The Son Of Monte Cristo Part 21 (1/2)

The clown looked after hian to pound his own head until tears came to his eyes

”Idiot! Fool!” he muttered ”Will you never learn any sense Why did you let that rascal see your game? You must warn Fanfar without delay”

And as he saw sohtened his coan to run toward the inn

Gudel met him at the door

”Well, Bob, what is the lass of wine And Schwann, join us”

An hour later, the Square of Saint Areat joy of the peasants, who uttered many ohs! and ahs! as they entered the shed Bobi+chel stood at the door

”Coentlemen and ladies, come in!” And then he continued his shouts ”Wonderful Spectacle The aentlemen, co through a hole, with beating heart,La Roulante, whispered in her ear, ”It is done!”

A horse, covered with sweat, was pulled up before the door

”You have not forgotten me?” said Irene de Salves to Bobi+chel

Gudel caan But you are alone!”

”My governess will be here in apale and looking up at Fanfar, as arranging an iron chain, and did not seem to have heard

And the clown continued to say;

”Co each other, said, ”Oh! we must see this; it won't kill us for once”

CHAPTER XVII

ROBECCAL'S IDEA

The frequenters of the theatres and circuses of the present day would consider this establishallery, a little red serge, and its shabby velvet curtain There was an orchestra, but what an orchestra! All the actors when not occupied on the stage assisted in it Gudel at intervals played the troallery was crowded; so crowded that, fros, but the people in their excitereat silence fell on the spectators, when Irene de Salves entered Erect and haughty, she htest possible inclination of the head in apology for disturbing the lady She was looked upon as a very eccentric person Her father had followed Bonaparte's fortunes, and had fallen in Russia, leaving hissole guardian of this girl, then only four years of age

The Countess, broken-hearted at her loss, shut herself up in the chateau, and devoted herself to her daughter Irene seemed to have inherited her father's adventurous spirit, and her reat was her joy in the reseer, and his pride of race Irene, possessing an enorence of every caprice, soon began to look upon herself as of superior clay to these peasants who doffed their hats to her as she passed She believed in the great power of ed this belief But illness came, and the Countess was confined to her sofa by paralysis She lived now only for her daughter, and it was the one bright spot in her day when Irene rushed in, bringing with her fresh air and the sweet scents of the woods

The child had become a woman, a woman full of contradictions She was by turns charitable or pitiless, benevolent or disdainful Soay as a child, she rode all over the country--other days she hid herself in the woods or cliht, and there, with ardent eyes, indifferent to the wind that tossed her dark hair, she dreaht She had ence One day a village boy threw a stone at her horse She pursued hi his arhed aloud, and tossed him her purse

Another tie She hardly seeht she arose and saddled her horse with her own hands, and rode off to the sufferers, working over them for hours

She was not liked--none could tell why Suddenly she learned, after a visit made by the Notary to her sick mother, that she was toabout it one way or the other If herThe only thing she disliked in the plan was that she must leave her beautiful mountains She had never been attracted by Paris, the streets and the people frightened her, but she was consoled by the thought that it would be a neorld to conquer On her return to the chateau, the daring words uttered by Fanfar dwelt in her memory: ”Make yourself beloved”