The times., 1898-03-06


went toward the mysterious mansion.
l reached it. | stopped. 1t bore the
number thirteen" A bad sign that
The walls We're grimy with time, and
covered with moss. The windows look
ing upon the street were provided with
ancient shutters, and guarded without
by heavy iron bars. The door was sur
mounted by an effaced escutcheon, and
was fastened with a heavy paddock and
chain. Written in chalk upon the door
was an inscription stating that the
house was to let or for sale.
But L was not mistaken. The house
was the same, for upon the pavement
lay two rose leaves.
I searched among the poor inhabit-
ants of the neighborhoOd for informa-
tion regarding the house, and finally
found an old hag in a cellar, who, upon
my request to be allowed to see the
house, asked me-
DO you want to rent it?"
Yes, if IL suits me-"
ut will not suit yoh, she said, dryly.
''Will you give me a Lie if I show it
to you?"
Yes"
She rose from her three-Iegged stool,
and taking rusty key from the wall
she led the way to No. 13. The rusty
lock yielded with difficulty to the rusty
key, and when we finally succeeded in
opening it, the doorzgave forth a dis
NAL creak which sousaded like Il groan.
Enter" said the old witch; "enter
the House of the Borgia.%
The Borgia!" L Seried; 'what-the
House of Lucrezia Borgia -
THE same"
We entered gloomy corridor, which
led into several dimly lighted rooms.
The ceilings We're curiously carved and
covered with spiders webs. There was
a damp. charnel-like smell about the
rooms. which bore evidence that it was
| long since they had been inhabited
From the style OF the decorations, 1 de-
! termined that the house dated back
| from the fifteen century.
After examining the ground floor
| started to mount to the second where
| had seen the unknown. The old wo-
| man tried to stop me, saying there was
| nothing to see there; but as | persisted
she followed me, though with a notice.
| able repusnance. The rooms upon this
! flOCr resembled those of the lower one.
/ although not so damp. There was n
| leathern elbow chair there in which I
/ seated myself and began to interrogate
| the old woman.
What did you mean.' I asked, "by
saying that this was the House of the
! Borgia?"
| L meant what 1 said. she answered; {;
/ every Roman knows that this house
I once. belonged to Nine. Lucrezia, of
| wicked memory"
Tell me the story" said l. and to re-
/ fresh her memory, 1 gave her some lire.
! The old woman couhged, cleared her
! throat and began:
''Well,you must know that in the time
! of the Pagans, Alexander was emper-
or, and he had a daughter. beautiful as
! the day who was called Lucrezia- She
! liked-well she was found of pleasure,
and in order that she might not be dis
turbed, she built this house and left
! the Quirinal. She used to look forth
! from the window, and when she saw a
! handsome cavalier passing. she would
| bid him enter. But men are babblers,
and some of her cavaliers babbled un-
wisely. So Nine. Lucrezia arranged
/ that when a cavalier descended the
| staircase, drunken with love and wine,
! her bravos would be ready for him at
! the gateway, and many young gallant
! felt the steel of their stilettos. They
were buried in the garden yonder, and
| to this day you can turn up bones
l there with your foot. But one night a
cavalier mounted the stairs whom she
/ should have known, but did not. In
/ the night all cats are black. 1t was her
brother, Sistus Tarquinus. And he suf-
! fered the same fate as the others. In
the morning they found his handker-
chief, which bore his name and crest.
Overcome with despair at her mistake
she took her garter and hung herself
to a big beam which you see there. All
and a good example it was to the
young. too"
While the old woman was thus con-
! founding the centuries, mixing the Bor-
gias with the Tarquins, 1 detected up
on the floor some rose leaves.
Listen" said /, tell me the truth
There is a woman comes here. l saw
her at the window last night, and
spoke to her. Who"
Holy Madonna" cried the old wo-
man, running toward the door. "A
woman? 1t must be the ghost of Lu-
crezia. Fly. my good sir, fly! May the
saints protect us!' and she hastened
down the stairway.
What could it mean? Had l seen a
ghost, or was 1t some trick? These
questions l revolved in my mind. but
could not answer them5 When night
fell. 1 repaired again to the house, but
saw nothing. Three or four evenings
/ in succession l pTonenaded up anC
down before the House of Lucrezia
and finally, toward midnight. | hearG
a stified laugh from behind the shutters
of No. 13. | stopped. Again I heard it
dHu some OtHtI SOuHu seemed TO come
from the end Of the street. | turned
and it was not without an uneasy feel
ing-a feeling almost of terror-that
saw a troop of penitents slowly defil.
ing into the street of the Borgia
clothed in long, white gowns, and bear.
ing candles in their hands. When they
had passed, [ cast pebbles at the win.
dow; I called, / knocked-but there was
no reply.
One evening, as I was quitting tn,
PaIaZZo Aldobrandi, a storm was set
ting in. 1 had no cloak with me- 81
Don OttaYio pressed me to accept his
and gave me "a lesson in the Difficult
art of wearing mantle like a Roman
Wrapped up to the eyes, [ left the pal
ace. l had made but a few step:
across the Piazza San Marco. when
man approached and handed me per
! fumed billet