New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-09

owncrl | tell you this is mine this is the grand
fortune which ihc wise mother told Inc was TO com
Incncc at BrXcn and end ut LiyOmO: and if It
contains nothing of yaiuc when il is opened, shall
burn everything il contains, and never give the Old
shc-dcvil a haiOcCO more"
As the mulctccr was in the habit Of always trav-
Cling between the two places he had mentioned
the wise mother had wisely arranged so that nFr
reputation would be increased by any luck which
might beiall him hut knowing rs dld the con-
tents of the portmancal, neither the melting snow
nor the threatened incrCmatiOn was pleasant news.
However, this interlude diverted the attention OF
the Roman from our party and, throwing hnnSeH
beside his piece OF good fortune. he gave symptoms
Of going to Sleep All attempts TO interchange signs
with the acting host, the uncle OF 'Rlchetta, nau
proved unavailing, and so my best hope OF putting
ourselves on n safe footing depended on the return
of the landlord himself who would be likely ITO eX-
tend to protection. Situated as we were, 1t was
difficult to say what the mUetcers might or might
not do. Perhaps they would leave us undlSturbed,
perhaps be only rude; but there also the dan
ger that We not having the means about us OF buy
ing them off or of frightening them OIL might be way
laid by them on the OurneyBback, or even III Auag-
giO be exposed to an amount OF rudeneSS nt0leraDe
and consequently dangerous.
On returning to Benton and his fair cousin gave
favorable report Of the aspect of affairs but when
arrangements were being. made for the night,
'Richetta signallcd that she wished To SPeaS WIN
me III the garden The Roman, III seemed lau risen
from Ehis drunken sleep III an irritable frame OF
mind, and she had overheard him and some OF his
companions planning an inrOad on the strange Ylsl-
tors after the people of the inn had gone to sleep
" You are English, and You are honorable" she con-
tinued, " and will keep it secret If l show Eyou
W
Would that my father were come! for do not
know that am doing right. But che fare some
thing must be donc for would not have the Deall-
tiful signOrina even frightened. There are some
other rooms where You Will DC sale, 1Or no one
knows of them except ourselves and-a TREND. L
demand. signore, that you never mention them 10
This promise was easily given, and the yOung girl
took rs to another couple of apartments, the en-
trance to which was eaROrately concealed The
palaZZO had evidently been one OF great extent;
and, indeed it was amid its ruins that the garden
had been for tho most part formed. Between inc
vines, 'tgtrccs, and patches OF melons, there were
here and there huge blocks of ancient lstoncwork.
The rooms in which we had been up to this moment,
and of which the windows faced the garden
seemed all that had been left undcstrOycd IN the
left wing of the palace the remainder ha,l ing col
lapsld into lwhat appeared q mass OF sohd rum,
OvrrTOwn with grass creepcrs, and i'll some places
even with vines. Through the concealed entrance
we were usheTed into rooms similar to those we had
quilted, and in like state of dapidatlOn, but with
windows looking in precisely opposite direction,
and into what had once been a large nall, but now
looked moro like courtyard-half OF the arGheH
roof having fallen IN, exposing inc SKY, Oyer witch
the rising moon now shed its pale light. llcllcttaS
assurances that we would now be nndisturbGd were
so confident that, after she left Miss Osborne
retired to sleep old couch in one OF the apart
mcnts, while Benton and disposed ourselves upon
blankets in the other; .r.,,..
fatigue that pOrtmantcau kept me awake. Could
il not be abstracted from the scusody OF the. man
who claimed it as his property, and concealed
among the ruins till some more IA, OrabIe oppOr-
tunity offered of carrying it Off There were cor
ncrs enough about where things might lie undis
turbcd for years; and much mcdtatlng over TINS
nucstion | gently went ont into the courtyard with
out disturbing my companion. The ram ana clouus
had passed away, elcauIng "a night scrclcly Oea!-
full: and the haf-mOOn, without as yet throwing
its Tays into the court. syered the broken stones
and sparllcd on the wctzlcaycs which were the out
line above There was. however, sufficient light to
see that u wooden gallery ran above III" rooms
which we occupied. had no difficulty IN getting up
to it; and, hen once there, broken segment Oh wall
enabled me to mount on the top Oh the rum over
Il, Il bn
family and tho muleccrs At first further progress
seemed impossible, 50 thick were the creeptrs, SO
steep the descent; and matters lay so ut the top
that il would have required close search Tor any
one mounting from beneath, TO discover the gap IN
the roof through which had risen. However, after
some trouble and few scratches, l managed to
reach the limb of a large old chcStnut-tTee, and so
to descend into the garden. Ii was discovered
there could be no great harm i'll 1t, so went to
examine the shed in the outer courtyard where the
Roman and 4 portion of the muletcels had gone to
sleep. There were the mules, there was the lug
gage, and there even was my porlmalo tnu
in n heap Of sacks by the portly figure OF the
Roman. But to my surprise, the Roman himself
was not there neither any other OF the mule
tcers. Possibly they might all be slowed away in
the kitchen and adjoining rooms, but of this could
not feel certain, though 1t was evident IN the still-
ness Of night even through the closed door, that
number OF persons were sleeping inside.
Here was great temptation. But then it is a
portmantcau. If detected, was i'll no position to
prove ANY just claim to 1t; II 1t had really been
found at the bottom of rayinc, the Roman Ger
family was in possession for the time being the only
broad fact which would como out would be that
was abStractng portion of the baggage, and the
Lynch law of the mulctcers would probably be adj
ministeIed in very summary and severe manner
Here was ground for hesitation; but then, on the
other hand. the dclusiOn under which the Roman
lab0rcd might be fatal TO any arrangement with
him on the matter and destructive to ITS contents,
while much trouble, time and expense might be ~
volvcd in getting it seized at Lncca or LeghOrn and
satisfying the Italian police as to my claims. Inc
conviction TO which | came was, that it would be
better to leave it alone; but then men DO not al,
ways act according to their convictions, and found
myself carrying away, and conccallng 1t Iii gap
i'll the ruin near tho Chestnut-tree.
This had scarcely been DONE and / had Just
mounted into the tree when two men, the Roman
and 'Richctt'as uncle crossed the moonlight IRON
different directions and stood in the shade beneath.
So the ForcStiCTi are net there" sad the latter,
in u low tone. If l dared to make IIichGtta
speak! but no, curses upon her; II my brother
found me mcddling in the matter | should have to
staryc somewhere out of Mlagglo and the LucclicSc
hills. They must be hid somewhere, and this IS g
curious old place; but if you gave me n hundred
ducats / could not tell you where, and dare not,
if could. And, besides have tyOu never heard OF
the bloody ghost of Count GuliO that haunts this
old place lie lcapt over the terrace there out on
TO the fstones in the river bclOw9 People dosay
that if you see him You are sure to meet yolent
death. | should not stand here Just now were It
not moonlight, and so many OF you aDout-Jesu!
what is that 4"
EThe Roman, who was not wanting in supcrsti-
tTnus fear was affected by the story and was
startled, as we'll his companion, by slight
movement of mine among The branches; but he
was determined sort OF fellow, and after listen
ing some time without hearing anything more. he
said "Look here Niccolo il is not ghost am
afraid of when warm flesh and blood tempt me.
No harm will come of it, swear by the mother of
Christ, but | never desired anything 50 much as.
Just for moment to press the red clips of one of
those English ladies' Understand it is Z fancy OF
mine, and it never burned i'll me 50 much as now.
The others want to brighten the lnglrs into Civ
ing us a lot of money, and that is all very well
but see if in the confusion don't manage to snatch
-;psi will In nn
nav down all tine reader. There Wilt he noise
enough, and you and 'Richctta can come then and
SIRE no mischief is uOne. would not try this were
old MattCO hcre-hr knows too much, and yet is
good man with both the dogma and the police but
you, you sniyelling hound Eve seen You put your
hand 10 hlackCr .ob than this, which, after all, IS
.lAnlllL Hin L-lnM ANln the