The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-02-23


stairway, which we climbed up and, al
most stihed, stepped out upon the fiat
| asphalt roof.
There's the skyIight," said Busac, and
we hurried over there.
"Now, look here" said l; go to the
other side and fix n point just opposite
| across the courtyard so we can locate this
| thing"
Busac did so.
Its opposite the sixth column of the
| arcade below" he said, at the same time
lying down and stretching his neck far
| out, trying to peer into the skylight,
which was an upright one.
Suddenly he started to his feet with an
| exclamation:
'"The face! Oh, my God, the facep
The moon had risen high in the heav-
ems and was streaming half way down
the sides of the building. The little win
dow was in full light.
| threw myself down and looked over
| and dimly through the cobwebby panes l
saw a pallid and wondrously beautiful
face. AS in Il dream arose, and, grasp
ing Busac's shoulder, we stumbled down
the little .taircase into the arcade and
Immediately made our way to q point
| just opposite the sixth column on the
other side of the court.
A blank wall,
Stay" k,said, and, passing the Ian
tern up and down the dirty wall, exam
ined it carefully. My pains were re-
| wardcd. Scarcely disccrnble was line.
Its one of those sliding panels and'
tgoing on down to the floor) here is a
minute secret spring" (scraping away the
dirt.
Busac had n cane and pried it open by
inches. 1t was clogged with dust and
rusted badly.
Finally it went back with q rush, and
we found ourselves in the old studio of
the Italian sculptor. The floor was q
chaotic mass of broken plaster castings
and Jumps of hardened clay.
Our staring eyes eagerly sought for the
little window beneath the skylight. There
was none.
We looked at each other bewildered:
we gazed about the room, expecting ev-
cry moment to behold the CHASTITY face,
figure and all.
Then we examined the walls. Acct
dentally stumbling over clay box, fell
with my shoulder against the wall under
the skylight. 1t gave forth a hollow
sound. Immediately kicked 1t hard,
and, 10! a patch Of piastering fell off.
disclosing bare boards.
"There is false wall here" l shouted.
fancied | heard q groan echo through
the room, and, turning suddenly, l was
sure | saw faunt of garments and
heard retreating footsteps.
Away we sped down the arcade, down
the stairway to the landing. No one was
to be found but our gondolier, whose
eyes seemed to be glued to the little win
dow up there, where dimly could be per
ceived still the white face.
$40 the cafe at once" said l.
Away he rowed with trembling stroke.
Fortified with Il meZZagran and cognac,
we pulled ourselves together and discuss
ed plan for solving this mystery. The
upshot was that in half an hour we had
notified the captain of the precinct and
were at the false wall hewing away with
AK and pick. We soon had n great breach
in it and, poking the lantern through, be-
held n sight to shake the stoutest heart,
On the floor, clad in leopard skin, with
timbrel still in hand, lay the skeleton of
woman. Between the ribs was 4 jeweled
poigrard. Hanging about the walls were
casts of beautiful limbs and torsos.
But where was the face?
A high oaken cabinet rose against the
wall, and piled on top of 1t was mass Of
old cartoons, portfolios and Greek dra
peries so high as to obscure the little
window, the frame of which could just be
detected. Putting Busac upon my shout
ders, babe him tear away the mass. He
did so amid n cloud of dust and scurrying
spiders and an avalanche Of rotting
cloths. There fell, dragging with it a
Greek mantle, among the folds of which
II lay unbroken. q beautiful death mask.
1t had slid down from its place Oh top of
the heap behind and lay pressed against
the window panes.
There was a scutfling and shouting on
the stairs, and we leapcd out into thu
room just in time to see our Eondolicl
struggling with Il ragged fellow, who
seemed from his costume to be also Il
gondoIicr. Our man said the fellow ha'
stopped his boat ut the landing stairs and
attacked him with Il stilrtto, but he haG
dragged the would be murderer out of hi,
gondola and up the stairs. The maj
seemed to Ne insane. Through the open
ing in the false wall he stared tiXedly a
the white mask, and u froth gathered oi
his lips.
Mia carissima francesca" he whs
pered.
Rusac, who had been gazing hard a
the man. suddenly shouted:
"'Iis BaratazZi"'
We all drew back and left him mouth
ing in the corner. He was fumhlng il
his pocket for something, which de drew
forth. claspcd tightly.
just then the police captain and tw
men appeared in the paneled doorway
With swift movement, BarataZZi's
hand passed across his mouth. He start
ed as if from a blow. and, stamping witt
one foot. he leaped sidewise toward the
white face within. his blue lips drawing
back over his gums as he fell among the
shattered clay stone dead. - New York
Herald