The record-union., 1897-10-17

what, if you dare harm him. Tell me,
will you, where he is?''
The table hand shifted to her hip and
| the nip hand to the table.
You really wish, then, to know?"
Il wish, decidedly"
81 will tell you; but you may ac-
cept my assurances that you will regret
it"
"You are not tr-ifiing with me. sure
ly? Tell me at oncel"
He is in the chamber of the Torture
of Fear at the PaIazzo Rosso."
Her hands met, wringing:
"On your honor that?"
yes
Without a word she walked to the
door of her entrance. Bellini twice
struck the bell at his hand. Belvidera
found the door fastened. Five of the
other six she found fastened; the sixth
opened upon a corridor leading to Bel
lini's chamber, from which there was
no egress.
Il am a prisoner, then?" she cried.
Bellini, perusing a document, did not
answer. He presently walked towards
his chamber, to prepare for his visit
to the Red Palace. It was nearly 4.
ON a couch.
Brand stirred from swoon to find
himself ragged and bleeding; but the
dogs had retired to kennels. Some new
sound it was which had stabbed his
sleep with a new fear. He was worn
now with the long woe; but he bent
the intense ear of old misers listing
to the crealSings of the midnight thief
at a clanking sound-from beneath;
and at the same time caught sight of
black space in the flooring. He sprang
horried. The whole flooring, he now
observed, was composed, not of straight
planks, but of broad rings, each made
up of several pieces. 1t was these pieces
which he now beheld sharply dropping,
one by one, at regular intervals out
of sight, then deliberately rising again
on concealed hinges Gradually their
movements became rapid, incalculable;
here, then yonder, then here again, in
endless Formulation, yawned the sud
den patch of back Brand began a mad
jig from ring to ring, from piece to
piece. He trod upon terror every
nerve strained to detect the first sign
of yielding beneath his feet-the veins
swollen on his dripping brow But
the coffin! Suddenly he remembered
that it probably lay safe ON two con-
secutive rafterS. He made a frantic
rush for it, convulsed, upon the lid.
Here after a time, he began to think
Was death, or only torture, intended
him by these horrors? If death, that
could have been effected long since.
Probably then only torture-to be fol-
lowed later by death But at whose
hands? He recalled Bellini's glance at
the ProcuraZie maSque, with the in
tuition that Bellini himself, in the tr-i-
umph of his malice, would certainly
visit him. And then, his forehead rest
Ing upon the coffin, he began to think
of Brescia's dying words-that Bellini
had killed her = her prayer that she
might trouble and lend" him. Rails
ing himself, he saw that the droppings
had ceased, but that one patch, by some
hitch, still gaped near the door. The
sight gave him a thought, a hope. half
superstitious, his last. His back to the
coffin, he inserted his free fingers into
the notch of the lid, and drew it some
what. In his extremity he had the dis
tinct hope that the feeble old man,
suddenly confronted with the spectacle
on destruction. He retired to the far
thest part Of the room and waited.
1t was past 4. Belvidera did not long
lie sobbing. She lifted her eyes, saw
the room empty, and began to pace.
Am I such an idiot-born like that ?"
she said Can I do nothing?" Sud
denly she was a swift roe in the room.
She had noticed on a chair BeIlini's
n 1aI
cap. She leaped to the table. found a.
scissors, and with it clipped the fringe
from an antimacassar Her mask and
mant1lla she cast away. At a mirror,
around her hair she arranged with ad-
mlrable swift art the white fringe un-
der the cap. She draped herself in the
robe, touched bell, and retired to the
re1notest shades. Some one entered.
With half-turned head she said care
lessly, in the very voice of Bellini:
The signorina has retired to nv
chamber. You may now unfasten the
doors, Dandolo.'
In minute she was flying through
the palace toward the water-gate. in
minute Bellini, returning ready. had
discovered her ruse, and with a stamp
of rage bid five men follow him. AS
the pinnacles of Venice chimed out
the quar'ter-past 4, the three gondolas.
Belvidera first in her hired bark her
seven next, Bellini in urgent wroth be-
hind, went skinming and churning in
Widest chase over the whitening Cam
aIeZzo.
Brand, crouching in the obscurity.
heard a footstep without Was it Bel
lini? His teeth went chattering. The
massive lock turned, some one entered.
lurched, staggered on the edge of the
abyss. and fell Spluttering oaths. he
rescued himself, clinging to the other
side. He stood up, staring in stupid
wonderment at the hole Whats all
this?' he growled. Brand saw huge
curly head. black face: the Moor re-
turned to bed from the wine shop
drunk. He stood. a squat bulk, sway
ing on his bow legs, with eyes strain
ing to be open.
Soon he noticed the coffin with its
drawn lid on the bed
"HulloI" he grumbIed. ''are you nv
cursed father. then? That's all right"
Then, after sage reflection, with
pointed finger: But you are not my
cursed father! Do they grow so pale
then?-with long hair 80
He came nearer, and looked. His
arms went akimbo, and he began to
shake with merTiment.
''Oh, no, hol-hes whitei Poor boys
gone white! Is that the way they do,
then. 3"
Suddenly he was serious, then grad
ually angry.
Now, look you," he said to Brescia.