The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-03-10

| from Padua to his own palace to share
| his power and pleasures.
Lorenzo was gay youth, always
ready tor TESTING, like most artists, and
his droll conceits gave the grand duke
many a pleasant hour. Suddenly he
| began 10 grow grave and melancholy,
his merry jokes ceased, and the prince
himself Was obliged to try to cheer
him.
Ferdinand was haviDga new chapel
| erected on the bank of the Arno, and,
to afford Lorenzo mental occupation,
commissioned him to adorn the inter
| Tor with pictures according to his taste.
Lorenzo worked industriously, re-
| manning in the church from early
| morning until late at night, and, en-
when he left it, he locked the door be-
hind him that his work should not be
seen until entirely completed.
Once he remained in the building
three days and would not admit no
| one SO his assistants went to the grand
duke to inform him that some misfor-
tune must have befallen their master,
as he had spent three days in the
church without food or drink.
The grand duke FASTENED to the
building himself, and, after all their
=
God proved vain, he ordered them to
be broken open and entered the
church, hitherto closed against every
one.
He e zed around him in aInazement,
for the ceilings and walls of the sacred
edifice bore the likeness of one and the
same woman; the saints ascending to
heaven with palm branches had the
same face as the angels smiling down
upon them; the penitent Magdalen and
the Madonna in the altar. painting
were the same bewitchingly beautiful
woman. And the face which filled the
whole church was no other than
Rosaura Montalboni's.
The artist himself sat near the altar,
his vacant eyes wandering from one
picture to another; lie recognized
neither his friend, the grand duke. nor
his companions; he saw nothing except
his painted phantoms. He had gone
mad, and remained lunatic all his
life.
The prince was still young, only
twelve years old. He did not yet know
what magic dwells in woman's eyes,
nor how hard it is to resist the spell.
Rosaura Montalboni was now
brought before the tribunal of blood
for the fourth time; but mask repre-
senting skull was placed over her
features that the light of her beautiful
eyes and the bewitching smile of her
crimson lips might not again interrupt
the course of justice.
Are you the beautiful Rosaura
Montalboni who leads old and young
to ruin by the magic of her face ?"
asked the judge.
II am" replied the skull. How
hollow the voice sounded through the
thick mask
is it true that whoever looks at you
is robbed of his reason by your lowell
ness -
1T is tree" answered the skull, turn
ing the hideous bony visage tow ard
the speaker.
"Oo you know the number of those
who have killed themselves OH your
account, to shake off the life which
had become curse ~
The skull sobbed. True, no tears
fell from the empty sockets, but the
sound of weeping came from under the
rigid jaw bones.
"Rosaura Montalboni, receive the
sentence imposed upon you by the
tribunal You will remain for life a |
sopers. That your beautiful face may
not lead astray your jiiIers or their
superiors, you will wear this skull |
mask, SO long us you live, so that every
ole who looks at you may shrink from |
you, and, instead of love, feel only |
terror"
Did Rosaura Montalboni turn pale |
when this sentence was pronounced ? |
Did her beautiful features culver with |
horror? Did the rosy lips tremble |
with grief and loathing? The skull |
remained mute and motionless.
Ferdinand de Medici remained nine |
and thirty years upon the royal throne |
of Tuscan! in the thirty-Dinth year of |
his reign ha died. Cosmo Ill succeed |
ed him. Upon his accession to the |
throne Cosmo proclaimed universal |
amnesty to the criminals languishing |
in the prisons. 1t was the duty of the |
judges to examine the records in order |
to ascertain the offence of each in
dividual, and decide whether the am
nesty should be granted in his case.
y Then a woman was found in the cells |
whose crime consisted in being too /
beautiful. For this offence she had
been condemned to lifelong imprison-
ment and to wear a mask representing /
q skull.
When this mask was removed, an
equally corpseiike, withered face was
revealed, with sunken eyes, and |
wrinkled skin clinging to the bones, a |
semblauce of the mask she wore.
This was Rosaura Montalboni, who, |
long, long years before, had been SEN
fenced to cruel atonement because |
she was 'too beautiful. "-Home |
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