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Show HARSML ; rlARY. RAiTIQND WrtAN ANDREWS1 ' 'AUTHOR f m PfRfTCT TI7irUTC, THT (JETTf I? TRA5Ur?F, FTC 'ilLUOTATIOflS &y ILL5VORTi YOVNCr- CQPYRWT $a BY rtf??LL W W U W at the open door, stepped across and stood by him, and he did not lift his head, his listless eyes did not yet Bhlft their gaze from the broad landscape. land-scape. Allxe, looking down at the black head with its short curls set in thick locks after the manner of the curls of Praxiteles' Hermes was startled to see many bright lines of gray through the dark mass. Wa.s everybody ev-erybody getting old? Francois 'with the broad band of white in his hair and now Pietro big little Pietro, who had come to them and learned to ride Coq and played with them. Was Pietro getting old and gray? Py one of the sudden impulses characteristic char-acteristic of her. her hand flew out and rested on the curled head as if to protect it, motherly, from the whitening whiten-ing of time. And Pietro turned slowly and looked up at her with eyes full of hopelessness hopeless-ness and adoration. Such a look he had never before given her; such a look no one could mistake except a woman who would not let herself understand. un-derstand. i'lt is good to be up and at the window, win-dow, isn't it?" Alixe spoke cheerfully, and her hand left his head and she went on in a gay disengaged tone. "You will be downstairs in two or three days now, and then it is only a 'jump to being out and about, and then then in a minute you will be well again." "Oh, yes," Pietro answered without animation. "It will not be long before I am well." "Look, Pietro;" Alixe held out the paper in her hand. "Such a queer letter! let-ter! From Virginia. From the little Lucy Hampton of. whom Francois talks. I don't understand it. Will you let me read it to you?" "Surely," said Pietro, and waited with his unsmiling eyes on her face. "My dear mademoiselle," Alixe read. "I am writing to beg your forgiveness, as I have begged that of the Chevalier Beaupre, for the very great fault I have committed. The chevalier trusted trust-ed to me a letter for you which was to have been sent you only in case of a certain event; by a carelessness which, unmeant as it was, I shall never forgive for-give myself, I gave it with other letters let-ters to our negro Sambo to be posted at once. By now it may have reached you. I cannot tell if I have made trouble or not, but in any case, I cannot can-not rest without saying to you as well as to the Chevalier how sorry I am. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me, please do so, dear mademoiselle. That I should have made trouble for one as dear to the "Alixe," he whispered, "what la It what have I done?" But the brown waves of hair with the blue ribbon tied around them lay motionless on his arm. And suddenly a thought shook him. "It cannot be!" he gasped. And Alixe lifted her face, and the exaggerated black lashes lifted, and the blue glance lifted and rested on Pietro's black hair bent down where the light shone on the silver lines through it. Up flashed her hand impulsively, im-pulsively, gently as Alixe did things, and touched the thick lock with an infinitely in-finitely delicate caress. "Your hair is all turning gray," she whispered in two quick breaths, and at that, in some occult fashion Pietro knew. For moments they had no need of that makeshift, language; the great house was very quiet, and one heard the horses stamping in the paved courtyard and the grooms singing, and yet one did not hear it. Distant sounds came from the village, hut one only knew that long after, in remembering that morning. All they knew was that the ghost of a lifelong affection of brother and sister stood before them, changed by a miracle to a shining angel into whose face, for these first moments, they dared not look. Then slowly, exquisitely, courage came and, hand close in hand, they looked at each other astonished, glad. It was Pietro and Alixe still, the ancient playfellows, play-fellows, the childhood friends all the dear familiarity was there yet, but no longer were they brother and sister And then, after a while they began to compare notes of things hidden. "When did you begin to like me this way, Pietro?" ''I don't know," answered Pietro stupidly. "Does it make any difference differ-ence ?" "A great deal," Alixe insisted. "It's important. It's historical." "Put this isn't history," said Pietro. Alixe, however, returned to the charge. "Last year?" "Last year what?" Pietro asked; he had already forgotten the question. "Oh that I began to raon dieu no. Last year! Why, I think it was the day I came and saw you riding Coq." "Oh, Pietro if you will talk only nonsense!" Alixe's voice was disappointed. disap-pointed. "But why, then, didn't you ever say so before this? We are both a thousand years old now. If you loved me" she spoke the word in a lower voice "why, then, were you as quiet as a mouse about it all these years?" "I thought you cared for Francois," ment later ste spoke again. "I want to finish telling you and then we need never speak of it again. I did think you were commonplace. And yet I knew in my heart you were not, for I resented your seeming so. So I urged you into danger. I wanted you to be a hero. I had that echo of a schoolgirl's romance about Francois in my mind, and I clung, all along, to the idea that I loved him and that perhaps per-haps he secretly loved me but would not say it because he was poor and a peasant; that he was waiting till his future was made. Then, one day, only the other day, he told me that he had asked three wishes of life 'of the good fairies' he said. One was to make Prince Louis Emperor, one was to be Marshal of France; the third " she stopped. "What?" Pietro demanded, his mouth a bit rigid. Alixe flushed and smiled and took Pietro's big hand and covered her eyes with it. "That 1 should love you. Monsieur. He said he had wished that all his life." "May heaven grant him his wish," said Pietro fervently, and then, reflecting, reflect-ing, "It seems a strange wish for Francois. Fran-cois. You are sure, Alixe?" "Yes, he said so," Alixe insisted. "Our dear Francois," she went on softly, soft-ly, and the blue intensity of her eyes grew misty. "Dear Francois," she repeated, re-peated, "it is only he who could have had those three wishes. The single one that was for himself was not because be-cause he cared for it himself, but because be-cause it was the Emperor's prophecy." "I always thought," Pietro spoke slowly, "that it was not indeed for himself that lie wished to be a Marshal Mar-shal some day, but because it might make him, in a manner, your equal. It was for you." "Forme!" Alixe was astonished. "I never thought of that. I think you thought of it, Pietro, only because you cared for me and thought Francois Fran-cois must care also." "YTes, I thought he cared," Pietro considered. "I can not believe otherwise other-wise yet." I "You may believe it." Alixe was firm. "For he said that what he had wished always was that I should love you. I did it mostly to please Francois," Fran-cois," she added serenely. And Pietro's response to that was apt, but not to be given here. The minds of these two happy lovers were full of that third who had been so close always, to each of them. ' "Pietro," Alixe spoke earnestly, coming com-ing back to the same subject, "you Aladenlis, tho host of the Prince, short council had been held to go over once moro the plans which had been discussed and settled by letter for weeks already. The work was cart-fully cart-fully arranged; there was almost nothing noth-ing to be changed, and the little company com-pany of men who were trying so large a fate, scattered, with grave faces, with quiet good nights to the Prince who might tomorrow be their Emperor, Em-peror, to the Prince for whose sake they might tomorrow night be any or all ruined men or dead men. He sat erect and listened. Thrlin was brushing clothes with energy in the bedroom, and through another door there came a light sound of a paper turned, of a gay song sung softly. And a glow suddenly warmed -the Prince's heart; here was some one who had known his mother, who had been, indeed, in-deed, for a few days her son; here was some one who cared for him. be believed it, with a half-consuming flame of devotion. Since the man'!: arrival from Virginia six weeks before, to have him near himself had been a. pleasure to Louis r.onaparte; he seemed to bring back the freshness of his early days, of the young confidence confi-dence when his star shone for him. distant perhaps, but undimmed by the black clouds which drove now acre it. He was a bit superstitious about Francois as well, with an idea, which he spoke to no one, that a pivotal interest in-terest of his career rested in the modest mod-est figure. He rose, this night in Roulogne, as the paper rustled and the little French provincial chanson sounded from the room where Francois Beaupre, now his secretary, had been installed, and stepped to the closed door. "De tous cote's Ton que je suis bete." Francois sang softly. The Prince smiled. As he opened the door the singing stopped; the young man sprang respectfully to his feet, a letter let-ter grasped in his han'd, and stood waiting. "Sire!" he said. Prince Louis flung out his hand with a gesture of impulsiveness strange to his controlled manner, yet not out of drawing to these who knew him well. "Ah, Francois," he cried. "Let the titles go for tonight. Say, 'Louis,' as on that day when we first saw each other; when the four children played together in the old chateau ruins. And Franco s smiled his radiant exquisite smile and answered quietly. "But yes my brother Louis." And went on, "1 believe I shall not sleep tonight, Louis. u SYNOPSIS. Francois Beaupre, a peasant babo of three years, ufler an amusing Incident in which Marshal Ney Humes, la made a Chevalier of France by the Kmperor Napoleon, Na-poleon, who prophesied that the boy might one day be a marshal of France under another Bonaparte. At the age of ten Francois visits General liaron (ias-pard (ias-pard Qourgaud. who with Alixe. his seven-vear-old daughter, lives at the Chateau. A soldier of the Kmpire under Napoleon he tires the boy's imagination with stories or his campaigns. The boy becomes a copvlst for the general and learns of the friendship between the gen-eral gen-eral and Marquis Zappl, who campaigned with the general under Napoleon. Marquis Mar-quis Zappl and his son. Pietro. arrive at the Chateau. The general agrees to care for the Marquis' son while the former Koes to America. The Marquis asks Fran-cols Fran-cols to be a friend of his son. The hoy solemnly promises. Francois goes to the Chateau to lite. Mar.iuis Zappi dies l"a -Ing Pietro as a ward of the general. Allxe. Pietro and Francois meet a strange bov who proves to be Prime l.ouis Napoleon. Na-poleon. Francois saves his life. The general gen-eral discovers Francois loves Alixe. and extracts a promise from him that he win not interfere between the girl and I Metro. Francois goes to Italy as secretary to Pietro. Queen Hortense plans the escape of her 'son Louis Napoleon by disguising him and Marquis Zappl as Iter lackeys. Francois takes Marquis Zappi's place, who is ill. in the escape of Hortenso and Ixiuis. Dressed as Louis' brother Francois Fran-cois lures the Auslrians from the hotel allowing al-lowing the prince and his mother to escape. es-cape. Francois is a prisoner of the Aus-trians Aus-trians for five years, in the castle owned bv Pietro In Italy. He discovers in his guard one of Pietro's old family servants, nnd through him sends word to his lriends of his plight. The general. Alixe and Pietro plans Francois' escape. Francois Fran-cois receives a note from Pietro explaining explain-ing in detail how to escape from his prison. Alixe awaits him on horseback und leads him to his friends on board the American sailing vessel, the "Lovely Lticv." Francois, as a guest of Harry Hampton, on the "Lovely Lucy." goes to America to manage Pietro's estate in Virginia. Lucy Hampton falls in love with Francois. Prince Louis Napoleon In America becomes the guest of the Hamptons, where he meets Francois. Lucy Hampton reveals her love for Francois Fran-cois after the latter saves the life of Harry Hampton and Is himself injured in the effort. Francois tells I,ucy of his love for Alixe. He returns to France and tells Alixe his one wish in life is that she love Pietro. Francois .loins the political plotters. His health fails and he is forced to return to America. Later Napoleon Ftimmons him to London to aid him in his plots to gain the French throne. Lucy Hampton weds her cousin. had loved, who stood close now at the side of her lover, her husband. CHAPTER XXIX. The Prince's Bright Shadow. There are old people living in England Eng-land today who remember hearing their fathers and mothers speak of a young Frenchman of uncommon personality, per-sonality, constantly seen with Prince Louis Napoleon during the last days of his life in London in the year 1840. Lady Constance Cecil nicknamed this Frenchman "the prince's bright shadow." There seemed to be a closer tie than brotherhood between them, and the tradition runs that the mystical mys-tical prince had a superstition that his luck went with him in the person of the Chevalier Beaupre. It was all as it should be; he was entirely happy. He had asked three wishes of the good fairies, as he had said long ago; that the prince should be emperor that he might become "a marshal of France under another Bona-' Bona-' parte" that Alixe should love him. The first two he believed about to be realized. The last? It was not now the time to think of that. Alixe had kissed him good-by. That would more than do till me ligrn was over. So he sped back to London, missing Pietro, but hopeful and buoyant. And in London Lon-don there was a letter for him from Virginia. "Dear Francois," Lucy began. "To think that the first letter sent to you by Harry's wife should be to tell you that she has betrayed your trust in her. I am distressed beyond words, for I have made a mistake which may mean distress to you. You remember the letter to Alixe which you trusted to me to send in case anything should happen to you? I had it in my hand the week after my wedding when I had gone upstairs to get other letters for Europe which my father had commanded command-ed me to send by the next packet. And know that I love Francois of course. But you do not know in what way. I leve him as if he were one of the saints but also as if he were a helpless help-less little child. Yet not Pietro as if he were the man I love. I would give my life for him in a rush of "delight, "de-light, if he needed it. But I know now, whatever were my vague dreams in past years, that it is not in Francois to care for a woman as a human man." "I am not so sure," said Pietro, and shook his head. "You know I am not abusing our Francois," Alixe protested. "Why, Pietro, my father believes, and I believe, be-lieve, that if affairs should so happen that he has his opportunity he may yet be one of the great characters in history. My father says he is made up of inspirations, illuminations and limitations." "Y'es," said Pietro thoughtfully. "He has the faults of brilliancy and fearlessness. fear-lessness. He judges too rapidly. If he were afraid ever if he 6aw the other side of a question ever, his judgment judg-ment would be safer. It may well happen hap-pen that he will be one of the great in some stupid unexplainable way I slipped yours your precious letter among them in place of one to my father's fa-ther's agents in London, and I hurried hur-ried down and gave the parcel to Sambo, Sam-bo, who was waiting to ride to Norfolk Nor-folk with them. And then Harry and I went away on a visit to Martin's Brandon for three days, and It was only when I came hack that I discovered discov-ered the dreadful mistake I had made. Can you ever forgive me? Harry and I thought over every possibility of stopping stop-ping it, but there seemed to be no chance. Are you very angry with me, dear friend of Harry's and of mine?" The letter went on with reproaches and regrets and finally slipped into a tale of a 'new happy life which Francois Fran-cois had made possible for the two. He read it over several times. His letter to Alixe, which should have been sent only after his death, had gone to her. What then? She would know that he loved her; that he had loved her always; that he would love her forever; that the one wish of his life had been that she should love himself not Pietro. He had said that in the letter; that was all. He was glad that I believe I am too happy to sleep." As one reads a novel for relaxation in the strain of a critical business affair, af-fair, Prince Louis caught at the distraction dis-traction of this side issue. The next morning was planned to the last detail; de-tail; there was nothing to do till daylight, day-light, yet he could not sleep at present. pres-ent. Here was a romance of some sort. He sank back on the cushions' of the coach of Lieutenant Aladenize'e smoking room and put his feet up luxuriously, lux-uriously, and slowly lighted a cigar of Havana. "Tell me," he ordered, and the gentleness gen-tleness of appeal was in the order. "Sire" the young man began and corrected himself. "Louis," he. said The Prince smiled dimly. "Since out landing I have known that a wonderful wonder-ful thing has happened to me. It is" he spoke lower "it is the love of the woman who Is to me the only one ir the world." "I congratulate you, mon ami," Lonit said gently. "Is it by any chance the delightful little Mademoiselle Alixe ot the old chateau?" Beaupre turned scarlet. He wae h marvelous man, this Prince Louis. How had he guessed? "She loves mc I have here a letter in wLich. she tells me that she loves me. Will hie Highness read It?" With an impetuous impetu-ous step forward he held the papei toward Louis Napoleon. "I thank you," the Prince Baid gravely. grave-ly. He read: "Francois, what you have wished air your life is true. The good fairies have granted one of your wishes be-fore be-fore the battle. That they will give you the other two on the day of the battle is the belief of your "ALIXE." And below was written hurriedly "Pietro sends his love." The Prince gave back the letter wltti a respectful hand; then looked at Francois inquiringly. " 'What yon have wished all your life,' mon ami?" Francois laughed happily. "One miift explain, if it will not tire his High ness." And he told, in a few woni of that day when his self-restraint har given way and how, when his guar was down and he was on the point o) telling his lifelong secret love, souk spirit of perversity hut Francois dir not know It was an angel - had eatigM Alixe, and she had accused him ! wishing always that she might low Pietro. And h"w, meshed In that nmnc net of hurt recklessness, he had me, swered lii her own manner "Yes." h had said, "it was that which had b--i the wish of his life that Alixe mib; love Pietro!" And Francois laugher gaily, telling the simple ontatiglerot i.-l to I lie Prince, the night before Hit battle. "One sees bow she in ijnicr ' and ce:tr-sig!i'fl, my Alixe," he saifi "For she knew well even then it wa not that 1 wished." He stopped, fi.r in the quiet contained look ol listener an intangible something trtt a chill to his delicately-poised n-iip; tiveness. "What is it, Ixmis?" he crie nut. "You do not think I mistake, he! -- mistake Alixe ! " cjo BI-; ('ONTINI KIM CHAPTER XXVIII Continued. "Mademoiselle Lucy," he said. "I have something to ask of you." "I will do it," Lucy promised blithely, blithe-ly, not waiting for details. Francois laughed. "You trust one, Mademoiselle Lucy that is plain. Then his face became serious. "Do you remember a talk we once had together when I told you of my old playmate, Alixe?" The bride-to-be flushed furiously as she recalled that talk. Then she nodded nod-ded in a matter-of-fact manner. "I remember re-member very well," she said. "It was when I threw myself at your head and you said you didn't want me." Francois' shoulders and hands and eyes went upward together into an eminently French gesture. "What a horror!" he cried. "What an unspeakable unspeak-able manner to recollect that talk! , How can you? How can you be so brutal to me?" Both of them, at that, burst into light-hearted laughter. Lucy was grave 'suddenly. "But you have something to ask me, Francois. You spoke of your playmate beautiful Alixe." "It is only you whom I could ask to do this, Mademoiselle Lucy. I have never told anyone else about her. Only you know of" the words came slowly slow-ly "of my love for her. She does not know It. Alixe does not know. And I may be killed, one sees, in this fight for the prince. Quite easily. And Alixe will not know. I do not like that. In fact I cannot bear it. So this is what I ask of you, dear mademoiselle." mademoi-selle." He brought out a letter and held It to her. "If you hear that I am killed, will you send it to Alixe?" Lucy took the letter and turned it over doubtfully. "I do not like this sort of post-mortem commission, Francois. Fran-cois. I feel as if 1 were holding your death-warrant." "But it is not by a bit of writing I shall meet my finish, mademoiselle. 1 promise not to die one minute sooner for that letter. It 1b only that it will make me happy to know you will send it." So Lucy, holding the letter gingerly, agreed. But as Francois rose to go she stood by him a moment and laid her hand on his coat sleeve. "Francois "Fran-cois I want to tell you something." ' "But yes, mademoiselle yes, Lucy." "It is something wrong." "Yes Lucy." "I am going to tell Harry I said It." "Yes." "This is it, then"--and Francois, smiling, waited and there was deep silence in the big, cool, quiet drawing-room drawing-room for as long as a minute. "This is it, then. I don't know how 1 can be so unreasonable but I am. I love Harry I am happy. Hut 1 am quite jealous of Alixe. And I think you are the most wonderful ierson 1 have ever known much more wonderful than Harry -If there had been no Alixe; if you had - liked me I can imagine having adored you. 1 do adore you, Francois. Now, how is all that compatible with my joy In marrying Harry? i don't know how it is but it is so. I am a wicked sinful person but it is so." The uext time Lucy Hampton saw Francois it was when, white-robed ami sweet In her enveloping mist of veil she went up the chancel steps of . the little Virginia country church, and looking up met a smile that was a benediction from the man whom she chevalier as you are is a deep grief to me. He has talked to me of you. With a very earnest prayer again for your forgiveness I am, mademoiselle, yours faithfully and sincerely. Lucy Hampton Hamp-ton Hampton." Pietro looked bewildered. "What is it about?" he asked. "I wonder," and Alixe laughed anc3 frowned at the paper in her hand. "It seems Francois wrote me a letter and left it with little Mistress Hampton to be sent 'in case of a certain event.' What event? What a strange thing for Francois to do! And then he came to us here and said nothing of mysterious mys-terious letters left cooking in Virginia. Vir-ginia. I cannot make it out, Pietro can you?" "Not I," said Pietro. "The letter of Francois has not come; that is certain; I wonder if the negro Sambo lost it." "Probably," Pietro 6aid. "It should have come before this one, otherwise." "It is a riddle," Alixe decided, "and I never guess them." Then, dropping into a seat on the wide window-sill, "Pietro you are letting yourself be depressed." The gray eyes met hers with something some-thing that seemed a wall of reserve in their steady glance. "I think possibly I miss having no exercise," he said. "I will feel more natural when I can get about." Alixe looked at him. "You are eating eat-ing your heart out to be with Francois," Fran-cois," she said, and laid her hand on his. Pietro stared as if the light touch had shaken him; then slowly his large fingers twisted lightly around the small ones, and he turned his face again, holding her hand so, to the window win-dow and the view of the valley and the river and the village. A moment they sat so, the girl's hand loose in the hollow of the man's; a slow red crept into Alixe's face; there was confusion con-fusion in her brain. She had laid her hand on that of her brothe'r; her brother broth-er had taken it in his and behold, by a witchcraft it was all changed. This delicate big grasp that held her was not brotherly; through all her veins suddenly she knew that; the flush shot up to her eyes, to her forehead, and she tried, with an attempt at an everyday every-day manner, to draw ber hand away. But Pietro, his set pale face toward the window, his eyes gazing out, held her hand. With that the world had reeled and was whirling past her. Pietro had caught both her hands in a tight grip and had drawn them against him, was holding them there, was looking at her with a face which not even she, this time, might mistake. "Alixe," he said, "I know you don't care for me. I know you love Francois. Fran-cois. I did not mean ever to speak, but when you put your hand on mine " He held her palms together and parted the palms and kissed the finger-tips, first of on -tnd then of the other, as if he kiss- something holy. "I shall never speS.t again, but this once I will. I always loved you one must. 1 knew always that a slow silent si-lent person like me would have no chance against a fellow like Francois. So I have kept still, and it was hard. It won't be so hard now that you know. Are you angry, Alixe?" Alixe. with her bead bent so that Pietro did not see her face, with her head bending lower lower, suddenly was on her knees by the chair and her face was on Pietro'a arm. Pietro said simply. And added, "Didn't you?" Alixe considered. "I don't think I ever did, Pietro. Not really. I thought I did perhaps. He dazzled me Francois with his way of doing all sorts of things brilliantly, and that wonderful something about him makes everybody love him. He believed in his star; there was around him the romance of the emperor's prophecy and the romance .of the career which is, we believe, about to begin now; there was always a glamour about Francois." "Yes," Pietro agreed. "The glamour of his courage, Alixe, of loyalty and unselfishness; un-selfishness; .the qualities which make what people call his charm. Francois Is unlike the rest of the world, I believe, be-lieve, Alixe." Pietro talked on, the silent Pietro, as if delivering a lecture. He had read much and thought much; It was seldom sel-dom he spoke of the speculations which often filled his scholarly mind; today it seemed easy to talk of everything. Joy had set wide all the doors of his being. be-ing. Alixe opened her eyes in astonishment. aston-ishment. "Pietro! You are talking like a book! But it is true; something of that sort has come to me, too which proves it to be true. I have felt always al-ways that Francois had notes in him which are not on our pianos." Pietro smiled, looking at her. "And yet, Alixe, you do not love Francois, with all these gifts and all his power over hearts but only commonplace com-monplace me?" Alixe straightened against his arm. "Monsieur the Marquis Zappi, the gentleman gen-tleman I care for, is not commonplace. common-place. I thank you not to 6ay it," she shot at him, and then, melting to a sudden intensity, she put a hand on each side of his dark face and spoke earnestly. "Pietro, dear, listen. I believe be-lieve I always cared for you. When I was little it hurt me to have Francois forever the one to do the daring things. Do you remember how I used to scold at you because you would not fight him?" Pietro smiled again. "Then he was captain of the school and you only a private, and I cried about that when I wae alone at night. And when you went off to Italy so quietly, with never a word said about the danger, I did not know that you were doing a fine deed I thought it a commonplace that you should go back to your country, till Francois opened my eyes." "Francois?" Pietro asked. "Yes. The day before he went to j join you we were riding together and I he told me what it meant to be a j patriot in Italy under the Austrians. ! That day I realized how unbearable it i would be if anything happened to you. ! Rut I thought I cared for Francois; if he had spoken that day I should have j told him that 1 cared for him. But he did not; he went and was in prison live years." I "And all that time I believed you loved him, and were mourning for I him." Pietro said gently. "I half believed it too." Alixe answered. an-swered. "Yet all the time I was jealous for you. Pietro, for it was still Francois who was the hero not you. Then when there came a question of his rescue I was mad with the desire to have you do It and you did it." Her voice dropped. She laid ,her j hand against his shoulder and spoke. : in a quick cautions way. "But all that is immaterial. I just l lOee yoU -li:.t's 'tie POlof '' tTIO The Gray Eyes Met Hers. she should know, though he would never have told her in life. It was done and he would find out now if Pietro indeed cared for her, if she cared for Pietro. And if not, then one had waited long enough; then at last the joy of the thought choked him. A knock came at the door of the room in the London lodging where he sat with Lucy Hampton's letter before him. Fritz Rickenbach stood there; his highness would like to see the chevalier. All personal thoughts were locked swiftly into the drawer with Lucy's letter and "the prince's bright shadow" went to the prince. CHAPTER XXX. The Third Wish. On the day when Francois in London Lon-don read that letter of Lucy Hampton's Hamp-ton's which had awaited his return from France, a letter from Lucy Hampton reached Alixe at the chateau of Vieques. She carried it to Pietro's room where he sat in a deep chair at a window which looked over Deles-montes Deles-montes valley and the racing Cheulte river, and the village strung on the shores. His elbow on the stone window-sill, his chin in his hand, he stared at the familiar picture. Alixe, coming in without knocking Suddenly a Thought Shook Him. men of Kurope; it may also happen that by some single act of mismanagement mismanage-ment he will throw away his career or his lile. God keep him safe!" Pietro Pie-tro said simply. And Alixe echoed it "Clod keep him safe!" And then, "I am going to write him, Pietro about tis. My father knows where to reach him at lion-logne lion-logne 1 am going to say just a word that what he has wished for all his life is true. It will get to hiii the night before the battle." "Are you sure you are right, A xe?" Pietro asked doubtfully. "Sure," said Alixe buoyantly. "(live him my love, then," said Pietro. Pie-tro. CHAPTER XXXI. The Night Before. Out in the dark, in the harbor of Boulogne, the ship Edinburgh Castle lay rocking in the wind. Prince Louis Bonaparte, who had chartered her. and the handful of his followers who had sailed with him on her from Kngland had disembarked quietly at twilight, and in small companies had succeeded in entering the town and the quarters of the officers who were, in France, the nucleus and the hope of their attempt at-tempt In the rooms of Lieutenant |