The morning call., 1892-11-20
CHAPTER XII


thunderbolt. La Stilla could not have died.
She must have been borne TO her hotel in a
trance. while he. robbed of his reason, had
been fettered like maniac. The grim
Baron had made good use of his time.
Under the direction of that Internal min
and borne away 10 be immuTed in this old
mountain fortress. Here she had been
prisoner for nearly five years, and the dill
ettanti, poor fools, had followed nothing
but an empty coffin TO the grave.
"Rotzko." gasped Franz, come life, come
death. j must see her, reach her tonight
mo, no, Count Franz" pleaded the old
seryitor. TO morrow, tomorrow!
Tonight, tell you. RotzkO!" cried the
young Count, pressing his hand on his heart
as if 10 stem the wild eommotion in his
breast. Listen. Rotzko. 60 at once TO the
village of NuikaD. Pass the night there.
But, mind you, not word of all this. If |
DO not make my appearance Tomorrow
hasten 10 Harrisburg, find the chief Of police
and, if necessary. lay siege to the old castle.
Set her free. in Gods name. Don't rest till
You have rescued her from that demons
power"
RolZko bent his head and turned away
Franz de Ielek now stock alone outside the
walls of the castle of The CHrpathans. He
was but human in spite Of the passion that
burned within him. 1t would be madness
TO attempt TO scale those heights, wrapped
as they were now in the gloom of night.
lHeT6 WAS DuL one WAY LOT HIN 10 gam Ac-
cess to this mountain fortress and that was
across the drawbridge and through the
postern gate. But who would lower the
bridge TO him? What follower of the grim
Baron would Open the castle door 20 Count
Franz de Telek?
For an hour or more he wandered from
bastiOn TO bastiOn, now clam bering I'D some
dangerous slope, now threading his way
among the masses of rock incumber-
ing the courterscarp. At last he could go
no farther. ClaspiIg his torn hands in utter
despair pite0us cry burst from his lips.
'Stillal On, my Stilap'
That instant light flashed out through
the gloom. Gould il be signal? Was it
meant to guide him Alright or 20 lead him TO
his destruction? He made haste to follow IT,
To DO this he had to retrace lis steps, but
the light beck0ned him on, and. in spite of
his ever waning strength, he pressed for
ward. The postern gate came suddenly into
view and TO his joy he discovered that the
draw bridge had been lowered. Dashing
across ii, he raised his hand to beat against
the door, bu; ere he had done so it opened
he strobe within and il closed behind him,
and then be heard the rafting of the chains
as the drawbridge was lifted to its place
Franz de Telek was q prisoner in the castle
of the Carpathiansi
BY feeling his way Franz advanced along
a yaulted corridor. In few moments lie
found himself engaged in rerfect maze of
passages. He trembled lest some trapdoor
him 20 his death. He durstn't cry out to
La Stilla, lest the echoes should bear his
voice to the ears OF Baron ROdolphe. He
had not eaten since morning. His strength
was fast failing. Suddenly The floor seemed
TO come to an end. STOPPING down he found
that he was standing at the top Of a stair
case, but he didn't hesitate to 20 down il.
After seventy steps had been passed he was
once more In broad corridor, at the end of
which he could see glimmering point of
4arens 2 h
her? He pressed on aud soon discovered
that the glimmer preceded from circular
crypt lighted from the top. On one hand
was a heavy oaken door, barred from the
opposite side.
Franz tried II, but it was as solid rs the
wall itself. Upon giancing around the
crypt he noted that there was a bed stand
ing against the wall, and that there was
food placed upon table with wine and
water beside it, And then the awful
thought flashed upon him that be stood in
prison that had been prepared for him;
that be had been decoyed into the old
castle and would never 60 forth again.
But hunger and thirst got the better OF
him and he sat down to the food spread out
before him, and after ha had eaten threw
himself upon the bed. But sleep was i'm
possible.
''No. [ cannot-I must not watt" he cried
out. 81 must reach her tonight
Suddenly the light streaming from the
and all was black as night. Utterly eX-
hausted Frank fell back like log on the
pillows of the bed. 1t was not sleep. He
was too tired TO sleep; il was dull, heavy
torpor, with half-closed eyes and ears still
open TO his own sterterous breathing.
At last he succeeded IN breaking free from
the sbackleS of this strange lethargy. How
long had he slept? His watch had stopped.
it was impossible to say. But the crypt was
again flooded with the same soft light.
SpTinging up. he was startled 10 find that
new supply Of food and wine had been set
forth. Some one had visited the place
while he was asleep. They knew that he
was 10 the castle. He WAS now the prisoner
of Baron ROd0phe de GortZ, condemned,
possibly. never 10 look upon living face
again. Why not escape at once? Why not
make his way back TO the postern gate?
Alas! had he not heard the rafting Of the
chains as the drawbridge had been lifted
into place? But, come what may, he
must escape. He could not stay there and
die, virtually buried alive. The thought
was agonizing. And yet how could he
bring himself to abandon La Stiia? He
could not dream of leaving her here in Baron
Rodolphe's power. RotZko would soon be
there with the whole power OF the state at
his back. He would then rummage the old
pile from turret to foundation stone. Franz
had risen ara was pacing the floor of his
narrow prison. Suddenly, as he came oppo-
site to the second door of the crypt a
slight, dull sound of a human football
reached his ear. Breathless he halted
and listened. The step was that ef
a person slowly descending stair
case. There must be a flight of steps con-
Meeting the crypt with the upper chamber,