The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1904-09-23

going incident took place, there was
religious solemnity at the Cathed raj
of Toledo, for it was the last day of
the Novena of the Virgin.
The religious feast had brought in
a numberless multitude of the faithful,
but they had alseady spread in differ
ent directions. The lights of the
chapels and the high altar had been
put out, and the colossal doors OF the
churck had shrieked upon their
hinges to close the doors behind the
last Toledan, when, from among the
shadows, pale, pale as the marble of
the tomb upon which be leaned for an
instant while he tried to control his
emotion man came forth, who slip
ped with the greatest care right up
the railing in front of the high chapel.
The light from one little lamp allowed
his features to be soon-the man was
Pedro. ra'
What had happened between the
two lovers that at last decided him to
carry into effect an undertaking, the
idea of which had caused the hair to
stand on end-this could never be
learned. But he was there, and he
was there to accomplish his criminal
purpose. In his restless eyes, in the
trembling knees, in the large and
heavy drops of perspiration on his
forehead, were written his emotions of
fear and horror.
The Cathedral was completely de-
serted and submerged in silence. a +.
Notwithstanding now and then he
perceived strange and confused mur-
murs the cracking Of the wood per-
haps, or murmur of the wind, or-who
knows perhaps an illusion Of the mind
that hears and sees, and feels in its
excitement what docs not exist. But
the truth was that, now near, now far,
now behind, now at his side: he thought
be heard something like suppressed
sobs, or the rustic of garments that
are being dragged along the ground,
or, again, like tie sound of steps that
60 and come increasingly.
Pedro made an effort to GO on his
way; he reached the railing and
climbed upon the first step of the
stairway leading to the High Chapel.
Around this chapel are the tombs OF
kings, whose stone images, with their
hands on the hilts of their swords,
seem to watch night and day the
sanctuary at whose shade they all
rest for eternity. r
"Go on!'' he said in low voice.
Then he tried to walk and found out
to his horror that he could not. 1t
seemed as if his feet were nailed to the
ground. He lowered his eyes, and
his hair stood up on its roots with ter
ror. The pavement of the chapel was
formed of broad and dark-.sepulchral
stones, and for a moment he thought
that a hand, cold and bony, held him
on that place with an ivincible force.
The dying lamps, that family shone
at the bottom of the naves like stars
lost among the shadows, oscillated,
round and round, as also did the stat
ues of the sepulchres, and the images
in the altars, and the whole church
with its arches of granite and its
frame of marble. 5ss& }s.->
go on!'' Pedro exclaimed again,
almost out of his senses. He ap-
preached the altar, and climbing over
it went up to the pedestal Of the statue
of Our Lady. All the figures around
him took chimeric and horrid forms;
all was darkness, or uncertain, rayless
light, more terrifying even than the
darkness itself. Only the Queen Of
Heaven, sweetly illuminated by one
light of a golden lamp, seemed to
smile kindly and serenely in the midst
of so m uch horror.
However. that smile, mute and i'm.
movable, that tranquilized him for an
instant, at last filled him with fear;
tear more strange, more profound than
lie had ever felt till then.
He tried to control himself again,
closing his eyes that he might not see
her, extended his hand with a con-
vulsive movement, and-pLlled out
the bracelet, the p,ous donation OF a
Bishop; the gold bracelet, whose value
was in itself fortune.
The prize was already in his hands;
his fingers, rigid, pressed it with a
supernatural force; it only remained
for him to run away-to run away
with it; bat to do this It is necessary
to open his eyes, said Pedro was afraid