A Piece Of Soap

■ It was about ten years ago, iu the mouth of December. The day was oloady and dull, and the wind was roaring among the oak trees. I w;is going to dine with Maitre Ie Bitouze, who in those days lived on the Haut Putois farm on the i'arther sido of the Nelion moorlands. The diimer was to be servad at 6 o'clock. As I left the forest of BelleGarde and took the little cross path that led to Monroe I heard the church bells in the valley striking 4. As I went along the idea carao to me to get shaved. It was quite a natural idea, for iny beard was liuvting me - tha coid wind seems to bite an unshaved skin. My beard was eight days oíd, and there were to be other people at dinner, so I should be more presentable if shaved. At the entrance of the village on the right hand side stood a pictnresque little imi. The wind was rattling the leaves oí' the holly, trees that .stood in front of it. Inside I could hear the soxuid of loud voices. I went in, and ordering a glass of wine asked the host if there was a barber in the village. "Parbleu oui !" cried an oíd peasant w!o was sitting with his feet in the stove-and lighting his pipe with a firebrand. "There is oíd Bridevent, who shaved the whole camp of Nelion during the var. If he is at home - andheought to be, for as I passed the church just now I saw his dog Ronflot running down the street - ho will do the trick for you first rate, and very quickly too!" "And this Bridevent," said another peasant, who was stirring his cup of cof - fee at the end of the tab Ie, "evidently means to live and die here. I thought he went away to his vegetables and his cabbages in the country wheii the camp left Monroe. He comes from the neighborhood of Pirón, doesn't he?" "So he always says, yet henever goes much farther from his little shop thaa a rábbit does from its tanrrow. " "And how does he live? A little poachiug on the sly and occasionally dressing a beard are not enough to fill the pot. Yet he does nothing else, so far as I can see. ' ' "Bridevent is a sly one, Maatre Ie Hodey, and has put aside a little money. Ho nsed to keep a cantine, and has done other things than shave ehins. ' ' Satisfied with what I had heard, I asked the proprietor to show me Bridevent 's house and left the inn. I found it, as he had descrïbed, a low, pioturesque cottage, standing alone far back from the road, with its broad, sloping roof giving to it a soniewhat lugubrious appeaxance, not lessened by its lonely situation. When I was within a few feet of the porch, which was partly concealed by low bushes, the door suddenly opened and a figure appeaxed. It was that of a small man, a very sniall man, sqtiat, d;u-k, thickset, with long anus and tremendously bowed legs The enormous head, which did not se straight on the massive shoulders, was covered with unkempt black hair. The neck was short and thick, and there wa scarcely any forehead to be seen. . Add to this feature that had the appearance of having been crushed a large rnouth with thick lips that drooped at one corner and two large gleaming black eyes, and you ruay have some idea of this singular individual. My first thought on seeing this hideous apparition was to turn and retrace my steps or to go straight on past the house. But a second glance at the person showed me that he was properly dressed, and that it was his deformity chiefly that thus inspired the sensation of repngnance. So, suppressing my surprise, I addressed him in a voice that was most gay : "Eh bien, my friend, at this time of day, and with this kind of weather, I snppose trade with you is not boorning. Do you think you can shave nie before it ! gets too dark?' ' ' ' Come in, monsieur, ' ' he said simply. "I will do the best I eau. " He went in first. to make room for me to pass, and poiated to a chair beside the fireplace. The interior of the cottage was very modest. Everything was clean and in its place A high, old fashioned bedstead stood in one corner, and in another a cupboard with deep shelves and several dozon platos with blue patterns painted on them. A tal! kitchen clock, a mirror, a table, several ohairs and a kneadiug trough composed tbc rest of the funiiturein the room. Two or three dingy looking piciui-es hung on the smoke stained walls. From the rafters hung smoked hams, dried plants and sausages. long and black In the corners stood fishiug rods and fowling pieces, and two guns rested fcheir long gleamiug barrels against the mantelshelf. ' ' A little bit of flre is uot so bad in this weather, liein. Is it, monsieur? I'll see to the stove while your water is boiljng. It won't take long. " And as he stooped to throw a bundie of fagots into the stove I was amazed at the breadth of his shoulders and the enormous size of his hands. Without doubt this strangc fellow was possessed of tremendous strength. He rose from his stooping position and went into a neighboring room, shntting the door can -f ully behind hi m. When he returued a few monients later, I heard a stealthy step going down the passage. "Warm yourself, moasieur," he said to xoe agíiin, placing a little stone jar ; filled with water, preparatory to shaving. "Dou't fear to burn the wood. Wood is not expcnsive in the country.' It nly costs the trouble of gal hering it. " Theu ho opened a cabinet and took out : a pair of razors, whiehhe began to strop conscientiously. "Famous razors these, monsieur, This oneespecially isan Englishrazocwhich, ïf properly ground, could cut your ueck j hrough without spilling a drop oL lood!" This pleasantry I had of ten héard beore, but from the lips of this strange ndividaal it took on a peculiar characer. Therewas a sound iu his voice made me i hudder. As I sat there poking up tie smoldering embers of the fire tiie conversatiou of the p little inn came forciblyback 1 o me. And the more ight of it the 1ss I feit reassured. This fellow Bridevent did not belong to this part of the country. No one seemed to lauw where he carne Beside liis ostensible avocation of barber, which surely did not bríng m enough to pay for the woud Unit biu-ned m the gi'eat stove, uo one knew of auy other means of li"velihood that he possessed. And bis manner, too, had roused my suspicious. Why had he gone into the other room and closed the door so cautiously behind him? And those steps I had heard, what were they ? Soine one had doubtless been in that room whom he had thought it well to get out of the way. All manner of old tales of persons who had disappeared and left no trace behind, of mysterious assassihatións at night in lonely hoiises, awoke to life inmy mind ontil I began to feel that at any rate it was not prudent to help the rnurderer to his taak by offering my tliroat unprotected to his razors. From this moment I carefully watched every movement of my man. He walked up and down the room, ever stropping his famous razors and every few minutes stopping to listen. Every time he passcd the half open door I saw him look nervously out over the flelds to the right and left. Presently his step became more hurried and feverish, and his face betrayed uiarked impatience. He appeared uneasy, undecided. Was ho hesitating? ' ' I began to feel very uncomf ortable ind3d and cast frequent glances at the UUU1 . The darkness was coming on rapidly. Tlie room was only lit up by the flickering light of the bumin'g wood. Long ago the water in the stone jar had begun to boil. It had half boiled away and was aearly empty. Evidently the man was trying to gain time ! Perhaps waiting till the shadows of f ast approaching night would aid hij in hls ghastly scheme. Snddenly he placed the razors -aKn the edge of the table, looked into the steaming little stone jar, and without a word passed hurriedly into the next room. When he retmrned, a moment later, he found me standing up ready to bring the adventure to the poiut. '.'All things eonsidered, " I began, looking him straight in the face, "I do not care to get shaved tonight. It is getting late, and I ain expected to dinner. I wlll look in tomorrow morning. Here are 50 centimes for the operation. I pay in advance!" Bnt, witiiout appearing to hear me - I think he was a little deaf - he ran to the door again, and putting his head out listened intently for several seconds. In the distance I could hear the barking of a dog that was coming nearer and nearer. Sixddenly a big dog sprang past his lopis. "Down, Ronflot, down!" he cried anThen a child carne in out of breath, with her hair flying like leaves bef ore a storm. She held something in her hand wrapped in paper. "Give it here, quick!" cried Bridevent. "Monsieur has been waiting ever so long. Here, give it to ine!" It was a piece of soap ! I Bat down again. All was in readiness. Bridevent shaved me, and I must hónestly say 'that even if Iwas a good deal frightened I have never been better shaved iu ïny life.