Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-22
Continued from page :

the panels in the wall l hastily seized my
flint and finder and struck light; but by
that time all traces of my assailant had dis
appeared. All that was left of that mysteri-
GUS attack was a small dagger stuck in the
folds of the plaid l had wrapped across my
chest before going to sleep. The heavy rug
had saved my life. Without it the danger
would have penetrated my heart"
Emmie fairly gasped. GO on, Father!'
she murrnured. "What happened next?"
"For time all was silent as the grave;
and if it had not been for the evidence of the
dagger should have believed that the whole
affair was merely a nightmare. But after
awhile, when l in my foolhardiness was
thinking of going to sleep again, another
panel slid back in the wall, and there ap-
peared before my dazzled eyes the lady of
the portrait
picture?" Emilia could not help asking.
Even after the lapse of sixty years the mans
voice trembled at the recollection. Ear
more beautiful; infinitely more beautiful"
"And what did she say, Father?'
"She told me that her uncle, the Count,
was very much mixed up in political in
trigues, and was looking out for some impor-
tant dispatches to come from England to
the British Embassy in Florence. From my
conversation at the inn, he had conceived
the idea that | was person of consequence
and the bearer of those dispatches; and he
therefore made up his mind to lure me to his
palace, murder me in my sleep, take posses
sion OF the secret papers, and deliver them
to the Italian Government. / gathered that
this was not the first time Count Antonio
had undertaken a task of this sort; and the
eyes of the portrait in the state bedroom had
been made into peepholes through which he,
or his friends, could spy upon their victims,
and find out the moment when to enter and
stab them in their Sleep
"Then what made the girl look through"
asked Emilia. "And was it her own portrait?'
at was the portrait of a beautiful ances-
tress whom she strongly resembled; and she
had looked through, in her uncle's absence,
out of mere girlish curiosity, because she had
received from her maid a f1attering and ex-
aggerated account of my size and personal
appearance. And-here the StrangeSt part
of the story comes in, and one | would not
have your mother know of for anything
she had fallen in love at first sight, just as [
had done, and was determined to save me"
"Then it was she who warned you of the
dagger ,.e
we dared not stop talking long, for fear the
Count or any of the servants should hear us.
She led me down secret staircase and
through dark and intricate passages to a
garden door which she opened, and then gave
me KEY that she said would unlock the door
that divided the garden from the street On
getting into the street, she said, l must be
sure to turn to the right and not to the left:
if turned to the left her life would be for
feited She then gave me directions as to
how to make my way to the British En-
bassy, whittier she begged me to hurry with
all possible speed, as it was the only safe
place for me. And then we said goodby.'
did you-did you-kiss her, Father"
The dark eyes looked at the blue ones
with surprise. Il did, Emilia. But what
ever made you guess it? What strange
idea to have occurred to young girl
what happened next? Do 60 on!1
"Ah! now the tragedy comes in. | fol-
lowed the beautiful lady's behests as far as
the street; and then my old, suspicious, self
sufficient nature asserted itself, and l Won
dered if her command that should turn to
the right was merely trap to lure me to my
destruction. And, with that wicked doubt
guiding my steps, turned to the left in
stead, and began to run for my life. l had
not gone far before piercing shrek rent the
air, the shrek of a woman in mortal agony.