Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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BY W. A. LEE AND HUGH WILSON. ABBEVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1875. VOLUME XXIII-NO. 38. TTHJE . ,c i. tu; ; 08, Lj Jr. *;.?/' M A DESPERATE DEED BT / ! JTRSKrXE BOYD, A?*Hoa or "Thk Stolen Child," "Dbivkm From Home," &c., &c. CHAPTER X. OLD OOBK9CMW LIfiTB.Vfi TO k DISCI.OSCKB. ' / ; . .v il'a When Noel" and Daddy Tabaret were^ (m*ted facing- one onothor i? the barris ter's private room, and when the door had been carefuHy locked for fear of intrusion, the latter remarked uneasily to the young raiui that perhaps his mother mi^htrequire bb presence, and fe*l hurt at his absence. "If Mndame Gerdy ringn the bell," wa? the cold reply, made, in a short, dry tone, the nervant* will answer it." The indifference of hie manner, the difldam of his voice, astounded Daddy^ TtiTiuMt ah he had been to the affectionate relations that had hitherto existed between mother and eon.' "For pity's ^ate, Noel/'.he said, "be calm, and dent allow yottrtelf to be led away by any momentary irritation. I see you are annoyed with yonr mother; l>y to-morrow you will, ihave-, forgotten the cause of that annoyance. In the mean "time, drop the icy tone you "have adopted In speaking' of her?it doesn't please me; and why this affectation in calling her "Madame Gerdvf" . ^ "WhyP echoed ' the barrister, in a hol kfw j .tie rote a* he spoke, par<?d th* room for a few seconds in an absent, uncertain #ort of way, and then, rotumiug, stood close beside the old man. "Because, Monsieur Tabaret, Madame Orrdy-i?^ Hot my itoOkr!" Hi* words fell like the blow of a heavy clulb upon the head of Daddy Tabaret. He wax stunned, and for *ome moments eat staring at his young friend, as one paralyzed. ? "Oh!" said h? at hut, in an eii<ostulat ing way, as if the words be had last heard were beyond all possibility of belief; "re fleet npon what you are Having, my dear boy! Think how improbable it is?how "Yea; I own it ia includible," answered Noel, kpeaking with a certain emphtuoH, .and dwelling ion each word in a manner which wan familiar to lum. "It may seem improbable, yet it is true. For thirty three year??from the day of my birth, m fact?-Madame Gerdy haa been playing a Wonderful comedy?onprht I not to rail it ?tragedy??to ray detriment, and to the -profit ' of .her own feon?for she ha* a hoii, a I am about to prove to you." My dear boy, you may .speak to aie unreservedly," be^nn Daddy Tabaret, who, in the dim dj?tanc**-..caught a more distinct g-lirajito df lha jAwrutoin of the Widow Lerouffe. Kut Hoel waJ not likening-?indeed, 1?till? in a. cnnHitinn to 1 intoII. 1 ??? rfawt younjf man, ordinarilv no severe , and cold, no willed round with an icy re- : F*rv? of mwiner, appeared to bare entirely lout bis *elf-commimd.^ The sound of bio ; "Wb? ther? ever a man n this world more cruelly deceived t^an I have lx\en? more mis*rably(or ^^tttamefully j dupedf* 'i * He spoke with a growing1 excitement, ' pacing the room with hAsty itrides, not j gisncine at the cjue?r, attentive face that w?s>okinfr at him so steadily. **To Jhi(ik," he continued, "that her per- ! fidy dates from the moment she took me | <m, her knpe*,. kjs*injj my baby forehead i a* ?hr csljed tft4"*her eonP Her love for tut-?her lf)vej so cunningly professed, was hjpoorit.y# htr devotion to' my welfare & twjjtent's cunning, assumed the batter to ?&! TabareT. "No one acts in the way you describe without ?* motive, and that a ' powerful one." ' Noel clenched both his hands tightly ] tofother, with a bftter laugh. "Her motive was thnt her own pan might -! enjoy what rightly belonged to, me." ,-J *Her own son?" echoed his listener.A-' "That, unsuspected, he ?hoatd assume up j jrrw name??u vcrj' g i wi umuc. uij Dim?, Monsieur Tabacet, with a fortune to maintain tt?an imita'n'e fortune! A xforiotui fortune! My fortune! JjreBfr nigh name!?gr*at wealth!?grand posi tion! This ba? .robbed "Ha!" !hoiijrbitT>tddy Tubaret, in whom the spirit of tbe^et?4*Uva to be j*-; < cited, and whdee&ubtL* flo?e already scent (frpaX xrcrvt,?"ha! The cork is b5iinn.nyf.t0 move ut liuiir <. ^rhSlSwBat he Oiojight. What he aaid ww an follow*:?"X ferfoun aecu?afion,rny dear boy, a very ferioup accndation! And .(0 believe it, onu must give Madame Ger r credit for a mingled audacity and cu?> ning fa rely combined in one ana the umi Derfcoti; *1'0 b*v? conceived, and to have Bucccxrtfully carried oat. augb;*e*h?ftM as the one you chary* her <*h? must bav* been advised, directed, and held in AecVby some more powerful intelligence """ .1 could have .*ct?d .4 one! iLeven her husband HbaudP Interrupted-fhfc Young fcarrister.Nrtih another derisiv*-laugh. And you in her pathetic Miry of a lonjj widowho^^f weeds and learn? weepiag tombs,'jfrass grovrn yravee?and ^ ' the paraphernalia wfeich maVcs np '' ''t^ociety calls a re ap?ctnbl?? denth! jfct,hufr>lim| haa ceased Co exist?win ply ruhgW? e he never exist J\ .A . (1U,1/!V 'o v,f. Uoel pauwd. I'>->b\ He aeetaed annihilate by the Vmpest ?# hi* own.. paseioa, as under the e^W ttf*?a^ of the hurricane the turbulent 0ea wuwes Cor. a moment a terrible calm. 'He looked at-fitaddy Tabaret aa expect toff <ome outburst of feeling' o?? hi# part ! niiA Amotion *f Any kind in his facy ,w\hen, after a few ^., jainutes pause, he ' his calm eyes and fixed them on the^loodshot ouea of hi* young friend*?^ *3 A "Dou't let us wander from the subject You aro young; yonth ifr impulsive. You wk my advice. Well, without any nndue hoiwtincr. vou ankkt.^ i^tOpa* thing- of many, an<i weS<f* when aiming' at a tare?1, the skillful marksman strikes the bnlTI ey^flt on?*b il. C 0 J jper* vb? old man moved' his chair for? ward, and darted rather than spoke his word*. "May | ask how jum'v* gathered all this qurioiM WKatnationT By monaL ve y(hi obtaified possession of this most &$!(flMSPSWH .foolish nightmare which tortures wbQer ; .deceives. Have you proofs? if ryo#. J haven't, I refuse to li?^di$d?fii^h eXargeu I agaiqtf one vbonUaw alwaw respected.. -I tsttv* "I have rt^ht, considering the position in whipb ycai- j ft bare placed me, to d?*manu a vH^pwTiwtofar-"'' w o; imp. tu <? 5? .?te<*>wWrvj j* .v-' -(s 1 ltDown illi'w told you for the I iut three wet'kfl." Jmn ? *How did you obtain yonr proof#?" , "BywWmt., I<*ay# enough to make I anyQnpyejqdiced mind morally certain of the'fruth of7VhfM, They art but moral proof#, fknow; but a word-?-on?J .word only of the Widow L?roujje would turned ,yir eenle, and before the world, even witF the most skeptical, nave made those proofs decisive." "Which word," commented Daddy Tab aret, "the respectable lady in question cannot, nnder the circumstances, pro nounce." "Because, those that dreaded she would do so, have killed her!" criecf Noel, pas sionately. "They have killed her in order to shut her mouth for ever; and now Madame Grerdy will deny all. I know I her! Were her head upon the block, ! and the axe within an inch of her neck. ; she would deny all?all! My father, also, without doubt, will refuse to own me! I have papers?substantial evidence? hero, under my hand, when thia woman's murder scatters my hopes to the winds, and nullifies them all!" Daddy Tabaret shook his head, and mused for a moment. "You talk of proota proofs, proofs! What are these proofs? Two heads are * 1 T (rivn vnil Nfl- ! wiwr iuau vuc) vut^viv vice, I must know everything you have to communicate." 44You shall." Noel paused, glanced at tho windows and door, drew his chair nearer to that of his old friend, and spoke in a distinct tone, though still in a whisper. CHAPTER XI. CC , whit wia ror.vD. BB?t5i> tob bucbbt > PAXBI- , t , ri i: "Three weeks ago," continued Noel, MI waa in want of eome papers of importance, which I had nlaced in the old bureau, in Madamo Ge ray's room. Missing the key, rh$l tp resort to.forcing the lock. While doing so, a random blow of the hammer causod the chisel I waa using to slide from the place where it was inserted, and strike with much violence against a neighboring part of the bureau. To my astonishment, the blow moved a small panel, which I * 3 4. 1... K.. baa supposea to u<: muwu wood. I examined it, inserted the edge of the chisol in the crack or crevice ?o sud denly discovered, and pushed aside the little panel without much difficulty. The recess was filled with papers?so crammed, in fact, that they fell out, and were scattered on the desk. An instinct, a mere mechanical instinct, impossible for me to explain, led me to take up one of the letter*?for they were letters?and, it being unsealod, to open and glance at its contents." Old Corkscrew shook his head. "You were wrong," he murmured, looking at his young friend gravely; "wrong?very wrong!" - "(iranted; but what is done cannot be. undone. I read the letter,and before I h^d mastered six lines of it, I was aware that the letter waa written by my father?my father, of whom Madame Gerdy, despite my prayers and entreaties, had refused to let me know even the name." Here thoyounjr man paused, and looked appe&lingly in his listener's far?. You must not blame me; you can hardly realize th? hunger, nay, the an fruislt of curiosity that jnissesaed mo. I closed the secret panel, gathered up the letters, and hurried away to my room to read them, one by one." "A curiosity which has already been cruellv punished,my poor boy." said Dad dy Tabaret, surveying the working face of the other with a sadness that was full of pity. In my place, who could have resisted such a temptation? It was those very letters that ^avc me th? proofs I spoke to yorrabont just-now:" - " ?'* "You have the letters, of courao?" "Safely; you may bo sure. You're my only friend. I've no secrets from you. You shall sew them?nay, you muht read them!" The youn^r barrister opened one of the drawers of bis desk, touched a secret ~ Aft-,m, H rownH n. Rma.ll auu \??vn ?* v? ? , . packet of letters, which he handed to Old I Corkscrew. , \ Now, giving way to his natural and ar- j dent curiosity, and placing his wonder- j 2 fully "detective-looking" spectacles upon | hia queer nose, the Daddy settled himself . comfortably in his chair, and unfastened . the string that was around the papers. He took up the first letter that came to his hand, and in obedience to a goature of j NoelV, began to read. "My Darling Valerie " Valerie," remarked the barrister, be tween hi? teeth, "id the mime of Aladame ; Getdy!" "I know?I know!?pray don't inter rupt me!" paid the old man. "I will ready each letter in my own way, and we can 1 comment upon the whole afterwards." The reading of thft first letter concluded, i the Daddy stroked his chin for eotne mo- j ments before he spoke. one." "And what do you advisot" Stop a bit, my impetuous young" friend ?just stop a bit, and let ine run over the simple facte. -If you think I've pot them clearly, why, then we'll proceed to discuss them," Half closing1 his eyes, but very keenly watchful* nevertheless, Daddy Tubaret, leant back in his chair, crossed one leg over the other, then clasped bis thin, rest less hands over his knees, and spoke ns follows; Noel listening with a nervous yet absorbed attention, hanging, as it were, ) upon the words that fell from tHe oia j j man'# lips. t .3 I ? *>T" /j!?1 ' C ! CHAPTER XII. ( TIJK TRl'K HKIR. Thwe, then, are the facts?the pimple facta," commenced his friend, "as far us I | i can glean them from the pile of letter# 1 I've juf?t perused; and if you'll allow me, j TL repeat them to you in 'sensation' para- | * graphs, after the fashion of some of our | ( favorite novelists. Your father, the pos- j Beseor of a great name?I surmise this? 1 | ythou^h th? letters are without signature ! an kniaeiu>e fortune, while yet a e v?y young1 dxan, devotedly loved a young J 1; I ; ift Th* young girl was far beneath him in birth ab^1 worldly position. Unable to j marry h??wtbout" the consent of his par | enta, the rove of the young people took a j vi^ong turn. "Valerie Gehjy, yielding to a fatal im i poise", lived with your father as his wife, I though with6ut rurht to that sacred title. "Diplomatic relation took him to Italy, land there, in th? absque of Valerie* who remained^lone Jiulfruice. notwithrftand K ing his most ardent desire that Bhe should [j accompany him, one of those grand mar riages was formed by his ariatocratic fam [ ily, which consists in simply bringing two ereat names and an unlimited quantity of' i land together, utterly 'irtrespeettve of any , of tb?; nobler feelings of the hfcart. "To judge by the tone of 4he letters it j proved a most unhappy union, bringing in its train aorrow, sin, shame and death.*; 01J Corkscrew paused for a moment, as if searching for anew point to start from in his ujory.,... "What were'jt?ur father's motives," he asked, brenking silence at last, "for his lengthened 6tay abroad?" . ? , ? , , "My father," answered the.young bar- ' rister, "notwithstanding ffls age, was an intimate friend of Charles the Tenth, and had undertaken for him a secret mission in Italy. My father is the Count Lionel de Valcourt." Daddy Tabaret started. The name pronounced by Noel was one of the most ancient in France, and had, hitherto, been handed down without i blemish or stain from father to son until j the present time. r "iefi," continued the young1 man, in a low voice, taking up one of the letters, and glancing1 at its date, "it was at Naples, in the middle of the month of May, 1820, that my father, a man in the full possession of his intellept-^a statesman, celebrated for his wily policy?a gentleman' of "high birth and education, led away by an ab sorbing passion, committed to paper a scheme as monstrous as it was unjust!" "Stop a bit?stop a bit!" again said Daddy Tabaret. M Let's stick to t' ? bare ? 1 ova ?iq fnllnU'H HIKI Mill Jilt; i at in. niuvu v wvr - Two <rhil<lreu were born in the same month of tl?e name year./ One the child of the poor yirl called Valerie ; the other of the Countess de yaleourt. 44 At the instigation of the Count Lionel de Valeourt, the children were changed, and tho real heir to hi* name and estates was consigned to the care of Valerie, whilst her child wan brought up *9 the future Count. ;. 'I " The accomplices in thiti scheme were Scnnain, the Count's valet j a wet nurae, named Clnudiiio Leroufjo; the Count fiimself^^and, of uorifte,"Vide " Th* nmmrpY inrVvhtHrtha pfnrf was ex fcuted was simple and effective. -"The twA children, a few dayB after heir respective births, were sent in tha rare of two wet-nurses into Normandy, A-hcre the De Valeourt estates are nitu lted. ' "Those women were, of cdurse, un mown to. encli other. u An acridcnt on the road, previously irranpvd by Crermahi, the valet, who ac ronipunied the nurse who had taken hnrge of the Countesn* little son, caused he two women to paps the niffht -in the iHino room at a wuywide inn, where the hange was effected. M A munificent reward for her services i:id been given to Claudine Lorotige, the vife of nn hone#t but poor wailor, who :arefully kept the secret, and '.enderly tursed the child of Valerie, wbe wad thua ?roug-ht up aj? the future heir of the Count md Countess. " Am I right bo far i" asked Daddy Tab iret Noel bent hid head in token of acqul R'tMMW. " And now," said Old Corkscrew, sud lenly Bitting- holt upright in his chair, and ixing his piercing eyes on the pale face of lis young friend, " where a-c your prooftT Noel took hack the packet of letter*, eplaced them in his desk, and then look d steadily into the sharp countenance hat was pooling into his own. " Suppose," he said, slowly, and in meas ired accents, "that all the proofs I poe ess ia the world stop hero. What then t" Daddy Taharet took some minutes he ore he answered tins question.. He was weighing the strength of the circumatan ial evidence contained iu the letters of the 'onnt de Ynlcourt. "Speaking from my own impression,"' ie said, at last, " I'm convinced that you're lot the son of Madame Gerdy." Noel seized his hkisd, and shook li rarmly. "Thank you?thank yon!" he huwt out, iith a joyful energy. " You were never lore right in your life, ami I'm sura the world will ho on my side when it is mad# acquainted with my ead story.'' _ Daddy Taharef watched him aa he com "Thi* letter,'' be murmured to himself, and not addressing bin anxious listener, & he folded it carefully, and placed it aside ?"this letter exprw?*B, in burning words, I the writer** deep love for the beautiful Valerie," "Valeria Gerdy " t ? "I'm not speaking- to yon. I'm only making notes?nojen on my own account With your permission, I'll read all the let , ters through, and-we'll postpone our da- i cision till the rending is over." j Then, with r methodical -calmness* very irritating to the nerves of the impatient Noel, Monsieur Tabaret read letter after 1 letter,- now and then pausing- to make a pencil note of something that had |iarticj>- c larly struck him. till the last one was con- ' t eluded and placed with the'others. /~v > "A dtrapge ftofy," he muttered?*?a t ?sry?rtrarig?> wtory?a romantic and a sad < J snenceu pacing1 me room, milking me wnuv in o quick, excited way, and waited fof further information. "Of course you may gniesis ," he paid; "that [ sought out Claudme Lerouge. She loved mo, poor thing1! She had ouckled me, and my life, n* it were had become a part-of' hvrs. She knew the in^u*tice of whicl^I , tiad been the innocent victim, and her hon ?st heart bled for me. Need I tell you that the thought of her complicity in the nefarious scheme weighed heavily upon he" *onscience ? Remorse, like a viper, was jawing at her vitals?the buruen laid upon her in her old Ape was too heavy for tier U> bear. When 1 questioned her, she was deeply moved, and confessed to me? whom she so doyot* '.ly loved?the whole plot. Three days after my birth, the end they hud in view was attained, and 1?I. a poor-helpfew infant, wn? deprived of" my birthright, of a mother's love, and a father'a care. Poor Claudine Lerougo! poor, faithful nnrse! she, at least, remrnn ?d my friend, and promised to come for ward as a witness whenever I wished to issort my right*." "And she isdeaJT; aiiclheraecrotJuried with her!" groaned the old man, covering !iis face with his hands. " But, ttlill," nrprued Noel, ?a|?eNy ana nnxiout-ly, " I iuhv have a chance left, you mow. I won't throw up the Hponge na rot." "Quite Fight?quite rijrht!" murmured liin listener. " I lik<? a br:iVe heart?1 lik# joonvffe and peiWverauee." "The widow," pursued the other, "poa ?es?ed letters of importance?foolinh, im prudent, compromising letters ; *ome writ :en by my father, eons* by Madame Oerdy. [ know thin ty be a fact, for I've hnd them n my hand*. j'va-i^ad thetn.i. Clnudino ?ven wished to place them in my keeping, fool! fool that I wna to refuse them!" Alas! there wun.no chance left in that Earter. Nobody whs better aware of it in Dmldy Tubaif t. u>!< i The.?e h-tter*, oI x'ourso, liadtbeen.tbe mo- < ive of the murder, .at->$h* village of La lonchere. . i The aanrmsin had foond and had burned hem, with the rcyt of tlie wid<?n'?< papers, n the little utove already describcu in the irat chapter* of tlii* ntory. CHAITKR XIII. tub trar-ptxinkt) l.kttkb. The old volnuteer detective was one* nore on the trail. Still there was a flaw n the evidence lit wiw collecting in hiB iwn mind. . . . ,, "It appears to me," he said, after a muse, "that, knowing1 your Hard struggles o gain an honest independence, your it t tier scarcely kept his word as to the laz/.ling promioex he made to Mudame Jfi-dy about your future." * lie never kept hi? word at all!" an wered 1ho other, nhakin"- his head sadly. "Well. I nev?r!" cried Daddy Tabaret, ndiguantly. "If I don't think he hasbe luved worse than all the rest!" " Spare my father!" said Noel, quickly. Keiuember that ho befriended Madame icrdy for many yearn afterwards." " Did you over see him?" interrupted lis friend. ? Yes. I can still.remember beings virft d when" at college by a tall man, with a lanusome nice, ana coin, naugmy mnn >eri?, who could have been no other than he Count Lionel de Valcourt. But the lay rnmc at last when he broke off all on-espondence with the once adored and >e:*utiful Valerie."' "Oh, of count*!?of course!" sneered >i?ddy Tabaret. "A man in his position I -one of the old nobility, you know?he 1 ould afford to do a dirty action!" "Stop," interrupted the-"barrister, with > lignity," before'you jutTgenim too hastily, ; nd you will see that he was not so much ; o blame." So savin#, he handed another letter to ! >M Corkscrew. This letter whs more crumpled and worn han the rest, and the writing appeared J lotted in many places, as with tear*, lis foldfc "Were nearly divided from much se, as though it had been read and r& ead mauy And many a weary time. It intimated, in n few lines, that the 'ount had become cognizant of the fact > bat Valerie waf? on the point of accepting reposals of marrin from a rich trades lan in her neighborhood; and that in onsequence of this, she must consider i tat in future all further relations what- ; raver between them were at an end.. ; In her replies, the unfortunate woman ixlignantly denied the insinuation, but ' ier 1-tters* were returned unopened.. She tried' to obtain an Interview with tbo Count, but in vain, and was at-last-inform ed by liis solicitor that an income of ?150 a year would be settled upon her, on con dition that ?he ceased all further claims upon his client. "So you see, old friend," commented Noel, as the faded, sad-looking letter join ed companions in misfortune in the pack,?"so you nee, Valerie's son has taken my plwe, and my hopes are destroyed for -ever?" He was interrupted by some one knock ing1 at the door. " Who's there ?" he asked, without ris ing from his peat. "Oh, if you please, sir," pai<l the voice of the servant outside, " ?lo come ! Poor missus has been asking1 for you this 'alf hour; but I told her you was engaged. She's been asking for you again!" The banister turned very red, and then very pale?half rose from his seat, then sunk back again, as if irresolute what course to pursue. tftio to her!?go to her at once", my boy!" said Daddy Tubaret, energetically. "Don't be unkind and unforgiving1! Leave those unpleasant feelings to bigots and narrow minded people. It's a privilege that l>e? longs to them." ? ;Noel rose with an-evident reluctance and repugnance; then, placing his hand over bis heart, as if to still its painful throbbing, went into Madame Gerdy's rooms.' CHAPTER XIV. OLD CORKfitHKW POCKKTS A LSTTXB. His young friend hrd hardly left the room, before Daddy Tabaret had men to his feet, and commenced pacing thv little I study. "Poor fellow!" thought the old man. "What a aad- discovery! tyich ft fine hearted chap, Wo! IIiTk h6 geheroun, ho candid, he haan't the meatmen* to nuapeet anybody! But, thank goodlier! I'm }o the fore. I'll find out all about it/ I partly guetw who has done it; but how has it been led up to?" There's the rub! He'll tell me more, presently, without huh peeting the interest I take in hi* wordn." Here Daddy Tubaret stopped studdeply in his pedestrian tour round and round the room. Hi* eyes had again alighted on the packet of letters which Noel had left be hind him on the tabl*. " Ah!" he riirhed, "if I could only have one of thoHe Tetters just for twenty-foui hours! Of course, he kujws the exact number, and if I atkod him for one, it might lead, in some way, to a betrayal of my connection with the police." Al .] /I 1 - A 1. 1..MI uui itumwruw iuuiw uiiuiurr uinif uuu atopped again in front of the letters. 41 Yes ; I'll take one. Out of evil eometh good. I Klwll now l>e able to compare the handwriting at my leisure." Daddy Ta buret httd hardly succeeded fci thrusting one of the letter* inlo his ca pacious pocket when the barrister re-aj> peared. . IV lie wax one of thoa* men, the hinges of whose character, ho to ajpeakvhave 4>een bo well oiled that they beijdtatHfever break. He was a completo maatur of his emo tions, having exercised Wmself in hiding his thoughts and feelings from others to such uu extent tliat dissimulation came to him as second nature. In short, he was convinced, and perhaps, after .all, he was right, that dissimulation is the indispens able arinor of an ambitious man. Nothing, therefore, in his manner, as b? entered the room, betrayed what had pass ed between him and bin reputed mother. IJi.H face was calm, his voice steady,and . Lis whole demeanor as nnruttled as if h* had but just returned from a cornmoi^ plHce consultation with one of his client*. "Well," asked Daddy Tabarot, anxiously, "how is sliei" t , "Worse!" answered Noel?"much worse! She is delirious now, and doesn't know what she U- having. She load* me with the most dreadful reproaches, and treat# me u* though I were a monater not fit tcj? approach her. I'm positive* she's going1 mad!" , "It's not to be wondereel at!" murmured the old man. "Poor thing?poor thing!" Then he added, "I hope you've aent for a. doctor." ' "I've just done bo, and expect his ar rival eiich moment." Aii li? spoke, he sat down before his rtudy table, and oommenecd putting his letters in order, arranging each according to its date, and in separate packets, with out dini-overing the mining one appro priated by Ducldy TnViret. Tliia done, ho placed thrift in tha secret drawer of hia, dejik, and, haviuip. carefully loekecUt, rose. Htld bfcg&n pacing the rootn^to |f fljy . kcoiitfmfnl 'TnOttfrtrcnt Til!ithoughtvTo 5*1 m * the internal fever that neemed bubbling' in I11.-4 veins. "Ves, she thought to impono uponrm^? to trick me! As if .she could riuccetjd with buch proof* a* Ihold!" v "She ha* probably warfted Ibitj&int, and placed him on lij?gi$ftrd," iujd Daddy Tnbaret, s^illpurijuinjf his detoctivo hob by. 12q} : 77 no% g ?; w "ItV-y^ry likely;'.^)iit she can't have The -Ck&ut in away from home,and won't return Jijl thoisnd of the. w^ek." "Ilow do-you knyw thutT,' _ ( "le.-awe l ^h^da?fet^iy speak tonini!" "Von/" _U--^ / "Aini wby-??? jyovou UMttt i m po Up tha tight before it has hardly J commenced f l^o you tlliiiK that, robbed, despoiled, rind bitrayvJ, 1 will not raise my voice in protest? Wliat delicacy of pentiment should hold me back? Vt'liy shouldn't T spaafe?" ' "Of coiirse!-^'of course!*'aasonted 'Old Corkscrew, trvinp to Hoothe him down. "It's all rijjht?it'nonly human nature? ho you can't b?* fur out. 80 you exiled on the Count, then?" - * > "Yen; after wee.ka of irresolution?'weeks of mental and torture?I (lecided upon seeing my futher. Oh, how 1 suf fered during tlint .short timo! I gave up work; pretending to my clients that I Wit* ill. In the day I took walks of tweuty to,,' thirty miles, hoping in this way to pain some rest in the long, we-ary night*; but in vain! From tin* time thoso letteis fell into my hands, I have never slept an hour at a time!" Daddy Tnlmret was getting res'less. From time to time lie drew his watch se cretly from his pocket, and tidgctted about in hjs chair. MLur'! lor'!" ha tbomrht; "how these youup peo])le do talk? I shall miss the magistrate; he'll be in bed by the time I get away!" And he suppressed a prroan of impatience as he prepared to listen for "further particular* on the nart of hi* nxcited friend. "At last, one morning'," continued Noel, "after a night of deep thought and miser}', I made up my mind; I s*n or a cab, and was driven to the Count'." house." The old volunteer detective gave a sigh of satisfaction and relief. At last he whs coming to the point. "When I arrived," went on Noel, aa foot man, in crimson and gold, opened the door, who, in answer to luy demand, in formed me that the Count Lionel de Val court was in the country, hut that the Viscount- his Bon. was at home. This rather upaet the programme I had laid i down foe myself; but having gone thus ' far, I did not feel inclined to recede. I insisted, in default of the father upon seeing1 the boil After having1 been passed on to several other servant*, I was con- j fided to the care of a valet, who begged ; me to follow him into the presence of his j master." 44At'last," murmured Old Corkscrew, with another sigh of relief, and politely BiippreBsuifr a contemplated yawn. . * ii v i 1 "1 was I10W UOIlUUUieii, nwi wiimiuvn, "into a small and simply furnished room, j whose only adornment consisted in old j armor and arms of every kind and sort. I i don't think in all my life I've seen such a_ variety. Guria, pistols, sword?, daggers, | and foils of all shaj>eA imd qualities were j scattered about?m short, I should have thought myself in the arsenal of a fencing maxtar." The arrp t&at li%d beenjised T>y the aa sanain of the "Wulow Lerouge flashed across the memory of the old detective. "The Viscount," Bftid Noel, "whs half seated, or rather half * lying1, on the sofa. He's a good-looking fellow, with dignified yet easy manners, and carries well the name which by right belongs to me. He's about my height, with brown hair and eyes like myself, and there's a strong re semblance between us?stronger, perhaps, if he didn't wear a beard and moustache. He looks much younger than I do, by the way, and that's not to b<i wondered at. I've worked,suffered, and struggled,whilst he has had nothing to do bat eat, drink. ituu piecp, You must have felt horribly nervous and quc-ev," put in Daddy Tabaret. ' wNot the least in the world. I felt less than I do now. Ten days of mental an guish and sleepless iilgli't? prepare a fel low for the worst. The moment I entered I broke the ice at once. 'Sir,' I said. 'I'm a perfect stranger to yoiy but my per sonality is-a mere trifle compiled tfitb the hhportance of the mission wTtn which 1 am charged.' " "He rose at once, and*placing the cigar ette he was smoking on the mantlepioce, $tood leaning" against "ite marble .shelf.-' 44 The mission I have come upon is sad and seriou*, and one that deeply concerns th? honor of the name you bear.' He seemed hardly to understand me, and with a tone of haughty impertinence, asked me 'If I thought I should be long?' 14 'Yes,* I replied shortly." Daddy Tab&rel had become very atten tive. "Don't omit the slightest detail," ho said. "It's most important you should put me in full possession of the facts." "The Viscount apj>eared awful./ an noyed," continued Noel. 'I'm sorry you're going to be long,' he objected. "The fact is, my time is not my own. I'm engaged to be married to a young lady. Made moiselle d'Arlange, a fact which I believe has already been announced, and am ex pected to lunch in half an hour from this. Uan't you postpone our interview/ "llilloh!" said Old Corkscrew to himself; here'* another woman cropping up! I wonder if she's Lad anything to do with the mystery?" MI answered that the exjJunation I had to make would admit of no delay; and as I saw by the expression of liis fare that be was about to dismiss in*, 1 brought out my packet of letter*, and, drawing one out of the pack, pre* oted it to him. He recognized the liau I writing of his fathor at once, declared himself at my service, asking me politely to allow him to write a few Unes of excuse to the lady who ex isted him to luncheon. uIIc wrote a few lines in haste, gave them to his valet, with orders to deliver them immediately to the Duchess d'Ar lange, and then, rising, naked me to follow li !..i. it. *rn > * 1 uuii unci i mu iiunir) . "One word," interrupted Old Corkscrew. "Did he seem much upset on seeing the letters?" "Not the least in the world! He was as cool an a cucumber. After Carefully shut ting the door, he pointed tb'tff'ym-chair. begging m? to be seafMiwhilsf Be threw hinufelf on a sofa with th# moat perfect UM4d the world. ,;:it " And now, sir,', he began, *will you havia the goodness to explain youraelfi' "I had prepared, and, " so to apeak, Srim^d myBelf, for the interview, and had ecided not to beat about the bush, but to strike a decisive blow at once. ." Sir,' I said, 'qiy mission is a most pain ful one. In fact, of such a nature that I hardly know how or when? td begin.' u 'Indeed!' he said, half laughing and raising his eyebrows; 'it takes a great deal to surprise or alarm vie; I've capital nerveB, and don't know what palpitation of the heart niennfl.' iil'19 ti Ci "'I'm glad to hear it,' I answered, very gravely. 'I won't detain you long; I sim ply wish you to read these letters.' And, as I spoke, I rose and advanced towards J?m. v : ... " 'Sir,' I went on, 'I am a barrister, and navo me inu-icacies 01 uie taw ai my lin gers' ends.' ? . ?. " 4I beg you will proceed,' lie said, the smile dyin#- out of his face; 'I'm all im patienoe to near the news you have to tell me.' u , "'Sir,'I continued, ?th0H0 letters will prove to vou that you are not the reaJ hoir to the Valcourt estates, and are the illu gitiniate son of the Count Lionel de Val court. The rightful heir exist*, and it in he who now asserts his claim!'., , , "He bounded to hit*- feet liko n tiger, and, for a moment, I thought he was at it Jp throat,Jjiit;ho jJ8co?>n?d nimself instantly, and in a voice that was . alrupst a whisper, xsked for the J^terH.' * "WiHi'ortit a moitiefifs nesiVauon I"haud ?d them to him. .etd'ji "What!" half screamed Old Corkscrew; you don't mean to. say yojrhad the folly, the impVatte/rt-e-, to hiind hfm the rtsal ones* ?the originals I mean?" , nn said tho barrister, in a low voico, and compressing hi* lips as ho spoke, "^,V^p(thoie, and had prepared my- * self'for any emergency.** There was such an expression of con irtntrate'dfirmness aud ferocity In Noel's "face, that Daddy Tabarfctrecoiled justihc "He would have' strangled him," he thought, "had he attempted any treaeh ?ar -1" ~L The oarnriter worn on wnn ins reciuu. . #"Whatl did for yon old friend, I did for tbo Vincount Albert do Valcourt?flparcd hUn thfe'tedium of reading through a hun dred .and iifty-six loiters. I told 1dm lo ]>cru?<p only those tliut were marked with a crosH in red ink." "And you did quite ugli.% my boy. _ You had pi icHlKimjon the r^k; but: kindly shortened fhe torture." "lie was now seated," continued Noel, "lx?fore ii ?mall jxipicr mnche tabl<?, ho ex tremely delicate in ita make, that if ho had leaned upon it, they wouhfhave gone over together, and spoiled the dignity of our interview. As for mo, 1 remained stand ing, with one arm on the chimneypicce. I followed his sligheift movement, and watched hi.s face wit hungry cyeH. Never in inj life, or in my varied experience, have 1 Men a face no alter. I shall never forget it, wore I to live a hundred years! "He took his handkerchief from his poc ket. jpd from time to time putted it across his f?.(>>> and mouth. "lie turned so pal* that, at one moment, I thought he would have fainted; and his n?*Au xnil ? **!? a a Aid nf lint 4 Vl ti f almost made him l<x>k blind. "Apart from this, not tin exclamation, not a won!, not a nigh. "Once he made my heart heave with pity. I long to advance. and snatch tho fatal letters from his hands to throw them into the tire, and clasping him in my arms, to cry out, 'Brother, brother! let us forget the paat?lot us know and love each other!' M CHAPTER XV. OLD CORKfiCHEW LENDS A THOUSAND POUNDS. Old Corkscrew'# queer old face lighted up with pleasure at the words pronounced by the young barrister in our last chap ter. "There"! recognize your heart, my boy ?your generous, noble heart!" "But I didn't express those words audi bly, you know," went on Noel, "bpcauee I thought that the letters once burned, ten to one he'd have had me turned out as an impostor." "Of oourso?of course." "At the end of about half an hour the Viscount handed me back the papers, and standing up so as to face me, leaned against the chimney-piece. "You Are riyht, sir,' he paid; 'and if those letters were written by my father, everything' tends to-prove that I am not the son of the Countess de Valcourt. Have you any other proofs T ut Germain, the valot, can certify.' "'"Germain died i.ome years a^o.' "/Elieu. Jt applet* to him of the nurse? the 'Widow' Lerouge?and .cxplaiued to him how easy it wouTd he tb rtncU'er, ns the lived ut the village of La J.oneliero." ? M "What did he say to that?" asked Daddy Tabaret, in an eager tone. " He was silent at first, seeming to ire ' fleet; then suddenly raised hiB hand to his forehead. u 'Ab, I remember now!' he cried. 'I visited her several times with my father, and on one occasion I recollect ne gave her a cheque for a large amount of money.' "1 observed that here Was another proof in the claimant's-favor. He made no re ply. but commenced walking1- up and down the room. At last, he stopped and ' facedmp.. . .t "4 Do you happen to knpw the person , who, claims to bo the legitimate aori o; Count Lionel de Vnleourt "I answered, 'I am the man.' - .1 aHe lowered his head, and turnw away. .. j /* : ! "'I thought bo,' he murmuredthien advancing, he "ofl'eTed me his " hand. .'] bear you no malice,' he said, huskily, fcbu you have dealt me a fearful; blow, and ] unruly .know what to say or want to tlunk My futj?ec wjll return in eitfhtor tfcn dayB ,. X will -:a?jk you to. accord me this delay and immediately ho arrives I will explan * to tiiifi your casts I .must beg ytrn now t< Jeave me. 1 feel dazed?ill, in fact $ ^nc "s he spoke he sunk back, as if faint; or the sofa, motioning' for me to ring the Dei for his servant.. . "I 'dfd so, and left him, fooling puzzler . myceif. ns to what my next move ought t< [1" be ; but all my pliuw are scattered to-th< winds since the murder of my poor olc , nurse, Can you advise me ?" " Not now?riot now," said the old man who was meditating a retreat, and wai fearful he might bo led into saying some thing imprudent. " I'll sWp upon it, ant ' see yoii'ajpni m (lie morning." Thenln added, affectionately, u Poorboy?poo boy! what an anxious time you must hav< had of it!" ' " Foarfu)! arid joined to it all, worrj about money matters." u Money matters! I thought you wer< such in economical fellow." " Before this dreadful revelation, wbicl threatens to change my whole life, I hac taken''upon myself some engagements foi a friend* ft dear friend. Those engage ments.I must meet, and, under presenl circumstances, I cannot ask for assist ance from the family purse." " You're right?quite rieht; and I'm delighted you've mentioned it, for it juBl reminds in'e that it's in your power to dc me a favor." "Indeed!?and what's that?" u Can you imagine, now, that I've got in my desk, poked away among my papers, no lens a sum than a thousand pounds, in bank notes?" .. " Rather imprudent," remarked the bar rister. - "Of course it is; thafs just w]iat I , meant; and what I'm about to propose is, that you can take care of them far better than l ean." ' Noel pressed the good old fellow's hand, and shook his head with an amused ex prewion of face. "Thank you all the same," he objected, UL.t T'.vi I " "You'll do nothing of the kind," said Daddy T&barct, hotly; "I'm accustomed to have my way, and I'll bring1 the money to-morrow." " But remembering he had an appoint ment with the magistrate, M. Daburon, and perhaps might..be detained all day, he added, immediately. " No ; not to-mor row. I won't run any further risks ; you shall have it this evening. This evening, did I say??you shall have it at onceP' And before Noel could stop him, he had seized his hat and loft the room. In ten minutes he returned, with the roll-of. bank notes in his hand. " If you don't find them enough," he said, as he thrust them into the pocket,of the young barrister's coat, " there's plenty more at the same shop ; orders punctually attended to, and the strictest secrecy ob served." And, without waiting for a reply, he was gone. "What a queer old fellow he is," thought Noel; ' lie hasn't taken an I 0 II, or re ceipt of any kind," and he ran to the door ns lie spoke, in order to call him back : then stopped short and listened. " He'll be coming again to-morrow," he reflected, " and I'll let him have his own way now/', He opened his window and listened to the footsteps or the old man until inev died away in the lonely street; then he wound lip his oil lamp, and, after that, arranged hie hair and put on an overcoat. Crossing to the door of Madame (?*?rdv\ room, he listened attentively for any Bound that mig-ht proceed from the sick chamber. All was silent, as if death already reign ed there ; upon which lie returned to hi? study, and, double-locking the door, de scended the stairs 011 tip-toe, and, in a few moments after, was in the courtyard at the back of the houao. Opening1 a small, green door, half hid den in ivy, with a key which he took from his pocket, he closed it softly behind him, and was soon lost to sight in the darkness of the night. CHAPTER XVL > , j # , A CfAPKICIoLS BKAXTT. When the young barrister emerge.1 again, it is l*eforo a handsomely-carve<' door in the Rue de Provence, which onem to him the moment he pulls the bell-han dle. The porter in the lodge salutes hin. deferentially, yet with an affability that u not only respectful, but cordial. This Hort of " silvery" welcome will b well understood bv those of our reader? who have been in Paris, and know the ar rangements of those huge houses, or ho tels. of what was once the yueen City ot the world. Houses which can only be compared ti a small London street stuck up on end. each floor being1 occupied by an entire family, with nothing; to'connect them one wilh the other, but a general staircase a staircase which is generally kept in ex quisite order and cleanliness by the porter at the lodge. Sometimes a nobleman or rich banker may occupy the ground-floor or luxurious tirst-lloor, while the topmost flight, or shy-parlor serves us a shivering refuge in winler, or an ovcr-heate i ovoii in summer, for milliners, tlower-makei> water-carriers, and others uf those wh. live or starve by labor. Dropping a silver piece into the hand of the obsequious ]K?rter, Noel ascends th< polished oak staircase, ami only pause. when he reaches the third floor. Then, taking a .small latch-key from hi.' waistcoat-pocket, he inserts it in the lotd of the door to the right and enter?. But at the faint sound that tlie ke; make? in the lock, a maid-servant, coquei tiuhly dressed in a light muslin dress, wit), mauve ribbons in her fancy little cap. rushes into the hall. u Oh, it's you, sir!" she says, clapping her hands. " Missus lias been expecting you for ever so long." This exclamation bursts from her in such extremely loud tones, that it mu>' have been heanl at the oilier end of tin nn/1 Kuv.i OOt'VPlI U<1 a 1111*11 A' of warning1 to Home one beyond ; but tl> young barrister seems too preoccupied t< remark the ruse, if, indeed, any ruxc wet meant. " Is your mistress at home?" he said. "Yes, sir; and in a nice temper too. t was as much as I could do to prevent he calling on you at your mother's house She's pinched me black and blue bocans I told her it was against your ordei-s." "You did quite right," said Noel, lookin frightened. "Win-re i.? she?" "In the smoking-room. I'm getting' Ic. ready. ^ ill yon take .some, sir?" "Yes; j.lai-H an extra cup for me. IIov confoundedly darV it is! give ine v light;" and, taking it from her hand, he traversed successively several Bumptu ously furnished roomB, until he reached the one indicated by the maid-eervant. It is an apartment of an oval shape, with a remarkably high ceiling, formed like a dome, painted in sky-blue, and dot tod with 6tars. An ordinary mortal would have thought himself three thousand laapues from Paria or London, and in the house of some opu lent inhabitant of the Celestial Empire. The fantastic furniture, with its extra ordinary and incoherent ornaments; the delicious yet brilliantly-colored tissues, that hung from the wall#; the beautiful rose-colored lamps, that bloomed rather than shed a light, transported one at once to Hong Kong or Shanghai. A divan, or sofa, very large, and very low, furnished with piles of cushions, cov ered with the same tissues that hung from the walls, was placed at the further end of this smoking-room, upon which, smothered up in casnmere snawis, a young1 woman was lying, smoking a cigarette. Slie was a tiny little creature, but her throat, shoulders, and arms were exquis itely round and faultless in shape; whilst her dimpled, yet slender hands, with their rose-tinted nails, looked like costly jewels, only made to be caressed. Sne was not beautiful?hardly even what could have been called very pretty; but she had one of those faces which, once seen, are never to be forgotten. Her forehead was rather too high, and her mouth, notwithstanding its charming freshness of color, too large. Her eye brows were perfectly arched, but they were so palpably artificial in their inky blackness, and extreme decision of line, that they gave a certain hardness to the whole face; but, to compensate for this defect, her complexion was beautifully clear, and of a pale olive color, that had an inexpressibly cool and soft appearance. Her dark, velvety eyes had a magnetic power in them very rarely seen. Her teeth were very white and even; and her black hair was long and fine, with blue gleams in its rich, wavy masses. On perceiving Noel, who raised the silk curtains that hung before the door as he entered, she half raised herself, and i ?,i .... i.?? iquiicu ujrvu uri ciuvw. "So, you've come at last!" she said, speaking in a sharp voice; "and it*? high time, too!" The barrister paused for a moment, al most suffocated by the tropical heat of the smoking-room. "What a stifling atmosphere!" he said. "Its like an oven!" "Do you think so?" remarked the young lady, fl'in sorry we differ in opinion. I think it awfully chilly; but that's because r T'm ill T Viofn liMnfV /Inufn* it tfritdfao mo A Ul uti A umv ijriug uv ty??j M\ uinai^o inuf and alfeays brings on a nervous headache! Waiting for you nan made it worsel * I ex- ^ pected you yesterday!" M "It was impossible for me to come?ut- o terly impossible." > u "i'ou knew very well, however, that two of my bills' were due to-day, and that I r had several heavy payments to make." g Noel bent his head, and looked as awk- t ward as a schoolboy whose master is rat- a iug him on Monday morning for having ' neglected his lessons on Sunday evening. ' "Oh, come!" he expostulated; *yon real- 1' n ly ought to forgive me. I'm only one day fc behind time." "And that's nothing. Is itt" replied the f, fair occupant of tho sofa. "A gentleman y a?real gentleman, I mean?doesn't care a ' n tig about his own bills, and all that; but j ^ he cares about those of the girl he loves, i e nnd intends one day to make his wife. | Ilccollect that I've a position to make; j 0 and if I can't pay my way, where am I?" ?> "My dear Pussy," pleaded the barrister, i h "onlv litston " b "Don't ciUl me Pussy. I don't want any , pet names now. My name in Nicholson? Nellie Nicholson; and you'll oblige me by putting 'Miss' before it when you address pie." .. "Well, then," said the yonng man, half amused, half vexed, "to prove to you, my I dear Miss Nicholson, that I never foraet you when absent, will you accept this bracelet, which you admired so much ia the Palais Royal last week!" "Miss Nicholson, without raising herself^ extended her lovely arm and hand to re- , | ceive the casket, opened it with the most j indifferent air imaginable, looked at its ; contents, yawned and said, "Ah!" "Is it the right one!" said Noel, anxious* ly. "Oh, yes; it is the same. Only it looked twenty times prettier in the shop-window than it does now." "I'm in ill-luck this evening," said the barrister, discouraged. "Nothing I say ' or do seems to pleaso you." "And why, pray?" "In the hrst place, it's very plain that yon don't like the bracklet." "But indeed I do; it's a perfect love of a thing, and just makes up the dozen." "It was now Noel's turn to say. "Ah!" As she made no reply, but .simply gazed in a dreamy port of way Delore her, aa though she were looking into th ' . dis tance, he added, "Well, J must say , rn've a queer sort of manner in expressing your satisfaction!" "Ah! that's just like you men!" cried the lady. "Never satisfied unless you see us all ablaze with love and g ititude! You bring me a present?pretty and sim ple enough in its way?and you expect me to pay you back in ready money." " Oh, Pussy!" said the barrister, much hurt. " Yea, in ready money. I don't mean in pounds, shillings and pence, of course not. I'm not so meau as that?but I mean in the ready money of thanks. According to your views on the subject, I ought to till the whole house with cries of thanks and joy, whilst I clasp your knees and I call you my 4 benefactor, my only friend!'" t'ovl as he was on ordinary occasions, it was very evident that Noel was extremely irritated now, and his irritation seemed to delight the charming Nelly beyond all expression. " Are not my simple thanks sufficient/" she went on. "Shall I call in Jeanette to admire till* wonrteriui nrnceiei i Noel iimde 110 reply. Ho kept his eyeB j persistently fixed on the ground. But Nellie wad determined to tea9e and torment him. "Oh, I forgot!" Jennrofto's nobody? only my maid! One of w.v, you know. Her thanks would go for nothing. Per haps you'd prefer my sending down for the porter?" The young nmn f>hrtigg<?<l liis shoulder*, like a philosopher who thinks it henoath him to notice the playfulness of a kitten, or the wanton gambols of a King Charles' spaniel in its puphood. 44 Why do you worry your little head," he shid, appealinjrly, a fn trying1 to irritate mef It hasn't the slightest effect, I assure you. If you have nijy serious grudge against me, tell it me simply, and in an few words as ponsibl", and if I can reme- i J? ? ?> iiitriiHitminn 1 Ujr ui icmv.o ci...j , , ? from your mind, 1 will dt> xo at once." "Let's be serious, then," said Nellie. "I want a plain answer to a plain question, Why didn't you bring me the three hund red pounds for which I was so pressed if" " Because I had important business and ! couldn't come." "And you couldnt have eent them?" j she asked. u If I did not send or bring1 them, it wu | because I hadn't them. In fact?in fact?" l I The young- girl looked at him for a mo- ! mem incmiuiuiu?l}, tuou uuioi imv ? umi- i |1( ry peal of laughter. ! " Why, you're trying io aut the 4 Ro- j ^ mance of a Poor Young Man!'" "Act? my poor little Pussy! I'm not acting?Pin telling1 you the real truth! I'm j ^ : rained, Pussy! I'm on my last legs! I 1 haven't a farthing in the world I can call ' I my own!" > . The girl's beautiful eyes flashed fire ; | and, springing from the sofa, she seized ' j tin' young barrister's hands, and clasped J j them in both her own. i " Oli. Noel, can I believe vou?" she said. ! "Oil, if 1 could but believe you were tell* iii{T me the truth!" Her lover received thi? sudden gleam of joy like a dagger thrust; and placed his hand upon his heart, as if in pain. "She believes in what I have said," he thought ; " and rejoices in my ruin! She wants an excuse to break off our lone en gagement,and to be free to many another!" He was utterly mistaken. The very idea that a man had rained himself solely for her, without letting a word of reproach escape him, transported this girl with a joy o^yond our powor to lescribe. She almost felt inclined to lovt Ihe half-brokon-hearted, penniless man, whom she had despised when he was pros perous, rich and proud. lint, suddenly, she fell back on the sofa, ivith another and more sudden fit of iiujr?iing\ " What a sentimental little creature I im!" she said. "As if you men could think >f anything else but yourselves! If I ipcnt. a florin more than you intended me o spend, you'd take up your Heart ana /on > hat, and say good-bye to me for svei-r " That's very true!" remarke<l the bar rister, coldly. " As you never keep an ic.'ount about anything, I am forced to do o ; an.l I rtn.l it useful in proving to me iow rriy income is frittered away without lie slightest profit or gratification to my self-" The maid coming in with the tea. put a stop for the lime to this tender.duet be ween the- lovers?a duet which had al ready been rehearsed on several occiuuona jv noor Noel. And we seize this oppor unity to intrtiduee our readers more fully o the lady who lias taken the principal 3ar? in the foregoing-scene. CHAPTER XVIL 9BLLI8, TUB K*<JLI8H ROSS. Mies Nellie Nicholson wu ft French voman, but her father had been an JSng1 ish jockey, well known upon the courses >f Ascot and F^psotn. Brought over by his master to Paris, he ook, after riding- his tir?t race at J*oiig rhamps, a very enviable position upon hat slippery and froway foothold, the French Turf. For the first year, " Barfdy Nicholson," is he was familiarly called by his friends, ook hiprli honoin?so high that, despite lie peculiar character of his legs, he walk id into the affections of a certain lady's naid, in whom the yonng lord, his em ployer, took a great interest They were narried. A few months afterwards, Bandy took o drink ; ami u lew niomns aiier Taxing o drink, he took to hin Led. One mouth after taking to hi* bed he ook to his coffin, and wo* duly taken to a >aririh cemetery, which hi* master, mind ul of hid past nervice*, had graciously >rocured for him. And Nellie ? Poor child! Three months after th? leath of her father her mother ahio din ippeared with a Brazilian gentleman, who wiied much cattle and cash in Rio Ja~ leiro. Unfortunate little Nellie! An English ose thrown into the mire of the Paris treets, to be admired for the moment, and o be trampled under foot, when its brief dmiration wan over. ' . lint Nellie Nicholson ha&tnlcut. A talent quickly seen by Ihe quickeyes of Parisian manager, Oscar Rigaud,proprie jr-of the Beanmari-hais Theatre. This enterprising manager, quickly of / II niw ?v ^uvciivii v? wivmu v? o bread?whs as quickly accepted. It .'. us a hard life, tind the girl's heart liard ned with if. She had been five years upon the tanrds f this low Paris theatre when, during- a hance visit, her peculiar nwd striking' *;iHty attracted the notice of the young arrister. Through the friond who had takrn hira behiud the Hccnes" he made her ac uaiutanee, ^pd a few Week* afterward* jade her a proposal of marriage. This proposal, after a secret inquiry in ) his ways and means, wju> firmly reject d by the fair lady. That is to say, that 'hilst holding him to his bond, she aw.iit d the time until he acquired that position 'hicli he a>aerled he was sure to attain. In the meantime, playinjr With the mad ess of his love, she permitted him to ruiu in her behalf. A beautiful serpent?the tightness' of hose coils were scarcely felt by the f?u< inated victim, !>eeause {lie pressure wad s soft aud so gradual, Can any excuse be found for Nellie ficholaon? Christian charity will surely find' one -namely, the root of her evil education, truck deeply down into the Paris mud ; nd"what, with other and better culture, light and would have produced a belter }?ult, blossomed into a Dead S<?a apple? II brightness and beauty without; all ust and ashes within." But to return to the conversation inter jpted by the entrance of the inaid serv nt Her presence gave tlie yoting barrister me to Vecover hinwelf. He looked at the pretty little creature 11 the sofa for whom he had sacrificed so inch, and his augur faded away like & immer storm. The moment the inaid had left the room, e drew hw chair closer to her, And took ne of her tiny hands in his. u Come?comer' he said, tenderly; "why ive you been so hard upon me this even ly f If I've been in the wrong, you've nnished me sufficiently. Let's shake ands, and lx? friend*." But she pushed his hand away. Having, i u hard, dry tone, that she was too ill and 10 worried *'to talk nonsense!" * III!" said Noel anxiously. "Shall I >nd for the doctor?" "What for? There's nothing'the mat r with me but Iwtheration. My life u >thing but a proloijg?d yawn. You don't <e me to be seen w?th you anywhere, and i you won't take me anywaere. a nire rt of a husband you'll make! I like life, tighter, gaiety ; while yon are a* grave an undertaker, with a Mack scarf hang* g down to hi* heel.-*, and a board with iick feathers on his head." " You are not very complimentary, Nel If you only knew how much I ?uf r?" "Goon! That's ju?t like you nimi? >borty seems to suffer but yourselves, hy am I not to be seen about with youf irely you're not ashamed of the person >u have asked to be your wife#" 441 tell you there are family reason*?" u Oh, hang your family reasons! If you vt?i mo hull as much as you say you do, m'd think no more of your tine family an I do of the puff of a cigarette." 44 It is a question of mouev." 44 Well, there certainly is something in at," pouted the little beauty. 44 Nobody in get on without money, and a iot of it, o ; at any rate I can't." a I'm <1 frail) flint's vi*rv true. Nellie." id the barrister, with a sigh. MAnd, talking of money reminds me at I've my dressmaker's hill to pay, and )u promised?" I3ofore slie could conclude th<? sentence, oel had placed on the table u portion of e bauk-uotes given h'un by old Cork re \v ; the very rustling of which baninh l every vestige of a frown from Nellie's vely face, and her pouting lips brighteu I into tlie sunniest of smiles. " Von are the best of dears," she said, id I'm wrong to teazeyou. My bills will une to three hundred pounds, if nil are ttled." w And I have only brought you four mdred. You. must be satisfied with at. I am about to leave Paris for a few lys." u Leave Paris!" " For a few days only, and the result of at short, comnulsorv absence may l>e? ly, will be. our happme.HH for life." M Is it a secret* Oh, ?lo tell me what it V " I can't." " Da !" .?ni<l tho j?irl, olaspinj* her hands, id looking at him in the moat coaxing " I cannot; in fact, I dare not ; but by d-by you shall know all. In the mean ne, listen to me attentively. Whatever ty happen, and under 110 pretext of any rt, must you attempt to see me at my use, as you have already tried to do. m't even write. If you disobey me in is, you may do me an irreparable injury; you are ill, or anythiusf unforseen oc rs, send round that old thief?what'* % t^o ma?"