The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-09-25

or fifteen minutes of our ride were &C.
cupied by my trusty seneschal in de-
scribing a great dancing festival or
ball, which was to be given by Duke
Castruccio in his palace that very
night, after the burning of the monk.
Learning from Jacopo that all the no.
bles and high born ladies' OF the duchy
had been asked, that 1t was the GUS
tom of those who so willed to go
masked, and finally, and this was the
most important consideration. that the
dukes daughter, Ippolita, who was to
be present was more divinely fair and
lovely than was imaginable, l immedi-
ately resolved to attend the function.
Clan Jacopo interposed feeble objec-
ton on the ground Of the recent death
of the Signor Arnolfo, but l overruled
him with the explanation that it would
be good politics thus to appear dis
guised, among my enemies, at a time
when they least expected it. He ended
by applauding my resolution and offer
ing to conduct me to the palace of the
Duke. He added, and this somewhat
cooled my ardor, that it would be best
to send for a notary. that I might make
my will before setting out upon the
| enterprise.
1 we SuttTeu Tic Cfty tIlOus,H "a saw
at the southwestern end OF it. The
| streets We're filled with people hurry
ing to the public square, or eXpedting
their business so that they could set
out for it, Most Of these were artisans
and tradespeople. though 1 met few
ladies Of the higher class; and very
fair too. some of them were, and quite
well disposed to take notice of me out
of the corners OF their black eyes. I
also encountered several cavaliers, all
of them dressed as showily as l, but
none of them better. OF the women's
fashions, 1 must say a word in passing.
Their gowns We're not essentially diff
| ferent from those Of today, being for
| the most part close bodied, with long
skirts looped up to show richly trimmed
| petticoats-square cut in the neck and
with tight sleeves. But, when it came
| to headdresses, the DANES Of modern
times would not compare them. There
were angular headdresseS, like that
worn by the queen of Henry VII. in her
| efigy and butterfly headdresses. such
| as are shown in the illustrations OF
Bocaccio's tales, and quaint steeple
| headdresses, called the "Hennin," with
wells hanging behind which reached the
ground.
| My house, as I before remarked, was
| in the street of the Lions. and thither
we now repaired 1t had the air of be
| ing uninhabited and was a gloomy
square mansion of stone. surmounted
by towers and turrets and gables, and
at the extreme top of these towers,
singularly enough there was a dilapi-
dated and unused windmill
Entering a great archway, which
stood beside the keep of the castle. We
came to two large doors. one of which
led to the stables and the other to the
dwelling part of the house. Having put
up our beasts and given them enough
provender to last for twenty-four hours
if necessary, We now entered the de-
serted hall of my forefathers. / will
not describe the inside of it, or the con-
tents of it, further than to say that
it was embel1ished and furnished in the
splendor and taste Of a century long
gone by. and that the marks OF age and
decay were upon everything.
After l had given the palace a very
cursory inspection. and had exhibited
all the joy which man ordinarily feels
when he finds himself after long alb
sence, once more in the house of his
CHILDHOOD, my trusty vassal fetched
lamp, and descending with me into a
subterra- can vault beneath the castle
like mansion. took hold of ring in the
floor and lifting on. a large block of
the stone pavement, disclosed a stair
way leading down into the darkness
Down these steps I followed him, and
when we had come to the bottom of
them, we went along a levei passage
way. which seemed to have been cut
out Of the solid rock for a distance of
two hundred feet or more, until we
came to another stairway leading up
ward. Mounting this, We arrived upon
a narrow platform, and here Clan Ja~
copo paused and seemed to undo bar
and to press upon certain part of the
wall Suddenly a large square stone
moved out and away from us, as if 1t
were hung on pivots, and We saw the
light of day, and coming through an
aperture fully two feet square, We
found ourselves in q small. uafurnished.
strongly built house. witn bare stone
walls and narrow grated windows.
My ancient follower pushed the stone
back into It's place, and closing. with a
sharp click as of a stout spring, 1t left
no mark upon the wall to show where
1t had opened.
Behold, Prince Timoteo" said he.
"the house of which I spoke. 1t faces.
as thou dost see, the public square and
from the loggia thou mayest behold the
burning of Brother Ambrose with Sc
curity. This building and the secret
| passage we have traversed We're de-
vised by thy family more than three
centuries since: and the knowledge of
them has descended from father to son.
| until it has reached thee. This hiding
| place and means of escape has saved
| many a worthy ancestor of thine from
| hanging or burning, that he might in
| course of time come to an end more be-
| fitting such gallant gentlemen, by be-
ing run through with napier or hav-
| ing his throat cut
| We passed through a hallway and
| came to the street door of the house.
1t was a solid affair and hung within
an arched stone frame, resembling very
much the door of Dante'c house in
Florence. We opened it with large
key which Jacopo had provided and,
standing ir the doorway, looked OUT up
on the great square. 1t lacked but a
| few minutes of seven o'clock, the hour
set for the ceremony. and already the
plaza was filled with a surging, noisy
crowd of people
made a mental estimate of the num-
i Der of persons in the square. and con-