The mountain Democrat., 1865-05-06
THE COUNT PEsARO.
A VENETIAN STORY.

Pesaro was once very great name in
VeNice. TbSse WAS in formers times a
, <>-eU A4sso. and ambassadors to foreign
courts belonging to the house. In the old
church Of the Frari, upon the further side
of the Grand Canal, is n painting of tt
tian's in which family Of the Pesaro ap.
pears kneeling before the blessed Virgin.
A gOrgcously scul lptured palace between
the Rialto and the Golden House is still
known as the Pesaro Palace; but the fami.
ly which built it, and the family which
dwelt there, has long since lost all claims
to its cherubs and griffins; only the crum.
bling mansion where lives the old Count
and his daughter, now boast any living
holders Of the Pesaro name.
These keep mostly upon the topmost
floor Of the house. where little sunshine
finds its way and plays Hospitality around
the SNTer pots which Abe Azkhter has
arranged upon the ledge of a window
Below-as had thought-the rooms are
dark and dismal. The rich furniture that
belonged to them is gone, only painting
or two, by famous Venetian artists, now
hang upon the walls. They are portraits
Of near relations, and the Old gentleman,
they say, fingers for hours about them in
gloomy silence.
So long ago as the middle OF the last
century the family had become small and
reduced in wealth. The head of the fami
ly, however, was an important member of
the State, and was suspected (such things
were never known in Venice) to have o
voice in the terrible Council Of Three.
This man, the Count Giovanni Pesaro,
whose manner was stern, and whose af.
fections seemed all Of them to have been
absorbed in the mysteries of the State,
was wIdowcr. There were stories that
even the Countess had fallen under the
suspicious Of the Council Of the InQuisi.
ton, and that the silent husband either
could not or would not guard her from the
cruel watch which destroyed her happi.
ness and shortened her days.
She left two sons, Antonio and Enrico.
BY rule of the Venetian State, not more
than one son of noble family was allow
cd to marry, except bis fortune was great
enough to maintain the dignity Of di,
vided household. The loss of Gambia and
the gaming tables Of the Ridotto had to.
gether 50 far diminished the wealth OF the
Count PcSaro, that Antonio alone was
privileged to choose a bride, and under
the advice Of State, which exercised n
more than fatherly interest in these mat.
terS, he was very carly betrothed to a
daughter Of the Contarini.
But Antonio wore careless and disSo.
Lutte habit Of life; he indulged freely in the
licentiouS intrigueS Of Venice, and showed
little respect for the claims which bound
him to a noble maiden whom he had
scarcely seen.
Enrico, the younger son, destined for the
Church, had more caution. but far less
generosity in his nature; and covering his
dissoIutencss under the arb Of Sanctity,
he chafed into a bitter jealousy Of his
brother, whose privilege so far exceeded
his own. Fra Paolo, his priestly tutor and
companion, was monk Of the order of
FranclscanS. who, like many of the oil
garchy, paid little attention to his vows,
and used the stole mask to conceal the ap.
petite Of n dcbascd nature. With his as,
sistance Enrico took delight in plotting
the discontinue Of the secret ntrigues Of
his brother, and in bringing to the cars Of
the Contarini the scandal attaching to the
affianced lover of their noble daughter.
Affairs stood in this wise in the ancient
house Of PesarO when Gt was in the latter
part Of the eighteenth century, one of the
last royal ambassadors Of France eStab.
lished himself in palace near the church
Of San Zaccaria, and separated only by a
narrow canal from that occupied by the
Count PeSaro.
TheAfe offoreign ambassadors, and most
Of all, those accredited from France, was
always jealousy watched in Venice, and
many householder, who was so unfortu.
nate as to live in the ncighborhood Of an
residence, received secret
orders TO quit his abode, and only found
a cause in its speedy occupation by those
ms ked spies of the Republic who passed
secretly in and out Of the ducal palace.
The Inquisition, however, had its own
reasons for leaving the Pesaro family un-
Perhaps it was the design OF
the mysterious powers Of the State to EN-.
broil the House of Pcsaro in criminal cor
respondence with the Envoy Of France
perhaps Fra PdOlo, who had free access
to the Pesaro palace, was a spy Of ST.
or perhaps (men whispered it in
the stern Count Pesnro him
self held place in the terrible Council Of
Three.
The side canals of Venice are not wide,
and looking across where the jealous We.
netian blinds do not hide the view, one
can easily observe the movements of an
opposite neighborhood. Most of the rooms
Of the palace of the ambassador were
screened; but yet the water door,
the grand hall of entrance, and the mar
BILE stairway that assembled from it, were
not, and the quick eyes of EnIicO did not
fail to notice little figure that from day
to day glided over the marble steps, or
threw its shadow across the marble hall.
Blanche was the only daughter Of the
and besides her there remain.
ed to him no family. She had just reach
ed the Gge when the romance of life is
strongest; and the music stealing over the
water from floating canopies, the masked
figures passing like phantoms under the
shadow of palaces, and all the license and
silence of Venice. created for her wild,
strange charm, both mysterious and dan
gerous. The very secresy of Venetian in
trigues contrasted favorably in her own
romantic thoughts with the brilliant pro.
tligacv 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, wcaried of their jealous
strife among the masked intriguantes who
frequentcd the table Of the RidottO, were
kindled into wholly new endravor, by
sight Of The blooming face Of the western
stranger.