Belle Rose: A Romance of the Cloak and Sword — page 386: what you’re looking at

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

368 THE RUE DE L’ARBRE-SEC. more prompt than lightning, threw himself to one side, and the ball, grazing his breast, traversed the soldier’s left arm. ‘‘Traitor!’’ he exclaimed, and, rapid as a thunderbolt, he pounced upon Monsieur de Charny. Nothing could stop the impetuosity of his onslaught; this time the hand was of iron as well as the sword; the first thrust was like a ball and traversed the gentleman’s breast near the heart; the second pierced his throat through and through. Monsieur de Charny opened his arms and fell. Belle-Rose leaned over, and snatching off his mask, showed his naked face. ‘*You have poisoned Genevieve de Chateaufort,’’ he said to him; ‘‘die, then, and be cursed.”’ An expression of profound horror and mad rage con- tracted Monsieur de Charny’s face; a last blasphemy ex- ay upon his bloody lips, a shiver seized him, and he ied. ‘*She is avenged. ’’ said Belle-Rose, ‘‘let us leave.”’ They remounted their horses at the inn where they had left them, and regained St. Claire d’Ennery. The day was beginning to dawn when they reached the abbey, and the country awoke all shining with that enchanting decoration which the summer lavishes on everything; the dew trembled on the branches of the hedges, and the birds sang in the foliage. Suzanne was waiting in a mortal in- quietude; she had been told of Belle-Rose’s absence, and was ignorant of the cause of it. When she perceived him, she ran to him with a pale face, but with her eyes already smiling. ‘“What! blood!’’ she exclaimed, when Belle-Rose had opened his cloak. ‘‘Tt is nothing,’’ replied the soldier, in a deep voice; ‘‘I have just killed a serpent.”’ (THE END.) =) a (€(0) Eboo S (E(0) =}