Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-07-17
CHAPTER XII.
AN ASTOUNDING AFFAIR.

gentle opening OF the door. he turn-
ed and beheld human form emerg-
ing from the narrow, dark entry
way. AS it came into the room the
watcher started, for he beheld the
humpbacked priest, Savotano.
"Who is here?" the arch fend
whispered, shading his eyes and try.
ing to peer into the gloom.
"Shp uttered Ruric. "The count
is alseep."
By this time our hero had so far
overcome the first emotion caused
by the villains entrance that he
could be calm.
"And who is this?" the priest
whispered, moving nearer to the
bed. cha! The gunmaker!"
eyes," replied the youth, watch
ing every look and movement of the
fellow most closely.
"You are in strange place, l
should say" Savotano whispered,
not looking the young man directly
in the face, but casting upon him
sidelong glance, as though he dared
not look direct.
"Speak not too loud, sir priest"
said our hero, determined to enter
into no conversation with the man
if he could avoid it. "Do not awak-
en- the count, for he is very faint
and weak"
And then Ruric had another rea-
son. He feared if Damonoff should
awake that the strange discovery
they had made might be revealed,
and, of course, he wished not that
the villain should yet know how well
he was understood.
"But why are you here?" pursued
Savotano, who seemed determined
to know. 81 am this poor mans
spiritual comforter, and l surely
have e right to~kaowwhsrefor is
the presence of one bearing the pc
culiar relations toward him which
are sustained by you"
Ruric's first impulse was one of
disgust and wrath, but he managed
to keep it to himself.
"Sir priest" he returned, moving
his chair noiselessly nearer to the
visitor, so that his whisper might
not disturb the sleeper, 81 heard
that the count was dying, and |
would not have him die without first
forgiving me for all that l had
DONE"
"And has he done it?"
"He has,"
"And why do you remain here?
Where is his attendant"
s'She is out somewhere. The
count has had strange fit-a star
tling spasm-and | feared if he
had another the woman could not
manage him alone"
"Ahw uttered Savotano. GA
- spasm?"
eyes, a most strange one, as
though something we're at his heart,
as though his brain were on fire and
his whole system shaking"
The priest turned his head away,
but Ruric saw plainly the exultant
look which rested there. There was
no mistaking any more. That one
look-for Ruric saw twas proof
enough.
"Well, WE'LL" the misshapen vii
lain said, 81 will call again when he
is awake. | would not have him
die and | not by him."
Thus speaking Savotano arose
and moved toward the door. His
step was eager, and his every look
betrayed some anxious purpose. He
stopped as he reached the door and
looked back, but he did not speak.
Ruric was afraid he might 60 to the
sideboard to look at the medicine,
but he did not. He simply cast one
more glance at the watcher and then
left the room.
In half an hour more the surgeon
returned. His face wore a clear,
emphatic expression, and his move
ments were all quick and prompt,
as though each one was for the pIr-
pose of announcing some self evil
dent decision.
"Well," he uttered, with IA quick
ly drawn breath, 1--WE have put the
medicines to test" And then he
leaned back and looked into Ruric's
face.
"And what did you fnd?" the
young man asked.
"Just what we expected. We
have detected arsenic in three Of
the medicines which the count had
to take. But this poison is not
alone. There is much opium in the
wine, even so that we could smell it
when our suspicious guided us. The
poison has been most adroitly fixed.
The priest must have one of those
recipes which have been used by sci
entitic poisoners, for no physician in
Moscow could have concocted the
deadly poison"
"But wherein was it so wondrous-