The citizen., 1906-04-06
THE FATEOF FAUS=
TINA.
coNTINUED FROM PAGE 2.

vos il mnst be. the short winded
c,unt himself. whom we all supposed
10 be in Rome!
"IIisher he came and nearer, nearer
elowly vet hurriedly, now stopping to
cough and gasp, now taking few
stems TO elephantine assault. | should
have enjoyed the situation if it had not
heen for poor Faustina in the cave; as
II was | was filled with nameless
fears. But I could not resist giving
that grampus Corbucci one bad mo-
ment on account \ crazy hand rail
ran up one wall, so carefully flatten-
ed myself against the other, and he
passed within six inches of me, putting
ana Wheeling like a brass band. | let
him 90 Il few steps higher, and then /
let him have it with both lungs.
"'Buona sera. eccellenZa signori! |
roared after him. And Il scream came
4 down in answer-such Il scream A
dozen different terrors We're in it, and
! the Wheeling had stopped with the old
scoundrGl's heart.
''Chi sta laE be squeaked at last.
gibbcring and whimpering like whip
ped monkey 50 that | could not bear to
miss his face and got match all
ready to strike.
Arturo. SignOri.'
.IIe didn't repeat my name nor did
he damn me in heaps. He di nothing
hgt wheeZe for Il good minute. and
when he spoke it was with insinuating
ciyility, in his best English.
"'C0me nearer. Arturo You are in
the lower regions down there. l want
10 speak with you
mo, thanks. I'm i'll hurry | said
and dropped that match back into my
pocket. He might be armed. and was
not.
80 you are in 'urry!-and he
whcezed amusement-'and you thought
I was still iii Rome, no doubt, and so
was until this afternoon, when caught
train at the eleventh moment and then
another train from Naples to PozZuoli.
I have been rowed here now by a fish
erman of iozzuol. l had not time to
stop anywhere in Naples but only to
drive from station to station. So | am
without Stefano, Arturo; am without
Stefano.'
His sly voice sounded preternatural-
ly sly in the absolute darkness, but
even through that impenetra BILE veil
. knew it for Il sham. l had laid hold of
the handrail. 1t shook violently in my
hand; he also was holding it where he
stood. And these suppressed tremors,
or. rather, their detection in this way,
struck Il strange chill to my heart just
as l was beginning to pluck it up.
at is lucky for Stefano,' said I,
grim as death
"'Ah, but you must not be too ard
on 'im,' demonstrated the count. You
have stole his girl; he speak with me
about it, and | wish to speak with you.
1t is very audashuss. Arturo, very au-
dashuss! Perhaps you are even going
TO meet her now, eh?'
Il told him straight that was.
"'Then there is 10 'urry, for she is
not there
"'You didn't see her in the cave? l
cried, too delighted at the thought to
keep it TO myself.
devil said.
She is there all the same
AZ only wish 'ad known
"'And I've kept her long enoughv
an fact, | threw this over my shoul-
ler as l turned and went running
down.
- 'ope you will find her! his ma
licious voice came croaking after me.
I 'ope you will 'ope So
And find her | did,
RafieS had been on his feet some
time, unable to sit still or to stand,
moving eXcitedly about the room. But
now he stood still enough, his elbows
on the cast iron mantelpiece, his head
between his hands.
"Dead?' l whispered.
And he nodded to the wall.
"Thcre was not Il sound in the cave.
4 There was no answer to my voice.
Then | went in, and my foot touched
hers, and it was colder than the rock.
/ Bunny, they had stabbed her to the
heart. She had fought them, and they
had stabbed her to the heart"
"You say they" l said gently as he
stood in heavy silence, his back still
turned. Il thought Stefano had been
left behind?"
Ratlles was round in flash, his face
white hot, his eyes dancing death.
He was in the cave" he shouted.
Il saw him-I spotted him-it was
broad twilight after those stairs-and I
went for him with my bare hands;
not fists, Bunny; not fists for a thing
like that. l meant getting my fingers
into his vile little heart and tearing it
out by the roots. l was stark mad.
But he had the revolver-hers. He
blaZed 1t at arms length and missed.
And that steadied me. l had smashed
his funny bone against the rock before
he could blaze again. The revolver
fell with rattle, but without going
of. In an instant 1 had it tight and
The little swine at my mercy at last"
You didn't show him any?"
Mercy? With Faustina dead at my
feet? | should have deserved none in
the next world if had shown him any
IN this! No; l just stood over him,
with the revolver in both hands, feel
ing the chambers with my thumb, and