Orphans of the Storm   By: Henry MacMahon

[Illustration: LILLIAN AND DOROTHY GISH AS THE TWO ORPHANS IN D. W. GRIFFITH'S ORPHANS OF THE STORM. Frontispiece .]

ORPHANS OF THE STORM

A COMPLETE NOVEL

FROM D. W. GRIFFITH'S MOTION PICTURE EPIC ON THE IMMORTAL THEME OF

THE TWO ORPHANS

NOVELIZED BY

HENRY MacMAHON

ILLUSTRATED WITH SCENES FROM THE PHOTO PLAY

GROSSET & DUNLAP

PUBLISHERS NEW YORK

Made in the United States of America

Copyright 1922

BY HENRY MacMAHON

All rights reserved, including those of translation into foreign languages.

CONTENTS

I. TWO GIRLS OF NORMANDY 1 II. THE JOURNEY TO PARIS 5 III. WHAT HAPPENED AT THE COACH HOUSE 12 IV. THE FETE OF BEL AIR 20 V. BEL AIR (CONTINUED) 27 VI. IN THE FROCHARDS' DEN 33 VII. TANGLED SKEINS 38 VIII. THE HONOR OF THE FAMILY 46 IX. FRIENDS OF THE PEOPLE 54 X. THE ATTACK ON DANTON 61 XI. LOUISE BEFORE NOTRE DAME 67 XII. LOVE, MASTER OF HEARTS 72 XIII. THE RECOGNITION 76 XIV. DOWN IN THE DEPTHS 84 XV. LIGHT RAYS IN THE DARKNESS 91 XVI. REVOLUTION IS HERE! 100 XVII. PRISON DELIVERY AND AN ENCOUNTER 108 XVIII. "THERE IS NO LAW " 114 XIX. KNIFE DUEL AND ESCAPE 124 XX. THE NEW TYRANNY 129 XXI. ADVENTURES OF A PILGRIM 136 XXII. ADVENTURES OF A PILGRIM (CONTINUED) 142 XXIII. BEFORE THE DREAD TRIBUNAL 149 XXIV. VENGEANCE COME TO JUDGMENT 156 XXV. THE VOICE OF DANTON 160 XXVI. REPRIEVE OR AGONY 169 XXVII. THE FAREWELL 173 XXVIII. MANIAC WITH A DAGGER 178 XXIX. DANTON'S RIDERS 184 XXX. THE AFTERMATH 191

ORPHANS OF THE STORM

CHAPTER I

TWO GIRLS OF NORMANDY

In all the countryside of Evreux, nay in all the beauteous old time Normandy of the period of 1789, there were no lovelier filles du peuple than Henriette and Louise Girard.

Their romantic story was often whispered by country gossips. In infancy foundlings on the church steps of Notre Dame, then brought to this quiet Norman backwater by the Girards and raised as sisters, they had lost both their protectors by death. The same visitation of the dread plague had cost poor little Louise her eyesight.

Since the orphaning and especially since the blindness of Louise, Henriette cared for her with a love overwhelming as that of a mother for her helpless baby. She looked forward eagerly to the day when they might leave the kinswoman's where they were staying and go to Paris.

A local doctor had imparted a precious ray of hope.

"As for me, voila! I can do nothing," he said. "Mais, is it not that there are learned faculties in Paris men skilled in chirurgery even to the taking off of cataracts and the restoration of sight? Of a truth, yes! En avant, mes enfants! Let Monsieur Martin, your ancient cousin in Paris, have the care of you whilst the chirurgeons exert their skill presto! if all goes well, the little one shall yet see!"