Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-10-25
"SAVED." "
By THE COUNTESS OF MUNSTER.

and fatiguing night journey; and trivial as | them may appear, l remember them dis
 tinctly, as we'll as every other circumstance
 that occurred during the eventful four-and-
 twenty hours which succeeded our arrival at
 the Hotel dOro, in Florence, on tho 17th
 September, 1S4-.
 My lately widowed mother and myself (a
 girl of ID had been travelling in Italy for
 months after an aimless, cratic fashion; for she, poor soul, was endeavoring, through change of scene and fatigue of body, to
 deaden the memory of her grief; and we had started the night before from A., to avoid the heat of day journey, arriving in the early morning at the Hotel dOro, an i'm posing building situated on the banks of the
 Arno, and formerly a palace of the Este and Borgia families, whose quaint mono grams and devices ornamented its walls,
 both within and without
 We were conducted to our apartments by the pretty padrona, and as we wearily passed through the magnificent vestibule and as- cended the broad marble staircase, I was curiously reminded (my nerves being proba- bly, in an irritated condtion) of picture had seen fin child's story book, of a pretty little girl with long hair, who is mounting 0 stair leading to hanging gallery, so exactly | like the one before us, that as we came to an abrupt turn, I positively stopped and shud- dered, expecting to be met las in the picture) | by cruel faced, velvet footed panther, which was waiting round the corner, with open mouth and giaring eye, to spring upon its unsuspecting victim! A silly, childish story, no doubt, but just one of those which would cling to ones memory.
 The visitors apartments on the first piano of the Hotel dOro opened upon the hanging gallery, and we were conducted to "ours through a doorway concealed by heavy piece of tapestry.
 ''Is the signora satisfiedf' asked the pa drona, as with pardonablo pride she threw open the door of a spacious and beautiful salonc, which owned French windows, open ing upon delightfully."- roomy balcony.
 "Oh, yes," answered my mother wearily; '.but pray take us at once to our sleeping rooms, for we are very tired"
 Tho padrona took the hint, and led LIS to two rooms Heading out of the salone and into each other1, which were beautifully fur nished but one was so small that indig- nantly exclaimed, Mamma! really can't sleep In boxi-and in this heat, too!'
 Have you any other room you could give Lady Murielf' my mother asked the pardrona, who reflected for moment and then said;
 II have, signora. It belongs to Q suite of rooms prepared for the Russian Princess Ltpetska and her sick son and attendants, whom we expect in few hours; but the doc tor, who engaged them, desired us to shut up three or four of the bedrooms, as there were too many: so Lady Muriels maid could sleep there also-close to her-just across the gal IeFy,"
 My mother said, If you are sure you have right to give her these rooms, that will do perfectly" So all being satisfactorily ar ranged, betook myself to my apartment. accompanied by the padrona; but when first entered it, my spirits (generally daring to fault went down to zero. Tho room was so large! So gloomy! The walls were hung with dingy tapestry, which trembled and Tapped each time door was shut, or that one walked across the room; making the gro tesque and hideous figures represented upon 1t, seemingly instinct with life and with an agony of eagerness to leap from the walls, and proffer me dreadful welcomel The bed, too, was far from reassuring in Its ghost like grandeur. It was a carved oak "foar poster;" an ivory and ebony crucif1x was nailed at its head, the curtains were dark green velvet, and plumes of feathers waved at each corner of the canopy, be- ing constantly stirred by mysterious gusts of air, and emitting O rustling sound suggestive of dead 1eaves-melan- choly in the extreme. Added to all this counted five doors in the room, and the pa drona, noticing my uneasy glances toward them, assured me they were locked, proving her words by pushing and pulling them vio- lentiy while turning the handles, at the same time talking voiubly in Italian. I was of course obliged, after the good lady's exer- tions, to profess myself satisfied, and she was just leaving the room when the bell which hung in the courtyard began to ring, and the padrona, running with apologies to my ha1o trance, called out hastily:
 Lady Muriellai Vedel Ecco h princi- pessa ed il principe! guarda" and then hur- ried down stairs. ran and looked out, and true enough the Russians had arrived, hours before they were expected, and with much curiosity watched them as they alighted There were several clumsy vehicles, each drawn by three horses, the princess and her lady occupying the first The princess was helped out of her carriage by two footmen the exact counterpart of each other, having greasy Kalmuo faces, flat noses and eyes a la chinoise, and she seemed tall and finely formed, with clear, pale complexion, taYny colored hair and eyelashes (the latter being unusually thick and long), and she walked with singular dignity as she entered the hotel
 The occupants of the second vehicle Ia sort of invalid carriage) greatly interested me. First a priest, with lowering face and shovel hat, and who had seemingly descended from one of the carriages at the rear en- tered the bed carriage, and proceeded to hand out bag, some pillows and fur rug; then giving sign to the footmen, they scrambled up the carriage steps like performing mon keys, and slowly and carefully drew forth the long, lanky legs of boy of about 16, whose shoulders and head were supported by seri- ous looking young man, who subsequently, learned was an English doctor. The young prince seemed very i'll, for he never spoke nor moved, and took no notice of any one. was eager to see his face, but both doctor and priest were determined he should not be ex- posed to the vulgar gaze, for his cap was pulled over his eyes, and his figure was en- veloped in large shawl; but'as he was being disengaged from the carriage, his head fell backward, and his cap slipped off, and in his anxiety to catch 1t, one of the servants en- tangled his foot in the shawl, dragging it completely off and although the priest hastily replaced 1t and the cap Casting meanwhile a whitening look at rhe terrified meniaD, he did not prevent my having a momentary view of the thin face and emaciated figure of the sick boy. He waS' deadly pale, his eyes were closed, and he appeared unconscious of all around; till, strangely, and for an instant (during the excitement caused by the loss of his cap), fancied he slightly opened his