Our Passenger

I was stopping at the Hotel Wiudsor, at Kue de Éivoli, Paris. One iiiurning 1 was smoking in the colonnade, wheu a tall elegantly dressed gentleman Hskod perniission tu ligbt his cignr by mine. I snw at ouce tbnt he was a Frenchinan, ulthuugli bis " Englih" vas nearly perfect. "Have jou beard th news?" he iuquin-d. No." Is it possible! Why, all Paris is alive with it at 'his lUDmeiit." " What has liMppi md r" " Tbe Countesb de Marville. the firest of thf tair, ws tound niurdired in her bed, iast night, hr buru.ui brokau open and ten tbousand fiuncs missing fruto it. It was temblé! ïhere were uiarks of flngeis on her throat Tbe brute wbo did the deed eifected his entrauee througb the window of br chamber. near whicb, unfortiinately, was a tall tree planted by the distiuguished grandfHther of tbe 0' uutess years ago. L ttle did tin iiu tgine what a terrible use wouid be made ot " TbÍ8 is bad news. How any man ould harm a wuiiian thus in eold hlood s more than I can imagine.'' " An, monsieur, it you bad ever seen the Punteas you would wonder still more. iht! was beautitul - beautiful as an au;el," lie added, stroking his whiskers vith an unuiistakiible air of vauity, "I Liiow her well." ' Icdetd.' " O, yus. There are in Paris few popuar woiuen unknown to uie." His marnier uow was deeidedly coneittd, and I feit disgustod. My culdiets evidently vc pelled him, for he soon eft me. Aiterwards T heard fromothers accounts f the late tragedy. Auiong tlie details of the affair was oue vh.eh peeuliarly impretsed me - aud vhich luy firü iuformani had not spoken it' - au oversight which surprised me, as :he oucurrence he had not moutioned was rf that kind which would be most apt to itrike the fancy. Upon the throat of the Countess the nurderer, in throtthng her, had left a udik irom a ring he wore - the impresión oi' a chariot wheel with a star ia hs :enter. " This," said my latest informant, " may ead to the discovery ot' the murderer. Feau Mosqueau is alieady visiting the ewelers' shops to find out froui which ind by whom a ring with a chariot vheel düvioe was pu-chased." " Who is Jean Monsqueaui" 'Wbat Motqueau, our tamous I ive'f Althongh his courage is well movm, you would not, to look at his air, delii ate face, and form, believe that ie could fight a gnat !" A wet-kjater I was aboard the steamer, ound from Calais to Dover. Among the passengtrs I beheld one vhose tace looked familiar to ine. I was lot long in recognizing this person as he same 1 had neen in front of the Hotel ïVindtor and who had flrst infurmed me jf the murder of the Countess. He was certainly a very handsome uan, although his conceited air was a slot npon his gcod looks. He moved languidly hitherand thither :urniig his bruwn eyes admiraVjly upon :he prt tty lady pusseugers, while strokng hi whihkers with oue white hand, iipon the middle fiuger of which was a iuperb diamond ring. I am rather ot a. suspicious nature, Inch couibiuL-d with a iively imaginatiou, hud of. en led me into singular airors. Nüw a strange impulse moved me to advauce and hold out my hand to the man whom I had involuutarily disliked trom the tirst, in order that I niight hxve a. chance to glante at his ÍSouieuow the idea possetsed me that I should d scover a chariot whtel device upoii the gliittrii:g bbuble. The (itiar.ger did not at first recognize me. He soon did, however, and traukly ixteuded his left hand, which was uot the one contaiuing the ring. My brain fairly reeled ; the inan's behavior wagacoufiimatinii ol mysuspiuious. " The other hand, if you please.' 1 said, in a low stem voice. " Mousii ur will please excuse me; my othi-r arm is lame with the iheumatibiu." He beheld me glauco toward the half bidden ïins.aud I wassuie 1 saw bnu start and turu pule, at the saine time looking inuch tmiprised. He, however, opeued bis right hand, as it perfectly willing for m to shake il il I choe to. Then I had a guod luok at the ring, and feit Hshumed of my suspiciong. The deviee was a coiniiion heai t, whicb certnmly bort; o restuiulanee to a chariot wbei'l. Aíter a general conversation to recover inv self pdssessiou, I turned away resulvmg 111 the future to lmve a better ojjiuion ot my fel. ow ureatures. The Btrauser's good looks seemed to attract the attentiou of good many oí the ladies. One espeeially, a modest lookina little thing attired in black, kept diiecting furtive glauce6 at the handsome passenger. Fiually she glided so ulose to him that in turning be biushed against her. An apology, smiliugly received by the littlo lady, u remark about the weather on the part ot the gentleman, and the two were soou conversing with anima tion. Meanwhile the blushing cheek and bright eyes of the fair one seemed to be token that she was well pleaac-d with her conrpaiiion, whosw air was more conceited than ever. " I au afraid we shall have a storm," ! she remarked, pointing towards a dark cloud upon which the captain cf the boat was gazing anxiously. " We may, but do not ba alaruied madam." With an air of nonchalance he pulled a red cipir uase from liis pocket and asked liis oorupanion if she objeeted to a smoke. Then he started, and quickly returning the red one to his pocket, pulled forth another of a blue color. ' How many cigas do yon smoke in a day'r" inquired ihe lady, evideutly amused at the sight of two cases. The other colored, and it struck me that his voice slight'y faltered and his hand trembled, as he uiade some laugh injr leply. Soon the storm carne pouneing down upon U9. We were inidway in the channel, so that we cauerht the full foroe of the soa and gale. Both were torrific. The soa swopt the boat, which lay 80 far over that her machineTy was soon damat;ed so that it would not work. Tlie wind, screaming like a demon, threw her over still farther. Suddeuly we observed the saiiors endeavorin to loosen a Ion boat on the davifs at the stern. Meanwhile, there was an ominous grindinpf, sniashinp; noise nnder the counter. The trtith could not be concealed ; we were sinking Tho Indios screamed ; the handsome passenger lost his self possession, and ran hither and thither. The C(-ol behavior of the little lady in black contrasted strangely with the agitated demoanor ot' those around her. There she gtood calui and immovablp, her hright steel blue eyes fixed upon the handsome stranger, of whom she did not lose sight for a moment. "Keep quiet. ludies and gentlemen!" Hang out the captain - "Keepquiet, aud don 't crowd around the boat so ! There wi'l be room in it for you all ; and, be sid s there is a Hchooner coming to our assistance," pointing to a vensel blowing towards iis before the wii.d. There waa however a panic among those addressed. The moment the boat was lowered, into it they all bundled, among theui the handsome passenger. A huge sea coming along, roaring like thunder, parted the tackles, tearing the boat from the steamer before the lady iu black or I could enter it. The hands rue passenger, losing his balance, feil over the gunwale, and being unalile to swioi wildly threw uji lus arn . I must tcKii 'iv lulled that I was so engrossed with the p riloussituttion of my fair oompanion and myself - now the only (wo luft aooard the steuiuer- that I paid little atteiitiou to the drowning man. The stemuur was in, fiict going down fasi - was airead y nearly engulfed in the stormy wiivpr, her heited and half submerged boilers hissing, as the steat i caiue gushing out like the spout of i whale. I was advancing to throw au arm around the little lady, fearing to see her washed away when quietly mo'ioning me b,tck with one hand, she seized a co'l of rope, aud tnre 'he end to the handsome passenger. H caught it, wlleli, turning to me, the lady requested me to help haul the mn aboard. I complied marve.ing at the love and devotion thus shown by a woman to au acquaiutanoe ot' an hour. Uis power over the female sex must be great I tbought. He is conceited but not without reason. The idea fiashed clearly across my mind, iu spit of uiy danger. The schooner, however was very near, and I had every renson to beüevü thut. wü should be picked up. I was rgtit. We were all taken aboard, the uchooner, the handsome passenger among the rest. Then the lady iu black, puünu forth a revolver, pointing it at the head of him whom she had rescued. " Out with that redcigar-CH6e !" she said, sternly. " I would like to see what monsieur carrics in it." " Why - why," stammered the strangor " whai is - " Before he could say another word, the little Amazon thrust her disengaged hand in his pocket, pulled forth the red cigar-case, and opening it, a ring dropped to the deck. The ring she picked up, and holding it up before us all exclaimed - " I have found it at last. The jeweler assured me it was the only one of the device in Paris - a chariot wheel ! This person is the murderer of the Oountess jio Marville!" The handsome passenger stood as if frozen to the deck, making no resistance as the lady in black shpped a pair of hand-cuffs over his wrists. " By what right," he then stammered, "do you - " He paused as the other threw off her dress and false hair, revealing the person of a slender man with delicate girlish features. "I am Jean Mosqueau, the detective!" he quietly remarked, " and I robbed the sea of this man thac the scaffold might not. be cheated." There is little more to add. The main proof having been obtained, other proofs on the prisoner's trial were brought forth, ohowing him guilty beyoiid doubt. Long before his execu'ion his name was ascertained to be Louis Rosseneau, a noted adventurer and gau; bier, wbo, howver, by cool etfrontery and a winning address, backed by his good looks had been enabled to move among the ürst circles of Parisian society.