The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1905-09-07

dered ~uneasi,y around the grotto,
grumbl,Eg inwardly at the unpleas.
ant delay in my plans, and thinking
hard, trying to help myself out Of
my present difficulty.
l was surprised, when approaching
the entrance in my aimless ramble,
to see letters carved in the rock away
to the right of the arch. Stepping
to this spot, l read the words easily,
so deeply and evenly were they cut
into the marble:
HENRY THORLANE,
Will Avenge."
The same words and in the same
form as l had found them in the cell
in the Tore dell Elefante.
Henry Thorlane then, was no
doubt the former occupant Of the
cave. But now a puzzling question
arose: When could he have carved
these letters in the grotto? Previous
to his arrest he would, for all I knew,
taking Mutterelli's story into the mat.
ter, have no cause for vengeance. And
Mutterelli had said that he was in the
monastery, from which there could
be no escape. Yet there was his
lame and his motto-his war-cry-
carved in letters that would last for
centuries, in the marble rock before
me. One of two things was certain.
Mutterelli did not know all the story
before Thorlane's arrest, or he did
not know what had happened after.
ward. 1t was possible that Thorlane
had escaped, made his home in the
grotto, and had been captured again.
Grand as I thought this, my heart
stood still a second-what if Mutterel-
Ii was right and Thorlane had been
put in the monastery and had gained
the confidence of the superior and
had Joined the order unknown to the
prefetto or anybody outside the Jesuit
circle inside the monastery walls! And
If so, then, perhaps, Mutterelli was
Mutterelli and no one else, and the
monk who had rescued me was Henry
Thorlane.
Still bordering upon this, I began
to look still farther for evidence of
Henry Thorlane's occupancy. l found
no more letters, but | did find a trap
door. My fingers came in contact
with an iron ring. l knew 1t must
have been placed there for a purpose.
l pulled it. 1t did not move, and I
lighted a candle, for the ring was in
a dark portion of the grotto, and
closely examined the place. l found
that the ring was fastened to a wood
en- cover, which was held in place by
two large pieces of rock which we're
laid upon it.. These | rolled away,
and the trap-door came up easily. The
opeing thus made led into a small,
cellar-like hole, and lying on the floor
was a wooden box or cheap kind of
trunk. l managed to get this out, and
opened it. 1t contained clothing of
various kinds. masks, boards, wigs, in
fact, everything that was needed for a
complete disguise. And as I exam.
ined this most fortunate find l chusk-
led aloud.
l would be free!
And Nita Barlotti should at last
who she was, and be placed in
possession of her own.
Circumstances seemed to favor me.
Mutterelli came to the grotto late in
the afternoon Of the day on which I
found the trunk of clothing, and re-
NAMED to supper.
After supper We smoked in silence.
Muttrelli finished his cigarette and
seemed to be preparing to leave.
You are going away, Mutterelli?" /
said.
Eyes, signor. I shall not be back
tonight"
l did not want him back, and when
at last he had taken his departure |
again opened the trap door and took
out the trunk. I pulled out the entire
contents and spread them over the
floor of the grotto, that l might more
successfully choose the most complete
disguise.
Having made my selection, I pro-
ceeded to put on first a pair of heavy
shoes. l DOTTED my prison suit and
embodied myself in the most skillfully
devised waist or vest that could have
been made. 1t was a stuffed affair,
and, fitting close to my figure, made
me look at least forty pounds heavier
than l really was. l pulled a pair of
long, much-worn black trousers onto
my legs, and over the stuffed vest |
put a long black coat. | found a black
beard, with a long, black, curling mus
tache, that easily fitted my face, and
could be securely fastened on by mois-
tening with my breath some gummed
strips on the under side.
My eyebrows were brown, but |
found plenty of cosmetics and dyeing
materials, and 500 made my eye
brows match the beard in color.
Having thoroughly convinced myself
that I was under a complete disguise,
I set out from the grotto, first making
up some unimportant things into a
pack, and singing it over my shoulder
on a stick.
/ passed a few people, nom of whom
paid any attention to the weary old
Jew Flooding along on his way to Gag