Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-12-16

Any hVFci Oc ORCuOo dkNlns CACcpb ny
those in whose veins courses other blood
than mine."
GUIDO LAMBERTI.
The officer who read the strange note
alone, suffered it to fall to the floor
without a comment. Then, signaling his
men to follow him, he led them away in
silence. The disappointed and aston.
ished guests did likewise. Pity was the
paramount emotion; no one thought of
regarding the act of Guido LAMBERT as
an insult. The despair manifested in
the note was so genuine that all. with
one accord as if by mutual agreement,
accepted the unknown cause of Guidos
agony as common sorrow.
For FIVE years more the old palace was
alone and silent. only echoing the voice
and footsteps of ..the servants. And then
Guido came back with another little girl.
mere babe of three years this time.
"My mouth is sealed" he said. 81
cannot yet explain the cause of my last
departure and long absence. My friends
must help me still with their patience.
l can only tell you that my beloved
daughter is dead, and that it is her in
fapt daughter whom have this time
brought back with me. To say more
would be to defeat justice-justice to
the dead"
Some maintained their faith in Guido;
others less generous, limited sometimes,
and sometimes openly averred, that his
silence was the silence of some shame
and his sorrow the sorrow of remorse.
Thenceforth his doors were kept
closed except to few intimate friends;
but even they were never made parties
to his secret.
In the years which followed his Sec
ond return to Florence, he gave himself
up entirely TO music. The most of his
time was devoted to little coterie of
pupils whom he taught out of pure love
of his art. He was perfect master of
the violin, and no one else in Italy
could win such exquisite notes from the
vibrating strings. His Interpretations,
too, were quite as wonderful as his skill
in other directions.
Moved by some impulse which per-
haps he could not have explained had
he wished to, he named his granddaugh-
ter Enid. As she grew out of childhood
into girlhood, and thence into woman
hood, she became round and perfect
with the same beauty which had been
her mothers and grandmother At
the close of Enid's eighteenth year,
among Guido's pupils was youth named
Paolo Vercini-the most talented of all
the old mans class. Almost at the be-
ginning of his studies he acquired a
dexterlty of lingering and bowling, a re-
markably light and magic touch, which
speedily won for him sons place in
Guido's heart. And SO year later,
when he begged for the right to WOO
Enid, old Guido answered him with un.
expected tenderness.
"Paolo, "he said, "to see Enid your
wife would be to smooth and sweeten
my way to the grave. If you can win
her heart you may have her hand. Only
you must wait yet for little while be-
fore you take her to the altar. Great
wrongs must be righted and a great
william punished. The time is nearly
ripe for what l hint at. After that you
may have her-if you still want her
when you know all. There is no stain
on her, yet. for all that, you may wish
to seek some other woman for wife
when you fully understand what l
mean"
"If l can win her and you maintain
your willingness Enid and no other shall
be my wife" said Paola. eff there is
no stain on her, so much the better. l
should marry her, anyway, if she did
not think me too mean and humble"
Paolo bowed his head and the subject
was dropped for the time. The young
violinist, however, lost no time in telling
Enid that she possessed his heart, and
he was overjoyed at finding that she al.
ready loved him. With her first kiss
his happiness was made complete.
Paolo's studies brought him to the palace
every day, and after the hour of music
there was always an hour of love-.
One day when Paolo came he found
old Guido pacing up and down one of
the long corridors of the old place with
the widest excitement in his eyes.
"My son, he exclaimed, as Paolo ap-
preached, "the realization of your
fondest hopes is at hand. If she so
wishes, Enid may be your bride within
a month. The day of my vengeance is
at hand. A week hence l am to enter.
tain one whom the world delights in
honoring as Italy's greatest statesman.
l know him in less favorable light. He
is here in Florence now, and thanks to
the cunning of few faithful friends, he
is to be entertained here a week from
this night, and withouta a surmise as to
whose guest he will be. When he finds
out it will be too late for him to retreat
Ask me nothing at present, but do not
leave the palace again, except necessity
it, until my distinguished guest
has been tittingly entertained"
The week sped quickly, and the night
which Guido so eagerly wished for came
as soon as he was ready for it. To Enid
and Paolo this passing of the time was
even swifter than it was to Guido. Late
in the afternoon fearful storm set in,
and at nightfall the noise of the wind,
the thunder and the rain was terrific.
"Truly fitting night!'' muttered old
Guido. as he paced up and down the
chamber in which he intended receiving
his guests.
Eight o'clock was being struck from
chamber was opened and thirteen men
were SHOWN INTO tne room ny III Olu
servant who had been in the Lamb erti
palace since the days when Giuseppe
brought home the woman who became
the mother of Guido.
One of Guido's guests uttered an ex.
clamation of surprise as he glanced
about him, but the others evinced no
emotion. Noting the nonchalence and
indifference of his companions, the man
in question restrained himself and took
the chair assigned to him in silence. The
chairs were all placed at one end of the
long chamber, and, like the guests, were
thirteen in number. When the man
who was at first so much disturbed by
the peculiarities of the room recovered
from his surprise, he found that his
had SO seated themselves
that the middle chair was left for him.
Trifiing as the circumstance was, it dis
turbed him, and he took the vacant
chair with unmistakable reluctance.
What strange mummery is this ?" he
exclaimed. "The walls draped in black