| Show by W hopkins author of jack of americ la tb sea two gentlemen 1 I hawaii on pair charge etc 1805 bj CHAPTER X I 1 want to ask you a question it was the second day of my re dewed life and I 1 felt emch stronger and had been watching with a feeling of amusement as be puttered around doing this and that tor his own comfort and mine ask it signer he replied there Is no law in the grotto to compel me to answer it it I 1 don t want to no I 1 said but there Is no rea son why you should not tell me this it you know have you any idea who really killed pacho malignly everything dropped from mutter eells hands and he stared at me seemingly overcome with surprise who killed who who killed ma what Is that signora oh yes I 1 forgot no signer I 1 do not know who killed maligna you did not kill hima no I 1 replied I 1 swear it I 1 did not even see him struck I 1 was out side of the villa making my way to the gate with nita barlotti when I 1 heard him cry out and heard the alarm given I 1 aw him when I 1 was on the balcony but he got up from 1 chair and left the room the next time I 1 saw him he was lying dead I 1 am as much in the dark about it as any one whistled this is news to me signer I 1 thought of course you killed maligna but if you did not then who the deuce did I 1 don t know that Is what I 1 want to know you shall know signor said mut and his jaw snapped nearly a month has been wasted in which perhaps I 1 could have run the mur derer down and set you tree but I 1 will do it yet signer do not fear I 1 will know who the murderer of ma ligal is in less than sixteen days more find him I 1 said and the twenty five thousand lire that I 1 promised you shall be doubled ah thanh you signer mutter belll is faithful but he Is poor there fore he Is grateful I 1 must see brother michael to day it I 1 can find him the last sentence seemed to be an afterthought my own opinion was that U the wily wanted to sea brother michael he would not need to go far a mirror would show him the jesuits face that afternoon went away and did not return until long into the night when he did come in he breathed heavily and seemed like a man who had been drinking much wine I 1 lay there in silence watching him as in the dim light of the candle he moved about preparing to go to bed in a far corner of the grotto upon some boards laid lengthwise some furs like those on which I 1 lay bad been placed upon this rude couch stretched himself and was soon snoring away as it be was repos ing on the softest bed in his probably comfortable home in genoa and as I 1 thought of it I 1 laughed softly to self it was probably a strange place for to be sleeping yet more than that the thought came to me that it was a strange couch for a monk and laughing again at mut terell ls clumsy attempts to deceive me I 1 tell asleep the days passed slowly after this yet I 1 mended rapidly and my return ing strength brought renewed arnal alon and stronger determination to carry to a successful issue the pur poses that had brought me to bar dinia but I 1 could get nothing out of I 1 plied him with ques alons about the monk and about the profetto pre fetto and about nita barlettt tt but all I 1 got day after day were aelter abed cautions about leaving the grot to and vague and misty sentences about great plans being laid for my benefit by and brother michael nita baciotti Ba was still at the coun try residence of the profetto pre fetto and mut informed me that it was ru mored that she bould soon become the bride of count dl bordino I 1 could not see how or wherein the count was any improvement over pacho maligna but par bially reassured me by saying that the count would not be allowed to wed her or when he and brother michael bad got my affairs straightened out they would attend to the case of the count dl bordino and bis proposed marriage all this was pacifying and almost satisfying in the early days of my convalescence but there came a day when I 1 was no longer weak and when the blood full of life rushing through my body gave me vigor and a desire to go outside again into the world and see tor myself what was going on and do for myself what I 1 had become convinced no one else would be able to do for me it was on one of these days when Mut was away that the spirit of unrest seized me and I 1 grew 1 patient and nervous at my enforced idleness with his usual regard for my comfort had procured in some way a supply of good cigars and I 1 eat on my bed with my back against the perpendicular wall of marble smoking one of these slipping from my couch I 1 mean dered uneasily around the grotto grumbling inwardly at the ant delay in my plans and thinking hard trying to help myself out of my present difficulty I 1 was surprised when approaching the entrance in my aimless ramble to see letters carved in the rock away to the right of the arch stepping to this spot I 1 read the words easily so deeply and evenly were they cut into the marble HENRY I 1 will avenge the fame words and in the form as I 1 had found them in the ceba in ia torra dell elefante henry Tb oriane then was no doubt he former occupant ot the but now a puzzling question arose when could he have carved these letters in the grottos previous to his arrest he would tor all I 1 knew taking s story into the mat ter have no cause for vengeance and had said that he was in the monastery from which there could be no escape yet there was his name and his motto his war cry carved in letters that would last for centuries in the marble rock before me one of two things was certain Mut did not know all the story before thorlene Th orlane s arrest or he did not know what had happened after ward it was possible that thorlene Th orlane had escaped made his home in the grotto and had been captured again or and as I 1 thought this my heart stood still a second what if Mut terel 11 was right and thorlene Th orlane had been put in the monastery and had gained the confidence of the superior and had joined the order unknown to the pre tetto or anybody outside the jesuit circle inside the monastery walls and if so then perhaps was Mut and no one else and the monk who had rescued me was henry thorlene Th orlane still pondering upon this I 1 began to look still farther for evidence of henry thorlene Th orlane s occupancy I 1 found no more letters but I 1 did find a trap door my fingers came in contact with an iron ring I 1 knew it must have been placed there for a purpose I 1 pulled it it did not moe and I 1 lighted a candle for the ring was in a dark portion of the grotto and closely examined the place I 1 found that the ring was fastened to a wood en cover which was held in place by two large pieces of rock which were laid upon it these I 1 rolled away and the trap door came up easily the copeing thus made led into a small cellar like hole and lying on the floor was a wooden box cheap kind of trunk I 1 managed to get this out and opened it it contained clothing of various kinds masks beards wigs in fact everything that was needed for a complete disguise and as I 1 exam ined this most fortunate find I 1 chuck led aloud I 1 would be free and nita barlotti should at last know who she was and be placed in possession of her own circumstances seemed to favor Mut to the grotto late in the afternoon of the day on which I 1 found the trunk of clothing and re to supper after supper we smoked in silence Mut finished his cigarette and preparing to leave you are going away I 1 said yes signer I 1 shall not be back to night I 1 did not want him back and when at last he had taken his departure I 1 again opened the trap door and took out the trunk I 1 pulled out the entire contents and spread them over the floor of the grotto that I 1 might more successfully choose the most complete disguise having made my selection I 1 pro ceedee to put on first a pair of heavy shoes I 1 doffed my prison suit and enfolded myself in the most skillfully devised waist or vest that could have been made it was a stuffed affair and fitting close to my figure made me look at least forty pounds heavier than I 1 really was I 1 pulled a pair of long much worn black trousers onto my legs and over the stuffed vest I 1 put a long black coat I 1 found a black beard with a long black curling mus tache that easily fitted my face and could be securely fastened on by mols bening with my breath some gummed strips on the under side my eyebrows were brown but I 1 found plenty of cosmetics and dyeing materials and soon made my eyebrows match the beard in color having thoroughly convinced myself that I 1 was under a complete disguise I 1 set out from the grotto first making up some unimportant things into a pack and slinging it over my shoulder on a stick I 1 passed a few people none of whom paid any attention to the weary old jew plodding along on his way to cag clarl it was about eleven clock when I 1 arrived at a point near the villa of the profetto pre fetto and I 1 stood a moment as it resting several persons passed me none of whom looked at me the sec ond time but a man passed me at whom I 1 looked agam and again he was a small man an italian and wore mustaches waxed and curled to points I 1 recognized him at once it was bambo the man whom I 1 had seen in madison square garden set fire to the rope of Bar lottis trapeze what devilment might he be up to now and what perhaps did he know about ma agnis death I 1 resolved to follow him and pick ing up my pack I 1 plodded along be hind him he led me along the road and then he climbed a wall by this means he could skirt the villa grounds on the side passing through the adjoining property I 1 could not follow him and stood in the road looking after him studying in my mind what to do next As I 1 stood there I 1 saw a monk ap preaching I 1 recognized him as bro michael at once when he drew near to nr he seemed to start and show evidences of surprise I 1 stepped quickly to hini brother michael I 1 said do you know me I 1 know you son was the reply and then I 1 noticed that the soft voice had none of s italian ac sent why are you here in spite of s warnings 9 do you not know that your life Is in dangers I 1 know it brother michael I 1 said but look at the retreating figure skulking along the fence of the pre grounds can you see him well I 1 see him son his name is bambo I 1 saw that man make a deliberate attempt to kill nita barlotti in new york he ably knows more about the murder of malign than be would care to tell no doubt he will kill the girl now it he has an opportunity brother michael seemed lost in thought for a moment he Is a dangerous man son he said finally come let us meet this bambo and learn from him something of his purpose here I 1 followed the monk and together we went around the profetto pre fetto s grounds to meet bambo in the rear when ha saw us coming he stood a moment a it irresolute and the monk motioned for him to approach my son said the monk who ws now firmly fixed in my mind as hewy thorlene Th orlane your movements arvidd the villa of the profetto pre fetto have afien watched with suspicion danger lurks in the air when sl elking men are seen in shaded place Is it not soa bambo bowed his head as it abashed by the implied accusation of the monk it Is 0 o father he replied but no danger lurks here bambo goes I 1 come to warn the profetto pre fetto father to warn the profetto pre fetto sona said the monk this is a strange place indeed to find one who seeks to warn the profetto pre fetto you must explain bet ter than this your strange actions son I 1 know whom I 1 would meet er replied the wily scoundrel 1 have seen you of late walking around the profetto pre fetto s grounds outside the wall I 1 knew you were friendly to the pre fetto and that I 1 might trust you I 1 came to meet you father and through you convey my warning to the pre tetto ah son your zeal Is to be corn mended said the monk but tell me son what is your message to the it is this father the villa of the pre tetto is to be attacked at midnight this very night father by the count dl bordino and his hired assassins and bandits tor the purpose of securing the signorina barlotti and to carry her away tor his own evil purposes it Is this that I 1 came to tell the profetto pre fetto father the monk seemed to be communing with himself for a moment then he said but how is it son that the count dl bordino seeks thus to desecrate the house of the pre tetto and to win his bride by force when it has been long understood that the hand of the sig corlna would be given him in mar ariage by bis friend the ah father it is a case of money it seems that the pre tetto has befriended the count greatly in the past and now he demands from the count the payment of a large sum of money for the signorina signor lna before he nill allow her to become the bride of bordino and the count while he consents to this while talking to the profetto pre fetto plots to take the signorina by force and not pay the profetto pre fetto any money to be continued |
