The herald., 1898-11-06
rCopyrlght, 1893, by The international
Literary and News Service.J
SYNOPSIS

The narrator, Timothy Lawrence, an
American. ascends. remarkapnife IiioT,,- Il
tain resembling the famous Mesa tho tho
middle of lake in the Apennines; lie g
discovers that on the top live a peopie
whose habits and customs are OF tne ~ ~
teenth century. Their history is as 1ol-
lows: They are the descendants OF a
number of exiles from Florence, who , es,
tablished themselves on an lslano anu ailu
built city that was quite miniature
Florence. 1t is called Firenzalino In
1892 violent earthquake shot this island
straight up from the lake. distance OIL
lar Sides of the cliff thus formed cut OF
Firenzalino from the rest OF tne Woriu'
This event gave rise to two polltlcal .Ior- par-
ties in. this isolated world-the eleVatibplitt Ibnt
UP at the time of the earthquake. ana tile
depressionists. who maintain that tne su. ;
rounding. country was depressed; ,,e AZ
present the lattei are in power. ana nave
been for many generations. The rulers OF
the party are the Albizzl family. of which
Duke Castruccio. the reignng head, Is IN
the Pazzi family. The country is on the
eve of a conflict between the two parties
when Lawrence comes upon the scene
His arrival is witnessed by Clan Jacopo,
an aged retainer of the Pazzi family; who
takes him for Prince Timoteo del Pazzl.
who was let down into the world by a
years before Lawrence, who speaks
italian perfectly. decides to act the
prince. who is now head of the family,
his reputed father having died that very
day. The adventures of the new Prince
Timoteo begin at once. With Brothe:
Ambrose, a Dominican monk, whom Law
renee and Clan Jacopo rescue from the
stake, he attends masquerade ball IN
CastrIccios house. Here he falls desper-
ately in love with the duke S daughter.
Ippoiita, and the love is returned, despite
girl that he is the head or the rival house
A clandestine meeting after the ball is
frustrated by the abduction of Ippolita
Seized. but ut he is liberated era from his prison
where he is thrust, accused of the theft
of some gold plates at the dukes ball. by
a man disguised as a monk: His rescuer
brings him before body of elevationists
in secret conclave. who hail Timoteo as
the head of the party. and tell him of the
revolution they are planning for that very
them to postpone the uprising. for he
must first of all find Ippolita. She has
been imprisoned in tower of the Palazzo
Pazzi by her abductors-a band of viii
lains headed by none other than Brother
Ambrose himself Timoteo finds her and
they make their way to the lower part
with some of Brother Ambroses gang.
When safe in the banquet hail. their at
tention is attracted by the portrait of
Michaelozzo del Pazzi hanging on the
wall The eyes seem to wink. Ippolita
seZeS Timoteos rapier and runs it
through the canvas
PART VI.
Now the most curious part of the
matter was, that the sword had run
through the canvas UP to the hilt,
where it remained as if it had pierced
some reasonably solid body. Ippolta
turned and looked at me with a Won
dering and somewhat frightened ex-
preston, and then she seized the hilt
with both hands, and twisted the blade
around two or three times, and at that
it seemed to me that l heard a hollow
groan proceed from behind the canvas,
and at this, my darling let go the hilt
and shrank away from it.
Then 1 came to her aid and seizing
my sword drew it out, though not
without some trouble, and the blade
came forth with a sort of whistling,
signing sound, and it was of a crimson
hue, and at that moment, l heard
thud as if some soft and heavy body
had fallen. Then, Ippolita handing me
the sharp dagger which she carried in
her bosom, I cut the canvas of the por-
trait completely out of it's frame.
And we saw, to our immense sur
prise, that the old portrait had covered
up a doorway, leading to a dark and
narrow passage. The door of this
passage was now open and across the
sill lay the yet warm body of a fat
rascal, into whose paunch Ippolita had
stuck my sword, as she might have
stuck a pin into a pin-cushiOn. The
fellow wore a white cap and white
greasy apron, and 1 came at once to
the conclusion that he was my fathers
cook, that he had been in league with
the band Of robbers, and that my dear