Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-02-08
THE BLACK PEARL.
An Exciting story of Modern Lifo.
Continued from last week.
CHAPTER XIII.
The Murderer Denounced.

lne Count and Sastrl, who were IN their
respective dressing rooms, were tho first
to hear Rosette's shrill scream, and hur-
ried after each other in the direction
whence it rose.
The Counts apartment adioued his
wife's Sastri's was next to the Counts
! and an outside passage skirted the three
sets of rooms, though some Of them had
communicating doors.
The Count penetrated first into his
wife's boudoir, where the interview with
the hospital porter took place, and find
ing 1t empty, passed, passed with Snstri
IN his rear, to the dressing room adioin-
ing it.
There was no one there either but
looking through 1t into the bedroom be-
hind, he caught sight of Rosctte's scared
face.
A few steps more showed him the OBJ
ject which had terrified her-the stony,
statue-like image of his wife
ooh, Excellency, some fit has taken
her surelyp' cried the waiting-woman.
''She is picture of death !"
The fixed, strained eyes, staring with
out sight into the vacancy, gave the Ital-
ian shock, and Sastri pecring over his
shoulder, felt frightenedtoo.
1t was not quite the effect he had cal
culated on.
The Count went up to the petrifed
figure and touched her.
Lucia, sweet angel what ails my
white dove?" he said in his sibilaut
tones
That voice, that touch, acted like a
spell. A strong shudder shook the lady !;
sight flashed back into her eyes and
starting up with such precipitation that
the Count was hurled violently to the
ground, she sprung, with compile Of
bounds, to the far side of the room.
There she stood at bay, with her back
against tho wall, her eyes dartug light
nlngs, and her right arm extended in in
dignant denunciation, as she uttered, in
tones that seemed to reverberate round
the room, the terrible word, "Murder-
er
Before this unexpected menace, the
Count, sprawling still on the ground,
covered and trcmbled.
Help me up! he gasped, family.
''She must have gone mad ~
my dear friend" whispered the In
dian, as the Count rose, leaning on his
sinewy arm, chow often have I told YOU
she was i'll, and you needed not?'
I'VE must send for doctor ~ faltcred
Lucia's husband, retreating towards the
door, dragging Sastri with him. "she
glares at me like tgress -
''She might be capable of killing you
If the madness got worse, suggested Sas-
tri, significantly.
LUCAS eyes continued to fash, and
her arm remained extended i'll menace, as
long as the Count was in view.
But when he reached the boudpir, aud
the intervening doors were shut, her arm
fell, the muscles of her face relaxed, and
she slipped down to the floor in FAINT.
Count Silvestrelli looked more shaken
by what had happened than he had ever
been seen to look before, and instead OF
despatching some one direct for n doctor,
his first step vas to send for Jose, and
closely question him as to what occurred
during the morning walk.
: But the confidential servant could not
: tell what he did not know His mistress
: had gone to her usual resort, and pur
chased some tulips of the regular flower
girl, and beyond the fact that she had
walked home very fast in the sun, he
could tell nothing.
i A doctor was then called in, who gave
long Latin name for the lady S indisposi
ton, statingit to be kind Of fit connect
cd with cerebral mania, and which NIGH
have been caused by exposure in the SUI
y or by strong mental agitation.
-, "Your lady's pulse is very feeble, anC
, she has been over-exerted, said the MAJ
Of medicine to the man Of diplomacy
perhaps she had had too much gaiety?'
i "QIite likely responded the Count
"She is young, you perceive, and l cal
deny her nothing.
, The doctor being white-headed himself
was able to sympathize with an elderly
husbands indulgence to q young wife
and after giving very minute instructions
s about getting the patient to bed, ant
d. keeping her quiet and cool, he prescribed
sedative drsught, and took his leave.
When the evaporation of her husband
presence ceased, Lucia showed few symp-
toms either Of madness or mania bu
= had she lived few hundred years earlier
Y it would have been whispered that sh,
! had beheld the face of the Gorgon Me
dusa-that terrific deadly face that turn
/. ed all who gazed upon it to stone.
y When she recovered from the faint, she
b. was like stunned person neither tht
f doctor nor the maid could get her to speal
e word.
4 Ro.ette undressed and put her to bed
! aud ms the slow afternoon hours rolled by
she lay there inert and motioness, ant
= with her eyes shut, so that the womal
thought she slept, and reported that be
! lief to the Count, WHO ventured on III
= more personal visits to bis wife's npart
!, ments
Silvestrelli had had rather sever
shock. He had become so used 10 III
@ look of cold immobility which came owe
7 l. h., nv
preached her, that the strong statuesq ne
ness SO alarming to Rosette had no terror
for HIM by itself it was the outbuIst q
y passion that followed 1.-THE hate tina
leaped up, like Geyser spring, and hiss
ed the word Murderer - at him, whicl
y made him tremble. Our acts make con
d science for us, and the Counts conscenc
:, writhed under the hidsous applicabilit
@ of that word Why had she called lii
}. that?
Il He tried to think it might be accident
h The doctor said she had tit-for til
e time she was irresponsible. Might 10
n her hatred of him have famed ont in thl
e epithet by chance? He tried to convinc
: himself that it must be So But the fea
> was too opposite to be easily expelled
e. aud he found it SO difficult to keep up hi
y usual urbanity Of manner that 1t va
Al quite n relief when Sastri proposed th;
re- they should visit one Of the theatr,
u where musical burlesques was bein
L. performed.
as The entertainment was not ut all IN 81
to vestrellis style, but anything was prete
rs able to long evening alone with the wi
ne Asiatic, whose observation was far t,
po keen to he agreeable, aud whose stimuli
=, ton of excessive friendship made him I
~ object of increasing suspicion to i
host.
Ever since he had been lomiciled und
his roof, the Prince had followed hi