The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-08-18
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 of wondering how all this had come
 about. They told'me afterwards that,
 whenever anybody spoke to me, I
 could say nothing but 'Bellamonte is
 dead, his wife is dying, and Luigi.
 too." They thought was mad, and
 so was-quite mad, or rather idiotic,
 for the time. But when I arrived in
 Milan and drove through the familiar
 streets, this dazed condition began to
 pass of, my frozen brain awoke, and
 shrank horror-stricken before the
 thing it had to face.
 "When arrived at the house in the
 narrow street behind Sant Ambrogio,
 Inchkeith in his Austrian uniform
 met me halfway up the stone stair.
 ease and dragged me into an apart.
 ment below that which the Bella.
 montes occupied.
 "'The little boy has taken a turn
 for the better,' he said. Come in here
 and rest few minutes before you go
 up to the fourth floor. I am going to
 make you take some of this old Bur
 gundy; you look moro dead than
 alive He had led me, while speak
 ing, into room where there was a
 table set out with food and wine. I
 staggered to chair and waved him
 away. The countess gasped. sWhat
 news of her?'
 ''He turned away abruptly and set
 down the glass he had filled on the
 table. There was silence in the room
 for minute or two. Then: 1t is
 better so,' said Inchkeith presently, speaking with his back turned to- wards me; it is far better. She went very peacefully at sunrise this morn- ing. Thank God, she never awoke to the consciousness of what had hap pened after we brought her home. Upon my word it would be we'll if that poor little fellow upstairs were to follow his father and mother, as things are likely to be with him.
 For heavens sake,' said, tell me quickly how it all came about. Tell me all, all.'
 "'My dear fellow, you are worn out said Inchkeith. q won't say an- other word till you have had some wine.' T won't touch it. 1 cried, stamping with impatieDce, for hor- rible suspicion was beginning to gath CT form in my mind. Do you want to drive me mad? Go on, go onp
 "And then he told me all. It seemed that when Bellamonte was about to start on his errand, his wife became unaccountably nervous and reluctant to let him go. The maid who had stayed by her through all those troublous times told us after wards that she had flung herself on her knees before her husband, implor- ing him to stay at home and leave the message undone, in 8 wild way very unlike her usual courageous resigna- tion. She said she had forebodings; but the count thought them merely the result of physical weakness from the long strain on her nerves, and tried to laugh them away. Finding that he was determined to go, she be- came calm, but nothing would hold her back from accompanying him. After trying for some time to dissuade her he gave in, not supposing that there was really any risk in the expe- dition.
 "Little Luigi and his maid went with his parents. They were all dis guised as peasants, and strolled through the pleasant October sunshine to lit- tie vineyard mile or two beyond the city. A horse and cart were fastened to tree, but nobody was in sight; so they sat down to wait. Luigi laughed and played with little dog he found there; and Bellamonte, lying at his wlfe's feet, tried in every way to cheer md rouse her from her depression. Presently he pulled trail of reddened autumn leaves from the vine and bound them together, singing a gay little peasants song the while. He had never been more merry and un- suspicious of danger, said the maid.' W hen he had finished his crown, he placed it on his wife's head, and bent town to kiss her.
 "At this moment the little dog, ex- cited probably by Luigi's games, gave some short, sharp barks. There was sudden gleaming of white uniforms through the vines and 6 clanking of swords and spurs. Bellamonte started np with an exclamation, and pulled a pistol from his bosom. Margherita .hrew herself silently and swiftly in 'ront of him, but he pushed her aside with gentle violence, and told her for she boys sake to keep behind. The vineyard was completely surrounded oy detachment of the cavalry regi- nent to which Inchkeith belonged. He himself was of the party, as also Margherita's eldest brother.
 "The message brought to me had ,een an entire fabrication, c trap of he enemy1s, who were watching the pot, but who had not known how prey was to fall into their landA Bellamonte was, of course,