The record-union., 1897-10-17

hurriedly pushed the lid to its place,
and struggled with the burden to Ais
quarters, a room near the palace top.
AS they re-entered the gondola, Ronal-
do handed them note
At half past two Mauro Bellini, still
pacing. stopped to read this note; Brand
was alive, but bound, in his power, at
the Red Palace and Ronaldo awaited
instructions. The sere face flushed
with rage. Those dull slaves!" he
muttered. A mistake-a miscarried
scheme; it stirred his angriest con-
tempt. Agitated with reason, he scrib-
bled, THE Torture of Fear till four;
then I will myself come to the palace" "
Half past two, and Belvidera pale,
with tight lips, waited inside Brescfa' S
door, palm on supple hip, watching.
She does not come" she said. Then
all wit and energy-she slid out, ran,
and at dark water side stepped into
a hired gondola. She reached the arch
way of Santa Maria, and saw blood.
Hers or his? She leaned faint; then,
with her forward high-heeled step, re-
entaced the boat, and made for Brand s
hotel. Not therei II must find him, -
she said.
She stood later in a squalid apart
ment, before her a humpbacked man.
You must find him, Paul. You have
wit enough, I should think
The bent head nodded In the mans
eyes was worship-the worship of a
lover.
HE is dead, or in great danger, you
see, Paul. Send out all my friends, and
yours; let them search everything, the
secret of every one. I am going to
the Palazzo Calvo, where I shall be
alone waiting. Send every one to me
with news. | will do anything for you
anything, really-I promise, Paul-if
you succeed
In twenty minutes twenty men, with
intricate intrigue, were dissecting Ven
ice for Brand.
But the Torture Of Fear! it was an
ordeal stern enough. Brand, seeing re-
sistance foolish, walked as hidden, with
perfect contempt, before three men
from his prison to the topmost floor. He
was locked into a very large chamber,
circular, lit by a mean lamp. It con-
tanned one of the frontage windows
looking out upon the water way; this
was raned with a. single glass flush
with the wall. The wall seemed to be
of tarnished brass. On the grimy floor
he noticed three old boots and a wine
bottle. Near the door-the only sign
of furniture-a mattress; and on them,
once more, Brescia's coffin. 1t was the
apartment used by Ali, one of the old
torture chambers of the Inquisition.
He became aware of a clicking some
where--above him it seemed-and
glancing, he saw that all over the
domed ceiling was multitude of OBJ
long Sits, little black openings, cut in
all directions; then, that something
hanging by strings in each of these
holes was moving; slowly; to and fro
like Fendulums. A pang he knew not
why, pierced him. In ten minutes he
knew why-a faint whizzing filed the
air. He dfscerned that the strings as
they swung were lengthening; that the
things they swung were massive lead
en- oalls. His blood stopped still; 1t was
a dogs death, and so slow. He stood
with backward head, gazing up with
horr-id interest at the nearing masses,
deliberate as fate, at their intensifying
sweep and rush; legion they seemed,
flying every way, yet nicely systema-
tized, so that not one bumped another.
1t was an age of misery before he dodg-
ed the first; the chamber was then a
very bedlam of Kissing death and in
another minute Brand was ducking,
darting, lodging with bound arms, with
the agility of a clown, with a maniac s
starting eyeballs, from the complex,
omnipresent malice of the racing lead
Balvidera in an apartment of the Pa
lazzo Calvo was receiving messenger
after messenger, announcing the failure
of their search.
Suddenly as he lay fallen on his face
awaiting the crash of death the kissing
ceased-a rumbling sound-and the
balls went rapidly aloft. For some
time he lay gasping; but presently
started up in surprise. He had noticed
that the bottom of the brazen wall
was pierced all round with series of
arches, and he now discerned that un-
der each Of these, far within the thick
ness of the wall, stood mastiff of
brass, on a low brazen base. AT a
rumhling sound around him he sprang
straight-it was like the winding of
a thousand clock works-and the next
minute he was encompaSsed by deep
growl of angry hounds. From every
arc1way, save the three by Ali's bed,
out rushed at the end of a. brazen rod,
a swapping dog. The tiny wheels upon
which their bases ran had been cum
ningly adapted to the material of the
flooring to exactly initiate wolfish
grumble. Forth they rushed a little
way, and back, then further forth, and
back, with continuous deepening growl,
with swapping, far Outstanding brazen
teeth. This once favorite torture of
the InquiSitorS was not unknown to
Brand; his reading led him to remem-
Der the rooms central spot, with hope
that there might be safety; but he now
observed that the dogs di1 not run
symmetrically towards the center, their
race being directed about the chamber
in a calculated disorder of wild COM
plexity. They were of many sizes, the
teeth of some reaching to his middle;
caught, his neither limbs must be rent
to fragments. He thought of falling
to the ground and instantly remem-
bered that he must at once be banged
to death by the frantic masses. A last
hope turned to the bed, but his re-
treat was now barred; some had al
ready rushed across the central point;
and he, with gasping mouth, was spurt-
| ing and 1eaping, armless, quite mad,
over, among, around them. The world
seemed full of the blind and dreadful
teeth, of the roll and roar of this
brazen rabies. In dodge from the
, right. there was a snatch of flesh at
his right thigh; and he dropped swoon-
, ing among the hounds.
W
At half past 3 Belvdera was hast
enng from the Calvo to the Resfden-
tial Palazzo, another gondola following
hers, containing seven men with weap-