fp—— .•==* AT ODDS WITH THE REGENT Burton Egbert 11 Copyright by -J. B. Llppincott Company SteVCnSOn ---— v_ CHAPTER VII— (Continued). "Adieu, mademoiselle,” 1 sai l and was off under the trees. The -ounils grew louder as I approached, and It was evident that the whole palace had been aroused. Windows were thrown open, soldiers were pouring out of a room in the left wing, and near the edge of the garden five or six men had a single man surounded. At a glance I saw the latter to be Richelieu. He had placed his back against a tree and was fencing coolly. Even as I ran I saw one of his assailants totter and fall. I kept on without a sound, readied the group, and ran a man through before they perceived they were attacked in the rear. They gave back a pace. "Come, monsieur,” I cried, "there will be others here in a moment." “Ah, gentlemen,” said Richelieu, sa luting with his sword in careless dis regard of the thrusts aimed at him, "believe me, were there only yourselves we should not think of leaving until our argument had reached a conclu sion, but as it is, I regret tlmt 'VO must go." And then he added td rne, in ft lower tone, "Retreat towards the norseB. If we can reach them we are safe.” I I heard hurying feet from the direc tion of the palace and did not doubt that we should be overwhelmed un less we reached the horses quickly. Richelieu had disabled another of our opponents, so that there were only three, and these drew off and followed us more warily. I saw others hasten ing towards us under the trees, but we had not far to go, and soon reached the horses. "Charge them!" I cried, for they were Just out of sword reach. Our nearest pursuers retreated before us, and in the instant of time that fol lowed we threw ourselves into the sad dle. As we dashed out into the open an overhanging branch caught my companion's hat and tore it from his head; leaving, his face fully exposed in the bright moonlight. “ 'T.is Richelieu!" cried one of the men. With an oath. the duke •matched a pistol from the holster and fired. The man threw his arms above his head and fell like a log. In a flash we were out of the avenue and In the city. There was need of haste, for once the regent should learn that Richelieu had been in the garden, he would lose no time In getting to the bastille tc find out the truth. So we put spurs to our horses and dashed on like the wind, raising a veritable cannonade oi echoes. In 10 minutes were were at the Hotel do Richelieu, and throwing our bridles to a lacquey, rushed up tin stairs, tore off our masquerades, and drew on our old suits, and over them the suits of the two sentries. "One moment," I said, as Richelieu started out of the room; “we shall need money, monsieur. Have you any?" "Vou are right," cried the tlulte, and he ran to a secretary, opened it, and filled his pockets with pistoles. "Nov, wo are ready. Come." "The cement?” 1 asked. "Where a it?” “Here,” and Richelieu handed me small package from the table. 1 placet It carefully in a pocket of my own suit "All right,” I cried, and we descended the stairs in three bounds. Richeliet led the way along the corridor dowi which Jacques had taken his prisonei two hours before. He paus d before ; door and tried to open it. It was locket on the inside. "Who is there?” cried a voice. "It is I, Richelieu; open quickly.’ Tile bolt was thrown and the duoi opened. Inside'“were Jacques and tw« other men, while Maison-Rouge was pacing nervously up anil down. "Ah, messieurs,” he cried, "I thought you were never coming! It is neai midnight." "We have still 10 minutes," said Richelieu, eooly, "but there is no time to lose. Come," and he led the waj towards the door. We picked up thi muskets as we passed through the hall end as the door opened we fell a pact behind Maison-Rouge, and resuming our character of simple sentries, fol lowed him to the carriage. "To the bastille!" cried the governor end in a moment we were thundering along the street. "M. de Maison-Rouge," said Rich elieu, in a low voice, "do not be as tonished if you receive an early vlsii from the regent.” “From the regent? And why so?” "My friend and I had the mlsfortuni to encounter some of the regent'.1 guards this evening,” said the duke calmly, "and I fear that I was recog nized." "The devil!" exclaimed Maison Rouge. "Then all Is lost.” "Not at all,” I said, quickly. "At 1! o’clock we will be sent to the root tc go on guard. We will regain out rooms and remove all traces of oui flight. You, monsieur, will go directlj to bed, and should you be aroused, musi consume as much time as possible ir putting on your clothes. Even if th< regent is right at our heels, that wil give us at least 10 minutes, and It minutes Is more than we shall need I think when you show him that yot have us safe, he will have little mor< to say.” "I trust so, at least," murmum Malson-Rouge, "though I confess I d( do not understand how you will ac complish all this. Until tonight I has thought the bastille Impregnable, bu you seem to have found some mircul ous way of leaving your cells and en tering them again." I smiled as I encountered his dazei glance, but I judged it best to sa: nothing more. A moment later wi reached the prison, the gates of willed opened to the governor's coach on tin Instant. There was a short delay at th< first drawbridge, when the sentry agaii peered into the coach to see that al was right. Then we were in the court the carriage stopped and we sprani out, just as midnight pealed from th< tower. "Lieutenant Perrault,” said the gov ernor to a man who hastened toward u: and saluted, "let Bastienand Drouet her' take the next watch on the parapet Tomorrow let them have a holiday ti repay for this double duty." “Very good, monsieur,” answered tin lieutenant. "You have nothing to report?" askei the governor, sharply. "Nothing, monsieur. Everything ha: gone as usual.” I breathed a sigh o relief. The prisoners in the chimney: had not, then, been discovered. "That is all, lieutenant," said th< governor. "I am going to bed Imraed lately. Awake me If there is need." We.saluted and followed Perrault. blessed the impenetrable darkness o: the narrow court which rendered 1 Impossible to recognize friend o: foe. and we walked in silence across the drawbridge and up the winding staircase. "Montjoy," cried Perrault, opening the door which led to the roof. "St. Denis." two voices answered. “Hurry up," cried Perrault. “It's dev ilish cold up here.” The two sentries appeared and de scended the stairs. We emerged upor the roof. “You have my sympathy, comrades,’ said Perrault. and closed the door. There was not a moment to lose. 1 ran to the nearest chimney, clambered to the top and felt Inside. I found the prisoner's head in an Instant. Catching him by the shoulders, I dragged hiir to the top and lowered him to Rlchallet who awaited him below. The othei prisoner was soon standing beside him "Messieurs.” I said to them, "we have returned, as you see, and I wish yot to listen to me very carefully. There remains only one thing for us to do That is to silence you." I saw their shudder. "It Is necessary only to de cide how you are to be silenced. Ir short, you must either engage to keej silence or we shall bo obliged to silence you once and for all. Which do yot prefer, a hundred pistoles holes each 01 a blow of the poniard and a drop ovei the parapet?” I loosened their gag; as I Spoke. "Monsieur," said one of them, “a too could choose. I will take the pistoles will not you, Bastien?" “I, also,” answered his comrade, read ily, “provided no one else knows ol your escape, messieurs." “No one knows of It. Every one thought we were you. At the end o the watch you will be relieved; yot will go down. Tomorrow you will have a holiday In which to spend your pis toles. If anyone Interrogates you swear that no one passed this way. Yot will be quite safe." “But you, messieurs?” asked Bastien “We return to our cells and every thing is as It was before. Do yot agree?" “We agree,” they cried with on< voice, though by the way they lookec at us It was plain they thought us fool; to have returned. "Very good. Now we will unbind yot and you will go to the other side o: the parapet. We will take off your uni forms and leave them here with you; muskets. After we have descended yot will come and loosen the rope whicl you will find secured there. Det it fall as we wish to keep It. You under stand?" ‘‘Yes, yes,” they cried. Rlcheliet counted out 200 pistoles and placet them by the muskets. “Here is the money,” he said. I untied the ropes and the two mei retreated to the other side of the roof In a moment I had knotted the piece: of rope together, made one end secun and dropped the other over. “I will go first,” I said. "The knot: may slip,” and before the duke eoul< protest I was over the battlement, let myself down hand over bond unti I was opposite my window, hut I founs the bars beyond my reach. By a su preme effort I touched the wall witl my foot and pushed myself outward and as I swung in I grasped one of tin bars and pulled rays if to the windov ledge. I tied the c <1 I the rope P the bars so that the duke could read them without difficulty and then slip ped into the cell. He followed a mo ment Inter and the rope, was loosenei from above and fell. I drew it in. “You must get back to your cell a once." I said and raised the slab in th> floor, slid the ope below it back am crawled aside for him to pass. “But the window?” he asked. "I they find a bar out they will know ev erythlng.” “Leave that to me,” i answered. “ will replace it.” The duke wrung my hand arid drop ped through the opening into the eel below. I replaced the slabo. concealin; the rope, for which we might hav further need. Then I ran to the win dow and forced the bar back into place I opened the box of cement, moistenei it was water from my can, and rapid? tilled up the places where the old ce ment had been broken away, rubbinf my fingers over it until convinced tha it was quite smooth. It was dryln) rapidly and would soon set. I raise: the slab again and placed the box witl the remainder of the cement beneatl It. I rubbed my hands on the floo and then over the new cement, untl I could see by the moonlight which fll tered through the bars that it was dirt; as the adamant which surrounded li Satisfied that it could not be detectei without close examination, I threw my self exhausted upon the bench. Scarcely had I done so when I hear: a noise in the cell below. In an in stunt I was at the loosened slab. "What is it now?” I heard Riche lieu ask, in a sleepy voice, of som one who had evidently entered hi cell. “Upon my word," he continued “‘tis the regent! To what do I ow the honor of this visit, monsieur?" “You see ‘tis as I told your high ness,’ cried the voice of Malson-Rougs "The prisoners are safe, and assured! will not leave their cells until I ge an order permitting them to do so. “You are playing with me. gentle men!” thundered tlie regent, in a ter 1 rible voice. "Richelieu was recognize not half an hour since in the garden of the Palais Royal." “Some mistake, I do not doubt, said Richelieu, carelessly. "A mistake, pardieu! Perhaps 1 1 was also a mistake that 1 met rn daughter returning to her apartment Do you deny that It was witli you sh had a rendezvous?” “Oh, M. le Regent, I deny nothing, cried Richelieu, airily. "Why shoui I? It Is so manifestly absurd. Yo ' say I was at the Palais Royal a fei minutes since. You rush here with a sxieed. You find me asleep in my cel All the doors are bolted, all the draw bridges raised, every Bcntry at id 1 post. 1 ask you, monsieur, If th bastille is so easily left anil entered 1 Besides, monsieur could easily lnterro i gate the sentries." ’ The regent caught at the suggestioi ‘ “Maison-Rouge," he said, "call tha sentry in the corridor." The man was called. 1 "Has any one passed since you hav : been on duty?" asked the regent. "No one but yourselves,’ monsieur. 1 “You are certain?" "Perfectly certain, monsieur.” 1 “How long have you been on duty? "Over three hours, monsieur.” Here was a facer for the regent. "Come," I heard him exclaim, sud ; denly, "perhaps the other has not re turned. I do not doubt that it was h 1 who was with Richelieu.” I was on my bench in an instant The door opened, and I lifted my hea as from a heavy sleep. I saw Maison Rouge on the threshold carrying a Inn tern, and back of him the regent, was on my feet with a bound. “It appears to me that your prison ers sleep with suspicious soundness Maison-Rouge,” said the regent, push lng past him Into the room. H glanced about it keenly, went to th window and shook the bars, but found nothing suspicious. “How does it happen,” he asked, “that the window here has only single bars, while those of the floors below have double ones?” "Good God! what would ;mi have, monsieur?" cried Maison-Rouge. “Sup pose there were not bars at all, still to escape the prisoner has a drop of 60 feet Into a court yard full of sentries, with a wall 40 feet high to pass before he is free. A man would need wings to escape from here, monsieur.” "1 am beginning to think so mysc > muttered the regent. And then, turn lug sharply, “So you have been here all evening, Monsieur—I forget your name?” “Jean de Rrancas,” 1 said, bowing. “So you have been here all evening, have you, M. de Brancas?” 'It seems to me a useless question," I answered. “Monsieur forgets that I have been in the zastille only since yesterday afternoon.” “What then?” “To consider monsieur’s question se riously would mean that he deemed it possible for a man, in the short space of six or eight hours, not only to force his way out of this formidable prison, but to force his way in again, and to leave no trace of his passage In either direction.” "You are right,” and the regent bit his lips. “Come, Maison-Rouge,” ho added. let us go. 'ffour prisoners are doubtless anxious to resume their slumber,” and he smiled into my eyes and turned away. They left the cell, and I heard their footsteps die away down the corridor. A moment later Richelieu signalled me. “They discovered nothing?" he asked, as I answered the signal. “Absolutely nothing." “But how did you replace the bar In the window?” “That was what the cement was for.” "De Brancas, you are a genius!” exclaimed Rlohelleu. “But wo both need sleep. Good night, my friend.” "Good night," I answered, and lay down again upon the bench. My eyes closed in sheer exhaustion despite the , cold, and I dreamed that I was again walking in the Palais Royal gardens with Louise Dacour at my side and her warm little hand in mine, upon the bench. My eyes closed in shier exhaustion despite the cold, and I dreamed that I was again walk ing In the Palais ftoyal gardens with Louise Dacour at my side and her warm little hand in mine. CHAPTER VIII. AN AUDIENCE WITH THE RE GENT The sun was shining brightly through the bars of my window when I opened tny eyes. So soundly had I slept that I had not heard the entry of the guard, who had placed my breakfast on the chair beside me. It consisted of a pound of bread, which I learned after wards was the dally allowance for each prisoner In the bastile, and a plate of haricot, in which bones and turnips were most conspicuous, and which I judged to consist of the remains of the 1 dinner of the previous day. A can ot water completed the repast, and I ate 1 without grumbling. Not knowing that 1 the bread was to last me the entire day, I ate it all. Then I sat down to think 1 over the adventures of the night before, ! but I saw only the sweet face of Louise Dacour, and my heart trembled as I | thought of the abyss I needs must span 1 ere I could stand beside her, an equal in rank and fortune. Yet a stout 1 heart might accomplish even that. A tapping on the floor brought me ' back to earth, and I heard Richelieu's voice calling me. "De Braneas,” he cried, “do Brancas, tell rue that it was not all a dream.” "A dream,” I answered; “then I, too, I have dreamed, monsieur," “And we really did escape? We were at the dryad fountain?" ' "If you could see my hands, mon 1 sieur, you would not doubt it," and I looked at them myself with tender solicitude, for they were abraded and blistered in many places. "Ah, yes," cried Richelieu, "It was you who devised that plan,—who did the work. It was a masterpiece, Jean. I shall always remember It." I And he fell silent for a moment. , "You saw her, did you not, Jean?" he ’ asked, suddenly. “Yes. 1 saw her.” “Her eyes?” i “Yes." "And are they not the most beautiful in the kingdom?" , "I am glad you think so, monsieur," ’ I said. ; "As for me, I have found two others i which content me admirably." i "Two others?” he questioned, In an i astonished voice. "But to whom do - they belong?” 1 "To Mile. Dacour," I answ'ercd slm . ply. . “Oh, my poor friend!” exclaimed Richelieu, and I heard him laughing. I "Is your heart also in the toils? In faith, you have my sympathy. But come, the affair Is not altogether hope 1 less. What do you know of Mile. Da . cour?" “Nothing, absolutely nothing, but that she Is beautiful and smiles divlne 5 ly” I cried. "Ah, tell me all you i know!” and I hung upon every word. J (Continued Next Week.) -! AMERICAN IDEA. The Amerlcan—What's your father's t business? The Englishman — My-aw-fathaw-has aw-no business. The American—Then what’s his graft. Irish Peers. From London Truth. > The number of peers who enjoy any pop ularlty In Ireland Is very small, althougl personally many are qualified to attract It . Hut the Irish masses know the history o; . their own country better than the ciassei =• know It. 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