Belle Rose: A Romance of the Cloak and Sword — page 105: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE DREAMS OF A SUMMER DAY. 93 in its extent, sprinkled with gardens and patches of wood, he wandered at hazard; only he did not wander alone. In the eyes of the servants at the chateau, he passed for a gentleman, as he wore the dress and sword of one, and the lackeys invariably called him Monsieur de Verval. This name Madame de Chateaufort had given him, the bet- ter to conceal his identity. ‘‘That is one way to save Belle-Rose,’’ she had said. Belle-Rose understood; the lackeys could talk at their ease of Monsieur de Verval. Never, under the name of that gentleman, would Bouletord and the police scent the sergeant of artillery. Madame de Chateaufort absented herself a short while about this time, and Belle-Rose’s con- science began to worry him over that feverish idleness which attached him to a woman when the care of his hap- piness called him to Laon. Therefore he determined to break these new ties which interfered with his liberty. Some words written in haste informed Claudine and Cor- nelius of the events which had followed his departure from Paris and of the decision which he had just come to. He confided his letters to a lackey, with a request to carry them in all haste to the residence of Madame d’ Albergotti. Three or four louis assured him of the valet’s diligence, and he awaited the return of Madame de Chateaufort in order to declare to her his intention of leaving imme- diately. The intervening time was passed by him in a very restless manner. Belle-Rose knew that he did not have any too much courage for sustaining the sight of Genevieve, and he asked himself if it would not be better to go away without speaking to her. The fear of offending her stopped him; strange thought at the moment when he had decided to fiee her presence for good and all! Madame de Chateaufort returned very late on this day; midnight had just struck when the park gate opened, and before Belle-Rose could speak to her, she had passed into her apartments. The sergeant put off then his declaration and " his departure till the next day. Could any one have de- ___ gcended to the bottom of his heart, perhaps it would have been discovered that he was not too much afflicted by this disappointment. Madame de Chateaufort and Belle-Rose ‘occupied a detached building separated from the principal - ~+one, which the workmen were engaged in repairing; _ Belle-Rose’s apartment was on the ground floor, that of _ the duchess on the first story. Both opened upon the park. _ The night was superb; numberless stars, scattered like _ __ gold-dust over the velvet of the sky, projected into space CORMECLOOKS (€(0)