Show fir ir ar L novel INEZ copyright 1926 bros pictures Picture ip ina don jun juan screen eren play by bess be meredyth starring john barrymore Barry mor I 1 wrner warner bre arcs of et this novel kovl CHAPTER IV continued she did not take the flower he tossed it to the ground beneath and as he did so following it with ith his us ees saw that in the courtyard adriana adrian adnan ana a and d her father were ere making their departure adriana stepped into a palanquin follo followed Aed by her maid the duke and his servant mounted their horses and moved slowly toward the great outer gates juan watching them hardly realized that Lucret Lucreti ah iab e cief eb were vere upon him for the first time since childhood he was vas off his guard before a woman moman lie ho did not know either that cosare cesare borgia stood in tho the doom ay behind them aleo ol 01 noting the departure of the Va lucretia in response to a glance from her brother turned to leave the balcony juan also turned and as she passed him in going toward the door murmured in her ear your balconi at nud night she sha gae no sign that she had heard until she reached the door then looking back she nodded to lum urn and followed her brother into the room where donati donata impatiently aNal awaited ted them from where chere he stood juan could watch them and he knew as if he had oer overheard heard their words that they were plotting against the duke della he eien een suspected the content of a remark of cesares this don juan is no fool we must strike before he be has time to warn aam the duke and turning again to the balcony rail he leaped lightly over it to the courtyard cord a dozen feet below llo awaited av aSted him there curtly juan gae his orders and would have gone straight to the gate but at that moment a man ran past and juan dragged Ped pedrillo rillo into the shadow of the palace the man hurrying pas past t called to the palace guard for the count donati three armed guard and juan turning to Ped pedrillo rillo nodded his head understandingly understanding aly donau donati had he seen the young oung spaniard in that moment would not have been contemptuous of hia strength for juan was no longer the languid lover but the adventurer the fighter who would gladly draw his sword for any cause that appealed to hint him sauntering out from the shadow shado w he nodded to the palace guard eaurl sauntered t across the courtyard and with Ped pedrillo rillo at his heels nent v eat out into the narrow street still slowly he walked to the corner reaching and rounding it he broke into a run ran taking the direction in which the duke and adeana had gone CH V only a moment after don juan and I 1 his servant had left the courtyard of the borgia palace donati entered it from the house three masked men vero awaiting him adjusting his own mask he signalled signal led to them to follow him and made bi his v av to the door of a tunnel leading under the palace through chich aich theio mas ala a s short hort cut to the street that Va raneA and his laughter daughter would mould be sure to take on their va maj home lucretia borgia coming out on the balcony just above noted their departure and smiled it alva alv alvais a s amused her to see how simple a matter it was aas to rule rome as she and her brother lid did if one merely scorned all scruples her brother wanted the fortune her cousin wanted the heiress what indeed could be easier then than to dispose of the duke della Va ranee and acquire both laughter daughter and fortune juan joan had said he would meet her on the balcony at midnight she shea could recall his exact words yo your balcony balcon at midnight he had s sid id rl and the tones of his voice and the glance of his eyes ees had underlined every syllable s liable she mon wondered dered where lie he was it must be nearly midnight now she let her thoughts run into the channel he be had opened before her the greatest lover in all europe ard and he be would be here at her side at midnight amusing the way she had caught him philandering with her maid and the adroitness with which he had slid out of the situation and made nad e it seem that his servant was the guilty man truly her own kind of man this don juan the spaniard impatiently she looked down into the court courtyard ard then tu turned med and sur sune ey ed the ballroom he must be some where quite near ar for it was nearly I 1 12 her bro brother er was nas passing the door leading to the balco balcony nv and she summoned him to her with a glance our guests have ceased to interest me she told him make my excuses will you ou not ile he lifted his eyebrows in amazement in ent it was not like her to withdraw draw her greence pretence pre tence ence at so early an hour she turned back to the balcony again and stood looking down at the moonlit garden then up at the sky acres acro sw which tiny clouds were scudding studding scud ding before the spring nights scented winds she stretched lazily like a sleek cat in imagination she was I 1 already I 1 re ady in the arms of don juan he must come soon now very ver soon at that moment nothing was nas further from the mind of juan than lu ms S engagement with lucretia in fact he had quite forgotten her very nery e existence it was as but a few moments after midnight when donatl donati and his three assassins assa sims with drawn drain sN swords leaped leabel out from tho the archway in whose hose shadow they had been hiding confronting the nian man who rode beside the palanquin plan quin in which were adriana and her maid to their amazement the man whom they attacked showed neither surprise nor fear his cape had been swathed about his chin his hat drawn far down over hit eyes eves there was vias no hint that this might not be Va save his obvious zeal to cross swords with them two of the assassins leaped upon him the third attacked his servant the tha two made no headway for the man on whom they had fallen 0 furiously was defending himself more than capably his hi sword flashing in the moonlight might have bane been wield wielded by three men instead of one so deftly did it parry the murderous thrusts of the weapons of donati ae alsins donati himself lurking in the shadow of the archway arch vai stared itil in amazement could this be the elder 1 ly rather delicate looking this expert swordsman man Va benant senant sen ant was liming difficulty in meeting the onslaught of the third of donatis men suddenly he fell and would have been pierced through by the others sword in a moment more but just then Ped pedrillo rillo leaping out of the bushes at the side of the road lifted a heavy broadsword high oer his head with both hands and brought it down on the assassins head the man went slithering to the ground at that moment also alo juin disarmed one of his assailants sending the mans sword flying oer his shoulder to the ground instantly donati took his place appo opposite ite juan it was a royal roal battle that followed follo wed for donati a as as good a swordsman I 1 as y man in rome to be continued |