The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1889-12-29

gray stone palaces, with their narrow barred,
vindictive looking windows and their frJwu-
ing towers; ard | seemed to distinguish be-
meath my feet, the hollow sounds of their
dreadful dungeons ''And each and all these, :"
priest whispered inIIny ear, shave their
own tale of wrong and murderr' At these
words thought | FASTENED my steps for
felt suffocated, stifed for want OF air; the
streets seemed iuterminable, and tho build
ings as though they would close over my
head, when lol holy, lovely Presence was
near, and coming towards me was young
Mother, pressing Her little child close TO Her
bosom, MS though clasping Him fast to shield
Him from the cruel outer world SIS it
beauteous pictured" | asked in q confused
way, cor is it great TruthF for a glory
1 shono forth from the baby brow, clearing
away the wicked shadows and shedding light
and blessing on all aroundl Fountains, flow
ers, gardens, statues now pass giddily be-
! fore me, glowing and glistening in the pitt
less burning sun, with unchanging blue sky
| overhead and the glaring white lagstones
under foot till at last, larguid and fainting,
1 turned gratefully out of the noise and heat
into a dim lit, high rooted cathedral, restful
| alike to eyes and mind in its darkness and
| silence. That peculiar, holy church silence,
which always tells of great Expectancy, Of
1 the hushed and breathless looking for" O
great and glorious ComingD l stood,
| thought, entranced, gazing mistily at the
beauty of the opal jeweled windows, at the
wondrous perspective Of the many arches,
''raised" Il said to myself like huge shell
tering arms, guarding over the Present of
my childish head and stretching far, far
away always lifted in my defense) into the
shadows of the Future" As gazed above
beheid two angels come lowering side by side
down the lofty cathedral aisle, and with each
beat OF their pcarly wings they shed around
them the fragrant odors of incense and the
vibrations of mystic melody. They smiled
as they passed me by, n grave sweet smile,
and said dreaniiiy, "Oh that this House of
Peace were my honel Obi that Icould for
ever join in the service of angelsp Then, in
fancy, knelt and mingled my poor prayers
with those of the calm, holy looking nuns,
the wrinkled old peasant women, the dark
eyed, brown skinned children that were
kneeling reverently on tho marble pavement,
peacefully telling their beads, apparently ell
unconscious Of a busily wicked, wickedly
busy Florence within a few PAGES of their
altars-ayei at their very church doorsl
These pictures, distinct at first, but beconl-
ing gradually more end more shadowy, were
all in moment rudely dispersed, dispelled,
exactly Like a mirror which had suddenly
been cracked, spalTed by some unseen hand!
l started violently and sat up in my bed, for
| thought--nay, was convinced-I heard
one Of the many doors in the room shake
gently, but decidedly, as though some one
were endeavoriug to enter | listened at
tentivcly, and for while ell seemed quiet;
but-againl tho same soundl and this time
from another door, which, like the former
one, opened Into the Russian apartments
watched, and distinctly saw tho handle turn
and tho door shake! | was now thoroughly
alarmed, and would have rushed in to Su-
settle, but, to my distress, remembered that
my door was locked on tie outsidel
"Ohp l gaspcd, 'if Susette would only
comoi What can it bel What shall do?"
Iwaited, listening painfully, but for few
minutes (Which seemed ages to mel heard
nothing more, and almost persuaded myself
that it must have been my imagination, or
perhaps, "Soine ono may have mistaken the
door" | thought began to be ashamed OF
my cowardicc; determined to be bravo and
ignore the whole thing--to lie down again-
but had hardly dono so before distinctly
heard footsteps creeping along the balcony
and stopping at my window-which was only
lightly hooked Together for it was very
warm and it had never struck me till now,
that as my room belonged to the Russian
SUITE SO did the balcony, and ives therefore
not divided from theirs Breathlessly lis
tened, and treniblinsly leaping out Of bed, |
throw on my dressing gown, stole to the
window, and gently pushing aside tho blind,
looked out--aGd never to my dying day,
shall | forget my horror when became
aware of mans face, within an inch of my
own, peering in at mol
Terror nearly payalyzed me, but did not
prevent my recognizing in the coarse kalniuc
type OF the intruder, the face of one of the
Russian men servant3l
could not move or scre4n, but at siSnal n
from the Russian, to my utter amaze and be-
wildermcnt, who should appear at his side
but the dead" prince lie was making i'm
ploring signs to mo to be silent-not to be
afraid, and, above ell things, to let him inl
The poor young face was so livi'--the
eyes SO strained with terror; the
tears too, were coursing SO visibly down the
thin haggard checks, and the attitude was so
touchingly humble and imploring, that my
fright turned into pity, and felt intuitively
that in some mysterious way held the life,
or DEATH Of this trembling creature in my
hands. Inipelled, therefore, by tho power of /
mercy, and hurriedly eager to save | knew
not who, from | knew not what, | unlocked
the window, and the prince crept noiselessly
in! To my unspeakable relief the footman
fell back, evidently on the watch, and the
poor boy sank at my feet gasping out in
mixture of languages, "Oh, Lady Muriella,
pour lamour de Dieu, save mol Let me out
at your door"
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