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Show THE vkCfflEVEMENTS Of pN CHUDE Bim THE CHRONICLES OE A FAMOUS PREFECT Ot rUni-i nTurr nn 4 irrn ttUCE DURING THE REGIME OF THE SECOND iHF iHIrr KM A A KS EMPIRE , IN THE, RBGN'OE NAPOEEON HI , - 1 llu VI I J-a JiTLiUU I The Luckless liAYWAR&cs Knee& v I BZNT UNDER HlM AND ffE PsV )T . I Collapsed m a Limp Neap. V ihlniii"" I SPEAK not only as a phy-I phy-I slclnn, but as your friend, 1 J. 1 M" c,aude" sald Dr' Mar" Ii"iiv9 Tho chlof pulled at his i!AS&04 cigar and gazed thought-, thought-, fully at tho blue rings of ffOM smoko mounllnB ,nt0 tn0 ;v'f Bm "Your opinion coincides is yMsfj&l with that of his maj. Ij gggjjjyjj csty's medical ndvlser, M. ! Martlnu, ho said, at length. "I am honored, in that my dlstln- J gulshcd colleague agrees with me' M remarked tho pollco surgeon, "nnd M trust that tho combined weight of our jj advlco may affect you to an early compllanro." i"Well," sighed tho chief, regretfully, regretful-ly, "wlicn a thing has to ho done, It Is better to do It at onco and crosf tho Rubicon swiftly, than to delay. Hut I had hoped that somo less un B palatable mcdlclna than an absenco B of two weeks from tho prefecture and B Paris would meet tho exigency of my B case." B "Hut U10 fact remains," returned tho B surgeon, positively, "that complcto B rest Is tho only thing .that will ban-B ban-B Ish your Insomnia and rcmovo tho H languid feeling that oppresses you. Bj Thcro Is nothing organically wrong; Bt your muscles aro Iron and your phy-H phy-H slrjuo would bo n credit to an athlete BJ of 20, Hut the system needs a toning BJ up which can only bo gained through BJ tho iiso of uaturo'B cordial. A short BJ vacation In the country that will take ft you away from tho center of this Bt seething whirlpool of political and BE criminal Intrigue Is tho tonic, that wtll Bf restoro your wonted vigor." Br Whercforo It enmo nbout that one Bj, flno afternoon In July the humhlo Inn mm known as tho Clolden Grape, In tho Bf vlllago of Dcsell, received Monsieur BJt Clande as a guest. Thcro was nothing noth-ing to Indlcato the offlclal In tho traveler's trav-eler's garb that tho chief had ussumed, and although tho possibility of meet- Ilng an acquaintance In this out-of-the-way spot wns a remoto ono, ho had takon tho precaution of disguising his identity by wearing a wig of Ink blackness nnd Imparting n somber tinge to his eyebrows. "Of a truth," M. Qucntln Informed his latest customer, "tho good saints hod dolguod to smllo upon him. For had not monsieur como a respectable respect-able and much to bo desired citizen, who purposed honoring Dcsell with his presence for two wholo weoks. And tho day beforo arrived tho foreign gentleman, he of tho Americas, Captain Cap-tain Ratcllffe, who might remain for a lengthy porlod of time, That too was well, for were thoy not rich, theso ! Americans, nnd should monsieur tho captain, who without doubt wns ono of tho nnblos of hU country, pralgo tho Golden Grapo when ho returned home, might there not also como many of his compatriots anxious to seo with tholr own eyes if tho truth had been spoken?" Thus mlno host, to whoso Joyous exclamations and roady stronm of gossip gos-sip M. Claudo gravely Inclined a listening lis-tening oar "Furthermore," stated SI. Quontln. "by a inlracla of favor on tho part of tho good mothor, tho chateau belonging belong-ing to tho moit noble Marquis D'Almbeau had been rented for tho summer by nn English monslour who had taken up his quartors there with a wlfo, step-daughter and male cousin cous-in to bear him company. Tho lndlos woro of beauty piost rare. Poradven-turo Poradven-turo monsieur might view them, for It was posslblo that thoy would drlvo on occasions through the vlllago." At suppor thnt night "M. DobrossoB" was gratified by an opportunity to 1 gazo apon the features of tho Amerl-I Amerl-I can sojourner In a distant land. Whon ' JM tho latter entered tho public room Vj where tho guests of the Golden Grapo rjf wero wont to satisfy the cravings of , hunger, tho chiefs eyes tested upon ' a tall, athletic form that was tho beau-Ideal of n dashing cavalry soldier. sol-dier. Captain Hugh ltntcllffe. U. S. A., was well on tho sunny sldo of 30 and his bright, steady eyes and firmly knit mouth bespoko tho mnn of action, ac-tion, accustomed to command and lead In hazardous enterprises. Tho peeudo M. Dcbrosscs was favorably Impressed with tho nppcaranco of tho young military officer, whom ho rightly right-ly Judged to bo ono of tho men who hnd taken part In tho great civil war, which had recently terminated In tho country of tho fnr west. Ho rose at an early hour on tho following fol-lowing day and, truo to his promlso to M. Martlne, wandered nbrond In tho dowoy frngranco of tho morning. A stroll through tho woods presently brought htm within view of the chateau cha-teau which his host had referred to on tho preceding night. It stood In tin midst of spacious grounds surrounded surround-ed by n low stono wall, and dcsplto Its apparently great ago was tolerably toler-ably well preserved. Except for a thin black lino of smoko curling lazily upward from ono of tho chimneys thcro was no sign of llfo about the building, nnd M. Claudo, after surveying survey-ing It with nn air of languid Interest, turned to rotraco his steps. The uneventful round of rustic life at tho Golden Grape partook of tho na-turo na-turo of a placid monotonous dream that M. Claudo at first found not altogether al-together unplcnslng. Uut on tho fourth day ho began to chafo Inwardly over his enforced Idleness. Tho peaceful peace-ful atmosphcro of tho countryside- lay heavily upon his spirit, nnd ho longed with n fierce Intensity for tho feverish linsto and turmoil of Paris. Indeed, had It not been for nn uttorly unexpected unex-pected communication made to him by Captain Hugh Ilatcllffe, It Is probable prob-able that ho would havo cast discretion discre-tion to tho winds and returned to the city ho longed for. He had reached tho conclusion that u love affair with one of the chateau Inmates was responsible fur tho American's Amer-ican's sojourn In Dcsell. On several occasions when strolling through tho woods he had observed Hatcllffe cither cith-er going toward or returning from tho rcsldenco of tho Raymonds, and also noted that the young soldier seldom sel-dom mado his appearance at tho Inn after supper until ten or eleven o'clock, when ho at onco sought his bedroom. Plnlnly, then, tho chief argued, ar-gued, ho was spending much of his time In tho society of the chateau ladles. It was strange, however, If Rntcllffo wbb so Intimate with the members of tho family that thoy did not Invite him to mako tho mansion his headquarters during his stay at Desell. Hut at this point M. Claude always stopped short, mindful of his promlso to abstain from meddling with perplexing problms. That night Cupiatn Ratcllffo, Instead of starting off on his nocturnal pilgrimage pil-grimage as usual, lingered In tho supper sup-per room smoking nnd converging with M. Claude. The latter noted thnt his companion wore nn abstracted air nnd Ratcliffe's forced attempts at Joviality did not hide hU anxiety from the experienced ex-perienced eye of tho eteran police offlcor. The chief was therefore not greatly surprised when tho young follow fol-low suddenly leaned forward and said In earnest tones: "M. Debrtsjes, I am weary of wearing wear-ing a mask and chatting Idly of trivialities triv-ialities while my brain Is be!eged by hideous fancies. I don't know what makes ma feel like confiding In you, porhnps tho esse with which you speak my languago has apt something to do with It, for I seo clearly that you are a man of good birth and nouto perception." "You flatter me." rojalned tho chief, smiling gooJ-hnmoredly. "Ntit nt nil." reepondod Ilatcllffe. "Flattery, M. Debrosses, Is an art brought to a far higher state of perfec-I perfec-I tlon by tho members of your raco than tnlue I am blunt and outspoken and when I resolve to do a thing I go ahead after tho fashion of Davy Crockett, Crock-ett, of whom you may hnvo heard." "I havo read of tho exploits of your great countrymnu," assented tho chlof. "Permit mo to remind you, however, how-ever, captain, that If I remember cop rectly, Crockett's motto warned ono to bo certain of being right beforo going go-ing ahead. Had you not better reflect before honoring mo with your confidence confi-dence whether It Is wlso to trust n perfect stranger?" Ilatcltffo brought his broad, muscular muscu-lar hand dawn upon tho lablo with a vigorous thump. "I'm going by Intuition, M, Dcbrosscs," Dcbros-scs," ho oxclalmed. "If you're not an honest man, then I'll nover trust speech or appearance agnln." "Both aro frequently delusive, as you will learn. If you live long enough, my young friend," said tho chief, gravely. "Hut 1 think I can assure you that you aro not making an error In tho present instance I promlso to respect your confldcnco nnd will endeavor en-deavor to ndvlso you to tho best of my poor ability." "Como to my room," said Hatcllffe, rising. "Thero may bo eavesdroppers around here and what I havo to say Is not meant for any cars but yours." Tho chief followed his companion to the hitter's apartment and having seated himself prepared to llBten. "First of all," began Ratcllffo, "I wish to ask a question. Slnco your arrival havo you over laid eyes upon the present occupants of tho chateau?" Tho chief shook his head. "From what tho good gossip, our host, told mo," he said, "I had fancied some members of the family would bavo appeared driving or walking abroad, but so far they havo escaped my notice." "Just so," rcturnod nntcllffo. "Wore they hermits they could not romaln In moro rigid seclusion. Now, my story Is ns follows, M. Debrosses: I became acquainted with tho Raymonds In London nbout two months ago. Mrs. Raymond wns formerly tho second wlfo of a merchant named Thurber. who had one child, a girl named Alice, when thoy woro married. Thurbor died suddenly nnd shortly after his demlso tho widow wedded this man, Henry Raymond. Thoy had been married mar-ried about a year when I first mot them and felt In lovo with their stop-daughter. stop-daughter. .My family Is ono of tho oldest nnd best In Now York nnd my father Is a wealthy man, so that as far as birth and money went I considered con-sidered myself nn eligible, suitor for Alice's hand. The girl roturncd my affection, af-fection, but hor step-parents refused to sanction our engagement on tho plea that Alice was too young at 17 to know hor own mind In such a matter. I flight havo attributed this ultimatum ultima-tum to laudablo discretion on their part, wero It not for n dlsclosuro of the real stato of affairs mado to mo by Alice. "According to the forms of hor father's fa-ther's will, sho recolved a handsome legacy which was to remain undor tho control of hor step-mother until Allco attained hor majority or was married. mar-ried. Thoro wag a cortaln Peter May-nard, May-nard, a big red-headed dissipated brute, and cousin of Henry Raymond, who lived with them and apparently possessed no other means of support than that afforded him by his relatives. rela-tives. This was tho animal selected by Alice's stop-parents for her future husband." "Is M. Raymond aware of your presence In Dosell?" Inquired tho chlof. "I imnglno so," returned Ratcllffo. M. Claudo shook his head. "Violence "Vio-lence would avail you nothing," ho said, gravely. "Ono must moot tho craft of the serpent with guile. I am glad, however, that you havo confided In me." Tho American caught the chiefs I hand in his sinewy grip. "I ll do as you say, M Debrosses," ho said. "With a mend to aid mo I may hopo to accomplish, something." Hy degrees the netyly allleJ forcoi obtained somo ffCft' information regarding re-garding tho lnmatj pt tho cboteau. "Thcro is somp now dovlltry hatching," hatch-ing," said tho American, passionately, ns soon as ho found himself alono with tho chief. "U distracts mo to think that I must sit hero ldlo, whllo heaven only knows what peril may threaten thnt unfortunnto girl." "A prize worth having Is worth suffering for," observed tho chief, coolly. "Tnko courage, M. Rntcllffo, I havo sent to Paris for a person upon whoso Judgment I rely nnd who Is nlways willing to placo his services at my disposal. He Is M. Hlauvcrt, nn Inspector of pollco. Hnvo you any idea of how many mnlo servants M. Raymond has at his command?" "Thero nro four,'1 replied RatclHTc, besides tho gnrdner, who does not appear ap-pear to bo In his confidence to nny great extent. Hut tho others nro n bad lot nnd would probably not hesitate hesi-tate to carry out any commission of their employers, however desperate" "Tho odds nro then heavily n;nlnst us," commented tho chief, "should occasion arlso for Btrong-hnndcd measures. meas-ures. Hut wo will endeavor to avoid vlolcnco, M. Ratcllffo. which as n law-abiding law-abiding citizen I am bound to dotost." During tho next two days gossip was rlfo in tho vlllago rcgnrdlng tho coming of tho physlclnn, M. Lupin, nnd his unsuccessful endeavors to combat the disease which flnallv resulted re-sulted In tho patient's lcath. Also, said busy Danio Rumor, tho body of M. Mnynnrd would not bo taken to England for burial, but interred in tho little cemetery nt Dcsell. Tho nr- I rK-nt tmm 1nt-la nf n fnffln nnnflrmpil this report and aroused tho chief to tho dispatching of n second messngo to his olllclal colleague, ordering him to come to tho vlllago with further delay. In tho morning when M. Claudo arose, Ratcllffe had already departed on his usual tour of inspection. Hy noon ho had' not returned, nnd "tho chief, smoking Idly in tho doorwny of tho Inn, wns surprised at tho sight nf mini, linat nmt lita nitiltnna liltatlv engaged in transferring a trunk nnd sundry boxes, that M Claudo recognized recog-nized as tho effects of his lato companion, com-panion, from tho lattcr's room to a carriage standing In tho road. "What means this, M. Qucntln?" Inquired tho chief. "Havo you lost a customer? I supposed that M, Ratcllffo Rat-cllffo contemplated making an extended extend-ed stay under your hoBpltablo roof." Tho landlord sighed mournfully, "It was oven bo. M, Debrosses," ho exclaimed. "Hut seo from tho chateau M. Raymond cnds a messago demanding de-manding tho property of tho tinblo captain whom ho has persuaded to remain as his guest." For nn Instant tho chiefs good nn-turo nn-turo rebelled ngalnst what scorned to bo an ungracious requital on tho part of tho Amorlcan for his preferred services. Could It ho thnt Ratcllffo had arranged terms with tho Raymonds Ray-monds without deeming It worth his whllo to acquaint him with tho circumstances? cir-cumstances? On second thought such n possibility seemed absurd. It was far moro likely that tho impetuous lover had fallen Into a snaro skillfully arranged by his crafty enemies. Tho rumbling of wheels attracted his attention nnd n post-chnlso camn Into vlow from tho Interior of which , as It drew up at tho Inn door, there emerged tho person of M. Hlauvcrt. "It was my intention to movo cnu-lously cnu-lously In this affair," remarked tho chief, when ho had cnllghtoncd his colleague as to the nature of tho mystery that confronted thorn, "but tho sudden disappearance of M. Ratcllffo Rat-cllffo precipitates mattors. "It is now threo o'clock," said tho chief, "and much may happen in tho Interval, but wo must tnko tho chanco. For tho present thoro Is nothing to do snvo wait" M. Claudo listened. "I am going to spy on tho chateau, M. Hlauvort," ho said, abruptly. "I may gain Information that will bo of sorvlco to us. Remain hero until your men arrive, when you will fol low mo, In case I hnvo not returned. Impress tho landlord as guide, if necessary." M. Hlnuvort saluted, but mado no comment. Tho chiefs evident nxcito-mcnt nxcito-mcnt was unusual In a man famous for his iron nerve, but tho inspector know bettor than to romonstrato with him. M, Claudo, having first looked caro-fully caro-fully to the loading of n brace of heavy pistols, thruBt them In his pockets and Jeft the Inn. Twenty minutes min-utes of smart walking brought him to the chateau grounds. Avoiding the main entrance, ho followed the lino of the low wall for some dig-tanro, dig-tanro, and choosing a likely spot for tho attempt clamlwred over It with little difficulty. As he approached tbc house ho saw that it wa dark In the front, save for one room on the ground floor whore rays of llht penetrated pene-trated through crevices unshielded by the closely drawn wlndiw blinds,, Remembering Itatclirfe's assertion regarding the place where Allco Thurber Thur-ber was confined, he turned to the west wing. Here he was rewarded by tho sight of n half-open window, about 1C feet from the ground, where a light wag vlellilo. The butldlnc was surrounded by trees nnd Mi Claude noted ese in partlcilar, the thick limbs nf which were close to the lighted w ndow. AiprtaihlDg. he climbed nl-i 1 ly up t". o t ink nrd gained n p l&t nf auU?o aa a convenient con-venient limb, From whero ho clung bo could view the Interior of tho room and espied tho slight form of a young girl kneeling by tho hed and nppnr-cntly nppnr-cntly engaged In prayer. M. Claudo broko off n portion of bark from tho trco nnd tossed it through tho window. As It fell upon tho floor tho girl nroso with a faint cry of alarm nnd ran to tho casement. "I am a friend of M. Rntclirfo," ho said, "and desirous of helping you, Mllo. Thurber." A tlngo of roso color crept Into tho girl's pato fnco nnd sho clasped her small hands convulsively. "You nro wclcomo, monsledr," sho said, "but I fear it la too lato. Ho Is in deadly peril." "Sol" said tho chlof, dryly. "M. Mnynnrd Is still In tho land of tho living. liv-ing. For whom then was tho magnificent magnifi-cent coffin Intended, of which gossip Qucntln, host of tho Inn, spoku?" "For tho mnn I lovo, Captain Rntcllffo," Rnt-cllffo," respondod Allco Thurber. with trembling lips. "Ho was seized this morning hy M. Raymond nnd his men I when ha entered tho grounds In the endeavor to mark whero my room was. "Obey me. madomolscllo, and wo inny yet save your lover," ho said, curtly. "1 will lower you to tho ground and you must mako hasto to tho Inn of tho vlllago, known ns tho Golden Grape. Tho road lies duo south for about half n mllo and then turns east. When you reach tho Inn Inqulro for M. Hlnuvort. Ho Ib nn Inspector In-spector of police nnd will know what to do." "Hut you" begnn tho girl. M. Claudo interrupted her sharply. "I am armed nnd enn tnko caro of my-Fclf. my-Fclf. Go now nnd good fortuno bo with you, mademoiselle," Ho looped ono end of tho Improvised ropo under the girl's nrms and assisting assist-ing her across tha window sill lowered her gently to tho ground. When tho cessation of the strain on tho rope warned him thnt sho was In safety, ho leaned out of tho window nnd obtained n momontary glimpse of ft slender flguro flitting swiftly undor tho shadow of tho trees. Then ho approached ap-proached tho door and turned tho handle. han-dle. As he expected It wns fast, but smiling grimly ho produced n hunch of skeleton keps nnd Inserted ono In tho lock. Tho bolt shot back in responso to tho prcssuro nnd the door swung open, Ho stolo softly nlong tha dark cor rldor and hnd almost reached tho landing land-ing whero a lamp burnt dimly, when tho sound of n heavy footstep mounting mount-ing tho stairs caused him to halt abruptly. ab-ruptly. Tho flguro of a big, burly man camo Into vlow, n man with n thick crop of brlgh. rod hnlr, "M. Maynnrd, lately deceased and miraculously restored to life," muttered mut-tered tho chief, nnd rctrcntlng to the room he had Just loft ho entered It and closed tho door behind him. Tho tread of tho newcomer's feet echoed through tho corridor nnd ceased nt tho door of tho room whero M. Claude had taken refugo. Then followed tho rnttlo of a key In tho lock nnd u gruff oath of surprlso from Maynard at tho discovery that tho door was not fastened. Ho pushod It open nnd, entering, utood staring stupidly nt tho disarranged disar-ranged bed clothes nnd open window. At thnt Instant M. Claudo crept from behind tho door and brought tho maB-slvo maB-slvo butt of a pistol down upon tho visitor's unguarded head with terrific force, Tho luckless Maynard's knees bent under him and ho collapsed In a limp heap on the floor and lay motionless, with a thin stream of blood ebbing from tho gash In his skull. M. Claudo took tho counterpane from the bed nnd tearing It into strips tied tho ankles of his sonselcss victim togoth-or togoth-or and bound his hands tightly behind his back. That dono, ho again ventured ven-tured forth Into tho corridor nnd do-1 scended tho stairs without encounter lng nnyono. Reaching tho main hnll ho stood still and listened Intently. A murmur of voices camo through tho half open door of a room adjoining the entrnnco and thither tho chief stolo softly. Through tho crack of tho door ho was able to obtain a view of the occupants of tho apartment. M. Raymond, a tall man in tho early forties, Bllgl-tPy bald. with a strongly marked face and cynical cyni-cal mouth full of white, eager teeth that flnshed as ho spoke, was the first to attract tho observer's attention. Reside him Btood a robust woman of n conrso blonde typo, smiling nt some remark mado by a small, wiry man with Iron-gray hair who faced her. At tho far corner of the room lay n largo coffin, the lid of which stood on end against the wall. M. Claude saw thnt It contained a white shrouded form, nnd a cold shiver ran tbroufh his stalwart frame as he realized wfep the occupant must be. At the sound of Raymond's voice lie bent forward to listen. "How strong was that last dose of the druft. Lupin?" he Inquired of thu llttlu man. "He Is due to awaken In the court of tie next 20 minutes." replied the latter, In n sharp, vibrant voice, tho curious tones of which struck familiar, ly upon the chiefs ear. "I could restore re-store him now If It were necessary. Tbo next administration of my good Medjdno will keep him slumbering for tan hours, If such bo your will." "It may bu that thnt Infernally obstante ob-stante wench may yield when we show her the lovor in his shroud," satd "taymond. "Whnt is keeping Muy--ud? 1 tr.lJ him to bring her down at o! to a id tho fool sprtns to bo tak- ng his own tlino about It" "Ho Is so much in love," remark -d tho lady, with a lauji, and tho n o- ments fly fast when two tender hearts throb In sympathy." "Truo enough," responded hor husband. hus-band. "Peter is In lovo with hor money, mon-ey, Julia, and I bollevo it will cnuao him much pain when ho parts with half of It to us after tho m'arrlngo. Ring tho bell, Lupin, nnd wo'll drink a fresh bottlo of wine. This waiting Is thirsty work." As tho llttlo man turned to obey, M. Claudo strodo Into tho room nnd lovclcd a pistol nt his head. "Stand over thoro bosldo your friends," ho ordered, sternly. A shriek burst from tho woman's lips nnd hor husband uttered nn oath of surprlBo. M. Lupin backed nervously to tho wall, and tho thrco conspirators regarded re-garded tho chiefs menacing flguro In blank dismay. Raymond was first to recover himself. "Who tho devil nro you and what do you want hero?" ho domanded, viciously. With his dtsengnged hand M. Claudo pulled off hnt nnd wig and pointed to tho staring face of M. Lupin. "Ask that mnn, that ex-galley Blavo," ha responded, cheerily. "It Is M. Claudo, tho Paris chlof of pollco," ejaculated Lupin. "My friends, wa nro unilono. This mnn Is of tho devil; It wns ho that sent mo to the galleys flvo yenrn ago." "You woro n physician then," broko 'In tho chlof, "nnd I snpposo still possess your old Bklll, Romovo Captain Cap-tain Rntcllffo from thnt colTln nnd restoro re-storo him nt onco. You, uiadamo, and your husband will ho seated and do not movo nt peril of your lives." Rnymond Bcowlod vindictively, but compiled nnd bis wife followed his example Tho physician bent aver tho coffin nnd attempted to rnlsa tho shrouded form within. "Ho Is n henvy man nnd I am not strong, M. Claudo." ho whined. "Assist your confedernto, M. Raymond, Ray-mond, nnd bo quick nbout It," commanded com-manded the chief. Rnymond roso from his chair and ns M. Claude glanced nsldo for nn Instant seized tho opportunity to mnko n fprlng towards tho door. The chief's pistol crnckod sharply, but ths bullet Hew wide, and Raymond (lew Bwlftly down tho hnll. "It was not my fault, M. Claudo," whimpered Lupin, ns tho chlof turned upon him florcoly, "Look to your sntety, monsieur. His bnndlts are carousing In tho kitchen and ho has gono to fetch them." Even as ho Bpnkc, Rnymond, lending lend-ing four villainous looking runinns wielding flnshlng knives, reappeared. ! "Tho tables aro turned, M. Claudo," , ho cried and leaped forward, a long, I wicked blndo glittering In his hand. 1 Again M. Claudo fired nnd this tlrao j tha bullet struck Raymond squarely In tho forehead and ho foil a corpso at tho feet of tho chief. .Tho fato of tholr leader checked tho onset of his companions com-panions nnd as thoy hcsltatod tho report re-port of M. Claudo's weapon wns answered an-swered by a yell from without nnd tho hurrying trnmp of many foot Thero' wns n loud crash ns tho front door of tho chateau burst open beforo n head-. long charge, and M. Hlauvort and his men rushed Into tho room, "You nrrlvcd in good season, M. Hlauvcrt," Bald tho chief, coolly. "So- , euro theso persons, with tho oxcop-1 tlon of this eminent physician until ho 1 has finished with his patient No doubt you recognize htm." Tho Inspector Indulged in a satisfied satis-fied smllo ns ho gazed upon tho llttlo man. "Our friend of tho galleys, M. Lupin, alias L'Fnngo, who escaped two months ago," ho commented. "Aro theso all, M. Claudo?" "You will find another wounded In n chamber on thu second floor," ro-sponded ro-sponded tbo chief. "Lot M. Lupin attend at-tend to him when ho has restored Captain Ratcllffo to consciousness. And rcmovo thnt coffin, so that the American will not seo It when ho ro-gains ro-gains Ids senses. Ho has passed through strango experiences mid must bo spared any further shock, MIh Thurber, I prosumo, is at tho Inn?" "Yes, M. Claudo," replied tho Inspector. In-spector. "Tho brnvo girl was ox haunted from the speod with which she hastened to dullvar your raeesago. My men had not arrived when Bhu camo and I was starting off alono, whon fortunntoly thoy made their appearance. ap-pearance. Your friend Is recovering." Ho pointed to Captain IUtclICo, whoso eyes slowly opened and roBtu upon the kindly feature of the chief. M. Claude aat dowo bea'de thv American and tock his hand gently. For a moment HatuMXe gascd at ohn with an unromprehoudlng stars. "All in well. U. Itatollfle," m the chief, cheerily. "Your lady Is safe at the Golden Grape and your areh enemy, M. Iiuymord, has met with a well merited death." "Hut," began the American, "I do not understand you are M. Debroeaea but your hair " "Was assumed llVe the name," Interrupted In-terrupted the chief, gayly. "I aio Claude, the unworthy her.d of the prefecture pre-fecture nt Paris," A few days litter the chief, reeumlng the routine of duty, was warmly congratulated con-gratulated by Dr- Uartlns on the Improvement In hla physical condition, "You must admit that my diagnosis of your caae waa a correet io, my Jdear M. Claudo," oald the surgeon, triumphantly. "Perfect rest and quiet .undisturbed hy care worked wonders Vor you," "I do not dispute your wisdom, M Wurtlnc," ass nted tho chief "It was tvlthout doubt a restful and enjoyable vacation," |