Litchfield enquirer., 1867-04-18


 : pang will end everythin."
 He spoke in solemn, unimpassioned ac cents, without any trace of excitement ei ther ln manner or words, and almost a! though he were the minister of some ster1 Fate, whose behests it was his duty to car ry out, without having the power to alter them, and against which there was no pos slble appeal. 'Do you remember when and where We parted last?" he went on. "1 do not know that you do, for such occa slons are never forgotten by women. Fol months before that day you led me on lit tie by little, till at last I was foolish enough to think that had only to ask and to have l did ask-with what result you know as we'll as I. You laughed at my love and dismissed me forever with @ foolish jest. went away and strove to forget you, anG and to a certain extent I succeeded; for al that time was just beginning to work out the details of my Grand Scheme, and all my time and attention were needed to per. feet them.-My grand schemer' he went on, with 8 sudden change of tone, and an added brightness in his dark eyes. It would have revolutionized the world, il only the world had been wise enough to receive it. But, like all great discoverers am a century before the age.
 He began to pace the room rapidly, with knitted brows, and the forefnger of one hand pressed to his cheek, while his lips moved inaudibly; but always with covert eye on Cyrilla, to see that she did not at tempt to escape.
 1 Strange! stange!' he murmured. No sooner did begin to advocate that great project, than I was set down as madman and because I would not for-swear my ideas they shut me up with mad people me, mel"
 He burst into fit of laughter, loud and shrill; and then drawing from one of his pockets a small box full of those acidulated drops of which children are so fond, he placed two or three of them on his tongue and swallowed them like so many pills; and with that he resumed his seat close by Cyrilla.
 ; 'It was while I was living among the mad folk, " he went on, ''that I made the acquaintance of my friend the Mandarin, a gentleman twelve inches in height. Some times he would come into my room through the keyhole, sometimes down the chimney, or as often as not he would hop in at the open window, carrying his head under his arm. He used to perch himself on my ta- ble, and sit and nod at me by the hour to- getner, and favor me with his advice on every conceivable subject Oh, he was a most learned mandarin. It was he who persuaded me to come to this place and kill you-and kill your husband And have sworn to do it! There was to be @ grand party tonight at the place where I have been residing for so many months. I dressed for it, of course just to please the foolish creatures-you know what strange whims these poor crazy wretches have sometimes-and in. the confusion escaped. Ganu GanulHo lle'oaagbtg lle gtha af,Il aae u.alopg; the pleased me hugely"
 As he spoke, he drew from the pocket of his derss-coat slender -cased poinard of dull, bluish steel, with haft of bronse Having extracted it from its case, he pro- ceeded to wipe it efully-almost tender ly-with his cambric handkerchief, while, Cyrilla, coiled up in the easy-chair watched his every movement with bright, quick glancing eyes-the eyes of an animal brought to bay-that nothing escaped,
 The little clock on the chimney-piece chimed the quarter before midnight.
 "When that clock strikes twelve, Cyrilla Thornhurst, you will have lived your life'
 He spoke with the quiet, unhesitating conviction of tone of one who sees before a foregone conclusion, from which it is i'm possible that he can swerve in the slightest degree.
 "What have I done to deserve SO terri ble fate at your hands?" burst out Cy- rilla. "
 ''You have wrecked the happiness of my life" said the Italian; "wrecked it utterly and irretrievab1y. That might have for given you; but have promised my friend the mandarin-for state reasons, which it would be & breach of confidence in me to reveal-to kill you, to kill your husband, to kill your child. It is sufficient to state that your lives are required by the great Dog-star, whose hierophantI am. Ask me no further. The initiated would under stand me at once, for there is transcen- dentalism in these matters which is as the language of Fi-Fo-Fum to those whose eyes Great Bear. Your time in this world is re- duced to ten minutes and five seconds ;
 With the putting away of the poniard for time, Cyrilla had taken her eyes off the Italian, and now sat with her chin sunk on her breast, and her hands tightly clasped, brooding over what she had just heard. To kill her husband and child! That would be thousand times worse than death to her self. Theodore might come any minute now-come stepping jauntily in through the French window, to be sprung upon by this madman, and stabbed before her eyes ''If only I could steady my mind to think, she kept repeating to herself. What was il she heard and read about the pecuiarities of mad people? If she could only b1ing il to mind!
 The Italian was watching her narrowly iron under his bent brows Suddenly, with tha abruptness which marked all his movements he got up, and striding to the easel, flung back the sheet with which it was covered He started at the sight of the picture: bu next moment, his poniard was out, and th canvas stabbed through in dozen differen places. "Out! out! cursed likeness of { false hearted fiendp' he exclaimed. ''Oh that soul so vile should lodge in a husk s' sweetw
 If she could only bringit to mind! Al at once, something seemed to catch he breath and she pressed her hand to he heart for a moment, while strange expres s1on crept over her face, which subside' presently into one ofher sweetest smiles Then she half rose from the easy-chair an' turned her large soft eyes full on the youn' Italian. "Piet,'o, nsio, she said; and ther was world of meaning in her way of say ing those two little words.
 The dark frown vanished like clou' from the face of the young Italian, and thu 1;ob+ of pocoion faded from his avas wha1