The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-06-04
with the idea of being totally

compared with the idea of being totally
abandoned.
The night came, md Vivenzio watched.
Morning came, and Vivenzio was con-
founded! He must have slumb ercd
without knowing it. Sleep must have
stolen over him when exhausted by
fatigue, and in that interval of fcverish
reposc he had been baified; for there
stood his replenished pitcher of water,
and there his days meal! Nor was this
all. Casting his looks toward the win
dows of his dungeon, he counted but
FIVE. Here was no deception: and he
was now convinced there had been none
the day before. But what did all this
portend? Into what strange and mys-
FERROUS den had he been cast? He gazed
till his eyes ached he could discover
nothing to explain the mystery. That
it was SO. he knew. Why it was so. he
racked his imagination in vain to con-
lecture. He examined the doors. A
simple circumstance convinced him
they had not been opened.
wisp of straw, which he had care
lessly thrown against them the proceed
ing day, as he paced to and fro. re-
manned where he had cast it, though it
must have been displaced by the slight
est motion of either of the doors This
was evidence that could not be disputed:
and it followed there must be some Sc
cret machinery in the walls by which a
person could enter. He inspected them
closely. They appeared to him one solid
and compact mass of iron: or Joined, if
Joined they We're, with such nice art
that no mark of division was perccpti-
Bile. Again and again he surveyed
them-and the ilo0r-and the roof
and that range of visionary windows
as he was now almost tempted to con-
slider them; he could discover nothing
absolutely nothing. to relieve his doubts
or satisfy his curiosity. Some times he
fancicd that altogether the dungeon
had Il more contracted appearance
that it looked smaller; but this he
ascrbcd to fancy, and the impression
naturally produced upon his mind bv
the undcnia BILE disappearance of two of
the windows.
With intense anxiety, Nivcnzio looked
forward to the return of night; and as
it approached, he resolved that no
trcachcrons sleep should again betray
him. Instead of seeking his bed of
straw. he continued to walk up and
down his dungeon till daylight, strain
ing his eyes in every direction through
the darkness, to watch for any appear
anccs that might explain these mys-
tcries While thus engaged, and as
nearly us he could Judge (by the time
that aftcrward elapsed before the
morning came inn about two o'clock.
there was Il slight tremulous motion of
the floors. He stopped. The motion
lasted nearly minute; but it was so
extremely gentle, that he almost
doubted whether it was real or only
imaginary. He listened. Not "A sound
could be heard. Presently, however,
he felt rush OF cold air blow upon
him; and dushing toward the quarter
whence it seemed to proceed, he STUN
bled over something which he Judged
to be the water ever. The rush of
cold air was no longer perceptible; and
as Nivenzio stretched out his hands, he
found himself close to the walls He
remained motionlcss for IA considcra BILE
time; but nothing occurred during the
remainder of the night to excite his at
tention, though he watched with I'M
abated vigilance.
The first approaches of the morning
were visible through the grated win
dows, breaking, with faint divisions of
light, the darkness that still pcrvaded
every other part. long efore Vivcnzio
was enabled TO distinguish any object
in his dungeon. Instinctively and fear
fully he turned his eyes, hot and in
famed with watching, toward them.
There We're FOUR! He could see only
four; but it might be some intervening
object prevented the fifth from becom-
ing perceptible; and he waited impa-
ticntly to ascertain if it were so AS
the light strengthened, however, and
penetrated every corner of the CELL
other objects of amazement struck his
sight. On the ground lay the broken
fragments of the pitcher he had used
the day before, and at a small distance
from them, nearer to the wall, stood
the one he had noticed the frs, night
II was filled with water, and beside it
was his food. He was now certain that
by some mechanical continuance, an
opening was obtained through the iron
wall, and that through this opening
the current of air had found entrance.
but how noisclcssly! For had a feather
almost waved at the time, he must have
heard it Again he examined that part
OF the wall but both to sight and
touch, it appeared one even and uni
form surface. while to repeated and
violent blows, there was no rcverbcrat-
ing sound Indicative Of hollowncss.
This perplexing mystery had for a
time withdrawn his thoughts from the
windows; but now, directing his eyes
toward them, he saw that the fifth had
disappeared in the same manner as the
preceding two, without the least dis
tinguisha bic alteration of cXtcrnnl an