The Lamar register., 1903-03-04

of utter content and placid happiness.
"Mutterelli!" | said in a whisper.
which was all the voice l could raise.
Mutterelli laid down his knife and
came toward me.
you called, signor." he said.
Where is the monk?" asked.
Mutterelli put his finger to his lips.
You are not to talk, signor," he
said. BE patient. and when you are
stronger we will speak of it. You
have been very Ill, signor."
How long have l been in the grot-
to, Mutterelli?" l asked.
Sixteen days, signor."
/ sank back on my fur couch, over
come by a sense of weakness and ut
ter helplessness Sixteen days! And
it seemed as though it was but an
hour since the monk had carried me
into the grotto, and had set about
dressing my wound. And the change
from the monk to Mutterelli was so
strange, SO unexpected. Yet Mutter-
elli was calm, and seemed perfectly
at home in this strange place.
When he had replied to my last
.
which l drank. Then :. turned and
walked out of the grocc- remem-
bered that he had done t,is when
first saw and recognise: aim. and
realized that this was his 'aethod of
enforcing silence. So alone lay. and
in my weakness wondered what chain
of circumstances had led Mutterelli
to the grotto.
In about an hour Mutterelli re-
turned.
He slowly rolled cigarette in his
fingers and lighted it, drew a stool
near my bed and sat down.
How do you feel, signor?" he
asked.
81 feel much better" l replied.
Mutterelli was evidently going to
talk, so waited patiently for him to
begin.
You have been very sick. sisnor,"
he said finally. at is now sixteen
days since you came here"
Yes" | replied; so you told me
before. But how many days is it
since you came here?"
Sixteen, signor," he replied calm
ly.
"You followed me?"
"Yes. signor. was told where to
find you
Then my hiding place is known"
said.
"Yes, signor. Your hiding place is
known to me and to the monk who
brought you here. That is ALL"
And you saw the monk? You must
bou i'm n rnllll
you where to find me"
"Yes, signor, | saw the monk. He
is a good monk. signor. ! alone in
Sardinia have his confidence. The
monk and | belong to the same secret
society, sisnor, though l am but a
poor member. See, signor?"
What is his name. Mutterelli?'
"He is Brother Michael, signor. OF
the Order of Jes"its. He is high in
favor with the general of the order.
signor. and travels much, doing mis-
sionary work.
The exertion of talking had been
severe and | felt that | must stop.
you are weary, signor." said Mutt
terelli you have talked too much.
You must rest. | will leave you"
He Sauntered toward tne entrance
to the grotto, and saw him pause
long enough to twist the end of an
other cigarette and light it. Then he
disappeared through the marble arch.
lay back on my furs,, wondering.
There was, in my mind. a vague yet
rapidly growing conviction that Nut
terelli and the monk were one and
the same. The timely meeting be-
tween the monk and Mutterelli; the
implicit confidence which the monk
.eposed in Mutterelli, who, l knew.
mad a price-all these things, as
thought them over. convinced me that
Mutterelli was Brother Michael and
Brother Michael was Mutterelli. So
far he had done well. But how was
| ever to get away from Sardinia. and
how was l going to continue my eff
forts to restore Nita Barlotti to the
sphere in life to which l knew sht
belonged?
(To be continued)