Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-08-03
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slowing any benefit.
"By heavens" uttered Ruric at
the end of troubled reverie and at
the same time clasping his hands
vehemently together, "was ever man
so surrounded by impenetrable mys-
tery before! This monk is surely
good man. He has served me we'll,
and am sure he would serve me
more if opportunity offered. But
twho is be? Have you found out any
thing concerning him?"
"I have not, my son."
ssBut is it not stranger"
cit
And so they conversed until their
dropping lids would no longer re-
main apart, and then, having first
rendered up their thanks to God and
asked his help for the future, they
retired to their respective places Of
rest. Ruric had strange dreams, and
for the life of him he could not tell
whether they were good or bad.
Once he dreamed that he was duke
himself and that he had a wife
whose face he had never seen. She
would not raise her veil until the
ceremony was performed. Then she
removed the obstruction, and Ruric
started on beholding the face of
Vladimir, the monk! And then
Vladimir seemed to say, Gall this
! l have done for thee. Do you like
it?" And Ruric dared not object,
because Vladimir had done so much
for him.
And now while Ruric awakes
from his dreams and wonders what
they mean let us look in and see
what is going on in the ducal palace.
1t was early morning. and the
Duke of Tula was once more in his
own private apartment. He had not
slept well, for he. too, had had
dreams, and they were troublesome
ones. They hung about him even
now, and they filled his mind with
dark and gloomy forebodings. He
paced to and fro across the apart
ment, sometimes stopping and bow
ing his head and then starting on
again with new clouds upon his
brow. Thus he walked and pondered
until he was aroused by stealthy
football close by the door. He stop
ped and listened. He knew the step.
''Twas the one he had been waiting
for. He moved to the door and
opened it, and the humpbacked
priest, Savotano, entered the apart
ment.
"By St. Paul, Savotano, | feared
you would never come," the duke
uttered as his workman closed the
door behind him.
"1 would have come sooner if |
could, my lord, but even now it is
early morning. The sun is hardly
above the city walls"
"Well, it is early, l know, but |
have not slept we'll"
81 have not slept at all, my lord"
'No, Savotano. You look worn
and weary. But you have been at
work"
"Aye; I have"
"And you have come to tell me
the result of that work. Does it
move you so to do such work? |
thought you were used to it,"
The priest gazed into his masters
face, but he did not speak.
'Bah!" uttered Olga contemptu-
ously. "What is the killing of a
man? But tell me, did you conceal
the body so that no one will find
|it?"
1t was some moments before Sa-
votano spoke. His frame trembled,
and his hands worked nervously to-
gethcr. But at length he said in a
hesitating tone:
'He is not dead, my lord"
'sNot dead yet? But you promis-
ed me he should be-"
"I know, but we could not do it."
"Bah! gave you credit for more
frmness. Not kill man? What is
there so terrible in that"
"You misunderstood me, my lord.
We did all we could toward killing
him, but he escaped u.s.
'Holdw cried the duke, starting
forward and grasping the priest by
the shoulder. "Iou do not mean
that Ruric Nevel has escaped you%
"He has, nv lord"