--his worthy spouse on his left 350 - - - - -THE ARM-CHAIR AT THE INN - - - - -THE ARM-CHAIR AT THE INN - - - - -I - -THE MARMOUSET - - -"How many did you say?" inquired Lemois, our landlord. - -"Five for dinner, and perhaps one more. I will know when the train gets -in. Have the fires started in the bedrooms and please tell Mignon and -old Leà to put on their white caps." - -We were in the Marmouset at the moment--the most enchanting of all the -rooms in this most enchanting of all Normandy inns. Lemois was busying -himself about the table, selecting his best linen and china--an old -Venetian altar cloth and some Nancy ware--replacing the candles in the -hanging chandelier, and sorting the silver and glass. Every one of my -expected guests was personally known to him; some of them for years. All -had shared his hospitality, and each and every one appreciated its rare -value. Nothing was too good for them, and nothing should be left undone -which would add to their comfort. - -I had just helped him light the first blaze in the big baronial -fireplace, an occupation I revel in, for to me the kindling of a fire is -the gathering of half a dozen friends together, each log nudging his -neighbor, the cheer of good comradeship warming them all. And a roaring -fire it was when I had piled high the logs, swept the hearth, and made -it ready for the choice spirits who were to share it with me. For years -we have had our outings--or rather our "in-tings" before it--red-letter -days for us in which the swish of a petticoat is never heard, and we are -free to enjoy a "man's time" together; red-letter days, too, in the -calendar of the Inn, when even Lemois, tired out with the whirl of the -season, takes on a new lease of life. - -His annual rejuvenation began at dawn to-day, when he disappeared in the -direction of the market and returned an hour later with his procession -of baskets filled with fish and lobsters fresh out of the sea a mile -away (caught at daylight), some capons, a string of pigeons, and an -armful of vegetables snatched in the nick of time from the early grave -of an impending frost. - -As for the more important items, the Chablis Moutonne and Roumanée -Conti--rare Burgundies--they were still asleep in their cobwebs on a -low Spanish bench that had once served as a temporary resting-place -outside a cardinal's door. - -Until to-night Lemois and I have dined in the kitchen. You would too -could you see it. Not by any manner of means the sort of an interior the -name suggests, but one all shining brass, rare pottery, copper braziers, -and resplendent pewter, reflecting the dancing blaze of a huge open -hearth with a spit turned by the weight of a cannon ball fired by the -British, and on which--the spit, not the ball--are roasted the joints, -chickens, and game for which the Inn is famous, Pierre, the sole -remaining chef--there are three in the season--ineffectually cudgelling -his French pate under his short-cropped, shoe-brush hair for some dish -better than the last. - -Because, however, of the immediate gathering of the clan, I have -abandoned the kitchen and have shifted my quarters to the Marmouset. -Over it up a steep, twisted staircase with a dangling rope for banisters -is my bedroom, the Chambre de Cure, next to the Chambre de -Officier--where the gluttonous king tossed on his royal bed (a true -story, I am told, with all the details set forth in the State Archives -of France). Mine has a high-poster with a half lambrequin, or bed -curtain, that being all Lemois could find, and he being too honest an -antiquary to piece it out with modern calico or chintz. My guests, of -course, will take their pick of the adjoining rooms--Madame Sévigné's, -Grèvin's, the Chambre du Roi, and the others--and may thank their stars -that it is not a month back. Then, even if they had written ten days -ahead, they would have been received with a shrug--one of Lemois' most -engaging shrugs tinged with grief--at his inability to provide better -accommodation for their comfort, under which one could have seen a -slight trace of suppressed glee at the prosperity of the season. They -would then doubtless have been presented with a massive key unlocking -the door of a box of a bedroom over the cake-shop, or above the -apothecary's, or next to the man who mends furniture--all in the village -of Dives itself. - - -And now a word about the Inn itself--even before I tell you of the -Arm-Chair or the man who sat in it or the others of the clan who -listened and talked back. - -Not the low-pitched, smothered-in-ivy Kings Arms you knew on the -Thames, with its swinging sign, horse-block, and the rest of it; nor the -queer sixteenth-century tavern in that Dutch town on the Maas, with its -high wainscoting, leaded window-panes, and porcelain stove set out with -pewter flagons--not that kind of an inn at all. - -This one bolsters up one corner of a quaint little town in Normandy; is -faced by walls of sombre gray stone loop-holed with slits of windows, -topped by a row of dormers, with here and there a chimney, and covers an -area as large as a city block, the only break in its monotony being an -arched gate-way in which swing a pair of big iron-bound doors. These are -always open, giving the passer-by a glimpse of the court within. - -You will be disappointed, of course, when you drive up to it on a -summer's day. You will think it some public building supported by the -State--a hospital or orphan asylum--and, tourist-like, will search for -the legend deep cut in the key-stone of the archway to reassure yourself -of its identity. Nobody can blame you--hundreds have made that same -mistake, I among them. - -But don't lose heart--keep on through the gate, take a dozen steps into -the court-yard and look about, and if you have any red corpuscles left -in your veins you will get a thrill that will take your breath away. -Spread out before you lies a flower-choked yard flanked about on three -sides by a chain of moss-encrusted, red-tiled, seesaw roofs, all out of -plumb. Below, snug under the eaves, runs a long go-as-you-please -corridor, dodging into a dozen or more bedrooms. Below this again, as if -tired out with the weight, staggers a basement from which peer out -windows of stained glass protected by Spanish grills of polished iron, -their leaded panes blinking in the sunshine, while in and out, up the -door-jambs, over the lintels, along the rain-spouts, even to the top of -the ridge-poles of the wavy, red-tiled roofs, thousands of blossoms and -tangled vines are running riot. - -And this is not all. Close beside you stands a fuchsia-covered, -shingle-hooded, Norman well, and a little way off a quaint kiosk roofed -with flowering plants, and near by a great lichen-covered bust of Louis -VI, to say nothing of dozens of white chairs and settees grouped against -a background of flaring reds and brilliant greens. And then, with a gasp -of joy, you follow the daring flight of a giant feather-blown clematis -in a clear leap from the ground, its topmost tendrils throttling the -dormers. - -Even then your surprises are not over. You have yet to come in touch -with the real spirit of the Inn, and be introduced to our jewel of a -dining-room, the "Marmouset," opening flat to the ground and hidden -behind a carved oaken door mounted in hammered iron: a low-ceilinged, -Venetian-beamed room, with priceless furniture, tapestries, and -fittings--chairs, tables, wainscoting of carved oak surmounted by -Spanish leather; quaint andirons, mirrors, arms, cabinets, silver, -glass, and china; all of them genuine and most of them rare, for Lemois, -our landlord, has searched the Continent from end to end. - -Yes!--a great inn this inn of William the Conqueror at Dives, and unique -the world over. You will be ready now to believe all its legends and -traditions, and you can quite understand why half the noted men of -Europe have, at one time or another, been housed within its hospitable -walls, including such exalted personages as Louis XI and Henry IV--the -latter being the particular potentate who was laid low with a royal -colic from a too free indulgence in the seductive oyster--not to -mention such rare spirits as Molière, Dumas, George Sand, Daubigny, as -well as most of the litterateurs, painters, and sculptors of France, -including the immortal Grèvin, many of whose drawings decorate the walls -of one of the garden kiosks, and whose apartment still bears his name. - -And not only savants and men of rank and letters, but the frivolous -world of to-day--the flotsam and jetsam of Trouville, Houlgate, and -Cabourg--have gathered here in the afternoon for tea in the court-yard, -their motors crowding the garage, and at night in the Marmouset when, -under the soft glow of overhead candles falling on bare shoulders and -ravishing toilettes, laughter and merry-making extend far into the small -hours. At night, too, out in the gardens, what whisperings and -love-makings in the soft, starry air!--what seductive laughter and -little half-smothered screams! And then the long silences with only the -light of telltale cigarettes to mark their hiding-places! - -All summer this goes on until one fine morning the most knowing, or the -most restless, or the poorest of these gay birds of passage (the Inn is -not a benevolent institution) spreads its wings and the flight begins. -The next day the court is empty, as are all the roosting-places up and -down the shore. Then everybody at the Inn takes a long breath--the first -they have had for weeks. - -About this time, too, the crisp autumn air, fresh from the sea, begins -to blow, dulling the hunger for the open. The mad whirl of blossoms no -longer intoxicates. Even the geraniums, which have flamed their bravest -all summer, lose their snap and freshness; while the blue and pink -hydrangeas hang their heads, tired out with nodding to so many -passers-by: they, too, are paying the price; you can see it in their -faces. Only the sturdy chrysanthemums are rejoicing in the first frost, -while the more daring of the roses are unbuckling their petals ready to -fight their way through the perils of an October bloom. - -It is just at this blessed moment that I move in and settle down with my -companions, for now that the rush is over, and the little Normandy maids -and the older peasant women who have served the hungry and thirsty mob -all summer, as well as two of the three French cooks, have gone back to -their homes, we have Leà, Mignon, and Pierre all to ourselves. - -I put dear old Leà first because it might as well be said at once that -without her loving care life at the Inn, with all its comforts, would be -no life at all--none worth living. Louis, the running-water painter, -known as the Man in High-Water Boots--one of the best beloved of our -group--always insists that in the days gone by Leà occupied a pedestal -at the main entrance of the twelfth-century church at the end of the -street, and is out for a holiday. In proof he points out the empty -pedestal set in a niche, and has even gone so far as to pencil her name -on the rough stone. - -Mignon, however, he admits, is a saint of another kind--a dainty, -modest, captivating little maid, who looks at you with her wondering -blue eyes, and who is as shy as a frightened gazelle. There is a young -fisherman named Gaston, a weather-tanned, frank, fearless fellow who -knows all about these eyes. He brings the fish to the Inn--those he -catches himself--and Mignon generally manages to help in their -unpacking. It is not a part of her duty. Her special business is to make -everybody happy; to crack the great white sugar-loaf into bits with a -pair of pincers--no machine-made dominoes for Lemois--and to turn the -coffee-roaster--an old-fashioned, sheet-iron drum swinging above a -brazier of hot coals--and to cool its contents by tossing them in a -pan--much as an Egyptian girl winnows wheat. It is a pity you never -tasted her coffee, served in the garden--old Leà on the run with it -boiling-hot to your table. You might better have stopped what you were -doing and taken steamer for Havre and the Inn. You would never have -regretted it. - -Nor would you even at this late hour regret any one of the dishes made -by Pierre, the chef. And now I think of it, it is but fair to tell you -that if you repent the delay and show a fit appreciation of his efforts, -or come properly endorsed (I'll give you a letter), he may, perhaps, -invite you into his kitchen which I have just vacated, a place of such -various enticing smells from things baking, broiling, and frying; with -unforgettable, appetizing whiffs of burnt sugar, garlic, fine herbs, and -sherry, to say nothing of the flavors of bowls of mayonnaise, heaps of -chopped onions, platters of cream--even a basket of eggs still warm from -the nest--that the memory of it will linger with you for the rest of -your days. - -Best of all at this season, we have quite to ourselves that prince of -major-domos, our landlord, Lemois. For as this inn is no ordinary inn, -this banquet room no ordinary room, and this kitchen no ordinary -kitchen, so, too, is Monsieur Lemois no ordinary landlord. A small, -gray, gently moving, low-voiced man with thoughtful, contented face, -past the prime of life; a passionate lover of animals, flowers, and all -beautiful things; quick of temper, but over in a moment; a poet withal, -yet a man with so quaint a humor and of so odd a taste, and so -completely absorbed in his pets, cuisine, garden, and collection, that -it is easy to believe that when he is missed from his carnal body, he -will be found wandering as a ghost among these very flower-beds or -looking down from the walls of the Marmouset--doubtless an old haunt of -his prior to this his latest incarnation. Only here would he be really -happy, and only here, perhaps, among his treasures, would he be fully -understood. - -One of the rarest of these--a superb Florentine chair--the most -important chair he owns, stood within reach of my hand as I sat -listening to him before the crackling blaze. - -"Unquestionably of the sixteenth century!" he exclaimed with his -customary enthusiasm, as I admired it anew, for, although I had heard -most of it many times, I am always glad to listen, so quaint are his -descriptions of everything he owns, and so sincerely does he believe in -the personalities and lineage of each individual piece. - -"I found it," he continued, "in a little chapel in Ravenna. For years it -had stood outside the cabinet of Alessandro, one of the Florentine -dukes. Think of all the men and women who have sat in it, and of all the -cruel and anxious thoughts that raced through their brains while they -waited for an audience with the tyrant! Nothing like a chair for -stirring up old memories and traditions. And do you see the carved heads -on the top! I assure you they are alive! I have caught them smiling or -frowning too often at the talk around my table not to know. Once when De -Bouf, the great French clown was here, the head next you came near -splitting itself in two over his grimaces, and when Marcot told one of -his pathetic stories that other one wept such tears that I had to mop -them up to keep the velvet from being spoilt. You don't believe it?--you -laugh! Ah!--that is just like you modern writers--you do not believe -anything--you have no imagination! You must measure things with a rule! -You must have them drawn on the blackboard! It is because you do not -see them as they are. You shut your eyes and ears to the real things of -life; it is because you cannot understand that it is the _soul_ of the -chair that laughs and weeps. Monsieur Herbert will not think it funny. -He understands these queer heads--and, let me tell you, they understand -_him_. I have often caught them nodding and winking at each other when -he says something that pleases them. He has himself seen things much -more remarkable. That is the reason why he is the only one of all who -enters this room worthy to sit in it." - -"You like Herbert, then?" I interrupted, knowing just what he would say. - -"How absurd, my dear friend! You like a filet, and a gown on a -woman--but you don't like a man. You _love_ him--when he is a -_man_!--and Monsieur Herbert is all that. It is the English in him which -counts. Since he was fourteen years of age he has been roaming around -the world doing everything a man could to make his bread--and he a -gentleman born, with his father's house to go home to if he pleased. Yet -he has been farm-hand, acrobat, hostler, sailor before the mast, -newspaper reporter, next four years in Africa among the natives; then -painter, and now, at forty-five, after only six years' practice, one of -the great sculptors of France, with his work in the Luxembourg and the -ribbon of the Legion in his button-hole! Have I not the right to say -that he is a _man_? And one thing more: not for one moment has he ever -lost the good heart and the fine manner of the gentleman. Ah! that is -most extraordinary of all, when you think of the adventures and -hair-breadth escapes and sufferings he has gone through! Did he ever -tell you of his stealing a ride in Australia on a locomotive tender to -get to Sydney, two hundred miles away?" - -I shook my head. - -"Well--get him to tell you. You will be so sorry for him, even now, that -you cannot keep the tears from your eyes. Listen! There goes the scream -of his horn--and I wager you, too, that he brings that delightful wild -man, Monsieur Louis, with him." - - - - -II - -THE WOOD FIRE AND ITS FRIENDS - - -Two men burst in. - -Herbert, compact, wellknit, ruddy, simple in his bearing and manner; -Louis, broad-shouldered, strong as a bull, and bubbling over with -unrepressed merriment. Both were muffled to their chins--Herbert in his -fur motor-coat, his cap drawn close over his steady gray eyes; Louis in -his big sketching-cloak and hood and a pair of goggles which gave him so -owlish a look that both Mignon and Leà broke out laughing at the sight. - -"Fifty miles an hour, High-Muck" (I am High-Muck) "this brute of a -Herbert kept up. Everything went by in a blur; but for these gig-lamps -I'd be stone blind." - -The brace and the snap of the crisp autumn air clinging to their clothes -suddenly permeated the room as with electricity. Even slow-moving Lemois -felt its vivifying current as he hurriedly dragged the Florentine nearer -the fire. - -"See, Monsieur Herbert, the chair has been waiting for you. I have kept -even Monsieur High-Muck out of it." - -"That's very good of you, Lemois," returned the sculptor as he handed -Leà his coat and gloves and settled himself in its depths. "I'm glad to -get back to it. What the chair thinks about it is another thing--make it -tell you some time." - -"But it has--only last night one of the heads was saying----" - -"None of that, Lemois," laughed Louis, abreast of the fireplace now, his -fingers outspread to the blaze. "Too many wooden heads talking around -here as it is. I don't, of course, object to Herbert's wobbling around -in its upholstered magnificence, but he can't play doge and monopolize -everything. Shove your high-backed pulpit with its grinning cherubs to -one side, I tell you, Herbert, and let me warm up"--and off came the -cloak and goggles, his broad shoulders and massive arms coming into -view. Then tossing them to Mignon, he turned to me. - -"There's one thing you're good for, High-Muck-a-Muck, if nothing else, -and that is to keep a fire going. If I wanted to find you, and there was -a chimney within a mile, I'd be sure you were sitting in front of the -hearth with the tongs in your hand"--here he kicked a big log into -place bringing to life a swarm of sparks that blazed out a welcome and -then went laughing up the chimney. "By thunder!--isn't this glorious! -Crowd up, all of you--this is the best yet! Lemois, won't you please -shove just a plain, little chair this way for me? No--come to think of -it, I'll take half of Herbert's royal throne," and he squeezed in beside -the sculptor, one leg dangling over the arm of the Florentine. - -Herbert packed himself the closer and the talk ran on: the races at -Cabourg and Trouville; the big flight of wild geese which had come a -month earlier than usual, and last, the season which had just closed -with the rush of fashion and folly, in which chatter Lemois had joined. - -"And the same old crowd, of course, Lemois?" suggested Herbert; "and -always doing the same things--coffee at nine, breakfast at twelve, tea -at five, dinner at eight, and bridge till midnight! Extraordinary, isn't -it! I'd rather pound oakum in a country jail." - -"Some of them will," remarked Louis with a ruminating smile. "And it was -a good season, you say, Lemois?" he continued; "lots of people shedding -shekels and lots of tips for dear old Leà? That's the best part of it. -And did they really order good things--the beggars?--or had you cleaned -them out of their last franc on their first visit? Come now--how many -Pêche-Flambées, for instance, have you served, Lemois, to the mob since -July--and how many demoiselles de Cherbourg--those lovely little girl -lobsters without claws?" - -"Do you mean the on-shore species--those you find in the hotels at -Trouville?" returned Lemois, rubbing his hands together, his thoughtful -face alight with humor. "We have two varieties, you know, Monsieur -Louis--the on-shore--the Trouville kind who always bring their claws -with them--you can feel them under their kid gloves." - -"Oh, let up!--let up!" retorted Louis. "I mean the kind we devour; not -the kind who devour us." - -"Same thing," remarked Herbert in his low, even tones from the depths of -the chair, as he stretched a benumbed hand toward the fire. "It -generally ends in a broil, whether it's a woman or a lobster." - -Louis twisted his body and caught the sculptor by the lapel of his -coat. - -"None of your cheap wit, Herbert! Marc, the lunatic, would have said -that and thought it funny--you can't afford to. Move up, I tell you, you -bloated mud-dauber, and give me more room; you'd spread yourself over -two chairs with four heads on their corners if you could fill them." - -Whereupon there followed one of those good-natured rough-and-tumble -dog-plays which the two had kept up through their whole friendship. -Indeed, a wrestling match started it. Herbert, then known to the world -as an explorer and writer, was studying at Julien's at the time. Louis, -who was also a pupil, was off in Holland painting. Their fellow -students, noting Herbert's compact physique, had bided the hour until -the two men should meet, and it was when the room looked as if a cyclone -had struck it--with Herbert on top one moment and Louis the next--that -the friendship began. The big-hearted Louis, too, was the first to -recognize his comrade's genius as a sculptor. Herbert had a wad of clay -sent home from which he modelled an elephant. This was finally tossed -into a corner. There it lay a shapeless mass until his conscience smote -him and the whole was transformed into a Congo boy. Louis insisted it -should be sent to the Salon, and thus the explorer, writer, and painter -became the sculptor. And so the friendship grew and strengthened with -the years. Since then both men had won their gold medals at the -Salon--Louis two and Herbert two. - -The same old dog-play was now going on before the cheery fire, Louis -scrouging and pushing, Herbert extending his muscles and standing -pat--either of them could have held the other clear of the floor at -arm's length--Herbert, all his sinews in place, ready for any move of -his antagonist; Louis, a Hercules in build, breathing health and -strength at every pore. - -Suddenly the tussle in the chair ceased and the young painter, wrenching -himself loose, sprang to his feet. - -"By thunder!" he cried, "I forgot all about it! Have you heard the news? -Hats off and dead silence while I tell it! Lemois, stop that confounded -racket with your dishes and listen! Let me present you to His Royal -Highness, Monsieur Herbert, the Gold Medallist--his second!" and he made -a low salaam to the sculptor stretched out in the Florentine. He was -never so happy as when extolling Herbert's achievements. - -"Oh, I know all about it!" laughed back Lemois. "Le Blanc was here -before breakfast the next morning with the _Figaro_. It was your -African--am I not right, Monsieur Herbert?--the big black man with the -dagger--the one I saw in the clay? Fine!--no dryads, no satyrs nor -demons--just the ego of the savage. And why should you not have won the -medal?" he added in serious tones that commanded instant attention. "Who -among our sculptors--men who make the clay obey them--know the savage as -you do? And to think, too, of your being here after your triumph, under -the roof of my Marmouset. Do you know that its patron saint is another -African explorer--the first man who ever set foot on its western -shores--none other than the great Bethencourt himself? He was either -from Picardy or Normandy--the record is not clear--and on one of his -voyages--this, remember, was in the fifteenth century, the same period -in which the stone chimney over your heads was built--he captured and -brought home with him some little black dwarfs who became very -fashionable. You see them often later on in the prints and paintings of -the time, following behind the balloon petticoats and high headdresses -of the great ladies. After a time they became a regular article of -trade, these marmots, and there is still a street in Paris called 'The -Marmouset.' So popular were they that Charles VI is said to have had a -ministry composed of five of these little rascals. So, when you first -showed me your clay sketch of your African, I said--'Ah! here is the -spirit of Bethencourt! This Monsieur Herbert is Norman, not English; he -has brought the savage of old to light, the same savage that Bethencourt -saw--the savage that lived and fought and died before our cultivated -moderns vulgarized him.' That was a glorious thing to do, messieurs, if -you will think about it"--and he looked around the circle, his eyes -sparkling, his small body alive with enthusiasm. - -Herbert extended his palms in protest, muttering something about parts -of the statue not satisfying him and its being pretty bad in spots, if -Lemois did but know it, thanking him at the same time for comparing him -to so great a man as Bethencourt; but his undaunted admirer kept on -without a pause, his voice quivering with pride: "The primitive man -demanding of civilization his right to live! Ah! that is a new motive in -art, my friends!" - -"Hear him go on!" cried Louis, settling himself again on the arm of -Herbert's chair; "talks like a critic. Gentlemen, the distinguished -Monsieur Lemois will now address you on----" - -Lemois turned and bowed profoundly. - -"Better than a critic, Monsieur Louis. They only see the outside of -things. Pray don't rob Monsieur Herbert of his just rights or try to -lean on him; take a whole chair to yourself and keep still a moment. You -are like your running water--you----" - -"Not a bit like it," broke in Herbert, glad to turn the talk away from -himself. "His water sometimes reflects--he never does." - -"Ah!--but he does reflect," protested Lemois with a comical shrug; "but -it is always upsidedown. When you stand upsidedown your money is apt to -run out of your pockets; when you think upsidedown your brains run out -in the same way." - -"But what would you have me do, Lemois?" expostulated Louis, regaining -his feet that he might the better parry the thrust. "Get out into your -garden and mount a pedestal?" - -"Not at this season, you dear Monsieur Louis; it is too cold. Oh!--never -would I be willing to shock any of my beautiful statues in that way. -You would look very ugly on a pedestal; your shoulders are too big and -your arms are like a blacksmith's, and then you would smash all my -flowers getting up. No--I would have you do nothing and be nothing but -your delightful and charming self. This room of mine, the 'Little -Dwarf,' is built for laughter, and you have plenty of it. And now, -gentlemen"--he was the landlord once more--both elbows uptilted in a -shrug, his shoulders level with his ears--"at what time shall we serve -dinner?" - -"Not until Brierley comes," I interposed after we were through laughing -at Louis' discomfiture. "He is due now--the Wigwag train from Pont du -Sable ought to be in any minute." - -"Is Marc coming with him?" asked Herbert, pushing his chair back from -the crackling blaze. - -"No--Marc can't get here until late. He's fallen in love for the -hundredth time. Some countess or duchess, I understand--he is staying at -her château, or was. Not far from here, so he told Le Blanc." - -"Was walking past her garden gate," broke in Louis, "squinting at her -flowers, no doubt, when she asked him in to tea--or is it another -Fontainebleau affair?" - -"That's one love affair of Marc's I never heard of," remarked Herbert, -with one of his meaning smiles, which always remind me of the lambent -light flashed by a glowworm, irradiating but never creasing the surface -as they play over his features. - -"Well, that wasn't Marc's fault--you _would_ have heard of it had he -been around. He talked of nothing else. The idiot left Paris one -morning, put ten francs in his pocket--about all he had--and went over -to Fontainebleau for the day. Posted up at that railroad station was a -notice, signed by a woman, describing a lost dog. Later on Marc came -across a piece of rope with the dog on one end and a boy on the other. -An hour later he presented himself at madame's villa, the dog at his -heels. There was a cry of joy as her arms clasped the prodigal. Then -came a deluge of thanks. The gratitude of the poor lady so overcame Marc -that he spent every sou he had in his clothes for flowers, sent them to -her with his compliments and walked back to Paris, and for a month after -every franc he scraped together went the same way. He never -called--never wrote her any letters--just kept on sending flowers; never -getting any thanks either, for he never gave her his address. Oh, he's -a Cap and Bells when there's a woman around!" - -A shout outside sent every man to his feet; the door was flung back and -a setter dog bounded in followed by the laughing face of a man who -looked twenty-five of his forty years. He was clad in a leather -shooting-jacket and leggings, spattered to his hips with mud, and -carried a double-barrelled breech-loading gun. Howls of derision -welcomed him. - -"Oh!--what a spectacle!" cried Louis. "Don't let Brierley sit down, -High-Muck, until he's scrubbed! Go and scrape yourself, you ruffian--you -are the worst looking dog of the two." - -The Man from the Latin Quarter, as he is often called, clutched his gun -like a club, made a mock movement as if to brain the speaker, then -rested it tenderly and with the greatest care against one corner of the -fireplace. - -"Sorry, High-Muck, but I couldn't help it. I'd have missed your dinner -if I had gone back to my bungalow for clothes. I've been out on the -marsh since sunup and got cut off by the tide. Down with you, Peter! Let -him thaw out a little, Herbert; he's worked like a beaver all day, and -all we got were three plover and a becassine. I left them with Pierre -as I came in. Didn't see a duck--haven't seen one for a week. Wait until -I get rid of this," and he stripped off his outer jacket and flung it at -Louis, who caught it with one hand and, picking up the tongs, held the -garment from him until he had deposited it in the far corner of the -room. - -"Haven't had hold of you, Herbert, since the gold medal," the hunter -resumed. "Shake!" and the two pressed each other's hands. "I thought -'The Savage' would win--ripping stuff up and down the back, and the -muscles of the legs, and he stands well. I think it's your high-water -mark--thought so when I saw it in the clay. By Jove!--I'm glad to get -here! The wind has hauled to the eastward and it's getting colder every -minute." - -"Cold, are you, old man!" condoled Louis. "Why don't you look out for -your fire, High-Muck? Little Brierley's half frozen, he says. Hold -on!--stay where you are; I'll put on another log. Of course, you're half -frozen! When I went by your marsh a little while ago the gulls were -flying close inshore as if they were hunting for a stove. Not a -fisherman fool enough to dig bait as far as I could see." - -[Illustration: Howls of derision welcomed him] - -Brierley nodded assent, loosened his under coat of corduroy, searched in -an inside pocket for a pipe, and drew his chair nearer, his knees to the -blaze. - -"I don't blame them," he shivered; "mighty sensible bait-diggers. The -only two fools on the beach were Peter and I; we've been on a sand spit -for five hours in a hole I dug at daylight, and it was all we could do -to keep each other warm--wasn't it, old boy?" (Peter, coiled up at his -feet, cocked an ear in confirmation.) "Where's Marc, Le Blanc, and the -others--upstairs?" - -"Not yet," replied Herbert. "Marc expects to turn up, so he wired -High-Muck, but I'll believe it when he gets here. Another case of Romeo -and Juliet, so Louis says. Le Blanc promises to turn up after dinner. -Louis, you are nearest--get a fresh glass and move that decanter this -way,--Brierley is as cold as a frog." - -"No--stay where you are, Louis," cried the hunter. "I'll wait until I -get something to eat--hot soup is what I want, not cognac. I say, -High-Muck, when are we going to have dinner? I'm concave from my chin to -my waistband; haven't had a crumb since I tumbled out of bed this -morning in the pitch dark." - -"Expect it every minute. Here comes Leà now with the soup and Mignon -with hot plates." - -Louis caught sight of the two women, backed himself against the jamb of -the fireplace, and opened wide his arms. - -"Make way, gentlemen!" he cried. "Behold the lost saint--our Lady of the -Sabots!--and the adorable Mademoiselle Mignon! I kiss the tips of your -fingers, mademoiselle. And now tell me where that fisher-boy is--that -handsome young fellow Gaston I heard about when I was last here. What -have you done with him? Has he drowned himself because you wouldn't be -called in church, or is he saving up his sous to put a new straw thatch -on his mother's house so there will be room for two more?" - -Pretty Mignon blushed scarlet and kept straight on to the serving-table -without daring to answer--Gaston was a tender subject to her, almost as -tender as Mignon was to Gaston--but Leà, after depositing the tureen at -the top of the table, made a little bob of a curtsy, first to Herbert -and then to Louis and Brierley--thanking them for coming, and adding, in -her quaint Normandy French, that she would have gone home a month since -had not the master told her of our coming. - -"And have broken our hearts, you lovely old gargoyle!" laughed Louis. -"Don't you dare leave the Inn. They are getting on very well at the -church without you. Come, Herbert, down with you in the old Florentine. -I'll sit next so I can keep all three wooden heads in order," and he -wheeled the chair into place. - -"Now, Leà--the soup!" - - - - -III - -WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO A CERTAIN COLONY OF PENGUINS - - -Lemois, as was his custom, came in with the coffee. He serves it -himself, and always with the same little ceremony, which, while -apparently unimportant, marks that indefinable, mysterious line which he -and his ancestry--innkeepers before him--have invariably maintained -between those who wait and those who are waited upon. First, a small -spider-legged mahogany table is wheeled up between the circle and the -fire, on which Leà places a silver coffee-pot of Mignon's best; then -some tiny cups and saucers, and a sugar-dish of odd design--they said it -belonged to Marie Antoinette--is laid beside them. Thereupon Lemois -gravely seats himself and the rite begins, he talking all the time--one -of us and yet aloof--much as would a neighbor across a fence who makes -himself agreeable but who has not been given the run of your house. - -To the group's delight, however, he was as much a part of the coterie -as if he had taken the fifth chair, left vacant for the always late -Marc, who had not yet put in an appearance, and a place we would have -insisted upon his occupying, despite his intended isolation, but for a -certain look in the calm eyes and a certain dignity of manner which -forbade any such encroachments on his reserve. - -To-night he was especially welcome. Thanks to his watchful care we had -dined well--Pierre having outdone himself in a pigeon pie--and that -quiet, restful contentment which follows a good dinner, beside a warm -fire and under the glow of slow-burning candles, had taken possession of -us. - -"A wonderful pie, Lemois--a sublime, never-to-be-forgotten pie!" -exclaimed Louis, voicing our sentiments. "Every one of those pigeons -went straight to heaven when they died." - -"Ah!--it pleased you then, Monsieur Louis? I will tell Pierre--he will -be so happy." - -"Pleased!" persisted the enthusiastic painter. "Why, I can think of no -better end--no higher ambition--for a well-brought-up pigeon than being -served hot in one of Pierre's pies. Tell him so for me--I am speaking as -a pigeon, of course." - -"What do you think the pigeon himself would have said to Pierre before -his neck was wrung?" asked Herbert, leaning back in his big chair. -"Thank you--only one lump, Lemois." - -"By Jove!--why didn't I ask the bird?--it might have been -illuminating--and I speak a little pigeon-English, you know. Doubtless -he would have told me he preferred being riddled with shot at a match -and crawling away under a hedge to die, to being treated as a common -criminal--the neck-twisting part, I mean. Why do you want to know, -Herbert?" - -"Oh, nothing; only I sometimes think--if you will forgive me for being -serious--that there is another side to the whole question; though I must -also send my thanks to Pierre for the pie." - -That one of their old good-natured passages at arms was coming became -instantly apparent--tilts that every one enjoyed, for Herbert talked as -he modelled--never any fumbling about for a word; never any uncertainty -nor vagueness--always a direct and convincing sureness of either opinion -or facts, and always the exact and precise truth. He would no sooner -have exaggerated a statement than he would have added a hair's-breadth -of clay to a muscle. Louis, on the other hand, talked as he -painted--with the same breeze and verve and the same wholesome cheer and -sanity which have made both himself and his brush so beloved. When -Herbert, therefore, took up the cudgels for the cooked pigeon, none of -us were surprised to hear the hilarious painter break out with: - -"Stop talking such infernal rot, Herbert, and move the matches this way. -How could there be another side? What do you suppose beef and mutton -were put into the world for except to feed the higher animal, man?" - -"But _is_ man higher?" returned Herbert quietly, in his low, incisive -voice, passing Louis the box. "I know I'm the last fellow in the world, -with my record as a hunter--and I'm sometimes ashamed of it--to advance -any such theory, but as I grow older I see things in a different light, -and the animal's point of view is one of them." - -"Pity you didn't come to that conclusion before you plastered your -studio with the skins of the poor devils you murdered," he chuckled, -winking at Lemois. - -"That was because I didn't know any better--or, rather, because I didn't -_think_ any better," retorted Herbert. "When we are young, we delude -ourselves with all sorts of fallacies, saying that things have always -been as they are since the day of Nimrod; but isn't it about time to let -our sympathies have wider play, and to look at the brute's side of the -question? Take a captive polar bear, for instance. It must seem to him -to be the height of injustice to be hunted down like a man-eating tiger, -sold into slavery, and condemned to live in a steel cage and in a -climate that murders by slow suffocation. The poor fellow never injured -anybody; has always lived out of everybody's way; preyed on nothing that -robbed any man of a meal, and was as nearly harmless, unless attacked, -as any beast of his size the world over. I know a case in point, and -often go to see him. He didn't tell me his story--his keeper did--though -he might have done so had I understood bear-talk as well as Louis -understands pigeon-English," and a challenging smile played over the -speaker's face. - -"You ought to have stepped inside and passed the time of day with him. -They wouldn't have fed him on anything but raw sculptor for a month." - -Herbert fanned his fingers toward Louis in good-humored protest, and -kept on, his voice becoming unusually grave. - -"They wanted, it seems, a polar bear at the Zoo, because all zoos have -them, and this one must keep up with the procession. It would be -inspiring and educating for the little children on Sunday -afternoons--and so the thirty pieces of silver were raised. The chase -began among the icebergs in a steam-launch. The father and mother in -their soft white overcoats--the two baby bears in powder-puff furs--were -having a frolic on a cake of floating ice when the strange craft -surprised them. The mother bear tucked the babies behind her and pulled -herself together to defend them with her life--and did--until she was -bowled over by a rifle ball which went crashing through her skull. The -father bear fought on as long as he could, dodging the lasso, -encouraging the babies to hurry--sweeping them ahead of him into the -water, swimming behind, urging them on, until the three reached the next -cake. But the churning devil of a steam launch kept after them--two -armed men in the bow, one behind with the lariat. Another plunge--only -one baby now--a staggering lope along the edge of the floe, the little -tot tumbling, scuffling to its feet; crying in terror at being left -behind--doing the best it could to keep up. Then only the gaunt, -panic-stricken, shambling father bear--slower and slower--the breath -almost out of him. Another plunge--a shriek of the siren--a twist of the -rudder--the lasso curls in the air, the launch backs water, the line -tautens, there is a great swirl of foam broken by lumps of rocking ice, -and the dull, heavy crawl back to the ship begins, the bear in tow, his -head just above the water. Then the tackle is strapped about his girth, -the 'Lively now, my lads!' rings out in the Arctic air, and he is hauled -up the side and dumped half dead on deck, his tongue out, his eyes shot -with blood. - -"You can see him any day at the Zoo--the little children's noses pressed -against the iron bars of his cage. They call him 'dear old Teddy bear,' -and throw him cakes and candies, which he sniffs at and turns over with -his great paw. As for me, I confess that whenever I stand before his -cage I always wonder what he thinks of the two-legged beasts who are -responsible for it all--his conscience being clear and neither crime, -injustice, nor treachery being charged against him. Yes, there are two -sides to this question, although, as Louis has said, it might have been -just as well to have thought about it before. Speak up, Lemois, am I -right or wrong? You have something on your mind; I see it in your eyes." - -"It's more likely on his stomach," interrupted Louis; "the pigeon may -have set too heavy." - -"You are more than right, Monsieur Herbert," Lemois answered in measured -tones, ignoring the painter's aside. He was stirring his cup as he -spoke, the light of the fire making a silhouette of his body from where -I sat. "For your father bear, as you call him, I have every sympathy; -but I do not have to go to the North Pole to express what we owe to -animals. I bring the matter to my very door, and I tell you from my -heart that if I had my way there would never be anything served in my -house which suffered in the killing--not even a pigeon." - -Everybody looked up in astonishment, wondering where the joke came in, -but our landlord was gravity itself. "In fact," he went on, "I believe -the day will come when nothing will be killed for food--not even your -dear demoiselle de Cherbourg, Monsieur Louis. Adam and Eve got on very -well without cutlets or broiled squab, and yet we must admit they raised -a goodly race. I, myself, look forward to the time when nothing but -vegetables and fruit, with cheese, milk, and eggs, will be eaten by men -and women of refinement. When that time comes the butcher will go as -entirely out of fashion as has the witch-burner and, in many parts of -the world, the hangman." - -"But what are you going to do with Brierley, who can't enjoy his morning -coffee until he has bagged half a dozen ducks on his beloved marsh?" -cried Louis, tossing the stump of his cigar into the fire. - -"But Monsieur Brierley is half converted already, my dear Monsieur -Louis; he told me the last time I was at his bungalow that he would -never kill another deer. He was before his fireplace under the head of a -doe at the time--one he had shot and had stuffed. Am I not right, -Monsieur Brierley?" and Lemois inclined his head toward the hunter. - -Brierley nodded in assent. - -"Same old game," muttered Louis. "Had his fun first." - -"I have been a cook all my life," continued the undaunted Lemois, "and -half the time train my own chefs in my kitchen, and yet I say to you -that I could feed my whole clientele sumptuously without ever spilling a -drop of blood. I live in that way myself as far as I can, and so would -you if you had thought about it." - -"Skimmed milk and hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, I suppose!" roared -Louis in derision, "with a lettuce sandwich and a cold turnip for -luncheon." - -"No, you upsidedown man! Cheese souffles, omelets in a dozen different -ways, stuffed peppers, tomatoes fried, stewed, and fricasseed, oysters, -clams----" - -"And crabs and lobsters?" added Louis. - -"Ah! but crabs and lobsters suffer like any other thing which has the -power to move; what I am trying to do is to live so that nothing will -suffer because of my appetite." - -"And go round looking like a skeleton in a doctor's office! How could -you get these up on boiled cabbage?" and he patted Herbert's biceps. - -"No, my dear Monsieur Louis," persisted Lemois gravely, still refusing -to be side-tracked by the young painter's onslaughts. "If we loved the -things we kill for food as Monsieur Brierley loves his dog Peter, there -would never be another Chateaubriand cooked in the world. What would you -say if I offered you one of that dear fellow's ribs for breakfast? It -would be quite easy--the butcher is only around the corner and Pierre -would broil it to a turn. But that would not do for you gourmets. You -must have liver or sweetbreads cut from an animal you never saw and of -which, of course, you know nothing. If the poor animal had been a -playmate of Mignon's--and she once had a pet lamb--you could no sooner -cut its throat than you could Peter's." - -Before Louis could again explode, Brierley, who, at mention of Peter's -name had leaned over to stroke the dog's ears, now broke in, a dry smile -on his face. - -"There's another side of this question which you fellows don't seem to -see, and which interests me a lot. You talk about cruelty to animals, -but I tell you that most of the cruelty to-day is served out to the man -with the gun. The odds are really against him. The birds down my way -have got so almighty cunning that they club together and laugh at us. I -hear them many a time when Peter and I are dragging ourselves home -empty-handed. They know too when I start out and when I give up and -make for cover." - -"Go slow, Brierley; go slow!" - -"Of course they know, Louis!" retorted Brierley in mock dejection. -"Doesn't a crow keep a watch out for the flock? Can you get near one of -them with a gun unless you are lucky enough to shoot the sentry first? -You can call it instinct if you choose--I call it reason--the same kind -of mental process that compels you to look out for an automobile before -you cross the street, with your eyes both ways at once. When you talk of -their helplessness and want of common sense, and inability to look out -for themselves, you had better lie under a hedge as I have done, the -briars scraping your neck, or scrunched down in a duckblind, with your -feet in ice water, and study these simple-minded creatures. Explain this -if you can. Some years ago, in America, I spent the autumn on the -Housatonic River. The ducks come in from Long Island Sound to feed on -the shore stuff, and I could sometimes get five--once I got -eleven--between dawn and sunrise. The constant banging away soon made -them so shy that if I got five in a week I was lucky. On the first of -the month and for the first time in the State a new law came into force -making it cost a month's wages for any pot-hunter to kill a duck or even -have one in his possession. The law, as is customary, was duly -advertised. Not only was it published in the papers but stuck up in -bar-rooms and county post-offices, and at last became common gossip -around the feeding-ground of the ducks. At first they didn't believe it, -for they still kept out of sight, flying high--and few at that. But when -they found the law was obeyed and that all firing had ceased, not a gun -being heard on the river, they tumbled to the game as quick as did the -pot-hunters. When the shooting season opened the following year, hardly -a duck showed up. Those that came were evidently stragglers who rested -for a day on their long flight south; but the Long Island Sound -ducks--the well-posted ducks--stayed away altogether until, with the -first of the month, the law for their protection came into force again. -Then, so the old farmer, a very truthful man with whom I used to put up, -wrote me, they came back by thousands; the shore was black with them." - -"And you really believe it, Brierley?" Louis' head was shaking in a -commiserating way. - -"Of course I believe it, and I can show the farmer's letter to back -it," he answered, with a wink at me behind his hand; "and so would you -if you had been humbugged by them as many times as I have. Ask -Peter--he'll tell you the same thing. And I'll tell you something else. -On the edge of that same village was a jumble of shanties inhabited by a -lot of Italians who had come up from New York to work a quarry near by. -On Sundays and holidays these fellows went gunning for the small birds, -especially cedar birds and flickers, hiding in the big woods a mile -away. After these birds had stood it for a while they put their dear -little innocent heads together and thought it all out. Women and -children did not shoot, therefore the safest place for nesting and -skylarking was among these very women and children. After that the woods -were empty; the birds just made fools of the pot-hunters and swarmed to -the gardens and yards and village trees. No one had ever seen them -before in such quantities, and--would you believe it?--they never went -back to the woods again until the Italians had left for New York." - -Lemois, having also missed the humor in Brierley's tone, rose from his -place beside the coffee-table, leaned over the young writer, and, with -a characteristic gesture, patted him on the arm, exclaiming: - -"How admirably you have put it, my dear Monsieur Brierley; I have to -thank you most sincerely. Ah! you Americans are always clear and to the -point. May I add one more word? That which made these birds so cunning -was the fact that you were out to _kill_ them." Here he straightened up, -his back to the fire, and stood with the light of its blaze tingeing his -gray beard. "It's a foolish fancy, I know, but I would have liked to -have lived, if only for one day, with the man Adam, just to see how he -and Madame Eve and the Noah's ark family got on before they began -quarrelling and Cain made a hole in the head of the other monsieur. I -have an idea that the lion and the lamb ate out of the same trough, with -the birds on their backs for company--all the world at peace. My Coco -rubs his beak against my cheek, not because I feed him, but because he -trusts me; he would, I am sure, bite a piece out of Monsieur Louis' -because he does not trust him--and with reason," and the old man smiled -good-naturedly. "But why don't they all trust us?" - -Herbert, who had also for some reason entirely missed Brierley's humor, -fumbled for an instant with the end of a match he had picked from the -cloth, and then, tossing it quickly from him as if he had at last framed -the sentence he was about to utter, said in a thoughtful tone: - -"I have often wondered what the world would be like if all fear of every -kind was abolished--of punishment, of bodily hurt, and of pain? -Everything that swims, flies, or walks is afraid of something -else--women of men, men of each other. The first thing an infant does is -to cry out--not from the pain, but from fright--just as a small dog or -the cub of a bear hides under its mother's coat before its eyes are -open. It is the ogre, Fear, that begins with the milk and ends with the -last breath in terror over the unknown, and it is our fault. Half the -children in the world--perhaps three-fourths of them--have been brought -up by fear and not by love." - -"How about the lambasting your father gave you, Herbert, when you hooked -it from school? 'Spare the rod and spoil the--' You know the rest of it. -Did you deserve it?" - -"Probably I did," laughed Herbert. "But, all the same, Louis, that -foolish line has done more harm in the world than any line ever -written. Many a brute of a father--not mine, for he did what he thought -was right--has found excuse in those half-dozen words for his temper -when he beat his boy." - -"Oh, come, let us get back to dry ground, gentlemen," broke in Brierley. -"We commenced on birds and we've brought up on moral suasion with the -help of a birch-rod. Nobody has yet answered my argument: What about the -birds and the way they play it on Peter and me?" and again Brierley -winked at me. - -"It's because you tricked them first, Brierley," returned Herbert in all -seriousness and in all sincerity. "They got suspicious and outwitted -you, and they will every time. A beast never forgets treachery. I know -of a dozen instances to prove it." - -"Now I think of it, I know of one case, too," remarked Louis gravely, in -the voice of a savant uncovering a matter of great weight; "that is, if -I may be allowed to tell it in the presence of the big Nimrod of the -Congo--he of a hundred pairs of tusks, to say nothing of skins galore." - -Herbert nodded assent and with an air of surprise leaned forward to -listen. That the jovial painter had ever met the savage beast in any -part of the world was news to him. - -"A most extraordinary and remarkable instance, gentlemen, showing both -the acumen, the mental equipment, and the pure cussedness, if I may be -permitted the expression, of the brute beast of the field. The incident, -as told to me, made a profound impression on my early life, and was -largely instrumental in my abandoning the pursuit and destruction of -game of that class. I refer to the well-known case of the boy who gave -the elephant a quid of tobacco for a cake, and was buried the following -year by his relatives when the circus came again to his town--he -unfortunately having occupied a front seat. Yes, you are right, the -beast forgives anything but treachery. But go on, Professor Herbert; -your treatment of this extremely novel view of animal life is most -exhilarating. I shall, at the next meeting of the Academy of Sciences, -introduce a----" - -Brierley's hand set firmly on Louis' mouth, who sputtered out he would -be good, would have ended the discussion had not Lemois moved into an -empty chair beside Herbert, and, resting his hand on the sculptor's -shoulder, exclaimed in so absorbed a tone as to command every one's -attention: - -"Please do not stop, Monsieur Herbert, and please do not mind this wild -man, who has two mouths in his face--one with which he eats and the -other with which he interrupts. I am very much interested. You were -speaking of the ogre, Fear. Please go on. One of the things I want to -know is whether it existed in the Garden of Eden. Now if you gentlemen -will all keep still"--here he fixed his eyes on Louis--"we may hear -something worth listening to." - -Louis threw up both hands in submission, begging Lemois not to shoot, -and Herbert, having made him swear by all that was holy not to open -either of his mouths until his story was told to the end, emptied his -glass of Burgundy and faced the expectant group. - -"We don't need to go back to the Garden of Eden to decide the question, -Lemois. As to who is responsible for the existence of this ogre, Fear, I -can answer best by telling you what happened only four years ago on a -German expedition to the South Pole. It was told me by the commander -himself, who had been specially selected by Emperor William as the best -man to take charge. When I met him he was captain of one of the great -North Atlantic liners--a calm, self-contained man of fifty, with a smile -that always gave way to a laugh, and a sincerity, courage, and capacity -that made you turn over in your berth for another nap no matter how hard -it blew. - -"We were in his cabin near the bridge at the time, the walls of which -were covered with photographs of the Antarctic, most of which he had -taken himself, showing huge icebergs, vast stretches of hummock ice, -black, clear-etched shore lines, and wastes of snow that swept up to -high mountains, their tops lost in the fog. He was the first human -being, so he told me, to land on that coast. He had left the ship in the -outside pack and with his first mate and one of the scientists had -forced a way through the floating floes, their object being to make the -ascent of a range of low rolling mountains seen in one of the -photographs. This was pure white from base to summit except for a dark -shadow one-third the slope, which he knew must be caused by an -overhanging ledge with possibly a cave beneath. If any explorers had -ever reached this part of the Antarctic, this cave, he knew, would be -the place of all others in which to search for records and remains. - -"He had hardly gone a dozen yards toward it when his first mate touched -his arm and pointed straight ahead. Advancing over the crest of the snow -came the strangest procession he had ever seen. Thirty or more penguins -of enormous size, half as high as a man, were marching straight toward -them in single file, the leader ahead. When within a few feet of them -the penguins stopped, bunched themselves together, looked the invaders -over, bending their heads in a curious way--walking round and round as -if to get a better view--and then waddled back to a ridge a few rods -off, where they evidently discussed their strange guests. - -"The captain and the first mate, leaving the scientist, walked up among -them, patted their heads, caressed their necks--the captain at last -slipping his hand under one flipper of the largest penguin, the mate -taking the other--the two conducting the bird slowly and with great -solemnity and dignity back to the boat, its companions following as a -matter of course. None of them exhibited the slightest fear; did not -start or crane their heads in suspicion, but were just as friendly as so -many tame birds waiting to be fed. The boat seemed to interest them as -much as the men had done. One by one, or by twos and threes, they came -waddling gravely down to where it lay, examined it all over and as -gravely waddled back, looking up into the explorers' faces as if for -some explanation of the meaning and purpose of the strange craft. They -had, too, a queer way of extending their necks, rubbing their cheeks -softly against the men's furs, as if it felt good to them. The only -thing they seemed disappointed in were the ship's rations--these they -would not touch. - -"Leaving the whole flock grouped about the boat, the party pushed on to -the dark shadow up the white slope. It was, as he had supposed, an -overhanging cliff, its abrupt edge and slant forming a shallow cave -protected from the glaciers and endless snows. As he approached nearer -he could make out the whirling flight of birds, and when he reached the -edge he found it inhabited by thousands upon thousands of sea fowl--a -gray and white species common to these latitudes. But there was no -commotion nor excitement of any kind--no screams of alarm or running to -cover. On the contrary, when the party came to a halt and looked up at -the strange sight, two birds stopped in their flight to perch on the -mate's shoulder, and one hopped toward the captain with a movement as -if politely asking his business. He even lifted the young birds from -under their mother's wings without protest of any kind--not even a peck -of their beaks--one of the older birds really stepped into his hand and -settled herself as unconcerned as if his warm palm was exactly the kind -of nest she had been waiting for. He could, he told me, have carried the -whole family away without protest of any kind so long as he kept them -together. - -"The following week he again visited the shore. This time he found not -only the friendly penguins, who met him with even more than their former -welcome, but a huge seal which had sprawled itself out on the rock and -whose only acknowledgment of their presence was a lazy lift of the head -followed by a sleepy stare. So perfectly undisturbed was he by their -coming, that both the captain and the first mate sat down on his back, -the mate remaining long enough to light his pipe. Even then the seal -moved only far enough to stretch himself, as if saying, 'Try that and -you will find it more comfortable.' - -"On this visit, however, something occurred which, he told me, he -should never cease to regret as long as he lives. That morning as they -pushed off from the ship, one of the dogs had made a clear spring from -the deck and had landed in the boat. It was rather difficult to send him -back without loss of time, and so he put him in charge of the mate, with -orders not to take his eyes off him and, as a further precaution, to -chain him to the seat when he went ashore. So fascinated were the -penguins by the dog that for some minutes they kept walking round and -round him, taking in his every movement. In some way, when the mate was -not looking, the dog slipped his chain and disappeared. Whether he had -gone back to the vessel or was doing some exploring on his own account -nobody knew; anyhow, he must be found. - -"It then transpired that one of the penguins had also taken a notion to -go on a still hunt of its own, and alone. Whether the dog followed the -penguin, or the penguin the dog, he said he never knew; but as soon as -both were out of sight the dog pounced upon the bird and strangled it. -They found it flat on its back, the black-webbed feet, palms up, as in -dumb protest, the plump white body glistening in the snow. From its -throat trickled a stream of blood: they had come just in time to save -any further mutilation. To hide all traces of the outrage, the captain -and his men not only carried the dead penguin and the live dog to the -boat, but carefully scraped up every particle of the stained snow, which -was also carried to the boat and finally to the ship. What he wanted, he -told me, was to save his face with the birds. He knew that not one of -them had seen the tragedy, and he was determined that none of them -should find it out. So careful was he that no smell of blood would be -wafted toward them, that he had the boat brought to windward before he -embarked the load; in this way, too, he could avoid bidding both them -and the seal good-by. - -"The following spring he again landed on the shore. He had completed the -survey, and the coast lay on their homeward track. There were doubters -in the crew, who had heard the captain's story of the penguins walking -arm and arm with him, so he landed some of the ship's company to -convince them by ocular demonstration of its truth. But no penguins were -in sight, nor did any other living thing put in an appearance. One of -his men--there were six this time--caught a glimpse of a row of heads -peering at them over a ridge of snow a long way off, but that was all. -When he reached the cave the birds flew out in alarm, screaming and -circling as if to protect their young." - -Herbert paused, moved his cup nearer the arm of his chair, and for a -moment stirred it gently. - -Lemois, whose grave eyes had never wandered from Herbert, broke the -silence. - -"I should have learned their language and have stayed on until they did -understand," he murmured softly. "It wouldn't have taken very long." - -"The captain did try, Lemois," returned Herbert, "first by signs and -gentle approaches, and then by keeping perfectly still, to pacify them; -but it was of no use. They had lost all confidence in human kind. The -peace of the everlasting ages had come to an end. Fear had entered into -their world!" - - - - -IV - -THE ARRIVAL OF A LADY OF QUALITY - - -One of the delights of dressing by our open windows at this season is to -catch the aroma of Mignon's roasting coffee. This morning it is -particularly delicious. The dry smell of the soil that gave it birth is -fast merging into that marvellous perfume which makes it immortal. The -psychological moment is arriving; in common parlance it is just on the -"burn"--another turn and the fire will have its revenge. But Mignon's -vigil has never ceased--into the air it goes, the soft breeze catching -and cooling it, and then there pours out, flooding the garden, the -flowers, and the roofs, its new aroma and with it its new life. - -And the memories it calls up--this pungent, fragrant, spicy perfume: -memories of the cup I drank in that old posada outside the gate of -Valencia and the girl who served it, and the matador who stood by the -window and scowled; memories of my own toy copper coffee-pot, with its -tiny blue cup and saucer which Luigi, my gondolier, brings and pours -himself; memories of the thimblefuls in shallow china cups hardly bigger -than an acorn shell, that Yusef, my dragoman, laid beside my easel in -the patio of the Pigeon Mosque in Stamboul, when the priests forbade me -to paint. - -[Illustration: Flooding the garden, the flowers, and the roofs] - -Yes!--a wonderful aroma this which our pretty, joyous Mignon is -scattering broadcast over the court-yard, hastening every man's toilette -that he may get down the earlier where Leà is waiting for him with the -big cups, the crescents, the pats of freshly churned butter, and the -pitcher of milk boiling-hot from Pierre's fire. - -Another of the pleasures of the open window is being able to hear what -goes on in the court-yard. To-day the ever-spontaneous and delightful -Louis, as usual, is monopolizing all the talk, with Lemois and Mignon -for audience, he having insisted on the open garden for his early cup, -which the good Leà has brought, her scuffling sabots marking a track -across the well-raked gravel. The conversation is at long range--Louis -sitting immediately under my window and Lemois, within reach of the -kitchen door at the other side of the court, busying himself with his -larder spread out on a table. - -"Monsieur Lemois! Oh, Monsieur Lemois!" Louis called; "will you be good -enough to pay attention! What about eggs?--can I have a couple of -soft-boiled?" - -"Why, of course you can have eggs! Leà, tell Pierre to----" - -"Yes, I know, but will it endanger the life of the chickens inside? -After your sermon last night, and Herbert's penguin yarn, I don't intend -that any living thing shall suffer because of my appetite--not if I can -help it." - -Lemois shrugged his shoulders in laughter, and kept on with his work, -painting a still-life picture on his table-top--a string of silver -onions for high lights and a brace of pheasants with a background of -green turnip-tops for darks. To see Lemois spread his marketing thus -deliberately on his canvas of a kitchen table is a lesson in color and -composition. You get, too, some idea as to why he was able to reproduce -in real paint the "Bayeux" tapestry on the walls of the "Gallerie" and -arrange the Marmouset as he has done. - -My ear next became aware of a certain silence in the direction of the -coffee-roaster which had ceased its rhythm--the coffee is roasted fresh -every morning. I glanced out and discovered our Mignon standing erect -beside her roaster with flushed cheeks and dancing eyes. Next I caught -sight of young Gaston, his bronze, weather-beaten face turned toward the -girl, his eyes roaming around the court-yard. In his sunburned hand he -clutched a letter. He was evidently inquiring of Mignon as to whom he -should give it. - -"Who's it for?" shouted Louis, who, as godfather to Mignon's romance, -had also been watching the little comedy in delight. "All private -correspondence read by the cruel parent! I am the cruel parent--bring it -over here! What!--not for me? Oh!--for the High-Muck-a-Muck." The shout -now came over his left shoulder. "Here's a letter for you, High-Muck, -from Marc, so this piscatorial Romeo announces. Shall I send it up?" - -"No--open and read it," I shouted back. - -Louis slit the envelope with his thumb-nail and absorbed its contents. - -"Well!--I'll be--No, I won't, but Marc ought. What do you think he's -been and gone and done, the idiot!" - -"Give it up!" - -"Invited a friend of his--a young--the Marquise de la Caux--to dine with -us to-night. Says she's the real thing and the most wonderful woman he -knows. Doesn't that make your hair curl up backward! He's coming down -with her in her motor--be here at seven precisely. A marquise! Well!--if -that doesn't take the cake! I'll bet she's Marc's latest mash!" - -Herbert put his head out of an adjoining window. "What's the matter?" - -"Matter! Why that lunatic Marc is going to bring a woman down to -dinner--one of those fine things from St. Germain. She's got a château -above Buezval. Marc stayed there last night instead of showing up here." - -"Very glad of it, why not?" called Herbert, drawing in his head. - -Lemois, who had heard the entire outbreak, nodded to himself as if in -assent, looked at Gaston for a moment, and, without adding a word of any -kind, disappeared in the kitchen. What he thought of it all nobody knew. - -There was no doubt as to the seriousness of the impending catastrophe. -Marc, in his enthusiasm, had lost all sense of propriety, and was about -to introduce among us an element we had hitherto avoided. Indeed, one -of the enticing comforts at the Inn was its entire freedom from -petticoat government of any kind. A woman of quality, raised as she had -been, would mean dress-coats and white ties for dinner and the restraint -that comes with the mingling of the sexes, and we disliked both--that -is, when on our outings. - -By this time the news had penetrated to the other rooms, producing -various comments. Herbert, with his head again out of the window, -advanced the opinion that the hospitality of madame la marquise had been -so overwhelming, and her beauty and charm so compelling, that Marc's -only way out was to introduce her among us. Louis kept his nose in the -air. Brierley, from the opposite side of the court, indulged in a -running fire of good-natured criticism in which Marc was described as -the prize imbecile who needed a keeper. As for me, sitting on the -window-sill watching the by-plays going on below--especially Louis, who -demanded an immediate answer for Gaston--there was nothing left, of -course, but a--"Why certainly, Louis, any friend of Marc's will be most -welcome, and say that we dine at seven." - -And yet before the day was over--so subtly does the feminine make its -appeal--that despite our assumed disgust, each and every man of us had -resolved to do his prettiest to make the distinguished lady's visit a -happy one. As a woman of the world she would, of course, overlook the -crudities of our toilettes. And then, as we soon reasoned to ourselves, -why shouldn't our bachelor reunions be enlivened, at least for once, by -a charming woman of twenty-five--Marc never bothered himself with any -older--who would bring with her all the perfume, dash, and chic of the -upper world and whose toilette in contrast with our own dull clothes -would be all the more entrancing? This, now that we thought about it, -was really the touch the Marmouset needed. - -It was funny to see how everybody set to work without a word to his -fellow. Herbert made a special raid through the garden and nipped off -the choicest October roses--buds mostly--as befitted our guest. Louis, -succumbing to the general expectancy, occupied himself in painting the -menus on which Watteau cupids swinging from garlands were most -pronounced. Brierley, pretending it was for himself, spent half the -morning tuning up the spinet with a bed-key, in case this rarest of -women could sing, or should want any one else to, while Lemois, with -that same dry smile which his face always wears when his mind is -occupied with something that amuses him, ordered Pierre to begin at once -the preparation of his most famous dish, Poulet Vallée d'Auge, spending -the rest of the morning in putting a final polish on his entire George -III coffee service--something he never did except for persons, as he -remarked, of "exceptional quality." - -Not to be outdone in courtesy I unhooked the great iron key of the -wine-cellar from its nail in Pierre's kitchen, and swinging back the old -door on its rusty hinges, drew from among the cobwebs a bottle of -Chablis, our heavier Burgundies being, of course, too heating for so -dainty a creature. This I carried in my own hands to the Marmouset, -preserving its long-time horizontal so as not to arouse a grain of the -sediment of years, tucking it at last into a crib of a basket for a -short nap, only to be again awakened when my lady's glass was ready. - -When the glad hour arrived and we were drawn up to receive her--every -man in his best outfit--best he had--with a rosebud in his -button-hole--and she emerged from the darkness and stood in the light of -the overhead candles--long, lank Marc bowing and scraping at her side, -there escaped from each one of us, all but Lemois, a half-smothered -groan which sounded like a faint wail. - -What we saw was not a paragon of delicate beauty, nor a vision of -surpassing loveliness, but a parallelogram stood up on end, fifty or -more years of age, one unbroken perpendicular line from her shoulders to -her feet--or rather to a brown velvet, close-fitting skirt that reached -to her shoe-tops--which were stout as a man's and apparently as big. -About her shoulders was a reefing jacket, also of brown velvet, fastened -with big horn buttons; above this came a loose cherry-red scarf of -finest silk in perfect harmony with the brown of the velvet; above this -again was a head surmounted by a mass of fluffy, partly gray hair, -parted on one side--as Rosa Bonheur wore hers. Then came two brilliant -agate eyes, two ruddy cheeks, and a sunny, happy mouth filled with -pearl-white teeth. - -One smile--and it came with the radiance of a flashlight--and all -misgivings vanished. There was no question of her charm, of her -refinement, or of her birth. Neither was there any question as to her -thorough knowledge of the world. - -"I knew you were all down here for a good time," she began in soft, low, -musical tones, when the introductions were over, "and would understand -if I came just as I was. I have been hunting all day--tramping the -fields with my dogs--and I would not even stop to rearrange my hair. It -was so good of you to let me come; and I love this room--its atmosphere -is so well bred, and it is never so charming as when the firelight -dances about it. Ah, Monsieur Lemois! I see some new things. Where did -you get that duck of a sauce-boat?--and another Italian mirror! But then -there is no use trying to keep up with you. My agent offered what I -thought was three times its value for that bit of Satsuma, and I nearly -broke my heart over it--and here it is! You really _should_ be locked up -as a public nuisance!" - -We turned instinctively toward Lemois, remembering his queer, dry smile -when he referred to her coming, but his only reply to her comment was a -low bow to the woman of rank, with the customary commonplace, that all -of his curios were at her disposal if she would permit him to send them -to her, and with this left the room. - -"And now where shall I sit?" she bubbled on. "Next to you, I hope, my -dear Monsieur Herbert. You do not know me--never heard of me, -perhaps--but I know all about you and the wonderful things you have -accomplished. And you too, Monsieur Louis. I remember your first success -as I do those of most of the young men who have won their medals for -twenty years back. And you, Monsieur Brierley--and--can I say -it?--Monsieur High-Muck"--and she nodded gayly at me. "And now you will -all please give your imagination free rein. Try and remember that I am -not a hideous old woman in corduroys and high boots, but a most -delightful and bewitching demoiselle; and please remember, too, that I -can wear a décolleté gown if I please, only I don't please, and haven't -pleased for ten years or more." - -Her perfect poise and freedom from all conventionality put us at once at -our ease, making us forget she had only been among us a few minutes. - -"And how clever you are to have chosen this room for these delightful -meetings, of which Monsieur Marc has told me," she continued, her eyes -wandering again over the several objects, while her personality -completely dominated everything. "Nobody but Lemois would have brought -them all together. What a genius he is! Think of his putting that wooden -angel where its golden crown can become an aureole in the candle-light: -he has done that since my last visit. And that other one--really the -rarest thing he owns--in the dark corner by the fireplace. May I tell -you about it before he comes back? It is of the fifteenth century, and -is called the 'Bella Nigra'--the Black Virgin. Look at it, all of you, -while I hold the candle. You see the face is black, the legend running, -'I am beautiful though black because the sun has looked at me so long.' -You notice, too, that she has neither arms nor legs--a symbol of -nobility, showing she need neither work nor walk, and the triple crown -means that she is Queen of Heaven, Earth, and Sea. Why he pokes her in a -dark corner I cannot imagine, except that it is just like him to do the -queerest things--and say them too. And yet, he is _such_ a dear--and -_so_ funny! You cannot think what funny things he does and says until -you watch him as I have. Why is it, Monsieur Brierley, that you have -never put him into one of your books--you who write such charming -stories of our coast? Only this summer something occurred which I laugh -over every time I think of it. The Cabourg races were on and the -court-yard outside was packed with people who had come for luncheon -before the Prix Lagrange was run. They were making a good deal of -noise--a thing the old gentleman hates, especially from loudly dressed -women. I was at the next table, sheltered from the others, and was -enjoying the curious spectacle--such people always interest me--when I -noticed Monsieur Lemois rubbing his hands together, talking to himself, -his eyes fixed on the group. I knew one of his storms was brewing, and -was wondering what would happen, when I saw him start forward as another -uproarious laugh escaped one of the most boisterous. - -"'Mademoiselle,' he said in his softest and most courteous tone, hat in -hand, bowing first to her and then to her male companions; -'mademoiselle, I love to hear you laugh; I built this place for -laughter, but when you laughed so _very_ loud a moment ago my flowers -were so ashamed they hung their heads,' and then he kept on bowing, his -hat still in his hand, his face calm, his manner scrupulously polite. -Nobody was offended. They seemed to think it was some kind of a -compliment; the rebuked woman even turned her head toward the big -hydrangeas as if trying to find out how they really felt about it. -Oh!--he is too delicious for words." - -And so it went on until before the dinner was over she had captured -every man in the room--both by what she said and the way she said -it--her eyes flashing like a revolving light, now dim, now brilliant -with the thoughts behind them, her white teeth gleaming as she talked. -Marc seemed beside himself with pride and happiness. "Never was there -such a woman," he was pouring into Herbert's ear; "and you should see -her pictures and her stables and her gun-room. Really the most -extraordinary creature I have ever known! Does just as she pleases--a -tramp one day and a duchess the next. And you should watch her at the -head of her table in her château--then you will know what a real 'Grande -Dame' is." - -While the others were crowding about her, Marc eager to anticipate her -every wish in the way of cushions, footstools, and the like, I went to -find Lemois, who was just outside, his hands laden with a tray of -cordials. - -"You know her then?" - -"Oh, for years," he whispered back. "I did not tell you, for I wanted to -see your surprise and surrender. It is always the same story with her. -She does not live here except for a month or so in the autumn, when the -small villa on the bluff above Buezval--two miles from here--is opened; -a little box of a place filled with costly bric-à-brac. Her great -château--the one in which she really lives--is on an estate of some -thousands of acres near Rouen, and is stocked with big game--boar and -deer. The marquis--and a great gentleman he was--died some twenty years -ago. Madame paints, carves ivories, binds books, shoots, fishes, speaks -five languages, has lived all over the world and knows everybody worth -knowing. No one in her youth was more beautiful, but the figure has -gone, as you see--and it is such a pity, for it was superb; only the -eyes and the teeth are left--and the smile. That was always her greatest -charm, and still is--except her charities, which never cease." - -Her musical voice was still vibrating through the room as I re-entered. - -"No, I don't agree with you, Monsieur Herbert," she was saying. "It is -shameful that we do not keep closer to the usages and requirements of -the old régime. In my time a woman would have excited comment who did -not wear her finest gown and her choicest jewels in so select a company -as this; and often very extraordinary things happened when any one -defied the mandate. I remember one very queer instance which I wish I -could tell you about--and it resulted in all sorts of dreadful -complications. I became so adept a fibber in consequence that I wasn't -able to speak the truth for months afterward--and all because this most -charming girl wouldn't wear a low gown at one of our dinners." - -Herbert beat the air with his hand. "Keep still, everybody--madame la -marquise is going to tell us a story." - -"Madame la marquise is going to do nothing of the kind. She has enough -sins of her own to answer for without betraying those of this poor -girl." - -"Hold up your hands and swear secrecy, every one of you!" cried Louis. - -"But who will absolve me from breaking the commandment? You will never -have any respect for me again--you remember the rule--all liars shall -have their portion--don't you?" - -"If madame will permit me," said Lemois with a low bow, "I will be her -father-confessor, for I alone of all this group know how good she really -is." - -"Very well, I take you at your word, Fra Lemois, and to prove how good -_you_ are, you shall send me the Satsuma with your compliments, and pick -from my collection anything that pleases you. But you must first let me -have a cigarette. Wait"--she twisted back her arm and drew a gold case -from the side pocket of her jacket--"yes, I have one of my own--one I -rolled myself, and I cure my own tobacco too, if you please. No! no more -Burgundy" (she had declined my carefully selected Chablis and had drank -the heavier wine with the rest of us). "That Romanée Conti I know, and -it generally gets into my head, and I don't like anything in my head -except what I put there myself. What did you want me to do? Oh, yes, -tell you that story of my youth. - -"Well, one day my dear husband received a letter from an English -officer, a dear friend of his with whom he had had the closest relations -when they were both stationed in Borneo. This letter told us that his -daughter, whom, as we knew, had been captured by the Dyaks when she was -a child of eight, had been found some three years before by a scouting -party and returned to the English agent at the principal seaport, the -name of which I forget. Since that time she had been living with a -relative, who had sent her to school. She had now completed her -education, the letter went on to say, and was on her way back to England -to join him, he being an invalided officer on half-pay. Before reaching -him he wanted her to see something of the world, particularly of French -life, and knew of no one with whom he would be more willing to trust her -than ourselves. She was just grown--in her eighteenth year--and, -although she had passed seven years of her life among a wild tribe, was -still an English girl of prepossessing appearance. - -"Well, she came--a beautifully formed, graceful creature, with flashing -black eyes, a clear skin, and with a certain barbaric litheness when she -moved that always reminded me of a panther, it was so measured, and had -such meaning in it. She brought some expensive clothes, but no décolleté -dresses of any kind, which surprised me, and when I offered to lend her -my own--we were of about the same size--she refused politely but -firmly, which surprised me all the more, and went right on wearing her -high-necked gowns, which, while good in themselves--for her people were -not poor--were not exactly the kind of toilettes my husband and my -guests had been accustomed to--certainly not at dinners of twenty. - -"At every other function she was superb, and for each one had the proper -outfit and of the best make. She rode well, danced well, sang like a -bird, could shoot and hunt with any of us, and, with the exception of -this curious whim--for her form was faultless--was one of the most -delightful creatures who ever stayed with us--and we had had, as you may -suppose, a good many. The subjects she avoided were her captivity and -the personnel of those with whom she had lived. When pressed she would -answer that she had told the story so often she was tired of it; had -banished it from her mind and wished everybody else would. - -"Then the expected happened. Indeed I had begun to wonder why it had not -happened before. A young Frenchman, the only son of one of our oldest -families, a man of birth and fortune, fell madly in love with her. The -mother was up in arms, and so was the father. She was without title, -and, so far as they knew, without fortune in her own right; was English, -and the match could not and should not take place. - -"How the girl felt about it we could not find out. Sometimes she would -see him alone, generally in the dusk of the evening on the lawn, but -though she was English, and we had given the full limit of her freedom, -she always kept within sight of the veranda. At other times she refused -to see him altogether, sending word she was ill, or engaged, or had -friends, all of which I found extraordinary. This went on until matters -reached a crisis. She knew she must either send him about his business -or succumb: this was _her_ problem. _His_ problem was to win her whether -or no; if not here, then in England, where he would follow her; and he -took no pains to conceal it. His persistence was met by a firm refusal, -and finally by a command to leave her alone. The dismissal was given one -night after dinner when they were together for a few minutes in the -library, after which, so my maid told me, she went to her room and threw -herself on her bed in an agony of tears. - -"But there is nothing for sheer obstinacy like a Frenchman in love. -Indeed he was too far gone to believe a word she said or take no for an -answer, and as my grounds were next to his mother's, and the two -families most intimate, he still kept up his visits to the house, where, -I must say, he was always welcome, for my husband and I liked him -extremely, and he deserved it. His mother, objecting to the marriage, -wanted to keep him away. She insisted--all this I heard afterward--that -the girl was half savage and looked and moved like one; that she had -doubtless been brought up among a lawless tribe who robbed every one -around them; that there was no knowing what such a girl had done and -would not do, and that she would rather see her son lying dead at her -feet--the usual motherly exaggeration--than see him her victim. This -brought him at last to his senses, for he came to me one day and wanted -me to tell him what I knew of her antecedents as well as the story of -her captivity and life with the savages. This was a difficult situation -to face, and I at first refused to discuss her private affairs. Then I -knew any mystery would only make him the more crazy, and so I told him -what I knew, omitting the more intimate details. Strange to say, -Frenchman-like, it only maddened him the more--so much so that he again -waylaid her and asked her some questions which made her blaze like coals -of fire, and again the poor girl went to bed in a flood of tears. - -"Then the most puzzling and inexplicable thing happened. I had a very -deep topaz of which I was passionately fond--one given me by my dear -husband shortly after we were married. I generally kept it in my small -jewel case, to which only my maid and I had the key. This night when I -opened it the jewel was gone. My maid said she remembered distinctly my -putting it, together with the chain, in the box, for my guest was with -me at the time and had begged me to wear it because of its rich color, -which she always said matched my eyes. At first I said nothing to any -one--not even my husband--and waited; then I watched my maid; then my -butler, about whom I did not know much, and who was in love with the -maid, and might have tempted her to steal it. And, last of all--why I -could not tell, and cannot to this day, except for that peculiar -pantherlike movement about my guest--I watched the girl herself. But -nothing came of it. - -"Then I began to talk. I told my husband; I told the young man's mother, -my intimate friend, who told her son, she accusing the girl, of course, -without a scintilla of proof; I told my butler, my maid--I told -everybody who could in any way help to advertise my loss and the reward -I was willing to pay for its recovery. Still nothing resulted and the -week passed without a trace of the jewel or the thief. - -"One morning just after luncheon, when I was alone in my little boudoir -and my husband and the young man were having their coffee and cigarettes -on the veranda outside, the girl walked in, made sure that no one was -within hearing, and held out her hand. In the palm was my lost topaz. - -"'Here is your jewel,' she said calmly; 'I stole it, and now I have -brought it back.' - -"'You!' I gasped. 'Why?' - -"'To disgust him and make him hate me so that he will never see me -again. I love him too much to give myself to him. In my madness I -thought of this.' - -"'And you want him to know it!' I cried out. I could hardly get my -breath, the shock was so great. - -"'Yes--_here!_--NOW!' She stepped to the door. 'Monsieur,' she called, -'I have something to tell you. I have just brought back her jewel--I -stole it! Now come, madame, to my room and I will tell you the rest!' - -"I followed her upstairs, leaving the horror-stricken young man dazed -and speechless. She shut the door, locked it, and faced me. - -"'I have lied to both of you, madame. I did not steal your jewel; nobody -stole it. I found it a few minutes ago under the edge of the rug where -it had rolled; you dropped it in my room the night you wore it. In my -agony to find some way out I seized on this. It came to me in a flash -and I ran downstairs clutching it in my hand, knowing I would be lost if -I hesitated a moment. It is over now. He will never see me again!' - -"I stood half paralyzed at the situation; she erect before me, her eyes -blazing, her figure stretched to the utmost, like an animal in pain. - -"'And you deliberately told him you were a thief!' I at last managed to -stammer out. 'Why?' - -"'Because it was the only way to escape--it was the only way out. I never -want him to think of me in any other light--I want to be dead to him -forever! Nothing else would have done; I should have yielded, for I -could no longer master my love for him. Look!' - -"She was fumbling at her dress, loosening the top buttons close under -her chin; then she ripped it clear, exposing her neck and back. - -"'This is what was done to me when I was a child!' - -"I leaned forward to see the closer. The poor child was one mass of -hideous tattoo from her throat to her stays! - -"'Now you know the whole story,' she sobbed, her eyes streaming tears; -'my heart is broken but I am satisfied. I could have stood anything but -his loathing.' - -"With this she fastened her dress and walked slowly out of the room, her -head down, her whole figure one of abject misery." - -Madame leaned forward, picked up her goblet of water, and remarking that -walking in the wind always made her thirsty, drained its contents. Then -she turned her head to hide her tears. - -"A most extraordinary story, madame. Did the young fellow ever speak of -the theft?" asked Herbert, the first of her listeners to speak. - -"No," she answered slowly, in the effort to regain her composure, "he -loved her too much to hear anything against her. He knew she had stolen -it, for he had heard it from her own lips." - -"And you never tried to clear her character?" - -"How could I? It was her secret, not mine. To divulge it would have led -to her other and more terrible secret, and that I was pledged to keep. -She is dead, poor girl, or I would not have told you now." - -"And what did you do, may I ask?" inquired Brierley. - -"Nothing, except tell fibs. After she had gone the following morning I -excused her to him, of course, on every ground that I could think of. I -argued that she had a peculiar nature; that owing to her captivity she -had perhaps lost that fine sense of what was her own and what was -another's; that she had many splendid qualities; that she had only -yielded to an impulse, just as a Bedouin does who steals an Arab horse -and who, on second thought, returns it. That I had forgiven her, and had -told her so, and as proof of it had tried, without avail, to make her -keep the topaz. Only my husband knew the truth. 'Let it stay as it is, -my dear,' he said to me; 'that girl has more knowledge of human nature -than I credited her with. Once that young lover of hers had learned the -cruel truth he wouldn't have lived with her another hour.'" - -"I think I should have told him," remarked Louis slowly; the story -seemed to have strangely moved him. "If he really loved her he'd have -worn green spectacles and taken her as she was--I would. Bad business, -this separating lovers." - -"No, you wouldn't, Louis," remarked Herbert, "if you'd ever seen her -neck. I know something of that tattoo, although mine was voluntary, and -only covered a part of my arm. Madame did just right. There are times -when one must tell anything but the truth." - -Everybody looked at the speaker in astonishment. Of all men in the world -he kept closest to the exact hair-line; indeed, one of Herbert's -peculiarities, as I have said, was his always understating rather than -overstating a fact. - -"Yes," he continued, "the only way out is to 'lie like a gentleman,' as -the saying is, and be done with it. I've been through it myself and -know. Your story, madame, has brought it all back to me." - -"It's about a girl, of course," remarked Louis, flashing a smile around -the circle, "and your best girl, of course. Have a drop of cognac, old -man," and he filled Herbert's tiny glass. "It may help you tell the -_whole_ truth before you get through." - -"No," returned Herbert calmly, pushing the cognac from him, a peculiar -tenderness in his voice; "not my best girl, Louis, but a gray-haired -woman of sixty--one I shall never forget." - -Madame laid her hand quickly on Herbert's arm; she had caught the note -in his voice. - -"Oh! I'm so glad!" she said. "I love stories of old women; I always -have. Please go on." - -"If I could have made her young again, madame, you would perhaps have -liked my story better." - -"Why? Is it very sad?" - -"Yes and no. It is not, I must say, exactly an after-dinner story, and -but that it illustrates precisely how difficult it is sometimes to speak -the truth, I would not tell it at all. Shall I go on?" - -"Yes, please do," she pleaded, a tremor now in her own voice. It was -astonishing how simple and girlish she could be when her sympathies were -aroused. - -"My gray-haired woman had an only son, a man but a few years younger -than myself, a member of my own party, who had died some miles from our -camp at Bangala, and it accordingly devolved upon me not only to notify -his people of his death, but to forward to them the few trinkets and -things he had left behind. As I was so soon to return to London I wrote -his people that I would bring them with me. - -"He was a fine young fellow, cool-headed, afraid of nothing, and was a -great help to me and very popular with every one in the camp. Having -been sent out by the company to which I belonged, as were many others -during the first years of our stay on the Congo, he had already mastered -both the language and the ways of the natives. When a powwow was to be -held I always sent him to conduct it if I could not go myself. I did so, -too, when he had to teach the natives a lesson--lessons they needed and -never forgot, for he was as plucky as he was politic. - -"I knew nothing of his people except that he was a Belgian whose mother, -Madame Brion, occupied a villa outside of Brussels, where she lived with -a married daughter. - -"On presenting my card I was shown into a small library where the young -woman received me with tender cordiality, and, after closing the door so -that we might not be overheard, she gave me an outline of the ordeal I -was about to go through. With her eyes brimming tears she told me how -her mother had only allowed her son to leave home because of the -pressure brought to bear upon her by his uncle, who was interested in -the company; how she daily, almost hourly, blamed herself for his death; -how, during the years of his absence, she had lived on his letters, and -when mine came, telling her of his end, she had sat dazed and paralyzed -for hours, the open page in her lap--no word escaping her--no -tears--only the dull pain of a grief which seemed to freeze the blood in -her veins. Since that time she had counted the days to my coming, that -she might hear the details of his last illness and suffering. - -"You can imagine how I felt. I have never been able to face a woman when -she is broken down with grief, and but that she was expecting me every -minute, and had set her heart on my coming, I think I should have been -cowardly enough to have left the house. - -"When the servant returned, I was conducted up the broad staircase and -into a small room hung with wonderful embroideries and pictures and -filled with flowers. In one corner on an easel was Brion's portrait in -the uniform of an officer, while all about were other portraits--some -taken when he was a child, others as a boy--a kind of sanctuary, really, -in which the mother worshipped this one idol of her life." - -Herbert stopped, drew the tiny glass of cognac toward him, sipped its -contents slowly, the tenderness of tone increasing as he went on: - -"She greeted me simply and kindly, and led me to a seat on the sofa -beside her, where she thanked me for the trouble I had taken, her soft -blue eyes fixed on mine, her gentle, high-bred features illumined with -her gratitude, her silver-gray hair forming an aureole in the light of -the window behind her, as she poured out her heart. Then followed -question after question; she wanting every incident, every word he had -uttered; what his nursing had been--all the things a mother would want -to know. Altogether it was the severest ordeal I had been through since -I left home--and I have had some trying ones. - -"For three hours I sat there, giving her minute accounts of his illness, -his partial recovery, his relapse; what remedies I had used; how he -failed after the fourth day; how his delirium had set in, and how at the -last he had passed peacefully away. Next I described the funeral, giving -a succinct account of the preparations; how we buried him on a little -hill near a spring, putting a fence around the grave to keep any one -from walking over it. Then came up the question of a small head-stone. -This she insisted she would order cut at once and sent out to me--or -perhaps one could be made ready so that I might take it with me. All -this I promised, of course, even to taking it with me were there time, -which, after all, I was able to do, for my steamer was delayed. And so I -left her, her hands on my shoulders, her eyes fixed on mine in gratitude -for all I had done for her dead son." - -"Oh!--the poor, dear lady!" cried madame la marquise, greatly moved, her -hands tight clasped together. "Yes, I believe you--nothing in all your -experience could have been as painful!" - -Brierley raised his head and looked at Herbert: - -"Rather a tight place, old man, awful tight place," and his voice -trembled. "But where does the lie come in? You told her the truth, after -all." - -"Told her the truth! I thought you understood. Why I lied straight -through! There _was_ no grave--there never had been! Her son and his -three black carriers had been trapped by cannibals and eaten." - -Madame started from her chair and clutched Herbert's hand. - -"Oh!--how terrible! No! you could not have told her!--I would never have -liked you again if you had told her. Oh! I am so glad you didn't!" - -"There was nothing else to do, madame," said Herbert thoughtfully, his -eyes gazing into space as if the recital had again brought the scene -before him. - -"Pray God she never found out!" said the marquise under her breath. - -"That has always been my consolation, madame. So far as I know she never -did find out. She is dead now." - -"And I wish we had never found out either!" groaned Louis. "Why in the -world do you want to make goose-flesh crawl all over a fellow! An -awful, frightful story. I say, Herbert, if you've got any more horrors -keep 'em for another night. I move we have a rest. Drag out that spinet, -Brierley, and give us some music." - -"No, please don't!" cried the marquise. "Tell us another. I wish this -one of Monsieur Herbert's was in print, so that I could read it over and -over. Think how banal is our fiction; how we are forever digging in the -same dry ground, turning up the same trivialities--affairs of the heart, -domestic difficulties--thin, tawdry romances of olden times, all the -characters masquerading in modern thought--all false and stupid. Oh! how -sick I am of it all! But this epic of Monsieur Herbert means the clash -of races, the meeting of two civilizations, the world turning back, as -it were, to measure swords with that from which it sprung. And think, -too, how rare it is to meet a man who in his own life has lived them -both--the savage and the civilized. So please, Monsieur Herbert, tell us -another--something about the savage himself. You know so many things and -you _are so human_." - -"He doesn't open his lips, madame, until I get some fresh air!" cried -Louis. "Throw back that door, Lemois, and let these hobgoblins out! No -more African horrors of any kind! Ladies and gentlemen, you will now -hear the distinguished spinetist, Herr Brierley, of Pont du Sable, play -one of his soul-stirring melodies! Up with you, Brierley, and take the -taste out of our mouths!" - - - - -V - -IN WHICH THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CANNIBAL AND A FREE-BOOTER IS CLEARLY -SET FORTH - - -To-night the circle around the table welcomed the belated Le Blanc, -bringing with him his friend, The Architect, who had designed some of -the best villas on the coast, and whose fad when he was not bending over -his drawing-board was writing plays. Marc, to every one's regret, did -not come. After returning with madame to her villa the night of her -visit, he had, according to Le Blanc, been lost to the world. - -Dinner over and the cigarettes lighted, the men pushed back their -chairs; Louis spreading himself on the sofa or great lounge; Brierley in -a chair by the fire, with Peter cuddled up in his arms, and the others -where they would be the most comfortable; Lemois, as usual, at the -coffee-table. - -The talk, as was to be expected, still revolved around the extraordinary -woman who had so charmed us the night before; Le Blanc expressing his -profound regret at not having been present, adding that he would rather -listen to her talk than to that of any other woman in Europe, and I had -just finished giving him a résumé of her story about the tattooed girl -and her sufferings, when Brierley, who is peculiarly sympathetic, let -the dog slip to the floor, and rising to his feet broke out in a tirade -against all savage tribes from Dyaks to cannibals, closing his outburst -with the hope that the next fifty years would see them all exterminated. -Soon the table had taken sides, The Architect, who had lived in Nevada -and the far West, defending the noble red man so cruelly debauched by -the earlier settlers; Le Blanc siding with Brierley, while Lemois and I -watched the discussion, Louis, from his sofa, putting in his oar -whenever he thought he could jostle the boat, grewsome discussions not -being to his liking. - -Herbert, who, dinner over, had been leaning back in his chair, the glow -of the firelight touching both his own and the two carved heads above -him, and who, up to this time, had taken no part in the talk--Herbert, -not the heads, suddenly straightened up, threw away his cigarette, and -rested his hands on the table. - -"I have not been among the savage tribes in lower Borneo," he said, -addressing The Architect; "neither do I know the red Indian as the -Americans or their grandfathers may have known him. But I do know the -cannibal"--here he looked straight at Le Blanc--"and he is not as black -as he is painted. In fact, the white man is often ten times blacker in -the same surroundings." - -"Not when they roasted your Belgian friend?" cried Louis, with some -anger. - -"Not even then. There were two sides to that question." - -"The brown and the underdone, I suppose," remarked Louis _sotto voce_. - -"No, the human." - -"But you don't excuse the devils, do you?" broke in Le Blanc. "Their -cruelties are incredible. A friend of mine once met a man in Zanzibar -who told him he had seen a group of slaves, mostly young girls, who, -after being fattened up, were tied together and marched from one of the -villages to the other that the buyers might select and mark upon their -bodies the particular cuts they wanted." - -"I haven't a doubt of it. It's all true," replied Herbert. "I once saw -the same thing myself when I was helpless to prevent it, as I was in -hiding at the time and dared not expose myself. Yet I recognized even -then that the savage was only following out the traditions of centuries, -with no one to teach him any better. We ourselves have savage tastes -that are never criticised; to do so would be considered mawkish and -sentimental. We feel, for instance, no regret when we wring the neck of -a pigeon--that is, we didn't," Herbert added with a dry smile, "until -Lemois advanced his theories of 'mercy' the other night. We still feed -our chickens in coops, stuff our geese to enlarge their livers, fatten -our hogs until they can barely stagger, and, after parading them around -the market-places, kill and eat them just as the African does his human -product. Even Lemois, with equal nonchalance, hacks up his lobsters -while they are alive or plunges them into boiling water--he wouldn't -dare serve them to us in any other way. The only difference is that we -persuade ourselves that our pigs and poultry are ignorant of what is -going to happen to them, while the captured African begins to suffer the -moment he is pounced upon by his captors." - -"And you mean to tell me you don't blame these wretches!" burst out Le -Blanc. "I'd burn 'em alive!" - -"Yes, I am quite sure you would--that is the usual civilized, -twentieth-century way, a continuation of the eye-for-an-eye dogma, but -it isn't always efficacious, and it is seldom just. The savage has his -good side; he can really teach some of us morals and manners, though you -may not believe it. Please don't explode again--not now; wait until I -get through. And I go even farther, for my experience teaches me that -the savage never does anything which he himself thinks to be wrong. I -say this because I have been among them for a good many years, speak -their dialects, and have had, perhaps, a better opportunity of studying -them than most travellers. And these evidences of a better nature can be -found, let me tell you, not only among the tribes in what is known as -'White Man's Africa,' opened up by the explorers, but in the more -distant parts--out of the beaten track--often where no white man has -ever stepped--none at least before me. Even among the cannibal tribes I -have often been staggered at discovering traits which were as mysterious -as they were amazing--deep human notes of the heart which put the white -man to shame. These traits are all the more extraordinary because they -are found in a race who for centuries have been steeped in superstition -with its attendant cruelty, and who are considered incapable even of -love because they sell their women. - -"You, Le Blanc, naturally break out and want to burn them alive. Lemois, -more humane, as he always is, would exercise more patience if he could -see anything to build upon. You are both wrong. Indeed, between the -educated white man freed from all restraint and turned loose in a savage -wilderness, and the uneducated savage I would have more hope of the -cannibal than the freebooter, and I say this because the older I grow -the more I am convinced that with a great majority of men, public -opinion, and public opinion only, keeps them straight, and that when -they are far from these restraints they often stoop to a lower level -than the savage, unless some form of religion controls their actions. To -make this clear I will tell you two stories. - -"My first is about a young fellow, a graduate of one of the first -universities of Europe. I am not going to preach, nor throw any blame. -Some of us in our twenties might have done what that white man did. I -am only trying to prove my statement that the cannibal in his cruelties -is only following out the instincts and traditions of his race, which -have existed for centuries, while the white man goes back on every one -of his. I wish to prove to you if I can that there is more in the heart -of a savage than most of us realize--more to build upon, as Lemois puts -it. - -"Some years ago I met, on the Upper Congo, a young fellow named Goringe, -of about twenty-four or five, who had a contract with the company for -providing carriers to be sent to the coast for the supplies to be -brought back and delivered to the several camps, mine among the others. -He, like many an adventurer drawn to that Eldorado of adventure, was a -man of more than ordinary culture, a brilliant talker, and of very great -executive ability. It was his business to visit the different villages, -buy, barter, or steal able-bodied men for so much a month, and rush them -in gangs to the coast under charge of an escort. On their return the -company paid them and him so much a head. There were others besides -Goringe, of course, engaged in the same business, but none of them -attained his results, as I had learned from time to time from those who -had come across his caravans in their marches through the jungle. - -"One morning a runner came into my camp with a message from Goringe, -telling me that he intended passing within a mile or so of where I was; -that he was pressed for time or would do himself the honor of calling -upon me, and that he would deem it a great favor if I would meet him at -a certain crossing where he meant to rest during the heat of the day. I, -of course, sent him word that I should be on hand. I hadn't seen him for -some years--few other white men, for that matter--and I wanted to learn -for myself the secret of his marvellous success. When in London he had -worn correct evening clothes, a decoration in his button-hole, and was a -frequenter of the best and most exclusive clubs--rather a poor training, -one would suppose, for the successful life he had of late been leading -in the jungle--and it _was_ successful so far as the profits of the home -company were concerned. While their other agents would hire ten men--or -twenty--in a long march of months, gathering up former carriers out of -work, some of whom had served Stanley in his time, Goringe would get a -hundred or more of fresh recruits, all able-bodied savages capable of -carrying a load of sixty-five pounds no matter what the heat or how -rough the going. - -"I arrived at the crossing first and waited--waited an hour, perhaps -two--before his vanguard put in an appearance. Then, to use one of -Louis' expressions, I 'sat up and began to take notice.' I had seen a -good many barbaric turnouts in my time--one in India when I was the -guest of a maharaja, who received me at the foot of a steep hill flanked -on either side by a double row of elephants in gorgeous trappings, with -armed men in still more gorgeous costumes filling the howdahs; another -in Ceylon, and another in southern Spain at Easter time--but Goringe's -march was the most unique and the most startling spectacle I had ever -laid my eyes on, so much so that I hid myself in a mass of underbrush -and let the last man pass me before I made myself known. - -"The vanguard was composed of some twenty naked men, black as tar, of -course, and armed with spears and rawhide shields. These were the -fighters, clearing the way for my lord, the white man. These were -followed by a dozen others carrying light articles: the great man's -india-rubber bath-tub, his guns, ammunition, medicine-chest, tobacco, -matches, and toilette articles--with such portions of his wardrobe as he -might choose to enjoy. Separated from the contaminating touch of those -in front by a space of some twenty feet and by an equal distance from -those behind, came Goringe, walking alone, like a potentate of old. As -he passed within a few yards of where I lay concealed I had ample -opportunity to study every detail of his personality and make-up. I was -not quite sure that it was he; then I got his smile and the peculiar -debonair lift of his head. Except that he was fifty pounds heavier, he -was the man with whom I had dined so often in London. - -"On his head was a pith helmet that had once been white, round which was -wound a yard or more of bright-red calico. A dozen strings of gaudy -beads bound his throat and half covered his bare chest. After that there -was nothing but his naked skin--back and front, as far down as his -waist, from which hung a frock of blue denim falling to his knees--then -more bare skin, and then his feet wrapped in goat-skins. In his hand he -carried a staff which he swung from side to side as he walked with -lordly stride. - -"His harem followed: thirty girls in single file, dressed in the -prevailing fashion of the day--a petticoat of plantain leaves and a -string of beads. Each of them carried a gaudy paper umbrella like those -sold at home for sixpence. Some of the girls were slim and tall, some -fat; but all were young and all bore themselves with an air of calm -distinction, as if conscious of their alliance with a superior race. -Bringing up the rear was a long line of carriers loaded down with tents, -provisions, and other camp equipage. - -"When it had all passed I stepped quickly through the forest, got -abreast of my lord the white man, and shouted: - -"'Goringe!' - -"He turned suddenly, lifted the edge of his helmet, threw his staff to -one of his men, and came quickly toward me. - -"'By the Eternal, but I'm glad to see you! I was afraid you were going -back on me! It was awfully decent in you to come. You didn't mind my -sending for you, did you? I've got to make the next village by sundown, -and then I'm going up into the Hill Country, and may not be this way -again for months--perhaps never. How well you look! What do you think of -my turnout?' - -"I told him in reply, that it was rather remarkable--about as -uncivilized as anything I had ever seen--and was on the point of asking -some uncomfortable questions when, noting my disapproval, he switched -off by explaining that it was the only way he could make a penny, and -again turned the conversation by exclaiming abruptly: - -"'Saw my wives, didn't you?-every one of them the daughter of a chief. -You see, I buy the girl, and so get even with her father, am made High -Pan-Jam with the red button and feather, or next of kin to the chief by -blood-letting--anything they want. I'm scarred all up now mixing my -precious ancestral fluid with that of these blacklegs, and am first -cousin to half the cutthroats on the river. Next I start on the -carriers, pick 'em out myself, and send 'em down to the agent. The home -company is getting ugly, so I hear, and wonder why they owe me so much -for the carriers I've sent them--pretty near six hundred pounds -sterling, now. They think there is something crooked about it, but I'm -keeping it up. I'm going down when the row is over and present my bill, -and they've got to pay it or I'll know the reason why. Now we'll have -tiffin.' - -"I watched his women crowd about him. One spread a blanket for his -royal highness to sit on; two or more busied themselves getting the food -together; one, parasol in hand, planted herself behind him to shield his -precious head from the few sunbeams that filtered through the -overhanging leaves, fanning him vigorously all the while. - -"With the serving of the meal and the uncorking of a bottle in which he -kept what he called his 'private stock,' he gave me further details of -his methods with the natives. When a chief was at war with another -tribe, for instance, he would move into the first village he came to, -spread his own tent and those of his wives, post his retainers, and then -despatch one of his men to the other combatant, commanding a powwow the -next morning. Everybody would come--everybody would talk, including -himself, for he spoke Kinkongo and Bangala perfectly. Then when he had -patched up their difficulties, he would distribute presents, get -everybody drunk on palm wine, and would move on next day with a -contribution of carriers from both tribes, adding with a wink, 'And the -trick works every time.'" - -Herbert paused for a moment and his lips curled. - -"Now there's a specimen white man for you! To have expressed my disgust -of his methods in the way I would have liked to do--and I can be pretty -ugly at times--would, under the circumstances, have been impossible, -although there was no question in my mind of his cruelty nor of his -sublime selfishness. The world was his oyster and he opened it at his -leisure. He knew as well as I did what would become of the women when he -was through with them--that they would either be sold into slavery or -eaten--and he knew, too, how many of those poor devils of carriers would -go to their death, for the mortality among them is fearful--and yet none -of it ever made the slightest impression on him. Now I could excuse that -sort of thing in Tippoo Tib, whom I knew very well. He was a -slave-trader and the most cruel ruffian that was ever let loose on the -natives; but this man was an Anglo-Saxon, a graduate of a university, -speaking French and German fluently, with a good mother, and sisters, -and friends; a man whom you could no doubt find to-night perfectly -dressed and heartily welcomed in a London club, or in the foyer of some -theatre in Paris, for his father has since died and he has come into his -property. And yet the environment and the absence of public opinion had -reduced him to something worse than a savage, and so I say again, one -can excuse a cannibal whose traditions and customs have known no change -for centuries, but you cannot excuse a freebooter who goes back on every -drop of decent blood in his veins." - -Before any one could reply The Architect was on his feet waving his -napkin. "By Jove!" he cried, "what a personality! Wouldn't he be a hit -in comic opera! And think what could be done with the scenery; and that -procession of parasols, with snakes hanging down from the branches, and -monkeys skipping around among the leaves! Robinson Crusoe wouldn't be in -it--why, it would take the town by storm! Girls in black stockinette and -bangles, savages, spears, palms, elephant tusks, Goringe in a helmet and -goat-skin shoes! I'll tell Michel Carré about it the first time I see -him." - -"And every one of Goringe's girls a beautiful seductive houri," chimed -in Louis with a wink at Le Blanc. "You seem to have slurred over all the -details of this part of the panorama, Herbert." - -"Oh, ravishingly beautiful, Louis! Half of them were greased from head -to foot with palm-oil, and smeared with powdered camwood that changed -them to a deep mahogany; all had their wool twisted into knobs and -pigtails, and most of them wore pieces of wood, big as the handle of a -table knife, skewered through their upper lips. Oh!--a most adorable lot -of houris." - -"All the better," vociferated The Architect. "Be stunning under the -spotlights. Tell me more about him. I may write the libretto myself and -get Livadi to do the music. It's a wonderful find! Did you ever see -Goringe again?" - -"No, but I kept track of him. The Belgian home company went back on -their contract, and refused to pay him just as he feared they would; -they claimed he didn't and couldn't have supplied that number of -carriers--the sort of defence a corporation always makes when they want -to get out of a bad bargain. This decided him. He made a bee-line for -the coast, sailed by the first steamer, brought suit, tried it himself, -won his case, got his money and a new contract; took the first train for -Monte Carlo, lost every penny he had in a night; went back to Brussels, -got a second contract, sailed the same week for the Congo, and when I -left Bangala for home had another caravan touring the country--bigger -than the first--fitted out with the best that money could buy----" - -"Including his wives, of course," suggested Louis. - -"Yes, but not the lot he had left behind," added Herbert slowly, a frown -settling on his brow. "They had long since been wiped out of existence." - -The Architect pounded the table until the glasses rattled. "Superb! -Magnificent! That finishes the libretto! Carré shan't have it; I'll -write it myself! But tell me please, if----" - -Lemois opened his fingers deprecatingly, his gaze fixed good-naturedly -on the speaker. - -"You will pardon me, my dear friend, but Monsieur Herbert is only half -through. He is not writing a play; he is introducing us to a higher -standard of morals and perhaps of manners. Besides, if you listen you -may get a fourth act and a climax which will be better than what you -have. He has promised to convince Monsieur Le Blanc, who has not yet -said a word, that the savage should not be burnt alive, and to convince -me that there is something in that terrible blackamoor worthy of my -admiration, even if he does dine on his fellow men. We have yet to hear -Monsieur Herbert's second story." - -"All right, Lemois, but I doubt if it will help our distinguished guest -here to complete his scenario; but here goes: - -"When I was chief of Bangala Station, circumstances made it necessary -for me to make an expedition into the Aruwimi District, inhabited by a -tribe now known as the Waluheli--cannibals and typical savages so far as -morals and habits were concerned. These people, as I afterward learned, -are possessed of great physical strength and are constantly on the -war-path, trading among each other between times in slaves, ivory, and -native iron ore. They live in huts made of grass stalks and plaited -palm-leaves. Manioc is about the only food. This, of course, the women -till. In fact, that which protects her from being sold as food is often -her value as a worker, for one of their beliefs is that women have no -souls and no future state. - -"I took with me five carriers and some fifteen fighting men and struck -due east. It was the customary outfit, each man carrying sixty-five -pounds of baggage, including tent, guns, ammunition, etc. The Aruwimi -District, we had heard, was rich in plantains, as well as game, and we -needed both, and the fighting men served for protection in case we were -attacked, and as food carriers if we were not. - -"The first day's march brought us to a small river, a branch of the -larger tributaries of the Upper Congo, which we crossed. Then followed a -three days' march which led us to a hilly country where the villages -were few and far between, and although the natives we met on the trail -were most friendly--indeed some of their men had helped make up my -gangs, two of them joining my escort--no food was to be had, and so I -was obliged to push on until I struck a stretch that looked as if the -plantains and manioc could be raised. Still further on I discovered -traces of antelope and zebra and some elephants' tracks. Although the -villages we passed were deserted, the character of the country proved -that at some time in the past both plantains and a sort of yam had been -raised in abundance, which led me to believe we could get what we -wanted. - -"In this new country, too, we met a new kind of native, different from -those to whom I had been accustomed, who, on discovering us, crouched -behind trees and bunches of tangled vines, brandishing their spears and -shields, but making no direct assault. Coming suddenly upon eight or ten -warriors in fording a small brook, I walked boldly in among them, -shouting that we were friendly and not enemies. They listened without -moving and in a moment more my men had cut off their retreat and had -surrounded them. Then I discovered that they spoke one of the dialects I -knew--the Mabunga--and after that we had no trouble. Indeed, they -directed us to their village, where that night my bed was spread in -their largest hut. Next day I started bartering and soon had all the -provisions we could carry, the currency, as usual, being glass beads and -a few feet of brass and copper wire, with some yards of calico for the -women and the chief. I should then have turned in another direction, but -early the next morning, as I was getting ready to leave, one of my men -brought news of an elephant who the night before had been seen -destroying their crops. The temptation was too strong--no, don't laugh, -Louis, I have reformed of late--and I dropped everything and started for -the game. Meat for our camp, and especially for the friendly village, -would be a godsend, and, taking five men, I was soon on his track. They -are strong-legged and quick movers, these elephants, and a few hours' -start makes it difficult for a white man to catch up with them. All that -day I followed him, never getting near him, although the spoor, stripped -saplings, and vines showed that he was but a few miles ahead. At -nightfall I gave him up, sent my men back, and, to avoid fording a deep -stream, made a short détour to the right. The sun had set and darkness -had begun to fall. And it comes all at once and almost without warning -in these parts. - -"My men being out of reach, I pushed ahead until I struck a narrow path -twisting in and out of the heavier trees and less tangled underbrush. -Here I came upon an open place with signs of cultivation and caught -sight of another unexpected village, the first I had run across in that -day's march. This one, on nearer approach, proved to be a collection of -small huts straggling along the edge of what at last became a road or -street. Squatting in front of these rude dwellings sat the inhabitants -staring at me in wonder--the first white man they had ever seen. - -"It was a curious sight and an uncanny one--these silent black savages -watching my advance. One man had thrown his arm around his wife, as if -to protect her; she crouching close to him--both naked as the day they -were born. I used the pair in a group I exhibited two or three years ago -which bore the title, 'They Have Eyes and See Not'--you may perhaps -remember it. I wanted to express the instinctive recognition of the -savage for what he feels dimly is to conquer him, and I tried as well to -give something of the pathos of the surrender. - -"There was no movement as I approached--no greeting--no placing of yams, -coarse corn, and pieces of dried game and dried meat on the ground at -their feet, especially the flesh of animals, in preparing which they are -experts, a whole carcass being sometimes so dried. They only stared -wonderstruck--absorbed in my appearance. Now and then, as I passed -rapidly along so as to again reach my men before absolute darkness set -in, I would stop and make the sign of peace. This they returned, showing -me that their customs, and I hoped their language, was not unlike what I -understood. - -"When I was abreast of the middle of the village a sudden desire for a -pipe--that solace of the lone man--took possession of me and I began -fumbling about my clothes for my matchbox. Then I remembered that I had -given it to one of my carriers to start our morning blaze. I now began -to scan the dwellings I passed for some signs of a fire. My eye finally -caught between the supports of the last hut on the line the glow of a -heap of embers, and huddled beside it the dim outline of two -figures--that of a man and a woman. - -"For a moment I hesitated. I was alone, out of the hearing of my -followers, and darkness was rapidly falling. As long as I kept on a -straight course I was doubtless safe; if I halted or, worse yet, if I -entered his hut without invitation, the result might be different. Then -the picture began to take hold of me: the rude primeval home; the warmth -and cheer of the fire; the cuddling of man and wife close to the embers, -the same the world over whether cannibal or Christian. Involuntarily my -thoughts went back to my own fireside, thousands of miles away: those I -loved were sitting beside the glowing coals that gave it life, a curl of -smoke drifting toward the near hills. - -"I turned sharply, walked straight into the hut, and, making the sign of -peace, asked in Mabunga for a light for my pipe. - -"The man started--I had completely surprised him--sprang to his feet, -and, looking at me in amazement, returned my greeting in the same -tongue, touching his forehead in peaceful submission as he spoke. The -woman made neither salutation nor gesture. I leaned over to pick up a -coal, and, to steady myself, laid my hand on the woman's shoulder. - -"It was cold and hard as wood! - -"I bent closer and scanned her face. - -"She was a dried mummy! - -"The man's gaze never wavered. - -"Then, he said slowly: 'She was my woman--I loved her, and I could not -bury her!'" - - -Herbert's dénouement had come as an astounding surprise. He looked round -at the circle of faces, his eyes resting on Le Blanc's and Lemois' as if -expecting some reply. - -The older man roused himself first. - -"Your story, Monsieur Herbert," he said with a certain quaver in his -voice, "has opened up such a wide field that I no longer think of the -moral, although I see clearly what you intended to prove. When your -climax came"--and his eyes kindled--"I felt as if I were standing on -some newly discovered cliff of modern thought, below which rolled a -thick cloud of superstition rent suddenly by a flash of human sympathy -and love. Below and beyond stretched immeasurable distances fading into -the mists of the ages. You will excuse the way I put it--I do not mean -to be fanciful nor pedantic--but it does not seem that I can express my -meaning in any other way. _Mon Dieu_, what a lot of cheap dancing jacks -we are! We dig and sell our product; we plead to save a criminal; we -toil with our hands and scheme with our heads, and when it is all done -it is to get a higher place in the little world we ourselves make. Once -in a while there comes a flash of lightning like this from on high and -the cloud is rent in twain and we look through and are ashamed. Thank -you again, Monsieur Herbert. You have widened my skull--cracked it open -an inch at least, and my heart not a little. Your savage should be -canonized!" - -And he left the room. - - - - -VI - -PROVING THAT THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE NEVER DID RUN SMOOTH - - -Mignon's coffee-roaster was silent this morning. By listening intently a -faint rhythm could be heard coming from beyond the kitchen door, telling -that she was alive and about her work, but the garden was not the scene -of her operations. Rain had fallen steadily all night and was still at -it, driving every one within doors. Furthermore, somewhere off in the -North Sea the wind had suddenly tumbled out of bed and was raising the -very Old Harry up and down the coast. Reports had come in of a bad wreck -along shore, and much anxiety was felt for the fishing fleet. - -To brave such a downpour seemed absurd, and so we passed the morning as -best we could. I made a sketch in color of the Marmouset; Herbert and -Brierley disposed themselves about the room reading, smoking, or -criticising my work; Louis upstairs was stretching a canvas--nothing -appealed to him like a storm--and he had determined, as soon as the -deluge let up--no moderate downpour ever bothers him--to paint the surf -dashing against the earth cliffs that frowned above the angry sea. -Lemois did not appear until near noon, his excuse being that he had lain -awake half the night thinking of Herbert's story of the African's dried -wife, and had only dropped off to sleep when the fury of the storm awoke -him. - -As luncheon was about to be served, Le Blanc arrived in his car one mass -of mud, the glass window in the rear of the cover smashed by the wind. -He brought news of a serious state of things along the coast. The sea in -its rage, so his story ran, was biting huge mouthfuls out of the bluffs, -the yellow blood of the dissolving clay staining the water for half a -mile out. One of the card-board, jig-saw, gimcrack villas edging the -cliff had already slid into the boiling surf, and the rest of them would -follow if the wind held for another hour. - -We drew him to the fire, helped him off with his drenched coat, each of -us becoming more and more thoughtful as we listened to his description. -Leà and Mignon, unheeded, came in bearing the advance dishes--some -oysters and crisp celery. They were soon followed by Lemois, who, -instead of helping, as was his invariable custom, in the arrangement of -the table, walked to the hearth and stood gazing into the coals. He, -too, was thoughtful, and after a moment asked if we would permit Mignon -to replace him at the coffee-table that evening, as he must be off for a -few hours, and possibly all night, explaining in answer to our questions -that the storm had already reached the danger line, and he felt that as -ex-mayor of the village he should be within reach if any calamity -overtook the people and fishermen in and around Buezval. We all, of -course, offered to go with him--Louis being especially eager--but Lemois -insisted that we had better finish our meal, promising to send for us if -we were really needed. - -His departure only intensified our apprehensions as to the gravity of -the situation. What had seemed to us at first picturesque, then -threatening, assumed alarming proportions. The gale too, during -luncheon, had gone on increasing. Great puffs of smoke belched from the -throat of the chimney into the room, and we heard the thrash of the rain -and shrill wails of the burglarious wind rising and falling as it -fingered the cracks and crevices of the old building. Now and then an -earthen tile would be ripped from the roof and sent crashing into the -court. "By Jove!--just hear that wind!" followed by an expectant -silence, interrupted almost every remark. - -As the fury of the storm increased we noticed that a certain nervous -anxiety had taken possession of our pretty Mignon, who, at one crash -louder than the others, so far forgot herself as to go to the window, -trying to peer out between the bowed shutters, her baffled eyes seeking -Leà's for some comforting assurance, the older woman, without ceasing -her ministrations to our needs, patting the girl's shoulder in passing. - -Suddenly the great outside door of the court, which had been closed to -break the force of the wind, gave way with a bang; then came the muffled -cry of a man in distress, and Gaston burst in, clad in oilskins, his -south-wester tied under his chin, rivers of rain pouring from his hat -and overalls. Mignon gave a half-smothered sob of relief and would have -sunk to the floor at his feet had not Leà caught her. - -The young fisherman staggered back against the edge of the fire-jamb, -his hand on his chest. - -"It's madame la marquise!" he gasped. He had run the two miles from -Buezval and had barely breath enough to reach the Inn. "I came for -Monsieur Lemois! There isn't a moment to lose--the sea is now up to the -porch. She is lost if you wait!" - -"Madame lost!" we cried in unison. - -"No," he panted, "the house. She is not there. Find Monsieur -Lemois!--all of you must come!" - -Le Blanc was out of his chair before Gaston had completed his sentence. - -"Get your coats and meet me at the garage!" he shouted. "I'll run the -motor out; we'll be there in ten minutes! My coat too, Leà!" and he -slammed the door behind him. - -The old woman clattered upstairs into the several rooms for our ulsters -and water-proofs, but Mignon sat still, too overjoyed to move or speak. -Gaston, she knew, was going out into the rain again, but he was safe on -the land now and not on a fishing craft, fighting his way into the -harbor, as she had feared all day. The young fellow looked at her from -under the brim of his dripping south-wester, but there was no word of -recognition, though he had come as much to tell her he was safe as to -summon us to madame's villa. I caught her lifted eyes and the furtive -glance of gratitude she gave him. - - -It was a wild dash up the coast; Le Blanc driving, Herbert handling the -siren, the others packed in, crouching close, Gaston holding to the -foot-board, where he roared in our ears the details of the impending -calamity, his breath having now come back to him. The cliff, he -explained, that supported the tennis court of an adjoining villa had -given way, taking with it a slice of madame's lawn, leaving only the -gravel walk under her library windows. The surf, goaded by the thrash of -the wind, was, when he left, cutting great gashes in the toe of the -newly exposed slope. Another hour's work like the last--and it was not -high water until four o'clock--would send the cottage heels over head -into the sea. Madame was in Paris, and the caretakers--an old fisherman -and his wife--too old to work--were panic-stricken, calling piteously -for Monsieur Lemois, whom their mistress trusted most of all the people -in and about the village. - -The end of the shore road had now been reached, our siren blowing -continuously. With a twist of the wheel we swerved from the main -highway, climbed a short hill, and chugged along an overhanging road -flanked by a row of little black lumps of cottages in silhouette against -the white fury of the smashing surf. The third of these, so Gaston said, -was madame's. Thank God it was still square-sided and the chimneys still -upright. We were in time anyhow! - -More than once have I helped in a fire or lent a welcoming hand to a -shipwrecked crew breasting an ugly sea in a water-logged boat; but to -hold on to a cottage sliding into the sea--as one would to the heels of -a would-be suicide determined to dash himself to pieces on the sidewalk -below--was a new experience to me. - -Not so to Herbert--that is, you would never have supposed it from the -way he took hold of things. In less time than I tell it, he had swung -wide the rear door of madame's villa, stationed Brierley, Le Blanc, and -myself at the side entrances to keep out poachers, formed a line of -fishermen (whom Gaston knew) to pass out bric-à-brac, pictures, and rare -furniture to the garage at the end of the lawn--the only safe place -under cover--and, with Louis to help, was packing it with household -goods. - -While this was going on, although we did not know it, Lemois was -half-way down the slope watching the encroaching sea; calculating the -number of minutes which the villa had to live; watching, too, the slow -crumbling of the cliff. He knew something of these earth slides--or -thought he did--and, catching sight of our rescue party, struggled up to -warn us. - -But Herbert had not furled a mainsail off Cape Horn for nothing. He also -knew the sea and what its savage force could do. He, too, had swept his -eyes over the crumbling slopes, noted the wind, looked at his watch, -and, bounding back, had given orders to go ahead. There was possibly an -hour--certainly thirty minutes--before the house, caught by the tide at -high water, would sag, tilt, and pitch headlong, like a bird-cage -dropped from a window-sill, and no power on earth could save it. Until -then the work of rescuing madame's belongings must go on. - -Louis' enormous strength now came into play: first it was an inlaid -cabinet, mounted in bronze, with heavy glass doors. This, stripped of -its curios, which he crammed into his pockets, was picked up bodily and -carried without a break to the garage, a hundred yards in the rear; -then followed bronzes that had taken two men to place on their -pedestals; pictures in heavy frames; a harp muffled in a water-proof -cover, which became a toy in his hands; even the piano went out on the -run and was slid along the porch and down the steps, and, with the aid -of Gaston and another fisherman, whirled under cover. - -The fight now was against time, Lemois indicating the most valuable -articles. Soon the first floor was entirely cleared except for some -heavy pieces of furniture, and a dash was made upstairs for madame's -bedroom and boudoir, filled with choice miniatures, larger portraits, -and the little things she loved and lived with. The pillows were now -torn from the beds, emptied, and every conceivable kind of small -precious thing--silver-topped toilet articles, an ivory crucifix, bits -of Dresden china--all the odds and ends a woman of quality, taste, and -refinement uses and must have--were dumped one after another into the -pillow-sacks and carried carefully to shelter. Then followed the books -and rare manuscripts. - -Herbert, who, between every trip to the garage or to the crowd of -willing workers outside, had paused to watch the sea, now bawled up the -staircase ordering every man out. The last moment of safety had arrived. -Lemois, intent on rescuing a particular portfolio of etchings, either -would not or did not hear. Gaston, more alert, and who had been helping -him to carry down an armful of the more precious books, sprang past -Herbert, despite his cry, and dashed back up the steps, shouting as he -raced on that Lemois was still upstairs. Herbert made a plunge to follow -when Louis threw his arms around him. - -"No, for God's sake! She's going! Out of this!--quick! Jump, Herbert, or -you'll be killed!" - -As the two men cleared the doorway there came a racking, splitting, -tearing noise; a doubling under of the posts of the front porch; a hail -of broken glass and clouds of blinding dust from squares of plaster as -the ceilings collapsed; then the whole structure canted--slid ten feet -and stopped, the brick chimneys smashing their full length into the -crumbling mass. When the dust and flying splinters settled, Herbert and -Louis were standing on firm ground within a foot only of the upheaved -edge of raw earth. Staring them in the face, like the upturned feet of -a prostrate man, were the bottom timbers of the cottage. - -Somewhere inside the chaotic mass lay Lemois and Gaston! - -A cry of horror went up from the crowd, made more intense by the shriek -of a fisher-woman--Gaston's mother--who just before the crash came had -seen her son's head at the library window, and who was now fighting her -way to where Herbert was keeping back the mob until he could make up his -mind what was best to do. Her breathless news decided him. - -"Louis!" he shouted, his voice ringing above the roar of the sea, "pick -out two men--good ones--and follow me!" - -The four worked their way to a careened window now flattened within a -foot of the ground, crawled over the sill, and Herbert calling out to -Lemois and Gaston all the while, crept under a tangle of twisted beams, -flooring, and furniture, until they reached what was once the farther -wall of the library. - -Under an overturned sofa, pinned down but unhurt, white with dust and -broken plaster and almost unrecognizable, they found our landlord. -Gaston lay a few feet away, the breath knocked out of him, an ugly -wound in his head. Lemois had answered their call, but Gaston had given -no sign. - -Herbert braced himself and in the dim light looked about him. The saving -of lives was now a question of judgment, requiring that same -instantaneous making up of his mind always necessary when his own life -had depended upon the exact placing of a rifle-ball in the skull of a -charging elephant. There was not a second to lose. Another slash of the -sea and the whole mass might go headlong down the slope, and yet to lift -the wrong timber in an effort to free Lemois might topple the entire -heap, as picking out the wrong match-stick topples a pile of jackstraws. - -He ran his eye over the shattered room; ordered the two fishermen to -leave the wrecked building; selected, after a moment's pause, a heavy -joist lying across the sofa; stood by while Louis put his shoulder under -its edge, his enormous strength bearing the full brunt of the weight; -waited until it swayed loose, and then, grabbing Lemois firmly by the -coat-collar, dragged him clear and set him on his feet. - -Gaston came next, limp and apparently dead--the blood trickling from -his head and spattering his rescuers. - -The crowd shouted in unison as they caught sight of Lemois' gray head, -all the whiter from the grime of powdered plaster. Then came another and -louder shout, followed by another piercing shriek from Gaston's mother -as her boy's sagging, insensible body was brought clear of the wreck. -None of his bones were broken, none that Lemois could find; something -had struck the boy--some falling weight--perhaps a bust from one of the -bookcases over his head. That was the last the lad had known until he -found his mother kneeling beside him in the rain and mud, where the cold -wind and rain revived him. - -But our work was not yet over. The miscellaneous assortment of precious -things housed in the garage must be rearranged before nightfall and -protected against breakage and leakage. Watchmen must be selected and -made comfortable in the garage, a telegram despatched to madame at her -apartment in Paris, with details of the catastrophe and salvage, and -another to her estate at Rouen, and, more important still, Gaston must -be carried home, put to bed, and a doctor sent for. This done, Herbert -and the rest of us could go back to the inn in Le Blanc's motor. - -[Illustration: As her boy's sagging, insensible body was brought clear -of the wreck] - -The first load brought Herbert, Brierley, and myself, Le Blanc driving: -Lemois had remained with Gaston. Mignon, with staring, inquiring eyes, -her apron over her head to protect her from the wet, met us at the outer -gate, but not a word was said by any of us about Gaston, a crack on a -fisherman's head not being a serious affair--and then again, this one -was as tough as a rudder-post and as full of spring as an oar--and then, -more important still, the poor child with her hungry, tear-stained eyes -had had trouble enough for one day, as we all knew. Later when Leà and -I were alone, I told her the story, describing Gaston's pluck and -bravery and his risking his life to save Lemois--the dear old woman -clasping her fingers together as if in church when I added that "he'd be -all right in the morning after a good night's rest." - -"Pray God nothing happens to him!" she said at last, crossing herself. -"Mignon is only a child and it would break her heart. Monsieur Lemois -does not wish it, and there is trouble--much trouble--ahead for her, but -while there is life there is hope. He is a good Gaston--his mother and -I were girls together; she had only this one left--the boat upset and -the father was drowned off _Les Dents Terribles_ two years ago." - -Louis, whose heart is as big as his body, was less cautious. He must -have a word with the girl herself. And so, when we had all gathered -before the fire to dry out--for most of us were still wet and all -ravenous--he called out to her in his cheery, hearty way: - -"That is a plucky garçon of yours, mademoiselle. Monsieur Lemois would -have been flattened into a pancake but for him. When the house fell it -was Monsieur Gaston who jerked him away from the window and rolled a -sofa on top of him. Ah!--a brave garçon, and one who does you credit." - -The girl--she was busying herself with her dishes at the time--blushed -and said: "Merci, monsieur," her eyes dancing over the praise of her -lover, but she was too modest and too well trained to say more. - -Again Le Blanc's siren came shrieking down the road. This time it would -bring Lemois. I threw on another log to warm them both, and Louis began -collecting a small assortment of glasses, Mignon following with a -decanter. - -Several minutes passed, during which we waited for the heavy tread of -fat Le Blanc. Then the door opened and Leà appeared; she was trembling -from head to foot and white as a ghost. - -"Monsieur wants you--all of you--something has happened! Not you, -Mignon--you stay here." - -Inside the court-yard, close to the door of the Marmouset, stood Le -Blanc's motor. Lemois was on the foot-board leaning over the body of a -man stretched out on the two seats. - -"Easy now," Lemois whispered to Louis, who had pushed his way alongside -of the others crowding about the car. "He collapsed again as soon as you -all left. There is something serious I am afraid--that is why I brought -him here. His mother wanted to take him home, but that's no place for -him now. He must stay here to-night. We stopped and left word for the -doctor and he will be here in a minute. Be careful, Monsieur Louis--not -in there--upstairs." - -Louis was careful--careful as if he were lifting a baby; but he did not -delay, nor did he take him upstairs. Picking up the unconscious -fisherman bodily in his arms, he bore him clear of the machine, carried -him through the open door of the Marmouset, and stretched him full -length on the lounge, tucking a cushion under his head as the lad sank -down into the soft mattress. - -As the flare of the table candles stirred by the night wind lighted up -his face, Mignon, who had been pushing aside the chairs from out the -wounded man's way, believing it to be Le Blanc, sprang forward, and with -a half-stifled cry sank on her knees beside the boy. Lemois lunged -forward, stooped quickly, and grasping her firmly by the arm, dragged -her to her feet. - -"Leave the room!--you are in the way," he said in low, angry tones. -"There are plenty here to take care of him." - -Louis, who had moved closer to the girl, and who had already begun to -quiet her fears, wheeled suddenly and would have broken out in -instantaneous protest had not Leà, her lean, tall body stretched to its -utmost, her flat, sunken chest heaving with indignation, stepped in -front of Lemois. - -"You are not kind, monsieur," she said coldly, with calm, unflinching -eyes. - -"Hold your tongue! I do not want your advice. Take her out!--this is no -place for her!" - -Louis' eyes blazed. Unkindness to a woman was the one thing that always -enraged him. Then his better judgment worked. - -"Give her to me, Leà," he said. "Come, Mignon! Don't cry, child; he's -not hurt so bad; he'll be all right in the morning. Move away there, all -of you!" and he led the sobbing girl from the room. - -A dull, paralyzing silence fell upon us all. Those of us who knew only -the gentle, kind-hearted, always courteous Lemois were dumb with -astonishment. Had he, too, received a crack on his head which had -unsettled his judgment, or was this, after all, the real Lemois? - -The opening of the door and the hurried re-entrance of Louis, followed -by the doctor, a short, thick-set man with a bald head, for a time -relieved the tension. - -"I was on my way near here when your messenger met me," called out the -doctor with a nod of salutation to the room at large as he dropped into -a chair beside the sufferer, thus supplanting Brierley, who during -Lemois' outburst had been wiping the blood-stained face and lips with a -napkin and finger-bowl he had caught up from the table. - -There was an anxious hush; the men standing in a half-circle awaiting -the decision; the doctor feeling for broken limbs, listening to his -breathing, his hand on the boy's heart. Then there came a convulsive -movement and the wounded man lifted his head and gazed about him. - -The doctor bent closer, studied Gaston's eyes for a moment, rose to his -feet, tucked his spectacles into a black leather case which he took from -his pocket, and said calmly: - -"I think there's no fracture of the skull. I'll know definitely later -on. He is, as I at first supposed, suffering from shock and has -swallowed a lot of dust. He must have complete rest; get him to bed -somewhere and send for a woman in the village to take care of him. I'll -come to-morrow. Who carried him in here?" - -Louis nodded his head. - -"Then pick him up again and, if Monsieur Lemois is willing, put him in -the room on the ground floor at the end of the court. I can get at him -then from the outside without disturbing anybody. You, gentlemen, so I -hear, are down here for your pleasure and not to run a hospital, and so -I will see you are not disturbed." - -Louis leaned down, picked the young fisherman up in his arms with no -more effort than if he had been handling a bag of flour, and carried him -out of the room, across the court, Leà following, and into the basement -chamber, where he laid him on the bed, leaving him with the remark: - -"Now stay here and take care of him, Leà, no matter what Monsieur Lemois -says." - -Meanwhile Lemois had poured out a glass of wine for the doctor, waited -until he had drank it, thanked him in his most courteous tones for his -promptness, bidden him good-night on the threshold, closed the door -behind him, and without a word to any of us had resumed his place by the -fire. - -Another embarrassing silence ensued. Every one felt that the incident, -if aggravated by any untimely remarks, might lead up to an outbreak -which would bring our visit to a premature close. And yet both Leà and -Mignon were so beloved by all of us, and the brutality of the attack -upon the little maid was so uncalled for, that we felt something was due -to our own self-respect. - -Herbert, catching our suggestive glances, essayed the task. He was the -man held in most esteem by Lemois, and might perhaps be allowed to say -things which the old gentleman would not take from the rest; and then -again, whatever the outcome, Herbert could be depended upon to keep his -temper no matter what Lemois might answer in return. - -"Mignon did nothing, monsieur, except show her love for her -sweetheart--why break out on her?" Herbert's voice was low, but there -was meaning behind it. - -"I won't have this thing!" came the indignant retort, all his poise -gone. "That's why I broke out on her. Mignon is not for fishermen, nor -ditch-diggers, nor road-makers. She is like my child--I have other -things in store for her. I tell you I will not have it go on--she knows -why and Leà knows why! I have said so, and it is finished!" - -"He about saved your life a little while ago. Does that count for -anything?" The words edged their way through tightly closed lips. - -"Yes--for me; that is why I brought him home--but he has not saved -Mignon's life. He would wreck it. She will marry somebody else and he -will marry somebody else. There are too many thick-heads along the -coast now. I decide to steer clear of them." - -Louis, who now that his human-ambulance trip was over, had returned to -the Marmouset, stood wondering. What had taken place in his absence was -a mystery. He had, after depositing his burden, taken Mignon to Pierre -and sat her down by the kitchen fire, where he had left her crying -softly to herself. - -Lemois waited until Louis had found a seat and went on: - -"You, gentlemen, are my friends, and so I will explain to you what I -would not explain to others. You wonder at what I have just said and -done. I try to do my duty--that is my religion, and my only religion. I -have tried to do it to-night. With your help I have done what I could to -save my friend's property, because she was away and helpless. She has -now left to her some of the things she loved. So it is with this girl. -Ten years ago I found her, a child of eight, crying in the street. For -months she had gotten up at daylight, had washed and dressed her two -baby brothers, cooked their breakfast, cleaned house, and tucked in her -bedridden mother; but, try as she would, she was late for school--not -once, but several times. This was against the rules, and when the -prizes and diplomas were given out, all she got was a scolding. Later on -she was dismissed. Because she had no other place to go, and because I -had no child of my own, I took her home with me. As I assumed all -responsibility for her, and she has no one but me, I shall carry it out -to the end, exactly as if she were my daughter. My own daughter should -not and would not marry a fisherman, neither shall Mignon. Madame la -Marquise de la Caux is in Paris, and I do what I can to look after her -belongings. Madame, Mignon's mother, is in heaven, and the remnant of -her people God knows where, and so I do what I can to look after their -child." - -"But has the girl no say in the matter?" broke out Louis angrily. "You -are not to live with him--she is." - -"That may make some difference in your country, Monsieur Louis, but it -makes no difference in mine. In France we parents and guardians are the -best judges of what is and what is not good for our children. Now, -gentlemen, let us brush it all away. It is very creditable to your -hearts to be so interested in the child; I do not blame you. She is very -lovely and very amusing, and when she leaves us--even with the man I -shall choose for her--it will be a great grief for me, for you see I am -quite alone in the world. So, Monsieur Herbert, there is my hand. Not to -have you understand me would be harder than all the rest, for I esteem -you as I do no other man. And you too, Monsieur Louis, with your big -arms and your big heart. Let us be friends once more. And now I am tired -out with the day's work, and if you do not mind I will say -'Good-night!'" - - - - -VII - -IN WHICH OUR LANDLORD BECOMES BOTH ENTERTAINING AND INSTRUCTIVE - - -The experiences of the previous day had left their mark in stiffened -joints and blistered hands. Herbert was nursing a wrenched finger, -Lemois had discovered a bruised back, and Louis a strained wrist--slight -accidents all of them, unheeded in the excitement of the rescue, and -only definitely located when the several victims got out of bed the next -morning. - -The real sufferer was Gaston. Two stitches had been taken in his shapely -head and, although he was quite himself and restless as a goat, the -doctor had given positive orders to Leà to keep him where he was until -his wound should heal. To this Lemois had added another and far more -cruel mandate, forbidding Mignon either outside or inside his bedroom -door under pain of death, or words to that effect. - -It was not to be wondered at, therefore, that the day was passed -quietly, the men keeping indoors, although the storm had whirled down -the coast, leaving behind it only laughing blue skies and a light wind. - -The one exciting incident was a telegram from madame la marquise, -thanking Lemois and his "brave body of men" for their heroic services -and adding that she would come as soon as possible to inspect what she -called her "ruin," and would then give herself the pleasure of thanking -each and every one in person. This was followed some hours later by a -second despatch inquiring after the wounded fisherman and charging -Lemois to spare no expense in bringing him back to health; and a third -one from Marc saying he had gone to Paris and would not be back for -several days. - -The absorbing topic, of course, had been Lemois' outbreak on Mignon and -subsequent justification of his conduct. Louis was the most outspoken of -all, and, despite Lemois' defence, valiantly espoused the girl's cause, -the rest of us with one accord pledging ourselves to fight her battles -and Gaston's, no matter at what cost. Brierley even went so far as to -offer to relieve Leà, during which blissful interim he would smuggle -Mignon in for a brief word of sympathy, but this was frowned upon and -abandoned when Herbert reminded us that we were in a sense Lemois' -guests and could not, therefore, breed treachery among his servants. To -this was added his positive conviction that the girl's sufferings would -so tell upon the old man that before many days he would not only regret -his attitude, but would abandon his ambitious plans and give her to the -man she loved. - -If Lemois had any such misgivings there was no evidence of it in his -manner. But for an occasional wry face when he moved, due to the blow of -the overturned sofa, he was in an exceptionally happy frame of mind. Nor -did he show the slightest resentment toward any one of us for not -agreeing with him. Even when the twilight hour arrived--a restful hour -when the fellowship of the group came out strongest, and men voiced the -thoughts that lay closest to their hearts--no word escaped him. Music, -church architecture, the influence of Rodin and Rostand on the art and -literature of our time, French politics--all were touched upon in turn, -but not a word of the condition of Gaston's broken head nor the state -of Mignon's bleeding heart--nothing so harrowing. Indeed, so gay was -he, so full of quaint sayings and odd views of life and things, that -when Brierley sat down at the spinet and ran his fingers over the keys, -giving us snatches of melodies from the current music of the day, he -begged for some mediæval anthems "as a slight apology to my suffering -ears," and when Brierley complied with what he claimed was an old -Italian chant, having found the original in Padua, Lemois branched off -into a homily on church music which evinced such a mastery of the -subject that even Brierley, who is something of a musician himself, was -filled with amazement. Indeed, the discussion was in danger of becoming -so heated that the old man, with a twinkle in his eye, relieved the -tension with: - -"No, you are quite wrong, Monsieur Brierley, if you will forgive me for -saying so. Your chant is not Italian; it is Spanish. I have a better way -of knowing than by searching among musty libraries and sacristies. When -your fingers were touching the keys I looked around my Marmouset to see -who was listening beside you gentlemen. I soon discovered that the two -heads on Monsieur Herbert's chair were glum and solemn; they might have -been asleep so dull were they. My old Virgin in the corner, which I -found in Rouen, and which is unquestionably French, never raised her -eyes; but the two carved saints over your head, the ones I got in -Salamanca when I was last there, were overjoyed. One smiled so sweetly -that I could not take my eyes from her, and the other kept such perfect -time with his head that I was sorry when you stopped. So you see, your -chant is unquestionably Spanish, and I am glad." - -Nor did his spirits flag when dinner was over and he took his place by -the coffee-table, handing Mignon the tiny cups without even a look of -reproach at the demure, sad-eyed girl who was keeping up so brave a -heart. - -The change was a delightful one to the coterie. As long as the -embarrassing situation continued there was no telling what might happen. -A question of cuisine could be settled by more or less cayenne, but the -question of a marriage settlement was another affair. Press him too far -and the old gentleman might have bundled us all into the street and -thrown our trunks after us. - -The wisest thing, therefore, was to meet his cordiality more than half -way, an easy solution, really, since his _amende honorable_ of the night -before had put us all on our mettle. He should be made to realize and at -once that all traces of ill feeling of every kind had been wiped out of -our hearts. - -Herbert, who, as usual when any patching up was to be done, was chief -pacificator, opened the programme by becoming suddenly interested in the -several rare specimens of furniture that enriched the room in which we -sat, complimenting Lemois on his good taste in banishing from his -collection the severe, uncomfortable chairs and sofas of Louis XIV and -XV, and calling special attention to the noble Spanish and Italian -specimens about us, with wide seats, backs, and arms, where, even in the -old days, tired mortals could have lounged without splitting their -stockings or disarranging their wigs, had the dons and contessas worn -any such absurdities. - -"Quite true, Monsieur Herbert, but you must remember that the -aristocrats of that day never sat down--their mirrors were hung too high -for them to see themselves should they recline. It was an era of high -heels and polished floors, much low bowing, and overmuch ceremony. And -yet it was a delightful period, and a most instructive one, for the -antiquary, even if it did end with the guillotine. I have always thought -that nothing so clearly defines the taste and intelligence of a nation -as their furniture and house decoration. The frivolities of the Monarchs -of the period is to be found in every twist and curve of their several -styles, just as the virility and out-door life of the Greeks and Romans -are expressed in their solid-marble benches and carved-stone sofas. -Since I have no place in my gardens for ruins of this kind, I do not -collect them--nor would I if I had. There should be, I think, a certain -sane appropriateness in every collection, even in so slight a one as my -own, and a Greek garden with a line of motor cars on one side and a -Normandy church on the other would, I am afraid, be a little out of -keeping," and he laughed softly. - -"But you haven't kept close to that rule in this room," said Herbert, -gazing about him. "We have everything here from Philip the Second to -Napoleon the Third." - -"I have kept much closer than you think, Monsieur Herbert. The panels, -ceiling, furniture, and stained glass, as well as the fireplace, are -more or less of one period. The fixtures, such as the andirons, -candelabra, and curtains, might have been obtained in one of the -antiquary shops of the day--if any such existed; and so could the china, -silver, and glass. What I had in mind was, not a museum, but a room that -would take you into its arms--a restful, warm, enticing room--one full -of surprises, too"--and he pointed to his rarest possession, the Black -Virgin, half hidden in the recess of the chimney breast. "You see, a -very rare thing is always more effective when you come upon it suddenly -than when you confront it in the blaze of a window or under a fixed -light. Your curiosity is then aroused, and you must stoop to study it. I -arrange these surprises for all my most precious things. - -"Here, for instance"--and he crossed the room, opened a cabinet, and -brought from its hiding-place a crystal chalice with a legend in Latin -engraved in gold letters around the rim, placing it on the table so that -the light from the candelabra could fall upon it--"here is something now -you would not look at twice, perhaps, if it were put in the window and -filled with flowers. It must be hidden away before you appreciate it. I -found it in a convent outside of Salamanca some years ago. It is -evidently the work of some old monk who spent his life in doing this -sort of thing, and is a very rare example of that kind of craftsmanship. -Be very careful, Monsieur Louis, you will break the monk's heart, as -well as my own, if you smash it." - -"Brierley is the man you want to look out for," answered the painter, -bending closer over the precious object. "He'll be borrowing it to mix -high-balls in unless you keep the cabinet locked." - -"Monsieur Brierley is too good for any such sacrilege. And now please -stand aside, and you, Monsieur High-Muck, will you kindly move your -arm?" and he lifted the vase from the cloth and replaced it in the -cabinet, adding with a shrewd glance, "You see, it is always wise to -keep the most precious things hidden away, with, perhaps, only an edge -peeping out to arouse your curiosity--and I have many such." - -"Like a grisette's slipper below a petticoat," remarked Louis _sotto -voce_. - -"Quite like a grisette's slipper, my dear Monsieur Louis. What a nimble -wit is yours! Only, take an old man's advice and don't be too curious." - -Every one roared, Louis louder than any one, and when quiet reigned once -more Herbert, who was determined to keep the talk along the lines which -would most interest our landlord, and who had examined the chalice with -the greatest interest, said, pointing to the cabinet: - -"And now show us something else. Here I have lived with these things for -weeks at a time and yet am only beginning to find them out. What else -have you that is especially rare?" - -Lemois, who had just closed the door of the cabinet, turned and began -searching the room before replying. - -"Well, there is my bas-relief, my Madonna. It is just behind you--very -beautiful and very rare. I do not lock it up; I keep it in a dark corner -where the cross-lights from the window can bring out the face in strong -relief. Please do me the favor, gentlemen, to leave your seats. I never -take it from its place," and he crossed the room and stood beneath it. -"This is the only one in existence, so far as I know--that is, the only -replica. The original is in the Sistine Chapel, near Ravenna. Bring a -candle, please, Monsieur Brierley, so we can all enjoy it. See how -beautiful is the Madonna's face--it is very seldom that so lovely a -smile has lived in marble--and the tenderness of the mother suggested in -the poise of the head as it bends over the Child. I never look at it -without a twinge of my conscience, for it is the only thing in this room -which I made off with without letting any one know I had it, but I was -young then and a freebooter like Monsieur Herbert's man Goringe. I did -penance for years afterward by putting a few lira in the poor-box -whenever I was in Italy, and I often come in here and say my prayers, -standing reverently before her, begging her forgiveness; and she always -gives it--that is, she _must_--for the smile has never, during all these -years, faded from her face." - -"But this is plaster," remarked Herbert, reaching up and passing his -skilled fingers over the caste. "Very well done, too." - -"Yes--of course. I helped make the mould myself from the original marble -built into the altar--and in the night too, when I had to feel my way -about. I am glad you think it is so good." - -"Couldn't do it better myself. But why in the night?" - -"Ah--that is a long story." - -Herbert clapped his hands to command attention. - -"Everybody take their seats. Monsieur Lemois is going to tell us of how -he burglarized a church and made off with a Madonna." - -Louis walked solemnly toward the door, his hand over his heart. - -"You must excuse me, Herbert, if I leave the room before Lemois begins," -he said, turning and facing the group, "for I should certainly interrupt -his recital. This whole discussion is so repulsive to me, and so far -below my own high standard of what is right and wrong, that my morals -are in danger of being undermined. And I----" - -"Dry up, Louis!" growled Brierley. "Go on, Lemois." - -"No, I mean what I say," protested Louis. "Only a few nights ago, and at -this very table, a most worthy woman, descendant of one of the oldest -families in France, and our guest, confessed to wilful perjury, and now -a former mayor of this village admits that he robbed a church. I have -not been brought up this way, and if----" - -"Tie him to a chair, High-Muck!" cried Herbert. "No, his hands are up! -All right, go on, Lemois." - -"Our landlord drew nearer to the table, sat down, and, with a humorous -nod toward Louis, began: - -"You must all remember I was an impressionable young fellow at the time, -full of daredevil, romantic ideas, and, like most young fellows, saw -only the end in view without caring a sou about the means by which I -reached it. - -"I found the bas-relief, as I have told you, in a small chapel outside -of Ravenna--one of those deep-toned interiors lighted by dust-begrimed -windows, the roof supported by rows of marble columns. The altar, which -was low and of simple design, was placed at the top of a wide flight of -three rose-marble steps over which swung a huge brass lamp burning a -ruby light. With the exception of an old woman asleep on her knees -before a figure of the Virgin, I was the only person in the building. I -had already seen dozens of such interiors, all more or less alike, and -after walking around it once or twice was about to leave by a side door -protected by a heavy clay-soiled red curtain when my eye fell on the -original of the caste above you, the figures and surrounding panel -being built into the masonry of the altar, a position it had occupied, -no doubt, since the days of Michael Angelo. - -"For half an hour I stood before it--worshipping it, really. The longer -I looked the more I wanted something to take away with me that would -keep it alive in my memory. I drew a little, of course, and had my -sketch-book filled, student-like, with bits of architecture, peasants, -horses, and things I came across every day; but I knew I could never -reproduce the angelic smile on the Madonna's face, and that was the one -thing that made it greater than all the bas-reliefs I had seen in all my -wanderings. Then it suddenly occurred to me--there being no photographs -in those days: none you could buy of a thing like this--that perhaps I -could get some one in the village to make a caste, the Italians being -experts at this work. While I was leaning over the rose-marble rail -drinking it in, a door opened somewhere behind the altar and an old -priest came slowly toward me. - -"'It is very lovely, holy father,' I said, in an effort to open up a -conversation which might lead somewhere. - -"'Yes!' he replied curtly; 'but love it on your knees.' - -"So down I got, and there I stayed until he had finished his prayer at -one of the side chapels and had left the church by the main door. - -"All this time I was measuring it with my eye--its width, thickness, the -depth of the cutting, how much plaster it would take, how large a bag it -would require in which to carry it away. This done I went back to -Ravenna and started to look up some one of the image vendors who haunt -the door of the great church. - -"But none of them would listen. It would take at least an hour before -the plaster would be dry enough to come away from the marble. The -priests--poor as some of them were--would never consent to such a -sacrilege. Without their permission detection was almost certain; so -please go to the devil, illustrious signore, and do not tempt a poor man -who does not wish to go to prison for twenty lira. - -"This talk, let me tell you, took place in a shop up a back street, kept -by a young Italian image-vendor who made casts and moulds with the -assistance of his father, who was a hunch-back, and an old man all rags -whom I could see was listening to every word of the talk. - -"That same night, about the time the lamps began to be lighted, and I -had started out in search of another mouldmaker, the old man in rags -stepped out of the shadow of a wall and touched my arm. - -"'I know the place, signore, and I know the Madonna. I have everything -here in this bucket--at night the church is closed, but there is a side -door. I will take your twenty lira. Come with me.' - -"When you are twenty, you are like a hawk after its quarry--your blood -boiling, your nerves keyed up, and you swoop down and get your talons in -your prey without caring what happens afterward. Being also a romantic -hawk, I liked immensely the idea of doing my prowling at night; there -was a touch of danger in that kind of villany which daylight dispels. So -off we started, the ragged man carrying the bucket holding a small -bottle of olive-oil, dry plaster, and a thick sheet of modelling wax -besides some tools: I with two good-sized candles and a box of matches. - -"When you rob a bank at night you must, so I am told, be sure you have a -duplicate key or something with which to pick the lock. When you rob an -Italian church, there is no such bother--you simply push wide the door -and begin feeling your way about. And it was not, to my surprise, very -dark once we got in. The ruby light in the big altar lamp helped, and so -did what was left of a single candle placed on a side altar by some poor -soul as part penance for unforgiven sins. - -"And it did not take long once we got to work. First a coat of oil to -keep the wax from sticking to the marble; then a patting and forcing of -the soft stuff with thumbs, fingers, and a wooden tool into the crevices -and grooves of the stone, and then a gentle pull. - -"Just here my courage failed and my conscience gave a little jump like -the toothache. It might have been the quick flare of the lone candle on -the side altar--I had not used my own, there being light enough to see -to work--or it might have been my heated imagination, but I distinctly -saw on the oil-smeared face of the blessed mother an expression of such -intense humiliation that I pulled out my handkerchief, and although the -ragged man was calling me to hurry, and I myself heard the noise of -approaching footsteps, I kept on wiping off the oil until I saw her -smile once more. - -"The time lost caused our undoing--or rather mine. The ragged man with -the precious mould ran out the side door which was never locked--the -one he knew--I landed in the arms of a priest. - -"He was bald-headed, wore sandals, and carried a lantern. - -"'What are you doing here?' he asked gruffly. - -"I pulled out the two candles and held them up so he could see them. - -"'I came to burn these before the Madonna--the door was open and I -walked in.' - -"He lifted the lantern and scanned my face. - -"'You are the man who was here this morning. Did you get down on your -knees as I told you?' - -"'Yes, holy father.' - -"'Get down again while I close the church. You can light your candles by -the lantern,' and he laid it on the stone pavement beside me and moved -off into the gloom. - -"I did everything he bade me--never was there a more devout -worshipper--handed him back his lantern, and made my way out. - -"At the end of the town the ragged man thrust his head over a low wall. -He seemed greatly relieved, and picking up the bucket, we two started on -a run for my lodgings. Before I went to bed that night he had mixed up -the dry plaster in his bucket and taken the cast. He wanted to keep the -matrix, but I wouldn't have it. I did not want his dirty fingers feeling -around her lovely face, and so I paid him his blood money and pounded -the mould out of shape. The next morning I left Ravenna for Paris. - -"You see now, messieurs, what a disreputable person I am." Here he rose -from his seat and walked back to the bas-relief. "And yet, most blessed -of women"--and he raised his eyes as if in prayer--"I think I would do -it all over again to have you where you could always listen to my -sins." - - - - -VIII - -CONTAINING SEVERAL EXPERIENCES AND ADVENTURES SHOWING THE WIDE CONTRASTS -IN LIFE - - -How it began I do not remember, for nothing had led up to it except, -perhaps, Le Blanc's arrival for dinner half an hour late, due, so he -explained, to a break in the running gear of his machine, most of which -time he had spent flat on his back in the cold mud, monkey-wrench in -hand, instead of in one of our warm, comfortable chairs. - -No sooner was he seated at my side and his story told than we fell -naturally to discussing similar moments in life when such sudden -contrasts often caused us to look upon ourselves as two distinct persons -having nothing in common each with the other. Lemois, whose story of the -stolen Madonna the previous night had made us eager for more, described, -in defence of the newly launched theory, a visit to a Swiss chalet, and -the sense of comfort he felt in the warmth and coseyness of it all, as -he settled himself in bed, when just as he was dozing off a fire broke -out and in less than five minutes he, with the whole family, was -shivering in a snow-bank while the house burned to the ground. - -"And a most uncomfortable and demoralizing change it was, messieurs--one -minute in warm white sheets and the next in a blanket of cold snow. What -has always remained in my mind was the rapidity with which I passed from -one personality to another." - -Brierley, taking up the thread, described his own sensations when, -during a visit to a friend's luxurious camp in the Adirondacks, he lost -his way in the forest and for three days and nights kept himself alive -on moose-buds and huckleberries. - -"Poor grub when you have been living on porter-house steak and lobsters -from Fulton Market and peaches from South Africa. Time, however, didn't -appeal to me as it did to Lemois, but hunger did, and I have never -looked a huckleberry in the face since without the same queer feeling -around my waistband." - -Appealed to by Herbert for some experiences of my own, I told how this -same realization of intense and sudden contrasts always took possession -of me, when, after having lived for a week on hardtack, boiled pork, and -plum duff, begrimed with dust and cement, I would leave the inside of a -coffer-dam and in a few hours find myself in the customary swallow-tail -and white tie at a dinner of twelve, sitting among ladies in costly -gowns and jewels. - -"What, however, stuck out clearest in my mind," I continued, "was -neither time nor what I had had to eat, but the enormous contrasts in -the color scheme of my two experiences: at noon a gray sky and leaden -sea, relieved by men in overalls, rusty derricks, and clouds of white -steam rising from the concrete mixers; at night filmy gowns and bare -shoulders rose pink in the softened light against a strong relief of the -reds and greens of deep-toned tapestries and portraits in rich frames. I -remember only the color." - -At this Herbert lighted a fresh cigar and, with the flaming match still -in hand, said quietly: - -"While you men have been talking I have been going over some of my own -experiences"--here he blew out the match--"and I have a great mind to -tell you of one that I had years ago which made an indelible impression -on me." - -"Leave out your 'great mind,' Herbert," cried Louis--"we'll believe -anything but that--and give us the story--that is, Le Blanc, if you will -be so very good as to move your very handsome but slightly opaque head, -so that I can watch the distinguished mud-dauber's face while he talks. -Fire away, Herbert!" - -"I was a lad of twenty at the time," resumed Herbert, pausing for a -moment until the unembarrassed Le Blanc had pushed back his chair, "and -for reasons which then seemed good to me ran away from home, and for two -years served as common sailor aboard an English merchantman, bunking in -the forecastle, eating hardtack, and doing work aloft like any of the -others. I had the world before me, was strong and sturdily built, and, -being a happy-hearted young fellow, was on good terms with every one of -the crew except a dark, murderous-looking young Portuguese of about my -own age, active as a cat, and continually quarrelling with every one. -When you get a low-down Portuguese with negro blood in his veins you -have reached the bottom of cunning and cruelty. I've come across several -of them since--some in dress suits--and know. - -"For some reason this fellow hated me as only sailors who are forced to -live together on long voyages know how to hate. My bunk was immediately -over his, and when I slid out in the morning my feet had to dangle in -front of his venomous face. When I crawled up at night the same thing -happened. We worked side by side, got the same pay, and ate the same -grub, yet I never was with him without feeling his animosity toward me. - -"It was only by the merest accident that I found out why he hated me. He -blurted it out in the forecastle one night after I had gone on deck, and -the men told me when I dropped down the companion-way again. He hated me -because I brushed my teeth! Oh!--you needn't laugh! Men have murdered -each other for less. I once knew a man who picked a quarrel at the club -with a diplomat because he dared to twist his mustache at the same angle -as his own; and another--an Austrian colonel--who challenged a brother -officer to a mortal duel for serving a certain Johannesburg when it was -a well-known fact that he claimed to own every bottle of that year's -vintage. - -"I continued brushing my teeth, of course, and at the same time kept an -eye on the Portuguese whose slurs and general ugliness at every turn -became so marked that I was convinced he was only waiting for a chance -to put a knife into me. The captain, who studied his crew, was of the -same opinion and instructed the first mate to look after us both and -prevent any quarrel reaching a crisis. - -"One night, off Cape Horn, a gale came up, and half a dozen of us were -ordered aloft to furl a topsail. That's no easy job for a greenhorn; -sometimes it's a pretty tough job for an old hand. The yard is generally -wet and slippery, the reefers stiff as marlin-spikes, and the sail hard -as a board, particularly when the wind drives it against your face. But -orders were orders and up I went. Then again, I had been a fairly good -gymnast when I was at school, and could throw wheels on the horizontal -bars with the best of them. - -"The orders had come just as we were finishing supper. As usual the -Portuguese had opened on me again; this time it was my table manners, my -way of treating my plate after finishing meals being to leave some of -the fragments still sticking to the bottom and edge, while he wiped his -clean with a crust of bread as a compliment to the cook. - -"The mate had heard the last of his outbreak, and in detailing the men -sent me up the port ratlines and the Portuguese up the starboard. The -sail was thrashing and flopping in the wind, the vessel rolling her -rails under as the squall struck her. I was so occupied with tying the -reefers over the canvas and holding on at the same time to the slippery -yard, that I had not noticed the Portuguese, who, with every flop of the -sail, was crawling nearer to where I clung. - -"He was almost on top of me when I caught sight of him sliding along the -foot-stay, his eyes boring into mine with a look that made me stop short -and pull myself together. One hand was around the yard, the other -clutched his sheath knife. Another lunge of the ship and he would let -drive and over I'd go. - -"For an instant I quavered before the fellow's hungry glare, his tiger -eyes fixed on mine, the knife in his hand, the sail smothering me as it -flapped in my face, while below were the black sea and half-lighted -deck. Were he to strike, no trace would be left of me. I was a -greenhorn, and it would be supposed I had missed my hold and fallen -clear of the ship. - -"Bracing myself, I twisted a reefer around my wrist for better hold, -determined, if he moved an inch nearer, to kick him square in the face. -But at that instant a sea broke over the starboard bow, wrenching the -ship fore and aft and jerking the yards as if they had been so many -tent-poles. Then came a horrible shriek, and looking down I saw the -Portuguese clutching wildly at the ratlines, clear the ship's side, and -strike the water head-foremost. 'Man overboard!' I yelled at the top of -my lungs, slid to the deck, and ran into the arms of the first mate, who -had been watching us and who had seen the whole thing. - -"Some of the crew made a spring for the davits, I among them. But the -mate shook his head. - -"'Ain't no use lowerin',' he said. 'Besides, he ain't worth savin'.' - -"That night I had to crawl over the dead man's empty berth; his pillow -and quilt were just as he had left them, all tumbled and mussed, and his -tin tobacco-box where he had laid it. Try as I would as I lay awake in -my warm bunk and thought of him out in the sea, and my own close shave -for life, I could not get rid of a certain uncanny feeling--something -akin to the sensation as that of which Lemois was speaking. Only an -instant's time had saved me from the same awful plunge--his last in -life. I never got over the feeling until we reached port, for his berth -was left untouched and his tin tobacco-box still lay beside his pillow. -Even now when a sailor or fisherman pulls out an old tin box--they are -all pretty much alike--or cuts a plug with a sheath knife, it gives me a -shudder." - -"Served the brute right!" cried Louis. "Very good story, Herbert--a -little exaggerated in parts, particularly where you were so -absent-minded as to select the face of the gentleman for your murderous -kick, but it's all right: very good story. I could freeze you all solid -by an experience I had with an Apache who followed me on my way to -Montmartre last week, but I won't." - -"Give it to us, Louis!" cried everybody in unison. - -"No!" - -"Well, why not?" I demanded. - -"Because he turned down the next street. I said I _could_, and I would -if he'd kept on after me. Your turn, Brierley. We haven't heard from you -since you kept school for crows and wild ducks and taught them how to -dodge bird shot. Unhook your ear-flaps, gentlemen; the distinguished -naturalist is about to relate another one of his soul-stirring -adventures--pure fiction, of course, but none the less entertaining." - -Before I could reply, Lemois, who had followed the course of the -discussion with the keenest interest, interrupted with a deprecating -shrug of his shoulders, his fingers widened out. - -"But not another bird story, if you please, Monsieur Brierley. We want -something deeper and stronger. We have touched upon a great subject -to-night, and have only scraped the surface." - -Herbert leaned forward until he caught Lemois' eye. - -"Say the rest, Lemois. You have something to tell us." - -"I! No--I have nothing to tell you. My life has been too stupid. I am -always either bowing to my guests or making sauces for them over -Pierre's fire. I could only tell you about things of which I have -_heard_. You, Monsieur Herbert, can tell us of things with which you -have _lived_. I want to listen now to something we will remember, like -your story of the cannibal's wife. Almost every night since you have -been here I go to bed with a great song ringing in my ears. You, -Monsieur Herbert, must yourself have seen such tragedies in men's lives, -when in the space of a lightning's flash their souls were stripped clean -and they left naked." - -Herbert played with his fork for a moment, threw it back upon the cloth, -and then said in a decided tone: - -"No--it is not my turn; I've talked enough to-night. Open up, Le Blanc, -and give us something out of the old Latin Quartier--there were -tragedies enough there." - -"Only what absinthe and starvation brought--and a ring now and then on -the wrong girl's finger--or none at all, as the case might have been. -But you've got a story, Herbert, if you will tell it, which will send -Lemois to bed with a whole orchestra sounding in his ears." - -Herbert looked up. - -"Which one?" - -"The fever camp at Bangala." - -Herbert's face became instantly grave and an expression of intense -thought settled upon it. We waited, our eyes fixed upon him. - -"No--I'd rather not, Le Blanc," he said slowly. "That belongs to the -dead past, and it is best to leave it so." - -"Tell it, Herbert," I coaxed. - -"Both you and Le Blanc have heard it." - -"But Lemois and the others haven't." - -"Got any cannibals or barbecues in it, Herbert?" inquired Louis. - -"No, just plain white man all the way through, Louis. Two of them are -still alive--I and another fellow. And you really want it again, Le -Blanc? Well, all right. But before I begin I must ask you to pardon my -referring so often to my African experiences"--and he glanced in apology -around the table--"but I was there at a most impressionable age, and -they still stand out in my mind--this one in particular. You may have -read of the horrors that took place at Bangala in what at the time was -known as the fever camp, where some of the bravest fellows who ever -entered the jungles met their deaths. Both natives and white men had -succumbed, one after another, in a way that wiped out all hope. - -"The remedies we had, had been used without effect, and quinine had lost -its power to pull down the temperature, and each fellow knew that if he -were not among those carried out feet foremost to-day, and buried so -deep that the hyenas could not dig him up, it was only a question if on -the morrow his own turn did not come. A strange kind of fear had taken -possession of us, sick or well, and a cold, deadening despair had crept -into our hearts, so great was the mortality, and so quickly when once a -man was stricken did the end come. We were hundreds of miles from -civilization of any kind, unable to move our quarters unless we deserted -our sick, and even then there was no healthier place within reach. And -so, not knowing who would go next, we awaited the end. - -"The only other white man in the country besides ourselves was a young -English missionary who had taken up his quarters in a native village -some two miles away, in the low, marshy lands, and who from the very day -of his arrival had set to work to teach and care for the swarms of -native children who literally infested the settlement. Many of these had -been abandoned by their parents and would have perished but for his -untiring watchfulness. When the fever broke out he, with the assistance -of those of the natives whom he could bribe to help, had constructed a -rude hospital into which the little people were placed. These he nursed -with his own hands, and as children under ten years of age were less -liable to the disease than those who were older, and, when stricken, -easier to coax back to life, his mortality list was very much less than -our own. - -"With our first deaths we would send for him to come up the hill and -perform the last rites over the poor fellows, but, as our lists grew, we -abandoned even this. Why I escaped at the time I do not know, unless it -was by sheer force of will. I have always believed that the mind has -such positive influence over the body that if you can keep it working -you can arrest the progress of any disease--certainly long enough for -the other forces of the body to come to its aid. So when I was at last -bowled over and so ill that I could not stand on my feet, or even turn -on my bed, I would have some one raise me to a sitting posture and then -I would deliberately shave myself. The mental effort to get the beard -off without cutting the skin; the determination to leave no spot -untouched; the making of the lather, balancing of the razor, and -propping up of the small bit of looking-glass so as to reflect my face -properly, was what I have always thought really saved my life. - -"What I started to tell you, however, happened before I was finally -stricken and will make you think of the tales often heard of shipwrecked -men who, having given up all hope at the pumps, turn in despair and -break open the captain's lockers, drinking themselves into a state of -bestiality. It is the coward's way of meeting death, or perhaps it means -the great final protest of the physical against the spiritual--a mad -defiance of the inevitable--and confirms what some of our physiologists -have always maintained--that only a thin stratum of self-control divides -us from something lower than the beast. - -"We had buried one of our bravest and best comrades, one whose name is -still held in reverence by all who knew him, and after we had laid him -in the ground an orgy began, which I am ashamed to say--for I was no -better than the rest--was as cowardly as it was bestial. My portable -india-rubber bath-tub, being the largest vessel in the camp, was the -punch-bowl, and into it was dumped every liquor we had in the place: -Portuguese wine, Scotch whiskey, Bass's ale, brown stout, -cognac--nothing escaped. You can imagine what followed. Those of our -natives who helped themselves, after a wild outburst of savagery, soon -relapsed into a state of unconsciousness. The exhilaration of the white -man lasted longer, and was followed by a fighting frenzy which filled -the night with horror. Men tore their clothes from their backs and, -half-naked, danced in a circle, the flickering light of the camp-fire -distorting their bodies into demons. It was hell let loose! - -"I have got rather a strong head, but one cup of that mixture sent my -brain reeling. My fear was that my will would give way and I be tempted -to drink a second dipperful and so knocked completely out. With this -idea firmly in my mind, I watched my chance and escaped outside the -raging circle, where I found a pool into which I plunged my head. This -sobered me a little and I kept on in the darkness until I reached the -edge of the hill overlooking the missionary's settlement, the shouts of -the frenzied men growing fainter and fainter. - -"As I sat there my brain began to clear. I noticed the dull light of the -moon shrouded in a deadly fog that rose from the valley below. In its -mysterious dimness the wraiths of mist and fog became processions of -ghosts stealing slowly up the hill--spirits of the dead on their way to -judgment. The swollen moon swimming in the drowsy vapor was an evil eye -from which there was no escape--searching the souls of men--mine among -them--I, who had been spared death and in return had defied all the laws -of decency. The cries of the forest rang in my ears, loud and insistent. -The howl of a pariah dog, the hoot of an owl, became so many -questions--all directed toward me--all demanding an answer for my sins. -Even the hum of myriads of insects seemed concerned with me, disputing -in low tones and deciding on my punishment. - -"Gradually these sounds grew less insistent, and soft as a breath of -air--hardly perceptible at first--there rose from the valley below, like -a curl of smoke mounting into the stillness, a strain of low, sweet -music, and as suddenly ceased. I bent my head, wondering whether I was -dreaming. I had heard that same music, when I was a boy at home, wafted -toward me from the open window of the village church. How came it here? -Why sing it? Why torture me with it--who would never see home again? - -"I struggled to my feet, steadied myself against a cotton-tree, and -fixed my eyes on the valley below; my ears strained to catch the first -recurrent note. Again it rose on the night air, this time strong and -clear, as if a company of angels were singing. - -"I knew now! - -"It was the hymn my friend the missionary had taught the children. - -"I plunged down the hill, stumbling, falling, only to drag myself to my -feet again, groping my way through the dense night fog and the tangle of -undergrowth, until I reached the small stockade at the foot of the -incline which circled the missionary station. Crossing this ground, I -followed the path and entered a small gate. Beyond it lay a flat piece -of land cleared of all underbrush, and at its extreme end the rude -bamboo hut of a hospital filled with sick and dying children. - -"Once more on the deadly night air rose the hymn, a note of exaltation -now, calling me on--to what I knew not, nor did I care, so it would ease -the grinding fear under which I had lived for weeks. - -"Suddenly I came to a halt. In the faint moonlight, within a dozen yards -of me, knelt the figure of a man. He was praying--his hands upraised, -his face lifted--the words falling from his lips distinctly audible. I -moved nearer. Before him was a new-made grave--one he had dug -himself--to cover the body of a child who had died at sunset. - -"It was a moment I have never forgotten, and never want to forget. - -"On the hill above me were the men I had left--a frenzied body of -bestial cowards who had dishonored themselves, their race, and their -God; here beside me, huddled together, a group of forest children--spawn -of cannibal and savage--racked with fever, half-starved, many of them -delirious, their souls rising to heaven on the wings of a song. - -"And then the kneeling man himself!--his courage facing death every hour -of the day--alone--no one to help--only his Maker as witness. I tell -you, gentlemen, that when I stood beside him and looked into his eyes, -caught the tones of his voice, and watched the movement of his fingers -patting the last handfuls of earth over the poor little nameless body, -and realized that his only recompense lay in that old line I used to -hear so often when I was a boy--'If ye have done it unto the least of -these, ye have done it unto me'--I could have gone down on my knees -beside him and thanked my Creator that He had sent me to him." - - - - -IX - -IN WHICH MADAME LA MARQUISE BINDS UP BROKEN HEADS AND BLEEDING HEARTS - - -The morning brought us two most welcome pieces of news, one being that -Gaston, his head swathed in bandages, had, with the doctor's approval, -gone home an hour before breakfast, and the other that our now adorable -Madame la Marquise de la Caux, with Marc as gentleman-in-waiting, would -arrive at the Inn some time during the day or evening, the exact hour -being dependent upon her duties at the site of her "ruin." These pieces -of news, being positive and without question, were received with the -greatest satisfaction, Gaston's recovery meaning fresh roses in Mignon's -cheeks and madame's visit giving us another glimpse of her charming -personality. - -That which was less positive, because immediately smothered and sent -around in whispers, were rumors of certain happenings that had taken -place shortly after daybreak. Mignon, so the word ran, before seeking -her little cot the night before, had caught a nod, or the lift of Leà's -brow, arched over a meaning eye, or a significant smile--some sort of -wireless, anyway, with Leà as chief operator, and a private wire to -Louis' room, immediately over Gaston's. What she had learned had kept -the girl awake half the night and sent her skipping on her toes at the -break of dawn to the little passageway at the far end of the court-yard, -where she had cried over Gaston and kissed him good-by, Leà being deaf -and dumb and blind. All this occurred before the horrible old bogie -(Lemois was the bogie), who had given strict orders that everything -should be done for the comfort of the boy before he left the Inn, was -fairly awake; certainly before he was out of bed. - -"By thunder!--I could hardly keep the tears out of my eyes I was so -sorry for her," Louis had said when he burst into my room an hour before -getting-up time. "I heard the noise and thought he was suffering again -and needed help, and so I hustled out and came bump up against them as -they stood at the foot of the stairs. I wasn't dressed for company and -dared not go back lest they should see me, and so I flattened myself -against the wall and was obliged to hear it all. I'm not going to give -them away; but if any girl will love me as she does that young fellow -she can have my bank account. And he was so manly and square about it -all--no snivelling, no making a poor face. 'It is nothing, Mignon--I am -all right. Don't cry,' he kept saying. 'Everything will come out our way -in the end.' By Jove!--I wish some girl loved me like that!" - -Such an expression of happiness had settled, too, on Leà's face as she -brought our coffee, that Herbert caught up his sketch-book and made her -stand still until he had transferred her dear old head in its white cap -to paper. Then, the portrait finished--and it was exactly like her--what -a flash of joy suffused Mignon's face when he called to her and -whispered in her ear the wonderful tale of why he had drawn it and who -was to be its proud possessor; and when it was all to take place, a bit -of information that sent her out of the room and skipping across the -court, her tiny black kitten at her heels. - - -It was, indeed, a joyous day, with every one in high good humor, -culminating in the wildest enthusiasm when the sound of a siren, -followed by the quick "chug-chug" of the stop brake of madame's motor, -announced the arrival of that distinguished woman an hour ahead of time. - -[Illustration: Herbert caught up his sketch-book and ... transferred her -dear old head ... to paper] - -"Ah!--gentlemen!" she shouted out, rising from her seat, both hands -extended before any of us could reach her car, "I have come over to -crown you with laurel! Oh, what a magnificent lot of heroes!--and to -think you saved my poor, miserable little mouse-trap of a villa that has -been trying all its life to slide down hill into the sea and get washed -and scrubbed. No, I don't want your help--I'm going to jump!" and out -she came, man's ulster, black-velvet jockey cap, short skirt, high -boots, and all, Marc following. - -"And now, Monsieur Marc, give me a little help--no, not here--down below -the seat. Careful, now! And the teakwood stand is there too--I steadied -them both with my feet. There, you dear men!"--here she lifted the -priceless treasure above her head, her eyes dancing--"what do you think -of your punch-bowl? This is for your choicest mixtures whenever you -meet, and not one of you shall have a drop out of it unless you promise -to make me honorary member of your coterie, with full permission to -stay away or come just as I please. Isn't it a beauty?--and not a crack -or scar on it--Old Ming, they tell me, of the first dynasty. There, dear -Lemois, put it among your things, but never out of reach." - -She had shaken every one's hand now and was stamping her little feet in -their big men's boots to keep up her circulation, talking to us all the -while. - -"Ah, Monsieur Louis, it was you who carried out my beloved -piano--Liszt played on it, and so did Paderewski and Livadi, -and a whole lot of others, until it gave out and I sent it down -here, more for its associations than anything else. And you too, -Monsieur Herbert"--and she gave him a low curtsy, as befitted his -rank--"you-were-a-_real-major-general_, and saved the life of that poor -young fisherman; and you, Lemois, rescued my darling miniatures and my -books. Yes--I have heard all about it. Oh!--it was so kind of you -all--and you were so good--nothing I really loved is missing. I have -been all the morning feasting my eyes on them. And now let us all go in -and stir up the fire--and, please, one of you bring me a thimbleful of -brandy. I have rummaged over my precious things until I have worked -myself into a perspiration, and then I must drive like Jehu until I get -chilled to the bone. Catch cold!--my dear Monsieur Brierley--I never -catch cold! I should be quite ashamed of myself if I did." - -We were inside the Marmouset now, Marc unbuttoning her outer garments, -revealing her plump, penguin-shaped body clothed in a blouse of -mouse-colored corduroy with a short skirt to match, her customary red -silk scarf about her throat; the silver watch with its leather strap, -which hung from the pocket of her blouse, her only ornament. - -"Take my cap, please," and she handed it to the ever-obsequious Marc, -who always seemed to have lost his wits and identity in her presence. -This done, she ran her fingers through her fluff of gray hair, caught it -in a twist with her hand, skewered it with a tortoise-shell pin, and, -with a "So! that's all over," drew up a chair to the blaze and settled -herself in it, talking all the time, the men crowding about her to catch -her every word. - -"And now how about that young fisherman? Thank you, Monsieur Herbert. -No, that is quite enough; a thimbleful of cognac is just what I -need--more than that I have given up these many years. Come!--the young -fisherman, Lemois. Is he badly hurt? Has he a doctor? How long before he -gets well? Can I go to see him as soon as I get warm? Such a brave -lad--and all to save my miserable jim-cracks." - -Both of Lemois' hands were outstretched in a low bow. "We could do no -less than rescue your curios, madame. Our only fear is that we may have -left behind something more precious than anything we saved." - -"No, I have not missed a single thing; and it wouldn't make any -difference if I had; we love too many things, anyway, for our good. As -to the house--it is too funny to see it. I laughed until I quite lost my -breath. Everything is sticking out like the quills on a mad hedgehog, -and the porch steps are smashed flat up against the ceiling. Oh!--it is -too ridiculous! Just fancy, only the shelf in my boudoir is left where -it used to be, and the plants are still blooming away up in the air as -if nothing had happened. But not a word more of all this!" and she rose -from her seat. "Take me to see the poor fellow at once!" - -Again Lemois bowed, this time with the greatest deference. The exalted -rank of his guest was a fact he never lost sight of. - -"He is not here, madame," he said in an apologetic tone; "I have sent -him home to his mother." - -"Home!--to his mother?--and after my despatch. Oh!--but I could take so -much better care of him here! Why did you do it?" - -"For the best of reasons--first, because the doctor said he might go, -and then because I"--and he lowered his voice and glanced around to see -if Mignon had by any chance slipped into the room--"because," he added -with a knowing smile, "it is sometimes dangerous to have so good-looking -a fellow about." - -"So good of you, Lemois," she flashed back; "so thoughtful and -considerate. Twenty years ago I might have lost my heart, but----" - -"Oh, but, madame--I never for an instant--" He was really frightened. - -"Oh, it was not _me_, then!" and one of her ringing, silvery laughs -gladdened the room. "Who, then, pray?--certainly not that dear old woman -with the white cap who--Oh!--I see!--it is that pretty little Norman -maid. Such a winning creature, and so modest. Yes, I remember her -distinctly. But why should not these two people love each other? He is -brave, and you say he is handsome--what better can the girl have?" - -Lemois shrugged his shoulders in a helpless way, but with an expression -on his obstinate face that showed his entire satisfaction with his own -course. - -Madame read his thoughts and turned upon him, a dominating ring in her -voice. "And you really mean, Lemois, that you are playing jailer, and -shutting up two hearts in different cells?" - -Lemois, suddenly nonplussed, hesitated and looked away. We held our -breaths for his answer. - -"Ah, madame," he replied at last slowly, all the fight knocked out of -him, "it is not best that we discuss it. Better let me know what madame -la marquise will have for dinner--we have waited all day until your -wishes were known." - -"Nothing--not a crumb of anything until I find out about these lovers. -Did you ever know anything like it, gentlemen? Here on one side are -broken heads and broken hearts--on the other, a charming old gentleman -whom I have known for years, and whom I love dearly, playing bear and -ready to eat up both of these young turtle doves. When I remonstrate he -wants to know whether I will have my chicken roasted on a spit or _en -casserole_! Oh, you are too silly, Lemois!" - -"But she is like my daughter, madame," replied Lemois humbly, and yet -with a certain dignity. - -"And, therefore, she mustn't marry an honest young fisherman. Is that -what you mean?" - -Lemois merely inclined his head. - -"And pray what would you make of her--a countess?" - -A grim baffled smile ruffled the edges of the old man's lips as he tried -again to turn the conversation, but she would not listen. - -"No, I see it all! You want some flat-chested apothecary, or some fat -clerk, or a notary, or a grocer, or--Oh, I know all about it! Now do you -go and get your dinner ready--anything will suit me--and when it is over -and Monsieur Herbert is firmly settled in his big chair, with the funny -heads listening to everything we say, I am going to tell you a story -about one of your mismated marriages, and I want you to listen, Monsieur -Bear, with your terrible growl and your great claws and your ugly -teeth. No, I won't take any apologies," and another laugh--a whole chime -of silver bells this time--rang through the room. - -"What a pity it is," she continued after her opponent had left the room, -"that people who get old forget so soon what their own youth has meant -to them. He takes this child, puts a soul into her by his kindness, and -then, when she becomes a woman, builds a fence around her--not for her -protection but for his own pride. It will be so much more _honorable_, -he says to himself, for the great house of Lemois to have one of his -distinguished waifs _honorably_ settled in an _honorable_ home," and she -lifted her shoulders ever so slightly. "Not a word, you will please -note, about the girl or what _she_ wants--nothing whatever of that kind. -And he is such a dear too. But I won't have it, and I'm going to tell -him so!" she added, her brown eyes blazing as her heart went out once -more to the girl. - - -All through the dinner the marquise made no further reference to the -love affair, although I could see that it was still on her mind, for -when Mignon entered and began moving about the room in her demure, -gentle way, her lids lowered, her pretty head and throat aglow in the -softened light, I saw that she was following her every gesture. Once, -when the girl replenished her plate, the woman of birth, as if by -accident, laid her fingers on the serving-woman's wrist, and then there -flashed out of her eyes one of those sympathetic glances which only a -tender-hearted woman can give, and which only another woman, no matter -how humble her station, can fully understand. It was all done so quickly -and so deftly that I alone noticed it, as well as the answering look in -Mignon's eyes: full of such gratitude and reverence that I started lest -she should betray herself and thus spoil it all. - -With the coffee and cigarettes--madame refusing any brand but her -own--"I dry every bit of my tobacco myself," she offered in explanation, -"and roll every cigarette I smoke"--we settled ourselves in pleased -expectation, Herbert, as usual, in the Florentine; our guest of honor -beside a small table which Lemois had moved up for her comfort, and on -which he had placed a box of matches and an ashtray; Brierley stretched -out on the sofa with a cushion at his back; Lemois on a low stool by the -fire; Louis and I with chairs drawn close. Even the big back log, which -had been crooning a song of the woods all the evening, ceased its hum as -if to listen, while overhead long wraiths of tobacco smoke drifted -silently, dimming the glint and sparkle of copper, brass, and silver -that looked down at us from the walls. - -"And now, madame," said Herbert with a smile, when both Leà and Mignon -had at last left the room, "you were good enough to say you had a story -for us." - -"No," she answered gayly. "It is not for you. It is for our dear Lemois -here," and she shook her head at him in mock reproval. "You are all too -fine and splendid, every one of you. You keep houses from tumbling to -pieces and rescue lovers and do no end of beauteous things. He goes -about cutting and slashing heads and hearts, and never cares whom he -hurts." - -Lemois rose from his seat, put his hand on his shirt-front--a favorite -gesture of his--bowed humbly, and sat down again. - -"Yes, I mean it," she cried with a toss of her head, "and I have just -been telling these gentlemen that I am going to put a stop to it just as -soon as I can find out whether this young hero with the broken head is -worth the saving, and that I shall decide the moment I get my eyes on -him. Pass me my coffee, Lemois, and give me my full share of -sugar--three lumps if you please--and put four into your own to sweeten -your temper, for you will need them all before I get through. - -"The story I promised you is one of sheer stupidity, and always enrages -me when I think of it. I have all my life set my face against this -idiotic custom of my country of choosing wives and husbands for other -people. In any walk of life it is a mistake; in some walks of life it is -a crime. This particular instance occurred some twenty years ago in a -little village near Beaumont, where I lived as a girl. Outside our far -gate, leading to the best fields, was the house of a peasant who had -made some thousands of francs by buying calves when they were very -small, fattening them, and driving them to the great markets. He was big -and coarse, with a red face, small, shrewd eyes, and a bull neck that -showed puffy above his collar. He was loud, too, in his talk and could -be heard above every one else in the crowd when the auction sales were -being held in the market. But for his blue blouse, which reached to his -feet, he might have been taken for one of his own steers. - -"The wife was different. Although she was of the same peasant stock, a -strain of gentleness and refinement had somehow crept in. In everything -she was his opposite--a short woman with narrow shoulders and small -waist; a low, soft voice, and a temper so kindly and even that her -neighbors loved her as much as they hated her husband. And then there -was a daughter--no sons--just one daughter. With her my acquaintance -with the family began, and but for this girl I should have known nothing -of what I am going to tell you. - -"It all came about through a little fête my father gave to which the -neighbors and some of the land-owners were invited. You know all about -these festivities, of course. Something of the kind must be done every -year, and my dear father never forgot what he owed his people, and -always did his best to make them happy. On this occasion the idea came -into my head that it would be something of a novelty if I arranged a -dance of the young people with a May-pole and garlands, after one of the -Watteau paintings in our home; something that had never been done -before, but which, if done at all, must be carried out properly. So I -sent to Paris to get the costumes, the wide hats, petticoats, and -all--with the small clothes for the men--and started out to find my -characters. One of my maids had told me of this girl and, as she lived -nearest, I stopped at her house first. Well, the father came in and -blustered out a welcome; then the mother, with a curtsy and a smile, -wiped out the man's odious impression, thanking me for coming, and then -the girl appeared--the living counterpart of her mother except that the -fine strain of gentle blood had so softened and strengthened the -daughter's personality that she had blossomed into a lovely young person -without a trace of the peasant about her--just as any new grafting -improves both flower and fruit. I could not take my eyes from her, she -was so gentle and modest--her glance reaching mine timidly, the lids -trembling like a butterfly afraid to alight; oh, a very charming and -lovely creature--an astonishing creature, really, to be the daughter of -such a man. Before the visit was over I had determined to make her my -prima donna: she should lead the procession, and open the dance with -some gallant of her choice--a promise received with delight by the -family; the girl being particularly pleased, especially with the last -part of it, and so I left them, and kept on my rounds through the -village and outlying district. - -"It was a lovely summer day--in June, if I remember--too late for -May-poles, but I didn't care--and long before the hour arrived our lawn -was thronged with peasants and their sons and daughters, and our stables -and paddocks crowded with their carts and vehicles. My father had -provided a tent where the young people should change their clothes, but -I took my little maid up into my own room, and my femme de chambre and I -dressed her at our leisure. - -"It is astonishing what you find underneath the rough garments worn by -some of our peasants. I have often heard one of my friends--a figure -painter--express the same surprise over his models. What appears in -coarse cloth to be an ill-shaped arm turns out to be beautifully -modelled when bared to the overhead light of a studio. So it was with -this girl. She had the dearest, trimmest little figure, her shoulders -temptingly dimpled, her throat and neck with that exquisite modelling -only seen in a beautifully formed girl just bursting into womanhood. And -then, too, her hair--what a lot of it there was when it was all combed -out, and of so rich a brown, with a thread of gold here and there where -the light struck it; and, more than all, her deep sapphire-blue eyes. -Oh!--you cannot think how lovely they were; eyes that drank you all in -until you were lost in their depths--like a well holding and refreshing -you. - -"So we dressed her up--leghorn hat, petticoats, tiny slippers on her -tiny feet--and they were tiny--even to her shepherdess crook--until she -looked as if she had just stepped out of one of Watteau's canvases. - -"And you may be sure she had her innings! The young fellows went wild -over her, as well as the older ones--and even some of our own gentry -tried to make love to her--so I heard next day. When all was ready she -picked out her own partner, as I had promised she should, a straight, -well-built, honest-faced young peasant whom she called 'Henri'--a year -or two her senior, and whom I learned was the son of a poor farmer whose -land adjoined her father's, but whose flocks and herds consisted of but -one cow and a few pigs. In his pearl-gray short clothes and jacket, -slashed sleeves, and low-cut shoes he looked amazingly well, and I did -not blame her for her choice. Indeed she could not have done better, -perfectly matched as they were in their borrowed plumes. - -"And now comes a curious thing: so puffed up was that big animal of a -father over the impression the girl had made, and so proud was he over -the offers he received shortly after for her hand--among them a fellow -herdsman twenty years her senior--that he immediately began to put on -airs of distinction. A man with such a daughter, he said to himself, was -also a man of weight and prominence in the community; he, therefore, had -certain duties to perform. This was his only child; moreover, was he not -rich, being the owner of more than a hundred head of cattle, and did he -not have money in the banks? Loyette--have I told you her name was -Loyette?--Loyette should marry no one of the young fellows about her--he -had other and higher views for her. What these views were nobody knew, -but one thing was certain, and that was that Henri, whom she loved with -all her heart, and who had danced with her around the May-pole, was -forbidden the house. The excuse was that his people were not of her -class; that they were poor, his father being.... Oh, the same stupid -story which has been told thousands of times and will continue to be -told as long as there are big, thick-necked fathers who lay down the law -with their sledge-hammer fists, and ambitious old gentlemen"--here she -cut her eye at Lemois--"who try to wheedle you with their flimsy -arguments--arguments which they would have thrown in your face had you -tried it on them when they themselves were young. The father forgot, of -course--just as they all forget--that she was precisely the same young -girl with precisely the same heart before the fête as she was after it; -that every rag on her back I had given her; that her triumph was purely -a matter of chance--my going first to his house and thus finding -her--and that on the very next day she had milked the cows and polished -the tins just as she had done since she was old enough to help her -mother. - -"Again that old story was repeated: the mother begged and pleaded; the -girl drowned herself in tears, but the father stormed on. Poor Henri -continued to peep over the fence at Loyette when she went milking, or -met her clandestinely on the path behind the cow sheds, and everybody -was wretched for months trying to make water run uphill. - -"Then Loyette confided in me. I had started to walk to the village and -she had seen me cross the broad road and had followed. Poor child!--I -can see her now, the tears streaming down her cheeks as she poured out -her heart: how she and Henri had always loved each other; how fine and -brave and truthful he was, and how kind and noble: she emptying her -heart of her most precious secret--the story of her first love--a story, -gentlemen"--here the marquise's voice dropped into tones of infinite -sweetness--"which the angels bend their ears to catch, for there is -nothing more holy nor more sublime. - -"I listened, her hand in mine--we were about the same age and I could, -therefore, the better understand--her pretty blue eyes like wet violets -searching for my own--and when her story was all told, I comforted her -as best I could, telling her what I firmly believed--that no father with -a spark of tenderness in his heart could be obdurate for long and not to -worry--true love like hers always winning its way--whereupon she dried -her eyes, kissed my hand, and I left her. - -"What happened I do not know, for I went to Paris shortly after and was -married myself, and did not return to my old home for some years. Then -one day, in the effort to pick up once more the threads of my old life, -there suddenly popped into my mind Loyette's love story. I sent at once -for one of the old servants who had lived with us since before I was -born. - -"'And Loyette--the girl with the big ugly father--did he relent and did -she marry the young fellow she was in love with?' - -"'No, madame,' she answered sadly, with a shake of the head; 'she -married the cattleman, Marceaux, and a sad mess they made of it, for he -was old enough then to be her father, and he is now half paralyzed, and -goes around in a chair on wheels, and there are no children--and -Loyette, who was so pretty and so happy, must follow him about like a -dog tied to a blind man, and she never laughs the whole livelong day. -That was her father's work--he made her do it, and now she must pay the -price.' - -"'And what became of the pig of a father?' I had hated him before; I -loathed him now. - -"'Dead; so is her mother.' - -"'And the young fellow?' - -"'He had to do his service, and was gone three years, and when he came -back it was too late.' - -"'Well, but why did she give in?' - -"'Don't they all have to give in at last? Did the husband not settle the -farm on her, and fifty head of cattle, and the pasturage and barns? Is -not that better for an only daughter than digging in the fields bending -over washing-boards all day and breaking your back hanging out the -clothes? How did she know he would be only a sick child in a chair on -wheels--and this a year after marriage?' - -"'And what did the young fellow do?' - -"'What could he do? It was all over when he came back. And now he never -laughs any more, and will look at none of the women--and it is a pity, -for he is prosperous and can well take care of a wife.' - -"I had it all now, just as plain as day; they had tricked the girl into -a marriage; had maligned the young fellow in the same cowardly way, and -had embittered them both for life. It was the same old game; I had seen -it played a hundred times in different parts of the world. Often the -cards are stacked. Sometimes it is a jewel--or a handful of them--or -lands--or rank--or some other such make-believe. This trick is to be -expected in the great world where success in life is a game, and where -each gambler must look to the cards--but not here among our -peasantry"--and again she shot her glance at Lemois--"where a girl grows -up as innocent as a heifer, her nature expanding, her only ambition -being to find a true mate who will help her bear the burdens her station -lays upon her. - -"I resolved to see her for myself. If I had been wrong in my -surmises--and it were true that so sweet and innocent a creature had of -her own free will married a man twenty years her senior when her heart -was wholly another's--I should lose faith in girl nature: and I have -looked into many young hearts in my time. That her father--big brute as -he was--would have dared force her into such an alliance without her -consent I did not believe, for the mother would then have risen up. -These Norman peasants fight for their children as a bear fights for her -cubs--women of the right kind--and she was one. - -"My own father shrugged his shoulders when I sought his counsel, and -uttered the customary man-like remark: 'Better for her, I expect, than -hoeing beets. All she has to do now is to see him comfortably fixed in -his chair--a great blessing, come to think of it, for she can always -find him when she wants him.' - -"This view of the case brought me no relief, and so the next day I -mounted my horse, took my groom, and learning that her cripple of a -husband had bought another and a larger farm a few kilometres away, rode -over to see her. - -"I shall never forget what I found. Life presents some curious -spectacles, and the ironies of fate work out the unexpected. In front of -the low door of a Norman farm-house of the better class sat a -gray-haired, shrivelled man with a blanket across his knees--his face of -that dirty, ash-colored hue which denotes disease and constant pain. My -coming made some stir, for he had seen me making my way through the -orchard and had recognized my groom, and at his call the wife ran out to -welcome me. My young beauty was now a thin, utterly disheartened, and -worn-out woman who looked twice her age, and on whose face was stamped -the hall-mark of suffering and sorrow. The brown-gold hair, the white -teeth, and deep-blue eyes were there, but everything else was a wreck. - -"When the horses were led away, and I had expressed my sympathy for the -cripple, I drew her inside the house, shut the door, and took a chair -beside her. - -"'Now tell me the whole story--not your suffering, nor his--I see that -in your faces--but how it could all happen. The last time you talked to -me we were girls together--we are girls now.' - -"'Madame la marquise,' she began, 'I----' - -"'No, not madame la marquise,' I interrupted, taking her hand in mine; -'just one woman talking to another. Whose fault was it--yours or -Henri's?' - -"'Neither. They lied about him; they said he would never come back; -then, when he did not write and no news came of him and I was wild and -crazy with grief, they told me more things of which I won't speak; and -one of the old women in the village, who wanted him for her -granddaughter, laughed and said the things were true and that she didn't -mind, and nobody else should; and then all the time my father was saying -I must marry the other'--and she pointed in the direction of the -cripple--'and he kept coming every day, and was kind and sympathetic, -and good to me I must say, and is now, and at last my heart was worn -out--and they took me to the church, and it was all over. And then the -next month Henri came back from Algiers, where he had been ill in the -hospital, and came straight here and sat down in that chair over there, -and looked about him, and then he said: "I would not have come home if I -had known how things were; I would rather have been shot. I cannot give -you all this"--and he pointed to the furniture--"and you did not want -them when we first loved each other." - -"'And then he told me how many times he had written, and we hunted -through my father's chest which I had brought here with me--he had died -that year, and so had my dear mother--and there we found all Henri's -letters tied together with a string, and not one of them opened.' - -"'What did you do?' I asked. - -"'I went at once to my husband and told him everything. He burst into a -great rage; and the two had hard words, and then the next day he was out -in the field and the sun was very hot, and he was brought home, and has -been as you see him ever since.' - -"'And where is Henri?' - -"'He is here on the farm. When the doctor gave my husband no hope of -ever being well again, my husband sent for him and begged Henri's pardon -for what he had said, saying he wanted no one to hate him now that he -could not live; that all Henri had done was to love me as a man should -love a woman, and that, if I would be willing, Henri should take care of -the farm and keep it for me. This was four years ago, and Henri is still -here and my husband has never changed. When the weather is good, Henri -puts him in his chair, the one we bought in Rouen, and wheels him about -under the apple-trees, and every night he comes in and sits beside him -and goes over the accounts and tells him of the day's work. Then he goes -back home, six kilometres away, to his mother's, where he lives.'" - -Madame la marquise paused and shook the ashes from her cigarette, her -head on one side, her eyes half-closed, a thoughtful, wholly absorbed -expression on her face. Lemois, who had listened to every word of the -strange narrative, his gaze fastened upon her, made no sound, nor did he -move. - -"And now listen to the rest: Two years later the poor cripple passed -away and the next spring the two were married. The last time she came -to me she brought her child with her--a baby in arms--but the dazzling -light of young motherhood did not shine in her eyes--the baby had come, -and she was glad, but that was all. They are both alive to-day, sitting -in the twilight--their youth gone; robbed of the joy of making the first -nest, together--meeting life second-hand, as it were--content to be -alive and to be left alone. - -"As for me, knowing the whole story, I had only a deep, bitter, intense -sense of outrage. I still have it whenever I think of her wrongs. God is -over all and pardons us almost every sin we commit--even without our -asking, I sometimes think--but the men and women who for pride's sake -rob a young girl of a true and honorable love have shut themselves out -of heaven." - - - - -X - -IN WHICH WE ENTERTAIN A JAIL-BIRD - - -What effect madame's story had made upon Lemois became at once an -absorbing question. He had listened intently with deferential -inclination of the head, and when she had finished had risen from his -seat and thanked her calmly with evident sincerity, but whether he was -merely paying a tribute to her rare skill--and she told her story -extremely well, and with such rapid changes of tones and gestures that -every situation and character stood out in relief--or because he was -grateful for a new point of view in Mignon's case, was still a mystery -to us. While she was being bundled up by Herbert and Louis for her ride -home, Marc had delivered himself of the opinion that Mignon would have -her lover in the end; that nothing madame had ever tried to do had -failed when once she set her heart and mind to work, and that the banns -might as well be published at once. But, then, Marc would have begun to -set nets for larks and bought both toaster and broiler had the same idol -of his imagination predicted an immediate fall of the skies. That his -inamorata was twenty years his senior made no difference to the -distinguished impressionist; that Marc was twenty years her junior made -not the slightest difference to madame--nor did Marc himself, for that -matter. All good men were comrades to her--and Marc was one: further she -never went. Her rule of life was freedom of thought and action, and -absolute deference to her whims, however daring and foolish. - -Nor did the marquise herself enlighten us further as to what she thought -of Mignon's love affairs or Lemois' narrow matrimonial views. She had -become suddenly intent on having the smashed villa pulled uphill and set -on its legs again, with Marc as adviser and Le Blanc's friend, The -Architect, as director-in-chief--an appointment which blew into thin air -that gentleman's determination to put into dramatic form the new -Robinson Crusoe of which Herbert had told us, with Goringe, the -explorer, as star, the lady remarking sententiously that she had -definite reasons for the restoration and wanted the work to begin at -once and to continue with all possible speed. - -This last Le Blanc told us the next day when he returned in madame's -motor, bringing with him an old friend of his--a tall, sunburned, -grizzly bearded man of fifty, with overhanging eyebrows shading piercing -brown eyes, firm, well-buttressed nose, a mouth like a ruled line--so -straight was it--and a jaw which used up one-third of his face. When -they entered Herbert was standing with his back to the room. An instant -later the stranger had him firmly by the hand. - -"I heard you were here, Herbert," he cried joyously, "but could hardly -believe it. By Jove! It's good to see you again! When was the last time, -old man?--Borneo, wasn't it?--in that old shack outside the town, and -those devils howling for all they were worth." - -Introductions over, he dropped into a chair, took a pipe from his -pocket, and in a few minutes was as much a part of the coterie as if we -had known him all his life: his credentials of accomplishment, of pluck, -of self-sacrifice, of endurance and skill were accepted at sight; the -hearty welcome he gave Herbert, and the way his eyes shone with the joy -of meeting him, completing the last and most important requirement on -our list--good-fellowship. That he had lived outside the restrictions of -civilization was noticeable in his clothes, which were of an ancient cut -and looked as if they had just been pulled out of a trunk where they had -lain in creases for years, which was true, for during the past decade he -had been acting Engineer-in-Chief of one section of the great dam on the -Nile, and was now home on leave. He had, he told us, left London the -week before, had crossed with his car at Dieppe, and was making a run -down the coast by way of Trouville when he bumped into Le Blanc and, -hearing Herbert was within reach, had made bold to drop in upon us. - -When Mignon and Leà had cleared the table, dinner being over, and the -coffee had been served--and somehow the real talk always began after the -coffee--for then Lemois was with us--Herbert looked at The Engineer long -and searchingly, a covetous light growing in his eyes--the look of a -housed sailor sniffing the brine on a comrade's reefer just in from the -sea--and said dryly: - -"Are you glad to get home?" - -"Yes and no. My liver had begun to give out and they sent me to England -for a few months, but I shall have to go back, I'm afraid, before my -time is up. Gets on my nerves here--too much sand on the axles--too much -friction and noise--such a lot of people, too, chasing bubbles. Seems -queer when you've been away from it as long as I have. How do you stand -it, old man?" - -Herbert tapped the table-cloth absently with the handle of his knife and -remarked slowly: - -"I don't stand it. I lie down and let it roll over me. If I ever thought -about it at all I'd lose my grip. Sometimes a longing to be again in the -jungle sweeps over me--to feel its dangers--its security--its -genuineness and freedom from all shams, if you will"--and a strange -haunting look settled in his eyes. - -"But you always used to dream of getting home; I've lain awake by the -hour and heard you talk." - -"Yes, I know," he answered rousing himself, "it was a battle even in -those days. I would think about it and then decide to stay a year or two -longer; and then the hunger for home would come upon me again and I'd -begin to shape things so I could get back to England. Sometimes it took -a year to decide--sometimes two or three--for you can't get rid of that -kind of a nightmare in a minute." - -"You were different from me, Herbert," remarked Le Blanc. "You went to -the wilds because you loved them; I went because they locked the front -and back gates on me. I suppose I deserved it, for nobody got much sleep -when I was twenty. But it sounds funny to have you say it would take you -two years to make up your mind whether you'd come home or not. It -wouldn't have taken me five seconds." - -"Sometimes it didn't take that long," and a quick laugh escaped -Herbert's lips as if to conceal his serious mood. "Those things depend -on how you feel and what has started your thinking apparatus to working. -I walked out of a kraal in Australia one summer's night when the -home-hunger was on me and never stopped until I reached Sydney--the last -hundred miles barefoot. You must have known about it, for I met you -right after"--and he turned to The Engineer, who nodded in an amused -way. "That was before we struck Borneo, if I remember?" - -"Why barefooted, Herbert?" asked Louis, hitching his chair the closer. - -"Because the soles and heels were gone and the uppers were all that were -left." - -"Tell them about it, Herbert," remarked The Engineer with a smile, -pulling away at his pipe. - -"Oh, if you would, Monsieur Herbert! I tried to tell Monsieur High-Muck -about it the night you arrived, but Monsieur Louis' horn put it out of -my head. It is better that he hears it from you"--and the old man's lip -quivered, his face lighting up with admiration. Herbert was his -high-priest in matters of this kind. - -"There is really nothing to tell," returned Herbert. "I was tending -cattle for a herdsman at the time up in the hills--I and a friend of -mine. We had both run away from our ships and were trying the rolling -country for a change, when one of those irresistible, overwhelming -attacks of homesickness seized me, and without caring a picayune what -became of me, I turned short on my tracks and struck out for the coast. -A man does that sort of thing sometimes. I had no money and only the -clothes on my back, but I knew the railroad was some forty miles away, -and that when I reached it I could work my passage into civilization and -from there on to London. - -"The weather was warm and I slept in a cow shack when I found one, and -in the bushes when they got scarce. Finally I reached the railroad. I -had never tried stealing a ride, sleeping on the trucks, hiding in -freight cars, and being put off time and again until the next town was -reached--I had never tried it because it had never been necessary, and -then I hated that sort of thing. But I had no objection to asking for a -lift, telling the agent or conductor the whole story, and I did it -regularly at every station I passed on foot, only to get the customary -oath or jeering laugh. After I had walked about sixty miles I came upon -a water station known as Merton, with a goods train standing by. This -time I asked for a ride on the tender. The engineer met my request with -a vacant stare--never taking his pipe from his mouth. The fireman was a -different sort of man. He not only listened to my story, but handed me -part of the contents of his dinner pail wrapped up in a newspaper--which -I was glad to get, and told him so. Before the train had gone fifty -yards she was side-tracked for orders--which gave me another chance to -get at the fireman. 'I may lose my job if I do,' he said, 'but I've been -up against it myself; come around a little later; it'll be dark soon -and something may turn up.' - -"Something did turn up. While the engineer was oiling under his engine I -got a wink from the fireman, climbed on the tender, crept beneath a -tarpaulin, and rooted down in the coal. There, tired out, I fell asleep. -I was awakened by the whistle of the locomotive, and then came the slow -wheeze of the cylinder head, and we were off. Sleeping on a hard plank -under a car going thirty miles an hour is a spring mattress to lying in -a pile of coal with lumps as big as your head grinding into your back. -Now and then the fireman--not my particular friend, but a man who had -replaced him as I discovered when we whizzed past the light of a -station--would ram his shovel within reach of my ribs--just missing me. -But I didn't mind--every mile meant that much nearer home and less -tramping in the heat and dust to get there. If I could manage to keep -hidden until we reached Sydney I should gain one hundred--maybe two -hundred--miles before morning. - -"About midnight we came to a halt, followed by a lot of backing and -filling--shunting here and there. The safety-valve was thrown wide -open, or the exhaust, or something else, and suddenly the steam went out -of her. Then came a dead silence--not a sound of any kind. Sore as I -was--and every bone in my body ached--I wrenched myself loose, lifted -the edge of the tarpaulin, and peeped out. The engine and tender were -backed up against a building which looked like a round-house; not a soul -was in sight. I slid to the ground and began to peer around. After a -moment I caught the swing of a lantern and heard the steps of a man. It -was a watchman going his rounds. - -"'Warm night,' he hollered when he came abreast of me. He evidently took -me for a fireman, and I didn't blame him, for I was black as -soot--clothes, face, hands, and hair. - -"'Yes,' I said, and stopped. It wouldn't do to undeceive him. Then I -remembered the name of the station where I had boarded the tender. 'Been -hot all the way from Merton. How far is that from Sydney?' - -"'Oh, a devil of a way!' He lifted his lantern and held it to my face. -'Say, you ain't no fireman--you're a hobo, ain't ye?' - -"I nodded. - -"'And you're p'inted for Sydney? Well, it serves ye right for stealin' a -ride; you're eighty-two miles further away than when ye started. That -locomotive is a special and got return orders.'" - -The Engineer threw back his head and roared. - -"Yes, that's it, Herbert. I remember just how you looked when we ran -against each other in Sydney." - -"Not barefooted, were you, old fellow?" remarked Louis in a sympathetic -tone. "That was tough." - -"Barefooted? Not much!" exclaimed The Engineer. "He was quite a nob. -That's why I made up to him; he was so much better dressed than I. And -do you know, Herbert, I never heard a word of you from that time on -until I struck one of your statues in the Royal Academy the other day. I -never thought you'd turn out sculptor with medals and things. Thought -you wanted more room to swing around in. This is something new, isn't -it?" - -Herbert took his freshly lighted cigar from his mouth long enough to -say, "About as new as your building dams. You were trying to get into -the real-estate business when I bid you good-by in Sydney. Did it work?" - -"No, I got into jail instead." - -Everybody stared. - -"What was it all about?" asked Herbert, unperturbed. - -"Stealing!" - -"_Stealing!_" exclaimed Le Blanc. - -"Yes. That was about it," he answered. "Only this time I tried to bag a -government and got locked up for my pains. One of your countrymen"--and -he nodded toward me--"was mixed up in it. By the way"--and he rose from -his chair--"you don't mind my taking this candle, do you?--I've been -looking at something in that cabinet over there all the evening and I -can't stand it any longer. I may be wrong, but they look awfully like -it." - -He had reached the carved triptych, and was holding the flame of the -candle within a few inches of a group of tiny figures--some of Lemois' -most precious carvings--one the figure of a man with a gun. - -"Just as I thought. Prison work, isn't it, Monsieur Lemois? Yes--of -course it is--I see the tool marks. Made of soup bones. Oh, very good -indeed--best I have ever seen. Where did you get this?" - -"They were made by the French prisoners in Moscow," answered Lemois, who -had also risen from his seat and was now standing beside him. "But how -did you know?" he asked in astonishment. "Most of my visitors, if they -look at them at all, think they are Chinese." - -"Because no one, if he can get ivory, makes a thing like this of -bone"--and he held it up to our gaze--"and everybody out of jail who has -this skill _can_ get ivory. I've made a lot myself--never as fine as -these--this man must have been an expert. I used to keep from going -crazy by doing this sort of thing--that and the old dodge of taming -fleas so they'd eat out of my hand. What a pile of good stuff you have -here--regular museum"--and with a searching, comprehensive glance he -replaced the candle and regained his chair. - -I bent forward and touched his elbow. - -"We've entertained all sorts of people here," I said with a laugh, "but -I think this is the first time we have ever had an out-and-out -ticket-of-leave man. Do you mind telling us how it happened?" - -"No; but it wouldn't interest you. Just one of those fool scrapes a -fellow gets into when he is chucked out neck and heels into the world." - -Brierley drew his chair closer--so did Louis and Le Blanc. - -Herbert glanced toward his friend. "Let them have it, old man. We -promise not to set the dogs on you." - -"Thanks. But it wouldn't be the first time. Well, all right if it won't -bore you. Now let me think"--and he lifted his weather-bronzed face, -made richer by the glow of the candles overhead, and began scratching -his grizzly beard with his forefinger. - -"It was after you left Borneo, Herbert, that I came across two -fellows--Englishmen--who told me of some new gold diggings on the west -coast, and I was fool enough to join them, working my passage on one of -the home-going tramp steamers. Well, we thrashed about for six months -and landed on one of the small islands in the Caribbean Sea--the name of -which I forget--where we left the ship and hid until she disappeared. -The gold fever was well out of us by that time, and, besides, I had -gotten tired of scrubbing decks and my two fellow tramps of washing -dishes. The port was a regular coaling station and some other craft -would come along; if not, we could stay where we were. The climate was -warm, bananas were cheap and plenty; we were entirely fit, and--like -many another lot of young chaps out for a lark--did not care a tinker's -continental what happened. That, if you think about it, is the -high-water mark of happiness--to be perfectly well, strong, twenty-five -years of age, and ready for anything that bobs up. - -"This time it was a small schooner with a crew of about one hundred men, -instead of the customary ten or twelve. A third of them came ashore, -bought provisions and water, and were about to shove off to the vessel -again, when one of my comrades recognized the mate as an old friend. He -offered to take us with them, and in half an hour we had gathered -together our duds and had pushed off with the others. The following week -we ran into a sheltered cove, where we began landing our cargo. Then it -all came out: we were loaded to the scuppers with old muskets in cases, -some thousand rounds of ammunition, and two small, muzzle-loading -field-guns. There was a revolution in Boccador--one of the small South -American republics--they have them every year or so--and we were part of -the insurgent navy! If we were caught we were shot; if we got a new flag -on top of Government House in the capital of San Josepho, we would have -a plantation apiece and negroes enough to run it. It sounded pleasant, -didn't it? - -"I'm not going into all the details--it's the story of the jail you -want, not the revolution. Well, we had two weeks of tramping up to our -waists in the swamps; three days of fighting, in which one of the -field-guns blew off its nose, killing the mate; and the next thing I -knew, my two companions and I were looking down the muzzles of a dozen -rifles held within three feet of our heads. That ended it and we were -marched into town and locked up in the common jail--and rightly named, I -tell you, for a filthier or more deadly hole I never got into. It was a -square, two-story building--all four sides to the town--with a patio, or -court, in the centre. Outside was a line of sentries and inside were -more sentries and a couple of big dogs. - -"They put us on the ground floor with a murderous-looking chap for -guard. As the place was packed with prisoners, we three were shoved into -one cell. Every morning at daylight one or two--once six--poor devils -were led out; the big gate was opened, and then there would come a -rattling of rifle-shots, and when the six came back they were on planks -with sheets over them. All this we could see by standing on each other's -shoulders and looking over the grating. - -"Our turn came the morning of the seventh day. The door was unlocked and -we were ordered to fall in. But we didn't go through the big outer gate; -we were led to a door across the yard and into a bare room where another -murderous-looking chap, in a dirty uniform with shoulder-straps and a -sword, sat at a table. On either side of him were two more ruffians, one -with an inkstand. Not a man Friday of them spoke anything but Spanish. -When we were pushed in front of his highness in shoulder-straps, he -looked us over keenly and began whispering to the man with the ink. Then -to my surprise--and before either I or my two friends--one of whom spoke -a little Spanish--could utter a protest--right-about-face, and we were -hustled back into our cell and locked up again. - -"For three days and nights the usual jail things happened: We had two -meals a day--bone soup and a hunk of mouldy bread; the guard tramped in -the dust outside our cell, while at night another took his place--the -dogs prowling or sniffing at the crack of our door; at daylight the -rifle-shots! - -"We had started to work for our release by that time, and by persistent -begging got a sheet of paper, and, with the help of my companion, I -wrote a letter to 'his Excellenza,' as the guard called his nibs, -informing him that we were English tourists who had taken passage for -sheer love of adventure, and demanding that our case be brought to the -attention of the English consul. - -"One week passed and then a second before we were informed by the head -jailer that there _was_ no English consul, and that if there had been it -would have made no difference, as we had been taken with arms in our -hands, and that but for some inquiries put on foot by his Excellenza we -would have been shot long ago. - -"So the hours and days dragged on and we had about started in to make -our wills when, one morning after our slop coffee had been pushed in to -us, the bolts were slid back and the nattiest-looking young fellow you -ever laid your eyes on stepped inside. He was about twenty-four, was -dressed from head to foot in a suit of white duck, and looked as if he -had just cleared the deck of the royal yacht. With him were two -slovenly looking functionaries, one of whom carried a note-book. The -young fellow eyed us all three, sizing us up with the air of a man -accustomed to that sort of thing, and said with an air of authority: - -"'I am the American consul. Your communication was brought to me because -your government is not represented here. You're in a bad fix, but I'll -help you out if I can. Now tell me all about it.' - -"Tell him about it! Why, we nearly fell on his neck, and before he left -he had our whole story in his head and a lot of our letters and cards in -his clothes. They might be of use, he said, in proving that we had not, -by any means, started out to undermine his Supreme Highness's -government. But that under fear of death--and he winked meaningly--we -had been compelled to take up arms against the most illustrious republic -of Boccador. - -"Nine long, weary months passed after this and not another human being -crossed our threshold except the head jailer. When we bombarded him with -questions about the fellow who had passed himself off as the American -consul, and who had stolen our letters and had never shown up -since--damn him!--we had all learned to speak a little Spanish by this -time--he pretended not to hear and, his inspection over, locked the door -behind him. Pretty soon we fell into the ways of all disheartened -prisoners--each man following the bent of his nature. I warded off -sickening despair by carving with my pocket-knife--which they let me -keep as being too small to do them any harm--little figures out of the -beef bones I found in my soup. That's how I came to recognize those in -Monsieur Lemois' cabinet. When I was lucky enough to get hold of a -knuckle bone with a rounded knob at the end, I made a friar with a bald -head, the smooth knob answering for his pate. Other bones were turned -into grotesque figures of men, women, and animals. These I gave to the -sentry, who sent them to his children. Often he brought me small pieces -of calico and I made dresses and trousers for them. When I got tired of -that I trained two fleas--and they were plenty--to play leap-frog up my -arm. - -"When these little diversions failed to drive dull care away, we passed -the time cursing the gentleman in the immaculate cotton ducks. He had -either lied to us, or was dead, or had been transferred--anyway, he had -gone back on us and left us to rot in jail. - -"At last we determined to escape. - -"We had made that same resolution every day for months and had planned -out half a dozen schemes, some of which might have been successful but -for two difficulties--the double guard on the outside of the building -and the two dogs in the jail-yard. There was now but one chance of -success. We would dig a hole in the dirt floor clear under the wall, -watch for a stormy night, and make a break for the town and the coast, -where we might be able to signal some trading craft and so get away. - -"So we started to digging, beginning on the side opposite the door--our -utensils being a sharpened bone, my pocket-knife, and a bayonet which -had dropped from a sentry's scabbard, and which I managed to pick up on -our exercise walk in the court-yard and conceal in the straw on which we -slept. This straw too helped hide the dirt. We rammed the wisps up into -each end of the pallets, put the excavated earth in the middle with a -dusting of loose straw over it, and so hid our work from view. At the -end of a month we had a hole under the wall large enough to wriggle in. -I could see the daylight through the loose earth on the other side. -Then we waited for a storm, the rainy season being on and thunder -showers frequent. Two, three, four nights went by without a cloud; then -it began to pour. We determined to try it just before the guards were -changed. This was at 2 A. M. by the church clock. The outgoing sentry -would be tired then and the new man not thoroughly awake. - -"When the hour came I crawled in head first, worked myself to the end of -the tunnel, and, putting out my hands to break away the remaining clods -of earth, came bump up against a piece of heavy board. There I lay -trembling. The board could never have rolled down from anywhere, nor -could our opening have been detected from the outside. - -"Somebody had placed it there on purpose! - -"I wriggled back feet foremost, whispered in my companions' ears what I -had found, and we all three sat up the rest of the night wondering what -the devil it meant. When morning broke, the head jailer came in. I -noticed instantly a change in his manner. Instead of a few perfunctory -questions, he gave a cursory glance around the cell, his eyes resting on -the pile of straw, and turning short on his heel left without a word. - -"There was no question now but we were suspected, so we held a council -of war and determined to keep quiet--at least for some nights. What was -up we didn't know, but at all events it was best to go slow. So we -stuffed most of the dirt back in the hole and waited--our ears open to -every sound, our teeth chattering. You get pretty nervous in -jail--especially when you have about made up your mind that the next -hour is your last. - -"We didn't wait long. - -"That afternoon the bolts were slid back and the head jailer, who had -never before appeared at that hour, stood in the doorway. - -"I thought right away that it was all over with us; that we were -discovered and that we were either to be shot or moved to another -cell--I really didn't care which, for instant death could not be much -worse than lingering in a South American prison until we were -gray-bearded and forgotten. - -"The jailer stepped inside, half closed the door, and made this -announcement: - -"'The American consul is outside and wants to see you.' Then he stepped -out, leaving the door open. - -"They have a way of coaxing you to escape down in that country and then -filling you full of lead. It's justifiable murder when sometimes a trial -and conviction might raise unpleasant international questions. We all -three looked at each other and instantly decided not to swallow the -bait. The American consul dodge had been tried when they wanted to get -legal possession of our letters. So it isn't surprising that we didn't -believe him. Then, to my astonishment, I caught through the crack of the -door a suit of white duck, and the natty young man stepped in. - -"'I've been down the coast,' he began as chipper as if he was -apologizing for not having called after we had invited him to dinner, -'or I should have been here before. I have a permit from the governor to -come as often as I like, or as often as you would be glad to see me. I -must tell you, however, that I am pledged to keep faith with the -authorities, and it is their confidence in me which has gained me this -privilege. I can bring you nothing to eat or drink, no tools or -knickknacks or any bodily comforts. I can only bring myself. This I have -told his Excellenza, who has his orders, and who understands.' Then he -turned to the jailer. 'Get me a stool and I will stay a while with -them. You can leave the door open; I will be responsible that none of -them attempts to escape.' - -"When the jailer was out of hearing, he passed around cigarettes, -lighted his own, and started in to tell us the news of the day: what was -going on in town and country; how the revolution had been put down; how -many insurgents had been shot, exiled, or sent to horrible -prisons--worse than ours, which, he informed us, was really only a sort -of police station and unsafe except for the dogs and the guards, who -were picked men and who had never been known to neglect their duty. Only -the year before five men had attempted to dig their way out and had been -shot as they were climbing the outside wall--rather dispiriting talk for -us, to say the least, but it was talk, and that was what we hungered -for, especially as his spirits never flagged. - -"All this was more or less entertaining, and he would have had our -entire confidence but for two things which followed, and which we could -not understand. One was that he always chose rainy or stormy nights for -his subsequent visits, dropping in on us at all hours, when we least -expected him; and the other that he never referred to what was being -done for our release. That he would not discuss. - -"By and by we began to grow uneasy and suspect him. One of the men -insisted that he was too damned polite to be honest, and that the -American consul yarn was a put-up job. Anyway, he was getting tired of -it all. It would take him but half an hour to dig the loose earth out of -the tunnel, and he was going to begin right away if he went at it alone. - -"We at once fell to, working like beavers, digging with everything we -had--our fingers bleeding--until we had cleaned out the dirt to the -plank. Then we crawled back and waited for the consul's customary visit. -After that was over--no matter how long it lasted--we'd make the dash. - -"He came on the minute; and this time, to our intense disgust, brought -his guitar--said he thought we might like a little music--and without so -much as by-your-leave opened up with negro melodies and native songs, -the instrument resting in the hollow of his knee, one leg crooked over -the other, a cigarette stuck tight to his lower lip. - -"Hour after hour went by and still he sang on--French, German, -Italian--anything and everything--rolling out the songs as if we had -been so many classmates at a college supper. Charming, of course, had we -not had a hole behind us and freedom within sight. - -"Hints, yawns, even blunt proposals to let us go to bed, had no effect. -Further than these we dared not go. We were afraid to turn him out -bodily lest we should be suspected of trying to get rid of him for a -purpose. To have let him into the secret was also out of the question. -Better wait until he was gone. - -"Would you believe it, he never left until broad daybreak, his -confounded irritating cheerfulness keeping up to the last, even to his -tossing his fingers to us in good-by, quite as he might have done to his -sweetheart. - -"At eight o'clock on that same morning, not more than two hours after he -had left, there came a bang at the door with a sword-hilt, the bolts -were drawn, and we were marched into the court-yard between five -soldiers in command of a sergeant. Then came the orders to fall in, and -we were pushed into the same room where, nearly a year before, we had -been examined by the ruffian in shoulder-straps and sent back to our -cell. - -"And here I must say that, for the first time since our capture, I lost -all hope. Five men for three of us, and two of the cartridges blank! - -"The squad closed in and we were lined up in front of a table before -another black-haired, greasy, villanous-looking reptile who read the -death-warrant, as near as I could make out--he spoke so fast. Then he -rose from his seat, bowed stiffly, and left the room. Next the sergeant -saluted us, ordered his men to fall in, and left the room. Then the -jailer stepped forward, shook our hands all around, and left the room. - -"We were free! - -"Outside, in the broad glare of the scorching sun, his boyish face in a -broad grin, stood the consul, looking as if he had just stepped out of a -bandbox. - -"'I am sorry you found me such a bore last night,' he said, gay and -debonair as an old beau at a wedding, 'but there was nothing else to do. -If I'd gone home earlier and let you crawl out of that hole, you would -have been shot to a dead certainty. I knew a month ago you were at work -on it, and when it was nearly finished I got permission to drop in on -you. The plank that you ran up against I had put there with the help of -the jailer. It was meant to keep you quiet until my mail got in. I was -helpless, of course, to assist you until it did, being my government's -representative. It arrived yesterday, informing me that our State -Department has taken up your cases with your government and has entered -a formal protest. Now all of you come over to the consulate, and let me -see what I can do to fix you out with some clothes and things. - -"'After that we'll have breakfast.'" - - - - -XI - -IN WHICH THE HABITS OF CERTAIN GHOSTS, GOBLINS, BANDITS, AND OTHER -OBJECTIONABLE PERSONS ARE DULY SET FORTH - - -The Engineer's story whetted every one's appetite for more. Lemois, -hoping to further inspire him, left his chair, crossed the room, and -began searching through the old fifteenth-century triptych to find some -object of interest which would start him to talking again as -entertainingly as had the carved soup bones from the Moscow prison. When -he reoccupied his seat he held in his hand a small statuette in -terra-cotta. This he placed on the table where the light fell full upon -it. - -"You overlooked this, I am afraid," he said, addressing The Engineer. -"It is one of the most precious things I own. It is a portrait of Madame -de Rabutin-Chantal, the grandmother of Madame de Sévigné." The Sévigné -family were a favorite topic with the old gentleman, and anything -pertaining to them of peculiar interest to him. "You will note, I am -sure, Monsieur Herbert, the marvellous carving especially in the dress -and about the neck." - -[Illustration: Lemois crossed the room and began searching through the -old fifteenth-century triptych] - -Before Herbert could answer, Louis craned his head and a disgusted look -overspread his face. "I hope," he said, "she didn't look like that, -Lemois--squatty old party with a snub nose." - -Herbert, ignoring Louis' aside, reached over and took the little image -in his fingers. - -"Squatty or not, Louis, it is an exquisite bit--modern Tanagra, really. -Seventeenth century, isn't it, Lemois?" - -Lemois nodded. If he had heard Louis' remark he gave no sign of the -fact. - -"Yes," continued Herbert, "and wonderfully modelled. We can't do these -things now--not in this way"--and he passed it to The Engineer, who -turned it upsidedown, as if it were a teacup, glanced at the bottom in -search of its mark, and without a word handed it back. - -Lemois replaced the precious object in the triptych, his mind still -filled with his favorite topic, and, turning suddenly, wheeled a richly -upholstered chair from a far corner into the light. - -"And here is another relic of Madame Sévigné, monsieur. This is -madame's own chair; the one she always used when she stopped here, -sometimes for days at a time, on her way to her country-seat, Les -Rochers. The room which she occupied, and in which she wrote many of her -famous letters, is just over our heads. If monsieur will shift his seat -a little he can see the very spot in which she sat." - -But The Engineer neither shifted his seat nor rose to the bait. None of -the small things of past ages appealed to him. Even mummies and the -spoil of coffins three thousand years old--and he had inspected many of -them--failed to stir him. It was what was built over them, and the -brains and power that hoisted the stones into place, as well as the -forces of wind and water--the song of the creaking crane--those were the -things that thrilled him. That Herbert, after his career in the open, -had contented himself with a few tools and a mass of clay was what had -most surprised him when he came upon his statues in the Royal Academy. - -So he kept silent until what Louis called the "bric-à-brac moment" had -passed--such discussion often occurring whenever Lemois felt he had a -new audience. Gradually the talk drifted into other channels. Mistaken -identity and the injustice of convictions on circumstantial evidence -were gone into, The Engineer recalling some of his own errors in dealing -with his men in Egypt. At this Le Blanc, wandering slightly from the -main topic, gave an account of a mysterious woman in white who on -certain nights when the moon was bright used to descend the wide -staircase of a French château which he often visited, the apparition -being the ghost of a beautiful countess who had been walled up somewhere -below stairs by a jealous husband, and who took this mode of publishing -her wrongs to the world. Le Blanc had seen her himself, first at the -head of the great staircase and then as she crept slowly down the steps -and disappeared through the solid wall to the left of the baronial -fireplace. His hostess, who affected not to believe in such uncanny -mysteries, tried to persuade him it was merely a shaft of moonlight -stencilled on the white wall, but Le Blanc scouted the explanation and -was ready to affirm on his word of honor that she looked at him out of -her great, round, beseeching eyes, and would, he felt assured, have -spoken to him had not one of the servants opened a door at the moment -and so scared her away. - -I told of a somewhat similar experience in which a strong-minded -Englishwoman, who laughed at ghosts and all other forms of unsavory back -numbers, and a bishop of distinction were mixed up. There was a haunted -room in the Devonshire country house that no one dared occupy. Another -white figure prowled here, but whether man or woman, no one knew. That -it was quite six feet high and broad in proportion, and had at various -times scared the wits out of several nervous and semi-hysterical females -who had passed the night between the sheets, all agreed. As it was the -week-end, there were a goodly number of visitors and the house more or -less crowded. When the haunted room was mentioned, even the bishop -demurred--preferring to take the one across the corridor--he being a -frequent visitor and knowing the lay of the land. The strong-minded -young woman, however, jumped at the chance. She had all her life been -hoping to see a ghost and, in order to allow his or her ghostship free -entrance, had left the door of the haunted room unlocked when she got -into bed. Despite her screwed-up courage she began to get nervous, and -when she heard the door creak on its hinges and felt the cold, clammy -air of the corridor on her cheek, she slid down off her pillow and -ducked her head under the sheet. Then, to her horror, she felt the -blanket slowly slipping away and, peering out, was frozen stiff to see a -tall figure, dressed in white, standing at the foot of her bed, its -long, skinny fingers clutching at the covering. Without even a groan she -passed promptly into a fit of unconsciousness, known as a dead faint, -where, with only a sheet over her, she lay until the cold woke her. She -left by the early coach and believes to this day that she would have -been strangled had she offered the slightest protest. Nor did her -hostess's letter, covering a full explanation, satisfy her. "It was not -a ghost you saw, my dear, but the bishop, who wanted an extra blanket, -and who jumped out of bed in search of one, and into your room, thinking -it empty. It's a mercy you didn't scream, for then the situation could -never have been explained--better say nothing about it, or, if you -do--stick to its being a ghost." - -While these and other yarns were sent spinning around the table, Louis -had cut in, of course, with all sorts of asides--some whispers behind -his hand to his next neighbor--some squibs of criticism exploded without -rhyme or reason in our midst--all jolly and diverting, but nothing -approaching a story short or long. - -My own and Herbert's efforts to draw him out into something sustained -brought only--"Don't know any yarns" and "Never had anything happen to -me"--followed at last by--"The only time I was ever in a tight place was -when I was sketching in Perugia; then I jumped through the window and -took most of the sash with me." - -"Let's have it!" we all cried in one breath. No one was so lively and -entertaining once we got him started. - -"That's all there is to it. They had locked the door on me--three of -them--and when the back of the chair gave out--I was swinging it around -my head--I made a break for out-of-doors." - -"Oh!--go on--go on, Louis!" came the chorus. - -"No, I'd rather listen to you men. I haven't been tattooed in the South -Seas, nor half murdered rounding Cape Horn. I'm just a plain painter, -and my experience is limited, and my three Perugian villains were just -three dirty Italians, one of whom was the landlord who had charged me -five prices for my meal, and tried to hold me up until I paid it--only -a vulgar brawl, don't you see? The landlord had his head in splints when -I passed him the next day." - -"You were lucky to escape," said The Engineer. "They have a way of -knifing you while you are asleep. I had a friend who just got out of one -of those Italian dives with his life." - -"Yes, that was why I was swinging the chair. Hard for any three men to -get at you if its legs and back hold out. Of course a fellow can sneak -up behind you with a knife and then you--By Jingo!--come to think of it, -I _can_ tell you a story! It just popped into my head. You have brought -it all back"--and he nodded to our guest--"about the closest shave--so I -thought at the time--that I ever had in my life. Your ghost stories -don't hold a candle to it--stealthy assassin--intended victim sound -asleep--miraculous escape!--Oh! a blood-curdler!--I was scared blue." - -Everybody shifted their chairs and craned their heads to watch Louis' -face the better, overjoyed that he had at last wakened up. Louis scared -blue--and he a match for any five men--meant a tale worth hearing. - -"It was the summer I made those studies of mountain brooks flowing out -of the glaciers--you remember them, Herbert? Anyway, I was across the -Swiss border, and in a ragged Italian town dumped down on the side of a -hill as if it had been spilt from a cart--one of those sprawled-out -towns with a white candle of a campanile overtopping the heap. The -diligence, about sunup, had dropped me at the exact spot with my traps, -and was hardly out of sight before I had started to work, and I kept it -up all day, pegging away like mad, as I always do when a subject takes -hold of me--and this particular mountain brook was choking the life out -of me, with lots of deep greens and transparent browns all through it, -and the creamy froth of a glass of beer floating on the top. - -"When the sun began to sink down behind the mountains I realized that it -was about time to find a place to sleep. I was at work on a 40 x -30--rather large for out-doors--and, as it would take me several days, I -had arranged with a goatherd--who lived in a slant with stones enough on -its roof to keep it from being blown into space--to let me store my wet -canvas and my palette and box under its supports. I'd have bunked in -with the goats if I'd had anything to cover me from the cold--and it -gets pretty cold there at night. Then again I knew from experience that -a goatherd's sour bread and raw onions were not filling at any price. -What I really wanted was two rooms in some private house, or over a -wine-shop or village store, with a good bed and a place where I could -work in bad weather. I had found just such a place the summer before, on -the Swiss side of the mountains, belonging to an old woman who kept a -cheap grocery and who gave me for a franc a day her two upper rooms--and -mighty comfortable rooms they were, and with a good north light. So I -hung the wet canvas where the goats couldn't lick off my undertones, -shouldered my knapsack, and started downhill to the village. - -"I found that the red-tiled houses followed a tangle of streets, no two -of them straight, but all twisting in and out with an eye on the -campanile, and so I struck into the crookedest, wormed my way around -back stoops, water barrels, and stone walls with a ripening pumpkin here -and there lolling over their edges, and reached the church porch just as -the bell was ringing for vespers. When you want to get any information -in an Italian village, you go to the priest, and if he is out, or busy, -or checking off some poor devil's sins--and he has plenty of it to -do--then hunt up the sacristan. - -"There must have been an extra load of peccadilloes on hand that night, -for I didn't find his reverence, nor the sacristan, nor anybody -connected with the church. What I did find was a chap squatting against -one side of the door with a tray on his lap filled with little medals -and rosaries--and a most picturesque-looking chap he was. His feet were -tied up in raw hides; his head bound in a red cotton handkerchief, over -which was smashed a broad-brimmed sombrero; his waist was gripped with -another to match; his lank body squeezed into a shrunken blue jacket, -and his shambly legs wobbled about in yellow breeches. The sombrero -shaded two cunning, monkey eyes, a hooked nose, a wavering mouth, and a -beard a week old. It was his smile, though, that tickled my funny-bone, -and this happened when he held up the tray for my inspection--one of -those creepy, oily smiles that spread slowly over his dirty, soapy face, -like the swirl of oil and turpentine which floats over a basin of suds -when you wash your brushes. - -"Not a very inviting person;--a loafer, a lazzaroni, a dead-beat of a -dago, really--and yet my heart warmed to him all the same when he -answered me with enough French sandwiched between his 'o's' and 'i's' to -help out my bad Italian. What finally trickled from his wrinkled lips -was the disappointing announcement that no hostelry at all worthy of the -Distinguished Signore existed in the village, nor was there money enough -in the place for any one of the inhabitants to have a surplus of -anything--rooms especially--but there was--here the oily smile overran -the soap-suddy face--a most excellent casino kept by an equally -excellent citizen where travellers were wont to stay overnight; that it -was up a back street--they were all 'back' so far as I had seen--and -that, if the Distinguished Signore would permit, he would curtail the -sale of his religious relics long enough to conduct his D. S. to the -very door. - -"So we started, the vendor of 'helps to piety' ahead and I following -behind, my knapsack over my shoulder. I soon discovered that if the -casino was up a back street he was going a long way round to reach it. -First he dived into an alley behind the mouldy, plaster-pock-marked -church--the candle-stick of the campanile--ducked under an -archway--'_sotto portico_,' he called it--opened out into a field, -struck across a little bridge into another street--hardly a soul about, -nothing alive--nothing except dogs and children--all of which he -explained was a short cut. For some time his dodging made no impression -on me; then the way he rounded the corners and hugged the shadowed side -of the street, away from the few dim lamps, set me to wondering as to -his intentions. What the devil did he mean by picking out these blind -alleys? He must have seen that I was no tenderfoot or tourist who had -lost his way. - -"With this I began to fix certain landmarks in my memory in case I had -to make my way back alone. There was no question now in my mind as to -the town's character. Half the murders and hold-ups in the large cities -are concocted in these villages, and this had rascality stamped all over -it. Every corner I turned looked more forbidding than the last--every -street seemed to end in a trap--the kind of street a scene-painter tries -to produce when he has a murder up a back alley to provide for the third -act. And crooked!--well, the tracks of a bunch of fishworms crawling -out from under a brick were straight compared to it. When I at last -protested--for I was getting ravenous and I must say a trifle -uneasy--the beggar bowed low enough for me to see the tail of his jacket -over his sombrero, and gave as a reason that any other route would have -greatly fatigued the signore, all of which he must have known was a lie. -The fact was that if I had known how to get out of the tangle, I would -have lifted him by the scruff of his neck and the slack of his trousers -and dropped him into the first convenient hole. - -"When he did come to a halt I found myself before a low two-story ruin -of a house--almost the last house in the village, and on the opposite -edge from that which I had entered on my way to the church. It was -evidently a common road house, the customary portico covered with -grape-vines and a square room on the ground floor, containing one or -more tables. In the rear, so I discovered later, was a dreary yard -corralling a few scraggly trees--one overhanging a slanting shed under -which the cooking was done--and below this tree an assortment of chairs -and tables under an arbor, where a bottle of wine and a bit of cheese -or bunch of grapes were served when the sun was hot. - -"It was now quite dark, and my guide had some difficulty in getting his -fingers on the latch of the garden gate. When it swung open I followed -up a short path and found myself in a square room which was lighted by a -single lamp. Under this sat another oily Italian, in his shirt-sleeves, -eating from an earthen bowl. Not a picturesque-looking chap at all, but -a fat, swarthy lump of a man with small, restless eyes, stub nose, and -flabby lips--one of those fellows you think is fast asleep until you -catch him studying you from under his eyebrows, and begin to look out -for his knife. The only other occupant of the room was a woman who was -filling his glass from a straw-covered flask--a thin, flat-bosomed woman -who stooped when she walked, and who sneaked a glance at me now and then -from one side of her nose. I might better have slept in the slant and -bunked in with the goats. - -"My guide bent down and whispered a word in his ear; the man jumped -up--looked me all over--a boring, sizing-up look--like a farmer guessing -the weight of a steer--bowed grandiloquently, and with an upward -flourish of his hand put his house, his fortune, and his future -happiness at my feet. There were bread and wine, and cheese and grapes; -and there were also eggs, and it might be a slice of pork. As for -chicken--he would regret to his dying day that none was within his -reach. Would I take my repast in the house at the adjoining table, or -would I have a lamp lighted in the arbor and eat under the trees? - -"I preferred the lamp, of course, under the trees; picked up the flask -of wine, poured out a glass for my guide, which he drank at a gulp, and -handed him a franc for his trouble. The woman gave a sidelong glance at -the coin and followed him out into the garden; there the two stood -whispering. On her return, while she passed close enough to me to graze -my arm, she never once raised her eyes, but kept her face averted until -she had hidden herself in the kitchen. - -"I had selected the garden for two reasons: I wanted the air and I -wanted to know something more of my surroundings. What I saw--and I -could see now the more clearly, for the moon had risen over the -mountain--were two rear windows on the second floor, their sills level -with the sloping shed, and a tree with its branches curved over its -roof. This meant ventilation and a view of the mountains at -sunrise--always a delight to me. It also meant an easy escape out the -window, over the roof, and down the tree-trunk to the garden, and so on -back to the goatherd if anything unusual should happen. That, however, -could take care of itself. The sensible thing to do was to eat my -supper, order my coffee to be ready at six o'clock, go to bed in one of -these rear rooms, and get back to my work before the heat became -intense. - -"All this was carried out--that is, the first part of it. I had the rear -room, the one I had picked out for myself, not by my choice but by his, -the landlord selecting it for me; it would be cooler, he said, and then -I could sleep with my window open, free from the dust which sometimes -blew in the front windows when the wind rose--and it was rising now, as -the signore could hear. Yes, I should be called at six, and my coffee -would be ready--and 'may the good God watch over your slumbers, most -Distinguished of Excellencies.' - -"This comforting information was imparted as I followed him up a -break-neck stair and down a long, narrow corridor, ending in a small -hall flanked by two bedroom doors. The first was mine--and so was the -candle which he now placed in my hand--and 'will your Excellency be -careful to see that it is properly blown out before your Excellency -falls asleep?' and so I bade him good-night, pushed in the door, held -the sputtering candle high above my head, and began to look around. - -"It wouldn't have filled your soul with joy. Had I not been tired out -with my day's work I would have called him back, read the riot act, and -made him move in some comforts. The only things which could be -considered furniture were a heavy oaken chest and a solid wooden bed--a -box of a bed with a filling of feathers supporting two hard pillows. And -that was every blessed thing the room contained except a toy pitcher and -basin decorating the top of the chest; a white cotton curtain stretched -across the lower sash of the single window; a nail for my towel, a row -of wooden pegs for my clothes, and a square of looking-glass which once -had the measles. Not a chair of any kind, no table, no wash-stand. This -was a place in which to sleep, not sit nor idle in. Off with your -clothes and into bed--and no growling. - -"I walked to the open window, pushed aside the cotton curtain, and -looked out on the sloping shed and overhanging tree, and the garden -below, all clear and distinct in the light of the moon. I could see now -that the tree had either prematurely lost its leaves or was stone dead. -The branches, too, were bent as if in pain. - -"The correct drawing of trees, especially of their limbs and twig ends, -has always been a fad of mine, and the twistings of this old scrag were -so unusual, and the tree itself so gnarled and ugly, that I let my -imagination loose, wondering whether, like the villagers, it was -suffering from some unconfessed sin, and whether fear of the future and -the final bonfire, which overtakes most of us sooner or later, was not -the cause of its writhings. With this I blew out the candle and crawled -into bed, where I lay thinking over the events of the evening and -laughing at myself for being such a first-class ass until I fell asleep. - -"How long I slept I do not know, but when I woke it was with a start, -all my faculties about me. What I heard was the sound of steps on the -shed outside my window--creaking, stealthy steps as of a man's weight -bending the supports of the flimsy shed. I raised myself cautiously on -my elbow and looked about me. The square of moonlight which had -patterned the floor when I first entered the room was gone, although the -moon was still shining. This showed me that I had slept some time. I -noticed, too, that the wind had risen, although very little seemed to -penetrate the apartment, the curtains only flopping gently in the -draught. - -"I lay motionless, hardly breathing. Had I heard aright--or was it a -dream? Again came the stealthy tread, and then _the shadow of a hand_ -crept across the curtain. This sent me sitting bolt upright in bed. -There was no question now--some deviltry was in the air. - -"I slid from under the cover, dropped to the floor, flattened myself to -the matting, worked my body to the window-sill, and stood listening. He -must have heard me, for there came a sudden halt and a quick retreat. -Then all was silent. - -"I waited for some minutes, reached up with one hand and gently lowered -the sash a foot or more, leaving room enough for me to throw it up and -spring out, but not room enough for him to slide in without giving me -warning. If the brute tried it again I would paste myself to the wall -next the sash where I could see him, and he not see me, and as he -ducked his head to crawl in I'd hit him with all my might; that would -put him to sleep long enough for me to dress, catch up my traps, and get -away. - -"Again the step and the shadow. This time he stopped before he reached -the window-sill. He had evidently noticed the difference in the height -of the sash. Then followed a hurried retreating footstep on the roof. I -craned my head an inch or more to see how big he was, but I was too -late--he had evidently dropped to the garden below. - -"I remained glued to the window-jamb and waited. I'd watch now for his -head when he pulled himself up on the roof. If it were the lumpy -landlord, the best plan was to plant the flat of my boot in the pit of -his stomach--that would double him up like a bent pillow. If it was the -brigand with the rosaries, or some of his cut-throat friends, I would -try something else. I had no question now that I had been enticed here -for the express purpose of doing me up while I was asleep. The -mysterious way in which I had been piloted proved it; so did my guide's -evident anxiety to avoid being seen by any of the inhabitants. Then -there bobbed up in my mind the cool, sizing-up glance of the landlord -as he looked me over. This clinched my suspicions. I was in for a scrap -and a lively one. If there were two of them, I'd give them both barrels -straight from the shoulder; if there were three or more, I'd fight my -way out with a chair, as I had done at Perugia. - -"With this I came to a sudden halt and moved to the middle of the room. -There I stood, straining my eyes in the dim light, hoping to find -something with which to brain the gang should they come in a bunch. I -took hold of the bed and shook it--the posts and back were as solid as a -cart body. The chest was worse--neither of them could be whirled around -my head as a club, as I had used the chair at Perugia. Next I tried the -door, and found it without lock or bolt--in fact it swung open as -noiselessly and easily as if it had been greased. The toy pitcher and -basin came next--too small even to throw at a cat. It was a case, then, -of bare fists and the devil take the hindmost. - -"With this clear in my mind, I laid the pitcher on the floor within an -inch of the door, so that the edge would strike it if opened, and again -raised the window high enough for me to jump through. I could, of -course, have dragged the chest across the door, as a girl would have -done, put the basin and pitcher on top, and shoved the head-board of the -bed against the window-sash--but this I was ashamed to do; and then, -again, the whole thing might be a blooming farce--one I would laugh over -in the morning. - -"The question now arose whether I should get into my clothes, walk -boldly down the corridor, and make a break through the kitchen and -square room, with the risk of being stabbed in the garden, or whether I -should stick it out until morning. Inside, I could choose my fighting -ground; outside was a different thing. Then, again, daylight was not far -off. - -"I decided to hold the fort; slipped into my clothes--all but my -coat--packed my knapsack, laid the basin within striking distance of the -pitcher, placed the candle and matches close to my hand, stretched -myself on the bed, and, strange as it may seem to you, again dropped off -to sleep; only to find myself again sitting bolt upright in bed, my -heart pounding away like a trip-hammer, my ears wide open. - -"More footsteps!--this time in the corridor. I slid out of bed, crept to -the door, and pulled myself together. When the pitcher and basin came -together with a clink, he would get it behind the ear--all at -once--ker-chunk! He was so close now that I heard his fingers feeling -around in the dark for the knob. A steady, gentle push with his hand -near the key-hole, and he could then steal in without waking me. Whether -he smelt me or not I do not know, for I made no sound--not even with my -breath--but he came to a dead halt, backed away, rose to his feet and -tiptoed down the corridor. - -"That settled all sleep for the night, and it was just as well, for the -day was breaking--first the gray, pallid light, then the yellow, and -then the rose tint. Nothing like a sunrise to put a fellow's ghosts to -flight. So I picked up the basin and pitcher, unhooked my towel, had a -wash, finished dressing, leaned out of the window for a while watching -the rising sun warm up the little snow peaks one after another, and, -shouldering my trap, started along the corridor and so on downstairs. - -"The pot-bellied lump of a scoundrel was waiting for me in the square -room. He gave me the same keen, scrutinizing look with which he had -welcomed me the night before. This time it began with my hair and ended -at my boots, which were still muddy from the tramp of the previous -evening. - -"'I am sorry, your Excellency,' he said, 'but if you had left your shoes -outside your door I could have polished them; I was afraid of disturbing -you or I should have hunted for them inside.'" - - -Louis, as he finished, settled his big shoulders back in the chair until -it creaked with his weight, and ran his eye around the table waiting for -the explosion which he knew would follow. All we could do was to stare -helplessly in his face. Le Blanc, who hadn't drawn a full breath since -the painter began, found his voice first. - -"And he didn't intend cutting your throat?" he roared indignantly. - -"No, of course not--I never said he did. I said I was scared blue, and I -was--real indigo. Oh!--an awful night--hardly got an hour's sleep." - -"But what about the fellow on the shed, and his footsteps, and the -shadow of the hand?" demanded Brierley, wholly disappointed at the -outcome of the yarn. - -"There was no fellow, Brierley, and no footsteps." This came in mild, -gentle tones, as if the hunter's credulity were something surprising. -"I thought you understood. It was the scraping of the dead tree against -the roof of the shed that made the creaking noise; the hand was the -shadow cast by the end of a bunched-up branch swaying in the wind. The -same thing occurred the next night and on every moonlight night for a -week after--as long as I stayed." - -"And what became of the soap-suddy brigand with the rosaries?" inquired -The Engineer calmly, looking at Louis over the bowl of his pipe, a queer -smile playing around his lips. - -"Oh, a ripping good fellow," returned Louis in the same innocent, -childlike tone--"a real comfort; best in the village outside the -landlord and his wife, with whom I stayed two weeks. Brought me my -luncheon every day and crawled up a breakneck hill to do it, and then -kept on two miles to mail my letters." - -"Well, but Louis," I exclaimed, "what a mean, thin, fake of a yarn; no -point, no plot--no nothing but a string of----" - -"Yes, High-Muck, quite true--no plot, no nothing; but it is as good as -your bogus ghosts and shivering bishops. And then I always had my doubts -about that bishop, High-Muck. I've heard you tell that story before, and -it has always struck me as highly improper. I don't wonder the girl was -scared to death and skipped the next morning. And the gay old bishop! -Felt cold, did he?" and Louis threw back his head and laughed until the -tears rolled down his cheeks. - - - - -XII - -WHY MIGNON WENT TO MARKET - - -It is market day at Dives. This means that it is Saturday. On Friday the -market is at Cabourg, on Wednesday at Buezval, and on the other days at -the several small towns within a radius of twenty miles. - -It means, too, that the street fronting the Inn is blocked up with a -line of carts, little and big, their shafts in the gutter, the horses -eating from troughs tied to the hind axle; that another line stretches -its length along the narrow street on the kitchen side of the Inn which -leads to the quaint Norman church, squeezing itself through a yet -narrower street into a small open square, where it comes bump up against -a huge hulk of a building, choked up on these market days with piles of -vegetables, crates of chickens, boxes of apples, unruly pigs alive and -squealing; patient, tired, little calves; geese, ducks--all squawking; -chrysanthemums in pots spread out on the sidewalk; old brass, old iron; -everything that goes to supply the needs of the white-capped women and -wide-hatted men who crowd every square foot of standing room. - -Market day means, too, that Pierre is unusually busy; and so is Lemois, -and so are Leà and our little Mignon. Long before any one of us were out -of bed this morning, the court-yard was crowded with big red-faced -Norman farmers and their fat wives, all talking at once over their -coffee, each with half a glass of Calvados (Norman apple-jack) dumped -into their cups. At noon, the market over, they were back again for -their midday breakfast, and Pierre, who had been working since daylight -without a mouthful to eat, then placed on a big table in one of the open -kiosks a huge earthen crock, sizzling-hot, filled with tripe, bits of -pork, and chicken--the whole seasoned with onions and giving out a most -seductive and inviting smell when its earthenware cover was lifted. -There were great loaves of brown bread, too, which Lemois himself cut -and served to the guests, besides cold pork in slices and cabbage -chopped into shreds. When each plate was full, and the knives and forks -had begun to rattle, he went indoors for his most precious heirloom--the -square cut-glass decanter with its stopper made of silver buttons cut -from a peasant's jacket and soldered together--and after brimming each -glass, seated himself and took his meal with the others, bowing them out -when breakfast was over--hat in hand--as if they were ambassadors of a -foreign court--gentleman and peasant, as he is--while they, full to -their eyelids, stumbled up into their several carts, their women -climbing in after. - -And a great day it was for an out-door meal or for anything else one's -soul longed for--and they have these days in Normandy in October, when -the fire is out in the Marmouset, the air a caress, and a hunger for the -vanished summer comes over you. So soothing was the touch of the autumn -air, and so lovely the tones of the autumn sky, that Louis hauled out a -sketch-box from beneath a pile of canvases, and tucking one of them -under his arm, disappeared through the big gate in the direction of the -old church. Brierley took down his gun, and, calling Peter, strolled out -of the court-yard promising to be back at luncheon, while Herbert, who -had risen at dawn and walked to Houlgate to bid The Engineer good-by, -dragged out an easy-chair from the "Gallerie," backed it up against the -statue of the Great Louis, and under pretence of resting his legs, -buried himself in a book, the warm sunshine full on the page. - -I, being left to my own devices, waited until the last cart with its -well-fed load of Norman farmers had turned the corner of the Inn and -quiet reigned again; and remembering that I was host, sought out our -landlord and put the question squarely as to what objections, if any, -he, the lord of the manor, had to our lunching out of doors too, and at -the same table on which Pierre had placed the big crock and its -attendant trimmings. - -"Of course, my dear Monsieur High-Muck, you shall all lunch in the -court, but the menu shall be better adapted to your more gentle -appetites than the one prepared for our departed guests. I am at this -moment paying the penalty for my share of the indigestible mess--but -then I could not hurt their feelings by refusing--and so I have a queer -feeling here"--and he ironed his waistcoat with the flat of his hand, -his eyes upraised as if in pain. "But let me think--what shall it be -to-day? I have a fish which Mignon, who has just gone to the market, -will bring back, because I could not go myself nor spare Leà. Those -big-eating people came so early and stayed so late. After the fish we -will have Poulet Vallèe D'auge, with stewed celery, and at last a Pêche -Flambée--and it will be the last time, for the late peaches are about -over. And now about the wine--will you pick it out or shall I? Ah!--I -remember--only yesterday I found a few bottles of Moncontour Vouvray at -the bottom of a shelf in my old wine-cellar. It will bring fresh courage -to your hearts. When it does not do that, and you have only dull despair -or thick headaches, it should be poured out on the ground"--having -delivered which homily, the old man, with his eye on Coco asleep on his -perch, sauntered slowly up the court in the direction of the -wine-cellar, from which he emerged a few minutes later bearing two -dust-encrusted bottles topped with yellow wax--a distinguishing mark -which he himself had placed there some twenty years before and had -forgotten. - -So while Herbert read on, only looking up now and then from his book, -Leà and I set the table, stripping it of its rough, heavy dishes, -swabbing it off with a clean, water-soaked towel--I did the swabbing and -Leà held the basin--bringing from the Marmouset our linen and china, -then dragging up the big wooden chairs, which were rain-proof and never -housed. - -We missed Mignon, of course. Buying a fish, and the market but half a -dozen blocks away, should not require a whole hour for its completion, -especially since she had been told to hurry--more especially still, -since Pierre's pot was on the boil awaiting its arrival, Louis and -Brierley having returned hungry as bears. Indeed I had already started -in to ask Lemois the plump question as to what detained our Bunch of -Roses, when Leà's thin, sharp, fingers clutched my coat-sleeve, her eyes -on Lemois. What she meant I dared not ask, but there was no doubt in my -mind that it had to do with the love affair in which every man of us was -mixed up as coconspirator--a conclusion which was instantly confirmed -when I looked into her shrivelled face and caught the joyous, lantern -flare behind her eyes. - -Waiting until we were out of hearing, Lemois having gone to the kitchen, -she answered with a shake of her old head: - -"Mignon loiters because Gaston is well again." - -"But he has never been ill. That crack on his head did him a lot of -good--hurt Monsieur Lemois, I fancy, more than it did Gaston--set him to -thinking--maybe now it will come out all right." - -"No; it only made him the more obstinate; he has forbidden the boy the -place." - -"And is that why you are so happy?" - -The shrewd, kindly eyes of the old woman looked into mine and then a -sudden smile flung a myriad of wrinkles across her face. - -"I am happy, monsieur," she whispered as I followed her around the table -with the box of knives and forks, "because things are getting brighter. -Gaston has a stall now in the market where he can sell his fish himself, -and where Mignon can see him once in a while. She is with him now. You -know the hucksters paid him what they pleased, and sometimes, even when -Gaston's catch was big, he made only a few francs some mornings. And the -mother and he were obliged to take what they could get, for you cannot -wait with fish when the weather is hot. To buy the stall and pay for it -all at once was what troubled them, so it is a great day for -Gaston--Monsieur Gaston Duprè now"--and her eyes twinkled. "Even if -Monsieur Lemois holds out--and he may, after all--then there may be -another way. Is it not so? Ah, we will see! She is very happy now. Only -I am getting nervous; she stays so long I am afraid that Monsieur Lemois -may find out," and she shot an anxious glance up the garden. - -"What did the stall cost, Leà?" I asked, flattening the knives beside -the plates as I talked, my eye on the kitchen door so Lemois should not -surprise us. - -"Oh, a great sum--one hundred and ten francs. Two knives here, if you -please, monsieur." - -"Well, where did it come from--their savings?" obeying her directions as -I spoke. - -"No--not his money nor his mother's; she could not spare so much. She -must be buried some time, and there must always be money enough for -that. All Gaston knows is that the chief of the market came to his house -and left the receipt with the permit. It is for a year." - -"Well--somebody must have paid. Who was it?" I had finished with the -knives and had begun on the forks and tablespoons. - -"Yes--there was somebody, perhaps it was madame la marquise?" and she -turned quickly and looked into my eyes, an expression of shrewd inquiry -adding a new set of wrinkles to her gentle face. "Maybe you know, -monsieur?" - -"No, it's all news to me. I am glad for her sake, anyhow, whoever did -it. Was it news to Mignon?" - -"When?" - -"Why this morning when she went to market?" - -"Yes, of course it was news to her. I, myself, only knew it last night, -and I wouldn't tell her; she would have betrayed herself in her joy. So -when the market people stayed so long--and I did all I could to make -them stay"--here her small bead eyes were pinched tight in merriment--"I -said there was nothing for your dinner and we must have a fish and that -Mignon might better go for it. Watch her when she returns: her face will -tell you whether she has seen him or not. Now give me the box, monsieur, -and thank you for helping me. Listen! There she comes; I hear her -singing." - -And so did the whole court-yard, and she kept on singing, her basket on -her arm, her face in full sunlight, until she espied Leà. Then down -went the fish and away she flew, throwing her arms around the dear old -woman's neck, not caring who saw her; hugging her one minute, kissing -her seamed cheeks the next, chattering like a magpie all the time, her -eyes flashing, her cheeks red as two roses. - -Only when Lemois appeared in the kitchen door and bent his steps toward -us did her customary demureness return, and even then the joy in her -heart was only stifled for the moment by a fear of his having overheard -her song and of his wondering at the cause. - -And if the truth be told, he did come very near finding out when -luncheon was served, and would have done so but for the fact that I -upset Le Blanc's glass of Vouvray and followed up the warning with a -punch below his fat waist-line when he began telling us how sorry he was -for being late, he having made a wide détour to avoid the market carts, -winding up with: "And oh, by the way, I met your little maid, Mignon, in -the fish-market; she was having a beautiful time with a young fisherman -who----" - -It was here the dig came in. - -"Ouch! What the devil, High-Muck, do you mean? Oh, I understand--yes, as -I was saying"--here he stole a glance at Lemois--"I met Mignon in the -market; she was buying a beautiful fish. I hope, Monsieur Lemois, we are -to have it for dinner. Don't bother, Leà, about the spilt wine; just get -me a fresh glass. And, Louis, do you mind letting go that crusting of -cobwebs so I can get another taste of that nosegay?" and thus the day -was saved. - -We broke loose, however, when Lemois was gone, and I told the whole -story as Leà had given it, Louis, in his customary rôle of toast-master, -rising in his seat and pledging the young couple, whose health and -happiness we all drank, Brierley whistling the Wedding March to the -accompaniment of a great clatter of knives and forks on the plates. - -In fact, the very air seemed so charged with uncontrollable exhilaration -that Coco, the oldest and most knowing of birds--he is sixty-five and -has seen more love-making from his perch in the dormer overlooking that -same court-yard than all the chaperones who ever lived--suddenly broke -out into screams of delight, ruffling his feathers, curling up his -celery sprout of a topknot, his eyes following Mignon, his head cocked -on one side, when she raced back and forth from Pierre's range to our -big table. Even Tito, the scrap of a black kitten, who was never three -feet away from Mignon's heels, dodged in and out of her swaying -petticoats in mad chase after her restless feet, and would not be -quieted until she stopped long enough to take him up in her arms for a -moment's cuddling. - -Of none of all this, thank Heaven, did Lemois have the faintest glimmer -of a suspicion. When on her return from market he had scolded her for -being late, he had taken her silence only as proof that she thought she -deserved it. When he would have broken out on her again, suddenly -remembering that our coffee was likely to be delayed, Herbert, to whom I -had whispered my discovery--diplomat as he was--begged him to delay the -serving of it until it could be poured directly from the pot into our -cups, as the air of the court would chill it. All of which, Heaven be -thanked again, Mignon overheard, sending her flying back to the kitchen, -her eyes aglow with the happiness of a secret that filled her heart to -bursting. - -When she at last appeared with the coffee-pot, so contagious was her joy -that our extended hands trembled as we held the tiny cups beneath her -fingers. Somehow we had caught a little of her thrill. And it was all -so evident and so marvellous and so inspiring that every man Jack of us, -blighted old bachelors as we were, fell to wondering whether, after all, -it would not have been better to have bent the neck to the yoke and had -a running-mate beside us than to have continued our dreary trot in -single harness. - - - - -XIII - -WITH A DISSERTATION ON ROUND PEGS AND SQUARE HOLES - - -Work on the wrecked villa of madame la marquise was progressing with a -vim. The Engineer, called in consultation, had with a comprehensive -grasp of the situation brushed aside the architect's plan of shoring up -one end of the structure at a time; had rigged a pair of skids made from -some old abandoned timber found on the beach and with a common ship's -windlass, a heavy hawser, and a "Heave ho, my hearties!"--to which every -loose fisherman within reach lent a hand--had dragged the ruin up the -hill and landed it intact on level ground some twenty feet back from its -former site. This done--and it was accomplished in a day--the porch was -straightened and the lopsided walls forced into place. With the -exception of the collapsed chimney, the former residence of the -distinguished lady was not such a wreck as had been supposed. - -Next followed the slicing off of the raw edge of the landslide, the -building of a fence, and, later on, the preparation of a new garden. -This last was to be madame's very own, and neither care nor cost was to -be considered in its making. She could sleep in a garage--she had slept -there since the catastrophe--and take her meals from the top of a barrel -(which was also true), but a garden meant the very breath of her -life--flowers she must have--flowers all the time, from the first crocus -to the last October blossoms. Marc, now her abject slave, was then at -Rouen arranging for their shipment. The daily news--such as twenty or -more men at work, the chimney half finished, the fence begun, etc., -etc.--Le Blanc, who was constantly at the site, generally brought us at -night, his report being received with the keenest zest, for the marquise -was now counted as the most delightful of our coterie. - -His very latest and most important bulletin set us all to -speculating;--the old garage--here his voice rose in intensity--was to -be moved back some fifty feet and a new wing added, with bedroom above -and a kitchen below. "A new garage!" we had all exclaimed. Who then was -to occupy it? Not madame, of course, nor her servants, for they, as -heretofore, would be quartered in the reconstructed villa. Certainly -not any of her visitors--and most assuredly not Marc! - -"Take my advice and stop guessing," laughed the Frenchman; "she'll tell -you when she gets ready, and not before. And she'll have the wing -completed on time, for nothing daunts her. To want a thing done is, with -her, to have it finished. The new wing was an after-thought, and yet it -did not delay the work an hour. She'll be serving tea in that wreck next -week." - -"It is because madame la marquise was born with a gift," remarked Lemois -dryly from his seat near the fire. "Her mind is constructive, and -everything madame touches must have a definite beginning and lead up to -a definite ending. Her sanity is shown in her never trying to do things -for which she is not fitted. As a musician, or a painter, or even a -sculptor, or in any occupation demanding a fine imagination, madame, it -seems to me, would have been a pathetic failure." - -"How about an antiquary?" remarked Louis, blowing a ring of smoke across -the table, a quizzical smile lighting up his face. - -"As an antiquary, my dear Monsieur Louis, the eminent lady would have -been a pronounced success. She is one now, for she insists on knowing -that the thing she buys is genuine, and it saves her many absurdities. I -can think of nothing in her collection that can be questioned--and I -cannot say that of my own." - -"And so you don't believe that a man or a woman can make what they -please of themselves?" asked Herbert, who was always glad to hear from -Lemois. - -"Not any more than I believe that tulip bulbs will grow blackberries if -I water them enough." - -"It's all a question of blood," essayed Le Blanc, snipping the end from -his cigar with a gold cutter attached to his watch-chain. "Failures in -life are almost always due to a scrap of gray tissue clogging up a -gentleman's brain, which, ten chances to one, he has inherited from some -plebeian ancestor." - -"Failures in life come from nothing of the sort!" blurted out Louis. -"It's just dead laziness, and of the cheapest kind. All the painters I -knew at Julien's who waited for a mood are waiting yet." - -"The trouble with most unsuccessful men," volunteered Brierley, "is the -everlasting trimming up of a square peg to make it fit a round hole." - -"Then drive it in and make it fit," answered Louis. "It will hug all the -tighter for the raw edges it raises." - -"And if it splits the plank, Louis?" I asked. - -"Let it split! A man, High-Muck, who can't make a success of his life is -better out of it, unless he's a cripple, and then he can have my -pocket-book every time. Look at Herbert!--he's forged ahead; yet he's -been so hungry sometimes he could have gnawed off the soles of his -shoes." - -"Only the imagination of the out-door painter, gentlemen," answered -Herbert with a laughing nod to the table at large. "The hungry part is, -perhaps, correct, but I forget about the shoes." - -"I stick to my point!" exclaimed Le Blanc, facing Herbert as he spoke. -"It's blood as well as push that makes a man a success. When he lacks -the combination he fails--that is, he does nine times out of ten, and -that percentage, of course, is too small to trust to." - -"That reminds me of a story," interrupted Brierley with one of his quiet -laughs, "of some fellows who took chances on the percentage, as Le -Blanc calls it, and yet, as we Americans say, 'arrived.' A well-born -young Englishman, down on his luck, had been tramping the streets, too -proud to go home to his father's house, the spirit of the hobo still in -him. One night he struck up an acquaintance with another young chap as -poor and independent as himself. Naturally they affiliated. Both were -sons of gentlemen and both vagabonds in the best sense. One became a -reporter and the other a news-gatherer. The first had no dress suit and -was debarred from state functions and smart receptions; the second -boasted not only a dress suit useful at weddings, but a respectable -morning frock-coat for afternoon teas. The two outfits brought them -lodgings and three meals a day, for what the dress suit could pick up in -the way of society news the man with the pen got into type. Things went -on this way until August set in and the season closed; then both men -lost their jobs. For some weeks they braved it out, badgering the -landlady; then came the pawning of their clothes, and then one meal a -day, and then a bench in St. James's Park out of sight of the bobbies. -This being rock bottom, a council of war was held. The news-gatherer -shipped aboard an outgoing vessel and disappeared from civilization. The -reporter kept on reporting. Both had courage and both had the best blood -of England in their veins, according to my view. Twenty years later the -two met at a drawing-room in Buckingham Palace. The reporter had risen -to a peer and the news-gatherer to a merchant prince. There was a hearty -handshake, a furtive glance down the long, gold-encrusted corridor, and -then, with a common impulse, the two moved to an open window and looked -out. Below them lay the bench on which the two had slept twenty years -before." - -"Of course!" shouted Le Blanc; "that's just what I said--a case of good -blood--that's what kept them going. They owed it to their ancestors." - -"Ancestors be hanged! It was a case of pure grit!" shouted Louis in -return. "All the blood in the world wouldn't have helped them if it -hadn't been for that. Neither of them expected, when they started out in -life, to be shown up six flights of marble stairs by a hundred flunkeys -in silk stockings, but, as Brierley puts it, 'they _arrived_ all the -same.' Blood alone would have landed them as clerks in government pay -or obscure country gentlemen waiting for somebody to die. They kept on -driving in the peg and before they got through all the chinks were -filled. Keep your toes in your pumps, gentlemen. High-Muck is loaded for -something; I see it in his eyes. Go on, High-Muck, and let us have it. -How do you vote--blood or brains?" - -"Neither," I answered. "Lemois is nearest the truth. You can't make a -silk purse out of--you know the rest--neither can you force a man, nor -can he force himself, to succeed in something for which he is not -fitted. All you do is to split the plank and ruin his life. I'll tell -you a story which will perhaps give you and idea of what I mean. - -"Perhaps five years ago--perhaps six--my memory is always bad for -dates--I met a fellow in one of our small Western cities at home who, by -all odds, was the most brilliant conversationalist I had run across for -years. The acquaintance began as my audience--I was lecturing at the -time--left the room and was continued under the sidewalk, where we had a -porter-house steak and a mug apiece, the repast and talk lasting until -two in the morning. Gradually I learned his history. He had started -life as a reporter; developed into space writer, then editor, and was -known as the most caustic and brilliant journalist on any of the Western -papers. With the death of his wife, he had thrown up this position and -was, when I met him, conducting a small country paper. - -"What possessed me I don't know, but after seeing him half a dozen times -that winter--and I often passed through his town--I made up my mind that -his brilliant talk, quaint philosophy, and mastery of English were -wasted on what he was doing, and that if I could persuade him to write a -novel he would not only drop into the hole his Maker had bored for him, -but would make a name for himself. All that he had to do was to _put -himself into type_ and the rest would follow. Of course he protested; he -was fifty years old, he said, had but little means, no experience in -fiction, his work not being imaginative but concerned with the weightier -and more practical things of the day. - -"All this made me only the keener to do something to drag him out of the -pit and start him in a new direction. - -"The first thing was to make him believe in himself. I pooh-poohed the -idea of his failure to succeed at fifty as being any reason for his not -acquiring distinction at sixty, and counted on my fingers the men who -had done their best work late in life. Taking up some of the editorials -he had sent me (undeniable proofs, so he had maintained, of his -inability to do anything better or, rather, different), I picked out a -sentence here and there, reading it aloud and dilating on his choice of -words; I showed him how his style would tell in an up-to-date novel, and -how forceful his short, pithy epigrams would be scattered throughout its -text. - -"Little by little he began to enthuse: I had kindled his -pride--something that had lain dormant for years--and the warmth of its -revival soon sent the blood of a new hope tingling through his veins. He -now confessed that he _had_ always wanted to write sustained fiction -without ever having had either the opportunity or the strength to begin. -Inspired by my efforts, others of his friends at home joined in the -bracing up, recognizing as I had done the charm and quality of the -man--his wit and tenderness, his philosophy and knowledge of the life -about him. They forgot, of course, as had I, that in fiction--and in all -imaginative literature for that matter--something more is required than -either a knowledge of men or the ability for turning out phrases. As an -actor steps in between the dramatist and the audience--visualizing and -vitalizing the text by deft gestures, telling emphases, and those silent -pauses often more effective than the speech itself--so must the author -with his pen: in other words, he must infuse into the written word -something that presents to you in print that which the actor makes you -_see_ beyond the footlights. This, however, you men know all about, so I -won't dilate on it. - -"Well, he started in and threw himself into the task with a grip and -energy of which I had not thought him capable. It took him about six -months to finish the novel; then he came East and laid the manuscript in -my hands. We shut ourselves up in my study and went over it. When I -suggested that a page dragged, he would snatch it from my hand, square -himself on my hearth-rug with his back to the fire, and read it aloud, -pumping his personality into every line. Conversations which, when I -read them, had seemed long-winded and commonplace took on a new meaning. -When he had gone to bed I reread the passages and again my heart sank. - -"The publisher came next, I delivering the manuscript myself with all -the good things I could say about it. - -"At the end of the week that ominous-looking white coffin of an envelope -in which so many of our hopes are buried, and which most of us know so -well, was laid on my study table, and with it the short obituary notice: -'Not adapted to our uses.' - -"I was afraid to tell him, and didn't. I arranged a dinner instead for -the three of us--the editor, whom he had not yet met, being one. During -the meal not a word was said about the rejected novel. I had cautioned -the author--and, of course, the editor never brought his shop to a -dinner-table. - -"After the cigars I took up the manuscript and the discussion opened. -The editor was very frank, very kind, and very helpful. He had wanted to -publish it, but there were long passages--essays, really--in which the -reader's galloping interest would get stalled. Experience had taught him -that it was slow-downs like these that mired so much of modern fiction. - -"'Which passages, for instance,' I asked rather casually. - -"'Well, the part which--Hand me the manuscript and I will----' - -"'No; suppose my friend reads it--you have enough of that to do all -day.' - -"Just as I expected, the reader's personality again transformed -everything. The long-winded descriptions under the magic of his voice -seemed too short, while every conversation thought dull before appeared -to be illumined by a hidden meaning tucked away between the lines. - -"When the editor left at midnight the coffin was in his pocket. Two days -later the book department forwarded a contract with a check for five -hundred dollars as advance royalties. - -"There was no holding my friend down to earth after that. His joy and -pride in that shambling, God-forsaken, worthless plodder whom he had -despised for years was overwhelming. He was like a boy out of school. -Stories which he had forgotten were pulled out of the past and given -with a humor and point that dazzled every one around my study fire. -Personal reminiscences of politicians he had known, and campaigns he had -directed from his editorial chair, were told in a way that made them -live in our memories ever after. Never had any of my friends met so -delightful and cultivated a man. - -"The next day he went back to his home town carrying his enthusiasm with -him. - -"In two months the usual book notices began to crop out in the -papers--all written in the publisher's establishment--a fact which he -must have known, but which, from his enthusiastic letters, I saw he had -overlooked. His own village papers reprinted the notices with editorial -comments of their own--'Our distinguished fellow-citizen,' etc.--that -sort of thing. - -"These were also forwarded to me by mail with renewed thanks for the -service I had done him--he, the 'modern Lazarus snatched from an early -grave.' When a bona fide reviewer noticed the book at all, it was in -half a dozen lines, with allusions to the amateurishness of the -effort--'his first and, it is hoped, his last,' one critic was brutal -enough to add. When one of these reached him, it was dismissed with a -smile. He knew what he had done, and so would the world once the book -got out among the people. - -"Then the first six months' account was mailed him. The royalty sales -had not reached one-half of the first payment! - -"He sat--so his brother told me afterward--with the firm's letter in -his hand, and for an hour never opened his lips. That afternoon he went -to bed; in three months he was dead! It had broken his heart. - -"I, too, sat with a paper in my hand--his brother's telegram. Had I done -right or wrong? I am still wondering and I have not yet solved the -question. Had I never crossed his path and had he kept on in his -editor's chair, giving out short, crisp comments on the life of the day, -he would, no doubt, be alive and earning a fair support. I had attempted -the impossible and failed. The square peg in the round hole had split -the plank!" - -"Better split it," remarked Louis, "than stop all driving. Poor fellow, -I'm sorry for him; nothing hurts like having your pride dragged in the -mud, and nothing brings keener suffering--I've seen it and know. Why -didn't you brace him up again, High-Muck?" - -"I did try, but it was too late. Just before he died he wrote me the old -refrain: 'At twenty-five I might have weathered it, but not at fifty.'" - -Herbert drew his chair closer, assuming his favorite gesture, his hands -on the edge of the table. - -"I say 'poor fellow' too, Louis, but High-Muck has not put his finger on -the right spot. It was not the man's pride that was wounded; nor did he -die of a broken heart. He died because he had not reached his pinnacle, -and that is quite a different thing. What blinded him and destroyed his -reason--for it cannot be thought very sensible for a man to abandon a -certain fixed income for a rainbow--was not your reviving his belief in -himself, but your giving him, for the first time, an opportunity to -spread his wings. But for that you could not have persuaded him to write -a line. The pitiful thing was that the wings were not large -enough--still they were _wings_ to be used in the air of romance, and -not legs with which to tread the roads of the commonplace, and he knew -it. He had felt them growing ever since he was a boy. It is only a -question of the spread of one's feathers, after all, whether one -succeeds soaring over mountains with a view of the never-ending Valley -of Content below, or whether one keeps on grovelling in the mud." - -As Herbert paused a tremulous silence fell upon the group. That he, of -all men, should thus penetrate, if not espouse, the cause of -failure--the hardest of all things for a man of phenomenal success to -comprehend or excuse in his fellows--came as a new note. - -"To illustrate this theory," he continued, unconscious of the effect he -had produced, "I will tell you about a man whom I once came across in -one of the studios of Paris, back of the Pantheon. All his life he had -determined to be a sculptor--and when I say 'determined' I mean he had -thought of nothing else. By day he worked in the atelier, at night he -drew from a cast--a custom then of the young sculptors. In the Louvre -and in the Luxembourg--out in the gardens of the Tuileries--wherever -there was something moulded or cut into form, there at odd hours you -could always find this enthusiast. At night too, when the other students -were trooping through the Quartier, breaking things or outrunning the -gendarmes, this poor devil was working away, doing Ledas and Venuses and -groups of nudes, with rearing horses and chariots,--all the trite -subjects a young sculptor attempts whose imagination outruns his -ability. - -"Year after year his things would come up before the jury and be -rejected; and they deserved it. Soon it began to dawn on his associates, -but never on him, that, try as he might, there was something lacking in -his artistic make-up. With the master standing over him advising a bit -of clay put on here, or a slice taken off there, he had seemed to -progress; when, however, he struck out for himself his results were most -disheartening. It was during this part of his life that I came to know -him. He was then a man of forty, ten years younger than your dead -novelist, High-Muck, and, like him, a man of many sorrows. The -difference was that all his life my man had been poor; at no time for -more than a week had he ever been sure of his bread. As he was an expert -moulder and often gratuitously helped his brother sculptors in taking -casts of their clay figures, he had often been begged to accept -employment at good wages with some of the stucco people, but he had -refused and had fought on, preferring starvation to _pâtisserie_, as he -called this kind of work. - -"Nor had he, like your novelist, happiness to look back upon. He had -married young, as they all do, and there had come a daughter who had -grown to be eighteen, and who had been lost in the whirl--slipped in the -mud, they said, and the city had rolled over her. And then the wife died -and he was alone. The girl had crept up his stairs one night and lay -shivering outside his door; he had taken her in, put her to bed, and -fed her. Later on her last lover discovered by chance her hiding-place, -and in the mould-maker's absence the two had found the earthen pot with -the few francs he owned and had spent them. After that he had shut his -door in her face. And so the fight went on, his ideal still alive in his -heart, his one purpose to give it flight--'soaring over the heads of the -millions,' as he put it, 'so that even dullards might take off their -hats in recognition.' - -"When I again met him he was living in an old, abandoned theatre on the -outskirts of Paris, a weird, uncanny ruin--rats everywhere--the scenery -hanging in tatters, the stage broken down, the pit filled to the level -of the footlights with a mass of coal--for a dealer in fuels had leased -it for this purpose, his carts going in and out of the main entrance. -One of the dressing-rooms over the flies was his studio, reached by a -staircase from the old stage entrance. A former tenant had cut a -skylight under which my friend worked. - -"In answer to his 'Entrez' I pushed open his door and found him in a -sculptor's blouse cowering over a small sheet-iron stove on which some -food was being cooked. He raised his head, straightened his back, and -came toward me--a small, shrunken man now, prematurely old, his two -burning eyes looking out from under his ledge of a forehead like coals -beneath a half-burnt log, a shock of iron-gray hair sticking straight up -from his scalp as would a brush. About his nose, up his cheeks, around -his mouth, and especially across his throat, which was free of a cravat, -ran pasty wrinkles, like those on a piece of uncooked tripe. Only -half-starved men who have lived on greasy soups and scraps from the -kitchens have these complexions. - -"I describe him thus carefully to you because that first glance of his -scarred face had told me his life's story. It is the same with every man -who suffers. - -"He talked of his work, of the conspiracies that had followed him all -his career, shutting him out of his just rewards, while less brilliant -men snatched the prizes which should have been his; of his hopes for the -future; of the great competition soon to come off at Rheims, in which he -would compete--not that he had yet put his idea into clay--that was -always a mere question of detail with him. Then, as if by the merest -accident--something he had quite forgotten, but which he thought might -interest me--he told me, with a quickening of his glance and the first -smile I had seen cross his pasty face, of a certain statue of his, 'a -Masterpiece,' which a great connoisseur had bought for his garden, and -which faced one of the open spaces of Paris. I could see it any day I -walked that way--indeed, if I did not mind, he would go with me--he had -been housed all the morning and needed the air. - -"I pleaded an excuse and left him, for I knew all about this masterpiece -which had been bought by a tradesman and planted in his garden among -groups of cast-iron dogs and spouting dolphins, the hedge in front cut -low enough for passers-by to see the entire collection. Hardly a day -elapsed that the poor fellow did not walk by, drinking in the beauty of -his work, comforting himself with the effect it produced on the plain -people who stopped to admire. Sometimes he would accost them and bring -the conversation round to the sculptor, and then abruptly take his -leave, they staring at him as he bowed his thanks. - -"The following year I again looked him up; his poverty and his courage -appealed to me; besides, I intended to help him. When I knocked at his -door he did not cry 'Entrez'--he kept still, as if he had not heard me -or was out. When I pushed the door open he turned, looked at me for an -instant, and resumed his work. Again my eyes took him in--thinner, -dryer, less nourished. He was casting the little images you buy from a -board carried on a vendor's back. - -"Without heeding his silence I at once stated my errand. He should make -a statue for my garden; furthermore, his name and address should be -plainly cut in the pedestal. - -"He thanked me for my order, but he made no more statues, he said. He -was now engaged in commercial work. Art was dead. Nobody cared. Did I -remember his great statue--the one in the garden?--his Apollo?--the -Greek of modern times? Well, the place had changed hands, and the new -owner had carted it away with the cast-iron dogs and the dolphins and -ploughed up the lawn to make an artichoke-bed. The masterpiece was no -more. 'I found all that was left of my work,' he added, 'on a dirt heap -in the rear of his out-house, the head gone and both arms broken short -off.' - -"His voice wavered and ceased, and it was with some difficulty that he -straightened his back, moved his drying plaster casts one side, and -offered me the free part of the bench for a seat. - -"I remained standing and broke out in protest. I abused the ignorance -and jealousy of the people and of the juries--did everything I could, in -fact, to reassure him and pump some hope into him--precisely what you -did to your own author, High-Muck. I even agreed to pay in advance for -the new statue I had ordered. I told him, too, that if he would come -back to the country with me, I would make a place for him in an empty -greenhouse, where he could work undisturbed. He only shook his head. - -"'What for?' he answered--'for money? I am alone in the world, and it's -of no use to me. I am accustomed to being starved. For fame? I have -given my life to express the thoughts of my heart and nobody would -listen. Now it is finished. I will keep them for the good God--perhaps -He will listen.' - -"A week later I found him sitting bolt upright in his chair under the -skylight, dead. Above in the dull gloom hung a row of plaster models, -his own handiwork--fragments of arms and hands with fists clenched ready -to strike; queer torsos writhing in pain; queerer masks with hollow -eyes. In the grimy light these seemed to have come to life--the torsos -leaning over, hunching their shoulders at him as if blaming him for -their suffering; the masks mocking at his misery, leering at each other. -It was a grewsome sight, and I did not shake off the memory of the scene -for days. - -"And so I hold," added Herbert, with a sorrowful shake of his head "that -it is neither pride nor suffering that kills men of this class. It is -because they have failed to reach the pinnacle of their ideals--that -goal for which some spirits risk both their lives and their hopes of -heaven." - - - - -XIV - -A WOMAN'S WAY - - -However serious the talk of the night before--and Herbert's pathetic -story of the poor mould-maker was still in our memory when we awoke--the -effect was completely dispelled as soon as we began to breathe the air -of the out of doors. - -The weather helped--another of those caressing Indian-summer days--the -sleepy sun with half-closed eyes dozing at you through its lace curtains -of mist; every fire out and all the windows wide open. - -Leà helped. Never were her sabots so active nor so musical in their -scuffle: now hot milk, now fresh coffee, now another crescent--all on -the run, and all with a spontaneous, uncontrollable laugh between each -serving--all the more unaccountable as of late the dear old woman's -face, except at brief intervals, had been as long as an undertaker's. - -And Mignon helped! - -Helped? Why, she was the whole programme--with another clear, ringing, -happy song that came straight from her heart; her head thrown back, her -face to the sun as if she would drink in all its warmth and cheer, the -coffee-roaster keeping time to the melody. - -And it was not many minutes before each private box and orchestra chair -in and about the court-yard, as well as the top galleries, were filled -with spectators ready for the rise of the curtain. Herbert leaned out -over his bedroom sill, one story up; Brierley from the balcony, towel in -hand, craned his head in attention; Louis left his seat in the kiosk, -where he was at work on a morning sketch of the court, and I abandoned -my chair at one of the tables: all listened and all watched for what was -going to happen. For happen something certainly must, with our pretty -Mignon singing more merrily than ever. - -I, being nearest to the footlights, beckoned to old Leà carrying the -coffee, and pointed inquiringly to the blissful girl. - -"What's the meaning of all this, Leà?--what has happened? Your Mignon -seemed joyous enough the other morning when she came from market, but -now she is beside herself." - -The old woman lowered her voice, and, with a shake of her white cap, -answered: - -"Don't ask me any questions; I am too happy to tell you any lies and I -won't tell you the truth. Ah!--see how cold monsieur's milk is--let me -run to Pierre for another"--and she was off; her flying sabots, like the -upturned feet of a duck chased to cover, kicking away behind her short -skirts. - -Lemois, too, had heard the song and, picking up Coco, strolled toward me -his fingers caressing the bird, his uneasy glance directed toward the -happy girl as he walked, wondering, like the rest of us, at the change -in her manner. To watch them together as I have done these many times, -the old man smoothing its plumage and Coco rubbing his black beak -tenderly against his master's cheek, is to get a deeper insight into our -landlord's character and the subtle sympathy which binds the two. - -The bird once settled comfortably on his wrist, Lemois looked my way. - -"You should get him a mate, monsieur," I called to him in answer to his -glance, throwing this out as a general drag-net. - -The old man shifted the bird to his shoulder, stopped, and looked down -at me. - -"He is better without one. Half the trouble in the world comes from -wanting mates; the other half comes from not knowing that this is true. -My good Coco is not so stupid"--and he reached up and stroked the bird's -crest and neck. "All day long he ponders over what is going on down -below him. And just think, monsieur, what _does_ go on down below him in -the season! The wrong man and the wrong woman most of the time, and the -pressure of the small foot under the table, and the little note slipped -under the napkin. Ah!--they don't humbug Coco! He laughs all day to -himself--and I laugh too. There is nothing, if you think about it, so -comical as life. It is really a Punch-and-Judy show, with one doll -whacking away at the other--'Now, will you be good!--Now, will you be -good!'--and they are never good. No--no--never a mate for my Coco--never -a mate for anybody if I can help it." - -"Would you have given the same advice thirty years ago to madame la -marquise?" Madame was the one and only subject Lemois ever seemed to -approach with any degree of hesitancy. My objective point was, of -course, Mignon; but I had opened madame's gate, hoping for a short cut. - -"Ah!--madame is quite different," he replied with sudden gravity. "All -the rules are broken in the case of a woman of fashion and of rank and -of very great wealth. These people do not live for themselves--they are -part of the State. But I will tell you one thing, Monsieur High-Muck, -though you may not believe it, and that is that Madame la Marquise de la -Caux was never so contented as she is at the present moment. She is free -now to do as she pleases. Did you hear what Monsieur Le Blanc said last -night about the way the work is being pressed? The old marquis would -have been a year deciding on a plan; madame will have that villa on its -legs and as good as new in a month. You know, of course, that she is -coming down this afternoon?" - -I knew nothing of the kind, and told him so. - -"Yes; she sent me word last night by a mysterious messenger, who left -the note and disappeared before I could see him--Leà brought it to me. -You see, madame is most anxious about her flowers for next year, and -this afternoon I am going with her to a nursery and to a great garden -overlooking the market-place to help her pick them out." Here he -caressed his pet again. "No, Monsieur Coco, you will not be allowed -down here in the court where your pretty white feathers and your -unblemished morals might be tarnished by the dreadful people all about. -You shall go up on your perch; it is much better"--and with a -deprecatory wave of his hand he strolled up the court-yard, Coco still -nibbling his cheek with his horny black beak, the old man crooning a -little love song as he walked. - -[Illustration: "Just think, monsieur, what does go on below Coco in the -season"] - -I rose from my chair and began bawling out the good news of madame's -expected visit to the occupants of the several windows, the effect being -almost as startling as had been Mignon's song. - -Instantly plans were cried down at me for her entertainment. Of course -she must stay to dinner, our last one for the season! This was carried -with a whoop. There must be, too, some kind of a special ceremony when -the invitation was delivered. We must greet her at the door--all of us -drawn up in a row, with Herbert stepping out of the ranks, saluting like -a drum-major, and requesting the "distinguished honor"--and the rest of -it: that, too, was carried unanimously. Whatever her gardening costume, -it would make no difference, and no excuse on this score would receive -a moment's consideration. Madame even in a fisherman's tarpaulins would -be welcome--provided only that she was really inside of them. - - -With the whirl of her motor into the court-yard at dusk, and the -breathing of its last wheeze in front of the Marmouset, the plump little -woman sprang from her car muffled to her dimpled chin in a long -waterproof, her two brown, squirrel eyes laughing behind her goggles. -Instantly the importuning began, everybody crowding about her. - -Up went her hands. - -"No--please don't say a word and, whatever you do, don't invite me to -stay to dinner, because I'm not going to; and that is my last word, and -nothing will change my mind. Oh!--it is too banal--and you've spoiled -everything. I didn't think I'd see anybody. Why are you not all in your -rooms? Oh!--I am ready to cry with it all!" - -"But we can't think of your leaving us," I begged, wondering what had -disturbed her, but determined she should not go until we had found out. -"Pierre has been at work all the morning and we----" - -"No--it is I who have been working all the morning, digging in my -garden, getting ready for the winter, and I am tired out, and so I will -go back to my little bed in my dear garage and have my dinner alone." - -Here Herbert broke loose. "But, madame, you _must_ dine with us; we have -been counting on it." He had set his heart on another evening with the -extraordinary woman and did not mean to be disappointed. - -"But, my dear Monsieur Herbert, you see, I----" - -"And you really mean that you won't stay?" groaned Louis, his face -expressive of the deepest despair. - -"Stop!--stop!--I tell you, and hear me through. Oh!--you dreadful men! -Just see what you have done: I had such a pretty little plan of my -own--I've been thinking of it for days. I said to myself this morning: -I'll go to the Inn after I have finished with Lemois--about six -o'clock--when it is getting dark--quite too dark for a lady to be even -poking about alone. They will all be out walking or dressing for dinner, -and I'll slip into the darling Marmouset, just to warm myself a little, -if there should be a fire, and then they will come in and find me and -be so surprised, and before any one of them can say a word I will shout -out that I have come to dinner! And now you've ruined everything, and I -must say, 'Thank you, kind gentlemen'--like any other poor -parishioner--and eat my bowl of bread and milk in the corner. Was there -ever _anything_ so banal?--Oh!--I'm heartbroken over it all. No; don't -say another word--please, papa, I'll be a good girl. So help me off with -my wraps, dear Monsieur Louis. No; wait until I get inside--you see, -I've been gardening all day, and when one does gardening----" - -The two were inside the Marmouset now, the others following, the -laughter increasing as Louis led her to the hearth, where a fire had -just been kindled. There he proceeded to unbutton her fur-lined -motor-cloak--the laughter changing to shouts of delight when freeing -herself from its folds. She stood before us a veritable Lebrun portrait, -in a short black-velvet gown with wide fichu of Venetian lace rolled -back from her plump shoulders, her throat circled with a string of tiny -jewels from which drooped a pear-shaped pearl big as a pecan-nut and -worth a king's ransom. - -"There!" she cried, her brown eyes dancing, her face aglow with her -whirl through the crisp air. "Am I not too lovely, and is not my -gardening costume perfect? You see, I am always careful to do my digging -in black velvet and lace," and a low gurgling sound like the cooing of -doves followed by a burst of uncontrollable laughter filled the room. - -If on her other visits she had captured us all by the charm of her -personality, she drew the bond the tighter now. Then she had been the -thorough woman of the world, adapting herself with infinite tact to new -surroundings, contributing her share to the general merriment--one of -us, so to speak; to-night she was the elder sister. She talked much to -Herbert about his new statue and what he expected to make of it. He must -not, she urged, concern himself alone with artistic values or the honors -they would bring. He had gone beyond all these; his was a higher -mission--one to bring the human side of the African savage to light and -so help to overturn the prejudice of centuries, and nothing must swerve -him from what she considered his lofty purpose--and there must be no -weak repetition of his theme. Each new note he sounded must be stronger -than the last. - -She displayed the same fine insight when, dinner over, she talked to -Louis of his out-door work--especially the whirl and slide of his water. - -"You will forgive a woman, Monsieur Louis, who is old enough to be your -great-grandmother, when she tells you that, fine as your pictures -are--and I know of no painter of our time who paints water as -well--there are some things in the out of doors which I am sure you will -yet put into your canvases. I am a fisherman myself, and have thrashed -many of the brooks you have painted, and there is nothing I love so much -as to peer down into the holes where the little fellows live--way down -among the pebbles and the brown moss and green of the water-plants. -Can't we get this--or do I expect the impossible? But if it could be -done--if the bottom as well as the surface of the water could be -given--would we not uncover a fresh hiding-place of nature, and would -not you--you, Monsieur Louis--be doing the world that much greater -service?--the pleasure being more ours than yours--your reward being the -giving of that pleasure to us. I hope you will all forgive me, but it -has been such an inspiration to meet you all. I get so smothered by the -commonplace that sometimes I gasp for breath, and then I find some oasis -like this and I open wide my soul and drink my fill. - -"But enough of all this. Let us have something more amusing. Monsieur -Brierley, won't you go to the spinet and--" Here she sprang from her -chair. "Oh, I forgot all about it, and I put it in my pocket on purpose. -Please some one look in my cloak for a roll of music; none of you I know -have heard it before. It is an old song of Provence that will revive for -you all your memories of the place. Thank you, Monsieur Brierley, and -now lift the lid and I will sing it for you." And then there poured from -her lips a voice so full and rich, with notes so liquid and sympathetic, -that we stood around her in wonder doubting our ears. - -Never had we found her so charming nor so bewitching, nor so full of -enchanting surprises. - -So uncontrollable were her spirits, always rising to higher flights, -that I began at last to suspect that something outside of the -inspiration of our ready response to her every play of fancy and wit was -accountable for her bewildering mood. - -The solution came when the coffee was served and fresh candles lighted -and Leà and Mignon, with a curtsy to the table and a gentle, furtive -good-night to madame, had left the room. Then, quite as if their -departure had started another train of thought, she turned and faced our -landlord. - -"What a dear old woman is Leà, Lemois," she began in casual tones, "and -what good care she takes of that pretty child; she is mother and sister -and guardian to her. But she cannot be everything. There is always some -other yearning in a young girl's heart which no woman can satisfy. You -know that as well as I do. And this is why you are going to give Mignon -to young Gaston. Is it not true?" she added in dissembling tones. - -Lemois moved uneasily in his chair. The question had come so -unexpectedly, and was so direct, that for a moment he lost his poise. -His own attitude, he supposed, had been made quite clear the night of -the rescue, when he had denounced Gaston and forbidden Mignon to see -him. Yet his manner was grave enough as he answered: - -"Madame has so many things to occupy her mind, and so many people to -help, why should she trouble herself with those of my maid? Mignon is -very happy here, and has everything she wants, and she will continue to -have them as long as she is alive." - -"Then I see it is not true, and that you intend breaking her heart; and -now will you please tell us why?" She looked at him and waited. There -was a new ring--one of command--in her voice. I understood now as I -listened why it took so short a time for her to rebuild the villa. - -"Is madame the girl's guardian that she wishes to know?" asked Lemois. -The words came with infinite courtesy, madame being the only woman of -whom he stood in awe, but there was an undertone of opposition which, if -aggravated, would, I felt sure, end in the old man's abrupt departure -from the room. - -I tried to relieve the situation by saying how happy not only Mignon but -any one of us would be with so brilliant an advocate as madame pleading -for our happiness, but she waved me aside with: - -"No--please don't. I want dear Lemois to answer. It was one of my -reasons for coming to-night, and he must tell me. He is so kind and -considerate, and he is always so sorry for anything that suffers. He -loves flowers and birds and animals, and music and pictures and all -beautiful things, and yet he is worse than one of the cannibals that -Monsieur Herbert tells us about. They eat their young girls and have -done with them--Lemois kills his by slow torture--and so I ask you -again, dear Lemois--_why_?" - -Everybody sat up straight. How would Lemois take it? His fingers began -to work, and the corners of his mouth straightened. A sudden flush -crossed his habitually pale face. We were sure now of an outbreak: what -would happen then none of us dared think. - -"Madame la marquise," he began slowly--too slowly for anything but -ill-suppressed feeling--"there is no one that I know for whom I have a -higher respect; you must yourself have seen that in the many years I -have known you. You are a very good and a very noble woman; all your -life people have loved you--they still love you. It is one of your many -gifts--one you should be thankful for. Some of us do not win this -affection. You are, if you will permit me to say it, never lonely nor -alone, except by your own choosing. Some of us cannot claim that--I for -one. Do you not now understand?" He was still boiling inside, but the -patience of the trained landlord and the innate breeding of the man had -triumphed. And then, again, it would be a rash Frenchman of his class -who would defy a woman of her exalted rank. - -Over her face crept a pleased look--as if she held some trump card up -her sleeve--and one of her cooing, bubbling laughs escaped her lips. - -"You are not telling me the truth, you dear Lemois. I am not in love -with Gaston, the fisherman, nor are you with our pretty Mignon. Neither -you nor I have anything to do with it. Here are two young people whose -happiness is trembling in the balance. You hold the scales--that is, you -claim to, although the girl is neither your child nor your ward and -could marry without your consent, and would if she did not love you for -yourself and for all you have done for her. Answer me now--do you object -because Gaston is a fisherman?" - -Whether her knowledge of Lemois' legal rights--and she had stated them -correctly--softened him, or whether he saw a loophole for himself, was -not apparent, but the answer came with a certain surrender. - -"Yes. It is a dangerous life. You have only to live here, as I have -done, to count the women who bid their men good-by and watch in the -gray dawn for the boat that never comes back--Mignon's elder brothers in -one of them. I do not want her to go through that agony--she is young -yet--some one else will come. The first love is not always the -last--except in the case of madame"--and he smiled in strange fashion. -The bomb was still within reach of his hand, but the fuse had gone out. - -"Then it isn't Gaston himself?" she demanded with unflinching gaze. - -"No--he is an honest lad; good to his mother; industrious--a brave -fellow. He has, too, so I hear, a place in the market--one of the -stalls--so he is getting on, and will soon be one of our best citizens." -He would talk all night about Gaston, and pleasantly, if she wished. - -"Well, if he were a notary? Would that be different?" Her soft brown -eyes were hardly visible between their lids, but they were burning with -an intense light. - -"Yes, it might be." Same air of nonchalance--anything to please the -delightful woman. - -"Or a chemist?"--just a slit between the lids now, with little flashes -along the edges. - -"Or a chemist," intoned Lemois. - -"Or a head gardener, perhaps?" Both eyes tight shut under the fluffy -gray hair, an intense expression on her face. - -"Why not say a minister of state, madame?" laughed Lemois. - -"No--no--don't you dare run away like that. Stand to your guns, -monsieur. If he were a head gardener, then what?" - -Lemois rose from his chair, laid his hand on his shirt-front, and bowed -impressively. He was evidently determined to humor her passing whim. - -"If he were a head gardener I would not have the slightest objection, -madame." - -She sprang to her feet and began clapping her plump hands, her laughter -filling the room. - -"Oh!--I am so happy! You heard what he said--all of you. You, Monsieur -Herbert--and you--and you"--pointing to each member of our group. "If he -were a head gardener! Oh, was there ever such luck! And do you listen -too, you magnificent Lemois! Gaston is a head gardener; has been a head -gardener for days; every one of the plants you bought for me to-day he -will put into the ground with his own hands. His mother will have the -stall I bought in the fish market, and he and Mignon are to live in the -new garage, and he is to have charge of the villa grounds, and she is -to manage the dairy and the linen and look after the chickens and the -ducks. And the wedding is to take place just as soon as you give your -consent; and if you don't consent, it will take place anyway, for I am -to be godmother and she is to have a dot and all the furniture they want -out of what was saved from my house, and that's all there is to -it--except that both of them know all about it, for I sent Gaston down -here last night with a note for you, and he told Mignon, and it's all -settled--now what do you say?" - -A shout greeted her last words, and the whole room broke spontaneously -into a clapping of hands, Louis, as was his invariable custom whenever -excuse offered, on his feet, glass in hand, proposing the health of that -most adorable of all women of her own or any other time, past, present, -or future--at which the dear, penguin-shaped lady in black velvet and -lace raised her dainty white palms in holy horror, protesting that it -was Monsieur Lemois whose health must be drunk, as without him nothing -could have been done, the clear tones of her voice rising like a bird's -song above the others as she sprang forward, grasped Lemois' hand and -lifted him to his feet, the whole room once more applauding. - -Yes, it was a great moment! Mignon's happiness was very dear to us, but -that which captured us completely was the daring and cleverness of the -little woman who had worked for it, and who was so joyous over her -success and so childishly enthusiastic at the outcome. - -Lemois, unable to stem the flood of rejoicing, seemed to have -surrendered and given up the fight, complimenting the marquise upon her -diplomacy, and the way in which she had entirely outgeneralled an old -fellow who was not up to the wiles of the world. "Such a mean advantage, -madame, to take of a poor old man," he continued, bowing low, a curious, -unreadable expression crossing his face. "I am, as you know, but clay in -your hands, as are all the others who are honored by your acquaintance. -But now that I am tied to your chariot wheels, I must of course take -part in your triumphal procession; so permit me to make a few -suggestions." - -The marquise laughed gently, but with a puzzled look in her eyes. She -was not sure what he was driving at, but she did not interrupt him. - -"We will have an old-time wedding," he continued gayly, with a -comprehensive wave of his hand as if he were arranging the stage -setting--"something quite in keeping with the general sentiment; for -certain it is that not since the days when fair ladies let themselves -down from castle walls into the arms of their plumed knights, only to -dash away into space on milk-white steeds, will there be anything quite -so romantic as this child-wedding!" - -"And so you mean to have a rope ladder, do you, and let my----" - -"Oh, no, madame la marquise," he interrupted--"nothing so ordinary! -We"--here he began rubbing his hands together quite as if he was -ordering a dinner for an epicure--"we will have a revival of all the old -customs just as they were in this very place. Our bride will join her -lord in a cabriolet, and our groom will come on horseback--all fishermen -ride, you know--and so will the other fishermen and maids--each gallant -with a fair lady seated behind him on the crupper, her arms about his -waist. Then we will have trumpeters and a garter man----" - -"A what!" She was still at sea as to his meaning, although she had not -missed the tone of irony in his voice. - -"A man, madame, whose duty is to secure one of the bride's garters. Oh, -you need not start--that is quite simply arranged. The old-time brides -always carried an extra pair to save themselves embarrassment. The one -for the garter-man will be trimmed with ribbons which he will cut off -and distribute to the other would-be brides, who will keep them in their -prayer-books." - -"Leà, for instance," chimed in Louis, winking at Herbert. - -"Leà, for instance, my dear Monsieur Louis. I know of no better mate for -a man--and it is a pity you are too young." - -The laugh was on Louis this time, but the old man kept straight on, his -subtle irony growing more pointed as he continued: "And then, madame, -when it is all over and the couple retire for the night--and of course -we will give them the best room in our house, they being most -distinguished personages--none other than Monsieur Gaston Duprè, Lord of -the Lobster Pot, Duke of Buezval, and Grand Marshal of the Deep Sea, and -Mademoiselle Mignon, Princess of----" - -The marquise drew herself up to her full height. "Stop your nonsense, -Lemois. I won't let you say another word; you shan't ridicule my young -people. Stop it, I say!" - -"Oh, but wait, madame--please hear me out--I have not finished. These -pewter dishes must also come into service"--and he caught up the two -bowls from the tops of the great andirons behind him--"these we will -fill with spices steeped in mulled wine, which, as I tried to say, we -will send to their Royal Highnesses' bedroom--after they are tucked away -in----" - -"No!--no!--we will do nothing of the kind; everything shall be just the -other way. There will be no horses, no cabriolet, no trumpeters, no -garters except the ones the dear child will wear, and no mulled wine. We -will all go on foot, and the only music will be the organ in the old -church, and the breakfast will be here, in our beloved Marmouset, and -the punch will be mixed by Monsieur Brierley in the Ming bowl I brought, -and Monsieur Louis will serve it, and then they will both go to their -own home and sleep in their own bed. So there! Not another word, for it -is all settled and finished"--and one of her rippling, joyous laughs--a -whole dove-cote mingled with any number of silver bells--quivered -through the room. - -Lemois joined in the merriment, shrugging his inscrutable shoulders, -repeating that he, of course, was only a captive, and must therefore do -as he was bid, a situation which, he added with another low bow, had its -good side since so charming a woman as madame held his chain. - -And yet despite his gayety there was under it all a certain reserve -which, although lost on the others, convinced me that the old man had -not, by any means, made up his mind as to what he would do. While Mignon -was not his legal ward, his care of her all these years must count for -something. Madame, of course, was a difficult person to make war upon -once she had set her heart on a thing--and she certainly had on this -marriage, amazing as it was to him--and yet there was still the girl's -future to be considered, and with it his own. All this was in his eyes -as I watched him resuming his place by the fire after some of the -excitement had begun to quiet down. - -But none of this--even if she, too, had studied him as I had--would have -made any impression on Mignon's champion. She was accustomed to being -obeyed--the gang of mechanics who had under her directions performed two -days' work in one had found that out. And then, again, her whole purpose -in life was to befriend especially those girls who, having no one to -stand by them, become broken down by opposition and so marry where their -hearts seldom lead. How many had she taken under her wing--how many more -would she protect as long as she lived! - -Before she bade us good-night all the wedding details were sketched out, -our landlord listening and nodding his head whenever appeal was made to -him, but committing himself by no further speech. The ceremony, she -declared gayly--and it must be the most beautiful and brilliant of -ceremonies--would take place in the old twelfth-century church, at the -end of the street, from which the great knights of old had sallied forth -and where a new knight, one Monsieur Gaston, would follow in their -footsteps--not for war, but for love--a much better career--this, with -an additional toss of her head at the silent Lemois. There would be -flowers and perhaps music--she would see about that--but no -trumpeters--and again she looked at Lemois--and everybody from Buezval -would be invited--all the fishermen, of course, and their white-capped -mothers and sisters and aunts, and cousins for that matter--everybody -who would come; and Pierre and her own chef from Rouen would prepare -the wedding breakfast if dear Lemois would consent--and if he didn't -consent, it would be cooked anyhow, and brought in ready to be -eaten--and in this very room with every one of us present. - -"And now, Monsieur Louis, please get me my cloak, and will one of you be -good enough to tell my chauffeur I am ready?--and one thing more, and -this I insist on: please don't any of you move--and, whatever you do, -don't bid me good-by. I want to carry away with me just the picture I am -looking at: Monsieur Herbert there in his chair between the two live -heads--yes, I believe it now--and Messieurs Louis and Brierley and Le -Blanc, and our delightful host, and dear tantalizing Lemois, by the -hearth--and the queer figures looking down at us through the smoke of -our cigarettes--and the glow of the candles, and the light of the lovely -fire to which you have welcomed me. Au revoir, messieurs--you have made -me over new and I am very happy, and I thank you all from the bottom of -my heart!" - -And she was gone. - - -When the door was shut behind her, Herbert strolled to the fire and -stood with his face to the flickering blaze. We all remained standing, -paying unconscious homage to her memory. For some seconds no one spoke. -Then, turning and facing the group, Herbert said, half aloud, as if -communing with himself: - -"A real woman--human and big, half a dozen such would revolutionize -France. And she knows--that is the best part of it"--and his voice grew -stronger--"she _knows_! You may think you've reached the bottom of -things--thought them all out, convinced you are right, even steer your -course by your deductions--and here comes along a woman who lifts a lid -uncovering a well in your soul you never dreamed of, and your -conclusions go sky-high. And she does it so cleverly, and she is so sane -about it all. If she were where I could get at her now and then I'd do -something worth while. I've made up my mind to one thing, anyhow--I'm -going to pull to pieces the thing I set up before I came down here and -start something new. I've got another idea in my head--something a -little more human." - -"Isn't 'The Savage' human, Herbert?" I asked, filling his glass as I -spoke, to give him time for reply. - -"No; it's only African--one phase of a race." - -"How about your 'group,' 'They Have Eyes and They See Not'?" asked -Brierley, who had drawn up a chair and stood leaning over its back, -gazing into the fire. - -"A little better, but not much. The Great Art is along other -lines--bigger, higher, stronger--more universal lines, one that has -nothing racial about it, one that expresses the human heart no matter -what the period or nationality. The 'Prodigal Son' is a drama which has -been understood and is still understood by the whole earth irrespective -of creed or locality. It appeals to the savage and the savant alike and -always will to the end of time. So with the Milo. She is Greek, English, -or Slav at your option, but she will live forever because she expresses -the divine essence of maternity which is eternal. It is this, and only -this, which compels. I have had glimmerings of it all my life. Madame -cleared out the cobwebs for me in a flash. A great woman--real human." - -Then noticing that no one had either interrupted his outburst or moved -his position, he glanced around the group and, as if in doubt as to the -way his outburst had been received, said simply: - -"Well, speak up; am I right or wrong? You don't seem to see it as I do. -How did she appeal to you, Brierley?" - -The young fellow stepped in front of his chair and dropped into its -depths. - -"You are dead right, Herbert; you are, anyhow, about the Milo. I never -go into her presence without lifting my hat, and I have kept it up for -years. But you don't do yourself justice, old man. Some of your things -will live as long as they hold together. However"--and he laughed -knowingly--"that's for posterity to settle. How does madame appeal to -me? you ask. Well, being a many-sided woman--no frills, no coquetry, nor -sham--she appeals to me more as a comrade than in any other way--just -plain comrade. Half the women one meets of her age and class have -something of themselves to conceal, giving you a side which they are -not, or trying to give it for you to read at first sight. She gave us -her worst side first--or what we thought was her worst side--and her -best last." - -"And you, Le Blanc?" resumed Herbert. "She's your countrywoman; let's -have it." - -"Oh, I don't know, Herbert. I, of course, have heard of her for years, -and she was therefore not so much of a surprise to me as she was to you -all. If, however, you want me to get down to something fundamental, I'll -tell you that she confirms a theory I have always had that--But I won't -go into that. It's our last night together and we----" - -"No; go on. This interests me enormously, especially her personality. -We'll have our nightcap later on." - -"Well, all right," and he squared himself toward Herbert. "She confirms, -as I said, a theory of mine--one I have always had, that the Great -Art--that for which the world is waiting--is not so much the creation of -statues, if you will pardon me, as the creation of a better -understanding of women by men. Not of their personalities, but of their -impersonalities. Most women are afraid to let themselves go, not knowing -how we will take them, and because of this fear we lose the best part of -a woman's nature. She dares not do a great many generous things--sane, -kindly, human things--because she is in dread of being misunderstood. -She is even afraid to love some of us as intensely as she would. Madame -dares everything and could never be misunderstood. All doubts of her -were swept out in her opening sentence the night she arrived. She ought -to found a school and teach women to be themselves, then we'd all be -that much happier." - -"And now, Louis," persisted Herbert, "come, we're waiting. No shirking, -and no nonsense. Just the plain truth. How does she appeal to you?" - -"As a dead game sport, Herbert, and the best ever! Every man on his feet -and I'll give you a toast that is as short and sweet as her adorable -self. - -"Here's to our friend, Madame la Marquise de la Caux--THE WOMAN." - - - - -XV - -APPLE-BLOSSOMS AND WHITE MUSLIN - - -Coco, the snow-white cockatoo, on his perch high up in the roof dormer -overlooking the court, is having the time of his life. To see and hear -the better, he wobbles back and forth to the end of his wooden peg, -steadying himself by his black beak, and then, straightening up, unfurls -his yellow celery top of a crest and, with a quick toss of his head, -shrieks out his delight. - -He wants to know what it is all about, and I don't blame him. No such -hurrying and scurrying has been seen in the court-yard below since the -morning the players came down from Paris and turned the -sixteenth-century quadrangle into a stage-setting for an old-time -comedy: new gravel is being raked and sifted over the open space; men on -step-ladders are trimming up the vines and setting out plants on top of -the kiosks; others are giving last touches to the tulip-beds and the -fresh sod along the borders, while two women are scrubbing the chairs -and tables under the arbors. - -As for the Inn's inhabitants, everybody seems to have lost their wits: -Pierre has gone entirely mad. When butter, or eggs, or milk, or a pint -of sherry--or something he needs, or thinks he needs--is wanted, he does -not wait until his under-chef can bring it from the storage-cave where -they are kept--he rushes out himself, grabbing up a basket, or pitcher, -or cup as he goes, and comes back on the double-quick to begin again his -stirring, chopping, and basting--the roasting-spit turning merrily all -the while. - -Leà is even more restless. Her activities, however, are confined to -clattering along the upstairs corridors, her arms full of freshly ironed -clothes--skirts and things--and to the banging of chamber doors--one -especially, behind which sits an old fishwoman, yellow as a dried -mackerel and as stiff, helping a young girl dress. - -The only one who seems to have kept his head is Lemois. His nervousness -is none the less in evidence, but he gets rid of his pent-up steam in a -different way. He lets the others hustle, while he stands still just -inside the gate giving orders to hurrying market boys with baskets of -fish; signing receipts for cases filled with poultry and early -vegetables just in by the morning train from Caen; or firing -instructions to his gardeners and workmen--self-contained as a ball -governor on a horizontal engine and seemingly as inert, yet an index of -both pressure and speed. - -All this time Coco keeps up his hullabaloo, nobody paying the slightest -attention. Suddenly there comes an answering cry and the cockatoo snaps -his beak tight with a click and listens intently, his head on one side. -It is the shriek of a siren--a long-drawn, agonizing wail that strikes -the bird dumb with envy. Nearer it comes--nearer--now at the turn of the -street; now just outside the gate, and in whirls Herbert's motor, the -painter beside him. - -"Ah!--Lemois--the top of the morning to you and yours!" Louis' -stentorian voice rings out. "Never saw a better one come out of the -skies. Out with you, Herbert. Are we the first to arrive? Here, give me -that basket of grapes and box of bonbons. A magnificent run, Lemois. -Left Paris at five o'clock, while the milk was going its rounds; spun -through Lisieux before they were wide awake; struck the coast, and since -then nothing but apple-bloom--one great pink-and-white bedquilt up hill -and down dale. Glorious! I want a whole tree, full of blossoms, -remember--just as I wrote you--none of your mean little chopped-off -twigs, but a cart-load of branches. Let me have that old apple-tree out -in the lot in front--the apples were never any good, and Mignon may as -well have the blossoms as those thieving boys. Did you send word to the -school children? Yes, of course you did. Oh, I tell you, Herbert, we are -going to have a bully time--Paul and Virginia are not in it. Hello! Leà, -you up there, you blessed old carved root of a virgin!--where's the -adorable Mignon?" - -"Good-morning, Monsieur Louis--and you too, Monsieur Herbert," came her -voice in reply from the rail of the gallery above our heads. "Mignon is -inside," and she pointed to the closed door behind her. "Gaston's mother -is helping her. Madame la marquise will be here any minute, and so will -Monsieur Le Blanc and everybody from Buezval. Oh!--you should see my -child! You wouldn't know her in the pretty clothes madame has sent." - -And now while Herbert is digging out from under the motor seats various -packages tied with white ribbons, including the drawing he made of Leà, -now richly framed, and which with the aid of the old woman he carried up -the crooked stairway and deposited at a certain door, I will tell you -what all this excitement is about. - -Madame la marquise has had her way. Not an instantaneous and complete -victory. There had been parleyings, of course, after that eventful night -some months before when she had outgeneralled and then defied Lemois, -and concessions had been made, both sides yielding a little; but before -we separated for our homes we felt sure that the old man either had or -would surrender. - -"Well, let it be as you will," he had said with a sigh; "but not now. In -the spring when the apple-blossoms are in bloom--and then perhaps you -may come back." - -To me, however, who had stayed on for a few days, he had, late one -afternoon, poured out his whole heart. The twilight had begun to settle -in the Marmouset, and the last glow of the western sky creeping through -the stained-glass windows was falling upon the old Spanish leather and -gold crowned saints and figures, warming them into rich harmonies, when -I had stolen inside the wonderful room to take one of my last looks--an -old habit of mine in a place I love. There I found him hunched up in -Herbert's chair at one corner of the fireplace, his head on his hand. - -"Well, you have won your fight," he had said in a low, measured voice, -speaking into the bare chimney, his fingers still supporting his -forehead. "You will take my child from me and leave me alone." - -"But she will be much happier," I now ventured. - -"Perhaps so--I cannot tell. I have seen many a bright sunrise end in a -storm. But none of you have understood me. You thought it was money, and -what the man could bring her, and that I objected because the boy was -poor and a fisherman. What am I but a man of the people?--what is she -but a peasant?--and her mother and grandmother before her. Who are we -that we should try to rise above our station, making ourselves a -laughing-stock? Had he been a land-owner with a thousand head of cattle -it would have been the same with me. Nothing will be as it was any more. -I am an old man and she is all the child I have. When she was eight -years old she would come into this very room and nestle close in my -lap, and I would talk to her by the hour--she and I alone, the fire -lighting up the dark. And so it was when she grew up. It is only of late -that she has shut herself away from me. I deserve it maybe--she must -marry somebody, and I would not have it otherwise--but why must it be -now? I do not blame madame la marquise. She is an enthusiastic woman -whose heart often runs away with her head; but she is honest and -sincere. She had only the child's happiness in view, and she will be a -mother to them both as long as she lives, as she is to many others I -know." - -He had paused for a moment, I standing still beside him, and had then -gone on, the words coming slowly, like the dropping of water: - -"You remember Monsieur Herbert's story, do you not, of the old -mould-maker who lost his daughter, and who died in his chair, his clay -masks grinning down at him from the skylight above? Well, I am he. Just -as they grinned at the old mould-maker, his daughter gone, so in my -loneliness will my figures grin at me." - -This had been in late October. - -What the dull winter had been to him I never knew, but he had not gone -back on his word, and now that the apple-blossoms were in bloom, and -the orchards a blaze of glory, the wedding day, just as he had promised, -had arrived! - -No wonder, then, Coco is screaming at the top of his voice; no wonder -the court-yard is swept by a whirlwind of flying feet; no wonder the -upstairs chamber door, with Leà as guardian angel, is opened and shut -every few minutes, hiding the girl behind it; and no wonder that -Herbert's impatient car, every spoke in its wheels trembling with -excitement, is puffing with eagerness to make the run to the old -apple-tree in the outer lot, and so on to the church, loaded to its -extra tires with a carpet of blossoms for Mignon's pretty feet. - -No wonder, either, that before Herbert's car, with Louis in charge of -the blossom raid, had cleared the back gate, there had puffed in another -motor--two this time--Le Blanc in one, with his friend, The Architect, -beside him, the seats packed full of children, their faces scrubbed to a -phenomenal cleanliness, their hair skewered with gay ribbons, all their -best clothes on their backs; madame la marquise and Marc in the other, -an old weather-beaten fisherman--an uncle of Gaston's, too lame to -walk--beside her, and bundled up on the back seat two lean withered -fishwomen in black bombazine and close-fitting white caps--a cousin and -an aunt of the groom--the first time any one of the three had ever -stepped foot in a car. - -As madame and her strange crew entered the court, I turned instinctively -to Lemois, wondering how he would deport himself when the crucial moment -arrived--and a car-load of relatives certainly seemed to express that -fatality--but he was equal to the occasion. - -"Ah, madame!" he said in his courtliest manner, his hand over his heart, -"who else in the wide world would have thought of so kindly an act? -These poor people will bless you to their dying day. And it is -delightful to see you again, Monsieur Marc. You have, I know, come to -help madame in her good works. As I have so often told her, she is----" - -"And why should I not give them pleasure, you dear Lemois? See how happy -they are. And this is not half of them! No, don't get out, mère -Francine--you are all to keep on to the church and get into your seats -before the village people crowd it full; and you, Auguste"--this to her -chauffeur--"are to go back to Buezval for the others--they are all -waiting." Here she espied Herbert on a ladder tacking some blossoms over -the doorway. "Ah!--monsieur, aren't you very happy it has turned out so -well? I caught only a glimpse of you as you dashed past a few minutes -ago or I should have held you up and made you bring the balance of the -old fishwomen. They are all crazy to come. Ah! but you needn't to have -come down. It is so good to see you again," and she shook his hand -heartily. "But what a morning for a wedding! Did you notice as you came -along the shore road the little puff clouds skipping out to sea for very -joy and hear the birds splitting their throats in song? Even my own head -is getting turned with all this billing and cooing, and I warn all of -you right here"--and she swept her glance over the men gathered about -her, her eyes twinkling in merriment--"that you must be very careful to -keep out of my way or the first thing you know one of you will be -whisked off to the altar and married before you know it. And now I am -going upstairs to see how my little bride gets on, if Monsieur Marc will -be good enough to carry my heavy wraps inside." - -She turned, stopped for an instant attracted by something she saw -through the archway of the court, and burst into a peal of ringing -laughter. - -"Oh!--come here quick, every one of you, and see what's driving in! It's -Monsieur Brierley in the dearest of donkey carts. Where did you get that -absurd little beast?" - -"Whoa! Victor Hugo!" shouted Brierley, springing from the cart (both -together wouldn't have covered the space occupied by an upright piano). -"I found him last fall, my dear madame la marquise, in a stable in Caen, -kicking out the partitions, and brought him home to my Abandoned Farm by -the Marsh to add a touch of hilarity to my surroundings. He wakes me -every morning with his hind feet against the door of his stable and is a -most engaging and delightful companion. Hello! Lemois, and--you here, -Herbert! Shake!--awful glad to see you. Where's Louis?--gone for -blossoms?--just like him. I tried to get here earlier, to help you all, -but Victor Hugo is peculiar and considerably set in his ways, and if I -had tried to overpersuade him he might still be a mile down the road -with his feet anchored in the mud. - -"Take a look inside my cart, will you, Herbert? My contribution to -start the young couple housekeeping"--and he pulled off a covering of -clean straw--"six dozen eggs, a pair of mallards--shot them yesterday, -and about the last of them this season, and no business to shoot even -these--a basket of potatoes, a dozen of pear jam--in family jars--and a -small keg of apple-jack--the two last, the sweet and the strong, to be -eaten and drank together to keep peace in the house. No, don't take Hugo -out of the shafts, Lemois, and don't say anything about its being -meal-time, not loud enough for him to hear. When the fun is over I'm -going to drive him down to madame's garage and pack the housekeeping -stuff away in Mignon's cupboard." - -Long before noon the court-yard, as well as the archway and the kiosks -and arbors, had begun to fill up, the news of the extraordinary -proceedings having brought everybody ahead of time. There was the mayor, -wearing his tricolor sash and insignia of office, and with him his -stout, double-chinned wife in black silk and white gloves--bareheaded, -except for a gold ornament that looked like a bunch of twisted -hair-pins; there were the apothecary and the notary and the man who sold -pottery, not forgetting the bustling, outspoken fat doctor who had -sewed up Gaston's head the time madame's villa went sliddering toward -the sea--or tried to--as well as all the great and small folk of the -village who claimed the least little bit of acquaintance with any one -connected with the function from Lemois down. - -Why the distinguished Madame la Marquise de la Caux--to say nothing of -Lemois and the equally distinguished sculptors, painters, and authors, -some of whom were well known to them by reputation--should make all this -fuss about a simple little serving-maid who had brought them their -coffee--a waif, really, picked from between the cobbles--one like a -dozen others the village over, except for her beauty--was a question no -one of them had been able to answer. Was it a whim of the great -lady?--for it was well known she had made the match--or was there -something else behind it all? (a mystery, by the way, which they are -still trying to solve; disinterested kindness being the most -incomprehensible thing in the world to some people). The notary was -particularly outspoken in his opinion. He even criticised the great -woman herself from behind his hand to the apothecary, whose upper room -he occupied. "Been much better if these people of high degree had stayed -at home and let the two young people enjoy themselves in their own way. -Great mistake mixing the classes." But, then, the notary is the -mouth-piece of the revolutionary party in the village and hates the -aristocracy as a singed cat does the fire. - -Soon there came a shout from the gallery over our heads, and we all -looked up. Leà, her wrinkled face aglow with that same inner light, the -rays struggling through her rusty skin, craned her head over the rail. -Then came Mignon, madame close behind, pushing her veil aside so we -could all see her face--the girl blushing scarlet, but too happy to do -more than laugh and bow and make little dumb nods with her head, hiding -her face as best she could behind Leà's angular shoulders. - -"Yes, we are all ready, and are coming down the back stairs, and will -meet you at the gate," cried madame when she had released the girl--"and -it's time to start." - -Mignon's passage along the corridor, followed by madame and Leà and -Gaston's old mother, roused a murmur of welcome which swelled into an -outburst of joyous enthusiasm as her feet touched the level of the -court, and continued until she had joined Gaston and the others already -formed in line for the march to the church. - -And a wonderful procession it was! - -First, of course, came the mayor--his worthy spouse on his left. "The -State before the Church," madame la marquise remarked with a sly -twinkle, "and quite as it should be," rabid anti-clerical as she was. - -Close behind stepped Lemois in a frock-coat buttoned to his chin, his -grave, thoughtful face framed in a high collar and black cravat--like an -old diplomat at a court function--Mignon on his arm: Such a pretty, -shrinking, timid Mignon, her lashes lifting and settling as if afraid to -raise her eyes lest some one should find a chink through which they -could peep into her heart. - -Next came Louis escorting dear old Leà! - -There was a picture for you! Had she been a duchess the rollicking young -painter could not have treated her with more deference, bearing himself -aloft, his chest out, handing her over the low "thank-ye-marm" at the -street corner--the old woman, straight as her bent shoulders would -allow, calm, self-contained, but near bursting with a joy that would -drown her in tears if she gave way but an instant--and all with a quiet -dignity that somehow, when you looked at her, sent a lump to your -throat. - -And then madame and Gaston!--she stepping free and alive, her little -feet darting in and out below her rich, short gown, her eyes dancing; he -swinging along beside her with that quick, alert step of the young who -have always stretched their muscles to the utmost, his sun-burnt skin -twice as dark from the mad rush of blood through his veins; abashed at -the great honor thrust upon him, and yet with that certain poise and -independence common to men who have fought and won and can fight and win -again. - -And last--amused, glad to lend a hand, enjoying it all to the -full--Herbert, and Gaston's poor old broken-down-with-hard-work -mother--stiff, formal, scared out of her seven wits--trying to smile as -she ambled along, her mouth dry, her knees shaking--the rest of us -bringing up the rear--Brierley, Le Blanc, The Architect, Marc, and I -walking together. - -[Illustration: First, of course, came the mayor--his worthy spouse on -his left] - -But the greatest sight was at the church--it was but a short step,--the -mayor, as he reached it, bowing right and left to the throng, the -sacristan pushing his way through the school children massed in two rows -on either side of the flower-strewn path, their hands filled with Louis' -blossoms; back of these the rest of the villagers--those who wanted to -see the procession, and crowding the doorway and well inside the aisles, -every soul who could claim admission for miles around. And then as we -passed under the old portal--through which, so the legend runs, strode -the Great Warrior surrounded by his knights (not a word of which do I -believe)--the small organ with a spasmodic jerk wheezed out a welcome -that went on increasing in volume until we had moved beneath the groined -arches and reached the altar. There we grouped ourselves in a -half-circle while the vows were pledged and the small gold ring was -slipped on Mignon's finger and Gaston had kissed Mignon; and Mignon had -kissed her new mother; and madame la marquise had taken both their hands -in her own and said how happy she was, and how she wished them all the -joy in the world. And then--and this was the crowning joy of the -ceremony--then, like the old cavalier he is, and can be when occasion -demands, Lemois stepped up and shook Gaston's hand, Mignon looking at -the old man with hungry, loving eyes until, unable to restrain herself -the longer, she threw her arms around his neck and burst into tears--and -so, with another wheeze of the organ, way was made and the homeward -march began. - -It was high noon now--the warm spring sun in both their faces--Mignon on -Gaston's arm. And a fine and wholesome pair they made--good to look -upon, and all as it should and would oftener be if meddlesome cooks -could keep their fingers out of the social broth: she in her pretty -white muslin frock and veil, her head up, her eyes shining clear--she -didn't care now who saw; Gaston in his country-cut clothes (his muscles -would stretch them into lines of beauty before the week was out), his -new straw hat with its gay ribbon half shading his fine, strong young -face; his eyes drinking in everything about him--too supremely happy to -do more than walk and breathe and look. - -Everything was ready for them at the Marmouset. Lemois had not been a -willing ally, but having once sworn allegiance he had gone over heart -and soul. The young people and their friends--as well as his -own--including the exalted lady and her band of conspirators, should -want for nothing at his hands. - -Louis and Leà, as well as madame la marquise, were already inside the -Marmouset when the bride and groom arrived. More apple-blossoms -here--banks and festoons of them; the deep, winter-smoked fireplace -stuffed full; loops, bunches, and spirals hanging from the rafters, the -table a mass of ivory and pink, the white cloth with its dishes and -viands shining through. - -Mignon's lip quivered as she passed the threshold, and all her old-time -shyness returned. This was not her place! How could she sit down and be -waited upon--she who had served all her life? But madame would have none -of it. - -"To-morrow, my child, you can do as you choose; to-day you do as _I_ -choose. You are not Mignon--you are the dear sweet bride whom we all -want to honor. Besides, love has made you a princess, or Monsieur -Herbert would not insist on your sitting in his own chair, which has -only held the nobility and persons of high degree, and which he has -wreathed in blossoms. And you will sit at the head of the table too, -with Gaston right next to you." - - -As grown-ups often devote themselves to amusing children--playing -blind-man's-buff, puss-in-the-corner, and Santa Claus--so did Herbert -and Louis, Le Blanc, Brierley, The Architect, madame, and the others lay -themselves out to entertain these simple people. Leà and Mignon, knowing -the ways of gentle-folk, soon forgot their shyness, as did Gaston, and -entered into the spirit of the frolic without question--but the stiff -old mother, and the lame uncle, and the aunts and cousins were sore -distressed, refusing more than a mouthful of food, their furtive glances -wandering over the queer figures and quaint objects of the -Marmouset--more marvellous than anything their eyes had ever rested on. -One by one, with this and that excuse, they stole away and stood -outside, their wondering eyes taking in the now quiet and satisfied Coco -and the appointments of the court-yard. - -Soon only our own party and Leà and the bride and groom were left, -Lemois still the gracious host; madame pitching the key of the -merriment, Louis joining in--on his feet one minute, proposing the -health of the newly married couple; his glass filled from the contents -of the rare punch-bowl entwined with blossoms, which madame had given -the coterie the autumn before; paying profound and florid compliments -the while to madame la marquise; the next, poking fun at Herbert and Le -Blanc; having a glass of wine with Lemois and another with Gaston, who -stood up while he drank in his effort to play the double rôle of servant -and guest, and finally, shouting out that as this was to be the last -time any one would ever get a decent cup of coffee at the Inn, owing to -the cutting off in the prime of life of the high priestess of the -roaster--once known as the adorable Mademoiselle Mignon--that Madame -Gaston Duprè should take Lemois' place at the small table. "And may I -have the distinguished pleasure, madame"--at which the bride blushed -scarlet, and meekly did as she was bid, everybody clapping their hands, -including Lemois. - -And it was in truth a pretty sight, one never to be forgotten: Gaston -devouring her with his eyes, and the fresh young girl spreading out her -white muslin frock as she settled into the chair which Louis had drawn -up for her, moving closer the silver coffee-pot with her small white -hands--and they were really very small and very pretty--dropping the -sugar she had cracked herself into each cup--"One for you, is it, -madame?"--and "Monsieur Herbert, did you say two?"--and all with a -gentle, unconscious grace and girlish modesty that won our hearts anew. - -The snort and chug of Le Blanc's car, pushed close to the door, broke up -the picture and scattered the party. Le Blanc would drive the bridal -pair home himself--Gaston's mother and her relations having already been -whisked away in madame's motor, with Marc beside the chauffeur to see -them safely stowed inside their respective cabins. - -But it was when the bride stepped into the car at the gate--or rather -before she stepped into it--that the real choke came in our throats. -Lemois had followed her out, standing apart, while Leà hugged and kissed -her and the others had shaken her hands and said their say; Louis -standing ready to throw Brierley's two big hunting-boots after the -couple instead of the time-honored slipper; Herbert holding the blossoms -and the others huge handfuls of rice burglarized openly from Pierre's -kitchen. - -All this time Mignon had said nothing to Lemois, nor had she looked his -way. Then at last she turned, gazing wistfully at him, but he made no -move. Only when her slipper touched the foot-board did he stir, coming -slowly forward and looking into her eyes. - -"You have been a good girl, Mignon," he said calmly. - -She thanked him shyly and waited. Suddenly he bent down, took her cheeks -between his hands, kissed her tenderly on the forehead, and with bowed -head walked back into the Marmouset alone. - - -END. - - - - -BOOKS BY F. HOPKINSON SMITH - -PUBLISHED BY CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS - - THE ARM-CHAIR AT THE INN. Illustrated _net_ $1.30 - KENNEDY SQUARE. Illustrated 1.50 - PETER. Illustrated 1.50 - THE TIDES OF BARNEGAT. Illustrated 1.50 - THE FORTUNES OF OLIVER HORN. Illustrated 1.50 - THE ROMANCE OF AN OLD-FASHIONED GENTLEMAN. Illustrated 1.50 - COLONEL CARTER'S CHRISTMAS. Illustrated 1.50 - FORTY MINUTES LATE. Illustrated 1.50 - THE WOOD FIRE IN NO. 3. Illustrated 1.50 - THE VEILED LADY. Illustrated 1.50 - AT CLOSE RANGE. Illustrated 1.50 - THE UNDER DOG. Illustrated 1.50 - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Arm-Chair at the Inn, by F. Hopkinson Smith - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ARM-CHAIR AT THE INN *** - -***** This file should be named 41284-8.txt or 41284-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/2/8/41284/ - -Produced by D Alexander, The Internet Archive (TIA) and -the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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