Volume V Part 35 (2/2)

He replied siives you pleasure”

”Certainly, Monsieur Cesar Will next Thursday suit you then?”

”Yes, Mademoiselle Donet”

”You will come to lunch, of course?”

”Well--if you are so kind as to invite me, I can't refuse”

”It is understood, then, Monsieur Cesar--next Thursday at twelve, the same as to-day”

”Thursday at twelve, Mam'zelle Donet!”

LITTLE LOUISE ROQUe

Mederic Rompel, the postman, as familiarly called by the country people Mederi, started at the usual hour froh the little toith his big strides of an old trooper, he first cut across the meadows of Villaumes in order to reach the bank of the Brindelle, which led hie of Carvelin, where his distribution co the course of the narrow river, which frothed, rass, under an arch of -trees The big stones, i the flow, had around the in a knot of foam In some places, there were cascades, a foot wide, often invisible, which made under the leaves, under the tendrils, under a roof of verdure, a big noise at once angry and gentle; then, further on, the banks widened out, and you saw a s in thein the depths of tranquil strea, and with only this thought in his mind: ”My first letter is for the Poivron family, then I have one for M Renardet; so I must cross the wood”

His blue blouse, fastened round his waist by a black leathern belt e of the -trees; and his stick of stout holly kept tis

Then, he crossed the Brindelle over a bridge forthwise, with a rope attached to two stakes driven into the river's banks as its only balustrade

The wood, which belonged to M Renardet, the Mayor of Carvelin, and the largest landowner in the district, consisted of a nu for about half a league along the left-bank of the streae Alongside the water there were large shrubs war but nant air a light odor of loam ithered branches

Mederic slackened his pace, took off his black cap adorned with red lace, and wiped his forehead, for it was by this tiht o'clock in the

He had just recovered from the effects of the heat, and resumed his accelerated pace when he noticed at the foot of a tree a knife, a child's small knife When he picked it up, he discovered a thi taken up these objects, he thought: ”I'll intrust them to the Mayor,” and he resu to find so else

All of a sudden, he drew up stiffly as if he had knocked hiainst a wooden bar; for, ten paces in front of hiirl, quite naked, on the ing down, her legs parted, and her face covered with a handkerchief There were little spots of blood on her thighs

Mederic advanced now on tiptoe, as if he were afraid to lanced towards the spot uneasily

What was this? No doubt, she was asleep Then, he reflected that a person does not go to sleep thus naked, at half-past seven in theunder cool trees So then she must be dead; and he ht, a cold shi+ver ran through his frah he was an old soldier And then ain the country, and above all the murder of a child, that he could not believe his eyes But she had no wound--nothing save this blood stuck on her leg How, then, had she been killed?

He stopped quite near her; and he stared at her, while he leaned on his stick Certainly, he knew her, as he knew all the inhabitants of the district; but, not being able to get a look at her face, he could not guess her name He stooped forward in order to take off the handkerchief which covered her face, then paused with outstretched hand, restrained by an idea that occurred to hi in the condition of the corpse before the ation? He pictured justice to hi escapes, and who attaches as much importance to a lost button as to a stab of a knife in the stomach

Perhaps under this handkerchief evidence to support a capital charge could be found; in fact if there were sufficient proof there to secure a conviction, it ht lost its value, if touched by an aard hand