The record-union., 1896-02-15


were instantly gone from sight.
1--WE got Paolo home, whether alive or
dead we knew not and, having sent for
a surgeon, we laid the body in my own
chamber. 1t must have been an hour
before my man could bring the help we
needed to US; but when at last the sur
geon came, and had listened long for a
beat of the heart or an expiration of
the breath, he said that life was not
wholly gone, and if it were the same
at dawn we might begin to hope; with
which pronouncement he administered
strong cordial to his patient and
when he had bathed Paolo's head, and
had undone our clumsy bandages, the
wounded man himself surprised us by
opening his eyes and turning again
upon his side.
Il had no heart to send Christine
nome that night. Since we had picked
up the body of her lover she had not
ceased to bend over it, covering the cold
lips with her kisses, and happy if she
might hold so much as the fingers of
hand. Her father was then at Fiume:
and now she watched with me until the
dawn broke, and for very WEAKNESS she
Iel asleep with her head pillowed upon
my knees. While she slept thought of
nef words, You will avenge him. Mic
olo,' and [ knew not what answer to
give her. I was then growing a bent old
man; could have no part or lot in anv
levers quarrel; there would be an out
cry through the whole city if I, who set
UP as a master, should fall upon the
pupil and kill him in combat He had
committed no offense known to the So
cial or the moral law; the greater num-
Der of people would applaud him be-
cause he had struck his rival down in a
fair fight. They would admit no right
OF mine to take the quarrel upon my
shoulders; for all that l could do, Paolo
must die with no blow struck for him.
and little Christine must marry Giro
lamo
Il had made up my mind to this when
dawn broke upon the city, and the bells
in the neighboring churches began to
ring for the first service. Our surgeon
was to come again at daybreak, and the
light was scarce up when I heard his
voice upon the riva. He found Paolo to
be doing well, and would not have him
walked from the deep sleep into which
he had fallen. The wound, he said. was
near to the heart, and could be healed
u.
movement might set it bleeding again.
and then the little flame of life, which
had been husbanded with such care
would waver and die out. He left with
this instruction and the promise to be in
again at midday and I accompanied
him to the steps of the riva My own
gondola then lay by his, and the felze
being taken away, I was able to see
4 WI no cyfa &c ~
upon the cushions we had spread, and
even upon the boards, but more to be
| noticed than this was the half of a
sword-blade lying near to the PROV, as
though tossed in at hazard by one who
had picked it from the ground This
| fragment of a blade was soon In my
hands, and while was looking at it my
own boatman, Michele, came up the
canal and began to tell me that he had
found it in Manin's garden at the mo-
ment when he took up the body of
Paolo.
| Tt is your own blade, excellency,'
said he - the blade you shaped for
him. Strange that it should have snap
ped like a rotting bough.'
II said nothing to answer him; my
hand trembled as though he had struck
me a blow.
And, my master he went on, see
ing nothing of my distress, look now,
the blade is all black and burnt-the
| blade which shone like silver yester-
| day, for l saw him draw it to make
sure
| Again said nothing to him, but TAX
ing the fragment of the blade which re-
mained, I bent it across my knee, and
1t snapped like withered branch. And
at this Michele laughed aloud.
You see now, excellency, cried he.
what steel he had. Oh, that such a one
should have come from your hands'
Il sent him about his business. not
choosing to dispute with him, and re-
turned to Paolo's room, a tumuIt of
strange thoughts in my mind How
came the sword to be rotten? Why was
it black and burnt? My cunning gave
me in moment the whole secret of the
enigma. The blade had first been heated
in the fire, then plunged into water,
so becoming brittle as the glass in my
windows. With such a blade Paolo.
who lay there with death for a bedfel-
low, had stood up for his life And
the sword that had failed him was the
sword of Nicolo!-of Nicolo Ferrara.
the pupil of Andrea. Oh, cursed dayi
III.
All that morning I sat hugging NV
sorrow and asking myself, What will
the city say? 1 knew full well that
Girolamo and his fellows would be
quick to put the story abroad; and how
could | answer it until Paolo spoke?
Easy enough to stand upon the Piazza
and proclaim that treachery had been
| busy, but who would hearken to a de-
fender of his own wares?
IF Paolo died, then indeed was 1
utterly undone. Venice could no longer
be home for me. / must set out, old
and new friends. But if Paolo lived
ah, thenl
"It is impossible in such a letter as
this, my friend, TO write to you
OF all that / suffered in the week
succeeding that terrible misfortune.
Hour by hour and day by day 1 watched
! feverishly at the bedside of the sick
man. / saw him fighting that stern bat
tie with death which only youth may
| fight and win. l heard his labored
breathing, his feeble moaning; / trem-
bled as the pallor on his face deepened,
as the froth stood upon his lips and the
cold sweat upon his brow. And added
to my own exceeding trouble was the
grief of Christine, now kept to her house,
since her father knew that Paolo lay at
mine, but none the less worn with the
WEAKNESS of it, and with the over
whelming burden of her childish sor-
row. Nay, it was not until the tenth
|