New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-11
CHAPTER XXIU.

do;nrs at which Ghslcri had now arrived
seemed TO make any action in the matter use
lees il not practically impossible. He asccrtalncd
without difficulty the law concerning such at
tcmpts to do bodily injury, as he was quite sure
she had made Tho crime homicide when
the attempt led TO fatal results. There was no
doubt of that. On the other hand. even II II
should seem advisable to bring Adele to Justlcc'
and TO involve both the Savell and Gerano faml-
lies in an affair which would socially ruin them
for at least one whole generation In case Aicle
w"rc convicted Vet the positive proofs would me
vc,y hard to produce. ard the ultimate good 10
I've gained would he enthusiastically small COM
pared with the injury done to innocent persons.
The best course was TO maintain the most aDso-
lutc secrecy and 10 discourage far as possible
a,y ILLUSIONS others might make to the mystery
of the lost letter Ghiscri, too, understood human
ra+ure far too we'll 10 suppose that Adele had IN
The first instance desired or expected 70 XIII
,,crhcrt Arden. She had most probably only
meant 10 cause Laura the greatest possible anN-
ictv md trouble by bringing dangerous illness
unon her husband Scarlet fever. as is well
known. is not often fatal 10 adults in Italy, ana
such cases as Ardcn's in which death ensues with
In eight and forty hours, are so rare as 70 w
nbenomenal in any part OF the worio. pu'
Gbisleri had found them described IN the oooN
nc CHANGED to possess, under the head OIL huO"
mentary Cases Ending Fatally and II was 'hcic
stated that they were the consequence OF a very
violent Infection Adele in practising some ohe
NJ the methods Of fcver-pOisoning when the ere''
rrofcssor had described wildly at Gonachee'
had Of course not known exactly what result
abe was about to produce She mad a'sur'"H
not forcscen that Arden would die, ana hau very
probably not oven believed that he wonla reai.S
FOO flA ysICh
borm Pictro explained that naturally enough
lie knew that tie dinner OF reconciliation m"s'
have been brought about by the Prince OF ''erano'
o,a bo ouesscd that in the interview between the
father and the daughter Adele had been deeply
hrmiI;otc1 by being forced to yield and by the
necessity of openly retractng what She had s''u
~ Arden and Laura. In woman whose ini-
n,,ses were naturally bad, and whose nina haa
r,,nr heon very we'll balanced, 1t was not very
hard 70 explain how the idea had presented ~
sel> IL chance had at that moment thrown tle
recessary information into her way. Inc Wio''
story was now sufficiently connected from h'S'
10 last, and Ghslcri, as he Thought over H. sa"
how all the details he remembered cohhrheu "e
.hoorr JJc recollected the doctors remarks about
Tho case. and how surprised he had been ny us
extraordinary violence. lie recalled VrVldlS al
tina. O,e had heard OF Adee's behavior lmhed''eN
after the dinner party, and his own lnnpreSso"
~ her appearance when he had met her /" '"'
street and had recommended her soporihc was
ov,,.rnlv distinct. as we'll as her behavior when
cver in the course OF TWO past years, ' nv
xo;d ANYTHING Intentionally or not when she
could construe os referring to her crime The
chain was complete from the beginning
20 the end and her present dangerous sta'" was
tho direct consequence Of the very first slanu"r
she had cast on Laura Arden
What Ghislcri felt when he was fully per
suodcd that Adele Savci had brought about
tho death of his best friend il not easily de-
srrited In natures like his the desire lot
vengeance il very strong-sfrongest When uioS'
Justified. The instinct which demands life Tor
life IL always present somewhere in the naturai
human heart and, on the whole. the great Dolly
~ human opinion has in most ages approved IL
and given it shape in law-or sanction, where
laws have been or still are rudimentary: "hiS'eri
was NOT therefore either unusually cruel or blood
.h;rstv IN wishing that Adele might eXpiate her
crime 70 the full But in this case. even II
o.n;,., nunishment had not been abolished in
Italv the law wonld not have applied 1t. and
uorsonal revenge without the laws assistance
he;nc ont of the question in the nineteenth
century Pictro could hardly have invented
,,orss fate than actually awaited his trends
murdercss There grand logic, as ~ seemea
N him. in the implacable rctrlbution winch was
rursuing and must before long overtaKe Aoei'
S,velIi. He could enjoy the whole satisfaction OF
Tho most complete vengeance without as much
"a raising finger to hasten 1t. mat was the
first result of his cogitatons, and he was very
we'll pleased with it. lie bought books contain
ina accounts of morphinisn and calmly urea 70
calculate how long Adele had to 1--we. wha' pre-
cise phenomena her end would eNhloit, ara 10
hor m n
gcther before the physical consumption oil '"e
tissues destroyed her body.
Rut before long he became disguised with him
.c,f for he was not cruel by nature. though
canahle Of doing very Cruel things under the
influence OF passion. II was probably not from
any inherent nobility Of character, but rather
ont OF the commonest pity combined VITA
rathcr uncommon though material refinement OF
taste that he at last turned from his study ana
contemplation OF Adele's suferirgs and resoiutcy
put her and them out OF his mind
"Ucaven can do with her what it plcascs
,,,,, think no more about it," he said to him
self one day, and the saying was profoundly
characteristic Of the man.
Hc had never been an unbelicvcr since the
last wears of his boyhood, when, like many boys
in our times, he had already fancied himself
man. and had thought it manly to believe IN
nothing But such state of mind was not really
natural to him, nor even possible for any length
Of time. OF his intimate convictions he never
spoke, for they concerned no one. and no one
had right to judge him. But that he really
had certain convictions no one who knew him
we'll could doubt, and on certain occasions they
undeniably guided his actions.
Laura Arden had not heard even the fantcst
hint about the lost letter, and it became one of
Ghislcris principal occupations to keep the story
from her She was of course, not in the way
of hearing it unless some unusually indiscreet
person should take pains to acquant her with
il: but such people are unfortunately not I'M
common, and Pietro knew that at any moment
laura might hear something which would make
her look at her husbands death in a new light.
The shock would be terrible, he knew, and he
did not like to think Of it. He little suspected
that whom the story reached her ears it would