b LIE STRAND) AGALINT

destre the presence of the man vwho had saved her Tife. Only from time to time s she thought of her father tears would pour from her eves, and Marceau would reassure hery and to distract her thoughts would tell her of his hrst campaign ;. how the school-boy had become a soldier at hifteen, an oflicer al seventeen, a colonet at nincteci, and a general at twenty-one.

Nantes at this time writhed under the voke of Carrier. Tts streets ran with blood, and Carrvier, who was (o Robesprerre what the hviena s to the tiger, and the jackal to

the lion, corged himscelf with the purest of

thi- blood. Noonc bore a repitation maore blameless than that of the yvoung general, Marccau, and no suspicion had as vet attacked his mother or sisters. And now the danv fixed for the marriage of one ol these young oirls arrived.

Amongest the jowels that Mar- ceau had sent for, he chose a neck- lace of precious stones, which he offcredto Blanche.

She looked at it frst with all the coquetry of a voung girl ; then she closed the box.

“ Jewelsare out

of placc m my situation,” he a1 cannot

accept 1ty whilst my father, hunted from place to place, perhaps begs a morsel of bread for his food, and a granary for his shelter,” Marceau press- cd her i ovan., She would ac- cept nothime but an o artihaal red which was Aamongest the Jewels, S The churche: beng closed, the corcmony teok place at the \V'i]lzlg‘L: hotel, At the door of the hotdl adeputation of sailors awaited the youny couple. Once of these men, whose face

For-e

“alkee

appearved familiar to Marceau, held e his hand two bouquets. One he gave to the voung bride, and, advancing toward Blanche, who regarded him fixedly, he presented her with the other,

“Tinguy, where is omy father 77 aaid Blanche, growing very pale

AL Samtc-Florent, replied this bouquet.

the salor, There 1~ a lotter mstde.”

Blanche wished to stop him, to speak to him, but he had disappeared. She read the Tetter with anxicty. The Royalists hadl suffered defeat after defeat, giving way before devastation and famine., The Marquis had lcarut cverything through

VOULD ACCEPT NoTHING BUT AN ARTIFICIAL RKED ROsL.

the watchlulness of Tinsuv, Blanche waz ks TThis Tetter had cast her back again mto all the horrors of war, l_)uring the

cercmony a stranger who had, he said,