Show L g I 1 J mt 11 aby by SEWARD W HOPKINS thor ol 01 juk jack robbins of 1 I america in ihl the china seft sea two gentlemen of flewell on a false fl charge etc mi by ROBERT 4 sona CHAPTER VII continued not wot an italian at all signer signor thor ano ino Is the sardinian may v ay of pro pronounce unc ng the english name thorlene Th orlane fh hor oriane lane for some reason found sar unia a pleasant home and built a rilla illa he married a lady of naples a beauty whose black eyes played vita ith hearts like toys they lived in sardinia many years and had a son they called henry when ma ala igel became profetto pre fetto five years ago he lie signer signor thorlene Th orlane and his afe ivere vere dead and henry thorlene Th orlane was i man full grown he lived live a busy ite lie was a famous hunter and an pen enemy of the priests of the mon men otery of the saints malegni had lot ot been profetto pre fetto more than a year when hen henry thorlene Th orlane orIane was a accused of ons conspiracy piracy against bim him and was sen encee to twenty years imprison I 1 ment ent the profetto pre fetto in the name of the e king confiscated the estate and gave ave it to the count dl off bordino the of thorlene Th orlane s mother who rought the charges of liae conspiracy his nephew the count dl oft bordino ordino lives there now and a man might ight better fall into the hands of satan atan for an eternity than into the hands ands of bordino for a month why Mut shrugged his shoulders again gain he ile is a bandit chief he said and a briend of the profetto pre tetto fetto I 1 asked aed in surprise does the law look ook favorably upon evil doers in sar ainia dinia I 1 no signer signor the law does not hu but t csome ome of the men of power who depre lent sent the law do and perhaps to that fact act is due their power and their i balth and thorlene Th orlane I 1 continued tor for iad ad interested me Is he still in prison Mut shrugged his shoulders euid nd a peculiar look came into his eyes he ile is not in prison signer signor soon after he was condemned he was re moved to the monastery of the saints jie ile is believed to still there he ile may be dead signer signor heavens I 1 ejaculated can such things bea IS Y es signer signor in sardinia said mut mu I 1 the priests had gone from our view and we returned to the villa di ma ugal signer signor said Mut you see that little window opening onto the balcony which faces the northa yes I 1 replied I 1 see it that Is where nita Barlo barlotti is con fined she is not locked in the room but may go out on the balcony you see it is high from the ground she cannot escape by herself and the ser are always on guard to pre vent it then I 1 shall be watched matched tonight 1 when I 1 try to see her I 1 said you will be watched but you will not be touched be he ansbe ed the servants er who will see you tonight to night are bribed to silence but put you must not make a noise for the profetto pre fetto has armed guards near his person and should they hear you all would be lose i from here I 1 said my safest course is to the south and skirt cag hart on the east you must make arrangements this afternoon to have a boat waiting for me you can join me on the road and guide me to it after I 1 have gone with nita from the house I 1 will signer signor I 1 even know the boat I 1 will hire the lights were shining brightly from the windows of the house of the profetto pre fetto when Mut and I 1 cautiously approached creeping from the carriage through a coppice we reached the wall which surrounded maligna s estate here we halted now signer signor said Mut who generalee gener aled the entire proceeding I 1 will leave you here it Is now not much more than halt half past eight 0 clock I 1 must do my part or yours will be a failure at nine 0 clock signer signor he con linued the guard makes a round of the place you must not stir till after that hour creep along in the shadow until you get under the balcony you will find and there a ladder which I 1 have arranged tor for place it against the balcony but be careful and do not make a noise the servants on that side will not disturb you but if you arouse pacho malegni he will call the guard and you will be taken 1 I will be careful I 1 replied but are you sure all the servants are ate safe I 1 yes signer signor for money a iau ian la Is always safe again promising lutterell Mut terell I 1 to re member his warnings I 1 listened and waited and a shiver of excitement convulsed my frame the minutes seemed like hours I 1 felt distinctly the danger of my situation and was prepared to receive at any minute a summons from the guard the thoughts of edith and my promise to the hero nerved me and I 1 gradually grew more calm suddenly the bell of the monastery slowly and solemnly rang out upon the night air and I 1 saw shifting shit ting lights about the villa which indicated the movements of the guard cautiously I 1 slipped from my hiding place and hurried to the gate and through it the path to the bouse house was bordered with trees in the shadow ot of these I 1 crept along at first making but little progress but bradu ally becoming bolber and stepping along at a livelier rate at last I 1 was under the balcony there where my foot was sure to strike it was a ladder seizing it I 1 braced one end of it against my foot and placed the upper end carefully against the balcony Forti fortunately I 1 made no noise I 1 crept up the ladder and stepping onto the balcony crawled along until I 1 reached that window that Mut had pointed out cut to me as nita a I 1 peeped in my heart beat taster faster the sirl girl I 1 sought as before me I 1 tapped gently on the window nita was clad in white at my sig nal she turned toward the window I 1 stood where the light streamed full upon me quickly stepping to the window she opened it ah ahl it Is you signor signora she said yes it is I 1 I 1 replied surprised at her calmness you expected me mea I 1 expected some one one of my master s servants secretly told me that at nine mine 0 clod a man would come to speak to me I 1 thought it would he be where is he hea listen signorina I 1 said speaking quickly in a low tone the lion tamer and I 1 started from lew york on the same steamer in mid ocean we had an accident the ship was sunk by s heroism I 1 was put aboard a small boat and saved he placed upon me the dut of rescuing 3 sou on from I 1 have not seen since he ile may be on his way to iou on he may be dead she stood before me with her hands pressed to hor her panting bosom he eyes fixed upon me in horror I 1 do not say so signorina ire I 1 re plied it is possible that he was saved I 1 will tell you all when w we e are sate safe from Mal igals s clutch to morr morrow ow is your wedding day yes to tomorrow morrow she said oh I 1 will go 90 I 1 must go is not dead he cannot be dead he ile is too noble to die like that oh ob it is terrible signor wilberton tell me do you think he is dead nita I 1 aid laid I 1 annot lannot say I 1 fear and hope yet the chances are that went down with the ship she tell fell back half fainting but recovered herself my love lovet my love she murmured dead oh it Is too bitter you must be brave signorina I 1 said we must make haste yes yes she satar I 1 wilbe will go anything is better than to de oe ma bignis s wife I 1 will return I 1 said my heart full of pity for the girl who was now sobbing and weeping bitterly I 1 will return soon be ready leaving her I 1 stepped softly to the other window in a large room at a desk or table sat pacho malegni near him was a lamp by the light of which he was reading reacting some manuscript at his hand on the table stood a red tin box my heart leaped and dashed against my ribs near the box lay a golden trinket a locket and chain A short distance away lay a pin a babas clasp pin he must have heard something he raised his head and sat in a listening attitude then laying the paper he had been reading down upon the table he arose from his chair and stepped hurriedly from the room here was my opportunity deftly I 1 felt the window N it was not fasten ed quickly I 1 pushed it apen and stepped into the room the gold locket lay open face up glancing at it I 1 saw that it contained a picture sizing ee izing it I 1 looked at it closely my brain seemed on fire it was a minia minis ture facsimile of the photograph which dill ins had found in the rooms of ralph Gravis court in other words it might be the likeness of charles s wife as she was many years ago or of nita Barlo barlotti as she was at the very moment the pin had the name narae alice engraved upon it quickly seizing these and the paper I 1 thrust the locket and pin in my trousers pocket and the paper in the pocket of my coat rushing from the room I 1 met at her window nita palefaces pale faced and tear stained but nerved to the effort ol 01 making her escape sho she was mas anvel aped in a cloak seizing her hand I 1 led her to the ladder and helped her down when I 1 reached the ground I 1 drew the lad der away come comer I 1 said and without a word she followed me suddenly there was a cry great heaven heave rif I 1 exclaimed ma liani has returned and discovered your e escape capel 1 you will be killed signor said nita and you youa I 1 will be married that Is still worse let us hurry they ag may not able to catch us before we reach the carriage we may yet escape keeping as well in the shadow as possible I 1 aed my beautiful companion swiftly forward suddenly there was a rushing sound behind us I 1 knew that a pursuer was on our trail I 1 had since reach ing cagliari carried a revolver in my pocket I 1 seized this resolving to sell the liberty of nita and myself as dearly as possible turning I 1 was met face to face with two stalwart fellows both armed before I 1 could use my re revolver olver I 1 was knocked down by a blow from one of my assailants and my revolver was taken from me the guards shouted to others and in less time than it takes to tell it a dozen more were crowding around us they jabbered away in the sar diniah lingo none of which I 1 under stood a i but nita did u 4 V IR uttering a cry she clutched ray my arm you are lost she cried and so am 11 II you did not tell me you killed him eha I 1 replied still halt half dazed bv the blow I 1 had received they say maligno is dead from the stab you gave him I 1 malegni dead I 1 yelled I 1 saw malegni alive not ten minutes ago I 1 didn t kill anybody I 1 malegni is dead she said now what will become of us oh haubt keck come back from the sea como come back from your grave beneath the waters and carry me away even as she was crying thus nys terl teri cally the girl was seized by two mee met and started back to the house and had I 1 been a perfect hercules I 1 could not have handled the men who grabbed my arms neck and even my legs and pushed me toward the villa my fair fellow prisoner and I 1 were conducted into a large room a library in which sat a stern cold faced man whose black eyes burned with rage tage and whose month mouth set is firmness when we were brought before him the murmured nita looking at me r was in the presence of the gov arnor of the province ot of cagliari Cagl lart whose house I 1 had invaded ah ahl he exclaimed it is you who have entered the house of the gov arnor of cagliari and murdered his brother in cold blood IOU ou you curl cur you mean dog and an amer lean ican are you not I 1 am not a murderer I 1 replied I 1 did not kill your brother I 1 did not injure him when I 1 left the balcony of your villa with this young lady your brother was alive and well you are a liar as well as a mur derer said the profetto pre tetto fetto I 1 will show you I 1 will give you a taste ot of sar danian justice it is a lie I 1 exclaimed vehement ly y A foul lie if your brother Is 13 murdered it was not by my hand i 1 am an american citizen and I 1 de mand a fair and just trial A cold sneer came upon his face and he spoke to some of his men in their own dialect then I 1 was rudely jostled and led along a hall and up a broad flight of sta stairs I 1 rs turning to the right from these I 1 m a as taken into the very room from which I 1 had taken the locket tho the pin and the manuscript on the floor near the entrance lay pacho malign dead a gaping wound in his throat and his body convulsed as it if in the last struggle I 1 glanced hastily around the contents of the room were undisturbed with one important exception the red box which I 1 had left on the table was wag gone I 1 did not kill him I 1 said point ing to the dead showman I 1 know nothing about his death my object in coming here was to carry nita barlotti away to get her out of his clutches for she loves a friend of mine in whose service I 1 was acting I 1 loo 1001 ed in at 3 our brother brothers s window and saw him sitting at the table ho lie got up from his chair and went out that door then I 1 fled with the girl you kno v as much as I 1 do about what took place here after I 1 I 1 left he repeated my words ds to the guards they laughed in a bitter sneering way I 1 nad had not mentioned the fact that I 1 had entered pacho malignly s room and taken the paper and golden trinkets for in that moment of great anxiety my thoughts came sw atly and I 1 divined that the elder malegni had no knowledge of the existence of the red box or its content I 1 did not see nita BarIo barlotti Ear lotti again that night she was doubtless con fined somewhere in the villa I 1 was conducted to a strongly guarded chamber where with armed sar around me I 1 spent a demor able and uncomfortable night to be continued |