The times., 1898-03-06

"A miStakei L replied: "a very dis
agreeable one. too. L assure you, both
for you and for me-your elegant cloak
is ruined.
Let ME see the note" he said.
l handed it to him and he read it
with much anxiety.
Il have a favor to ask of you, he
said. Say nothing of this affair
Say nothing of it! On the contrary,
| shall say a great deal of it. Do you
suppose l am going to allow myself to
be stabbed in the street by an assas-
sin without having done anything to
merit it? 1 should be charmed to see
the scoundrel hanged"
Beware" said he earnestly; SAY
nothing of what has happened. You do
not know what risks you run.
Il care nothing for the risk If / had
done any one an injury 1 should say
nothing; but for having only picked up
a rose
Come" said Ottayio. grasping my
hand, ''as favor, as proof of your
friendship for me, L beg you to say
nothing of this
He had such an air of melancholy
earnestness as he said this that. much
against my VIII, | consented, and he
hurriedIy left me.
Some days passed without my hav-
ing an opportunity to converse freely
with Ottavio. He seemed preoccupied
and more melancholy than was Gus
tcmary, He said not q word of my
strange adventure, The time fixed for
his ordination was fast approaching,
and | attributed his melancholy to the
repugnance he felt for the priesthood.
As for me, [ had decided to quit Rome
and visit Florence.
When l announced my intention, OF
taVio begged me to join him in his
room. There he said:
Il have another favor to ask of you.
| have resolutely determined never to
wear the priests frock. l have resolv-
ed to fly from here, and as it will be
impossible for me to obtain a passport
L desire you to take me with you as
your servant
L endeavored TO dissuade him from
his projected flight by speaking of the
sorrow his mother would feel. But he
was ineXorable, and | finally agreed to
defer my departure until he was ready.
He told me, with much earnestness.
that he was engaged in an enterprise
on which life and death depended. and
that in two days he would be prepared
to start.
That night as I was going home 1 me-
chanically took the Street of the Bor-
sia. 1t was after midnight. As l near
ed No. IL | saw something white hang
ing from the window | cautiously ap-
preached. 1t was a rope ladder Was
it an invitation to enter? 1t seemed So
l was strongly tempted to try it; but
remembering my former disagreeabIe
reception l decided not to do so.
passed on L reached the end of the
Borgia Street, and was about to enter
the Corso. l lifted my hat
'Adieu, Lucreziai" | said: fair, false
and tickle one, farewell. Seek some
other fool to sport with. Farewell"
When | reached home my valet gave
me letter addressed in Ottavios S
writing. AS the servant lighted me up
the stairs he said:
Sir, few moments ago a lady came
here who bade me take her to your
room. She charged me to tell you
when you arrived, that Nine. Lucrezia
was awaiting you"
LucreZiai and in my room. Ny heart
beat quickly. A strange mixture of su-
perstitious terror and curiosity assailed
me. L followed the man in silence
Half way up he slipped and fell, extin-
gushing his light. l went on in the
darkness. The servant begged me to
wait until he returned for a light. But
l was at the door.
As 1 grasped the knob I hesitated
L was ineXpressibly relieved when I
saw there was a light in the room.
entered. l heard the rustic of a dress
! behind me- | turned, and as [ did so
| felt my hair rising on my head.
A woman was at the other end of the
room. She was clad entirely in white,
except for a black lace veil around her
head. She advanced toward me and
| cried:
"At last you are here. my love, my
| own
She embraced me. Her hands were
! icy, her face was deathly pale. l re-
coiled from her.
Holy Madonna! 1t is not he!' she
cried. 'SignOr, are you Don Ottavio' 8
! friend?"
! She was blushing 1t was very evi-
dent she was not specter. Before she
had a chance to explain, Ottavio arriv-
| ed. In a few moments We were in the
! carriage, which was waiting for US in
| the courtyard, the baggage having
been packed during the day.
AS we rolled rapidly on toward the
! Tuscan frontier, OttaVio explained to
| me this strange affair." He had been in
/ love with Lucrezia Vanozzi for many
! months, but as the Aldobrandi family
would never have consented to his re-
nouncing his priestly career, and as the
| NanOZZi would never have dared the
| thunders of the church by allowing a
! daughter of their house to espouse a
| candidate for holy orders the future
! locked dark for the lovers. But love
| is inventive, and Ottavio and Lucrezia
used to meet and exchange their vows
! in the house of the Borgia-the house
| which was dreaded by all Rome But
| one night Lucrezia's brother detected
| her coming from the garden in the rear
| He feared some shameful intrigue and
! his Italian blood wrought him to such
| n pitch of frenzy that he lay in wait
| the following night AS 1 represented
! to his eyes, the destroyer of his sisters
! honor, he did me the honor to insert
into the feds of Ottavio's cloak a few
| inches of cold steel.
LucreZia had taken me for Ottavic
the first night There was certainly a
great resemblance between us. l told
my father so when L returned to Paris
| and he froWned.
/ Well, they were married at Paris
After a great deal of trouble OttaviC
succeeded in making his peace with the
church, as well as with his mother His
elder brother died very opportunely
and he is now the Marquis AIdobrandi
and is the sober father of a family
| From the French of Prosper Merimee
A Grewsome Way to Live.
(From the London Telegram)
Vast de KellloW, Belgian of aristo-
Paris. He has given himself up to the
! police so as TO avoid begging in the
streets, and has been accommodated
with a temporary home in the Central
depot His story is a strange one. Af-
ter having spent his patrimony he had
I to live by his wits. SIe accordingly set