The National tribune., 1881-10-29
| Y

| him no terror; he heard nothing. The ponderous
roof and collapsing sides like relentless fate
pressed down and in upon him, but he felt them
not. He lived, yet was like already dead.
| He was whelly unconscious of all that was going
! on about him.
While thus he lay awaiting the final catastrophe
an indefnable trembling motion of the earth,
accompanied by low, rumbling sound, caused
the iron walls to vibrate and the concealed
mechanism that moved them to creak and work
like rusty hinge. The trembling increased
rapidly in violence and the rumbling sounds
grew into continuous roar, and coming up from
beneath, reverberated like crashing thunder
within the narrow chamber in which the un-
fortunate prisoner was confined.
Suddenly there was violent jar, con-
| fused whirring Of wheels, springs, and cogs, an
undulatory motion, a rocking from side to side,
followed by tremendous upheaval OF the solid
| foundation upon which the castle was built.
| The mysterious mechanism ceased to operate;
the cruel engine of death was stayed; the solid
walls of the castle-the very rock upon which
it stood-all were rent and split asunder by a
mighty force What could have happened?
When Vivenzio awoke the stars were shining
!
them He could not understand. His mind was
| confused. Was he dead? If so, death was
| pleasant. He felt no pain, no anguish. A soft
breeze, ladened with enchanting perfumes, swept
over him. What seemed to him like the MUIR
muir of angelic voices sounded in his ears.
| He attempted to move. Then sharp twinge
of pain shot through his PROSTATE form, and he
remembered. He was not dead. He was in
| prison. But what meant the blue sky, the
twinkling stars, the soft zephyrs? Was it some
new species of torture invented by the Prince
| Tolf's Internal hatred? He looked about him
as best he could from his confined situation. The
castle certainly had fallen. He was partly buried
| in its ruins. Thus much after painful study and
reflection he was able to determine But how
had this sudden destruction-this arrest of the
hand of death-been accomplished? He could
not grasp the momentous question. He could
not answer. He only knew that he lived, and that
all about him was silent. He endeavOred to free
himself from the debris that almost hid him
from view, but without avail He was weak,
nervous wounded and could barely move his
| head from side to side He endeavOred to call
out but the sound of his own voice startled
him; it was so faint, so hoarse and unnatural.
Presently faint CLEAN of morning appeared.
| o, how he prayed for daylight! Then came the
sun shooting golden beams athwart the scene
covered by his limited range of vision. Through
| crevice in the iron roof above him, where the
| riveted Joints had been burst asunder, he could
! see the bright azure sky. From underneath he
could look out over the shining waters and see the
white-winged birds as they flew hither and yon
Joyous and free. To the right, by turning his
head and eyes to the uttermost, he could catch
a glimpse of the verdure-clad promontory, the
orange grove, the vineyard where he had played
as boy and been wont to wander in early man
hood with his beloved.
The sun passed slowly overhead, the day
| dragged wearily by; no one came Evening ap-
| preached. His tongue grew parched-his blood
! feverish His temples throbbed as if giant
hammer were beating in every vein. He became
delirious, and in his frenzy raved at Tolti, God,
! everybody Then, in the intervals of his parOx-
ysms, he murmured gently of green fields and
| pleasant places, Of dear ones whose love had
| been so much of comfort to him in the past.
| Then he babbled of childhoods happy days and
innocent sports, onl to awake to the grim reality
| of the present and begin anew his rawlings
! Night settled down over the earth, and before
! the gathering darkness fled his last ray of hope
| Once more consciousness forsook him. How
| long he remained so he could never realize
! When he awoke he thought cool, soft hand
rested upon his forehead. He dare not open his
| eyes for fear the illusion might be dispelled
He endeavOred to think, but found it exceed
ingly difficult to fix his mind upon any one sub
ject. After considerable effort he remembered
that he had been made prisoner by Tolti.
| Clinging to this fact to slender thread he
slowly and laboriOusly followed it down to the
| hour when the fearful walls of his iron tomb
were about to crush him.
Next he recollected having seen a vision-for
he must have dreamed it, SO he thOught-of sea
and sky and groves and vine-clad hills.
While thus he lay perfectly motionless, en-
deavoring to recall more distinctly the succeed
ing events, the sound of a bell smote upon his
ear. He gave a convulsive start and groaned in
agony. The tolling of his death -knell re-echoed
through his memory. He saw himself once more
beneath the lowered iron roOf-between the con-
tracted iron walls of his prison. He sought to
cast himself from off his couch, but as he made
the attempt strong hand was placed upon him,
while a musically-sweet voice exclaimed, lust
above his head, "He lives!" Instinctively he
opened his eyes for an instant and saw looking
down upon him womans face "Francisca,n
was all he could murmur, and even that one