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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER IV THE TRYST IN THE FOREST In the shadowy glades of the forest there was a great silence. True, there was to be heard the sleepy twitter of the birds, the low hum of insect-life, the quiet dropping of a withered leaf upon the mossy ground, but these subdued sounds seemed but to intensify rather than to break the stillness. Upon all around it would appear there had fallen the hush of the Sabbath afternoon. Even the distant murmur of a rippling stream fell upon the ear like a mere dream of music, while the stately trees, entering into the spirit of the hour, bent their proud heads in majestic acknowledgment of the greeting of the autumn wind, and held counsel with each other in whispers. Under the wide-spreading branches of a great chestnut sat Azerole Montoux. In an attitude of utter listlessness, her dark eyes gazing moodily in front of her, she waited immovable as a statue. The minutes passed, but at last her listening ears caught the sound of coming footsteps, and, springing to her feet, she stood expectant. A few moments more and her face lighted up at sight of her brother, who, pushing the brushwood aside, made his way to her through a thicket of saplings and undergrowth. " Le'on, L6on " she cried, holding out both her hands. "I feared something had hindered you, and that you were not coming to the tryst to-day." " If Michel Roussier had his way, vraiment, something should always hinder. His ingenuity in that line is little short of genius." Apparently Azerole had not heard. She did not ask what the delay had been, stranger still, she failed to notice the shadow on her brother's brow. Wearily she sat down again, and, drawing him down beside her, let her head fall on his shoulder with a long sigh, half of contentment half of pain. For a few minutes ...