E-text prepared by Al Haines

ORRAIN

A Romance

by

S. LEVETT-YEATS

Author of
"The Lord Protector," "The Chevalier d'Auriac," etc.

Longmans, Green, and Co.91 and 93 Fifth Avenue, New YorkLondon and Bombay1904

Copyright, 1904, by
S. Levett-Yeats
All Rights Reserved

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I THE CRY IN THE RUE DES LAVANDIERES II I BECOME THE OWNER OF A RING III MY PYRAMID OF CARDS COMES DOWN IV THE QUEEN'S MIRACLE V THE PORTE ST. MICHEL VI SIMON AND I MEET AGAIN VII DIANE VIII THE ACTS OF PIERREBON IX THE WHITE MASK X THE BITER BITTEN XI THE ROAD TO POITIERS XII A WRITER OF COMMENTARIES XIII THE TOUR DE L'OISEAU XIV MADEMOISELLE DE PARADIS XV MY PRISONER XVI THE TWELVE ROSE PETALS XVII MADEMOISELLE DECIDES XVIII DR. JOHANNES CABALLUS XIX THE WOMAN IN BLACK AND WHITE XX THE CROWN JEWELS XXI THE HOUSE IN THE PASSAGE OF PITY XXII THE TABLETS OF DOM ANTOINE DE MOUCHY XXIII THE MASQUERADE XXIV THE KING AND THE FAVOURITE XXV THE PACKET OF LETTERS XXVI THE CHURCH UNDER THE GROUND XXVII THE RING XXVIII THE ARM OF GOD XXIX LA VALENTINOIS AND I XXX FONTAINEBLEAU XXXI THE PEARS OF ORRAIN

ORRAIN

CHAPTER I

THE CRY IN THE RUE DES LAVANDIERES

My father, René, Vidame d'Orrain, was twice married. By his first wifehe had one son, Simon, who subsequently succeeded to his title andestates, and was through his life my bitter enemy. By his second wife,whom he married somewhat late in life, he had two sons—the elder,Anne, known as the Chevalier de St. Martin from his mother's lands,which he inherited; and the younger, Bertrand—myself.

Simon betook himself early to the Court, and we heard but little ofhim, and that not to his credit; St. Martin went to Italy under thebanner of Brissac; and as for me, my parents yielding to the persuasionof my mother's uncle, the Bishop of Seez, decided that I should becomea Churchman, and I was forthwith packed off to Paris, and entered atthe College of Cambrai, being then about seventeen years of age. Beingremarkably tall and strongly built, with a natural taste for all manlyexercises, it might have been expected that my books saw little of me;but, on the contrary, I found in them a pleasure and a companionshipthat has lasted through my life. Thus it happened that I madeconsiderable progress. So much so that the good Bishop, mygreat-uncle, often flattered me with the ambitious hopes of some dayfilling his Episcopal chair—a hope that, I need not say, was neverrealised.

About this time, I being nineteen years of age, things happened thatentirely altered my life. My mother sickened and died. Shortly afternews came of the death of my brother St. Martin, who was killed in anaffair of honour at Milan. The Vidame, my father, then in hiseighty-first year, and much enfeebled by old wounds, especially one hehad received at Fornovo, felt that his last hours were come, andsummoned my brother Simon and myself home to receive his last blessingbefore he died.

I hurried back as fast as possible, but when I reached Orrain I foundto my astonishment the gates of the Chateau closed against me, andSimon, leaning over the battlements, bade me begone.

Overcome with this reception, I was for a sp

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