Show AA P 7 0 i 4 A i charles tenne 9 jackson chom 19 allt C by the bobbs derrll comforts comports Com ports t CHAPTER XII X 11 continued 15 what have you said 7 he whig pored lit LB cna in the Grena grenadines dines you iou are louise lestrange you are the child of the refugees from martinique lons leur she answered wonderingly surely how could you know and then she stepped nearer with rt a cry that rang monsieur de Al monaster ile he took her hands and bowing kissed her fingertips finger tips A great light was in his eyes the glitter of an incredible triumph the girl flushed and nd her own glance went from one gentleman to the other the elder alder was in rapt MIA surprise he took snuff gravely from a golden trinket of a box and then regarded them with the air of one who nho knew everything had planned everything and was but merely watching the consummation of his desires louise lespron cried out joyfully again coming coining closer to the younger gentleman there was in it a swift relief as if she hurried to his protection tec tion the gamester had said aid he be loved her that he would claim his bis pawn monsieur de almonaster AI Al monaster who befriended me eight years ago after the blacks massacred my family destroyed out es estate 1 the very same I 1 went to paris I 1 visited quebec after my three years at st cyr I 1 searched in the indies iddles ports I 1 sought word of little mademoiselle VE lestrange strange the orphaned girl of the slaves revolt there was hardly need to guess at the he reason for his earch the girl turned aside the captain mazarac bent upon the younger man a look of odd remembrance my name was changed a trifle anglicized monsieur by the family of colonel carr I 1 am his ward she besIta hesitated ted and turned to the commander of the seraphine Seraph lne you came to me at the hour of my deep despair monsieur the night at the hotel I 1 broke with cares intrigues from that moment and then welt well I 1 knew too ranch much for his safety A discredited adventurer his commission already recalled by hla his maje government plotting with the malcontents of the northwest and with the spaniards across the sabine against louisiana the conspirators seized me hurried me upon the benaron lest I 1 disclose the truth to mr langhorne my notions nations consul at new orleans canis in the pay of the spanish king an agent of the holy alliance that wishes to embroil england and america again in war lest the united states grow too powerful in the west wert 1 1 I I guessed as much said captain gazaras absently taking his snuff again even before that night at the hotel mademoiselle that night queried raoul rt it has been a mystery you did not challenge colonel carr as all the town expected from that night there was a change in you monsieur mazarac Saz arac monsieur mazarac shrugged louise Le glance upon him seemed to appeal to whatever chivalry there could be in a gamester of the packets suddenly raoul swept about impetuously and addressed the elder man monsieur do you recall the dinner at my countryseat country seat A confidence I 1 made to you A memory a child a lovely child burned in the memory of a dreamer schoolboy paris all the world could not make him forget I 1 the other bowed his faint smile came the nonchalant voice bowed smoothly on 1 I am twice honored I 1 am twice the chosen confidant mon figur mazarac brings with a sweep seep of either hand two charming stories out of the thin air ile he understands evert tit tiling in g does monsieur mazarac Saz arac he will now be the second jester of the seraphine jean the young man started to him in hurt grief 1 I beg you the masters bronzed hand band uplifted ali ah mazarac ael 1 raoul placed his fingers on the gold braid of the others sleeve bleeve de Alnio Almon nacter auter seemed stunned by some re surgIng revelation that abat he be bit had forgotten lie placed his arm quite about the oie others shoulder 1 I will not speak the flushed youth whispered 1 I am in honor not to speak Mons monsieur leur can you understand me and he be whispered even lower so BO that no accent might come to her wondering ears you too are mazarac Saz arac a gentleman who rails falls the seraphine Seraph lne you tou have stirred her deeply with some mystery of you monsieur Saz mazarac arac ae she shall follow her heart into that mystery or not as she chooses the two gentlemen parted silently under tinder whit bag mi messieurs Is this ship the two gentlemen looked oddly at teach ach other you are lu in all honor hound bound to send vie nie back to new arili arlehn n monsieur she fhe cried sharply foremen fori even now with the protecting arm oad of de Al Almonn monaster ster by her side eade site she recalled mazarac Saz arac ta taft gamester ca ue had sworn to claim beri herand and he be was here standing apart with that faint irony la in Ms smile you will sail gall at once for new orleans messieurs she repeated ae at least the master bowed will find welcome and even as de almonaster Al monaster stared at tills this evident madness there came a step on the emperors red staircase the admiral of cartagena second in command upon the se sern phane came to the pot por fieres sir he broke in shortly with a surly glance at mademoiselle lespron Le stron as it if this affair of the english woman was taking far too much of the hour the bullies are howling again they swear to drag jarvis from the brig and crown him an emperor of the last buccaneers bucca SlI silence ence youl the captain said sternly what Is this sir air the wind Is picking said de at al cr turning from the port where now the royal curtain was fluttering buttering sir a sailing wind 41 that Is it grumbled Be beluche luebe the devils have bate smelled it they have been waiting for it they say any they have hare stolen the lady for you and kept their hands bands offlie off a helpless prize out of tribute to mazarac Saz arac now novi monsieur mazarac Is returning to new orleans I 1 sir shouted beluche Be luehe luebe and then stopped the eyes of mazarac had turned upward to the open skylight above the emperors cabin ile he had bad thought a gleam of steel or another eyeball had reflected the glitter of the crystal lamp and then they all heard above on the deck the sound of bare feet retreating hastily fainter and fainter there was a spy from the focas fo cagle muttered beluche they wished to know perdition I 1 you cannot mean new orleans I 1 you will go forward sir air returned the master quietly the fellow who laid above this cabin listening you will find him and lay him in double irons aye sir but the old seaman turned pathetically at the foot of the stairs but name a 0 G d I 1 we might as well put our necks on the block in new granada tor for the king W 0 men as lay again to the place darmes dannes in new orleans I 1 we are returning said the other steadily for the peace of the sens seas between two nations eli eh old brawler of the ports I 1 are you with me you beluche bohon black mike gorgio slit nose are they not with me the old buccaneer watched the english woman out of hard bard blinking salt reddened eyes eh men bled he be growled at length A port tor for acl II 11 Is bells will ring for us I 1 the young gentleman may save his big neck but you and I 1 Mon monsieur mazarac Saz Suz arac very well it Is for the english woman 1 CHAPTER XIII monsieur Mone leur of the cannon shot but that one hours fitful cap of wind out of the south died ere the watch changed the lady of the genz t lit you will sail at once lor for new orleans messieurs Mei eur she repeated aron had bad been put safety safely away in the emperors own suite and whatever whispered conferences there were tore fore or aft upon the napoleon ship never a word mord of it drifted to her curtained ports mademoiselle lespron saw the master but once after her siesta in the cabin which was hardly more endurable against the flat heat beat of the dead calm than the deek deck lie came to her under the lie awnings you are comfortable mademoiselle after this blistering day of calm mazarac inquired gravely your mack black boys boya could not bave bat done more except to enlighten met me I 1 monsieur mazarac of the mississippi packets are you a magic worker that from a you leap to ca command a gunned schooner with one trifle of a pause upon the staircase of a house a certain night arid and after dint he left her the relenting pretty speech unsaid upon her lips and she was used to gentlemen awaiting her favor the sun was setting wh when en johan ness came up op from quarters and raised a moistened finger to feel the air the heat beat had been a thins thing to thicken ali the blood in a mans skull that day that issue of the land breeze which picks up in these latitudes after the sun poes goes down hovered like a ghost over the lacquer table in the cabin of the emperor where there sat to dine with the lady indy of the benaron Ge naron beluche the gold braided admiral of cartagena dominique the alderman of new orleans leanse f the count de almonaster AI Al monaster and mazarac who sat in the hosts chair with the guest at his right the lamps of brass and crystal shone very bright but there was oz oc vacant chair among the gentlemen raoul glanced at it seeing that their guest had done the same the serving man seemed suddenly disturbed ua H lingered by de Almon asters chair Mons monsieur leur of the cannon shot wished a place set tor for him though be b cannot come to tell the lady that b he loves her raoul glanced at mazarac Saz arac the loaders leaders eyes were on the vacant seat the ghost of the lost friend might have sat there the sorry jester of the monsieur of the cannon shot a place set for him though he H cannot come to tell the lady that he loves her new waistcoat so lon long the constraint grew grem among them mademoiselle le stron looked curiously from one to the other then to the admiral with the trappings of 0 the gimcrack republic of the south and the velvet clad respectability of at the alderman what Is the lest jest gentlemen she cried the guest who cannot cornel comet she lifted her gl classa assA toast to him then what say you all the four gentlemen drank it after a curious arcurious pause waiting uniting for the cue of Saz mazarac arac and now growled beluche to a wind against him a wind a 0 death 1 it la Is a phrase of the coast put in raoul hurriedly seeing the sudden recoil recall of the lady indy of the emperors cabin from this grimness the hurricane month Is upon us ofte these calms A wind there must most be ninny of the spanish tings kings ships heavy beavy gunned friga frigates teg lying in the tides above us helpless as we 11 res to a topsail breeze to take the sera dhone from under their clumsy aeeti and as they were drinking this ond and mademoiselle was breaking into a chatter to cover the grotesque menace she could not divine there came a tap at the door A face showed there a fair young ships prentice whom de AI Al monaster remembered as being one of the english deserters ile he raised a warning hand past the black serving man A word sirl sir I 1 yes Ye my lad but what nhat Is this the boy crept about to act ael chair as if the masters protection must serie berte him 1 I aro am clark sir from the Ce gharon Gna naron ron bohon sent me from the wheel ile he wished ts to report privately bir there Is a light in the south the steersman says it Is a shore light me lie does not like the drift in this tide soul sou sourest sou soul west and lie he thinks the leadsman lies lie be says we have more than eight fathom 0 water what Is the meaning of thier this cried the skipper shipper why must he bw send a man in secret to me up dark clark lie ile did not vash to arouse them ferard fo rard sir air and lie he does not trust the lookout or the sounding lie suddenly fears the watch have a mind to lot let the schooner beach herself air on a spit a 0 sand band the masters hand had bad swung up lip his hl face darkling what has it gon so far as this they are out of con can arol forward the dock officer fleer of sir air has feared bohon bobon Is suspicious of some som thing that he be cannot put eye or liana band the lad stopped as ifie if ie unil a not telling all and ir I 1 would Ls a cure how bow any of your party go above it might be better if none suspect yoi yog are warned the captain raised hl his hand ihm gentlemen one at a time t 19 this th steersman beluche you follow I 1 dark clark I 1 count on you sirl TO BE |