Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-07

silenced the mob outside. The Lugarenos,
appalled, at what had happened, shouted
most pitifuily. They sGueaked like the
vermin they were. | bTough; down the
dubbed musket; two went down. OF two
l am sure. The rush of flying feet swept
through between the walls, bearing me
along.
The thought of seraphina clinging to the
lifeless body of her father upstairs came
to me; it came me in horror, and L
let the musket fall out of my hand A
silence like the silence of despair reigned
| in the house. She would hate me now. j
felt as If l could walk out and give myself
up, had it not been for the sight of O'Bren.
He was leaning his shoulders against the
wall in the posture OF man suddenly over
| come by a deadly disease. No one was
looking at US 1t CO NE to RE that he could
not have many illusions left to him now
1 made one stride, caught him by both arms
| swiftly and pinned him to the wall with
all my strength. We struggled in silence.
In the midst of our straining l heard IA
sibilant sound. 1 detached my eyes from
his; his struggles redoubled and behind
him, stealing toward us from the court
black on the strip of crimson cloth, / saw
Tomas Castro. He flung his cloak back
The light of the lanthorn under the key
stone of the arch glimmered feebly on the
blade of his MANNED arm. He made a dis
Greet and blood-curdling gesture to me with
the other.
How could l hold a man so that he should
be stabbed from behind in my arms? Cas-
| tro was running up swiftly, his cloak open
ing like a pair of sable wings. Collecting
all my strength, l forced O'Brien round.
and We swung about in a flash. Now he
had his back to the gate. Ny effort seemed
to have uprooted him. 1 felt him give way
all over.
AS soon as our position had changed Cas-
tro checked himself, and stepped aside into
the shadow of the guard room doorway L
don't think o Br:en had been aware of VIII t
had been going on. His strength was over
borne by mine. drove him backward. His
eyes blinked wildly. He barred his teeth
He resisted, as If 1 had been forcing him
over the brink of perdition. His feet chung
to the fiagstones. 1 shook him till his head
rolled.
Wiper brood!' he spluttered.
out you go!' l Missed.
L had found nothing heroic, nothing ro-
mantle to say-nothing that would express
my desperate resolve to rid the world of his
presence. All / could do was to fling him
out. The Casa Riego was all my world-a
world full of great pain, great mourning
and love. / saw him pitch headlong under
the wheels of the bishops enormous car
riage. The black coachman, who had sat
aloft, unmoved through all the tumult in
his white stockings and three-cornered hat,
glanced down from his high box. And the
two parts of the gate came together with a
clang of ironwork and heavy crash that
| seemed as loud as thunder under that vault.
CHAPTER VI
Not even In memory am l willing to live
over again those three days when Father
Antonio, the old major domo and myself
would meet each other in the galleries, in
the patio, in the empty rooms moving in
the stiffness of the house with heavy hearts
and desolate eyes, which seemed to demand,
What is there to do?"
OF course, precautions were taken
against the Lugarenos. They were be-
sieging the Casa from affair." They had es-
tablshed a sort of camp at the end of the
street, and they prowled about among
the old, barricaded houses in their pointed
hats, in their rags and finery; women, with
food. passed constantly between the viii
lagos and the panic-strcken town; there
were groups on the beach, and one Of the
schooners had been towed down the bay
and was lying, now, moored stem and stern
opposite the great gate.
Two enormous wax torches in iron stands
famed and guttered at the door, black
cloth draped the emblazoned shields; and
the wind from the sea, blowing through
the open easement, inclined all together the
flames of hundred candles, pale in the
sunlight, extremely ardent in the night.
The murmur of prayers for these souls
went on necessarily: I have II In my ears
now. There would be always some figure
of the household kneeling In prayer at the
door: or the old major-domo would come
| in to stand at the foot, motionless for q time;
or, through the open door, would see the
! cassock Of Father Antonio, flung on his