The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-15
THE PAINTER OF PARMA
OR.
The Magic Of a Masterpiece
An Italian Story OF Love, Mys-
terry and Adventure.
BY sYLvANUs COBB, JR
BY SYLvANUs COBB. JR.
copyright 1888 by Mary j. Cobb
CHAPTER XVIII

with regret, that he had been again called
away.
but" said he, Signor Pandolfo will take
NV place, so you will want for nothing"
Zanoni saw the hand of the Princess in
this removal of the keeper. Him she would
not tempt to breach of duty, but she had
found means to have him called away. He
understood, but he made no sign.
When the officer came to carry away the
tray he asked permission to look once more
upon the wonderful picture that had grown
10 beauty and life under his own eye.
who knows" he added ''if | shall have
another opportunity, as l cannot be sure
when / shall return"
The painter, without remark, took away
the cover from tho canvas and stepped
back The keeper gained favorable posi-
ZION and looked upon it-looked long and
earnestly, his soul in his eyes and every
faculty of admiration and pleasurable ex-
element alert. At length he burst forth,
tle words coming from the very depths of
his being:
Just heavenl Shall Parma lose the
master who painted this2 1t would be a
sin before God 1t must not be! O! the
duke will never allow it, never He cannot
accept this divine masterpiece of art and
beauty, and with the hand that takes it sign
the death warrant of him who created til"
And then, as though fearing that he
might have said too much, he asked the
prisoner to pardon him for his impulsive
Expression of feeling, and having wiped the
moisture from his eyes, he gave one more
glance at the picture then took up the tray
and left the cell.
During the forenoon Zanoni looked at
bis picture from every point of view, but
could find nothing to touch, nothing to i'm
prove. He would not have put the point
of a pencil upon feature of the face could
it have saved his life. 1t was perfect
N r. than once the impulse had been upon
him to fall down before it on his knees and
worship it-not the picture his hand had
created no, no, no. that, hut the true saint
In heaven, the memory OF whom has served
him as model.
This was the day on which he had ex-
pected the coming of the Duke, and he had
looked for him at an early hour but the
forehoon was almost gone and he had not
come. What did it mean! Had he for
gotten!
Noon came, and the dinner was brought
TIE painter asked Pendolfo, who had taken
his chiefs place, if he could imagine why
his grace had not come.
The keeper shook his head, and was upon
,
Il when he CHANGED to call to mind that it
E was the day appointed for the parade and
review of The troops, at which, of course,
FL the Duke must be present, being, by virtue
o. his civil office, commander ln-chief. So,
If he came at all, 1t could not be until later
H. the day.
As the minutes crept away into hours
after this, the painter became painfully
nervous and anxious Suppose 1t should
happen that theEi Dukes coming should in
terfere with the coming of lsabel. Or,
worse still, suppose the two should, by any
possibility, chance to meet at the prison!
He would not think of such thing. Pan
dofo, if he was in the secret, would pre-
vent 1t. He thought of it, nevertheless,
and it continued to worry him. Further,
FL he would not, on any account, have the
Princess come first.
Fl Another hour passed, and another, and
the sun was near to its setting, casting Its
santing rays, like bars OF bright gold, into
the prison cell, when the door was opened
andthe Duke entered.
"Slgnor, | am late. l have been kept by
ereview Of our troops, but think the light
sun good. Is the picture finished"
ut IS fni- he'd my lord the painter re-
Piled, his voice deep and. solemn, his face a
ulfe pale, but you will wait few
moments A the sunbeams now fall they
would cast a false light
You can move the easel, Signor."
want but moment longer, my lord,
and you shall behold it."
At this moment, while the Duke waited
strange thing happened. As it afterward
proved, the keeper, in leaving the door
alter the entrance OF the august visit +,
nad simply swung the bar without using
tae Key; and this was the situation as the
fHncess had expected to find it. She had
come In with Pandolfo's wife, as she had
zone on the occasion of the former visit
tney had come at once to the corridor OF
mat section without ha wing seen the keeper
and as only the bar was found in place tC
secure the door they had taken it for
granted that 1t had been LETT thus for the
IHlcess' accommodation. They had acted
accordingly.
The last words spoken by Zanoni had
scarceIy left his lips when the door of his
eeII was again opened, this time giving en-.
trance to the Beaedictine.
for moment the ainter, in his terror
u thought of the danger impending, came
uear losing himself; but his natural strength
snu force Of will, together with his Unborn
po"ers OF seif-control saved him. lie saw
moment later, two things First, that
sue Ike, who stood before the broad can
vas, which was between himself and the
uoor' had not noticed the entrance Of an
SOuer person. He saw, further, that the
.h9ceSs, in her somber robe and cowl, il
.ue mad seen that he hd4a visitor, supposed
y 70 be the keeper or, at any rate some
SIe connected with the prison, from whose
u%rvatlon her disguise would shield her
.,nCe the presence of son of the church, III
sIch place and at such a time might be
as Tor the Princess herself, what were
Esr feelings when she recognized the voice
ner guardian can be letter imagined
IAN described. However, it was too late
Zen 70 escape. She could only hold hei
ace trusting that her disguise would not
w penetrated by the ducal gaze.
now, Signor Zanoni, the light is right
lo not think it could be better. Will you
Uncover the picture!"
may seem strange-perhaps impossible
su"t III That moment the artist could have
,teotten his anxiety on his loved ones ac
III Nevertheless such is the fact. In
seaeater anxiety he forgot the lesser, and
ga,' u we come TO realize how great it must
,,{, oeen we shall not wonder
mere Is your position, my lord-there
is"' antonio Farnese, you shall say II
'e kept my ptomisew And with this
tulhter took the silken curtain by the
over corners aud threw il over behind
iIanVaS, thus giving TO the light the
M painted surface. And, as the Duke
.r' oiI, 1t could not have been a better
~ The effect OF the slanting, COLDER
m;!on,.lI khtng up the scene. without falling
hess upon u, was glow, and yet "A soft