The sun., 1895-03-03

| great fCar and they came 70 certain learned
priest, who was the priest OF the church OF st.
John. and told him. And he arose and came IN
great haste. and, offered prayers outside the
vault md bade the un1uet spirits rest but he
did not offer 10 enter nor did any one OF them
but they all said, we had determined even c; bc;
fore to await the Dukes guhrd. and that Is still
For great While the hermit could not under
stantl what Antonio wanted OF him, for his
thoughts were Oh MS own state and with tho
dead. But At, length having understood that
Antonio would DO guided through the passage
and brought to the mouth Of the cave, In the
hope OF hnding means To escape before, the
live ~ and rose. and led Antonio where the coffin
stood upright against the wall as Antonio had
seen II. But IL was now moved little to one
eide. and there was narrow opening through
struggles lie upset the coffin and II fell with
great crash, whcreat all who were. outside the
| vault fled suddenly TO IL distance OF n hundred
yards or more in panic expecting now to scu
the door OF the vault open and the dead walk
forth, nor could they be persuaded to come
iut Antonio. with a great effort, made his
| way through the opening and followed the her
| NIT along II narrow, rough -hcwn way Antono's
shoulders grazing he rock on either side as he
| or twent y PAGES they turned to the right sharply
| and went on another ten PAGES. and having hav-
ing passed through another narrow opening
were in the cave. and the river gistened before
| their eyes, for IL was now dawn. Ana tho
hermit, pcrcevng that It was dawn, and
| To the vault, but Antgnin, being full OF
| pity for him, detained him and bcsouEht
! hin to abandon his manner of life. assuring linn
that by now his sin was certainly purged and
when the hermit would m"i .st"n , 4mI0n,o my i3l,
! vault. and forgetting his own peril, reasoned
| with him for the space of an hour or more. but
| could not prevail. 50 at lust hs bade him fare
well very sorrowfully, telling him that God hal
made him that day the instrument Of saving
! favor and forgiveness. but the hermit shook his
| head and passed into the vault, and Antonio
| heard him talking to the dead Peschcti and an
swering questions that his own brain invented.
Thus it was full morning when Antonio came
Ia. . In ~iN sa11I In
Thought him what he should do for his own
safety. And suddenly looking across the river
pardo II commissary OF the Dukes. and with
him thirty OF the Dukes guard. and they, were
riding very fast, for having started at midnight
to avoid the heat Of the sun dt being high sum
merl 80 soon as they reached the outskirts Of
the vault, and were now pressing on to cross tho
bridge and come upon him. And Antonio knew
hood and would be prevented by nothing from
entering the vault. But on sudden Lepardo |
checked his horse, 'itterng a loud cry. for to |
his great Management he had seen Antonio as
Antonio looked forth from the cave and hc could |
once withdrew himself into tho shadow
Now the banks of the stream on the side on |
which Lepardo rode were high and procipitous, |
was too deep for him to wade, and flowed quickly: !
yet: at lepardo's bidding; sX M Of @ his ,n st9Mrst
search of Antonio: and Antonio discerning that |
they would do this. and blaming himself for his
gruatly at a loss what to do: for now he was
hemmed in on either side, and he saw nothing
but to sell his life dearly and do some deed
that should ornament his death. So he re.
treated again along the passage, and passed
through the opening into the vault, and he sum
mOned the hermit to aid him. and between them
they set not only one, but dozen OF the collins
of the Pcscheti against tho opening. laying
them lcngthwise and png one on he topof the
other, hoping TINT Lepardo's men would not
discover the opening. or would ut least BE- de-
lnyed some time before they could thrust away
the cotfins and come through Then antonio took
his place by the gate OF the vault again. sword
i'll hand. saving to the hermit: ~ If seek
death. sir he will be hereaDouts before long"
But the Count Antonio was not man whom
his friends would abandon to death unaided,
and while the syndic was watching Antonio, tho
Drr rane f fro ss ware % hous snd
separated from one another rode By four differ
Yet three OF them caught by tho Dukes
company that watched in III. plain, and. having
been 72nnaiy n"Esed; wetG set t." WORK as ser,
to the hills, and found there Tommasno and
Bena, aud Tommasino hearing of Antonio's
state, started with Btna and eighteen mere to !
recue him or die with him. And they fell in
with scouting party of the Dukes. and
losing two of their own number but thus they
escaped. there being none left 70 carry news
by the time they came near Baratesta
they were not more than z mile behind
detached the six men TO watch Antonio. rode in
hastily to find the syndic and learn from him
Tommasino, coming opposite to the mouth Of
the herm;t's cave, saw no more than six horses
escutcheon wrought on their saddle cloths.
Then he leaped down, and. running to the edge
nf the bank, saw man disappearing into the
mouth of the cave, dripping wet, and this man
was the last of the six, who nad swuIn the river
tion along the barrow track ,hGt the hermit had
made. Now Tommesino understood more
the cave to the vault but he Thought that the
Dukes men did not sw IN the river for pleasure.
and he badc Bena take flve and watch what
should happen. while he rode on with the rest
III they come out again Immediately" he
said. you will have them at a disad vantage:
but il they do not out go in after them; for
know not what they are doing unless they arc
seeking my cousin or laying some trap tor him."
having given the Dukes men but tho briefest
space in which to come cut again from the cave,
men were nc now s muc % alarmed Tor the @ last TnS man
told them or the armed men on the bank oppo-
site. and that they ala not wear the Duke's
silently, and they could not find any opening,
for It grew darker q, every step; and they be;
crossed the river aud entered the mouth Of the
cave after them. Thus there was fair like lihood
or good fighting both in the passage and by the
but the Count Antonio not knowing that any
his life, and he sat calm and ready. sword in
hand, while the hermit withdrew TO cor
tering his mad answers and questions, and
ever and again hailing some one of the dead
suddenly coffin fell with loud crash on the
top top of the heap .a on tauLS 70 the a02r for
lhc ldu ll'ullu lile opening, anu
were pushing Mt it with hand and shoulder.
Then Antonio sprang to his feet and left
the gate and went and stood ready by
the pile of collins. But again on n sudden came
tnmult from beyond the opening for BenH
and his five also were now in the passage. and
the foremost of them who indeed was Bena
himself-had come upon the hlndmost OF the
Dukes men, and the six, finding enemy he
hind them, pushed yet more tercely and strenu-
0usly against the collins. And no man in the
passage saw any man, it being utterly dark; and
they cond not use their swords for lack OF
space. but drew their daggers and thrust hercely
when they felt "A mans body near.
So in the dark they pushed and wrestled. and
struggled and stabbed, and the sound OF their
tumult filled all tho vault and spread beyond.
being heard outside; and many outside crossed
themselves for fear, saving, Hell is broke
loose. tod save us ~ But Mt that moment
came LepardO and his company: and he having
leapt from his horse and heard from the syndic
that Antonio was in very truth in the vault.
drew his sword and came Rt the head of his men
10 the door; and hearing the tnmult from