{"product_id":"2940013374393","title":"THE CHAMPDOCE MYSTERY","description":"CHAPTER I.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA DUCAL MONOMANIAC.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe traveller who wishes to go from Poitiers to London by the shortest\u003cbr\u003eroute will find that the simplest way is to take a seat in the\u003cbr\u003estage-coach which runs to Saumur; and when you book your place, the\u003cbr\u003epolite clerk tells you that you must take your seat punctually at six\u003cbr\u003eo'clock. The next morning, therefore, the traveller has to rise from his\u003cbr\u003ebed at a very early hour, and make a hurried and incomplete toilet, and\u003cbr\u003eon arriving, flushed and panting, at the office, discover that there was\u003cbr\u003eno occasion for such extreme haste.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the hotel from whence the coach starts every one seems to be asleep,\u003cbr\u003eand a waiter, whose eyes are scarcely open, wanders languidly about.\u003cbr\u003eThere is not the slightest good in losing your temper, or in pouring out\u003cbr\u003ea string of violent remonstrances. In a small restaurant opposite a cup\u003cbr\u003eof hot coffee can be procured, and it is there that the disappointed\u003cbr\u003etravellers congregate, to await the hour when the coach really makes a\u003cbr\u003estart.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt length, however, all is ready, the conductor utters a tremendous\u003cbr\u003eexecration, the coachman cracks his whip, the horses spring forward, the\u003cbr\u003ewheels rattle, and the coach is off at last. Whilst the conductor smokes\u003cbr\u003ehis pipe tranquilly, the passengers gaze out of the windows and admire\u003cbr\u003ethe beautiful aspect of the surrounding country. On each side stretch\u003cbr\u003ethe woods and fields of Bevron. The covers are full of game, which has\u003cbr\u003eincreased enormously, as the owner of the property has never allowed a\u003cbr\u003eshot to be fired since he had the misfortune, some twenty years ago, to\u003cbr\u003ekill one of his dependents whilst out shooting. On the right hand side\u003cbr\u003esome distance off rise the tower and battlements of the Chateau de\u003cbr\u003eMussidan. It is two years ago since the Dowager Countess of Chevanche\u003cbr\u003edied, leaving all her fortune to her niece, Mademoiselle Sabine de\u003cbr\u003eMussidan. She was a kind-hearted woman, rough and ready in her manner,\u003cbr\u003ebut very popular amongst the peasantry. Farther off, on the top of some\u003cbr\u003erising ground, appears an imposing structure, of an ancient style of\u003cbr\u003earchitecture; this is the ancient residence of the Dukes of Champdoce.\u003cbr\u003eThe left wing is a picturesque mass of ruins; the roof has fallen\u003cbr\u003ein, and the mullions of the windows are dotted with a thick growth of\u003cbr\u003eclustering ivy. Rain, storm, and sunshine have all done their work, and\u003cbr\u003epainted the mouldering walls with a hundred varied tints. In 1840 the\u003cbr\u003einheritor of one of the noblest names of France resided here with\u003cbr\u003ehis only son. The name of the present proprietor was Caesar Guillaume\u003cbr\u003eDuepair de Champdoce. He was looked upon both by the gentry and\u003cbr\u003epeasantry of the country side as a most eccentric individual. He could\u003cbr\u003ebe seen any day wandering about, dressed in the most shabby manner, and\u003cbr\u003ewearing a coat that was frequently in urgent need of repair, a leathern\u003cbr\u003ecap on his head, wooden shoes, and a stout oaken cudgel in his hand. In\u003cbr\u003ewinter he supplemented to these an ancient sheepskin coat. He was sixty\u003cbr\u003eyears of age, very powerfully built, and possessing enormous strength.\u003cbr\u003eThe expression upon his face showed that his will was as strong as\u003cbr\u003ehis thews and sinews. Beneath his shaggy eyebrows twinkled a pair of\u003cbr\u003elight-gray eyes, which darkened when a fit of passion overtook him, and\u003cbr\u003ethis was no unusual occurrence.","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47145565225200,"sku":"2940013374393","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013374393_p0.jpg?v=1763580067","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013374393","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}