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diff --git a/old/54805-0.txt b/old/54805-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 5c737d3..0000000 --- a/old/54805-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6787 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of A servant of Satan, by Louis Berard - -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/license - - -Title: A servant of Satan - Romantic career of Prado the assassin - -Author: Louis Berard - -Release Date: May 28, 2017 [EBook #54805] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A SERVANT OF SATAN *** - - - - -Produced by MFR, Christian Boissonnas and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - A - - SERVANT - - OF - - SATAN - - [Illustration: PRADO] - - Romantic Career of - - PRADO - - The ASSASSIN! - - _The - Great Riddle - which the French Police - WERE UNABLE TO SOLVE._ - - FAR - AND NEAR - SERIES, NO. 8. - 1889. - - STREET & SMITH NEW YORK. - - - - -[Illustration: The SELECT SERIES] - - -THE SELECT SERIES - -OF - -POPULAR AMERICAN COPYRIGHT NOVELS. - -This Series is issued monthly, and fully illustrated. The following are -the latest issues: - - No. 22—A HEART'S BITTERNESS, by Bertha M. Clay. - No. 21—THE LOST BRIDE, by Clara Augusta. - No. 20—INGOMAR, by Nathan D. Urner. - No. 19—A LATE REPENTANCE, by Mrs. Mary A. Denison. - No. 18—ROSAMOND, by Mrs. Alex. McVeigh Miller. - No. 17—THE HOUSE OF SECRETS, by Mrs. Harriet Lewis. - No. 16—SIBYL'S INFLUENCE, by Mrs. Georgie Sheldon. - No. 15—THE VIRGINIA HEIRESS, by May Agnes Fleming. - No. 14—FLORENCE FALKLAND, by Burke Brentford. - No. 13—THE BRIDE ELECT, by Annie Ashmore. - No. 12—THE PHANTOM WIFE, by Mrs. M. V. Victor. - No. 11—BADLY MATCHED, by Helen Corwin Pierce. - - -[Illustration: Yours truly - -Prado.] - - - THE FAR AND NEAR SERIES—NO. 8. - - ISSUED MONTHLY. - - SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $3.00 PER YEAR. JUNE, 1889. - - _Entered at the Post-Office, New York, as Second-Class Matter._ - - - A SERVANT OF SATAN. - - Romantic Career of PRADO the Assassin. - - From Notes Communicated to a Friend on the Eve of His Execution. - - An Extraordinary Record of Crime in Many Lands—He - was Reared in a Royal Palace. - - The Great Riddle which the French Police were Unable to Solve. - - By LOUIS BERARD. - - - NEW YORK: - - STREET & SMITH, Publishers, - - 31 Rose Street. - - - - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1889, - - BY STREET & SMITH, - - In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -“Prado was a wonderful fellow,” said Chief Inspector Byrnes, of the New -York police, recently, “and for criminal ingenuity and devilishness -stands without a peer. I question whether cupidity lay at the -foundation of his diabolical work, inclining to the belief that some -great wrong worked on his mind and embittered him against the wealthier -members of the class of women whom he selected as his victims. -Certainly the opening chapters of the story would indicate as much. -The fact that this recital of Prado's crimes is made up from notes -furnished by the man himself makes it unusually interesting, and the -splendidly written and graphically illustrated story will find a place -in the scrap-book of every police detective in the country. - -“I do not think a career like Prado's in Paris could be possible in -this city. Our police system is so different from that of Paris that we -can weave a net about criminals much easier. We do not have to unreel -miles of red tape before starting out on a hunt for criminals, but -are at work with scores of detectives, aided by the entire force, if -necessary, before a victim of murder is fairly cold. We seek motives, -study the antecedents and acquaintances of the slain, and, following -clew after clew, we make it so warm for an assassin that he seeks -safety rather than a duplication of crime. Prado, however, was an -assassin far above the average of men in intelligence and ingenuity, -and gave evidence of having moved in high circles of society, and I -should not be surprised if the story will make clear his identity to -students of the ‘Almanac de Gotha.’”—_New York World._ - - - - -A SERVANT OF SATAN. - - - - -PROLOGUE. - - -It was at Madrid, in the month of April, 1880, that I first made the -acquaintance of the extraordinary man, who, under the pseudonym of -“Prado” met his fate beneath the Paris guillotine. I had just driven -back into town from witnessing the execution by the “garrote” of the -regicide Francisco Otero, and was in the act of stepping from my -brougham, when suddenly the crowd assembled on the Puerto del Sol -parted as if by magic to give place to a runaway carriage. I had -barely time to note the frantic efforts of the coachman to stop the -onward course of the frightened horses, when there was a terrible -crash, and the victoria was shattered to splinters against one of the -heavy posts on the square. The coachman, still clutching hold of the -reins, was torn from the box, and dragged some hundred yards farther -along the ground, before the horses were stopped and he could be -induced to release his hold of the ribbons. To the surprise of all the -spectators, he escaped with a few bruises. His master, however—the -only other occupant of the carriage—was less fortunate. Hurled by the -shock with considerable violence to the pavement, almost at my very -feet, he remained unconscious for some minutes. When at length he -recovered his senses, and attempted to rise with my assistance, it was -found that he had broken his ankle, and was unable to stand upright. -Placing him in my trap, I drove him to the address which he gave me—a -house in the Calle del Barquillo—and on our arrival there, assisted -the door porter and some of the other servants to carry him up stairs -to a very handsome suite of apartments on the second floor. On taking -my departure, he overwhelmed me with thanks for what he was pleased -to call my kindness, and entreated me to do him the favor of calling, -handing me at the same time a card bearing the name of Comte Linska de -Castillon. - -A couple of days later, happening to be in the neighborhood of the -Calle del Barquillo, I dropped in to see how he was getting on. He -received me with the greatest cordiality, and so interesting was -his conversation that it was quite dark before I left the house. It -turned out that he, too, had been present at the execution of the -wretched Otero, and that he was on his way home when his horses became -frightened and bolted. After discussing all the horrible details of the -death of the regicide, the conversation took the direction of capital -punishment in foreign countries—a theme about which he displayed the -most wonderful knowledge. - -From the graphic manner in which he described the strange tortures -and cruel methods of punishment practiced at the courts of the native -princes in India and China, it was evident that he was speaking of -scenes which he had witnessed, and not from mere hearsay. He seemed -equally well acquainted with the terrors of lynch law in the frontier -territories of the United States, and with the military executions of -spies and deserters in warfare. In short, it became clear to me that he -was a great traveler, and that he was as well acquainted with America -and Asia as he was with the ins and outs of almost every capital in -Europe. His French, his Spanish, his German, and his English, were all -equally without a trace of foreign accent. His manners were perfect, -and displayed unmistakable signs of birth and breeding. Although not -above the ordinary stature, he was a man of very compact and muscular -build. Dressed in the most perfect and quiet taste, his appearance, -without being foppish, was one of great _chic_ and elegance. No trace -of jewelry was to be seen about his person. His hands and feet were -small and well shaped; his mustache was black, as were also his large -and luminous eyes. His hair, slightly gray toward the temples, showed -traces of age, or, perhaps, of a hard life. But the most remarkable -thing about him was his smile, which seemed to light up his whole face, -and which was singularly winning and frank. I confess I took a great -fancy to the man, who at the time was exceedingly popular in Madrid -society. He was to be seen in many of the most exclusive _salons_, was -present at nearly all the ministerial and diplomatic receptions, and -apparently enjoyed universal consideration. Our intimacy continued -for about a couple of years, during the course of which I had the -opportunity of rendering him one or two more slight services. Toward -the end of 1882, I was obliged to leave Madrid rather suddenly, being -summoned to Torquay by the dangerous illness of my mother, who is an -English woman, and I did not return to Spain until several years later, -when I found that Comte Linska de Castillon had meanwhile gone under—in -a financial sense—and had disappeared from the surface. - -It is unnecessary to describe here the horror and consternation with -which I learned that “Prado,” the man charged with numerous robberies -and with the murder of the demi-mondaine, Marie Aguetant, was no other -than my former friend, Comte Linska de Castillon. Of course, I made -a point of attending the trial. I confess, however, that I had some -difficulty in recognizing in the rather unprepossessing individual -in the prisoner's dock the once elegant _viveur_ whom I had known at -Madrid. His features had become somewhat bloated and coarse, as if by -hard living, his dress was careless and untidy, his hair gray and his -eyes heavy. It was only on the rare occasions when he smiled that his -face resumed traces of its former appearance. Day after day I sat in -court and listened to the evidence against him. The impression which -the latter left on my mind was that, however guilty he undoubtedly had -been of other crimes—possibly even of murder—he was, nevertheless, -innocent of the death of Marie Aguetant, the charge on which he was -executed. The crime was too brutal and too coarse in its method to have -been perpetrated by his hand. Moreover, the evidence against him in the -matter was not direct, but only circumstantial. Neither the jewelry -nor the bonds which he was alleged to have stolen from the murdered -woman have ever been discovered. Neither has the weapon with which the -deed was committed been found, and the only evidence against him was -that of two women, both of loose morals, and both of whom considered -themselves to have been betrayed by him. The one, Eugenie Forrestier, a -well-known _femme galante_, saw in the trial a means of advertising her -charms, which she has succeeded in doing in a most profitable manner. -The other, Mauricette Courouneau, the mother of his child, had fallen -in love with a young German and was under promise to marry him as soon -as ever the trial was completed, and “Prado's head had rolled into the -basket of Monsieur de Paris.” - -Shortly after the sentence had been pronounced upon the man whom I had -known as “Comte Linska de Castillon” I visited him in his prison, and -subsequently at his request called several times again to see him. -He seemed very calm and collected. Death apparently had no terrors -for him, and on one occasion he recalled the curious coincidence that -our first meeting had been on our way home from the execution of the -regicide Otero. The only thing which he seemed to dread was that -his aged father—his one and solitary affection in the world—should -learn of his disgrace. In answer to my repeated inquiries as to who -his father was he invariably put me off with a smile, exclaiming, -“Demain, demain!” (to-morrow). He appeared, however, to be filled with -the most intense bitterness against the other members of his family, -step-mother, half-brothers and sisters, who, he declared, had been the -first cause of his estrangement from his father and of his own ruin. - -[Illustration: “YOU WILL FIND BOTH IN THIS SEALED PACKET.”] - -Although condemned criminals are never informed of the date of their -execution until a couple of hours before they are actually led to the -scaffold, yet “Prado,” or “Castillon” appeared to have an intuition of -the imminence of his death. For two days before it took place, when I -was about to take leave, after paying him one of my customary visits, -he suddenly exclaimed: - -“I may not see you again. It is possible that this may be our last -interview. You are the only one of my former friends who has shown me -the slightest kindness or sympathy in my trouble. It would be useless -to thank you. I am perfectly aware that my whole record must appear -repulsive to you, and that your conduct toward me has been prompted by -pity more than by any other sentiment. Were you, however, to know my -true story you would pity me even more. The statements which I made -to M. Guillo, the Judge d'Instruction who examined me, were merely -invented on the spur of the moment, for the purpose of showing him that -my powers of imagination were, at any rate, as brilliant as his own. No -one, not even my lawyer, knows my real name or history. You will find -both in this sealed packet. It contains some notes which I have jotted -down while in prison, concerning my past career.” - -As he said this he placed a bulky parcel in my hand. - -“I want you, however,” he continued, “to promise me two things. The -first is that you will not open the outer covering thereof until after -my execution; the second, that you will make no mention or reference -to the name inscribed on the inner envelope until you see the death of -its possessor announced in the newspapers. It is the name of my poor -old father. He is in failing health and can scarcely live much longer. -When he passes away you are at liberty to break the seals and to use -the information contained therein in any form you may think proper. The -only object I have in now concealing my identity is to spare the old -gentleman any unnecessary sorrow and disgrace.” - -He uttered these last words rather sadly and paused for a few minutes -before proceeding. - -“With regard to the remainder of my family,” said he at last, “I am -totally indifferent about their feelings in the matter.” - -“One word more, my dear Berard,” he continued. “I am anxious that -these papers should some day or other be made known to the world. -They will convince the public that at any rate I am innocent of the -brutal murder for which I am about to suffer death. My crimes have -been numerous; they have been committed in many different lands, and -I have never hesitated to put people out of the way when I found them -to be dangerous to my interests. But whatever I may have done has been -accomplished with skill and delicacy. My misdeeds have been those of -a man of birth, education, and breeding, whereas the slayer of Marie -Aguetant was, as you will find out one of these days, but a mere vulgar -criminal of low and coarse instincts, the scum indeed of a Levantine -gutter. - -“And now good-by my dear Berard. I rely on you to respect the wishes of -a man who is about to disappear into Nirwana. You see,” he added with a -smile, “I am something of a Buddhist.” - -Almost involuntarily I grasped both his hands firmly in mine. I was -deeply moved. All the powers of attraction which he had formerly -exercised on me at Madrid came again to the surface, and it was he who -gently pushed me out of the cell in order to cut short a painful scene. - -Two days later one of the most remarkable criminals of the age expiated -his numerous crimes on the scaffold in the square in front of the -Prison de la Grande Roquette. - -Late last night, when alone in my library, I broke the seals of the -outer envelope of the parcel which he had confided to me. When I saw -the name inscribed on the inner covering I started from my chair. It -was a name of worldwide fame, one of the most brilliant in the “Almanac -de Gotha,” and familiar in every court in Europe. However, mindful -of my promise to the dead, I locked the package away in my safe. My -curiosity, however, was not put to a very severe test, for about a week -later the papers of every country in Europe announced the death of the -statesman and soldier whose name figured on the cover of the parcel of -documents. - -Without further delay I broke the seals of the inner wrapper. The whole -night through and far on into the next day, I sat poring over the -sheets of closely written manuscript—the confessions of the man who had -been guillotined under the assumed name of “Prado.” They revealed an -astounding career of crime and adventure in almost every corner of the -globe, and thoroughly impressed me with the conviction that, however -innocent he may have been of the murder of Marie Aguetant, yet he fully -deserved the penalty which was finally meted out to him. Of scruples -or of any notions of morality he had none, and so cold-blooded and -repulsive is the cynicism which this servant of Satan at times displays -in the notes concerning his life which he placed at my disposal, I -have been forced to use considerable discretion in editing them. While -careful to reproduce all the facts contained in the manuscript, I have -toned down a certain Zola-like realism of expression impossible to -render in print, and have shaped the disjointed memoranda and jottings -into a consecutive narrative. - -One word more before finally introducing the real Prado to the world. -However great my desire to accede to the last wish of my former friend, -I cannot bring myself to disclose to the general public the real name -of the unfortunate family to which he belonged. There are too many -innocent members thereof who would be irretrievably injured by its -disclosure. - -But the pseudonym which I have employed is so transparent, and the -history of the great house in question so well known, that all who have -any acquaintance of the inner ring of European society will have no -difficulty in recognizing its identity. - - LOUIS BERARD. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -A SECRET MARRIAGE. - - -Count Frederick von Waldberg, who was tried and guillotined at Paris -under the name of Prado, was born at Berlin in 1849 and was named -after King Frederick William IV. of Prussia, who, together with Queen -Elizabeth, was present at the christening and acted as sponsor. This -somewhat exceptional distinction was due to the fact that the child's -father, Count Heinrich von Waldberg, was not only one of the favorite -aides-de-camp generals of his majesty, but had also been a friend and -companion of the monarch from his very boyhood. - -Although at the time the general had not yet achieved the great -reputation as a statesman which he subsequently attained, yet he -was already known throughout Europe as an ambassador of rare skill -and diplomacy, and as one of the most influential personages of the -Berlin Court. Married in 1847 to a princess of the reigning house of -Kipper-Deutmolde, a woman of singular beauty, little Frederick was the -first and only offspring of their union. The child was scarcely a year -old when the mother died at Potsdam, after only a few days' illness, -leaving the whole of her fortune in trust for the boy. The general was -inconsolable, and so intense was his grief that for some days it was -feared that his mind would give way. The very kindest sympathy was -displayed by both the king and his consort, the latter in particular -being deeply moved by the motherless condition of little Frederick. -During the next three years the child spent much of his time in her -majesty's private apartments, both at Berlin and Potsdam, and, herself -childless, Queen Elizabeth did her utmost to act the part of a mother -to the pretty curly headed boy. - -After four years of widowhood the general became convinced that it was -not “good for man to be alone,” and cast his eyes about him in search -of another wife. Greatly to the disgust of the beauties of the Prussian -capital, who were only too ready to surrender their hands and their -hearts to the high rank and station of Count von Waldberg, his choice -fell on an Italian lady, whose sole recommendation in his eyes was, as -he publicly proclaimed to his friends, that she bore certain traces of -resemblance to his dead princess. - -Several children were born of this second marriage, and, as usual in -such cases, poor little Frederick suffered the ordinary fate of a -step-child. The new Countess von Waldberg could not bring herself to -forgive the boy for being the heir to a large fortune, while her own -children had nothing but a meager portion to which they could look -forward. Moreover she was intensely jealous of the marked favor and -interest which both the king and the queen displayed toward their -godson whenever the family came to Berlin. As, however, the general -spent the first ten years of his second marriage at the foreign -capitals to which he was accredited as ambassador, Frederick but -rarely saw his royal friends. His childhood was thoroughly embittered -by the repellent attitude of his step-mother and of his half brothers -and sisters toward him. His father, it is true, was always kind and -affectionate; but engrossed by the cares and duties of his office, he -often allowed whole days to pass without seeing his eldest son, whose -time was wholly spent in the company of servants, grooms, and other -inferiors. - -At the age of fifteen he was entered at the School of Cadets at -Brandenburg, and while there was frequently detached to act as page -of honor at the various court functions at Berlin and Potsdam. He was -scarcely eighteen years old when he received his first commission as -ensign in a regiment of the foot-guards, Queen Elizabeth making him a -present of his first sword on the occasion. - -Frederick, in receipt of a handsome allowance from the trustees of his -mother's fortune, now entered on a course of the wildest dissipation. -The fame of his exploits on several occasions reached the ears of the -king, who kindly, but firmly, reproved the lad for his conduct, and -urged him to remember what was due to names so honored as those of -his father and his dead mother. Nothing, however, seemed to have any -effect in checking the career of reckless and riotous extravagance -on which he had embarked, and at length, after being subjected to -numerous reprimands and sentences of arrest, he was punished by being -transferred to a line regiment engaged in frontier duty on the Russian -border. His dismay at being thus exiled from the court and capital -to the wilds of Prussian Poland was impossible to describe, and he -bade farewell to his numerous friends of both sexes as if he had been -banished for life to the mines of Siberia. The most painful parting of -all was from a pretty little girl, whom he had taken from behind the -counter of “Louise's” famous flower shop, and installed as his mistress -in elegant apartments near the “Thier Garten.” - -Rose Hartmann was a small and captivating blonde, with dark-blue eyes, -fringed with long black lashes. The lovers were at that time in the -honey-moon of their liaison, and while Frederick was sincerely and -deeply attached to the girl, she on her side was chiefly attracted -by the luxuries and pleasures which he had placed within her reach. -Whereas he was almost heart-broken at the idea of leaving her, she -only apprehended in the separation a sudden end to all the advantages -of a life of ease and indulgence and a return to her former obscure -existence. To make a long story short, she played her cards so well -during the last days of the young lieutenant's stay at Berlin, that -on the eve of his departure she induced him to contract a secret -marriage with her. It is needless to add that this was a fatal step, -as far as the future career of Frederick was concerned. But he was -scarcely nineteen years old at the time, and in the hands of a clever -and designing woman several years his senior. Of course, they adopted -every possible measure to prevent their altered relations from becoming -known, for in the first place German officers are prohibited, under -severe penalties, from marrying without having previously obtained -an official authorization from the Minister of War; and secondly, -Frederick was perfectly aware of the intense indignation with which -both his father and the royal family would regard such a terrible -misalliance. Two days after the ceremony Frederick left for his new -garrison, promising Rose that he would make speedy arrangements whereby -she would be enabled to rejoin him. - -In due course he arrived at his destination—a dreary-looking village in -the neighborhood of Biala—and was received with considerable coldness -by his new colonel and fellow-officers who did not particularly -relish the notion that their regiment should be regarded as a kind of -penitentiary for offending guardsmen. The commander, in particular, -was a thorough martinet, who looked with extreme disfavor on all the -mannerisms and dandified airs of the young count. Thoroughly out of -sympathy with his uncongenial messmates, Frederick soon began to feel -oppressed by the monotony and solitude of his existence, and repeatedly -urged Rose by letter and telegram to join him. This, however, she -was in no hurry to do, as she naturally preferred the gay life of -the capital, with plenty of money to spend and numerous admirers, to -the dreariness and discomfort of a Polish village in the middle of -winter. At length, however, Frederick's letters grew so pressing that -delay was no longer possible, and she started for Biala with a perfect -mountain of luggage. On her arrival there she was met by her husband, -who was beside himself with joy at seeing her again. Of course, it was -more than ever necessary that their true relationship should remain a -secret, and accordingly Rose took up her residence under an assumed -name at the solitary inn of the village where Frederick was quartered. -Every moment that he could spare from his military duties he spent -with her, and it is scarcely necessary to state that their apparently -questionable relations were soon the talk of the whole place. The -person, however, who felt herself the most aggrieved by the presence -of Rose in the village was the colonel's wife, who was profoundly -indignant that the “woman” of a mere lieutenant should presume to -cover herself with costly furs and wear magnificent diamonds, whereas -she—good lady—was forced to content herself with cloaks lined with -rabbit-skin and a total absence of jewelry. Morning, noon, and night -she assailed her lord and master on the subject, and to such a pitch of -irritation she had brought him by her vituperations that, when at the -end of a week he finally decided to summon Count von Waldberg to his -presence, he was in a frame of mind bordering on frenzy. - -“Your conduct, sir, is a scandal and a disgrace to the regiment,” was -the greeting which he offered to the young lieutenant, as the latter -stepped into his room. “You appear to be lost to all sense of decency -and shame.” - -Frederick, pale to the very lips, stepped rapidly forward and looked -his chief defiantly in the face, exclaiming as he did so: - -“I am at a loss to understand, colonel, in what manner I have merited -such a torrent of abuse.” - -“You know perfectly well to what I am alluding,” retorted the colonel. -“How dare you bring that infernal woman to this place, and install her -right under our very nose here at the inn? I don't intend to have any -of these Berlin ways here. If you can't do without her, have the good -taste, at least, to keep her at Biala, where there are houses for women -of that class.” - -With almost superhuman efforts to remain calm, the young officer -murmured hoarsely: - -“I must insist, sir, on your speaking of the lady——” - -“Lady, indeed!” fairly yelled the colonel, who was becoming black in -the face with rage; “that vile——” - -As he uttered these words he was felled to the ground by a terrific -blow in the face from Frederick, who exclaimed as he struck him: - -“She is my wife, you scoundrel!” - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -A SHOCKED FATHER. - - -The sun was just rising from behind Vesuvius when one of those hideous -and awkward-looking cabs which infest the streets of Naples crawled -up to the park gates of a handsome villa on the road to Posilipo. -Carelessly tossing a five-lire note to the driver, a young man whose -travel-stained appearance showed traces of a long journey jumped to -the ground and violently rang the bell. Some minutes elapsed before -the porter was sufficiently aroused from his sleep to realize the fact -that a stranger was waiting for admittance, and when he finally issued -forth to unlock the gates, his face bore manifest evidence of the -intense disgust with which he regarded the premature disturbance of his -ordinarily peaceful slumbers. - -“Is this the Count von Waldberg's villa?” inquired the stranger. - -“Yes,” replied the porter in a gruff voice. “What of that?” - -“I want to speak to him at once. Unlock the gate.” - -“Indeed! You want to see his excellency?” - -“At once!” - -“At this hour? Per Bacco! Who has ever heard of such a thing? You will -have to come back later in the day, my young friend—very much later in -the day—if you wish to be granted the honor of an audience,” and with -that he turned away and was about to leave the stranger standing in the -road, when suddenly steps were heard approaching along the gravel path -which led up to the villa, and a tall, soldierly figure appeared in -view. - -“Good morning, Beppo; what brings you out of bed at this unearthly hour -of the morning? This is rather unusual, is it not?” - -“It is, indeed, Sig. Franz. It is a young fellow outside there who -actually insists on seeing his excellency at once.” - -On hearing this Franz, who was the general's confidential valet, took a -cursory glance at the stranger, and suddenly seizing the pompous porter -by the shoulder, caused him to wheel round with such violence as to -almost destroy his equilibrium. - -“Open, you fool! It is the young count! What do you mean by keeping him -waiting out in the road? Are you bereft of your senses?” - -Snatching the keys from the hands of the astonished Italian he brushed -past him, threw open the gates and admitted Frederick, for it was he. - -“Herr Graf, Herr Graf, what an unexpected pleasure is this. How -delighted his excellency will be!” - -“I don't know so much about that, Franz, but I want to speak to my -father at once. Let him know that I am here, and ask him to receive me -as soon as possible.” - -After conducting Frederick to a room on the first floor of the villa -and attending to his wants the old servant left him to notify the -general of his son's arrival. - -The young man had meanwhile dragged a low arm-chair to the open window, -and sat gazing with a tired and troubled expression at the magnificent -landscape stretched out before him. - -Four days had elapsed since the exciting scene described in the last -chapter. The violence of the blow inflicted by Frederick had caused -the colonel to fall heavily against the brass corner of a ponderous -writing-table, cutting a deep gash across his forehead, and the blood -trickled freely from the wound as he lay unconscious on the ground. -The sight of the prostrate figure of his commanding officer recalled -the young lieutenant to his senses, and he realized in a moment the -terrible consequences of his act. Visions of court-martial, life-long -incarceration in a fortress, or even death, flashed like lightning -through his brain and, rushing from the room, he hastened to his -stables. Hastily saddling the fleetest of the three horses which he had -brought from Berlin, he galloped at break-neck speed to the nearest -point of the frontier, and within an hour after the incident was out of -German territory, and for the moment, at any rate, safe from pursuit. -Four hours after passing the border line he rode into the Austrian town -of Cracow, and alighted at the Hotel de Saxe. Having but little money -about him at the moment of his flight, he disposed of his horse to the -innkeeper, and with the proceeds of the sale purchased an outfit of -civilian clothes in lieu of his uniform, and a ticket to Naples, where -his father was spending the winter. - -Before his departure for Cracow, Frederick posted a letter to Rose -instructing her to lose no time in leaving the neighbourhood of Biala -and to proceed to Berlin, where she was to remain until he wrote to her -from Naples. - -His object in proceeding to the latter place was easy to understand. -He knew that the general was the only man who possessed sufficient -influence in the highest quarters to venture to intercede on his -behalf, and although he was acquainted with his father's strict ideas -on all questions pertaining to military discipline, yet he retained a -faint hope that parental affection would overpower the former and would -induce him to regard, with a certain amount of indulgence, his eldest -son's conduct. Moreover, Frederick was at the time in great financial -difficulties. The debts which he had contracted before leaving Berlin -were enormous. His appeal to the trustees of the fortune left to him -by his mother for an increase of his allowance, or, at any rate, for -an advance sufficient to stave off the most pressing claims, had been -met by a stern refusal, and the “cent per cent. gentry” of the capital -proved equally obdurate in declining to loan any further sums on the -strength of the inheritance due him at his majority. On the other -hand, it was perfectly clear to Frederick that he would be obliged to -remain absent from Germany for several years, until the incident with -his colonel had blown over. But he could not hope to do this without -money—especially now that he was married—and the only person from -whom there was the slightest prospect of his obtaining any financial -assistance was his father. - -He was in no cheerful frame of mind as he thought of all this while -awaiting his father's summons. Had the latter already received news -of his son's conduct? That was hardly possible. It was too soon. How, -then, was he to explain the events of the last ten days to the general, -of whom he stood somewhat in awe? - -His meditations were interrupted by Franz's return to tell him that -General von Waldberg was ready to receive him. - -“His excellency would hardly believe me when I told him of the Herr -Graff's arrival,” said Franz, with a beaming smile, “but he is much -delighted, as I knew he would be.” - -Frederick's heart sank as he pictured to himself the grief and anger -which the discovery of the true reason of his unexpected visit would -cause his father. - -His hesitating knock at the general's door was answered by a cheery -“Come in;” and hardly had he entered the room when he found himself -clasped in his father's arms. General Count von Waldberg was still -at that time a remarkably handsome and young-looking man. Tall, and -straight as a dart, his appearance was extremely aristocratic; his -hair and mustache were tinged with gray, but his bright blue eyes were -undimmed by age. - -After the first greetings had been exchanged, the general sat down on a -couch, and said, laughingly: - -“Now, my dear boy, tell me by what trick you have managed to obtain -from your new colonel a leave of absence after such a short service in -his regiment. I know you of old. What fresh deviltry have you been up -to? Come, make a clean breast of it at once, and let us have it over.” - -[Illustration: FREDERICK CONFESSES TO HIS FATHER.] - -“My dear father,” murmured the young man, with downcast eyes, “I am -afraid that the confession which I have to make will pain you very -much. The fact is, I—I—took French leave.” - -“Come, come, that is more serious than I thought,” exclaimed the -general, whose genial smile had suddenly given way to a very stern -expression. “Surely you are joking. You don't mean to tell me that you -are here without the permission of your superiors?” - -Frederick bent his head, and did not reply. - -“But are you aware that this is nothing less than an act of desertion?” -thundered the general, exasperated by his son's silence, and starting -to his feet. “You must be bereft of your senses, sir, to dare to tell -me that a Count von Waldberg has deserted from his regiment. Speak! -Explain. I command you!” - -“I was provoked beyond all endurance by my colonel,” replied Frederick, -in short, broken sentences. “We quarrelled, and in a moment of blind -passion I struck him a blow in the face which felled him to the ground. -I was compelled to make my escape in order to avoid a court-martial.” - -The general, now as pale as his son, advanced a step toward him, and, -laying his hand heavily on the young man's shoulder, said, in a tone of -voice which betrayed the most intense emotion: - -“Do you mean to say that you actually struck your superior officer! and -that, after committing this unpardonable crime, you made matters worse -by deserting, like a coward, instead of at least displaying the courage -to remain and face the consequences, whatever they might be? Great God, -that I should live to see this day?” - -Frederick, who by this time thoroughly realized that the only course to -adopt lay in throwing himself entirely on his father's mercy, muttered, -in a low voice: - -“The colonel, who has always displayed the most marked dislike toward -me ever since I joined his regiment, summoned me five days ago, to -reprimand me concerning my relations with a lady who was staying at the -inn of our village—in fact, who had come there on my account.” - -“Ah!” exclaimed the general, “I was sure of it. Another of those -insane scrapes into which you are always being led by some disreputable -_cocotte_.” - -“Stay, father,” interrupted Frederick. “Not a word more, I entreat you. -It was just for such a remark that I struck my colonel. I will not hear -a word against the woman who is my wife.” - -“Your wife! your wife! Do you want me to believe that you have -married without my consent—without the permission of the military -authorities—without the approval of your family and of your king? Who, -then, is the woman whom you were so ashamed to acknowledge?” - -“A pure and noble-hearted girl, whose only sin is her humble birth,” -retorted Frederick. - -“Enough, sir! Tell me her name, and how you came to know her.” - -“Her name was Rose Hartmann, and she——Well, she was a shop-girl at -Louise's when I first made her acquaintance.” - -The general had by this time become perfectly calm, but it was a calm -that boded far worse than his former anger. - -“Look here, Frederick,” said he, very coldly, “I have full reason -to mistrust you now; and before I take any step in this unfortunate -matter, I must write to Berlin, and to your regiment, for the purpose -of discovering the full extent of your misconduct. You will be good -enough to consider yourself as under arrest here. I forbid you to leave -your room under any pretext whatever. I will tell your step-mother that -you are ill, and can see nobody, not even her, and I shall take good -care that all our friends are left in ignorance of your presence here. -And now leave me. I want to be alone. I will send for you when I want -you.” - -Frederick, thoroughly cowed by his father's manner, murmured some words -of regret and explanation, but the general pointed toward the door, and -he left his presence with a heavy heart. - -Returning to the rooms to which Franz had conducted him on his arrival, -he gave himself up to the gloomiest forebodings, and spent hours in -gazing abstractedly out of the windows. His meals were brought him by -Franz, whose feelings can more easily be imagined than described. - -On the third day after his interview with his father, one of the -Italian servants knocked at the door, and handed him a letter, which -bore the Biala postmark, and which evidently had escaped the vigilance -of both the general and of Franz. It was from Rose, and its contents -agitated him beyond all measure. She wrote him that she had been -subjected to the greatest indignity after his flight—in fact, treated -like a mere common camp-follower—and had been turned out of the inn -and driven from the village by the orders of the colonel. She added -that, having but little money, she had not been able to proceed any -farther than Biala, where she was now awaiting his instructions and -remittances. She concluded by declaring that if after all she had -suffered for his sake, he did not at once send a sufficient sum to -enable her to leave the place and to return to Berlin, she would put -an end to her days, having no intention to continue to live as she was -doing now. - -Frederick was nearly heart-broken. He had no funds, beyond a few lire -notes, and, in his present position, no means of obtaining any except -through his father. He therefore immediately wrote a few lines, which -he sent to the general by Franz, entreating him to let him have at once -a check for a couple of hundred thalers. - -The general's reply was a decided refusal, and couched in such terms as -to leave no glimmer of hope that he would relent in the matter. - -Driven to desperation, Frederick turned over in his mind a hundred -different schemes for raising the money he required, but he was forced -to acknowledge to himself that each was more hare-brained than the -other; and in the bitterness of his heart he ended by cursing the day -he was born. - -That night, after all the inmates of the villa had retired to rest, -they were startled by several pistol-shots, and the sound of a -violent scuffle in the general's library, on the ground floor. The -general himself and several of the men-servants rushed to the spot -from which the noise proceeded, and discovered Frederick, who, in his -dressing-gown, stood near a shattered window, with a smoking revolver -in his hand. - -[Illustration: HE HELD A SMOKING REVOLVER IN HIS HAND.] - -As they entered the room Frederick fired another shot through the -window and shouting, “I have hit one of them, I am sure. I heard a -scream!” jumped into the garden and rushed across the lawn and through -the shrubbery, followed by the general and the more or less terrified -servants. All their endeavors to capture the midnight intruders proved, -however, fruitless, and whether wounded or not, the burglars had -evidently succeeded in making good their escape. - -On returning to the library it was ascertained that the general's desk -had been forced open and that a considerable sum of money in gold and -notes, together with several valuable bonds and railway shares, had -been abstracted therefrom. Frederick related that he had been awakened -shortly after midnight by a strange grating sound proceeding from the -room immediately beneath his own. That, jumping out of bed, he had -quickly put on his dressing-gown, and seizing a loaded revolver, had -softly crept down stairs. Peeping through the keyhole he had seen two -men who, by the light of a small taper, were ransacking his father's -desk. His efforts in the dark to open the door must have evidently -disturbed them, for by the time he managed to enter they had reached -the window and were in the act of leaping into the gardens when he -fired several shots at them in rapid succession. It was at this -juncture that his father and the servants had appeared on the scene. - -So gratified was the general by the courage and presence of mind -displayed by Frederick in attacking the burglars single-handed that -he forgot for the moment both the loss of his stolen property and the -grave offenses of which the young man had been guilty. Grasping his -son's hands he expressed his satisfaction to him in no measured terms, -and indeed was on the point of releasing him from any further arrest -or confinement to his room. On second thought, however, he decided -to await the replies to his letters from Berlin before doing so, -especially as he was extremely anxious that none of the visitors to the -villa should become aware of Frederick's presence at Naples. - -Early next morning Gen. Von Waldberg drove into Naples to inform -the chief of police of the robbery committed at his residence and -to request him to offer a reward for the capture of the thieves and -the recovery of the stolen property. As he rode back to Posilipo he -reflected, with feelings of much gratification, on the pluck shown by -his son during the night, and determined to write at once an account -of the whole occurrence to the king, in the hope that it might induce -his majesty to regard with greater leniency the lad's misconduct. He -was just in the act of entering his library for this purpose when he -happened to catch sight of one of the Italian servants coming down -stairs from Frederick's room with a bulky envelope in his hand. On -perceiving the general the man attempted to conceal it, but the old -count was too quick, and, ordering him into the library, exacted the -surrender of the letter. - -“Where are you going, and what is this?” demanded he of the frightened -Neapolitan. The latter's eyes lowered before his master's stern gaze, -and he confessed in faltering tones that the “young count” had told him -to go and post the letter immediately and without letting any one know -about it. - -“You need not trouble yourself any further about the matter,” remarked -the general, “Franz will attend to it, and see here, if you breathe a -word about this either to Count Frederick or to any one else you will -be turned out of the house at an hour's notice. Do you understand?” - -“Si eccellenza, si eccellenza,” murmured the badly scared Italian, as -with many low bows he backed out of the general's presence. - -As soon as the door was closed the old count raised his glasses to -his eyes for the purpose of discovering the destination of his son's -letter. It was addressed to Rose Hartmann, at Biala, and judging by its -bulk certainly contained something besides ordinary note-paper. - -[Illustration: ROSE HARTMANN, COUNTESS VON WALDBERG.] - -Suddenly a terrible suspicion flashed through his mind. He remembered -Frederick's urgent appeal for money on the previous day. But no! The -idea was too horrible. It was impossible. The boy was certainly a -thorough scapegrace, but not that! No, not that! The unhappy father -dashed the letter down on the table and began pacing up and down the -room in an agony of incertitude and doubt. Could his son be guilty? -The solution of the mystery was contained in that envelope. Would he -be justified in opening it? The whole honor of the ancient house of -Waldberg was at stake. It was absolutely necessary that he, as its -chief, should know whether or not one of the principal members thereof -was a common thief. If so it was his duty to mercilessly lop off the -rotten branch of the family tree. After long hesitation he finally -seized the letter, and with one wrench tore open the envelope. As -he did so an exclamation of horror and disgust escaped his blanched -lips, for several Prussian bank-notes of considerable value, which he -immediately recognized as his property, fell at his feet on the carpet. - -It is impossible to describe the intense misery of the wretched father -when he found that the thief who was being tracked by the Neapolitan -police was no other than his first-born. For several hours he sat at -his writing-table, his gray head bowed in grief and almost prostrated -by this awful discovery. For a long time he was totally unable to -decide what was to be done, and, indeed, had Frederick presented -himself before him at that time he would have been almost capable of -killing him with his own hand in his paroxysm of anger and shame. - -Shortly after darkness had set in, Franz entered Frederick's room and -handed him a sealed letter addressed in his father's hand. Glancing at -its contents the young man uttered a cry of despair and terror, and -springing to his feet was rushing toward the door, when Franz quietly -placed himself with his back against it, saying: - -“His excellency's orders are that the Herr Graf must not leave this -room under any pretext until the hour of departure. I have his -strict commands to remain with the Herr Graf and to prevent him from -communicating with anybody in the house. - -The old soldier's lips quivered as he spoke, and his eyes were full of -tears. For it cut him to the very heart to see the suffering depicted -on the lad's face, and what between his loyalty and devotion to his -master and his affection for the young man whom he had carried about in -his arms as a child, he was in great distress. - -Frederick groaned, and picking up his father's letter read it over once -more. It ran as follows: - - “You have betrayed and robbed me! You are not only a deserter, - but also a thief. I intercepted your letter to the woman you call - your wife, and feeling myself justified under the circumstances to - open it I found therein the proofs of your crime. You will leave - my house to-night forever. The proceeds of your robbery will keep - you for some time from want. It will be all that you will have to - depend on, for having become an outlaw by your desertion, and your - attack on your colonel, the Prussian Government will never permit - you to enter into possession of your mother's fortune. You never - need hope to see me again, or to hold any further communication - with me or mine. You are no longer a child of mine. I solemnly - renounce you as my son. May God Almighty keep you from further - crime. - - “COUNT H. VON WALDBERG.” - -That night at 10 o'clock Frederick embarked at Naples on a -Marseilles-bound steamer, being escorted to the wharf by Franz. - -He never saw his father again. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -A HORRIBLE PREDICAMENT. - - -The strains of a beautiful old German melody, rendered by a rich -contralto voice, floated through the night air and caused many a -passer-by to linger beneath the open windows of a house in the Avenue -Friedland whence they proceeded. It was a singularly beautiful woman -who was singing, seated at the piano, in the half light of a daintily -furnished drawing-room. Dressed in a marvelous composition of white -velvet and old lace, with fragrant gardenias nestling in her bosom and -in her soft, golden hair, her low bodice displayed to great advantage -the marble whiteness and perfect outline of her bust. - -“Nonsense, nonsense,” cries a cheery voice from the balcony where -Frederick von Waldberg has been enjoying his after-dinner weed. With -a light-hearted laugh he flings his half-burnt cigar into the street -and steps into the room. Approaching his wife he encircles her slender -waist with his arm and draws her curly head upon his shoulder. - -“Dare to repeat, now, you perverse little woman, that you are sad. What -ails you? Have you not all you can wish for, including a devoted slave -of a husband who has given up everything for you, and is only governed -by your sweet will?” - -“Yes, dear, yes, dear,” murmurs Rose, gently disengaging herself from -his embrace, “but you can't think how it pains me to know that it is I -who have been the cause of your quarrel with your father—and then the -future is so uncertain. We have not very much money left, and how we -shall manage to keep up this establishment is more than I can tell.” - -“Never mind; leave that to me. I will find the means somehow or other; -only don't fret,” replies Frederick, in a low voice. “As long as you -continue to love me everything will be all right. You are not yet tired -of me, Weibchen, are you?” - -She laughs saucily, but there is a queer light in her dark-blue eyes as -she seats herself again at the piano and runs her fingers dreamily over -the keys. - -Three months have elapsed since the burglary at Gen. von Waldberg's -Neapolitan residence, and some eight or ten weeks since Count and -Countess Frederick von Waldberg have taken up their quarters in Paris. -They live recklessly and extravagantly, like children who are intent -on sipping all the sweets of the cup of life without giving a moment's -thought to the dregs at the bottom thereof, and which they are bound to -reach sooner or later. - -Frederick's careless and easy-going nature had enabled him to forget in -an incredibly short space of time all the tragic scenes through which -he passed at Biala and Naples. He is still passionately in love with -his wife, whose beauty is the talk of Paris. He has not attempted to -enter society, but when the young couple drive in the “Bois” in their -well-appointed victoria, or enter a box at one of the fashionable -theaters, they are the cynosure of all eyes. Moreover Frederick has -picked up many male acquaintances, and the choice fare and exquisite -wines which are always to be found at his hospitable board prove nearly -as great an attraction as the lovely eyes and matchless elegance of the -mistress of the house. - -Rose has, outwardly at least, become a perfect _femme du monde_. She -has picked up all the ways and mannerisms of the higher classes with a -quickness that astonishes and delights her husband. But it is fortunate -that he is unable to fathom the depths of her heart. For it is just as -hard, as mercenary and corrupt as of yore, and she often involuntarily -yearns for the gutter from which her husband has raised her. - -Toward 9 o'clock Frederick called for his coat and hat, and, kissing -his wife tenderly, exclaimed: - -“Do not wait up for me, little woman, as I shall not be home from the -club till about 2 o'clock.” - -With that he left the house and strolled down the avenue to one of the -well-known _cercles de jeu_ (gambling clubs) of the Boulevards. - -Luck, however, was against him for once, and shortly after 11 o'clock, -having sustained heavy losses, he left the club and walked rapidly -home, in a very bad temper. - -Letting himself in with his latch-key he walks softly up stairs and -enters the drawing-room where a light is still dimly burning. His -footsteps fall noiselessly on the thick carpet, and wishing to surprise -Rose, who could hardly have retired for the night at this comparatively -early hour, he pulls aside the heavy drapery of tawny plush which -screens the door of her “boudoir,” and peeps in. Hardly has he done -so than he springs forward with a yell of rage, for there on a low -oriental divan he beholds his wife, his beloved Rose, in the arms of -his butler. - -The terrified servant makes a dash for the nearest door and escapes -through the adjoining conservatory. Frederick, scorning to pursue him, -turns his attention to Rose. Brutally grasping her arm, he raises her -from the ground where she has flung herself on her knees at his feet, -and without a word he drags her down stairs, stopping for a moment in -the hall below to throw a gorgeous red-brocaded opera-cloak, which -hangs there, on the speechless woman's shoulders. Opening the front -door, he thrusts her into the street, exclaiming hoarsely as he bangs -it behind her: - -“That is where you belong.” - -For a few minutes Rose stood on the pavement, dazed and trembling, but -suddenly recalling to mind the expression of her infuriated husband's -eyes as he pushed her down stairs she was seized with terror and fled -down the avenue. - -She had not gone very far when two men, springing from a dark side -street, arrested her wild flight by clutching her arms. - -“Where is your police permit?” exclaimed the taller of the two. - -Rose stared helplessly at them without replying. - -“Why don't you answer?” yelled the other, shaking her violently. “Don't -you hear me talking to you? Are you drunk?” - -The unfortunate woman draws herself up, and, shaking off the dirty -hand of the “Agents-des-Mœurs” (police charged with the control of the -women of ill-repute,) replied: - -“I do not know what you mean. There is some mistake. I am the Countesse -de Waldberg; let me go!” - -“Countess indeed! Is that all? We know all about such countesses. They -belong in the St. Lazarre Prison when they run round without their -‘livret’(police permit.) Allons! come along! Enough of these airs and -graces! A decent woman does not pace the streets at midnight in a -ball-dress.” - -[Illustration: ROSE ARRESTED BY THE PARIS POLICE.] - -With a shriek of horror Rose made a sudden dart forward, but has not -got far before she is seized by the hair with such force as to throw -her on the pavement. Picking her up again, the Agents-des-Mœurs call a -passing night cab, and, bundling the now fainting woman into it, order -the coachman to drive to the police station. - -On arriving at the police station Rose was roughly dragged from the cab -by the two Agents des Mœurs and thrust into the “Violon”—a filthy cell -which was already crowded with a score or two of drunk and disorderly -women. The atmosphere which reigned in the place was indescribably -horrible and nauseating; and the shrieks, the yells, and the disgusting -songs and discordant cries of its occupants were only interrupted -from time to time when the door was opened to give admittance to some -fresh samples of the feminine scum of the Paris streets. Such was the -pandemonium in which the Countess von Waldberg passed the first night -after being driven out of her luxuriously appointed home in the Avenue -Friedland. - - * * * * * - -When at length day began to dawn through the iron grating of the -solitary window of the cell, she breathed a sigh of relief. The scene -around her was one fit to figure in “Dante's Inferno.” Every imaginable -type of woman seemed to be assembled within the circumscribed limits of -those four grimy walls, from the demi-mondaine in silks and satins who -had been run in for creating a disturbance at Mabille, down to the old -and tattered ragpicker who had been arrested for drunkenness; from the -bourgeoise who had been discovered in the act of betraying her husband, -down to the ordinary street-walker, who had been caught abroad without -her police livret. Here and there, too, were a shoplifter, a _bonne_ -who had assaulted her mistress, and a market woman who, in a moment of -fury, had chewed off her antagonist's nose. Dressed in the most motley -of costumes, they lay about on the wooden bench which ran round the -cell, or were stretched prostrate on the damp and dirty brick floor. - -Amid these surroundings Rose presented a truly strange appearance as -she stood up in the cold morning light, with her costly white velvet -gown all stained with mud, from which the superb lace flounces had been -partly torn by the brutal hands of the men who had arrested her. Her -beautiful golden hair lay in tangled masses on her bare shoulders, from -which the red opera-cloak had fallen as she rose to her feet. She was -very pale and there was a hard and stony look in her sunken eyes. - -She had had time to reflect on the events of the previous evening, and -thoroughly realized the fact that after what had happened Frederick -would refuse to acknowledge her as his wife. It would be, therefore, -more than useless to appeal to him to substantiate the statements which -she had at first made as to her rank and condition; indeed, matters -might be only aggravated by such a course, and she determined to -maintain the strictest silence concerning her former life. Her heart, -however, was filled to overflowing with bitterness against her husband, -to whose conduct she attributed her present horrible predicament. -Intense hatred had taken the place of any feelings of affection which -she might formerly have possessed for him, and she then and there -registered a solemn oath that she would never rest until she had -wreaked a terrible vengeance for all she had suffered on his account. - -At eight o'clock she was brought into court and charged with having -been found plying an immoral trade in the public streets, without -having previously obtained the required license from the “Prefecture -de Police.” For this offense the magistrate, without much questioning, -sentenced her to three months' imprisonment at St. Lazarre. Shortly -afterward the police-van, which in French bears the euphonic name -of “Panier a Salade” (Salad Basket), drew up at the door of the -station-house, and Rose, with most of the women who had spent the night -in the same cell with her, was bundled into the dismal conveyance. The -latter then rattled off through the streets along which she had last -driven reclining lazily on the soft cushions of her victoria, to the -well-known prison in the Faubourg St. Denis, within the walls of which -even an hour's sojourn is sufficient to brand a woman with infamy for -the remainder of her days. - -On alighting in the court-yard of St. Lazarre, Rose was taken to -the clerk's office, where her name, age, and origin were entered on -the prison register. She gave her name as Rose Hartmann, her age as -twenty-five, and declared, in response to the inquiries on the subject, -that she had no profession and was of German extraction. From thence -she was passed on to the hands of “Madame la Fouilleuse,” as the -searcher is nicknamed, who made her strip, and, after having searched -her clothes and even her hair, bade her put on the prison dress, -consisting of coarse linen under-clothes, blue cotton hose, thick -shoes, a brown stuff dress, brown woolen cap, and large blue cotton -cloth apron. - -The prison regulations at St. Lazarre were then and are still very -severe. The prisoners have to get up at five o'clock in the morning. -They sleep four together in one room, and have no other toilet utensils -than small pitchers of water and basins no bigger than a moderate-sized -soup plate. This makes their morning bath a rather difficult operation. -Their meals, except when they are allowed meat on Sundays, consist of -a dish of thin vegetable broth, a piece of brown bread, and fricasseed -vegetables. While they are at table, a Sister of the religious order -of Marie-Joseph reads aloud to them extracts from some pious book. Ten -hours of the long, weary day are spent in doing plain needlework, and -they have to be in bed for the night at 7:30 o'clock. At eight o'clock -all lights are extinguished throughout the prison, and during the long -night no sound is heard in the big pile of buildings but the steps of -the Sisters of Marie-Joseph, who are on guard, and who pace the long -corridors at fixed intervals to see that there is no talking going on. - -It must be acknowledged that all this was a cruel change to Rose, who, -at any rate during the previous twelve months, had been accustomed to a -life of elegance, refinement, and cruelty. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE HAREM. - - -A fortnight after the events described in the previous chapter the -war broke out which cost Napoleon III. his throne, and all the -German residents in Paris were forced to take their departure at an -exceedingly short notice. Among their number was Count Frederick von -Waldberg, who, since the disappearance of Rose, had plunged into the -wildest course of dissipation and debauchery, as if with the intention -of drowning all memory of the past. The discovery of his wife's infamy -had exercised a most disastrous effect on the young man's mind. It -had rendered him thoroughly hardened and cynical, and had definitely -banished forever any remnant of moral feeling or conscience, which -he had until then retained. When he reflected on all the brilliant -prospects and future which he had surrendered for Rose's sake, he -grew sick at heart, and determined to put to good account the bitter -experience which he had acquired. Never again would he allow himself -to be softened and influenced by any _affaire de cœur_, but, on the -contrary, women should become subservient to his interests. He would -deal with them in the same relentless and cruel manner that Rose had -dealt with him. The old life was dead and gone, and he made up his mind -to start out on a new career unburdened by any such baggage as scruples -or honor. - -It was in this frame of mind that he embarked at Marseilles on board an -English steamer bound for Alexandria. Being debarred from returning to -Germany or Italy, and France having now closed her doors against him, -he decided to leave Europe for a time and to try his luck in the Orient. - -In due course he arrived at Cairo and took up his residence at -Shepheard's well-known hostelry. He could not help being struck by the -novelty of the scenes which met his eye on every side, and the ancient -capital of Egypt, with its narrow, winding streets; its fierce sunlight -and dark shadows, its palaces, gardens, and waving palm trees, appealed -to all his artistic instincts. - -One afternoon, as he was riding round Gezireh, his attention was -attracted to a brougham drawn by two magnificent black horses which -had pulled up under one of the grand old sycamore trees that shade -the avenue, and near to the kiosk in the Khedival gardens, where a -military band was rendering with more vigor than harmony several of the -most popular airs from “La Grande Duchesse.” The only occupant of the -carriage was a woman dressed in Turkish fashion, but whose “yashmak,” -or vail, was of a transparency which enhanced rather than concealed -her lovely features. The large, dark, and sensuous eyes which glanced -at him between the tulle folds of the vail sent a thrill through his -very heart, and he involuntarily checked his horse and stood gazing -at the enchanting vision. At this moment a gigantic black eunuch, who -was evidently in attendance on the lady and who had been standing on -the off side of the carriage, suddenly became aware of the admiring -looks cast by the young stranger on his mistress. He rushed up to the -carriage window, with stifled oath pulled down the silken blind, and -then, turning to the coachman, ordered him to drive on. He then mounted -a magnificent barb which was being walked up and down by a gorgeously -dressed “sais,” or groom, and galloped after the brougham, casting as -he did so a look of such malignance at Frederick that the latter, taken -by surprise, did not even retain enough presence of mind to make any -attempt to follow the carriage. - -For several days in succession Frederick made a point of spending his -afternoons in riding round Gezireh in the hope of obtaining another -glance at the beautiful Hanem; but she did not put in an appearance, -and the young man had almost forgotten the incident, when one morning, -while riding along the road which Khedive Ismail, with truly oriental -gallantry, had caused to be constructed from Cairo out to the Pyramids -for the use of Empress Eugenie, on the occasion of her visit in 1869, -he suddenly caught sight of the black horses and brougham coming slowly -toward him. There was no one else in view, and the ordinarily watchful -eunuch had taken advantage of the solitude of the spot to relax his -vigilance and to lag a good way behind. Frederick was therefore enabled -to gaze unhindered at the Oriental beauty. He bowed low over his -horse's mane, and was delighted to see that not only was his salutation -graciously responded to, but that, moreover, the lady, raising one of -her small jeweled hands to her “yashmak,” pulled it slightly aside so -as to discover to his enraptured eyes a face so perfectly lovely that -he was fairly staggered. She smiled enchantingly at him, and, putting -the tips of her fingers to her rosy lips, motioned him away with a -look full of promise. Frederick would fain have drawn nearer to the -carriage, but the coachman suddenly started his horses off at a sharp -trot, and there was nothing for him to do but to resume his canter out -to the Pyramids and to receive with a smile the angry glances of his -friend the eunuch, whom he passed shortly afterward. - -Neither the Sphinx nor the Pyramids possessed much attraction for -Frederick that day, and his stay out at Gezireh was but a short one. -He was in a hurry to get back into town. He was perfectly wild with -delight at the idea of his adventure. Who could the beautiful creature -be? He had noticed a princess' coronet on the panels of the carriage, -and the black horses and glittering liveries of the coachman, footman, -and of the two grooms would lead to belief that they belonged to a -member of the Khedival family. Moreover, the eunuch in attendance was -certainly a person of high rank, a fact which was demonstrated by the -ribbon of the Order of the “Osmanieh” which he wore in his button-hole. - -Frederick was puzzled to know how all this would end. That the fair -lady looked upon him with favor was undeniable. - -But he knew enough about the strict rules of an oriental harem to doubt -whether he would ever be able to meet her alone, as the eunuch had -already noticed his admiration of the lady and would certainly warn his -master, the Pasha. However, Frederick determined to go to the bitter -end, no matter what the cost might be. - -Two days later he was lounging on the terrace of the hotel, lazily -watching the throng of Arabs, donkeys, and beggars jostling one another -along the Esbekleh street, when his attention was suddenly attracted -by a ragged individual, with a very black countenance and a basket of -flowers, who was evidently trying to catch his eye. Frederick, leaning -over the balustrade, was about to throw a few piasters to the man, -when the latter suddenly broke loose from the crowd, and walking up -the marble steps, “salaamed” to him in the most approved fashion; then -squatting down on the ground in front of him, he extracted a bunch of -flowers from his basket. Frederick was about to motion him away, when -the man hurriedly thrust the roses into his hands, whispering in a low, -guttural voice: - -“Letter for you.” - -He then “salaamed” again and, arising from the ground, began displaying -his wares to some ladies who were sitting under the veranda. Frederick, -whose thoughts immediately turned to the lady whom he had met two days -before on the road to the Pyramids, repaired at once to his room and, -cutting the thread which bound the flowers together, brought to view -a small, square envelope without any address. Carefully opening it he -extracted therefrom a highly perfumed sheet of pink paper on which the -following words were written: - - “If you wish to see me again, go to-night between 11 and 12 - o'clock to the farther end of the Mouski street and follow the - woman who will give you a bunch of lotus flowers. She will bring - you to me. Destroy this.” - -Frederick dropped the note to the floor in his surprise and delight. -His wildest anticipations were surpassed, for in a few hours he would -see his “houri” face to face. - -[Illustration: THE “MOUSKI” STREET AT CAIRO, EGYPT.] - -At 11 o'clock that night he wandered up the long Mouski street, which -at that hour looked weird and deserted. He took care to keep as much -as possible in the more shadowy portions of the thoroughfare, so as -not to attract the attention of the few Arabs who, wrapped in their -spectral-looking “burnous,” were still to be met with here and there. -After about an hour's walk he stopped at the end of the long street -and looked about him. Nobody was in sight, and he was just thinking of -retracing his steps when a hand was laid on his arm and a vailed woman, -without uttering a word, placed a small bunch of lotus flowers in his -hand. She then beckoned to him to follow her, saying in a low, musical -voice: - -“Taala hena” (come this way). - -A few steps brought them to a high stone wall, in which a small kind -of postern was pierced. Taking hold of his hand she led him under the -archway, and, inserting a small key in the lock, she opened the door -and pushed him into the garden. - -Frederick, for a moment, believed that he had been suddenly transported -into fairy-land. He found himself in an immense garden, where groups of -feathery palms and dark sycamores made a fitting background for masses -of brilliant flowers and shrubs in full bloom. The air was redolent -with the perfume of thousands of orange trees and starry jessamine, -while the high wall, which looked so bare and grim from without, was -on the inside covered with blue passion-flowers and pink aristolochus. -Numerous marble fountains sent their silvery jets of spray toward the -dark-blue heavens, and a flock of red flamingoes stalked majestically -up and down the long stretches of velvety lawn. - -In the distance a white alabaster palace gleamed in the glorious -Egyptian moonlight, which rendered the scene almost as bright as day; -and its cupolas and minarets, all fretted and perforated, looked like -some wonderful piece of old lacework. - -Frederick followed his silent companion through a dense thicket of -rose-bushes, where a narrow path had been cut. He noticed that she was -very careful to keep away from the bright light of the moon and that -she occasionally stopped to listen. After about ten minutes' walk they -reached a side entrance of the palace. The woman, once more taking hold -of his hand, led him up six or seven steps and into a narrow passage -where a silver hanging-lamp shed a dim light on the tapestried walls. -Turning suddenly to the left she lifted a large gold-embroidered -drapery which hung before an archway and motioned him inside. - -[Illustration: FREDERICK CONDUCTED TO THE PRINCESS' HAREM.] - -Frederick was in the harem of the famous Princess M. - -Emerging from the comparative darkness of the gardens, Frederick was -fairly dazzled by the brilliancy of the scene which met his eyes. He -found himself in a lofty apartment, the walls of which were entirely -covered with silver brocade. White velvet divans ran all around the -room, and from the painted ceiling hung a rock-crystal chandelier, -lighted by at least a hundred wax candles. Great masses of blooming -camellias, azalias, and tuberoses were tastefully arranged in silver -vases on tables of transparent jade. The floor was covered with a -white velvet carpet richly embroidered with silver, and the windows -were hung with fairy-like draperies of silver gauze and point lace. - -At the farther end of the apartment was a kind of broad, oriental -divan, and there, nestling among a pile of cushions, reclined the jewel -of which all the splendors above described formed but the unworthy -setting. Princess Louba, a little over twenty-two years of age at the -time, was certainly one of the loveliest women of the day. Tall and -exquisitely proportioned, her hands and feet were marvelously small -and the rich contours of her figure were absolutely perfect. She had -one of those dead white complexions, ever so delicately tinted with -pink, which remind one of the petal of a tea-rose or the interior of -a shell. Her large, languid black eyes were shaded by long and curly -eyelashes, and her straight eyebrows almost met over a small, aquiline -nose, the sensuous nostrils of which quivered at the slightest emotion. -In piquant contrast to her dark eyes, her hair, of a pale golden color, -hung down to below her knees. She was dressed in a long “djebba,” or -loose robe of white crepe de chine, the semi-transparent folds of which -clung to her form as the morning dew clings to a flower which it is -loth to conceal. - -For several minutes Frederick stood as if transfixed, unable to remove -his fevered gaze from the lovely apparition which rendered him blind to -all else. He could see nothing but the princess, as she lay there in -all her indolent beauty. - -The “Muezzin” droning forth his harmonious summons to prayers from the -loftiest galleries of the minarets, had but just notified the faithful -that it was two hours after midnight, when suddenly one of the curtains -was softly drawn aside, and a woman scarcely less beautiful than the -princess herself glided into the room. - -Her largo violet eyes flashed triumphantly, and a mocking, cruel smile -hovered around her red lips as she advanced toward the princess and her -lover. - -“Enfin! Louba Hanem!” exclaimed she, in French. “At length I have you -in my power! Revenge always comes to those who can afford to wait! For -months and months you have been the favorite of our lord, the pearl of -surpassing value, beside whom all were but as dross, the treasure of -his heart and the joy of his life, while I—I—was left far behind—hardly -noticed—often repulsed—I, who am as beautiful as you, and who love -him with a love of which you are utterly incapable! How often have I -besought Allah to grant me my revenge! He has heard my prayer! for -within the hour that is now passing away our lord will have slain -both your lover and yourself! Even at this very moment you are being -watched, and at a sign from me he will be summoned hither to behold -with his own eyes the shameful manner in which you betray him with a -dog of an unbeliever!” - -Princess Louba had meanwhile started to her feet, and stood there in -all her glorious beauty, white and trembling with rage and with terror. - -“Who is it that will dare to raise his or her hand against me, the -daughter of his highness! Who are you but a mere slave—a toy bought by -our lord! The pastime of one short hour, thereafter to be flung back -into the depths of ignominy from which you were raised by his hand! You -shall suffer cruelly for your present insolence. I will cause you to be -whipped until every particle of skin has been torn from your body.” - -“Will you, indeed, Louba Hanem? I challenge you to try it. You will -find that even your royal father will be powerless to save either your -lover or yourself.” - -With a snake-like motion of her supple body the vindictive creature -glided to one of the windows opening out on to the veranda and was -about to issue forth on her dangerous errand, when, with one bound, -Frederick was alongside of her, and, grasping her firmly by the arm, -exclaimed: - -“What is it you want? Is it money? If so, you shall have it! If you -will only be silent! Speak! What do you require?” - -With a look of unutterable scorn, she replied: - -“Keep your money. It is revenge that I seek! Your touch defiles me! Let -me go, or it will be the worse for you! Are you then so anxious to die -a few minutes sooner that you dare to tempt me thus?” - -Tearing away her arm from Frederick's grasp, she drew a long stiletto -or dagger from her bosom and made a violent lunge at his heart. -Frederick, now thoroughly infuriated, and realizing the fact that he -had to deal with a desperate and half-crazy woman, wrenched the knife -from her and hurled it away among the shrubs in the garden. For one -moment she struggled desperately to release herself, but seeing that it -was of no avail and that the young man's slender hands held her like a -vise, she uttered one loud cry for assistance, which rang through the -silence of the night. - -“Curse you, be quiet! you she-devil!” hissed Frederick in her ear. “If -you utter another sound, I will kill you.” - -[Illustration: “IF YOU UTTER ANOTHER SOUND, I WILL KILL YOU.”] - -Once more the girl attempted to scream, but Frederick's fingers -clutched her throat like steel and stifled her voice. For the space -of several seconds—they seemed to him so many hours—he maintained his -grasp, and when at length he released his hold the slight body of the -girl fell with a dull thud to the tessellated floor of the veranda. -Instinctively he bent down over her, and suddenly, with a thrill of -horror, realized that she was dead. - -At the same moment he heard the sound of heavy steps hurrying to the -spot where he was, and, forgetting everything except that his life was -at stake, he leaped over the alabaster balustrade of the terrace, and -fled through the gardens without looking behind him. - -Oh, the agony of those minutes! The cold perspiration was streaming -from his forehead, and his heart was beating so violently that it -nearly took his breath away. In what direction was he to escape? The -immense gardens seemed to constitute an interminable labyrinth of -gravel paths, winding in and out of the clusters of trees and bushes. -Twice he found himself at the foot of the high stone wall, which, -however, offered no foothold by which he could ascend to the summit. At -one moment he nearly fell into a small lake, which lay half-concealed, -buried between moss-covered banks. Like a hunted animal, he was about -to retrace his steps, when he saw in the distance a score or so of -men, carrying torches, who were running in all directions, shouting -loudly as they drew nigh to him. His desperation was such that he -thought for one moment of giving himself up to them. But the instinct -of self-preservation was too strong, and once more he sped along in the -shadow of a tall hedge of arbutus, till suddenly he found his flight -again arrested by the wall. - -[Illustration: FREDERICK FLEES THROUGH THE GARDENS.] - -Stay! What was that? A door! Yes, the very door by which he had entered -a few hours previously. Trembling from head to foot, he tried the -lock. It yielded to his pressure, and with one wild, cat-like spring, -he bounded into the dark street which led to the Mouski. Closing the -massive oak postern after him, he rushed onward, casting terrified -glances behind him from time to time as he ran. But all was still; -and the noise of his footsteps was the only sound which disturbed the -quiet hour of dawn. Gradually he slackened his speed, and, turning down -into a dark side-street, cautiously threaded his way among the maze of -narrow passages and by-ways of the Hebrew quarter. At last he arrived -at the gate of the Esbekieh Gardens, and a few minutes afterward -reached the Hotel Shepheard. Ten minutes later he was seated in his own -room, hardly able to realize that he was, for the moment, at any rate, -out of danger. - -To remain at Cairo was out of the question. This last adventure was -likely to involve more serious consequences than any of his previous -scrapes. Seizing a time-table, he discovered, to his unspeakable -relief, that a steamer bound for Bombay was leaving Suez the very same -day. He hurriedly packed up his belongings, and, summoning the porter, -informed him that he had been called away on matters of the utmost -importance, and ordered his trunks to be conveyed without delay to the -railway station. - -That afternoon at four o'clock a majestic steamer of the Peninsular and -Oriental Company weighed its anchor at Suez, and proceeded down the -Red Sea. She carried among the passengers on board Count Frederick von -Waldberg, who had been fortunate enough to escape arrest for the murder -of M. Pasha's second wife. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -MAKING NEW ACQUAINTANCES. - - -Frederick's fellow-passengers on board the mail steamer comprised -the usual contingent of Calcutta and Bombay merchants; of judges, -collectors, and other members of the Indian Civil Service en route to -rejoin their posts on the expiration of their leave of absence, and of -a considerable sprinkling of military men, some of whom were on their -way to the East for the first time. There were also quite a number of -ladies and young girls who had been spending the hot season in England, -and who were returning for the winter to their husbands and fathers. -Besides these, there were several Parsee and other native traders, who, -having been welcomed as princes and nabobs at Paris, and elsewhere -in Europe, found it difficult to reconcile themselves again to the -contemptuous treatment which even the humblest British subaltern deems -it his duty to extend to the “black men.” - -For the first three days after leaving Suez, Frederick failed to put in -an appearance either at table or on deck, and remained most of the time -in the seclusion of his own cabin. His nerves had been rudely shaken by -the exciting scenes attending his departure from Cairo, and he felt a -cold shiver run down his back when he thought of the terrible fate that -would have been his lot had he fallen into the hands of the janizaries -and eunuchs of M. le Pasha. With all its veneer of civilization, Egypt -was then, and still is to this day, an essentially oriental country. -The mysteries of the harem are still as dark and shadowy as in days of -yore; and notwithstanding all that may be said to the contrary, neither -justice nor police legislation has ever succeeded in penetrating the -Zenana. Within its walls, the pasha, or bey, especially if he be -wealthy and influential, is absolute master of life and death of the -inmates. He is accountable to no one for what goes on in his harem; and -the stranger who dares to commit the unpardonable offense of invading -its sanctity must be prepared to face either death or the most horrible -forms of mutilation and torture. - -Of remorse for the death of the pasha's second wife, Frederick felt -none. He had strangled her in self-defense; and, although he had no -intention of killing her at the time, yet he considered that she fully -merited her fate. He was equally indifferent as to what had become of -the princess. His enthusiasm had given way to feelings of anger against -her for causing him to incur so terrible a danger. It is evident, -however, that she must have succeeded in giving some satisfactory -explanation to the pasha, both as to the presence of a stranger in her -apartments, and as to the death of his second wife, for she is alive to -this day, and neither increasing age nor corpulency had had the effect -of putting a stop to her adventures, which from time to time furnish a -piece of gossip, seasoned highly enough even for the jaded palates of -the Cairenes. Her husband, the pasha, expired somewhat suddenly a few -years ago, and she has not since remarried. - -On the fourth day of the voyage, just as the vessel was steaming past -the barren island of Perim, Frederick, who by this time had entirely -recovered, made his way on deck, and, with a cigar in his mouth, leaned -against the bulwarks, watching signals which were being displayed -from the masthead of the fort. He was just about to turn away and to -stroll forward for the purpose of inspecting the strange assortment -of native deck passengers bound for Aden, when he was accosted by a -handsome young Englishman, who requested the favor of a light for his -pipe. A conversation sprang up between the two, during the course of -which Frederick discovered that his new acquaintance was a wealthy -young guardsman, Sir Charles Montgomery by name, who was on his way -out to take up a staff appointment at Calcutta. The name of General -von Waldberg was not unknown to the baronet, and he therefore had no -hesitancy about introducing Frederick not only to his fellow-officers, -but also to most of of the other prominent passengers on board. The -young count soon became a great favorite, especially with the ladies. -Much of his time, however, was spent in the smoking-room on deck, -playing cards with Sir Charles, and some four or five of the latter's -messmates. During the first two days Frederick lost heavily, which -he could ill afford, for, after paying his hotel bill at Cairo, and -purchasing his passage for Bombay, he had found that his money was -almost exhausted. On the third day, however, his spell of bad luck came -to an end, and from that time forth his winnings were considerable. -No matter what the game might be, his hand was invariably such as to -arouse the envy and admiration of all beholders. Both Sir Charles and -two other of the officers lost large sums to him, and at length one -night, on rising from the card-table, the baronet was sharply taken to -task by one of his fellow-losers, a Captain Clery, who inquired, with -some asperity, whether he was sure of “that dused German fellow.” - -“What do you mean? What on earth are you driving at, my dear Clery? -What should I know more about him than you do yourself? There is no -doubt about his being the son of old General von Waldberg, whose name -you are just as well acquainted with as I am.” - -“That is just what puzzles me,” replied the captain. “How can you -explain the fact that a man of his station and military training should -be here on board a Bombay-bound steamer, instead of being with the -German Army before Paris? There is something very fishy and queer about -him.” - -“I don't agree with you one bit,” retorted Sir Charles. “I think he is -a very nice fellow—remarkably bright and amusing, and exceedingly wide -awake and clever.” - -“Too clever by half,” muttered Captain Clery, savagely twisting his -heavy blonde mustache. “I am going to watch his game. I don't believe -he plays fair. It isn't natural that he should win whenever there is a -heavy stake on the table. I believe he is simply plucking us like so -many blue-necked pigeons.” - -Had Frederick obtained any inkling of the purport of Captain Clery's -remarks about his extraordinary run of luck, or was it mere coincidence -that he lost twenty guineas at _ecarte_ on the following afternoon? Be -this as it may, the fact remains that during the rest of the voyage -he seized various pretexts for absenting himself from the card-table, -and devoted his whole time to a very lovely girl, Florence Fitzpatrick -by name, to whom he had been presented by Sir Charles. Her father, -who hailed from County Cork, held a high command in the Army of the -“Guicowar,” or King of Baroda, and had made the acquaintance of General -von Waldberg some years previously at Vienna. The old count had not -only treated him with much kindness and consideration, but had also -obtained him facilities for attending the annual maneuvers of the -Prussian and Austrian Armies. He was therefore delighted to have an -opportunity of making some return for the courtesy shown to him by -Frederick's father, and warmly pressed the young man to visit him at -Baroda. - -About a fortnight after landing in India, just as Frederick was -beginning to grow heartily sick of Bombay, he received a letter from -Colonel Fitzpatrick reminding him of his promise to spend a few weeks -at Baroda, and urging him to come up at once so as to be in time for -a big tiger-hunt which was about to take place. Accordingly, on the -next day, having telegraphed to the colonel to announce his impending -arrival, he started on his journey up country. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -FETTERS DIFFICULT TO SEVER. - - -Baroda is, without exception, one of the most interesting and -picturesque cities in India. It is perched on the lofty, precipitous -banks of the River Wishwamitra. Large marble staircases lead down to -the water's edge, and above them rise thousands of minarets, bell -towers, temples, kiosks, and pagodas half screened here and there by -masses of dark green foliage. - -Frederick met with a very hospitable reception on his arrival at -Colonel Fitzpatrick's comfortable bungalow. He could not help being -touched by the heartiness of welcome extended to him, and Florence -appeared to him more charming and beautiful than ever. - -As in duty bound, the colonel immediately took steps to notify the -Guicowar of Frederick's presence in the capital, and a few days -afterward received an intimation that his highness would be glad to -grant Count von Waldberg the honor of an audience. Accordingly, on -the appointed day, Frederick, accompanied by Fitzpatrick, drove to -the royal palace, and after traversing numerous halls and gorgeous -apartments thronged with courtiers, found himself in the presence of -the Guicowar, to whom he was introduced with due form and ceremony. - -The first moments of the interview were passed almost in silence. Then -the Guicowar, addressing Frederick in English, declared that he was -happy to receive the son of so illustrious a soldier and statesman -as General von Waldberg, and bade him consider himself at home in -his dominions, adding that he would do all that lay in his power to -render Frederick's sojourn in Baroda as agreeable as possible. The -Guicowar wore a red velvet tunic, over which was spread a profusion -of magnificent jewels. His turban was adorned with an aigrette of -diamonds, among which sparkled the famous “Star of the South.” He -was at the time a man of about thirty-five years of age and of tall -and commanding stature. His complexion was tolerably clear, and his -strongly marked features at once gave a perfect idea of this singular -man, who to extreme gentleness in every-day intercourse united the most -atrocious cruelty on many other occasions. The origin of the dynasty -of the Guicowars is very interesting. Their name, “Guicowar,” of which -they are so extremely proud, signifies in the Mahratta language, -“Keeper of Cows,” and they are fond of tracing their descent to a -family of “Koumbis,” or peasants. - -After a time hookhas, with jeweled amber mouthpieces, were brought -in, and both the colonel and Frederick, following the example of the -Guicowar, began to smoke in true oriental fashion. Meanwhile a number -of pretty girls, covered with trinkets and attired in thin chemises, -had stepped into the room. They were bayaderes, or dancing girls, -who played, sang, and danced for the entertainment of the Guicowar's -guests, moving with all the languid voluptuousness peculiar to the -East. These privileged individuals are allowed to come and go as they -please in the royal palace, as if to make up for the absence of the -ladies secluded in their Zenana. When, at the close of the audience, -which had lasted about two hours, Frederick at length took leave of -his dusky highness, he was thoroughly enraptured with all he had -seen. The Court of the Guicowar is the only one in India which has -preserved down to the present time the customs of the middle ages in -all their primitive splendor, and during his stay at Baroda, Frederick -had numerous opportunities of admiring the extreme luxury and lavish -magnificence of ceremonies which are not to be witnessed anywhere else -in the world. - -Frederick soon began to feel as if he were a member of the colonel's -family. The old gentleman treated him like a son, and was never tired -of introducing him to all his friends and acquaintances. One morning he -proposed that they should call together on a Hindoo lady, the widow of -a great dignitary, and whose wealth was enormous. Being free of control -and of advanced notions, she was fond of frequenting good European -society, and would, so the colonel declared, be delighted to make Count -von Waldberg's acquaintance. The opportunities of entering the house of -a lady of great fortune and high caste in India are exceedingly rare, -for the rules of the Zenana are so strict and so full of deeply rooted -prejudices that even widows, proverbially forward, seldom dare to break -through them. Frederick, therefore, declared in reply that he would be -much pleased to avail himself of the colonel's offer. - -The widow received them in a magnificently decorated room. Her face -was partly vailed by a rose-colored silk scarf, and her dress was -literally ablaze with diamonds, rubies, and gold. She was a woman of -between forty and fifty years of age, very dark, and with piercing -coal-black eyes. When the colonel and his young friend entered, she -quickly rose from the divan, and having shaken hands with them both in -European fashion, invited them to take seats on either side of her. -She began by thanking Colonel Fitzpatrick for having brought Count von -Waldberg to see her, and then, turning to the latter, added graciously -that she would be “at home” to him whenever he might deign to call -for the purpose of cheering her lonely life by his welcome presence. -Frederick assured her that he would frequently avail himself of her -permission,and the conversation then turned to European topics and to -social scandal both at home and abroad, concerning which the widow -appeared to know much more than might reasonably have been expected -from a Hindoo lady living in the seclusion of a Baroda Zenana. - -Frederick could not help noticing the very marked impression that he -was producing on the widow. She addressed herself almost exclusively to -him, and her piercing eyes hardly ever left his face. She insisted on -their staying until nightfall, and when Frederick pleaded some urgent -business appointment she prevailed on Frederick to allow the colonel -to depart alone and to remain behind, at any rate until it was time -for the city gates to close. The heat being intense indoors, the widow -shortly afterward made a proposal that they should adjourn to the -gardens of her palace, and conducted him along a winding path sheltered -from the glare of the sun by the dense foliage of the sycamore trees to -a fairy-like kiosk, built on a kind of rocky promontory, which seemed -to hang out over the river. A gentle breeze made its way through the -closed lattices of the windows, and a pink marble fountain perfumed the -atmosphere with its jet of rose-water. - -Frederick had entered this charming _buen retiro_ a free man. When he -left it he was enthralled by fetters which he would find it difficult -to sever. - -He had been about four months at Baroda when one morning as he was in -the act of mounting his pony to ride over to pay his customary visit -to the widow a diminutive black boy stealthily slipped a note into his -hand. Hastily turning round Frederick recognized the grinning features -of Florence's little page, who, after making a profound salaam, -disappeared as fast as his legs would carry him. Putting his horse at a -walk the young count opened the letter and read the following words: - - “I will be this evening, at dusk, in the wood adjoining our - bungalow, near the little temple of Jain. Meet me there. I must - speak to you alone and without delay. I have a communication to - make to you of such importance that our lives are endangered - thereby. Oh, my love, my love! Why are you so cruel?” - -With a stifled curse Frederick crushed the note in his hand and thrust -it into one of the outside pockets of his jacket. Then, giving his -unfortunate pony a vicious dig with his spurs, he started off at a -sharp canter, and fifteen minutes later he alighted at the palace of -the widow, who, having become insanely jealous, was making his life a -perfect burden to him. - -On that particular morning she was more than usually fractious and -exacting, and it was only by playing the part of an enthusiastic -and passionate lover that he could in any way pacify her. When at -length he reached home he was in a state of exasperation bordering on -frenzy. Flinging himself upon the couch in his room he gave way to a -most violent fit of rage. Suddenly remembering Florence's note he put -his hand into his pocket, with the object of reading it once more. -The letter, however, was gone. It was in vain that he turned all his -pockets inside out; the note had disappeared. This caused him a moment -of anxiety, but on second thought he remembered that it bore neither -signature nor address, and, taking it for granted that it had dropped -from his pocket while riding, he dismissed the subject from his mind. - -Shortly after sundown he started to walk through the wood to the little -temple of Jain where Florence had requested him to meet her. It was -a lovely and romantic spot. The small temple, built of delicately -chiseled stone forming a kind of open trellis work, was surmounted -by nine little carved domes and tiny fretted minarets. All round the -building rose half-broken columns, the ruins of a mosque, while huge -trees covered the spot with deep shade, and Barbary figs, cactuses and -poisonous euphorbias enveloped the ancient stones. Thousands of parrots -and humming birds dwelt in the branches of the sycamores and palms and -flew off at the slightest sound. The place was very lonely, and as he -approached it there was no sound save the babble of a brook whispering -among tall rushes and lotus plants to be heard in the quiet evening air. - -Florence, who had been sitting on the fragments of the basalt column, -rose to her feet as she saw him coming, and advanced toward him with -outstretched hands. She had been a very beautiful girl a few months -previously, but the brilliant pink color, which was one of her chief -charms, had now given place to a sickly pallor. Her cheeks were haggard -and drawn and her soft brown eyes had a sad and hunted expression which -was very painful to see in one so young and fair. - -“Fred,” exclaimed she, as he took her hands in his and bent to kiss -her cheek. “I cannot bear this any longer. You promised me long ago -that you would talk to my father! Why don't you do so now? The time -has come! I have asked you to come here to-day to tell you that soon I -shall be unable to conceal my shame any longer. Already now I tremble -every time my dear father looks at me, and I have no strength left to -carry on this horrible deceit any longer.” - -As she said this she leaned her head on her lover's shoulder and sobbed -bitterly. - -The expression on Frederick's face became very dark, now that her face -was hidden against his breast and that she could no longer see him. -He bit his lips savagely and his eyes flashed with anger. Here was a -pretty state of things. What was he to do? She must be pacified with -new promises and induced to wait till he could find means to flee once -more before the storm which he seemed to call forth wherever he went. -He tried to compose his features and to soften the tones of his voice. -Drawing the weeping girl closer to him he murmured, gently: - -“Look here, Florence, you must not give way like this! You only hurt -yourself and pain me. You know how doubly precious your life is to me -now. Do not doubt me! Believe me, I am acting for the best. You shall -be my wife long before many days are passed and long before there -is any danger of discovery. You are nervous and low-spirited, and -exaggerate the difficulties of our situation. I adore you! That ought -to satisfy you, together with the knowledge that I will guard you from -any misfortune and trouble. Cheer up, darling! Better times are coming. -Have patience but a little longer.” - -As he said this they both gave a sudden start of terror. Behind them in -the thicket they heard the noise of a broken twig and the rustle of a -dress. Florence, in an agony of fright, tore herself from his embrace -and disappeared in the direction of her father's bungalow, exclaiming -as she rushed off: - -“God help us! We are discovered!” - -Frederick, turning toward the tangled bushes whence the sound had -proceeded, found himself face to face with the widow. - -The latter presented a truly awful appearance as she advanced toward -him. Her black eyes were distended with fury, and her face, from which -the vail had fallen, was distorted by a cruel and mocking smile. - -“Is that the way you keep your troth to me, you miserable scoundrel?” -screamed she, clutching hold of Frederick's arm. “Is that my reward for -the love of which I have given you so many proofs? Is that the return -for the bounty I have heaped upon you—for all my lavish generosity?” - -“Silence!” exclaimed Frederick, “and cease to taunt me about your gifts -and presents. They have been purchased dearly enough in all conscience. -I have never given you the right to control my actions. Although I may -be a mere boy compared to you, yet I am old enough to take care of -myself. - -“Is that it, then? So I am too old for you! You dare to let me see that -all your pretenses of love were only due to your greed for my wealth! -The widow is good enough to furnish you with money and to help you to -pay your numerous debts! But you require something younger, lovelier, -and more attractive than I am, to satisfy your passions.” - -Frederick muttered a terrible oath. - -“I wonder,” she continued, “what your friend Col. Fitzpatrick will say -when I inform him how you have betrayed his hospitality and dishonored -his daughter. As there is a heaven above us, I swear to take such a -revenge, both on you and upon your light-o'-love, that you will live to -curse the day on which you were born.” - -Frederick, exasperated beyond all expression, shook her hand roughly -off his arm, saying as he did so: - -“Do anything you please, but be silent now! You have said more than -enough! I have done forever with yourself, your money, and the very -questionable charms of your acquaintance! Good-evening.” - -Turning his back on her, he was about to effect his retreat when the -frantic woman bounded toward him and clutched him by his coat with such -violence that he nearly lost his balance. - -“Thief, coward, traitor! You shall not leave me thus!” hissed the widow -through her clenched teeth. - -Almost blind with rage, Frederick caught her by both arms and pushed -her from him with such brutality that she fell backward, striking her -head as she did so on the jagged edge of a broken marble column. The -young man attempted to raise her from the ground, but she lay back -lifeless on the greensward. - -Trembling with fear, Frederick put his hand to her heart. It had ceased -to beat. For the second time within the space of six months Frederick -had become a murderer. The full horror of the situation flashed through -his mind like a streak of lightning. He must leave Baroda at once. But -how was he to do so without money? Not a moment was to be lost, and -without casting a look behind him he hurried toward the city, leaving -the corpse of his victim lying among the ruins of the temple, with her -poor livid face and wide-open eyes, still distorted by passion, turned -upward toward the dark heavens, where the crescent of the new moon was -rising. - -Half an hour later Frederick presented himself at the gate of the -widow's palace and asked to see her. The servants replied that their -mistress had gone out two hours previously and that she was expected -back every minute. If his excellency would take the trouble of walking -up stairs he might wait for her in her boudoir. Shortly afterward -Frederick came down stairs again, and handing the servant a card for -the widow declared that, being pressed for time, he was unable to wait -any longer. - -He then hastened to his hotel and locked himself up in his room, -determined to pack up his belongings and find an excuse for leaving -Baroda the next morning. He was not short of money now, for, emptying -his pockets on the table, he sat for some moments gazing at a heap of -gold pieces and jewels which must have amounted to a value of over -several thousands of pounds. Locking this treasure in a small trunk, he -was just about to change his clothes for evening dress when there was a -loud knock at the door. Frederick started and looked helplessly around -him before hoarsely exclaiming: - -“Who is there?” - -“It is I,” replied the voice of Col. Fitzpatrick. “Open the door, my -dear boy. I want to speak to you.” - -Somewhat reassured, Frederick hastened to admit the colonel, who, -throwing himself on a chair, exclaimed: - -“A terrible thing has happened. You will be horribly shocked. Our poor -old friend, the widow, has been found murdered near the ruins of the -Temple of Jain,” and without noticing the ashy hue of Frederick's face -he continued: “Her assassin was captured just as he was attempting to -remove from her corpse the jewels which she wore. The whole town is in -an uproar about it, and the culprit was nearly torn to pieces by the -people when he was taken through the streets on his way to the prison.” - -[Illustration: ROBBING THE MURDERED WIDOW.] - -“You say her murderer is captured?” - -“Yes,” answered the colonel, “and a villainous, hang-dog looking fellow -he is, too—a member of some of those wandering tribes of beggars who -infest our part of the country—and no mercy will be shown to him.” - -Frederick instantly realized that it was necessary for his safety -that he should remain at least some days longer at Baroda, so as not -to arouse, by his sudden departure, suspicions which had, so luckily -for him, taken another direction, and, coolly finishing his toilet, -he accompanied the colonel to a dinner party at the bungalow of the -English political resident. - -Three days afterward Frederick received an invitation from the Guicowar -to be present at the execution of the widow's murderer, who was -condemned to undergo the punishment of “death by the elephant.” - -[Illustration: EXECUTION BY ELEPHANT.] - -This punishment is one of the most frightful that can possibly be -imagined. The culprit, secured hand and foot, is fastened to the -elephant's hind leg by a long cord passed round his waist. The latter -is urged into a rapid trot through the streets of the city, and -every step gives the cord a violent jerk which makes the body of the -condemned wretch bound on the pavement. On arriving at the place of -execution he is released, and by a refinement of cruelty a glass of -water is given to him. Then when he has sufficiently recovered to feel -the throes of death his head is placed upon a stone block, and the -elephant executioner is made to crush it beneath his enormous foot. - -Up to this juncture Frederick, though very pale, had remained standing -behind the Guicowar's chair, his eyes intently fixed on the horrible -scene which was being enacted before his eyes. But at the moment when -the head of the poor innocent man was being crushed to atoms under the -dull thud of the monster's foot he uttered a cry of horror and sank to -the ground in a dead faint. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -ARREST EVADED. - - -The transcontinental express was speeding on its way along the banks of -the mighty River Ganges, between Agra and Benares, on a dark night at -the beginning of the rainy season. On reaching Allahabad two English -officers boarded the train, and on displaying their tickets were -shown to their places in one of the three roomy compartments of the -luxuriously appointed sleeping-cars. - -The lamp was shaded by a green silk blind, and the hermetically closed -gauze musquito curtains of one of the upper berths indicated that it -was tenanted by a sleeping traveler. - -Not having very far to go, the new-comers stretched themselves on their -couches without undressing and began to converse in a low tone of voice. - -“Have you heard about this terrible business at Baroda?” inquired the -taller of the two. - -“No,” replied the other. “I am only just down from the hills and have -hardly seen a newspaper or spoken to a civilized being since we landed -at Bombay.” - -“Well,” continued the former, “do you remember that young German Count -whom we had on board on our voyage out and who‘rooked’ us so terribly -at cards?” - -“By Jove, I should think I did! Why, he won a couple of hundred off -me. Never saw such infernal luck. Wasn't his name Dalberg or Waldberg, -or something of the kind? He was awfully spooney on old Fitzpatrick's -pretty daughter, now that I think of it. What's become of the fair -Florence?” - -“She's dead, poor girl.” - -“Dead! You don't mean to say so! Why, she looked the very embodiment of -health and happiness on board. What on earth did she die of?” - -“Well, the story is a sad one, and makes my blood boil whenever I think -of it. It appears that old Fitzpatrick invited Waldberg, whose father -he had met in Europe, to visit him at Baroda, and had him staying at -his house for quite a number of weeks. The only return which the -cursed scoundrel saw fit to make for all the hospitality and kindness -lavished on him by the colonel was to betray the latter's daughter -under a promise of marriage. - -“Unable to conceal her shame any longer, and driven to desperation -by the sudden disappearance of her lover from Baroda, the poor girl -committed suicide. She was seen by some natives, who were on their way -down the river, to throw herself into the stream, but on quickly rowing -to the spot they were unable to find any trace of her body, which -had evidently been dragged under by the crocodiles which infest the -Wishwamitra. - -[Illustration: FLORENCE FITZPATRICK'S SUICIDE.] - -It is said that she left a letter imploring her father's pardon, and -stating the reasons which had led her to put an end to her life. The -old man's grief, I hear, is something heart-rending, and in the agony -of the first moments, he allowed the secret of his daughter's ruin by -Count von Waldberg to escape his lips. His frenzy against the latter is -beyond all description, and he has sworn to hunt him down, wherever he -may have fled to, to bring him to account.” - -While Captain Clery—for it was he—was in the act of thus describing -the fate of poor Florence Fitzpatrick, the curtains of the upper berth -were slightly pushed aside, and the head of a man might have been seen -to bend forward as he listened intently to the story. But at the last -words thereof he hurriedly closed the curtains again and disappeared -from view. - -This incident had escaped the notice of the two officers, and Captain -Clery continued as follows: - -“But this is not all. There are some very ugly suspicions concerning -Waldberg in connection with the murder of a rich Hindoo widow, who was -found dead, with her skull fractured, among the ruins of an ancient -temple, in a wood adjoining the Fitzpatrick bungalow. Her servants have -since made disclosures which conclusively prove that Waldberg had been -her lover during almost the entire period of his stay at Baroda. A -quarter of an hour before her body was discovered, Waldberg is said to -have visited her apartments alone, and a considerable amount of money -and jewels are ascertained to have been abstracted therefrom. Moreover, -in the letter which Florence left for her father she hinted that one of -the reasons of her suicide was that she believed her lover to have been -guilty of a terrible crime and declared that her last interview with -him had taken place near the ruins of the temple above mentioned, just -before the body of the murdered woman was discovered. An unfortunate -Bengalee beggar, who was found hovering over the corpse of the widow -as if about to rob it of its jewels, was publicly put to death a few -days later on the charge of having killed her. The execution took place -in the presence of Waldberg, who is now believed to have been the real -assassin and who was invited by the Guicowar to witness the horrible -scene. It appears that the count was unable to bear the sight, and that -he fainted away, creating a great commotion thereby. A few hours later -he suddenly left Baroda, informing the colonel by letter that he was -called away on most urgent business. He has not been heard of since, -but the police are on the look out for him.” - -A few minutes later the train steamed into the station of Allahabad, -and the two officers, gathering up their cloaks, swords, and other -traps, left the sleeping-car. - -As soon as the express had again started on its way to Calcutta the -man who had displayed such an intense interest in the conversation of -Captain Clery and his friend cautiously descended from his berth and -began to dress himself as noiselessly as possible. Drawing the blind -aside for a moment from the lamp, the dim light thereof revealed the -features of Frederick von Waldberg. As soon as he had finished dressing -he repaired to the cabinet de toilette of the sleeping-car, taking -with him a small leather dressing-case. When he emerged therefrom -a few minutes later it was to be seen that he had shaven off the -short beard which he had allowed to grow during his stay at Baroda. -Anxious, however, to avoid attracting the attention of the conductor -to this metamorphosis, he threw a light Inverness cape overcoat over -his shoulders, pulled the collar over his ears, and, drawing his soft -felt traveling hat low down over his eyes, sat motionless in a corner, -apparently fast asleep. - -The morning after his arrival at Calcutta, Frederick took passage -on a sailing ship bound for Havre. He was dressed in the garb of a -workingman, and gave his name as Franz Werner, and his trade as that -of a painter and decorator. He informed the skipper that, his health -having been broken by a long stay in the murderous climate of Bengal, -the doctor had prescribed the long sea voyage round the Cape as his -only hope of recovery. He gave this as the reason for his preferring -to return to Europe by a sailing ship instead of by one of the mail -steamers via the Suez Canal. - -Once again Frederick had succeeded in evading capture and arrest for -his crimes. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -A COMPACT WITH ROSE. - - -Toward the end of September, 1871, Count Frederick von Waldberg, -alias Franz Werner, arrived in Paris and took up his quarters at a -well-known hotel in the Rue de Rivoli under the name of Baron F. Wolff. -He stated that he had just arrived from Japan, a country in which he -claimed to have resided for over two years. As he spent his money very -liberally he was taken at his word and treated with great respect and -consideration at the hotel, where he soon made the acquaintance of -several American and English families who proposed to spend the winter -at Paris. Frederick's personal appearance had undergone such a change -during the twelve months which had elapsed since he left Paris that -there was not much fear of his being recognized by any of his former -acquaintances. He had grown taller and broader, his face was bronzed by -the Indian sun, and his beard, which he had once more allowed to grow -during the long sea voyage, caused him to look much older than he was -in reality. - -One night, some two months after his arrival at Paris, he accompanied -three of his new acquaintances to the Jardin Mabille, at that time a -well-known rendezvous of the _jeunesse doree_ and of the demi-mondaines -of every class. - -[Illustration: FREDERICK AT THE JARDIN MABILLE.] - -He was standing near the orchestra, leaning against one of the -artificial palm trees loaded with fantastically colored glass fruits, -each of which contained a tiny gas jet, and was watching the gay -throng of dancers as they bounded through the intricate figures of a -disheveled can-can, when suddenly a woman, who was conspicuous by the -enormous amount of satin, lace, and flowers which she had managed to -accumulate about the lower part of her person, and by the extraordinary -scantiness of her corsage, stopped in front of him, and with the tip -of her satin-slippered foot delicately knocked his hat from off his -head to the ground. This being by no means an unusual feat among the -female habitues of Mabille, the incident did not attract much attention -and no one noticed the start of surprise and consternation with which -Frederick recognized in the painted creature with dyed hair his wife -Rose—Countess of Waldberg. - -As his hat fell to the ground, the mocking smile on Rose's face -disappeared. Her features assumed a hard, stony expression; there was -a dangerous glitter in her eyes, and she gave one or two convulsive -little shivers, as if striving to control her feelings. Then, rapidly -bending toward him, she murmured: - -“Come with me, quickly. I must speak to you at once.” - -Frederick, realizing that the recognition had been mutual and afraid -that if he made any attempt to resist she would create a disturbance -and reveal his identity to all the bystanders, followed her without a -word. They soon reached a part of the gardens which was comparatively -deserted, and Rose led the way to a small arbor. Throwing herself -down on one of the wooden benches, she crossed her arms, and, looking -insolently into her husband's face, exclaimed, in a hard, rasping voice: - -“Concealment is useless with me. I would have recognized you fifty -years hence. If love is blind, hatred is not. I have a little account -to square with you, _mon cher_, and you had better hear me out. I am -not surprised at your look of alarm when you realized who it was that -had kicked at your hat. It is unpleasant to be recognized when one has -so very much to keep dark.” - -“What do you mean? I do not understand you.” - -“Oh, yes, you do. The newspapers have hinted at your doings in India, -and a man who had made your acquaintance out there caught sight of one -of your portraits in my rooms about a fortnight ago. From him—I forget -his name, but he was an English captain—I heard the whole story of your -connection with the murder of——” - -“Hush, for Heavens sake! not so loud!” interrupted Frederick, -terror-stricken. “You don't know what you are saying! If any one were -to hear you!” - -“What do I care if the whole world hears?” retorted Rose. “You didn't -take the trouble of thinking about the world's opinion when you thrust -your wife out into the street in the middle of the night and suffered -her to be locked up at St. Lazarre as a common street-walker. Every dog -has its day, Monsieur le Comte, and I mean to show you that I can be as -cruel and relentless as you are yourself.” - -“You surely will not betray me, Rose. You loved me once. I am a rich -man now, and can do much for you, if you will only be reasonable,” -exclaimed Frederick, imploringly. - -He saw that his safety depended on Rose's silence and determined to do -everything that he could to propitiate her and to gain time. She looked -up with something like relenting in her hard blue eyes. The mention -of his wealth had evidently created some impression on her mercenary -nature. - -“Why, why,” laughed she, “misfortunes seem to have rendered you more -reasonable, and to have softened your temper somewhat. It's more than -they have done for me. I don't think that I ever had what you can call -_un cœur sensible_ (a soft heart), but now I have none left at all. -Give me money, jewels, an easy life, and I am easy enough to manage! A -fig for sentiment! It's all bosh!” - -Frederick, shuddering at the vulgarity displayed by the woman who was -still legally his wife, and fearing that his friends, missing him, -might hunt him up and insist on being introduced to his companion, -touched her lightly on the shoulder, saying: - -“Come, Rose, let me take you home. It is impossible to talk quietly -here, and I have much to say to you. This is no place for you.” - -The woman shook his hand off, with a sneer. - -“How very particular you have become! This place is decidedly more -pleasant than the “violon” (cell at police station) or St. Lazarre. -It is true that the society which one meets at the Jardin Mabille is -slightly mixed, but by far not so much as in the two places I have -just mentioned. Come home with me, if you like. It will show you what -you have made of me—of me, the Countess von Waldberg. I wonder if your -conscience ever troubles you. You have a good deal to answer for, my -dear Frederick!” - -Frederick having dispatched a waiter to fetch her wraps from the -cloak-room, for she had been sitting all this time with bared -shoulders, offered her his arm and led her away. As they were stepping -forth into the street, the young man felt a slight tap on his shoulder, -and, turning quickly around, found himself face to face with one of his -American friends, who laughingly exclaimed: - -“I see you have met your fate, my dear Wolff; I congratulate you. Don't -forget that we have those two men to lunch at the hotel to-morrow.” - -And with a parting “au revoir, baron,” he jumped into a fiacre, and -in a loud, cheery tone of voice, bade the coachman drive home to the -Hotel Kensington. A couple of minutes later, Frederick, who was greatly -put out at thus having his alias and his residence made known to Rose, -hailed a passing cab, and a quarter of an hour afterward arrived at her -apartments in the Rue de Constantinople. They consisted of four rooms, -the tawdry ornaments, greasy furniture, vulgar attempts at display and -false elegance of which denoted that their tenant had sunk to the level -of a third-rate _cocotte_. - -Before Frederick left Rose that night he succeeded in exacting a -promise from her that as long as he maintained her in luxury and gave -her all the money she wanted, she would make no attempt to reveal -his identity or to injure him in any way. He handed her a couple of -thousand-franc bank-notes on his departure, and, promising to call on -the following afternoon, strolled back to his hotel. - -“She knows too much! She is dangerous! This will never do!” he muttered -to himself, as he walked along under the arcades of the Rue de Rivoli. - -He knew full well that as he was able to provide her with money, he -would not have much to fear from her. She was far too careful of her -own interests to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs by forcing -him to take to flight. But, unfortunately, he was ever of a spendthrift -disposition. His tastes, pleasures, and mode of life were extravagant; -gold escaped like water through his fingers, and he realized that as -soon as the last penny of the money which he had abstracted from the -murdered widow's apartments at Baroda had been spent he would find -himself powerless to silence Rose, whose revelations would inevitably -result in a demand for his extradition on the part of the Anglo-Indian -Government. - -Several days went by. He had installed Rose in a very handsomely -furnished apartment on the Avenue de l'Imperatrice, and had presented -her with a carriage and pair, besides providing her with jewels and -handsome dresses. It became noised abroad among the demi-monde that she -had become the mistress of a wealthy Austrian named Baron Wolff, and -both Frederick and Rose were careful to avoid any allusion to the real -relationship which existed between them. - -Rose found that by means of a few judicious taunts and threats she -was able to get anything she wanted out of him. Of love between this -curiously assorted couple there was none, and with each additional -demand for money on her part the hatred and loathing with which he -regarded her increased. - -One evening, about a month after his meeting with Rose at the Jardin -Mabille, Frederick entered her drawing-room half an hour before dinner, -carrying in his hand a large bouquet of gardenias and white lilac. It -was her birthday, and after having duly congratulated her he handed -her a blue velvet box, which she opened with a cry of delight. It -contained a bracelet composed of superb sapphires which a few months -previously had figured on the wrist of the murdered widow at Baroda. -Kissing her hand with old-fashioned courtesy, Frederick clasped the -jewel round Rose's shapely arm, and then led her before one of the huge -mirrors which gleamed here and there between the plush hangings of the -luxuriously appointed room. They were indeed a handsome couple as they -stood there gazing at their reflections in the glass. Rose was now -dressed in perfect taste, and her pale-blue satin dinner dress set off -her beauty to perfection. Suddenly she looked up at him with a mocking -smile, and exclaimed, with a sneer: - -“What a charming pair we are to be sure! No wonder we love each other -so tenderly.” - -They remained a long time at table that night, sipping their wine, and -for a wonder chatting peacefully and pleasantly. Suddenly Rose jumped -up and exclaimed: - -“By the by, Frederick, I must show you a letter which I received -to-day. There is a kind of East Indian nabob who is staying here at the -Grand Hotel. He has seen me at the opera, and writes to make me the -most dazzling proposals,” added she, cynically. - -It was one of Rose's chief delights to show her husband what she had -now become; and without giving him time to say a word she ran lightly -out of the room in quest of the letter. - -Hardly had she disappeared behind the portiere which hung before the -door than Frederick, who had suddenly grown very pale, took from his -waistcoat-pocket a small cut-glass bottle filled with a colorless and -transparent fluid. Bending over the table, he dropped part of its -contents in the half-finished glass of green chartreuse which stood in -front of Rose's plate. With an almost supernatural coolness he shook -the mixture, so as to amalgamate it properly, and then sank back into -his chair and lit a cigar, as if to give himself what the French call a -“countenance.” - -At this moment Rose reappeared, holding in her hand an open letter. - -“Let me read this to you. It will show you that if you don't behave I -can do without you, sir,” she said. - -“Nonsense, Rose! What pleasure can it afford you to be always teasing -me? You are not half so bad as you try to make yourself out to be. -Here, let me drink your health again. That will be much more to the -purpose!” - -Rose laughed a harsh, unlovely laugh, and seizing hold of her glass -clinked it against her husband's and tossed the liquor down her throat -with a “cranerie” which showed that she was not afraid of a stiff drink! - -“What a peculiar taste this chartreuse has,” she said, as she threw -herself back in her chair. - -Frederick laughed rather uneasily. - -“You swallowed it too quickly. It is a pity, for it is good stuff, and -I prefer taking mine more quietly,” continued he, raising his own glass -to his lips. - -“I feel awfully jolly to-night,” exclaimed Rose, jumping up from her -chair again and beginning to restlessly pace the floor. “We ought to go -out. Why don't you take me to some theater? Oh! it's too late for that! -Let us go to my boudoir and have some music; it will remind us of past -times.” - -She left the room, beckoning him to follow. He did so, but as soon as -she rose from the table he quietly pocketed the glass from which she -had been drinking. He found Rose in the act of opening all the windows -in her boudoir. She was unusually flushed, and he noticed that the -pupils of her bright blue eyes were greatly contracted. This gave her -so strange and wild a look that he started back as she turned toward -him. - -“How oppressively hot it is to-night, Frederick!” said she, in a -muffled voice, and breathing heavily. - -“Why, no; it is not warmer than usual. You must have been drinking too -much, Rose. Compose yourself. Come here and lie down on the sofa, while -I play you some of your favorite melodies.” - -Saying this, he sat down at the piano and began to play at random, -watching her intently all the time as she flitted about the room. -At the end of a few minutes she flung herself down on a lounge and -closed her eyes. She breathed more heavily than before, and from time -to time passed her hand across her forehead, which was bathed in cold -perspiration. - -All at once she opened her eyes again. They were now dilated as if by -pain. - -“Frederick,” she cried, in a low, oppressed kind of tone, “please come -here. I am not feeling well. I wish you would give me a glass of water.” - -He walked to a side table and brought her a large glass filled to the -brim with iced water, which she drank eagerly. - -“I am so sleepy,” murmured she, lying down again on the cushions. - -Frederick sat down near her on the edge of the lounge, and watched -her curiously. Her face had assumed a cadaverous aspect, and now and -again she shuddered from head to foot. She appeared to be suffocating, -and there was a bluish tint round her drawn mouth and sunken eyes. -Frederick did not move. His face was nearly as white as that of his -victim. But he made no attempt to help or to assist her. He cruelly, -and in cold blood this time, allowed the poison to take definite hold -of her system, and his pitiless eyes remained fastened on her distorted -face without once relenting. - -Gradually her breathing became less and less audible, and a few -moments later it had entirely ceased. Placing his hand to her bosom he -convinced himself that the beating of the heart had stopped forever. - -Then arising from the couch he calmly removed his picture from its -place on the table, and then, loudly ringing the bell, he summoned the -servants. - -The violence of the peal brought two or three of them to the door. They -found Baron Wolff apparently in a state of extreme excitement, trying -with all his might to revive their mistress as she lay unconscious on -the sofa. - -“Quick! For Heaven's sake! Run for a doctor! Madam is very ill. She is -in a fit!” exclaimed he, wringing his hands. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -ARRESTED. - - -Two nights afterward, as Frederick was seated at dinner in the large -dining-room of the Cafe Riche, two well dressed men walked up to his -table and informed him that they had a warrant for his arrest on a -charge of having murdered the demi-mondaine, Rose Hartmann. - -[Illustration: FREDERICK ARRESTED FOR MURDER.] - -It is needless to recount the weary formalities and interrogatories -to which Frederick was subjected during the next few weeks. He was, -however, clever enough to evade all attempts made to discover his -real identity, and was encouraged by his lawyer to believe that his -conviction on the evidence which had been obtained against him would be -a matter of great difficulty. - -A month later the trial was opened with due form and ceremony. As soon -as the judges—dressed in their scarlet robes lined with ermine—had -taken their seats, immediately under the life-like picture of the -Crucifixion which forms so striking a feature of every French court -of justice, the prisoner was led in between two “Gardes de Paris,” -and was conducted to his place in the dock. The court-room was -comparatively empty, popular interest at that moment being centered in -the courts-martial which were being held at Versailles on the various -leaders of the Commune. After again stating in reply to the inquiries -of the president that his name was Frederick Wolff, and that he was of -Austrian origin, although born in London, his indictment was read. It -charged him with having administered a poisonous dose of morphia to his -mistress a _femme galante_ of the name of Rose Hartmann, a native of -Berlin. It further stated that an autopsy had revealed the fact that -the dose had been administered in a manner which displayed an intimate -knowledge of the chemical properties of the drug. - -Frederick's counsel thereupon arose and began his speech in defense -of the young man. He urged that his client could have no object in -murdering his mistress, to whom he was passionately attached, and on -whom he had showered innumerable and lavish tokens of his affection. He -painted in graphic colors the career of the dead woman in the annals -of the Parisian _galanterie_, related how Frederick had made her -acquaintance at the Jardin Mabille, and finally wound up by insinuating -that, the woman being addicted to the use of chloral and morphia as -sleeping draughts, her death was due to an overdose of the drug, -administered by her own hand. He concluded his speech by an eloquent -appeal to the jury to acquit his client. - -The advocate-general (district attorney) then arose and begged leave -of the court to summon two witnesses of whose existence he had only -become aware a few hours previously, and whose testimony was calculated -to shed a most important light on the case. A few moments afterward a -short, fat man, with spectacles, was shown into the witness-box. - -Frederick, who had retained a stoical calm until then, became deadly -pale. - -The witness, after having been duly sworn, stated that his name was -Christian Martin, and that he was a bookseller by trade. He testified -that about ten days before the newspapers published an account of the -murder of Rose Hartmann, a young man visited his shop in the Rue de -Rivoli, and purchased several works on toxicology. He had specially -asked for the most recent publications on the subject of opium and -morphine, and explained that he had recently returned from a long -sojourn in the far East, where he had become interested in the study -of the deleterious effects of these drugs among the natives. The -bookseller added that the stranger had declined to allow him to send -the books selected, but had insisted on taking them away with him in -his carriage. M. Martin's attention had been specially attracted to the -young man by the mention of his residence in the Orient, and by the -remarkable knowledge which he displayed of the properties of hashish, -and other narcotics used by the Asiatics. He had, however, thought -no more about the matter until the previous evening, when passing in -front of the offices of the _Figaro_, a portrait displayed on the -bulletin-board of the newspaper had caught his eye. On examining it -more closely, he had recognized therein the features of the gentleman -who had visited his shop some weeks previously for the purpose of -buying books on toxicology; and having learned from the superscription -that it was the picture of “Baron” F. Wolff, the suspected murderer -of Rose Hartmann, he had deemed it his duty to inform the commissary -of police of the district of the facts above mentioned. The latter, -knowing that the trial was about to begin, had given him a letter to -the advocate-general and had sent him off post-haste to the Palais de -Justice. - -[Illustration: FREDERICK ON TRIAL FOR HIS LIFE.] - -The sensation produced by this evidence both on the judges and the jury -was most prejudicial to Frederick's case, which until then had appeared -extremely promising. - -But the climax was reached when, a few minutes afterward, a lady, in an -extremely loud and startling toilet, was ushered into the witness-box. -Frederick gazed at her inquiringly, but was unable to recall to mind -ever having met her before. - -“Your name, madam?” inquired the president. - -“Cora de St. Augustin.” - -“Your residence?” - -“206 Rue Blanche.” - -“Your age?” - -(After a moment's hesitation). “Nineteen.” - -“Your profession?” - -(A long pause). “Premiere danseuse.” - -The Judge—“Of what theater? Is it of the Grande Opera?” - -(A little longer pause). “_Non, mon President—du—du Jardin Mabille._” - -This announcement appeared to create a considerable amount of amusement -in court. - -After furnishing the court with information on all these points, “Mme. -de St. Augustin” proceeded to relate that she had been on terms of -great intimacy with Rose Hartmann, whose acquaintance she admitted, -after some pressure on the part of the president, to having made at -St. Lazarre. Meeting Rose a few days after the latter's migration from -the Rue de Constantinople to the Avenue de l'Imperatrice, she had -congratulated her on her altered fortunes, and had questioned her about -her new “_Protecteur_.” Rose, it appeared, had replied, that, as far as -the material advantages were concerned, she had nothing to complain of, -but that her lover was a peculiar kind of man, with whom she did not -feel altogether safe, and that, if she listened to her presentiments, -she would certainly decline to have anything further to do with him. -“She added,” declared the fair Cora, “‘I have a queer, uncanny feeling -about that man. Indeed, I shouldn't be surprised if I came to grief -through him some day. Remember, _ma chere_, if anything ever happens to -me, you may depend upon it that he will have had something to do with -the matter. I believe him to be capable of anything, but he is too good -a catch, financially speaking, to be abandoned until a more desirable -party turns up.’” - -Then, satisfied with the impression which her remarks had produced, -the witness turned toward the judges, and inquired whether “_ces -messieurs_” had any further questions to ask. On receiving a reply in -the negative, she swept out of the witness-box, and dropping a low -courtesy, in which she graciously included both the public and the -tribunal, she passed out. - -Thereupon, the advocate-general arose and commenced his argument for -the prosecution. He used the evidence of the two witnesses who had -just been heard by the court with crushing effect, and wound up his -brilliant and clever peroration by a demand to the jury that they -should mete out to the prisoner the full penalty of the law. - -The jury then retired, and remained absent about three-quarters of an -hour. When they reappeared, their foreman, in response to the inquiry -of the presiding judge, declared that their unanimous verdict was to -the effect that the prisoner was guilty of the murder of Rose Hartmann; -but that, in view of the purely circumstantial nature of the evidence -submitted to them, they recommended him to the mercy of the court. - -The president, addressing Frederick, asked whether he had any reason to -put forward why the sentence of the law should not be pronounced upon -him. - -Amid a profound silence, Frederick answered: - -“I can only once more swear by all that I hold sacred that I am -innocent of the crime laid to my charge. I was deeply attached to the -poor girl whom I am accused of having murdered, and it ought to be -clear to every one present that I had no possible object to attain in -putting an end to her days. It is not mercy I demand, but justice.” - -The president, after consulting with his two associate judges, then, -in a loud and impressive voice, pronounced the sentence of the -court, whereby “Frederick Wolff” was condemned to twenty years penal -servitude, and to ten years more police supervision and loss of civil -rights. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -FREDERICK'S PUNISHMENT. - - -The judge had scarcely uttered the last words of the sentence, when -Frederick's arms were grasped on either side by a stalwart “Garde de -Paris,” and he was hurried from the court-room. Instead of being taken -back to the “Mazas” House of Detention, where he had been imprisoned -until then, he was conveyed to “La Grande Roquette,” which he was to -visit some years later under still more dramatic circumstances. - -“La Grande Roquette,” besides containing the cells for prisoners under -sentence of death, is used as a depot for convicts pending their -transfer either to the penitentiaries or to the penal colonies. - -On arriving within the gloomy walls of this terrible prison, from -whose portals none step forth excepting to the scaffold or to undergo -a long term of disgrace and social death, Frederick was taken to the -“Greffe” (register's office). There he surrendered the name of “Wolff,” -under which he had been sentenced, and received instead the numeral by -which henceforth he was to be designated. From thence he was conducted -to the barber-shop, where his beard was removed and his head shaved. -The clothes which he had worn until then were now taken away from him, -and he was forced to assume the hideous garb of a condemned prisoner. - -[Illustration: FREDERICK IN HIS CONVICT DRESS.] - -A few days later a special train, consisting of eight railway -carriages, partitioned off into small and uncomfortable cells, lighted -only by ventilators from the roof, steamed out of the Gare d'Orleans -on its way to St. Martin de Re. Among the number of blood-stained -criminals of every imaginable category which constituted its living -freight, was Frederick Count von Waldberg, alias Franz Werner, alias -Baron Wolff, but now known only as No. 21,003. - -Before proceeding any further, it may be as well to devote a few -words to an explanation of the somewhat remarkable fact that nobody -at Paris should have recognized the identity of Baron Wolff with the -Count von Waldberg, who had resided for some months on the banks of -the Seine previous to the fall of the empire. In the first place, as -has been already stated, his personal appearance had undergone a most -remarkable change during his absence in the East; and, secondly, the -siege by the Germans and the subsequent insurrection of the Commune -had so thoroughly disorganized the metropolitan police and judicial -administrations, whose ranks were now filled by entirely new and -inexperienced men that his success in concealing his real rank and -station had nothing surprising in it. - -On reaching St. Martin de Re, Frederick was manacled to a -repulsive-looking prisoner, and was fastened to a long chain to which -some sixty other convicts were attached. Escorted by gendarmes with -loaded rifles, they were led down to the sea-shore and embarked on huge -flat-bottomed barges or pontoons for conveyance to the ship which lay -in the offing, which was to be their place of abode for the three weary -months which would elapse before their arrival in New Caledonia. - -The Loire was one of the small fleet of old sailing ships which have -been fitted up for the transport of convicts to Noumea and to Cayenne, -and which are nicknamed “Les Omnibuses du Bagne.” Steam vessels are -not used for this purpose, as speed is no object, and the voyage to -France's penitential colony in Australasia is effected via the Cape of -Good Hope, instead of by the Suez Canal. The lower decks are divided up -into a series of large iron cages, in which the convicts are imprisoned -by groups of sixty. These cages are separated from each other by narrow -passages, along which armed sentinels pace day and night. Once every -morning, and once every afternoon, the prisoners are brought up on -deck for an hour's airing when the weather is fine; but when storms -prevail, they are frequently confined in the stifling atmosphere of the -lower decks for whole weeks at a time. In front of every cage, hydrants -are fixed, by means of which, in case of any serious disturbance, the -inmates can be deluged with powerful jets of cold water, and if that -prove ineffectual, then with hot water. - -A heavy gale was blowing in the Bay when the Loire spread its sails to -the wind and started on its long and dreary voyage. - -A fortnight later the vessel cast anchor in the port of Santa Cruz, of -the Canary Islands, where a stay of six days was to be made for the -purpose of shipping the provisions which were to last until the arrival -of the transport at its destination. While there, Frederick and three -of his fellow-prisoners, who had formed part of the gang employed one -night to clean the deck from the dirt occasioned by the embarkation -of some eighty head of cattle and numerous sheep and poultry, took -advantage of the darkness and of the rough weather which prevailed, to -slip overboard. The guard-boat happened to be on the other side of the -ship, and the fugitives would probably have reached land and effected -their escape, had not they suddenly encountered a cutter, which was -bringing off several of the ship's officers who had been dining on -shore. Unfortunately for the convicts, the moon, which had been hidden -until then by the clouds, shone forth for a few minutes and shed its -light on the shorn heads of the swimmers. The latter immediately -plunged, in order to avoid detection. But it was too late. They had -already been caught sight of by the officers. The latter having hailed -the watch on board the ship and called for assistance, then rounded -their boat on the fugitives. Aware of the terrible punishment which -awaited them if captured, the poor wretches made almost superhuman -efforts to escape, and turned a deaf ear to the threats of their -pursuers that they would fire on them. One by one, however, they were -run down and dragged on board. Frederick alone, who was a magnificent -swimmer, continued to elude the cutter by swimming under water, coming -to the surface only from time to time, to take breath. Volleys of -buckshot swept the spot whenever his head appeared for a moment above -water; but he seemed to bear a charmed life. Suddenly, however, one of -the sailors espied him, as, miscalculating his distance, he emerged on -the surface within a few feet of the boat. Quick as lightning, the man -raised his oar and brought it down with terrific force on Frederick's -head, rendering him unconscious. - -When Frederick recovered his senses, he found himself in a dark cell in -the lowest part of the hold, heavily chained, and with his head covered -with bandages. - -[Illustration: FREDERICK CAPTURED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ESCAPE.] - -Four days after leaving the Canary Islands, the attention of the -convicts was attracted to some rather unusual preparations which were -being made between decks. A detachment of fifty marines filed in and -took up their position amidships. At a word of command on the part -of their officer, they proceeded to load their rifles. Two gendarmes -who were accompanying the convoy thereupon appeared and likewise -loaded their revolvers, with a good deal of ostentation. A few minutes -afterward the warders pasted up in each cage an “order of the day,” -signed by the commander, wherein it was stated that in accordance with -a decision of the court-martial, the four convicts who had attempted to -escape in the harbor of Santa Cruz were about to receive forty lashes -of the “cat.” - -This instrument of torture, which is only used for the punishment of -prisoners under sentence of penal servitude, is composed of five thongs -of plaited whipcord, thirty inches long and about an inch thick. At the -end of each thong are three knots, with small balls of lead. The handle -is about two to three feet long and an inch and a half in diameter, and -is composed of very heavy teak wood. The thongs are carefully tarred -until they become as stiff and as hard as iron, after which they are -dipped for several hours in the strongest kind of vinegar. - -The officers having assembled, a wooden bench was brought in by two of -the warders, and thereupon the men about to undergo punishment appeared -on the scene, stripped to the waist and barefooted. The sentence was -then read aloud by the officer of the watch. - -Convict No. 21,003, the number by which Frederick was known, was the -first to undergo the punishment. Two of the warders seized him, and -stretching him at full length on the wooden bench, face downward, bound -him thereto by means of ropes tied round his shoulders, waist, and -ankles. - -A brawny prisoner who had volunteered to act as corrector, now stepped -forth from the ranks, seized the “cat,” and began to let it fall -heavily and at regular intervals on the back and shoulders of the -unfortunate Frederick, allowing enough time between each blow to make -the suffering still more acute. The first strokes left long, livid -stripes on the young man's white skin. Soon, however, the blood oozed -forth, and by the time the twentieth blow was inflicted, Frederick's -back was one mass of lacerated and bleeding wounds. He bore the cruel -punishment with Spartan courage, never uttering a complaint or letting -a moan escape him. But when they untied his bonds and attempted to -raise him from the bench, it was found that he had become insensible. - -For two weeks after this cruel punishment Frederick lay in the ship's -hospital, part of the time in a state of delirium brought on by -wound-fever. When at length he had recovered sufficiently to be able to -leave the infirmary his tortures began afresh. Both he and the three -convicts who had attempted to escape with him were set to perform the -most disgusting and revolting kind of work that could be found on a -vessel freighted with such an enormous cargo of human beings. It is -needless to describe what these duties were, but it will be sufficient -to state that they were peculiarly repugnant to Frederick, reared -as he had been in palaces, and accustomed to every form of the most -refined and elegant luxury. As a further disciplinary measure they -were deprived of one of their two meals a day. The food on board the -transport was execrable, and for some reason or other none was ever -served out to the prisoners between the hours of 6 o'clock on Saturday -morning and 6 o'clock on Sunday evening. - -Frederick bore all these hardships in silence, but became more and more -embittered against mankind. His heart grew as hard as stone. Every -slight vestige of good feeling, morality, and humanity disappeared, -and by the time he arrived in New Caledonia he had become the most -desperate and dangerous of all the blood-stained criminals on board. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -ANOTHER VICTIM. - - -At last, ninety-three days after her departure from St. Martin de Re, -the Loire cast anchor in the Bay of Noumea. The town, perched on the -slope of a hill, is quite picturesque with its flat-roofed white houses -that are shaded by gigantic cocoanut trees, and half hidden by huge -bushes of a kind of scarlet rhododendron of a singular luxuriance and -beauty. Owing to the frequence of cyclones and tornadoes no building is -more than one-story high, even the church tower having been razed to -the ground by a storm which took place a short time before Frederick -reached the colony. - -The young man, however, had no opportunity of examining the town more -closely. For shortly before midday the convicts were placed on barges -rowed by naked savages, and conveyed to the barren and desolate Island -of Nou, distant about an hour from the city. On landing the convicts -were taken to a shed where they were ordered to strip. Their bodies -were then plentifully besprinkled with the most nauseating kind of -insect powder, after which they were furnished with their new kit, -consisting of coarse canvas trousers, jackets and shirts, straw hats, -wooden shoes, hammocks and dingy-colored blankets. They were then -locked up by batches of sixty in long, low buildings, the small windows -of which were heavily barred. - -There they were left without either food or water until the following -morning. The night was horrible. The most impenetrable darkness -prevailed, no lantern or any kind of light having been provided to -dispel the gloom. The heat and foul odors due to the want of proper -ventilation were indescribable, and the men, driven almost frantic by -thirst and hunger, rendered the long, weary hours of the night still -more hideous with their yells, oaths, and execrations. At about 2 -o'clock in the morning a fearful cry of agony rang through the building: - -“Help! Help! They are killing me! Let me go, cowards! Help for the love -of God!” - -A great silence followed this heart-rending appeal, which was only -broken by the sound of a few shuddering gasps. A few minutes later the -pandemonium broke loose again with increased violence and continued -until morning. When day began to pierce through the grated windows the -cause of the awful cries for help which had made the blood of even some -of the most hardened criminals run cold became apparent. Stretched on -the ground, with his open eyes distended by pain and terror, lay the -dead body of the convict who during the voyage out had volunteered to -act as the “corrector” on the occasion of the flogging of Frederick -and of the three men who attempted to escape with him in the harbor -of Santa Cruz. Death had evidently been caused by strangulation, for -purple finger-marks were plainly visible on the victim's throat. - -At 6 o'clock the doors were thrown open, and the warders ordered the -prisoners to file out into the open air. After having been ranged in -line, the roll was called. The several numerals by which the respective -convicts were known were called forth and responded to by their owners. -Suddenly there was a pause caused by the failure of No. 21,265, to -answer the summons. - -“Where the devil is No. 21,265?” shouted the head warder, in an angry -tone of voice. - -The convicts remained silent. - -Fearing that the missing man had escaped, several of the -“gardes-chiourmes” (sub-warders) rushed into the building where the -prisoners had spent the night, and reappeared a few moments later -bearing the body of the murdered man. - -Of course the convicts one and all denied any knowledge as to how their -comrade had come to his death, and as it was impossible to discover -which of the sixty prisoners had been the perpetrator or perpetrators -of the deed, a report was made to the governor stating that a fight -had taken place among the newly arrived convicts during the night, in -the course of which one of their number had met his death. To tell the -truth, the affair attracted but little attention on the part of the -authorities. After all, it was but a convict the less. As, however, -it was deemed necessary to take some notice of the matter, the ten -prisoners who had the largest number of black marks against their name, -and among whom was Frederick, were sentenced to undergo the following -punishment. Their hands were tightly secured behind their backs and -fastened to a chain attached to iron rings in the exterior wall of -the building in which the murder had been committed. The chains were -sufficiently loose to enable them either to squat on the ground or to -stand upright. But being unable to use their hands to convey their -miserable pittance of bread and water to their mouths, they were forced -to bend their faces down to the ground in order to seize the bread with -their teeth and to lap up the water like dogs. - -[Illustration: FREDERICK UNDERGOING PUNISHMENT.] - -In defiance of all notions of humanity or decency they were left bound -in this cruel manner for seven days and seven nights, exposed to the -weather and unable to defend themselves from the bites of the myriads -of musquitoes and other aggressive insects. - -When, at the end of this week of indescribable torture, they were -released, five of their number, including Frederick, were in such a -state as to necessitate their being sent to the hospital. Frederick, -who possessed a wonderfully strong constitution and powerful physique, -soon recovered. Two of his companions, however, had their arms -paralyzed for the remainder of their lives from the effects of this -appalling treatment. - -For two long years Frederick remained on the Island of Nou, subject to -the never-ending tyranny and brutality of the jailers and overseers, -who are recruited from the very lowest ranks of society. The slightest -appearance of hesitation or failure on the part of the convict to -submit to every caprice of the “chiourme” was immediately interpreted -as an act of insubordination, and formed the subject of daily reports -to the superintendent, who responded thereto by sending vouchers either -for a flogging or for an imprisonment during a certain number of days -in the dark punishment cell. - -One day matters came to a climax. Frederick, with a gang of about -twelve others, was engaged on the main landing in breaking stones for -the construction of a new road. Two warders with loaded rifles kept -watch over them. One of the two, however, seeing the men quietly at -work withdrew after a while to a neighboring farm-house, which belonged -to an ex-convict who was still under the supervision of the police. - -The fate of these liberated convicts is scarcely a happy one. For -although they are permitted to summon to their side the wife, sisters, -or children whom they may have left behind them in France, or, if they -prefer it, to marry some female ex-convict, yet their womankind are -entirely subject to the caprices and passions of the various prison -functionaries. Even the very lowest sub-warder has it in his power to -force these unfortunate people to submit to his demands, no matter how -outrageous their nature may be, since any refusal would inevitably -entail a denunciation, accusing either the husband or wife, or possibly -both, of acts of insubordination. Needless to add that the word of -persons who are under police supervision and who are deprived of their -civil rights has no weight whatsoever when opposed by that of a prison -official. - -One of the warders having, as has been stated above, retired to a -neighboring farm-house, his companion sat down under the shade of some -bushes which grew at the top of a small mound, whence he could exercise -a careful watch over the men intrusted to his charge. The heat was -overpowering, and from time to time he refreshed himself with long -pulls from a suspicious-looking flask which he had hidden away in an -inside pocket. The liquor, whatever it was, instead of rendering him -more good-humored and tractable, seemed to call forth all the latent -savagery of his nature. Every time one of the unfortunate convicts -attempted to rest from his work for a few brief moments the brute -would force him, by means of taunts and threats, to resume his task. -Not a moment's respite would he permit them for the purpose of slaking -their intense thirst with a drink of water; and for six long hours, -in the very hottest part of the day, he kept them exposed without -interruption to the scorching rays of the tropical sun. - -At length, overcome by the sultriness of the atmosphere and by the -frequency of his potations, he sank off into a deep and drunken sleep, -his rifle still loosely lying across his knees. Frederick's attention -having been attracted thereto by one of his comrades, he immediately -perceived that the moment had arrived for carrying into effect his -long-cherished project of escape. Quick as lightning he communicated -his intention to his fellow-prisoners. A few sturdy blows with the -hammers which they had been using until then for breaking the stones -were sufficient to relieve them of their waist and ankle chains, and -in a moment they had overpowered and tightly bound and gagged their -still sleeping warder. Frederick seized his rifle, and accompanied by -the others made a bolt for the woods, which they were able to reach -unobserved. It was not until an hour after nightfall, when they were -already several miles distant from the spot where they had regained -their liberty, that the booming of the big guns of the fort at stated -intervals proclaimed the fact to them that their escape had become -known and that a general alarm had been given. - -On becoming aware of this they held a kind of council of war, and it -was determined that they should scatter in groups of two and three, -which they considered would be more likely to enable them to avoid -being recaptured. - -The notes left by “Prado” do not mention the fate of those from whom -he parted company at the time. It is probable that they either were -caught by the posses of warders sent in their pursuit or else that they -fell into the hands of the “Canaks,” as the ferocious natives of New -Caledonia are called. The “Canaks” before deciding as to what to do -with their prisoners would probably hesitate, influenced on the one -hand by their appetite for human flesh and on the other by their greed -for the handsome reward offered by the Government for the capture, -either alive or dead, of runaway convicts. - -For many days Frederick and his two companions wandered through almost -impenetrable forests. They were frightened by every sound, by every -rustle of a leaf, and were dependent for food on the berries, fruits, -and roots, which they devoured with some apprehension, afraid lest -they should contain some unknown and deadly poison. Everywhere around -them they felt that death was hovering. The dense foliage of the trees -completely hid the sky and surrounded them with deep shadows, which -appeared full of horror and mystery. Large birds flew off as they -advanced, with a startling flutter of their heavy wings, and their -only resting-place at night was among the branches of some lofty tree. -Frequently they had to wade through pestilential swamps, in which -masses of poisonous snakes and other loathsome reptiles squirmed and -raised their hissing heads against the intruders. Once they were almost -drowned in a deep lake of liquid mud which was so overgrown with -luxuriant grasses and mosses that they had mistaken it for terra firma. - -At length, on the twelfth day after their escape, they reached, shortly -after nightfall, a small coast-guard station. The night was very dark -and a heavy tropical rain was falling. A little after midnight the -three men, who had remained hidden until then among the rocks, made -their way down the little creek, where the open boat used by the coast -guards lay at anchor. Gliding noiselessly into the water, they swam out -to where the tiny craft was rising and falling under the influence of -a heavy ground swell. In a few moments they were safely on board. - -The tide was going out, and, unwilling to attract the attention of the -coast guards by the noise which would attend the raising of the anchor, -they quietly slipped the cable and allowed the boat to drift silently -out to sea. - -It was a terrible voyage on which they had embarked and must have been -regarded as fool-hardy and insane to the last degree were it not that -to remain on the island meant life-long captivity and sufferings so -intolerable that death would be but a happy release. As soon as they -had drifted far enough they spread the boat's single sail to the wind, -and by daylight were well-nigh out of sight of land. On searching the -craft they discovered, to their unspeakable delight, that a locker in -the bow contained a sack of ship's biscuits, while in the stern was a -small cask of water, both of which had evidently been kept on board -by the coast-guards for use in case of their being becalmed at any -distance from their station. It was little enough, in all conscience, -but to Frederick and to his starving companions it seemed the most -delicious fare which they had ever tasted. - -Frederick's two fellow-fugitives were men of the lowest class. The one -was a thorough type of the Paris criminal, with a pale face, bleary -eyes, and an outrageously flat, turned-up nose. His breast was adorned -with a tattooed caricature of himself, of which he was inordinately -proud. The other was a miner who had been condemned to penal servitude -for life for killing his chief in response to some violent reproaches -which had been addressed to him by the latter. - -Without compass, without even a sailor's knowledge of the -constellations, they sailed aimlessly before the wind, intent only -on increasing the distance which already lay between them and their -abhorred prison. Their only hope was that they would be picked up -by some passing vessel which, as long as it did not fly the French -colors, would certainly not deliver them back into the hands of their -tormentors. - -They had been sailing along for some four or five days when the water -began to give out. Only a little drop remained. Moreover, there -was no protection to be obtained from the burning rays of the sun, -the reflection of which on the blue waters of the Pacific seemed -to increase the heat tenfold. The three men had agreed to keep the -remaining drops of water until the very last extremity, and then only -to divide it up into equal shares before preparing to undergo the -terrible death by thirst which stared them in the face. Suddenly the -ex-miner was seized with convulsions, brought on, no doubt, by the -terrific heat of the midday sun on his unprotected head. When these -ceased he started to his feet, and, with the yell of a maniac, for -such he had now become, made a rush for the water cask. Divining his -intention, Frederick and the Parisian “_voyou_” threw themselves -before him, and a desperate hand-to-hand struggle ensued, which was, -however, brought to a quick end by the madman breaking loose from them -and, with a cry of “Water, water!” jumping head foremost into the sea, -almost capsizing the boat as he did so. - -A moment afterward, and before he had time to come to the surface -again, the spot where he had disappeared became tinged with blood, and -the fins of several huge sharks appeared between the waves. Raising -his eyes to the horizon from this terrible scene, Frederick suddenly -exclaimed: - -“A sail, a sail!” - -[Illustration: RESCUE OF FREDERICK AND HIS FELLOW FUGITIVE.] - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -IN LUCK AGAIN. - - -About three weeks later, a bark, whose storm-beaten and weather-stained -appearance showed traces of a long and tempestuous voyage, cast anchor -in the port of Batavia. Among the first to land were a couple of men -who, although dressed in the garb of common sailors, yet displayed -the most palpable evidence that they belonged to some other sphere in -life. They presented a strange contrast to one another. The taller of -the two, it was easy to see by his well-shaped hands and feet, by his -clear-cut features, and by his general bearing, was a gentleman by -birth and education, whereas his companion had evidently sprung from -the lower classes. - -“Safe at last,” muttered the former, who was no other than Frederick -von Waldberg. “As long as I was on board that ship, I always had a kind -of feeling that we were in danger, somehow or other, of being delivered -up to the French authorities. I can't help thinking that the skipper -had his doubts as to the authenticity of the story which we told him.” - -“At any rate, he kept his own counsel about it,” replied his companion, -with a laugh; “and here we are at last beyond the reach of our friends, -the ‘gardes chiourmes’ (prison warders). Just look at this! How -different from La Nouvelle! (New Caledonia). The very air seems to reek -with prosperity and wealth. See those houses there. How glorious it -would be to have the looting of one of them!” - -“Hush, you idiot!” exclaimed Frederick. “There must be lots of people -here who understand French, and I don't suppose that you want everybody -to know who you are.” - -“They will find it out soon enough, to their cost,” replied the other, -under his breath, as they strolled on. - -Frederick and his fellow-convict had been in the last stage of -exhaustion when rescued by the Dutch bark, which was on its way from -Amsterdam to Java, and during the first three days were unable to -give any account of themselves. On recovering, however, they informed -the skipper that they were the solitary survivors of a French vessel -engaged in the Polynesian trade. They asserted that the boat had broken -loose from the sinking ship before its full complement of the crew had -been embarked, and that, owing to the darkness, and to the gale which -prevailed, they were unable to return to the ship. - -During the time which had elapsed since their break for liberty, both -their hair and beards had grown, and moreover they had taken the -precaution to remove from their scanty attire all traces which might -have revealed the fact that it had formed part of the garb of a French -convict. - -They now found themselves in a strange country, without a cent in -their pockets, and without any honest means in view of obtaining -a livelihood. The very clothes on their backs they owed to the -charity of the sailors of the bark. They applied at several of the -great warehouses and stores for employment, and, meeting with no -success, then addressed themselves to the occupants of several of the -magnificent villas in the suburbs, begging for food and money. The -Dutch, however, are not of a particularly generous nature. If they -err, it is on the side of economy and excessive caution. Everywhere -Frederick and his companion were met with the same response, “Apply -to your consul.” As this was about the last person to whom the two -ex-convicts would have dreamed of addressing themselves, there seemed -to be every prospect that they would spend the night in the open air, -and remain both dinnerless and supperless. They were just about to turn -their steps once more in the direction of the port, when suddenly a -man who had been watching them for some few moments as they wandered -aimlessly along, stepped across the street, and inquired in German -what they were looking for, and whether he could be of any assistance -to them. Frederick at once replied in the same language that they were -destitute and starving, and that they were exceedingly anxious to -discover some means of earning a decent living. - -“Have you tried any of our merchants and storekeepers?” asked the -stranger. - -“Yes,” replied Frederick; “but it is a hopeless task. It appears, from -what they say, that they all have more employees than they know what to -do with.” - -“How would you like if I were to obtain for you this very night the -sum of fifty guilders apiece, and an agreeable means of livelihood for -several years to come?” - -Frederick's face brightened visibly as he replied: - -“Of course we should be delighted, and exceedingly grateful to you. Do -you mean it seriously? It would be cruel to joke on such a subject with -men in our position.” - -“I can assure you,” rejoined the stranger, “that I am thoroughly -serious about the matter. What I propose to you is that you should -enlist in the Dutch Army here. You know that the colonial troops -receive a high rate of pay. The promotion is rapid, the duties are -light; and although certificates of good conduct in the past are -required, yet your face inspires me with such confidence, and your -destitute appearance with such sympathy, that I am prepared to give the -authorities the requisite guarantees in your behalf.” - -Frederick quickly communicated the friendly offer to his companion, -and after a few minutes' consultation, they decided on accepting it, -with many thanks. It was indeed a perfect godsend for them, and it is -impossible to say what would otherwise have been their fate. - -Shortly before nightfall, and after providing the two men with a good -square meal, the benevolent stranger accompanied them to the railway -station, and took the train with them to “Meester Cornelis,” the great -central depot and headquarters of the Dutch Army in the East. On -arriving there, an hour later, he conducted them to the bureau of the -chief recruiting officer. After undergoing examination by a regimental -surgeon, who pronounced them physically fit for active service, they -were duly enrolled as soldiers of a regiment of fusileers. Their -friend, thereupon, having obtained a voucher from the recruiting -officer, proceeded to the paymaster's bureau, where a sum of money was -counted out to him on presentation of the document. Of this amount he -handed fifty guilders to each of the two men, and then bade them adieu, -and left them in charge of the sergeant who had piloted them through -the barracks. - -It is probable that neither Frederick nor his companion would have been -so effusive in their protestations of gratitude toward the stranger, -had they been aware of the fact at the time that he had appropriated to -himself the major portion of the bounty of three hundred guilders which -becomes the property of every European recruit who takes service in the -Dutch Colonial Army. - -The latter, which numbers some 27,000 men, is composed of men of almost -every nationality. Germans and Swiss form the major portion of the -foreign element, which comprises, however, many Russians, Frenchmen, -Englishmen, and Americans. At least half of all these are men who have -previously occupied a more elevated rank in life. Ruined clubmen, -bankrupt merchants and traders, fugitive cashiers and dishonest clerks, -and a large sprinkling of deserters from the various European armies, -figure largely among the contingent. Among the corporals and simple -privates are to be found men who have held even colonels' commissions -in the Prussian and Austrian Armies, while once prominent but now -ruined noblemen, such as the two Counts E——, of Berlin, and Prince -R——, of Vienna, are to be seen figuring as mess-sergeants, and even as -orderlies of half-educated and coarse Dutch infantry officers. Indeed, -there is scarcely a foreigner in the Dutch Colonial Army who has not -some sad or dark history attached to his name. Few of them ever return -to their native land, for the climate of Java is deadly. It has been -calculated that, of all the men who enlist, not more than thirty-five -per cent. live through the whole period of their service. Of the 27,000 -men who constitute the army, an average of at least 6,000 men are -permanently on the sick list and _hors de combat_. - -The name under which Frederick had been enrolled was Frederick Gavard, -of Alsace, while his companion had described himself as Charles Renier, -of Paris. - -During the next three years Frederick and his fellow fugitive endured -all the hardships of a soldier's life. Frederick had now learned -how to control his former ungovernable temper, and had acquired the -conviction that there is much more to be obtained by concealing one's -real sentiments and by biding one's time than by any headstrong act -of violence. Although he kept his hands free from crime during this -period, yet it must not for one moment be gathered therefrom that his -moral character had undergone any improvement. On the contrary, he was -a far more dangerous character now than he had ever been before. It -was but the absence of a suitable opportunity for making a profitable -_coup_ that prevented him from adding to his list of crimes. - -By dint of the most careful observance of the regulations, by his -remarkable intelligence, and by the evidences which he displayed of -having undergone a most careful military training, he had succeeded in -working his way up to the rank of sergeant. He was regarded with favor -by his superiors and respected by his inferiors. Curiously enough he -had kept himself free from any of those entanglements with native women -which constitute the bane and shadow of a soldier's life in the East. -At any rate, if he was engaged in intrigues of that kind they were kept -secret from everybody. - -The chief trial and annoyance to which he was subjected was the -difficulty which he experienced in getting rid of Charles Renier, the -companion of his flight from New Caledonia. The man was constantly -getting into trouble and appealing to him for assistance and for -money. Frederick dared not refuse him, as he was afraid that he would -disclose his past history. Hardly a month elapsed without Charles being -sentenced for some scrape or other to receive “twentig Rietslagen” -(twenty blows from the terrible Malacca cane of the corporal), and he -was on the high-road to terminate his military career by the “strop,” -as the gallows is called out there. At length, catching sight one day -of a corporal in the act of leaving the rooms inhabited by the dusky -Mme. Renier for the time being, he threw himself upon him and thrashed -him to within an inch of his life, showing thereby the superiority -of the French “Savatte” over the Dutch “Boxie!” Indeed, he left the -unfortunate man in a shocking condition, his jaw broken, and one of his -ears partly torn from his head. Then, bursting into the woman's room, -he seized the faithless damsel by the throat and kicked and pounded her -into unconsciousness. After these exploits, well knowing that if caught -he would probably be court-martialed and hanged, he deemed it prudent -to show a pair of clean heels, and on the following morning his name -was posted up as that of a deserter, and a reward was offered for his -capture. - -It may incidentally be stated that there are no less than an average -of three hundred to four hundred desertions every year in the Dutch -East Indies. - -A few weeks later Frederick, who had meanwhile been promoted to the -rank of pay sergeant, was walking quietly along one evening after dark -in the outskirts of Padang, when suddenly he was startled by a strange -noise proceeding from behind a clump of bushes. A second later he heard -a voice calling gently, “Wolff! Wolff!” Frederick started violently, -for there was no one in the colony who knew him by the name under which -he had been sentenced for murder at Paris, excepting Charles Renier. -Before he had time to recover from his disagreeable surprise the face -of his former fellow-convict showed itself peering through the branches -of a “summak” bush. - -“Come nearer. I don't want to be seen, and I must speak to you.” - -“What is it?” said Frederick, angrily, as he approached. “You know I -can't be seen talking to you. A price has been set on your head, and -were it to be known that I had held any communication with you without -delivering you up to the authorities I would be court-martialed. What -is it you want? Money again?” - -“No, not from you at any rate.” - -“Well, then, what is it? Explain quickly! I have no time to lose!” - -“All I want is your assistance in a little business transaction of my -own invention.” - -“A pretty kind of transaction that must be.” - -“I assure you it is. I am very proud of it. It is the finest _coup_ -imaginable, and you know that you have always put me off with the -assurance that if ever anything really good turned up I might rely upon -you to take a hand in it.” - -“Well, speak, man! What is it? Don't keep me here the whole night!” -exclaimed Frederick, who began to feel interested. - -“It is merely this: The boat from Batavia, which arrived yesterday, -brought a considerable amount of specie for the payment of the troops -here. I know that you have been promoted to the rank of pay-sergeant, -and that you have been ordered to sleep on a camp-bed in the office -where the safe containing the money is placed.” - -“What of that?” inquired Frederick. - -“I want you to allow yourself to be surprised to-morrow night, when -I and a few of my ‘pals’ will creep in by the window and take a look -at the safe with some profit to ourselves. There will be no danger -for you, as we shall tie you down to your bed and gag you, so as to -convince the authorities that it was no fault of yours if the money is -gone. The only thing I want for you to do is not to give an alarm when -you hear us coming.” - -Frederick began by firmly refusing to have anything to do with the -matter. But upon Renier, who had nothing more to lose, threatening -him to make public the fact that he was nothing more than an escaped -convict under sentence to penal servitude for murder, and as such -extraditable, he gave way and promised to do what he was asked in -return for a share in the proceeds of the robbery. - -On the following night some six or seven figures might have been seen -creeping noiselessly through the gardens of the bungalow, on the first -floor of which were located the paymaster's offices. The leader of the -gang, having climbed up on the roof of the veranda, followed by two of -his men, gently pushed open a window which had been left ajar. A moment -later two pistol-shots rang out in rapid succession, followed by a loud -cry. A second afterward another shot was heard. - -[Illustration: HOW HE RID HIMSELF OF ONE BURDEN.] - -Immediately the whole place was in an uproar. On entering the room -the officers found Frederick Gavard, the pay-sergeant, standing guard -over the safe, while near the window lay stretched the dead body of -the deserter, Charles Renier, and on the roof of the veranda outside -lay another corpse, also of a deserter, shot through the head. In -the garden and on the flower-beds were traces of numerous footsteps, -showing that the house had been attacked by a large gang. - -Six weeks afterward the troops at Padang were formed into a square, -and the officer in command of the place summoned the pay-sergeant, -Frederick Gavard, from the ranks, and pinned on his breast the silver -cross which had been conferred upon him by the Governor-General of the -East Indies for his gallantry in defending the treasure chest of the -cantonment against heavy odds. - -[Illustration: FREDERICK GETS THE SILVER CROSS.] - -At no period of Frederick's career did his prospects seem more -promising than now. Renier, who had been the only person in the colony -who was acquainted with his past record, was dead, and instead of -being punished as he might have been for putting an end to the days -of the man who had possessed so dangerous a knowledge concerning him, -he had been rewarded for the deed as if it had been one of the most -brilliant feats that he could possibly have accomplished. Not only had -he received a decoration ordinarily conferred for acts of valor on the -field of battle, but about three months later he had the pleasure of -learning that he had been promoted to the rank of a lieutenant. His -colonel, who had taken a great fancy to him, now frequently invited him -to his quarters, where he spent many agreeable hours. - -The regiment having been transferred to Batavia, he had the opportunity -of meeting at his colonel's house all the most prominent members of the -Dutch East India Society. The colonel's young wife was extremely fond -of amusements of all kinds and held open house. Many were the dinners, -soirees, balls, or croquet parties which Frederick helped her to -organize; besides this, he often accompanied her to the houses of her -numerous friends, where his good looks, charming manner, talents, and -witty conversation soon made him a universal favorite. - -Among the most brilliant entertainments of the season was a superb -ball given by a Mr. and Mrs. Van der Beck, who were intimate friends -of the colonel and his wife. The dance was preceded by some private -theatricals. The piece performed was “La Belle Helene,” the role of -Paris being filled by Frederick and that of Helene by Mme. Van der -Beck, who, although no longer in the first bloom of youth, was still -a remarkably handsome woman. Tall, with magnificent auburn hair and -lustrous hazel eyes, she was, like many of the Dutch ladies in the far -East, slightly inclined to embonpoint, a disposition due to their lazy -and indolent existence and to the high living in which they indulged. -When, in the second act of the operetta, she made her appearance in -the great scene with Paris she was greeted with a murmur of admiration -and approval. Her skirt of primrose-colored satin was parted, Greek -fashion, from the hem to the hip on the left side in such a manner -as to reveal an exceedingly shapely leg, and her magnificent hair, -loosened and falling far below her waist, covered her low-cut and -gold-embroidered “peplum” like a royal mantle. Frederick as Paris, in a -costume of pale-blue and silver, looked like a Greek god, and when they -began the “duo du Reve” a perfect storm of applause broke out. It was -noticed by many of those present that Mme. Van der Beck acted her part -with rather more fervor and feeling than might have been considered -strictly necessary for a drawing-room performance. However, as Mr. Van -der Beck himself was in raptures about his wife's acting, there was -nothing more to be said in the matter. - -From that time forth Frederick became a constant visitor at the Van -der Beck villa, and strange to say, was as great a favorite of the -husband as he was of the wife. Mr. Van der Beck was one of the most -prominent and wealthy merchants of the East India trade, and owned vast -warehouses, not only at Batavia, but also at Rotterdam and Amsterdam. - -[Illustration: LEFT IN CHARGE OF MRS. VAN DER BECK.] - -The life in these Dutch colonies is an extremely agreeable one. -Hospitality is practised on a scale unknown in Europe. No invitation -is considered necessary to dine or lunch with one's friends, for -everybody keeps open house, and an addition of half a dozen impromptu -guests at the dinner-table is quite an ordinary occurrence. The ladies -in particular are accustomed to a life of such indolence and ease that -they are utterly incapable of doing anything for themselves. They lie -all day on their sofas or in their hammocks, clad in diaphanous muslin -peignoirs, eating bonbons, smoking cigarettes or drinking small cups -of coffee. In the cool hours of the evening, however, they seem to -wake up, and go to the dinners, balls, and the theater, and are then -as lively and loquacious as possible, banishing their laziness and -languor till the moment when they return home and have nobody except -their husbands to fascinate. - -Some time had elapsed since Frederick had made the acquaintance of the -Van der Becks, when one day a letter arrived from Holland informing -Mr. Van der Beck of the death of his eldest brother, and demanding his -immediate presence in Amsterdam. As it was the worst season of the year -for traveling, and he was extremely solicitous of his wife's health, -he decided that it would be imprudent for her to accompany him. Madam -submitted to this with much more equanimity than she usually displayed -in her relations with her lord and master, and three days later, -escorted by Frederick, she accompanied her husband to the steamer. As -Mr. Van der Beck's absence was to last six months, if not more, he -intrusted his wife with all the interests of his house and business and -even with the signature of the firm. She was a remarkably clever and -shrewd woman, and had on more than one occasion given him proof of her -ability in business matters. In taking leave he especially recommended -her to the care of Frederick, adding that he knew how much he could -depend on the young man's friendship and devotion. - -The deep mourning necessitated by the death of so near a relative -forcing Mme. Van der Beck to withdraw entirely from society, she was -now free to devote all her time to Frederick, with whom she became, as -the days went by, more and more infatuated. Strong-minded as she was in -all other respects, she seemed to have surrendered her whole will-power -to the young officer, whose word was absolute law to her. He spent -all the hours he could dispose of with her, and their intimacy grew -apace. Frederick, as has been seen often before this, knew how to make -himself perfectly irresistible to women. His manners were caressing -and winning, and this, added to his numerous talents and good looks, -made him a very dangerous friend for a woman like Nina Van der Beck, -who had reached that period of life when the passions are most easily -aroused. When a woman on the wrong side of thirty-five falls in love -she is generally apt to make a much greater fool of herself than a -girl would do, and if the man she loves is some years her junior she -invariably makes an absolute idol of him, anxious, as it were, to make -up in devotion and self-sacrifice for all that she feels may be missing -in other respects. - -As to Frederick, he at last began to see his way to bringing to a close -his stay at Batavia, of which he had become heartily sick. By means of -the most insidious suggestions and advice, he prevailed upon Nina to -cautiously and gradually realize all her husband's available property. -This, added to her own fortune, which was considerable, rendered -her a very desirable prize indeed, and Frederick had all reason to -congratulate himself on his luck. - -Mr. Van der Beck had been absent a little over four months, when -Frederick one day applied for a four weeks' leave of absence. This was -readily granted by his colonel, with whom Frederick had remained on the -most excellent terms. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -A SAINT'S DEATH. - - -Among the passengers who landed at Singapore a week later were Mrs. -Van der Beck and Frederick. Twenty-four hours afterward they left for -Hong-Kong on board the French Messageries Maritime mail steamer Tigre, -having given their names as Mr. and Mrs. Muller, from Grats, Austria. - -On touching at the French port of Saigon, where the steamer was to -remain some twenty hours, they went on shore and, hiring a carriage, -drove around the town, which Nina was curious to visit. After -inspecting the park and the magnificent palace of the governor-general, -they repaired to a fashionable restaurant, where they dined. While -sipping their coffee the French waiter, who had been dazzled by a -princely _pourboire_ from Frederick, informed them that there was -at that moment in the town a very good opera-bouffe troupe which -gave performances every evening at a cafe chantant in the vicinity -of the restaurant. He even offered to get him tickets. Nina having -manifested a desire to witness the performance, they crossed the -street and entered the wooden building, which was brilliantly lighted -with rows of gas-jets, and took their seats in the front row of the -auditorium. A few minutes after the curtain had gone up a gentleman in -undress uniform took the seat on the other side of Mme. Van der Beck. -Frederick, glancing indifferently at him, suddenly recognized, to his -horror, the municipal surgeon of the convict hospital at Noumea. He -fairly shuddered as he realized what the consequences might be should -he be recognized by the man who had attended him several times during -his illness on the Island of Nou. But with his usual coolness in -matters of the kind he did not show his terror either by word or look. - -During the course of the piece, Nina having dropped her fan, her -neighbor picked it up, and seized this occasion to enter into -conversation with her. He looked several times inquiringly at Frederick -as if seeking to recall to mind a half-forgotten face. At last, bowing -courteously, he addressed himself to the man, saying: - -“I can't help thinking that I have had the pleasure of meeting you -before, but I cannot remember where.” - -With incredible audacity Frederick quietly replied: “Your face also -seems very familiar to me. Perhaps we have met at Paris. Have you been -long absent from France?” - -Thereupon the conversation turned on Paris and Parisian society, and -toward midnight “Mr. and Mrs. Muller,” taking leave of the surgeon, -returned on board the Tigre. - -Early the next morning, before the steamer cast loose its moorings, -Frederick, who was smoking his morning's cigar on deck, saw a sight -which, hard-hearted as he was, deeply moved him. A Jesuit missionary -was carried on board in a dying condition. This unfortunate man -had been detained for two years as a prisoner by the Anamites, and -during the whole of this time the inhuman monsters had kept him in a -wooden cage, so small that he could neither stand up nor lie down. As -an additional refinement of cruelty, thick wedges of wood had been -inserted between his fingers and toes and secured there with supple -willow twigs. The hair of the poor wretch, who was only twenty-six -years old, had become as white as snow, and he was entirely paralyzed! -He died before the vessel reached Hong-Kong. - -Frederick, as he directed his steps toward the saloon, could not help -making a comparison between the easy and luxurious life he, who so -little deserved it, was now enjoying, and the shattered and broken -existence of this saint, who had never done anything but good during -his short but pure and admirable career. - -With a movement of impatience, quickly followed by a sneer, he turned -away, and, dismissing these thoughts from his mind, knocked at the door -of Nina's cabin. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -SUICIDE. - - -A fortnight later, the snow-capped peak of the lordly and beautiful -Mount Fusiyama appeared in sight, and a few hours afterward the steamer -rounded the promontory and cast anchor in the port of Yokohama. The -ship was soon surrounded by some score of native boats, and having -taken their place in the “sampan” of the Grand Hotel, Frederick and -his inamorata were rowed on shore. The first few days were spent in -visiting the various sights and curiosities of the place, and so -enchanted were the couple with the beauty and picturesque aspect of the -environs that they determined to remain for a time in Japan. - -With the assistance of the hotel officials, they secured a very pretty -Japanese “yashiki,” or villa, situated at about half an hour's distance -from the town, and caused such European furniture as they were likely -to require to be transported thither. When all was ready, they took up -their residence there, with a large retinue of native servants, both -male and female. These were under the orders of an ex-Samurai (member -of the lower grades of the nobility), who spoke both English and -German, and who was to act as their interpreter and major-domo. - -The secrecy with which it had been necessary to observe all their -relations until the moment when they left Batavia, had imbued their -intrigue with a certain degree of piquancy, and the constant change of -scene which had passed before their eyes like a kaleidoscope, since -they left Java, had prevented any danger of monotony and _ennui_. The -experiment which they were now, however, about to enter upon was a -most perilous one. With no European society in the neighborhood, and -dependent solely on one another for conversation and diversion, it was -only natural that a man of Frederick's character and temperament should -soon begin to weary of the sameness and dreariness of his existence. It -is useless to expect that any man should remain in a state of perpetual -adoration for an indefinite length of time before his lady-love, no -matter how beautiful she may be. Familiarity breeds contempt, and this -is especially the case when the lady is no longer young and has become -sentimental and exacting. Accustomed as Nina had been at Batavia to see -Frederick, and in fact all the other men by whom she was surrounded, -anxious for a smile and ever ready to execute her slightest behest, -it cut her to the very heart to see how, after the first few weeks of -their residence in Japan, her lover's affection toward her decreased. -He betrayed traces of weariness in her society, and spent much of his -time in riding about alone in the neighborhood. - -At about a quarter of an hour's distance from the house, and standing -on the banks of a small river, was a pretty village, of which the chief -attraction was a “chaya,” or tea-house. It was here that Frederick's -horse might have been frequently seen walking up and down, attended by -his “betto” (native groom), while his master was being entertained by -the graceful “mousmes,” who constitute so charming a feature of every -Japanese restaurant. - -Stretched on a mat of the most immaculate whiteness, Frederick would -remain for hours, lazily sipping his tea and watching the voluptuous -dances of the “geishas” (dancing-girls). Although not beautiful, yet -the Japanese women, when young, are exceedingly pretty and captivating. -They have many winning and gracious little ways, and are thoroughly -impressed with the notion that their sole mission in life is to provide -amusement for the sterner sex. - -The young man appreciated these little excursions into the country -all the more since, with commendable caution, Madame Van der Beck had -insisted that all the female servants employed in the house should -be married women. In order to realize what this meant, it must be -explained that on their wedding-day, the Japanese wives are obliged -by custom and tradition to shave off their eyebrows and to stain -their teeth a brilliant black, so that their husbands may have no -further grounds for jealousy. Their appearance is therefore scarcely -prepossessing. - -Nina, more and more embittered by her lover's ever-increasing -indifference, lost much of her former good humor and cheerfulness. She -spent the whole day brooding alone in the gardens which surrounded her -villa. These were laid out with much ingenuity and artistic feeling by -one of the most famous Japanese landscape gardeners. Miniature rivers -traversed the ground in every direction, spanned by miniature bridges, -and with miniature temples and pagodas on their banks. There were also -miniature waterfalls, miniature junks, and even miniature trees, the -latter being especially curious. By some method which has been kept a -profound secret by the great guild of horticulturists at Tokio, trees -even two hundred and three hundred years old have been treated in such -a manner as to stunt their growth and to prevent them from attaining a -height of more than two or, at the most, three feet. Their trunks are -gnarled and twisted by age, but there is no trace of the pruning-knife, -and they constitute an exact representation in miniature of the -grand old sycamore, oak, and cedar trees which line the magnificent -fifty-mile avenue which leads up to the sacred shrines of “Nikko.” The -object which the Japanese have in view in thus stunting the growth of -certain classes of their trees is the fact that owing to the want of -space the inhabitants of cities are obliged to content themselves with -very small gardens. In order to make these appear larger and to allow -for the composition of the landscape, which is the Japanese ideal of a -garden, they are obliged to arrange everything in miniature, and since -trees of normal size would be out of keeping with the rest they have -discovered an ingenious scheme of dwarfing them to a corresponding size. - -One day, a few minutes after Frederick had arrived on his customary -visit to the (tea-house), he was suddenly called out into the -court-yard, where he found his betto stretched dead on the ground. -Frederick had been in such a hurry to get away from home that he had -ridden too fast, and the unfortunate native, whose duty, as in all -oriental countries, it was to run before the horse, had, on reaching -his destination, expired of the rupture of an aneurism of the heart. -Much annoyed by this incident, Frederick ordered the corpse to be -conveyed home at once, and spent the remainder of the day with the -pretty “mousmes” at the tea-house. - -When he returned home that evening, the widow of his ill-fated groom -rushed up to him and, kissing his boot, entreated his pardon for the -“stupidity of which her husband had been guilty in dying while out with -the master and occasioning him thereby the trouble of attending to his -own horse.” - -Frederick, much amused at this display of truly oriental courtesy, -tossed the woman a few yen notes and entered the the house, laughing, -with the intention of telling Madame Van der Beck about it. The smile, -however, faded from his lips when he came into her presence, for, -having learned from the men who had brought home the groom's body, the -nature of the place where Frederick was in the habit of passing his -days, her feelings of jealousy and anger were aroused to a boiling -pitch. Thoroughly spoiled, accustomed to have every whim humored, and -with no notion of how to control her temper, she gave full vent to a -perfect torrent of reproaches and abuse against the man for whom she -had sacrificed husband, rank, and position. She taunted him bitterly -with his ingratitude, and it was only with the greatest difficulty that -he at length succeeded in restoring her to anything like calm. - -Had she but known the true character and the past record of the man to -whom she had so rashly confided her happiness, it is probable that she -would have exercised a greater restraint over her temper. Frederick had -now lost all sense of her charms and attractions, and was determined to -cut himself loose from bonds which, though gilded, had become irksome -to him. Moreover, he lived in constant dread that her husband, Mr. -Van der Beck, would end by discovering their place of refuge. This -last encounter with his mistress brought matters to a climax, and -he determined to put into execution, without any further delay, the -projects which he had been maturing for some time past. - -A few days later, he rode into Yokohama and took the train up to Tokio. -There he directed his jinrikisha, as the little two-wheeled carriages -(drawn at a sharp trot by one, two, or three coolies, harnessed tandem -fashion) are called, to take him to the quarter of the metropolis -inhabited by the merchants dealing in furs. After considerable trouble, -he succeeded in finding some skins of the wild-cat, with which he -returned to the railway station and thence to Yokohama. - -On reaching home, he seized the earliest possible moment to lock -himself up in his room, where he spent an hour in cutting off the -short, hard hairs of the furs which he had purchased, and, locking them -away in a small box, he then destroyed the skins. - -While stationed in the interior of Java, a native soldier to whom -he had shown some acts of kindness had displayed his gratitude by -making him acquainted with the properties of the chopped hair of a -wild-cat when mixed with food. These hairs are swallowed without -being noticed, but remain stuck by their points in the intestines. Any -attempts to remove them or to relieve the patient by means of medicines -are useless, since the hairs merely bend in order to give way to the -medicament and then resume their former position. In a very short -space of time, they produce terrible and incurable ulcerations of the -intestines, and in the course of a few weeks the victim, who is unable -to take any further food or nourishment, wastes away and finally dies -of exhaustion and inanition. - -It was of this fiendish method that Frederick was about to avail -himself for the purpose of getting rid of his rich inamorata, whose -money, however, he was determined at all costs to retain. - -Mme. Van der Beck soon began to notice an agreeable change in the -conduct of Frederick. His indifference and coldness vanished entirely -and he became once more an attentive and devoted lover. He no longer -spent his days at the “chaya,” but remained at home, and only left -the house to accompany her on her drives in the lovely environs of -Yokohama. Nina was at first at a loss to understand the reason of so -radical a reformation, but finally made up her mind that it was to be -attributed to the sorrow she had manifested at his neglect; and her -love for him revived in all its former intensity. - -One day while driving in the neighborhood their attention was suddenly -attracted by cries for assistance which proceeded from the banks of -a small stream. On approaching the spot they found that an English -phaeton of somewhat antiquated build, and drawn by an exceedingly -vicious looking pair of half-broken Japanese ponies, had been -overturned into the water. The carriage was imbedded in the mud, and -the grooms were making frantic efforts to extricate the terrified -horses from the tangle of harness and reins. On the bank stood a -Japanese gentleman in native costume, who was giving directions -to his men. Frederick, having alighted, courteously raised his hat -and inquired if he could be of any assistance, an offer which was -gratefully accepted. With the help of his servants the ponies were -at length freed, but it was found impossible to pull the heavy and -cumbrous vehicle out of the mud. At Nina's pressing solicitation, the -Japanese, who, judging by his dress and appearance, was evidently a -man of high rank, allowed himself to be prevailed upon to accept a -seat in her carriage and to be driven to his home. The latter was an -extremely pretty country house surrounded by vast grounds. On taking -leave of them, with many profuse expressions of gratitude, he requested -permission to call upon them on the following day. They learned -subsequently from their major-domo that their new acquaintance was one -of the most famous statesmen of the land. - -On the following day he paid them a long visit, and before he left -requested them to spend the next afternoon at his yashiki. There for -the first time they caught a glimpse of Japanese life such as is rarely -enjoyed by foreigners. - -On arriving in the court-yard and entering the house they found the -entire body of servants and dependents of the establishments assembled -in two rows under the heavy portico of carved wood. All were on their -knees, and when Frederick and Nina passed between their ranks every -head was lowered to the ground in silent and respectful greeting to the -guests of their lord. At this moment the master of the house appeared, -and in his flowing silken robes, with his slow and dignified movements, -presented a striking contrast to the restless and frisky little Japs -whom one is accustomed to see rushing through the streets of London and -Paris. - -A magnificent banquet was then served in true Japanese style. Six girls -in gorgeous apparel entered the dining hall, and, falling on their -knees, prostrated themselves till their heads touched the floor. They -wore the most artistic of dresses, with huge sashes of a soft rich -color. In their hands they bore several native instruments of music, -including a “koto,” a kind of horizontal harp or zither; a “samasin,” -or banjo, and a “yokobuc,” or flute. The fair musicians, still kneeling -on the floor, began to play and to sing a strangely weird but somewhat -exciting melody. Meanwhile other handmaidens, scarcely less richly -dressed than the first, made their appearance, carrying costly lacquer -trays with egg-shell porcelain cups containing slices of the feelers -of the octopus, or devil-fish, wonderfully contrived soups, oranges -preserved in sirups, and various other extraordinary confections. At -first both Nina and Frederick made fruitless attempts to convey the -viands to their mouths by means of the chop-sticks which had been -placed before them, but soon, following the example of their host, they -overcame this difficulty by raising the cups to their lips and gulping -down the contents. - -Then came the most dainty morsel of the feast, which is to the Japanese -epicure what fresh oysters and Russian sterlet are to us. Resting on -a large dish of priceless Kioto porcelain, garnished with a wreath of -variegated bamboo leaves, was a magnificent fish of the turbot species. -It was still alive, for its gills and its mouth moved regularly. To -Nina's horror, the serving girl raised the skin from the upper side of -the fish, which was already loose, and picked off slice after slice of -the living creature, which, although alive, had been carved in such a -manner that no vital part had been touched; the heart, gills, liver, -and stomach had been left intact, and the damp sea-weed on which the -fish rested sufficed to keep the lungs in action. The miserable thing -seemed to look with a lustrous but reproachful eye upon the guests -while they consumed its body. To be buried alive is horrible enough in -all conscience, but to be eaten alive must be even still worse. It -should be added that this particular fish, the dai, is only good when -eaten alive. The moment it is dead the flesh becomes opaque, tough, and -starchy. The wine consisted of warm “sakke” and other kinds of liquor -distilled from rice. - -Toward the end of the repast, which lasted several hours, a sliding -panel was suddenly drawn aside and an elderly Japanese lady made her -appearance, crawling on her hands and knees. She was followed by a -considerably younger looking woman and two little girls. On Frederick -looking inquiringly at his host, the latter, with a contemptuous jerk -backward of his thumb, said: - -“Oh! my wife,” at which words the good lady touched the floor with her -forehead. - -The younger woman was equally briefly introduced as “Okamisan,” and was -the second wife of the worthy host. Of the two little girls one was a -daughter by the first wife and the other by Okamisan, who all dwelt on -the best of terms together. - -Both Frederick and Nina were about to rise from the cushions on which -they were sitting on the floor in order to greet the ladies, but they -were forced by their entertainer to keep their places, while with an -important wave of the hand he dismissed his family. - -On her way home that night Nina complained of feeling very ill, but -attributing it to the effects of the extraordinary and mysterious -dishes of which she had partaken, she attached no particular importance -thereto. - -On the following day she was but little better, and from that time -forth was scarcely ever well. Her languor and loss of appetite -increased day by day. At Frederick's suggestion one of the best -European doctors at Yokohama was summoned to attend to her case, but -the remedies which he prescribed proved of no avail. She was rarely -able to leave the grounds of the villa, and grew more feeble as the -time passed by. Frederick was unremitting in his attention, and nursed -her with what was apparently the most tender solicitude. - -Their residence at the “vashiki” was brought to a sudden close shortly -afterward by a tragic incident. A valuable gold bracelet belonging to -Nina had disappeared, and as the young Samurai (nobleman) who acted -as interpreter and major-domo, had engaged the servants and rendered -himself personally responsible for their honesty, Frederick laid the -blame on him, and reproached him about the theft in the most violent -and unmeasured terms. The poor fellow seemed to take the matter to -heart very much, but uttered no word of response. - -The following day, however, he summoned all his friends and relatives, -to the number of about twenty, and caused them to assemble in one of -the detached pavilions of the villa which had been assigned to his -use. Squatting on their heels around the room, with their “hibashi” or -charcoal boxes in front of them, from the burning embers of which they -every few minutes lighted their small and peculiarly shaped pipes, they -listened in silence to a long document which the young man, who was -seated in the middle of the room, read to them. Its contents were to -the effect that he had rendered himself responsible for the honesty of -the servants of his employer's establishment, that an important theft -had occurred, that he had been held accountable, and that not only -had he been loaded with reproaches, but even himself been suspected -of being the thief. Dishonor such as this could only be wiped out by -his blood. He had therefore requested his friends and relatives to be -present during his last moments, and to receive his dying wishes. - -As soon as he had concluded the reading of this document every one -of those present prostrated himself with a long-drawn exclamation -of “Hai,” which seemed to come from the very depths of the heart. -This was to indicate that they fully approved of the course which he -intended to adopt. - -After a few moments of profound silence the young man, in a low but yet -matter-of-fact tone of voice, addressed each one of those present in -succession, giving directions as to the disposal of his property and -messages for absent acquaintances. - -Then there was another silence, during which cups of tea and “sakke” -were passed around. - -Suddenly, on a sign from the young man, the person nearest to him, and -who was his dearest relative, arose and left the room. On returning a -few minutes later he drew from his loose and flowing sleeve a short -but heavy Japanese sword about twenty inches in length. The whole of -the broad, heavy blade and the razor-like edge were hidden by a double -layer of fine but opaque Japanese tissue paper, which effectually -concealed from sight every trace of the deadly steel excepting about a -quarter of an inch of the point. Prostrating himself before the young -Samurai he handed it to him with much formality. - -The latter received it in the same ceremonious manner, and having -taken one last whiff at his pipe and replaced it in the fire-box, he -bared his stomach, and inserting the point into his left side, plunged -it up to its hilt, and then, without a cry, without a moan, or even -a single exclamation of pain, drew it swiftly across to the right -side and halfway back again before he fell forward on his face. A few -gasps were all that was heard, except the deep-drawn sighs of those -present. The plucky young fellow was dead. Almost every internal organ -had been severed by the terrible cut, and he lay there motionless in a -pool of blood, the red color of which contrasted vividly with the pure -whiteness of the straw matting. - -[Illustration: COMMITTING HARI-KARI.] - -Tenderly raising him up, his friends bore the corpse into an adjoining -room, where, after washing off the blood and cleansing the body, they -clothed it in the full costume of a Samurai and laid him on a mat, -with his legs drawn up and crossed, his hands folded on his breast, -and his two swords—the long one for his enemies and the short one for -himself—lying on the ground by his side. Not a trace of pain or anguish -was to be seen on the dead man's face, which looked incredibly calm and -peaceful. - -During that whole night his friends sat by the body, moaning and -chanting in a low voice some kind of “Shinto” songs or verse. - -It was only on the morrow that Frederick and Nina were made acquainted -with all the particulars of the tragedy of the previous evening. The -doctor happening to arrive shortly afterward, and being informed of -the terrible incident, immediately impressed upon them the necessity -of leaving the spot at once, and even recommended them to quit Japan -as soon as possible. At any rate, he urged that they should drive -back with him to Yokohama and take up their residence temporarily at -the Grand Hotel, within the boundaries of the foreign settlement. He -explained to them that since their major-domo had committed hari-kari -in consequence of his deeming himself mortally insulted by Frederick, -it had become the bounden and solemn duty of the nearest relative of -the dead man to avenge his honor. - -Nina, whose nerves had already received a terrible shock on hearing of -her major-domo's tragical end—a shock which in her feeble condition -of health she was scarcely in a position to bear—now became terribly -alarmed, and insisted on acting on the doctor's advice. Frederick, -knowing how small are the chances of a European against the deadly -swords of the Samurai, which cut through flesh and bone, readily -consented, and, having hastily gathered together their money, jewelry, -papers, and other portable valuables, they drove to Yokohama in the -doctor's carriage. - -Nina, however, even when comfortably established in the handsome -apartments on the first floor of the Grand Hotel, was in a constant -state of dread and terror. She was convinced that every native -whom she saw passing along the wharf was intent on murdering her -beloved Frederick, and the idea of remaining any longer in Japan was -intolerable to her. Having become aware that a steamer was about to -leave two days later for San Francisco, she prevailed upon Frederick -to secure passages, and accordingly at the hour appointed for sailing -she was carried on board in an exceedingly feeble condition. - -Before taking leave of them their friend, the doctor, who had attended -to the removal of all their property from the villa, solemnly informed -Frederick that he considered his wife's case almost hopeless; that he -believed her to be suffering from decomposition of the blood, and that -her only chance of recovery lay in a radical change of climate and a -sea voyage. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -DEAD. - - -It was a magnificent, sunshiny morning when the great paddle-wheel -steamer of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company raised its anchor and -started forth on its twenty-three days' journey to San Francisco. As -it rounded the point it passed almost within a stone's throw of the -inward-bound French mail-boat from Hong-Kong. Mme. Van der Beck, who, -lying back in a deck chair, had been gazing languidly at the French -vessel through a pair of opera-glasses, suddenly raised herself in her -chair, and, uttering a piercing shriek, fell back in a dead faint. -Quickly turning his gaze in the direction of the passing ship Frederick -was able, even without the assistance of the glasses, to recognize in -one of the passengers on the hurricane deck Nina's husband, Mr. Van der -Beck. - -A moment later the French vessel rounded into the bay and passed out of -sight, while the American mail steamer proceeded out to sea. Nina was -borne down to her cabin, and a long time elapsed before she could be -restored to consciousness. From that time forth she sank day by day. -The glimpse which she had caught of her bitterly wronged husband had -proved a final and crushing blow, and although her love for Frederick -never wavered, yet it was easy to perceive that her heart was filled -with remorse at the fatal step which she had taken in eloping with him -from Batavia. - -One evening some ten days after their departure from Japan, Mme. Van -der Beck, who was feeling more oppressed and restless than usual, -insisted on being carried up on deck, where she was laid on a cane -lounge and propped up with cushions. - -The night was a beautiful one. The dark-blue waters of the Pacific were -so calm and still that they reflected the myriads of stars, and the -full moon shed its soft, silvery light on the track of foam made by the -vessel in its rapid progress. - -Nina at first lay perfectly still looking up at the sky, and now and -again gently stroking Frederick's hand, which she had taken in both -her own. The young man, who was sitting on a camp-stool close at her -side, looked unusually sad and listless, and from time to time his eyes -scanned her colorless face as it rested on the white pillows, with an -expression of mingled remorse and sorrow. He knew that her days were -numbered, and for once in his life he was on the verge of regretting -what he had done. After all, this poor woman's only crime had been -that she had loved him too well. She had always tried her very best to -render him happy, and he had, in return, brought on her nothing but -sorrow and death. - -Suddenly Nina raised herself slightly and said in a low, exhausted -voice: - -“My darling, I have been very happy with you. But you must not grieve! -It is best so! It is best so!” - -This was the first time that she had ever alluded to the possibility of -her death; and Frederick, greatly shocked, exclaimed: - -“Why, what do you mean, dear? What are you talking about? I don't -understand you.” - -“Oh! yes, you do! You know well that I am dying! You love me so much -that you do not like to think of the possibility thereof. But I feel -sure that it is better for us to talk about it now that the time of -separation is so near at hand. I shall never reach America. I feel it; -and I want to arrange everything for you before I go!” - -“Nonsense, Nina! Don't talk in that way, my dear girl! I cannot spare -you. This voyage was all that was wanted to set you up. You are only -suffering from langour and weakness. In a few days you will be yourself -again.” - -She shook her head gently, and turning her face toward him replied, -while tears welled up in her large, soft eyes and glittered like -diamonds in the moonlight. - -“I have only one wish, Frederick. I want you to return to—to—my -husband—all that I have taken from him. My own fortune and my jewels -you must keep. They are yours. I have written a kind of last will or -testament this afternoon, leaving to you all I have. But it has long -been a subject of bitter remorse to me that I should have taken away -one penny of what belonged to him. Will you promise me, dear, to fulfil -my last wishes in this matter?” - -“Why, of course—certainly; anything you please, my dear girl. But for -my sake stop talking of so terrible a possibility as your leaving me. I -cannot bear it.” - -Raising her small, emaciated hand to his lips he kissed it tenderly. As -he lifted his eyes once more to her face he was startled by the change -he saw there. Her thin and delicate features had become drawn and -haggard, and her eyes were dull as if a film had gathered over them. - -He started up alarmed. He was not himself that night and he felt -ashamed of the softness which had crept unawares into his head. He bent -over the dying woman and moistened her parched lips with a few drops of -brandy and water. She looked up at him somewhat revived and murmured -wistfully: - -“Take me in your arms, darling. I shall die easier so.” - -He knelt down beside her and gently drew her head onto his shoulder. -For a few minutes there was perfect silence. Then, suddenly, Nina threw -her arms around his neck, gasping: - -“Don't let me die! Hold me closer, Frederick! Keep me here.” - -She clung to him in terror for a second. Then a spasm shook her from -head to foot, and relaxing her hold, she sank back on her pillow. - -Nina Van der Beck was dead, and one more life was added to the number -of Frederick von Waldberg's victims. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -LANDING AT SAN FRANCISCO. - - -On the following evening at sunset, the deck of the steamer presented a -most impressive appearance. All the officers and passengers of the ship -were assembled around the corpse of poor Nina Van der Beck, over which -the captain was reading the burial service. The evening was gloomy and -threatening, and the dark-green waves were beginning to be capped with -foam. Overhead there was a glaring red sky, of the fierce, angry color -of blood which tinged the water around the ship a lurid crimson. Away -in the west the sun, like a gigantic ball of fire, was sinking behind -a bank of ominous-looking clouds, and from time to time a passing -shadow shivered on the troubled waters like a streak of purple. Several -huge albatross were unceasingly circling around the vessel with broad -expanded wings, and their discordant cries added to the weird fantasy -of the scene. The engines had been stopped, and the silence was only -broken by the slashing of the waves against the ship's side and the -melancholy moaning of the wind through the rigging, which was so strong -as to sometimes almost drown the voice of the commander as he proceeded -with the service. - -On the deck at his feet lay a long, narrow object, sewed up in a -canvas cover. An Austrian flag had been thrown partly over it, so as -to conceal as much as possible the rigid outline of the corpse which -produced so dismal an impression in its shroud of sail-cloth, to which -two heavy cannonballs had been attached. - -Frederick was leaning against the bulwark, close to the place where -an opening had been purposely prepared. His arms were folded on his -breast, and his head was bent; but, although he was deadly pale, he -showed no trace of emotion, and remained so perfectly still that he -might have been carved in marble. Only once during the brief ceremony -did his unnatural calm give way. The captain had arrived at those most -solemn words of a burial service at sea: - - “We therefore commit her body to the deep, looking for the - resurrection of the body when the sea shall give up her dead.” - -[Illustration: NINA BURIED AT SEA.] - -Four quartermasters, with bared heads, at that moment seized the -corpse, and, placing it on an inclined plank, allowed it to gently -glide downward into the dark waters. The waves opened for an instant, -with a low, hissing sound, and then closed again over all that remained -of the once beautiful and admired Nina. Frederick shuddered, as if -overcome by a great terror, and an expression of horror swept over -his livid features. Making his way through the group of mourners, he -rapidly walked forward to the very bows of the vessel, and for three -long hours he remained there motionless, leaning against the bulwark, -peering into the gathering darkness, and apparently heedless of the -terrible storm which was coming on. - -The tempest, which had announced itself by an alarming fall of the -barometer, burst forth shortly after ten o'clock that night in all its -intensity. It seemed as if the very elements were raising their voices -in protest against the great crime which had been committed. For a time -the wind was so powerful that the ship could make no headway, and the -very waves were beaten down by its terrific force. The air for a depth -of about fifteen feet above the surface of the water was covered with -a dense kind of mist, formed of pulverized spray. It was impossible to -stand on deck without being tied. - -On the following day the wind lulled slightly, and then the waves, as -if released from the pressure which had kept them down, burst upon -the vessel in all their mad fury. Seas mountain high swept the deck -from stem to stern, carrying almost all before them. The boats were -torn from their davits and shattered to pieces. The smoking-room, -pilot-house, and captain's cabin were severely damaged, and the -paddle-boxes splintered to match-wood, leaving the huge wheels exposed -to view. - -In the midst of all this turmoil, Frederick was below in the saloon, -half-stretched on a divan, making an attempt to read. Suddenly a -terrific lurch sent everything flying to starboard, and the young man, -without touching the table in front of him, was hurled clean over it -through the air to the other side of the cabin, where his head came in -violent contact with the heavy brass lock of the door. - -For a moment it was thought that he was dead. Some artery had been cut, -and a torrent of blood deluged his face and clothes. As soon as his -fellow-passengers were able to regain their feet, they carried him off -to the surgeon's quarters, where some minutes elapsed before he could -be restored to his senses. - -Marvelous to relate, it was found that he had sustained no injury -beyond a deep and jagged cut extending over the top of the head. This -was carefully sewed up, and with the exception of severe headaches -during the next few weeks, accompanied by slight fever, Frederick -suffered no ill effects from his accident. - -The wound, although it had healed well, yet left, even when the hair -had grown again, a slight scar, which the French police might have -discovered at the time of “Prado's” imprisonment and execution, had -they taken the trouble to shave the front part of his head. - -The storm had driven the steamer so far out of its course that it did -not arrive in front of the Golden Gate until the twenty-ninth day after -leaving Yokohama. A few hours later the good ship was made fast to -the enormous wharf of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. Frederick -hastened on shore, and was driven to one of the leading hotels. - -In the afternoon, having gone down to see about the passing of his -luggage through the custom-house, he was much amused by the sight of -the landing of the five or six hundred Chinese who had made the passage -across the Pacific with him. If ever human beings were treated like -chattels it was on this occasion. The inspectors first of all began -by carefully examining the strange-looking bundles and boxes which -constituted their baggage; and, having ascertained that there was no -opium concealed therein, they marked them with a large hieroglyphic -in white chalk, in order to show that they had been duly passed. The -owners themselves were then taken in hand, and their persons equally -minutely searched, after which ceremony their backs were ornamented -with a similar large hieroglyphic in chalk. The spectacle they -presented as they marched into San Francisco, labeled in this fashion, -from the highest mandarin down to the humblest coolie, was ludicrous -beyond description, and was greeted with many a hearty laugh. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -HURLED OVER THE FALLS. - - -Frederick had intended to leave San Francisco on the following day -for the Atlantic coast. He was seized, however, that same night with -a severe attack of fever, which kept him confined to his bed for over -a fortnight. As soon, however, as he had sufficiently recovered to -be able to travel, he betook himself to the offices of the railway -company and purchased a ticket for New York, engaging for himself the -private saloon on board the sleeping-car. On the next night he took -the ferry-boat over to Oakland, and embarked on the transcontinental -express. Among his fellow-passengers were a couple of young English -noblemen, who had been visiting the Yosemite Valley, and who were now -on their way to Ottawa. Frederick soon became acquainted with them, -and created the most favorable impression. The name under which he -introduced himself to them was the Comte de Vaugedale, and he gave them -to understand that he was traveling around the world for his health. -As both his manners and appearance bespoke every trace of aristocratic -birth and breeding, and as he seemed to have plenty of money, the young -Englishmen saw no cause to treat him with the distrust and suspicion -which foreigners ordinarily experience at the hands of the subjects of -her britannic majesty. - -The time was spent in playing whist and _ecarte_, games at which -Frederick, who was an exceedingly wealthy man, could afford to -lose in such a cool manner as to attract the admiration of his -fellow-travelers. So agreeable did they find their new acquaintance, -that they prevailed upon him to accompany them to Canada, instead of -going straight to New York, as had been originally his intention. - -In due time they arrived at Ottawa, having spent a few days en route at -Salt Lake City, Omaha, and Chicago. - -During the two weeks which they spent in the Canadian capital, they -were most hospitably entertained by various persons of high birth and -breeding in that city. They were also included among the guests at the -ball given by the governor-general at Rideau Hall, where the man who, -as “Prado,” was some years later to suffer an ignominious death at the -hands of M. Deibler (the Paris executioner) had the honor of dancing -with the illustrious personage who at that time graced the vice-regal -mansion with her presence. - -At the conclusion of their visit to Ottawa, the three young men started -for Niagara Falls, which they were anxious to see, and on arriving -there, took up their residence at one of the principal hotels on the -Canadian side of the cataract. - -The day after their arrival was spent in visiting the Cave of the -Winds, and other sights of the place. That same evening, after -dinner, Frederick, leaving his two friends playing billiards at the -hotel, lighted a cigar, and strolled down toward the Falls. As he was -walking along the edge of the precipitous bank of the mighty torrent, -he suddenly heard footsteps advancing toward him from the opposite -direction. Raising his eyes to see who the stranger might be, he -recognized, to his horror, in the bright moonlight, the last person on -earth whom he wished to meet—the husband of Nina, Mr. Van der Beck. - -Frederick hoped that Nina's husband would fail to recognize him, and -pulling his hat down over his eyes quickened his pace for the purpose -of preventing the latter from obtaining a glimpse of his features. His -onward course, however, was brought to a sudden stop by Mr. Van der -Beck, who, courteously raising his hat, requested him to give him a -light for his cigar. As the two men stood face to face, the moon, which -for a moment past had been obscured by a fleeting cloud, suddenly shone -forth again, casting its bright rays full on Frederick's face. - -With a hoarse cry, the old man started back when he recognized the -man who had so grievously wronged him. His face assumed a terrible -expression; his eyes glittered fiercely, and, trembling with suppressed -fury from head to foot, he seemed for a moment unable to speak. - -The situation was truly an awful one for both. - -In striking contrast with the violent passions which surged in the -breasts of both the husband and lover of the ill-fated Nina Van der -Beck was the deep calm and loveliness of the scene around them. Not -a breath of wind stirred the lofty branches of the trees. The moon -was sailing majestically across the dark heavens, shedding a light so -bright and pure that every blade of grass, every pebble in the path -was distinguishable in the silvery sheen. Many feet beneath them, they -could hear the mighty rush of waters as they sped on their tumultuous -course between their rocky banks, and from a short distance off came -the dull and unceasing roar of the great Niagara Falls. - -At length Mr. Van der Beck broke the silence and exclaimed in a dry, -hollow voice: - -“I have caught you at last, Frederick Gavard. My hour has come! God -help you, for I have much to avenge.” - -Frederick, who had by this time regained all his habitual composure, -contemptuously shrugged his shoulders and replied with a sneer: - -“This is rather melodramatic, Mr. Van der Beck. May I inquire how -you propose to take your revenge? I can make some allowance for your -feelings. I quite realize that the role of a betrayed husband has its -drawbacks, but——” - -“Silence! How dare you add insult to the bitter injury you have -done to me. Have you no atom of feeling left? When you think -of the unhappy woman you have ruined—of the friend you have -betrayed—dishonored—robbed—yes, robbed, not only of his wife, but -of his fortune! Do you suppose that I shall allow you to escape -unpunished?—you who have shattered my life and killed the woman I loved -so passionately.” - -With these words Mr. Van der Beck took a step toward Frederick and -raised his hand in a threatening manner. - -“Stay, you old fool! You do not know what you are talking about. You -had best not tempt me too far. I am not in a mood to be trifled with,” -retorted the young man, defiantly. - -“Neither am I!” exclaimed the infuriated Mr. Van der Beck. “You have in -your possession still a part of my fortune. I will have you arrested as -a robber and a thief if I do not kill you before then, as the destroyer -of my happiness. But whatever happens you shall not escape me.” - -Frederick uttered a short mocking laugh. - -“I have followed you half across the world,” continued Mr. Van der -Beck, “and I swear by Heaven that I will put a stop to your shameless -career and hinder you from doing any further harm.” - -The old man looked so awful in his anger that Frederick involuntarily -recoiled. They were now standing on the edge of the path and within a -few feet of the brink of the yawning abyss beneath him. Mr. Van der -Beck violently grasped the young man by the shoulder, exclaiming: - -“Come with me. It is of no use to resist. I am armed; and, though I am -but a feeble old man compared to you, you will have to follow me.” - -Saying this, he pulled a revolver from his breast-pocket and leveled it -at Frederick's breast. - -A fiendish expression swept over the young man's features. With one -swift blow of his arm he dashed the weapon from Mr. Van der Beck's -hand, and, seizing him in his iron grasp, he pushed him toward the -precipice. There was a short struggle, during which the moon was once -again obscured by a fleecy cloud. Twice a cry for help rang through -the still night air; twice the two men, struggling frantically, almost -rolled together over the brink. But at last, putting forth all his -strength, Frederick actually lifted his adversary by the waist from the -ground and with one mighty effort hurled him into the surging waters -below. There was a crash of falling stones, an agonized cry, which was -heard even above the roar of the cataract, and a splash. - -[Illustration: FREDERICK HURLS MR. VAN DER BECK OVER THE FALLS.] - -Then all was silent again. - -In the woods an owl hooted twice dismally, and a dog in the distance -uttered that peculiar howl which is only heard when the Angel of Death -passes through the air. - -When the moon shone forth again Frederick might have been seen picking -up the revolver which had belonged to Mr. Van der Beck from the ground. -After hesitating for a minute he flung it into the river. Then, having -arranged as best he could the disorder of his dress occasioned by the -struggle, he turned on his heels and walked back slowly to the hotel, -muttering to himself as he went: - -“It was his own fault. What need had he to cross my path? However, it -is best so. Dead men tell no tales.” - -When Frederick re-entered the billiard-room at the hotel his friends -noticed that he was very pale. He called for a glass of brandy, and -when it was brought drained it at one gulp. - -“My dear boy,” exclaimed one of the young Englishmen, “what the duse is -the matter with you? Have you seen a ghost? How ill you look!” - -“Oh, there is nothing much the matter with me,” replied Frederick. “I -suppose I have caught a chill; it is fearfully damp about here.” - -“You should have remained with us. We have had a stunning game.” - -“Well, I am glad, all the same, that I went. The view of the falls by -moonlight is well worth seeing. Yes,” added Frederick, abstractedly, -“on the whole, I am glad I went.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -IN NEW YORK. - - -On the following morning the three young men crossed over to the -American side of the Niagara and took the train to New York. They had -hardly settled down at their hotel when cards began to pour in on them. -The names of both of Frederick's traveling companions were well known, -and the one which he himself had assumed sounded sufficiently grand to -inspire a desire on the part of the hospitable New Yorkers to become -acquainted with its possessor. Photographers called the first thing -next morning to request the privilege of taking their pictures, and -several young ladies who were staying at the same hotel sent up their -albums by the waiter with a request for autographs. - -A day or two later Frederick, glancing over the papers, caught sight of -a paragraph dated from the Falls, which related that a Dutch gentleman -who had arrived there and taken up his residence at a hotel on the -American side had been missing for several days, and that as he had -appeared to be in a very melancholy frame of mind on his arrival it was -feared that he had thrown himself into the rapids. - -During the time which Frederick and his friends remained in New -York they dined out almost every evening, and there is some ground -for surprise as to why Frederick should not have availed himself of -the opportunity which he had of marrying one of the wealthiest and -handsomest women of New York society. - -As this portion of “Prado's” career deals with certain personalities -which would be easily recognized here, even under a pseudonym, it is -better, considering the nature of the circumstances, to dismiss it with -this brief allusion. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -AN UNEXPECTED MEETING. - - -Among the passengers on board the Cunard steamer which made its way -up to its moorings in the Mersey on a misty and stormy morning three -months after the tragedy which had taken place at Niagara Falls were -Count Frederick de Vaugelade and his two English fellow-travelers, Mr. -Harcourt and Lord Arthur Fitzjames. The intimacy between the three -young men had become very much closer, and Frederick was under promise -to visit each of them at his father's country-seat as soon as the -London season was over. - -On the day after their arrival in London Lord Arthur called at -Frederick's hotel in Piccadilly, and after taking him for a lounge in -the Row, and thence to lunch at his club, proceeded to his father's -house in Park lane and introduced his friend to his mother and sisters. -From that time forth Frederick became almost a daily visitor at the -Marquis of Kingsbury's house. - -His great attraction there was Lady Margaret, familiarly called “Pearl” -in the family, a charming little brunette, with large, mischievous gray -eyes and a joyful, light-hearted disposition which made her a general -favorite. She set up a desperate flirtation with Frederick, and the -latter began to believe that luck was decidedly with him, and that it -only depended on himself to become a member of one of the greatest -families of the United Kingdom. - -Lady Margaret's elder sister, Lady Alice, appeared, however, from -the first to be prejudiced against the young man, and showed him by -her marked coldness that she at least was not following the general -example of admiring everything that he did or said. Indeed, he soon -realized that she might become in an emergency a very serious obstacle -to his matrimonial projects. - -The marquis himself took an immense fancy to Frederick, and introduced -him everywhere with such marked favor that the hopes of the young man -began to grow into certitude. - -One evening Frederick called toward 10 o'clock at the mansion in -Park lane, and was ushered by the groom of the chambers into the -drawing-room. The ladies had not yet left the dining-room, and he sat -down on an ottoman to wait for them, taking up an album to while away -the time. - -As he was idly turning over the leaves he suddenly uttered an -exclamation of surprise as he caught sight of a portrait of his old -enemy, Capt. Clery. - -“By Jove, this is unfortunate,” muttered he. “I hope the man is not in -London, for if he is we may meet any day here and I shall be in a fine -hole.” - -He was so absorbed in the contemplation of the pictures that he did -not hear the door open. A tall, soldierly figure entered the room and -walked slowly toward where Frederick was sitting. As he laid his opera -hat down on the table Frederick looked up, and could not help starting -to his feet as he saw the original of the picture standing before him. - -Frederick's first thought was to effect his escape without delay. But -while he hesitated for a moment as to the means of doing so without -attracting Captain Clery's attention, the drawing-room doors were -thrown open, and Lady Kingsbury, followed by her daughters and two -other ladies in full evening dress, entered the room. Baffled in his -purpose, Frederick now determined to put the best face on the matter -that he could. Of one thing he was certain, namely, that there had been -no gleam of recognition in Clery's eye when the latter had cursorily -glanced at him on entering. The drawing-rooms were but dimly lighted -by several shaded lamps, and the great change which had taken place in -Frederick's appearance during the years which had elapsed since he left -India encouraged him to hope that he might possibly escape detection, -even on closer inspection. He therefore advanced toward the lady of the -house, and, bowing low, kissed her outstretched hand with the graceful -and never-failing courtesy that was habitual to him in his relations -with the fair sex. - -“How are you, my dear count? so glad to see you!” exclaimed the -marchioness; then, as she caught sight of Captain Clery, who had -meanwhile approached, she added: “Why, Charlie, is that you? I did -not know you were back in town. Let me introduce you to the Comte de -Vaugelade, a new but already very dear friend of ours.” - -The two men bowed to each other, and Frederick began to feel more sure -of his ground as Clery gave no token of ever having met him before. - -The conversation soon became general, and Frederick, always a brilliant -talker, surpassed himself that evening and kept them all interested and -amused by his witty sallies and repartees until a late hour. - -He noticed that on two or three occasions the colonel—for such Clery -had now become—fixed his piercing blue eyes somewhat inquiringly on -him, as if trying to place him. It was evident that he was rather -puzzled. - -At midnight they left the house together and strolled toward -Piccadilly, chatting rather pleasantly on various topics. As they were -about to take leave of each other, Colonel Clery suddenly exclaimed: - -“I don't know why, but I have an impression that I have had the -pleasure of meeting you once before, count. Your face seems familiar, -although your name was until to-night unknown to me.” - -“I fear that you must be mistaken, colonel,” quietly rejoined -Frederick, taking out his match-box to light a cigarette. “I am quite -sure that I have never had the honor of an introduction to you before—a -circumstance which I certainly could not have forgotten had it taken -place,” added he, with a bow. - -Thereupon the two men shook hands cordially, and Frederick made his way -back to his hotel, leaving Colonel Clery to hail a passing hansom and -to drive home. - -As the cab rattled up Piccadilly toward St. James, the colonel -thoughtfully twirled his mustache as he muttered to himself: - -“Dashed if I can make it out! Where on earth did I meet that French -fellow before? It seems to me as if he were connected with some -disagreeable incident of my past life, but I will be blessed if I -can remember when or how. I must try to find it out, however. The -Kingsburys are making such a friend of him; and I am afraid that little -Pearl is fast losing her heart to him. I must have a talk with Alice -about the matter, and ask her where Arthur picked him up.” - -On the following day, meeting Lord Arthur in the Row, Colonel Clery -questioned him about Frederick. - -“Oh, Vaugelade is a capital fellow!” exclaimed the young lord. “Tommy -Harcourt and I traveled with him all over America. Lots of money, you -know; good form and all that. The girls at Ottawa and New York were all -crazy about him. We thought we should never be able to get him away. -Awfully good fellow, and the most agreeable traveling companion I have -ever met!” - -“Well, but, my dear boy, do you know anything more definite about him? -You see, one can never know too much about these blasted foreigners. -Wasn't it somewhat imprudent to introduce him to your mother and -sisters? I am afraid that Pearl is becoming rather infatuated with him.” - -“Oh, hang it, Clery, you croak like an old parson. Pearl is a desperate -flirt, and is always going it with some fellow or other. What would -be the harm anyhow? I don't think the pater would object very much. -Vaugelade has fortune, birth, position, good looks, talents.” - -“What on earth do you know about his birth, position, or fortune beyond -what he tells you himself?” remonstrated the colonel. - -A look of real annoyance passed over Lord Arthur's good-humored face, -as he exclaimed, with unusual asperity: - -“Now, see here, Charlie, I think you have said enough. Vaugelade is a -friend of mine, and I won't hear another word against him. Why, man -alive, he is not poaching on your preserves. On the contrary, I am -rather inclined to believe that he and Alice don't hit it off well -together.” - -“Shows her good sense,” interrupted Colonel Clery. - -“Well, that is neither here nor there. Don't let us quarrel about it, -there's a good fellow. By Jove, when you and Alice are married your -house will be difficult of approach. I have never seen such people as -you both are for always picking holes in everybody.” - -Nothing more was said about the matter, and Colonel Clery decided to -keep his own counsel in future. - -A week later the colonel and Frederick both dined in Park lane, and -as nobody was going out that night, the party assembled after dinner -in Lady Kingsbury's boudoir and began looking over some magnificent -photographs which Clery had given to Lady Alice on his return from -India. - -“Oh, by the by, my dear count,” said Lady Kingsbury to Frederick, -who was sitting near her, “you must tell me all about that horrible -story of the elephant execution which you told Pearl the other day. -She has been talking so much to me about it that I am quite anxious to -hear from you if it is really true. Surely it is impossible that such -barbarous cruelty should still be practiced in a country over which her -majesty's power extends!” - -“I don't believe a word of it!” exclaimed Lady Alice, in very decided -tones. “The count, as we all know, is a great hand at oriental -embroidery, no matter how flimsy the fabric on which it reposes.” - -“My dear,” remonstrated her mother, “how can you say such a rude thing -when Monsieur de Vaugelade has assured your sister that he himself has -witnessed the ghastly scene with his own eyes!” - -Colonel Clery, who was turning over the photographs, quickly looked up -at this moment and cast a searching look on Frederick. - -“Now, Charlie,” said Lady Alice, crossing over to him, “you have been -in India. Do tell us if you have ever heard of this mode of execution?” - -“Yes,” replied the colonel, slowly, “I have. It is, however, a very -rare occurrence, and during the whole of my long stay in the East I -have only known it to be applied on two occasions, both of which, as -far as I can remember, took place at Baroda, a God-forsaken spot, ruled -by a cruel and tyrannical man, who snaps his fingers at English laws. I -particularly remember the last of these two executions, for the victim -was a poor devil whose innocence was discovered some weeks after his -having been put to death.” - -“Oh, now, you must tell us all about it,” cried Lady Margaret, whose -love of the horrible was a standing joke in the family. “It positively -sounds like a story out of a novel.” - -Colonel Clery, who had risen and was now standing before the -fire-place, turned his eyes full upon Frederick and remarked: - -“You really ought to ask Count de Vaugelade to tell you all about it, -instead of me. Having been present on one of these occasions, he is -certainly in a better position to satisfy your curiosity than I am.” - -“Not at all, my dear colonel. If the ladies insist on hearing about -this _vilaine affaire_, I had much rather that you would tell them. -But,” he added, in a somewhat agitated voice, “is it not rather a -dismal subject to discuss? Let us talk of something else.” - -“No, no,” urged Lady Margaret. “We are in for the horrible! Don't -disappoint us, I beg of you.” - -“Well, then, as the count is so modest and declines to give us another -proof of his talents as a narrator, I will tell you what I know about -the matter,” said Colonel Clery, as he resumed his seat. - -“It was about eight or nine years ago, and I had only recently -returned to India from a long furlough in England, when all Baroda -and Bombay society were startled by the announcement of the murder -of a very prominent and well-known Hindoo widow, whose body had been -discovered among the ruins of a temple in the outskirts of Baroda. A -poor, half-witted beggar had been found removing some jewels from the -corpse as it lay in the long grass, and it was immediately taken for -granted that it was he who had killed her. He was immediately seized -and dragged before the guicowar or king, who lost no time in sentencing -him to suffer death by the elephant. This most atrocious punishment, -as Monsieur de Vaugelade will doubtless have informed you, consists in -tying the culprit, who is securely bound hand and foot and unable to -stir, by a long rope to the hind leg of the monster. The latter is then -urged to a sharp trot, and at each movement of its leg the helpless -body of the victim is jerked with a bound over the stone pavement. -This is kept up for about the space of half a mile or so, after which -the poor wretch's sufferings are brought to a close, his head being -placed on a stone block and crushed flat by the ponderous foot of the -elephant.” - -There was a murmur of horror among those present, in which even Lord -Arthur joined, and Frederick, who had been sitting motionless on -the sofa with Lady Kingsbury's toy terrier lying across his knees, -unconsciously twisted the little dog's ear so violently that it gave -a suppressed howl, and, reproachfully looking at him, retired to its -mistress' skirts in high dudgeon. - -“Remember, please,” remarked the colonel, “that you insisted that I -should tell you all this, and that I did so against my own inclination.” - -“Yes, of course, of course, my dear Charlie. But do go on, please,” -exclaimed Lady Margaret, impatiently. - -“All right, Pearl. You are really the most blood-thirsty little woman I -have ever met. I suppose I shall have to spin you the remainder of the -yarn,” replied the colonel, as he laughed somewhat constrainedly. - -“I forgot to tell you that a man of the name of Count von Waldberg, a -Prussian nobleman, with whom we had become acquainted on our passage -out to Bombay, was at the time staying at Baroda with a Colonel -Fitzpatrick. This young man never took my fancy, and I had had occasion -to believe him to be a rather shady character.” - -“Just like you. You always manage to see the dark side of everybody,” -interrupted Lord Arthur, who was lounging on a pile of cushions. - -“Please, Arthur, spare us your remarks. Do, there's a good fellow,” -cried the irrepressible Pearl. - -“When you have quite finished fighting there I will resume my story,” -exclaimed Colonel Clery. - -“Don't mind them, Charlie. We are all very anxious to hear the end,” -rejoined Lady Kingsbury, smiling. - -“Very well. I was just telling you about this man Waldberg. He was -invited by the Guicowar of Baroda to be present at the execution which -I have just described, and created quite a sensation by fainting away -at the most crucial moment thereof. Some days later he disappeared -from Baroda, leaving a letter for Colonel Fitzpatrick, in which he -stated that he had been called away on pressing business, and he has -never been heard of since. However, it was ascertained soon after -his departure that he was the last person who had been seen with the -murdered woman before her death, and that he had been noticed within a -short time of the crime near the very spot where the body was found. It -was also discovered that he had been on terms of considerable intimacy -with her, and that half an hour before the body was found he had called -at the house, and, under pretext of waiting for her, had spent some -time alone in her boudoir. As a considerable sum of money and some -very valuable jewels were afterward found by the widow's executors to -be missing from a desk in this particular room, the theft, as well -as the murder, was immediately laid at Count von Waldberg's door. It -was too late, however, for the bird had flown, and all efforts of the -police were powerless even to trace him out of India. I must add that -there were some very distressing circumstances with regard to Colonel -Fitzpatrick's lovely daughter, who, on hearing of the count's sudden -departure, committed suicide by drowning herself in the river.” - -“How horrible!” exclaimed Lady Margaret. “Why, the man must have been a -perfect monster!” - -“Not in appearance, at any rate. He was a very good-looking -fellow—remarkably handsome—not very tall, but of aristocratic bearing, -with small hands and feet, large, soft black eyes, and a black -mustache. Yes, I remember him perfectly now!” - -At this juncture Frederick, who had risen, glanced at the clock, and, -addressing Lady Kingsbury, said, apologetically: - -“I am afraid that this interesting story has made me forget how late -the hour is. I must pray you to excuse me and to permit me to take my -leave.” - -“Why, it is actually 2 o'clock!” exclaimed the marchioness. “I had no -idea it was so late. Good-night, my dear count. Do come to luncheon -to-morrow. You know that you promised to accompany us to the exhibition -of water-colors in the afternoon. I am so anxious to hear your opinion -about our English pictures.” - -After duly expressing his thanks and acceptance of the invitation, and, -after bidding adieu, Frederick was moving toward the door, accompanied -by Lord Arthur, when Colonel Clery called out to him: - -“Wait a moment for me, count. I will walk part of the way with you, if -you will allow it. I have got to go, too.” - -Frederick bowed his assent, and the two men went down stairs together, -Lord Arthur calling after them over the balustrades. - -“_Dolce repose_, Charlie; don't dream of all these blood-and-thunder -stories, and don't treat poor Vaugelade to any more of them on his way -home. You are enough to give a fellow the creeps.” - -For a minute after they had left the house Colonel Clery and Frederick -walked on in silence. The night was very dark, and a fine drizzling -rain was beginning to fall. - -Suddenly Colonel Clery stopped short in front of Frederick, and laying -his hand on the latter's arm said, quietly: - -“I know you now—you are Count von Waldberg!” - -The light of a street lamp was shining full on Frederick's face, -and Colonel Clery remarked, with surprise, that not a muscle of his -features moved. - -“May I inquire, Colonel Clery, what on earth you mean by this -astounding piece of insolence; for I can scarcely regard it in any -other light after what you have told us to-night about the gentleman -whose name you are attempting to father on me in such a preposterous -fashion. Had I not spent the entire evening in your company I should be -tempted to believe that you had been drinking.” - -“I am perfectly aware of what I am saying,” replied the colonel, “and -I should not have ventured to make such an assertion had I not been -sure of my ground. Ever since I first met you here in London I have -been seeking to recall your face. I knew that I had seen you before, -but could not remember where. To-night, however, the conversation about -the Baroda executions has brought the whole thing back to me, and I -recognize you perfectly now. I cannot be mistaken.” - -“It is to be regretted, for your own sake, that you are,” replied -Frederick, “and very much so, too. I will hold you accountable for -this deliberate calumny, Colonel Clery. A man should have proper proof -before daring to accuse a gentleman of such crimes as those which your -Count Waldberg or Walderburg seems, according to your story, to have -committed.” - -Colonel Clery was fairly staggered by Frederick's extraordinary -coolness and self-possession. He began to ask himself whether he -had not been committing some awful blunder in asserting that M. de -Vaugelade and Count Waldberg were one and the same person. - -“Of course,” faltered he, at length, “if you can give me any proof to -show that you are not the man I believe you to be, I shall be only too -happy to beg your pardon for what I have said, and attribute it all to -a most remarkable resemblance. - -“I am quite ready to give you any proof you may desire,” replied -Frederick, very stiffly. “I may add, however, that were it not for -the peculiar and privileged position which you hold with regard to the -Kingsburys I should not dream of taking the trouble to exculpate myself -in your eyes. It is for their sake alone that I consent to lower myself -to answer your ridiculous insinuations.” - -During this conversation they had walked on, and had passed Frederick's -hotel without noticing it. They were now very near Colonel Clery's -rooms, in St. James. - -“Have you got any—any papers about you which could convince me of my -mistake and prove your identity?” inquired Clery, somewhat hesitatingly. - -“Well, I have my passport, which is attached to my pocket-book, -and some cards and letters besides, if that will suffice,” replied -Frederick with a sneer; “but I do not suppose that you wish me to sit -down here on the curbstone in the rain and let you examine them by the -light of the street lamps.” - -“Certainly not. Come up to my room—that is, if you don't object. It -will be best for both of us to have this matter settled once and for -all.” - -“All right; show the way. But I must acknowledge that you English are -an infernally queer lot, and well deserve to be called ‘originals.’” - -Colonel Clery, taking a latch-key from his pocket, opened the house -door and preceded Frederick up a broad flight of steps. Opening another -door on the first floor he ushered him into a large but cozy-looking -sitting-room. The heavy Turkish curtains were drawn before the windows, -and a reading lamp, shaded by a crimson silk screen, was burning on -a low side table, leaving part of the room in semi-darkness. Here -and there on the tapestried walls were trophies of remarkably fine -Damascened Indian swords and inlaid matchlocks. A few good water-colors -hung over the sofa, and on the chimney was a large photograph of Lady -Alice, in a splendid enameled frame, standing between two old Satsuma -vases filled with cut flowers. - -Colonel Clery mechanically motioned Frederick to the sofa, but the -latter, taking from his pocket a small portefeuille and three or four -letters, handed them to him, saying: - -“Look at these first, colonel, so as to convince yourself before -anything else that you are not now harboring a thief and assassin under -your roof.” - -Colonel Clery, throwing his hat and overcoat on a chair, and taking the -documents from Frederick, sat down on a low arm-chair in front of the -table for the purpose of examining them by the light of the lamp. - -Had he been able to glance behind his chair he would scarcely have been -reassured by the expression which came over Frederick's features as -soon as he felt that he was no longer observed. But the colonel was so -absorbed in the perusal of one of the letters handed to him that he did -not even notice that Frederick had softly approached and was bending -over him as if to read over his shoulder. - -[Illustration: FREDERICK KILLS COLONEL CLERY.] - -Noiselessly Frederick removed from his collar a long and slender -pearl-headed platinum pin with a very sharp point, which he habitually -wore in the evening to keep his white tie in place. After a rapid -glance at the nape of the colonel's neck, which was fully exposed -to view as he bent over the latter, Frederick, with a swift downward -motion of his hand, buried this novel kind of a stiletto to the very -head between the first and second vertebræ of the spinal column. -Without a cry, without a sound, the unfortunate officer fell forward -on the table as if he had been struck by lightning. Death had been -instantaneous, the spinal marrow having been touched by the unerring -and steady prick of the tiny weapon. - -This was but another instance of the dangerous knowledge which -Frederick had acquired from the natives during his sojourn in Java. All -the more dangerous, as when death has been brought about in this way no -trace of violence remains except the minute puncture at the back of the -neck produced by the pin. This is almost certain to escape observation -unless specially looked for, and the death is attributed to a sudden -failure of the action of the heart. - -Frederick, having ascertained that the colonel was quite dead, took -from his contracted hand the letter he had been reading, replaced it in -the portefeuille with the others, and then restored it to his pocket. -Bending once more over the lifeless form of the colonel he drew the pin -from the almost invisible wound, which had not even bled, and replaced -it in his tie. Then, taking the body in his arms, he dragged it to the -lounge, on which he carefully laid it, closing the wide-open eyes and -arranging the pillows under the head. Lowering the lamp, he went softly -to the door, and, after listening intently for some minutes to hear if -any one was about, he stepped out of the room, and closing the door -after him, walked down stairs and into the quiet, lonely street. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -LADY ALICE'S SUSPICION. - - -The next day was a fine one. The sun was shining brightly, the sky was -a deep transparent blue, and as Frederick walked through the park on -his way to the Kingsbury mansion he stopped several times to enjoy the -cool morning air. The trees were clothed in all the fresh beauty of -their spring garments, dew was sparkling like diamonds on the velvetry -lawns, where flocks of sheep were peacefully grazing, and the still -sheet of water of the Serpentine flashed like a mirror in the bright -morning light. Great rose-bushes, with their sweet-smelling pink, red, -and white blossoms, perfumed the air, while the paths were bordered -with a rainbow of many-colored flowers, over which yellow butterflies -were hovering. In the distance there was a kind of dim silvery haze -hanging midway between heaven and earth, and through its gauzy vail the -tall clumps of trees and bushes looked almost fairy-like and unreal. - -As he reached the Marble Arch Frederick espied an old beggar woman who -was squatting outside on the pavement close to the park railings. She -was a repulsive-looking object. Her face was seamed and lined with -numerous wrinkles, clearly defined by the dirt which was in them; her -bushy gray eyebrows were drawn frowningly over her watery, red-rimmed -blue eyes; her nose was hooked like the beak of a bird of prey, and -from her thin-lipped mouth two yellow tusks protruded, like those of a -wild boar. - -Frederick, with one of those momentary contrasts which made him so -difficult to understand, stopped in front of the old crone and dropped -a guinea into her palm. She raised one skinny hand to shade her eyes -and looked curiously at the generous stranger. - -“Thank ye, my lord,” muttered she. - -“You'll drink it,” I suppose, said Frederick, gazing at her inflamed -nose and sunken cheeks, which bore unmistakable signs of debauchery. - -“Werry likely,” retorted the hag with a grin; “I'm a fortune to the -public 'ouse, I am. And it's the only pleasure I 'ave in my blooming -life, blarst it!” - -Ignoring this polite speech, the young man directed his steps to the -Kingsbury residence, and was ushered by the groom of the chambers into -the morning-room of the marchioness. It was a long, low apartment, -oak-paneled, and had an embossed and emblazoned ceiling from which -silver lamps of old Italian work hung by silver chains. The blinds -were drawn down, and the hues of the tapestry, of the ivories which -stood here and there on the carved brackets, of the paintings on the -walls, and of the embroideries on the satin furniture, made a rich -chiaro-oscuro of color. Large baskets and vases full of roses and -lilies rendered the air heavy with their intoxicating odor. - -Frederick sat down on a low couch to await the mistress of the house. -His brows were knit and he murmured to himself abstractedly. - -“Do they know it already? Hardly yet, I should think. Well, I must make -_bonne contenance_ if I wish to win the game. By Heaven! it's worth the -candle.” - -He had been brooding in this fashion for some ten minutes, when -the door opened, and Lady Kingsbury, wrapped in a loose gown of -olive-colored cashmere, with a profusion of old lace at her breast, -and open sleeves, entered the room. She was very pale, and her still -beautiful eyes showed traces of weeping. - -She advanced toward Frederick with outstretched hands, saying in a -broken, unsteady voice: - -“Pardon me for keeping you waiting, my dear count. But this terrible -misfortune has upset me so much that I am quite ill and ought not to -have left my room.” - -“Good Heaven! my dear Lady Kingsbury, what has happened?” exclaimed -Frederick, with an air of the most profound surprise. - -“Oh! it is too, too awful! My poor, poor Alice! Colonel Clery has been -found dead in his room this morning!” - -“Dead! dead! Colonel Clery! Great God! Why, I left him in perfect -health a few hours ago! What could have caused his death?” - -“Heart disease, I presume; though nobody who saw him would ever have -believed him to be subject thereto. When his servant entered his rooms -this morning he found him lying on the lounge, still wearing his -evening dress. Surprised at such a proceeding on the part of a man who -was as regular and methodical in his habits as was his master, the -valet approached the sofa and attempted to rouse him. But he was dead! -and the doctor, who was immediately called in, declared that he must -have been so for some hours,” concluded Lady Kingsbury, bursting into -fresh tears. - -“This is really terrible,” said Frederick, with a display of -considerable emotion. “I cannot tell you how shocked I am! One could -not help being fond of Colonel Clery. He was a man in a thousand, and -though our acquaintance was so short I feel his loss as that of an old -and dear friend. Will you think me indiscreet if I ask how Lady Alice -bears this crushing blow?” - -“Don't talk about it,” sobbed the marchioness, “I almost fear that she -will go out of her mind. Her otherwise cold and indifferent nature was -centered in Charlie, whom she had loved for several years. Her father -at first objected to the match, having looked higher for his eldest -daughter. But he had to give way before the unwavering constancy of -the two young people. I don't know what is to become of Alice now. It -breaks my very heart to see her silent despair!” - -“I will not keep you away from her any longer. She needs your loving -care and sympathy,” said Frederick, rising. “I trust that you will -forgive my intrusion on your sorrow, and that you will tell me frankly -if I can be of any use to you. Dispose of me entirely. You have been -so kind to me that I should deem it a great favor to be able to be of -service to you.” - -“Thank you so much, my dear M. de Vaugelade. It is very kind of you to -say so. Don't think that I am sending you away. I hope you will come -soon again, but I really am afraid that I cannot bear much more this -morning.” - -Kissing her hand, Frederick bowed himself out and was slowly descending -the wide staircase when he heard himself called by name. - -Turning himself quickly round he saw Lady Alice standing at the head -of the stairs and beckoning to him. Was this the bright and happy girl -whom he had left but a few hours ago? Her head leaned backward against -the high, carved panel of the wall, her face was deadly pale and cold, -and had the immutability of a mask of stone. Other women might moan -aloud in their misery and curse their fate, but she was one of those -who choke down their hearts in silence and conceal their death-wounds. - -A few steps brought Frederick to her side. He did not dare to salute -her, for it seemed to him as if her whole being shrank within her as -she saw him there. Without looking at him, she spoke in a voice quite -firm though it was faint from feebleness. - -“I have but little to say to you. I want only to ask you, how and where -you parted last night with—with—him?” - -She almost lost her self-control. Her lips trembled and she pressed her -hand on her breast. - -Frederick staggered slightly, as if under some sword-stroke from an -unseen hand. A great faintness came upon him. For a moment he was -speechless and mute. She looked up at him steadily once. Then she spoke -again in that cold, forced, measured voice which seemed to his ear as -hard and pitiless as the strokes of an iron hammer. - -“I ask you how you parted with him?” - -With a mighty effort he broke the spell which held him mute, and -murmured, with a suffocated sound in his voice, as though some hand -were clutching at his throat: - -“I left him well and happy. Why do you ask me? I know nothing more.” - -“Are you so sure of that?” she asked, fixing her cold eyes upon him. - -“Lady Alice! what do you mean?” exclaimed Frederick, who, seeing the -danger, was regaining his entire self-possession. - -“Nothing,” she answered wearily. “Go. It is best so. I must have -time—time to think.” - -She passed her hand over her forehead twice, as if in pain, and he, -bowing low, walked down stairs blindly, not knowing whither he went. -Mechanically he reached the entrance, passed the threshold, and went -out into the bright spring sunlight. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -PLANS FOR THE FUTURE. - - -The morning papers on the following day contained the announcement of -Colonel Charles Clery's sudden death, and after devoting some space to -a brief outline of his career, concluded with the following sentences: - -“The late colonel dined the night before his death at the house of the -Marquis of Kingsbury, in Park lane. He appeared to be in excellent -health and spirits, and left some time after midnight with the Comte -de Vaugelade, in whose company he walked up Piccadilly. The count is -reported to be the last person who saw him alive. - -A couple of days later, and before Frederick had had an opportunity of -calling again at Park lane, a well-known society paper, renowned for -the venom of its attacks and for the correctness of its information, -published the following paragraph: - -“Who is the Comte de Vaugelade, the foreign nobleman, in whose company -the late Colonel Clery was last seen alive? We are informed, both at -the Belgian Legation and at the French Embassy, that the name and the -title are extinct.” - -These words caught Frederick's eye as he was glancing over the papers -after his early breakfast in the privacy of his own room three days -after Colonel Clery's death. He immediately realized that this, -together with Lady Alice's mysterious words, was making London too hot -for him. It was a great disappointment to have to leave England just as -he believed that he was on the point of obtaining his heart's fondest -wish—namely, a wife belonging to a wealthy and noble family, who -would place her husband for once and all in the sphere to which he was -born. He could then have left his career of adventurer far behind him, -and lived the untrammeled life of a gentleman of means and leisure, -respected and honored by all. - -Men, according to the old Greeks, were the toys of the gods, who, from -their high estate in Olympus, put evil and foul instincts and desires -into their mortal hearts, and then, when the evil actions became the -outlet of evil thoughts, amused themselves by watching the fruitless -efforts made by their victims to escape a cruel and merciless goddess, -called Nemesis, who stood there ready to punish them. The gods may have -enjoyed it, but how about the poor mortals? In these days of skepticism -and unbelief we have dropped this deity, but only to replace her by -another, whom we have christened Fate, and whom we use as a scapegoat -upon which to lay the blame of our own shortcomings. The true religion -of Fate, however, is that our lives are the outcome of our actions. -Every action, good or bad, has its corresponding reward—as Frederick -found to his cost. - -He resolved to leave London without delay; but, fearing that if he -traveled via Dover or Folkestone, he might meet a number of his English -acquaintances, and thereby attract attention—a thing he particularly -wished to avoid—he determined to take the train for Southampton that -very afternoon, and thence to proceed to St. Malo, on the coast of -Brittany. - -Before his departure, he wrote a long letter to Lady Kingsbury, -informing her that to his great sorrow he had been called away by his -only sister's dangerous illness, and that, having no time to come and -make his adieus in person, he begged her ladyship to remember him -most gratefully to the marquis, and to her son and daughters, whose -kindness, as well as her own, he could never forget. He added that -he hoped soon to be able to return to London, since it was his most -cherished wish to meet them all again. - -That same evening he embarked on board one of those small steamboats -which make the passage between Southampton and St. Malo, and as he lay -tossing on the narrow couch of the deck cabin, many a bitter thought -filled his troubled mind. He got but little sleep, and when the vessel -steamed into the harbor of St. Malo he was standing on deck, looking -moodily into the deep, transparent waters, where the jelly-fish were -floating many fathoms beneath the surface of the bay, and where a -school of porpoises were sporting in the foaming track left by the ship. - -St. Malo is one of the most picturesque places in France, and one of -the most ancient. It is fortified, and its gray, moss-grown walls and -battlements, when seen from the entrance of the harbor, carry one back -to old feudal times. - -Frederick, having passed his trunks through the custom-house, made his -way to the best hotel in the place—a grim-looking stone building, with -mullioned windows, rusty iron balconies, and peaked roof, which looked -more like one of Dore's pictures than any modern hostelry. Entering -the office of the hotel, he asked for a sitting-room and bedroom, and -was soon ushered into the very suite of apartments in which the poet -Chateaubriand had been born. The ponderous oak furniture of the rooms, -coupled with the dark paneling of the walls, rendered them a rather -gloomy place of abode. - -He walked listlessly to the window, and amused himself in watching -the crowd of peasants, who, as it was market-day, were assembling -upon the esplanade in front of the hotel. The poorer classes have -kept here in all its integrity the costume which was worn before the -French revolution of 1793 by the peasants in Brittany and the Vendee. -The men with their red coats, baggy white breeches, tied with ribbons -at the knee over their crimson stockings, low silver-buckled shoes, -and three-cornered hats; the women with their short dark woolen -petticoats, blue or pink aprons, lace fichus, and white caps, which -look like the wings of a gigantic butterfly, presented a scene not only -animated, but also exceedingly picturesque, which appealed strongly to -Frederick's artistic instincts. Taking his sketch-book with him, he -went down stairs again, with the intention of making a few sketches of -this queer little town and its quaint inhabitants. - -He walked over to St. Servan, and, after spending some time in taking -a sketch of the walls and turrets of St. Malo, he hired a boat and -rowed over to the island of Grand Bey, where he intended to visit -Chateaubriand's monument. When he returned to the Hotel de France, he -ordered his dinner to be brought up to his sitting-room; and long after -the piquant little chambermaid had removed the cloth, and noiselessly -left the great dark room, he sat wrapt deep in thought, brooding over -the past and planning out the future, which seemed very uncertain to -him at that moment. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -FREDERICK MEETS HIS FATHER. - - -A few days later, a cab drew up at the door of a hotel on the Puerto -del Sol at Madrid, and from it alighted Frederick von Waldberg, in his -latest _role_ as Count Linska de Castillon. - -Finding, however, the Spanish capital intolerably hot and dismally -empty, he soon turned his steps northward again, and took up his -residence in the pretty seaport town of St. Sebastien, which is the -most fashionable bathing-place on the Peninsula. It was crowded at the -time with all the cream of Spanish society; and Frederick, with his -ordinary skill and _savoir faire_, soon became acquainted with all the -best people there, including a clique of gay young clubmen, who turned -the night into day, and gambled, danced, flirted, and drank, with -untiring energy. - -Frederick's passion for cards soon revived in all its intensity in this -vortex of dissipation, and he seldom left the “Salon de Jeu” of the -Casino before the small hours of the morning. At first he won a great -deal, but soon his luck began to fail him, and at the end of three -weeks he discovered, to his disgust, that he had left on the green -baize of the card-table a sum of over 150,000 francs. - -“This has got to stop,” muttered he, angrily, “or I shall soon be -running down hill at a rapid pace. The question is, how can I stop now -without arousing comment?” - -At the beginning of his stay in St. Sebastien, he had been introduced -by a young Madrilene, who was staying at the same hotel, to a charming -family, composed of the father, an old Spanish grandee; the mother, -who had been a beauty, and their lovely daughter, Dolores. Don Garces -y Marcilla was evidently a wealthy man, and occupied a luxuriously -appointed villa on the sea-shore. Frederick soon began to be a constant -visitor at this house, and his attentions to the fair Dolores were so -marked that they became the talk of the beau-monde of St. Sebastien. -Dolores was a remarkably dashing and handsome girl, with fiery black -eyes and raven tresses. Her complexion was dark, and her lips were of -the vivid crimson of a pomegranate flower. She was evidently very much -in love with Frederick, and he had but little doubt that he would be -accepted if he chose to ask her to be his wife. - -For him this marriage presented many advantages. To begin with, it -would open wide to him the doors of the Spanish aristocracy. The Garces -y Marcilla prided themselves on being able to trace their descent from -the kings of Aragon, and were high up on the social ladder. Then, there -was also the question of money. Frederick had found out that Dolores -would not only receive on her wedding-day a dowry of 200,000 francs—not -a big sum in itself, although in Spain it is considered quite large—but -that, Don Garces y Marcilla being a rich man, she would further inherit -a fortune at his death. Since he had lost all hopes of obtaining the -hand of Lady Margaret, a marriage with the daughter of Don Garces -seemed to him to be the most advantageous to his interests. - -Still undecided, however, as to the course he should adopt, he one -morning directed his steps toward the Garces villa, with the object of -inviting the whole family to a dinner which he proposed giving, some -days later, for the purpose of returning in some measure the courtesy -and hospitality with which they had received him. - -As it was near midday, all the servants were down below at luncheon, -and his approach was unnoticed. Walking along the veranda, he soon -came to the long French windows of the drawing-room, and, peeping in -between the half-closed blinds, he saw Dolores, who, stretched on an -oriental divan, was smoking a cigarette. There was but little light -in the corner of the room where she reclined, but he could plainly -distinguish the outline of her voluptuous form in its soft loose white -wrapper, and the gleam of the rings on her small hands. Her great black -eyes seemed positively to glow in the semi-darkness as she looked up at -the rings of blue smoke that floated through the air. - -Frederick's heart began to beat faster. He vaguely felt that his hour -of fate had come. - -They were as completely alone as if they had been in a desert. No one -of the household would have dared to approach that room without a -summons from her. A nightingale was singing in the Cape jasmine which -wreathed the veranda. Gently he pushed open the casement of the window, -and stepped into the room. She raised herself on her elbow, and, -flinging her half-finished cigarette into a silver tray on the table, -stretched out her hand to him, saying, in her low, melodious voice: - -“This is a surprise. I am glad to see you.” - -“Is it really so?” murmured he, bending over the small, cool hand, -which he retained in his own, prolonging the fleeting moments with -irresistible pleasure. Every gesture, glance, and breath of this girl -allured him; a swift and wicked temptation flashed through his brain. -He knew that she loved him, and that she was at his mercy. A shudder -passed over him, and before he knew what he was about he had wound his -arms around her and pressed his lips to hers. It was but a second, and -then he thrust her away from him. She gave him a look of such intense -surprise and pain, that, dropping on one knee before her, he murmured, -in a voice which still shook with suppressed passion: - -“Dona Dolores, will you be my wife?” - -Three weeks later, on the first of November, 1879, at the Church of -Santa Maria, the marriage of Dona Dolores Garces y Marcella with Count -Linska de Castillon was celebrated with great pomp. - -[Illustration: FREDERICK MARRIED DOLORES.] - -That same evening the young couple left for Madrid, where a handsome -suite of apartments had been prepared for them in a house on the Calle -del Barquillo. - -The first weeks of the honey-moon were delightful. Through his wife's -relatives Frederick became acquainted with all the leaders of society -at Madrid. The life of the young couple was a whirl of perpetual -excitement and pleasure; they were invited everywhere and attended -court receptions, embassy balls, and official entertainments. Frederick -was very proud of Dolores, and she became every day more and more -infatuated with her handsome and gifted husband. Frederick, who had a -love for everything beautiful, and who was a born artist, had arranged -their apartment of the Calle del Barquillo with such exquisite taste -and elegance that it was the talk of the whole town. The luxury -displayed in every detail, from the magnificent Gobelin tapestries -which lined the walls down to the dinner services of priceless Sevres -and Japanese porcelain, the marvelous toilets which he insisted that -his wife should wear, and the splendid dinners and entertainments they -gave all cost a great deal of money, and at the end of the winter -season Frederick could once more foresee the moment when not only his -own fortune but also his wife's dowry would have vanished. He had been -made a member of several clubs, and with a view of reimbursing himself -for what his daily life cost, he began to risk large sums at the card -table. - -Six months after his marriage he met with a rather serious accident. -His horses took fright while he was being driven home one morning from -witnessing the execution by the “garrote” of the regicide Francisco -Otero, and he was flung with such violence to the pavement that his -ankle was broken. His victoria having been shattered to pieces, he -was driven to his house by a young stranger who had witnessed the -catastrophe and had offered his assistance. An intimacy soon sprang up -between the two, and the affection which Frederick displayed toward -the stranger, whose name was Louis Berard, was one of the only really -disinterested ones in his life. - -As soon as Frederick had recovered sufficiently to travel, he left -Madrid with his wife for a few weeks' sojourn at Biarritz, on the Bay -of Biscay. The weather was not yet hot enough to be disagreeable, -and the sea-breeze proved very beneficial to him. The pretty bathing -resort, far from being deserted at this season of the year, still -contained a considerable number of English, American, and Russian -families who had been wintering there, and the Casino was nearly as -animated and frequented as in the months of September and October, -which constitute the fashionable season of Biarritz. - -One morning Frederick, who could now walk without any difficulty, -proposed to his wife that they should go for a stroll to the -Vieux-Port, and they set off in high spirits, taking a path along the -shore, which latter is lined here with lofty cliffs, in which large -and mysterious-looking caves have been excavated by the waves. It was -a lovely day, although the sun was not shining. Both sea and sky were -of that delicate pearly tint which reminds one of the inside of a -shell; the violets were thick in the hedges, and the yellow blossoms -of the butterwort were flung like so many gold pieces over the brown -furrows of the fields. Far below them the sea was full of life; market -boats and fishing boats, skiffs and canoes of all kinds, with striped -sails, were crossing each other on its surface. There were lovely white -wreaths of mist to the southward, airy and suggestive as the vail of -a bride, and the silver-shining wings of a score of white sea-gulls -dipped now and again in the hollows of the lazy wavelets. The air was -full of the intense perfume of the trees, which were starred all over -with their white and pink blossoms. In the distance the beautiful -coast of Spain stretched away into endless realms of sparkling, though -subdued, light, and the lofty range of the Pyrenees rose blue and -snow-crowned behind the fairy shore of this enchanted paradise. - -Frederick and Dolores walked briskly along arm in arm. The path was -narrow and there was just room for two people to pass between the -precipice and the tall hawthorn hedges intermingled with bowlders of -fallen rocks, from between which here and again there rose great stone -pines, relics of those wild pine woods which, before the modern culture -had appeared on the scene with ax and spade, had doubtless covered the -whole of the table land. - -Suddenly at a sharp curve of the path they came face to face with a -lady and gentleman who were approaching from the opposite direction. -The lady was young and rather good-looking; the gentleman was old, and -his hair and mustache were snow-white, but his erect bearing and still -firm step belied his age. He was a tall, aristocratic-looking man, with -piercing blue eyes, and gave one the impression of being an officer in -plain clothes. In the button-hole of his light gray frock-coat was the -rosette of the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor. Frederick pulled -Dolores on one side to make room for the strangers, but as he did so he -became pale to the very lips. Involuntarily he bared his head and made -a rapid movement toward the old gentleman. But he was met by so haughty -a gaze that he lowered his eyes and, forgetting the astonished Dolores, -he walked quickly on. He had recognized his father, General Count von -Waldberg, from whom he had parted under such painful circumstance -eleven years before. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -REACHING THE CLIMAX. - - -From this time forth Frederick commenced to go, from a moral -standpoint, more and more down hill. On returning to Madrid he lived -fast and recklessly, neglecting Dolores and spending his nights in -gambling-hells, where he lost piles of money. On several occasions he -was forced to appeal to his father-in-law to pay his debts of honor. -The old gentleman came to his rescue without a murmur, his intense -love for his daughter preventing him from using harsh words toward -the husband whom she still continued to adore, notwithstanding the -ever-increasing neglect with which he treated her. It is true that -Dolores, having ceased going much into society, did not hear about -the numerous successes of her lord among the demi-monde, but his once -courteous and deferential behavior to her had now given place to -continual irritability, and to never-ending quarrels about money and -other domestic matters. - -At last the climax came. Frederick, after a particularly unlucky week, -during which he had sustained heavier losses than ever, finding it -impossible to obtain the sum which he urgently required, actually went -so far as to forge his father-in-law's name for the amount of 25,000 -francs. Don Garces y Marcilla, giving way to the entreaties of his -daughter, who threw herself at his feet, paid the amount and saved -Frederick from prison and disgrace; but he declared to Dolores that if -she did not leave her husband and return to the shelter of his house he -would disown her and never see her again. There was a terrible scene; -but Dolores was immovable, and refused to abandon the man she loved, -although she could no longer either respect or esteem him. Her father, -who was a violent man, drove her from the home of her childhood, and -warned her if she ever dared to cross his threshold again he would have -her turned away by his servants. - -The situation had now become a truly desperate one. Frederick sold his -horses and carriages, his furniture, and valuable bric-a-brac—yes, even -his wife's jewels and costly dresses, and moved with her to a small -house in the outskirts of Madrid. Unknown to her, however, he hired a -suite of rooms in a fashionable street, and, going into partnership -with two disreputable adventurers, he started a private gambling hell. - -Poor Dolores! her days of happiness were over. She was now always alone -in the dingy little house in the suburbs. Weeping and privations were -fast robbing her of her beauty, and Frederick, whenever he looked at -her, which was seldom, had the cruelty to taunt her with what he called -“her washed-out appearance!” He bitterly complained of having married a -woman who was of no earthly use to him. - -“Had you but known how to play your cards,” he would often say to her, -“you might have avoided the quarrel with your infernal old idiot of a -father. He is soft enough, in all conscience, when one knows how to -handle him. But, no; you must needs go into heroics and get yourself -kicked out of the house for your pains. Upon my word, Dolores, you are -worse than a fool. Without you I would never have come down in the -world like this.” - -The poor woman, terrified by the violence of her husband, who was -fast losing his former refinement and distinction, and was becoming -downright brutal, could only cry and sob, imploring her dear “Eric” to -take pity on her. But her tears only seemed to exasperate him more, -and as lately his gambling saloon, thanks to his partners, who were -nothing but vulgar sharpers, had got into bad repute with the _jeunesse -doree_, who cautiously avoided going there, he one fine morning gave -the slip to his army of creditors, and, abandoning Dolores without a -cent of money, started alone for Paris. - -The unfortunate woman, when she discovered that she had been deserted, -nearly went out of her mind with grief and despair. But nothing could -destroy her love for Frederick, and she resolved to discover his -hiding-place and to entreat him to let her live with him, if only as -his servant. - -Women are singularly illogical. The whole world may be against a man, -but the woman who loves him will stand boldly forward as his champion. -No matter how vile a man may be, if a woman loves him she exalts him -to the rank of a demi-god and refuses to see the clay feet of her -idol. When he is forsaken by all, she still clings to him. When all -others frown, she still smiles on him, and when he dies, she adores and -reverences his memory as that of a martyr of circumstances. God help -the man who in time of trouble has not a true and loving woman to stand -by his side and help him through life's bitter struggle! - -However, Dolores, being penniless, had to leave her little house -and to seek refuge at the lodgings of her old nurse, who lived in a -narrow, dark street in the slums of Madrid. Old Carmen loved her, and, -although the good woman was poor herself (her husband having, before he -departed from this life, managed to drink up every penny), she took the -unfortunate Dolores in and tended her through a violent fit of illness, -brought on by sorrow and privation. - -Dolores' home was now in a dark lane which glowed like a furnace -during the hot months of the Spanish summer. She tried to earn some -money by doing a little plain needlework, but often as she sat by -the open casement of the small window which looked out into a dirty, -ill-smelling alley, where ragged children played all day long in the -dried-up gutter, she would let her head fall on the greasy window-sill -and weep scalding tears of pain and regret. Far happier were the -victims whom Frederick had dispatched from this world than this -broken-hearted creature whose life he had shattered and ruined. - -In the middle of 1883 Frederick arrived in Paris, and continued to live -there in the same reckless and dissipated fashion. He lost all the -little money he had brought with him from Spain, and sank lower and -lower, cheating at cards, swindling hotel and lodging-house keepers, -and gradually rolling to the very bottom of the social scale. More than -once he went to bed without a dinner, and in one word he now belonged -to the very lowest class of adventurers. Driven by the pangs of hunger -and misery, he even went so far as to blackmail several ladies of high -rank and position, but somehow or other always managed to escape the -vigilant eye of the French police. - -One night, having made a few napoleons at baccarat, he bought seats at -the Folies-Bergeres, and after a scanty dinner at a cheap restaurant -he proceeded thither accompanied by the woman who was then living with -him, a gaudily dressed, red-haired, and brazen-faced creature, who was -well known on the outer boulevards. - -During a pause in the performance the well-assorted couple repaired to -the foyer, where they began to pace up and down, arm in arm, among the -crowd of habitues, where here and there a stranger was noticeable who -had come to see the fun. - -Suddenly Frederick and his companion found themselves face to face -with a lady and gentleman who were just about to leave the place. -As Frederick caught sight of the lady he unconsciously dropped his -companion's arm and bowed low. Lady Margaret, for it was she, looked at -him in haughty surprise, then turned to her husband as if to complain -of this piece of insolence. - -“Well,” exclaimed the latter in English, and in a very audible tone of -voice, “I told you what you would expose yourself to if you came here. -You see, Pearl, that's what comes of always insisting on visiting the -most extraordinary places.” - -That night, for the first time in his life, Frederick von Waldberg -got drunk; the words of the young Englishman had shown him, more than -anything else, to what depths he had sunk. Lady Margaret, the girl -whom he had once fancied loved him, had not even recognized, in the -degraded individual he had now become, the man who had aspired to her -hand. Crimsoning to the very roots of his hair, he left the red-haired -_cocotte_ standing in the middle of the floor, directed his steps -towards the _buvette_, and, ordering a _demi-setier_ (about half a -pint) of brandy to be served him, drained it at a gulp. - -One evening, in the month of January, 1885, Frederick, who beyond -the clothes on his back now possessed nothing but a well-worn suit -of evening dress and a few shirts, happened to be strolling down the -Champs Elysees, when suddenly his attention was attracted by sounds of -a violent altercation. On approaching the spot whence they proceeded -he found a middle-aged man, manifestly a foreigner, who was undergoing -severe treatment at the hands of a couple of students from the Quartier -Latin. The stranger was accompanied by a tall and exceedingly handsome -blonde. The students, with the impudence peculiar to their class, had -ventured on some remarks of a tender and even indiscreet nature to the -lady, whose escort had been quick to resent the insult. The students, -however, were decidedly getting the best of the scuffle when Frederick -appeared on the scene. Not even the life of dissipation and debauchery -into which he had allowed himself to sink had been able to diminish -the power of his muscular arms. Dashing his fist into the face of -the taller of the two students, he sent him sprawling on the ground -at some distance, on seeing which the other prudently took to his -heels. Then bending down Frederick picked up the little man's hat and -returned it to him, at the same time expressing the hope that he had -escaped without any serious damage. The stranger was most profuse in -his expressions of gratitude, in which the lady cordially joined, and -insisted that Frederick should accompany them to take supper at the -Cafe “Americain.” Nothing loth, Frederick acquiesced, and it was almost -daylight before they finally separated. - -Frederick found that his new acquaintance was an American, whose name -is equally well known in the highest social circles both of New York -and New Orleans, and whose mature age and sedate appearance does not -prevent him from burning the candle at both ends, in Europe as well -as in the States. The lady by whom he was accompanied was a Mme. -Varlay, who had deserted her husband some three months previous to -this date, and had adopted the “_nom de guerre_” of Eugenie Forestier. -During the course of the supper the fair Eugenie cast several admiring -glances at the man who had displayed such muscular power in effecting -their deliverance, and Frederick quickly perceived that he had made -an impression upon her. Before they parted a mutual interchange of -addresses took place, and arrangements were made for a theater party to -take place some days later. - -On the following afternoon Frederick called on Mme. Forestier, who -soon became deeply infatuated with him. Indeed, from that time forth -Frederick may be said to have practically lived at her expense—or -rather at that of her American lover. When, however, in the month of -April the latter took his departure for the United States, the finances -of the lady underwent a disastrous change. The drafts received from -New York and Newport were few and far between, and in course of time -Eugenie found it necessary to dispose of her jewels, and even of her -fine laces and dresses, in order to keep the wolf from the door. - -It was during this period of penury that Frederick spent much of his -time in dictating to Eugenie letters to her American friend, in which -terms of endearment and devotion were most artistically blended with -requests for money. Clever as were these compositions, they ended by -dispelling any feelings of affection which might have existed on the -part of her ex-lover, and in the month of October he sent her from New -Orleans a draft on a bank at Boulogne-sur-Mer for a couple of thousand -francs, announcing to her at the same time that it would be impossible -for him to make any further remittances. Within a few weeks the money -was spent, and in the month of January, 1886, almost every article of -any value possessed by Eugenie or by Frederick had found its way to the -_mont-de-piete_ (pawnshop). - -Frederick's companion during most of this time was a Spaniard of the -name of Ybanez, his accomplice in many of his schemes for raising the -wind by all kinds of questionable means. One night about the 15th -or 16th of January, 1886, Ybanez came to Frederick and informed him -that an Italian friend of his had a certain number of jewels in his -possession which he (Ybanez) believed to be the proceeds of a robbery, -and which his friend the Italian was anxious to get rid of on the sly. -Ybanez added that as he himself had been afraid to take any action -in the matter, and that as his friend had fully realized the danger -of disposing of the jewels at Paris, he had advised him to sell them -either at Marseilles, Bordeaux, or some other large provincial town at -a distance from the metropolis. - -“Well, where has he finally decided to take them to?” inquired -Frederick, quickly. - -“To Marseilles,” replied Ybanez. - -“When is he going to start?” - -“By the _rapide_ (limited express) of to-night.” - -The two men looked sharply at one another for a few seconds. They had -understood each other. - -Negligently and without apparent intention Ybanez continued to speak -of his Italian friend, and casually gave Frederick a full and minute -description of his personal appearance. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -HIS SINS FOUND HIM OUT. - - -That same evening at the Gare de Lyons, a minute before the train -started out of the station, a man dressed in a gray overcoat and -wearing a soft felt traveling hat was hustled by the conductor into -a coupe which until then had been tenanted by one solitary traveler. -A shade of annoyance passed over the face of the latter as the door -opened. It was evident that he had hoped to remain in undisturbed -possession of the compartment. But he soon regained his equanimity. -For from the fussy manner in which the intruder collected and arranged -in the netting his impediments, among which was a lunch-basket, he -surmised that he had to deal with a _petit bourgeois_, probably a small -shop-keeper, who was totally unaccustomed to travel any farther than -Bougival or Asnieres. - -A conversation quickly sprang up between the two, and the man in gray -displayed the greatest interest and unfeigned astonishment at the -recital of his companion's adventures in foreign lands, and especially -in Egypt and the Soudan. In response to a further inquiry, the latter -explained that his knowledge of those countries was due to the fact of -his having held a high position on the staff of General Lord Wolseley -during the Nile expedition of 1884 for the rescue of Gordon. - -In return for these confidences the man in gray stated that he was a -wholesale grocer in the Faubourg Montmartre, and that he was on his -way to visit a married sister who was established at Avignon. He added -confidentially that he had never in his life been farther away from -Paris than Fontainebleau. - -Shortly after they passed Melun the alleged grocer opened his -lunch-basket and began to feast on some cold chicken, wine, and a -box of sardines, which probably came from his shop in the Faubourg -Montmartre. Suddenly he appeared to remember the fact that his -fellow-traveler might possibly be hungry, too, and rather shyly asked -if monsieur would do him the honor of joining him in his repast. This -invitation was readily accepted, and a bottle of excellent Burgundy -followed by a dram of old cognac, put the two men in such good humor -that they began to grow more and more confidential. - -The man in gray imparted to his companion all kinds of little tricks -in the grocery trade, such as mingling sand with brown sugar, -oleomargarine with fresh table butter, and he even acknowledged, to the -great amusement of the other, that he had a Japanese in his employ to -carefully open the boxes of prime tea received from China and Japan, -who after having mixed the contents with some tea of very inferior -quality, recanted them in such an adept manner that it was impossible -for the retail grocers to detect the fact that they had ever been -opened or their contents adulterated. - -On the other hand Lord Wolseley's alleged staff officer horrified his -grocer friend by a detailed description of the Soudanese method of -killing their enemies, namely, by a swift, sweeping stroke across the -throat with an exceedingly sharp knife, and which is invariably yielded -from behind, so that the slayer escapes being deluged by the blood of -his victim. - -“When one has the knack,” added he, with a significant sweep of his -hand, “one can almost sever the head with such a stroke.” - -Meanwhile both of the men had been smoking some exceedingly fine -Manilla cheroots, which it is well known are slightly washed with -opium, and which the grocer had offered to his new acquaintance. By and -by they both dropped off into a deep sleep, the slumbers of the alleged -staff officer being far more heavy than those of his companion, as it -was easy to perceive by his stertorous breathing. Indeed, it almost -sounded as if he was under the influence of some particularly strong -narcotic. - -Suddenly the grocer stealthily opened his eyes, and, having assured -himself that his fellow-traveler was asleep, proceeded to examine the -contents not only of his pockets but also of his valise. An exclamation -of satisfaction burst from his lips as he found the objects of his -search, which, as he held them up to the dim light of the lamp, it was -easy to perceive consisted of valuable jewelry. - -As he raised his face toward the lamp for the purpose of examining his -booty his false beard fell off and revealed the features of Frederick -von Waldberg. - -The sleeping man who had been drugged both by means of the brandy and -of the cigar which had been offered to him was Pranzini, who over a -year later was guillotined for the murder of a demi-mondaine named -Marie Regnault, who, together with her maid and the latter's child, -were found in her apartment of the Rue Montaigne, slain in identically -the same fashion in which Marie Aguetant had been killed two days -previous to Pranzini's and Frederick's departure together from Paris. -All four victims had been murdered with the same sweeping backward -stroke of the knife so graphically described by Pranzini to the alleged -grocer. - -When the train steamed into Dijon, Frederick gathered up all his -belongings and got out. - -Pranzini did not awake till after leaving Avignon, and only discovered -after his arrival in Marseilles that he had been robbed. Of course, -under the circumstances, he was unable to apply to the police for -assistance, for these jewels were those stolen from Marie Aguetant, -whom he, Pranzini, had killed, but for whose murder “Prado” suffered -death. - -Frederick, after leaving Dijon, made his way across country to -Bordeaux, and from thence to Madrid, where he pawned the jewels, with -the help of a woman of the name of Ximenes. - -It was mainly on the evidence adduced by this very woman, to the effect -that the jewels in question had been pawned by Linska de Castillon, -alias “Prado” (the name which he gave on his arrest), that he was -condemned for the murder of Marie Aguetant, which he had not committed, -but of which Pranzini alone was guilty. - -Pranzini always bore a grudge against _l'homme en gris_ (the man in the -gray coat), whose name he did not know, but whom he accused of having -been his accomplice in the triple murder of the Rue Montaigne. - -Frederick, on the other hand, when the trial of Pranzini took place, -recognized in the features of the prisoner those of his traveling -companion from whom he had stolen the jewels subsequently identified as -those of Marie Aguetant. - -For obvious reasons he remained silent at the time. - -But why did he not speak when, later on, his own life was at stake? The -only explanation of this mysterious silence is to be found in the last -lines of the confession which he intrusted to Louis Berard. They are, -word for word, as follows: - - “I know that I yet could save myself. Why should I not say the - truth, that Pranzini, the assassin of Marie Regnault, was also - the slayer of Marie Aguetant, of whose murder I am unjustly - accused! My reason for remaining silent and for refusing to sign - my _recours en grace_ (appeal for mercy) is that I am heartily - sick of life. I am bound, in any case, to be condemned to penal - servitude for robbery; a second time I would not escape from - Noumea. My life is destroyed; all my ambitions are dead—I have - nothing more to live for in this world. I am happy to leave it. - The guillotine, toward which I am going, is a just retribution for - other crimes. My sins have found me out. - - “(Signed) - - COUNT FREDERICK VON WALDBERG.” - -Such is the extraordinary history of the man who was guillotined on -the 4th of December, 1888, under the alias of “Prado,” and who, having -escaped punishment for the innumerable atrocities he had committed, -finally suffered death for a crime of which he was innocent. - - LOUIS BERARD. - - -[THE END.] - - - - -SEA AND SHORE SERIES. - -Stories of Strange Adventure Afloat and Ashore. - -ISSUED QUARTERLY. - -All Books in this Series are Fully Illustrated. - - -The above-named series is issued in clear, large type, uniform in size -with “The Select Series,” and will consist of the most thrilling and -ingeniously constructed stories, by popular and experienced writers in -the field of fiction. The following books are now ready: - - No. 1.—An Irish Monte Cristo, by John Sherman. - - No. 2.—The Silver Ship, by Lewis Leon. - - No. 3.—The Brown Princess, by M. V. 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BURKE COLLINS, - -Author of “Sir Philip's Wife,” “Married for Gold,” etc. - -A love story of absorbing interest, artistic in construction, and -founded on an entrancing plot. - - -A SEVERE THREAT. - -By Mrs. E. BURKE COLLINS, - -Author of “Bonny Jean,” “Sir Philip's Wife,” etc. - -A story exciting in action, brisk in movement, with several highly -wrought dramatic scenes. - -PRICE, TWENTY-FIVE CENTS. - -For sale by all Booksellers and News Agents, or will be sent, _postage -free_, to any address in the United States or Canada, on receipt of -price, by the publishers, - -STREET & SMITH, - - P. O. Box 2734. 31 Rose St., New York. - - - - -STREET & SMITH'S SELECT SERIES - -OF - -POPULAR AMERICAN COPYRIGHT STORIES, - -BY POPULAR AUTHORS. - -NO. 5. - -BRUNETTE AND BLONDE; - -OR, - -THE STRUGGLE FOR A BIRTHRIGHT. - -By Mrs. ALEX. McVEIGH MILLER, - -Author of “The Senator's Bride,” “A Dreadful Temptation,” “The Bride of -the Tomb,” etc. - -This is a natural and admirably told story, graceful in diction, with -well-drawn characters, and the author's graphic power is evidenced in -many dramatic scenes of exciting interest. - - -NO. 6. - -A STORMY WEDDING. - -By Mrs. MARY E. BRYAN, - -Author of “Manch,” “Ruth the Outcast,” “Bonny and Blue,” etc. - -A spirited and earnestly written story, with a fresh and ingenious -plot, which is so artistically developed that the interest never lags. - -Both of these books are uniform in size with the others of the series -of AMERICAN COPYRIGHT STORIES, with handsome lithographed covers. - -Price, Twenty-five Cents Each. - -They are for sale by every Bookseller and News Agent, or will be sent -to any address in the United States or Canada on receipt of price. - -STREET & SMITH, - - P. O. Box 2734. 31 Rose St., New York. - - - - -[Illustration: The Secret Service Series.] - - -THE SECRET SERVICE SERIES. - -This Series comprises the best Detective Stories, by the most popular -authors, ever published. It is issued monthly, and the books are fully -illustrated. The following are the latest issues: - - No. 18—A WALL STREET HAUL, by Nick Carter. - - No. 17—THE OLD DETECTIVE'S PUPIL, by Nick Carter. - - No. 16—THE MOUNTAINEER DETECTIVE, by Clayton W. Cobb. - - No. 15—TOM AND JERRY, by Tony Pastor. - - No. 14—THE DETECTIVE'S CLEW, by “Old Hutch.” - - No. 13—DARKE DARRELL, by Frank H. Stauffer. - - No. 12—THE DOG DETECTIVE, by Lieutenant Murray. - - No. 11—THE MALTESE CROSS, by Eugene T. Sawyer. - - No. 10—THE POST-OFFICE DETECTIVE, by Geo. W. Goode. - - No. 9—OLD MORTALITY, by Young Baxter. - - No. 8—LITTLE LIGHTNING, by Police Captain James. - - No. 7—THE CHOSEN MAN, by “Old Sleuth.” - - - - -THE CELEBRATED - -SOHMER - -GRAND, SQUARE AND UPRIGHT - -[Illustration] - -PIANOS - - -Are at present the most popular, - -AND PREFERRED BY THE LEADING ARTISTS. - - -The SOHMER Pianos are used in the following Institutions: - - Convent of the Sacred Heart, Manhattanville, N. Y. - - Vogt's Conservatory of Music. - - Arnold's Conservatory of Music, Brooklyn. - - Philadelphia Conservatory of Music. - - Villa de Sales Convent, Long Island. - - N. Y. Normal Conservatory of Music. - - Villa Maria Convent, Montreal. - - Vassar College, Poughkeepsie. - - And most all the leading first-class theaters in NEW YORK and - BROOKLYN. - - -The Wonderful Bijou Grand - -(lately patented) by =SOHMER= & CO., the =Smallest Grand= ever -manufactured (length only 5 feet) has created a sensation among -musicians and artists. The music loving public will find it in their -interest to call at the warerooms of =SOHMER= & CO., and examine the -various styles of Grands, Uprights, and Square Pianos. The original and -beautiful designs and improvements in Grands and Upright Pianos deserve -special attention. - - -_Received First Prize Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia, 1876._ - -_Received First Prize at Exhibition, Montreal, Canada, 1881 and 1882._ - -SOHMER & CO., - -MANUFACTURERS OF GRAND, SQUARE AND UPRIGHT PIANOFORTES, - -Warerooms, 149, 151, 153, 155 East 14th St., N. Y. - - - - - ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ - │ Transcriber's Note: │ - │ │ - │ Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. │ - │ │ - │ Punctuation and spelling were made consistent when a predominant │ - │ form was found in this book; otherwise they were not changed. │ - │ │ - │ Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained. │ - │ │ - │ Mid-paragraph illustrations have been moved between paragraphs │ - │ and some illustrations have been moved closer to the text that │ - │ references them. │ - │ │ - │ Italicized words are surrounded by underline characters, _like │ - │ this_. Words in bold characters are surrounded by equal signs, │ - │ =like this=. │ - │ │ - │ Other corrections: │ - │ │ - │ p. 36: Cercies changed to Cercles (Cercles de jeu). │ - │ │ - │ p. 73: Barona changed to Baroda (to visit him at Baroda). │ - │ │ - │ p. 197: Arignon changed to Avignon (after leaving Avignon). │ - │ │ - │ French words with diacritics appear without. This was not │ - │ corrected. │ - └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A servant of Satan, by Louis Berard - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A SERVANT OF SATAN *** - -***** This file should be named 54805-0.txt or 54805-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/8/0/54805/ - -Produced by MFR, Christian Boissonnas and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -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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