Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1864-12-08

t bassador's residence, received secret orders
to quit his abode, and only found cause in
S its speedy occupation by those marked
1 spies of the Republic who passed in and
7 out of the ducal palace
2 The lnquisition, however, had its own
, reason for leaving the Pesaro family undis
turbed. Perhaps it was the designs Of the
mysterious powers of the State to embroil
the house of Pesaro i'll criminal corespon-
J dence with the Envoy of France-perhaps
! Fra Paola, who had free access to the Pesa-
TO himself held a place III the terrible Coun-
Gil Of Three.
The side canals of Venice are not wide,
and looking across where the jealous Neni,
tian blinds do not hide the view, one can
easily observe the movements Of an oppO-
; site heighborhoOd. The rooms of the palace
OF the ambassador were carefully screened
but yet the water door, the grand hall of
entrance and the marble stairway that as
cended from it, and the quick eye Of Eurico
did not fail to notice a little figure, that
from day to day glided over the marble
steps, or threw its shadow across the mar
blc hall.
Blanche was the only daughter of the am
bassador, and besides her there remained
to him no family. She had just reached the
age when the romance of life is strongest ;
and the music stealing over the water from
floating canopics, and masked figures pass
ing like phantoms under the shadows of
palaces, and all the license and silence of
enice, created for her a strange charm,
both mysterious and dangerous. The very
secrecy of Venetian intrigues contrasted
very favorably in her own romantic
thoughts with the brilliant profigacy of the
court of Versailles.
Nor was her face or figure such as to
pass unnoticed even among the most at
tractive of the Venetian beauties. The
brothers Pesaro, wearied Of their Jealous
strife among the masked iAt,iguanteS who
frequented the table of the Ridotto, were
kindled into wholly new endcavor by sight
Of the blooming face of the western stlan-
ger.
The difficulties which hedged all approach
served here (as they always serve) to
quicken ingenuity and to multiply resour-
munication with the families Of ambassa-
dorcs marriage with an alien ON the part
Of noble family was scrupulously forbid
/ den. Antonio was already betrothed to
! the daughter Of a noble house which never
| idlICtl VI IIlCrillS W dNcIPC HIS NIOu8S.-
EnricO, the younger, was, in the eye of the
State, sworn to celibacy and the service of
| the Church.
But the bright eyes of Blanche, and the
| piquancy of her girlish, open look, were
stronger than forced bctrothal, or the
mockery Of monastic bonds Music from
musicians stole at night through the mar
row canal where rose the palace of the
Pesaro. Flowers from unseen hands were
iloated at morn upon the marble steps upon
which the balconies of the PcsarO palace
! looked doWn and always the eager and
girlsh Blanche kept watch through the
kindly Venetian blinds for the figures which
stole by night over the surface of the wa
ter, and for the lights which glimmered in
the patrician house that stood over against
the palace Of her father.
French lady, moreover, brought with
her from her own court more liberty for
the rcvels Of the Ducal palace, and for the
sight of the halls of the Riditto, than be-
longcd to the noble maidcns Of Venice. 1t
was not strange that the Pesaro brothers
followed her thithcr, or that the gondolicrs
who attended at the doors of the ambassa-
dor were accessible to the gold Of the We
nctian gallants.
In all his other schemes Enrico had
sought merely to defeat the intrigues Of
Antonio, and the pride of an offended broth
cr, an ollcast Of the State. But in the pur-
suit Of Blanche there was a new and livclier
impulse. His heart was stirred to a depth
that had never before been reached and to
a jealousy of Antonio was added defiance
Of the State which had shorn him of privi-
lcgcs, and virtually condemned him to an
aimlcss life
But If EnricO was more cautious and dis |
Greet, Antonio was more bold and daring
There never was u lady, young or old, |
French or Venetian, who did not prefer
boldncss to watchfullness, audacity to eau
ton. And therefore it was that Enrico-
kindled into a new passion which consumed |
all the old designs of his life-lost ground |
III contention with the more adventurous |
approaches Of Antonio.
Blanche, with the quick eye Of a woman
and from the near windows Of the palace of
the ambassador, saw the admiration of the |
heirs of the Pcsaro house; and looked with |
greater favor upon the boldcr adventures |
of Antonia. The watchful eyes of Enrco |
and of the masked Fra Paolo, in the gath
erings at the Ducal hall, or in the saloons |
of the RidottO, were not slow to observe the |
new and dangerous favor which the senior
heir of the Pesaro name was winning from
the strange lady.
" 1t is WELL" said Eurico, as he sat clos
eted with his sanity adviser in a.chamber |
of the Pesaro Palace, the State will never
permit the heir Of noble house to wed
with the daughter of an alien the Contor-
nj will never permit this stain upon their /
honor Let the favor which Blanche of |
France shows to Antonio be known to the |
State, and Antonio is"
A banished man." said Fra Paolo, soft |
cning the danger of the assumed fears of
his brother
"And what then r'pursued Eurico, doubt
full.
"And then the discreet Enrico attains to
the right and privileges of his name"
"And Blanche ~
" You know the law of the State, my
SON"
"A base lawm
"Not so loud" said the cautious priest
" the law has its exceptions. The ambassa- |
dor is reputed rich If his wealth could be |
transferred to the State of Venice all would :