The Sunday morning news., 1891-12-27

ne u1Seu ueeeeCHluSly, Dut NY HeSdJlVe
was peremptory.
Eight o'clock anne. Miss st. Claii
and | descende the court of the hotel
but where was Piero? at is singular
He was never late before, but am con.
fdent that he will be here presently
We have only to wait little"
The minutes went by, and they were
long minutes. 1t was awkward waiting
in SO public a place. The count had
joined us with his friend, an Italian mar
quis some 80 years of age, with whom
we had slight acquaintance. The
counts handsome equipage was drawn
up near us. There was no Piero. s
81 really think you had better accept
my young friends carriage. 1t would
be pity to miss SO grand a spectacle, -
said the marquis.
We entered the carriage. The count
wrapped us in magnificentfeather robe,
such as the Montezumas wore, for the
April nights in Rome are chill, however
hot the sunshine. 1t was strange to see
the Forum, ordinarily solitary and des-
olate, now thronged with an eager null
titude on foot and with numerous open
carriages, in which were seated ladies in
full dress as at the opera with us. Ar
irving at the Coliseum, we left the car
riage and passed through the huge por-
tai. The gloomy arches were obscurely
seen in the dusky Roman twilight, when
suddenly, as if by magic, every arch and
crevice of the gigantic ruin glowed, in
carnadined, as if dyed with the blood Of
the martyrs that had drenched it's soil
There were salvos of artillery, bursts of
military music and few vivas from the
multitude. A brilliant spectacle, but the
tender beauty of moonlight harmonizes
better with the solemnity of ruins.
Rapt in the memories that the scene
awakened, paid little attention to the
monologue of my italian friend. when
1 was suddenly reused by the question,
"Did you ever see a prettier coupler"
"Who?" l asked absently.
"There,' he rejoined, pointing to the
count and Miss ST. Clair, who preceded
US.
'He is too young,"I replied, but the
question was asked SO significantly that
it disturbed me little, and I resolved
to be more cautious than heretofore.
The next morning Piero appeared with
his carriage to take us to the Baths of
Caracalla. He hoped madame did not
lose the illumination. He was wretched
to disappoint madame; he begged
thousand pardons. His little boy was
taken violently i'll; he was forced to go
for the doctor; madame was SO good.
The truth flashed upon me: ''Piero,
how much did the count give you to stay
away last night"
A gleam of humor twinkled in his
black eyes, but it was speedily quenched:
II do not understand what madame
wishes to say"
1thappened that friend and country
woman at our hotel was taken i'll with
typhoid fever, and amid the anxieties of
her sick room the incipient love affair
was almost forgotten. no longer spent
the evenings in the parlor. One day
Miss St. Clair showed me tiny satin
bag beautifully embroidered, with soft
silken chain to pass around the neck.
"What can it be for?' she asked.
"Why, Helen, it is an amulet. Where
did you get it?''
The count gave it to me. He had
the loveliest set of Byzantine mosiacs and
pearls which he wished to give me; and
when would not accept them he seemed
SO hurt that did not like to refuse this
trifie. What do you suppose is in it,"
ga relic of some saint, without doubt.
He thinks it will protect you from fever,
perhaps
Like most Americans, we We're desi-
rous of seeing the pope, and Count Al
vala obtained for us the necessary per-
mission. We were to be received on
Saturday at II. We went in the pre-
Scribed costume, black silk, with the
picturesque Roman veil thrown over the
head. From the foot of the SCALA regia
royal staircase) one of the papal guard,
in a motley suit which seemed one glare
of black and yellow, escorted us to the
door of a long corridor, known as the
Loggia of Raphael, where we were re-
ceived by higher official in rich array
of crimson velvet. About seventy per-
sons were seated in rows, facing each
other, along this gallery, nearly all laden
with rosaries to be blessed by the Holy
Father. We waited till my neck ached
with looking up at the exquisite frescoes,
fresh and tender in coloring as if new
from the hand of the master, when the
pope appeared, attended by cardinal
on each hand. We fell on our knees
Instantly, but not till had seen an old
mans face so sweet and venerable as to
make this act of etiquette a spontaneous
homage. He passed slowly down the
line, saying a word or two to each, and
extending his hand, white and soft like
a woman's, to be kissed.
Pausing bY the young count, who was
kneeling beside me, he said impressively,
Courage and faith have always been
attributes of the house of Alvala. Your
fathers were good children of the church,
and you, my son, will not be wanting in
any of the qualities of your race"
When he had passed us we rose from
our knees, and could observe him more
closely. He wore close fitting white
cap ON his finely shaped head; long
robe of white woolen cloth buttoned up
in front, with a small cape of the same
material; a white sash, gold embroidered
at the end; long gold chain around his
neck, to which was attached a large
golden cross; a seal ring on the third