The Press., 1911-03-22

Petit palace the night you were stab- bed. I saw you pass me with the man who stabbed you and the lady for whom you were stabbed. So you see it would be safer for you to tell me the whole story, since I have a part of it. I pledging myself to secrecy, rather than to permit me to go away with what I already have unpledged."
 He was not only very much aston ished, but saw the reasonableness of what 1 said.
 "I did not notice you" he replied, ''at the ball and supposed that you had no position in court society. An Ital- ian surgeon would have been unavail able for us. We are all so interlaced socially, those below constantly watch ing those above and all watching one another, that we dare not trust any one of our own number You, as an American. are not mixed in our jeal- ousies. our disputes, our"-
 "Assassinations."
 "You are wrong there. There are no assassinations in modern Italy. I fought with the Duke But I will tell you the story and have every con fidence that you will not reveal it.
 "I am Count Baradini, and my an cestors have lived in this palace since the twelfth century. The man you saw on the other side of the senorina at the ball was the Duke of .Abolino. relative of the king. The senorina herself is the daughter of the Countess Francoccio, an old family that sprang up under the influence of Lorenzo de Medici, commonly called Lorenzo the Magnificent. Senorina Blanca Fran coccio and myself have been lovers ever since was sixteen and she four teen years old. Upon her entrance into society lately ol her eighteenth birth day the duke saw her and became de sirous of possessing her. He is widower, very rich and has great in- fuence with the king. Soon after see ing Senorina Blanca he made formal application for her hand. Her mother her father is dead-urged her to ac- cept what is to be considered in a worldly point of view a better position than could give her. To be duchess and rich is higher in the worldly scale than to be a countess and with no pos sessions except this old palace. As for Blanca, her heart is all mine, as mine is hers, and if left to her own will she would refuse the duke to marry me. Indeed, rather than wed with him she declares she will go into a convent
 "The duke was expecting to have his own way in the matter when at the recent ball at the Pitt he discov- cred that was his rival. I was with Senorina Blanca a few minutes before we passed you, when the duke joined her and by a look bade me give way to him. 1 asked the lady to go with me into another apartment. She as- scented, whereupon the duke went with us. On reaching the other room Bian- ca showed the duke so plainly that his presence was not desirable that he left us, giving me malignant look as he did so that plainly meant I am a man of too much importance to be in- terfered with by such as you
 "On leaving the palace the duke, who took ocasion to go out at the same time as I, jostled me. Seeing that l must have it out with him, sent him a challenge.
 "JuSt at present the king would be furious if he knew that members of the nobility to whom he looks for SUD- port, especially his relative, had fought a duel. If I were known to have sent a challenge to the Duke of Abolino should in some way be made to suffer. I met him within an hour after we left the Petit; but, realizing my posi- tion. I did not dare even pink him. He came very near killing me, as you see, and doubt not will be disappoint- ed if recover.
 '"The duke and my second joined in conference as to how to keep the mat ter secret and decided to call upon you to attend me.
 ''There you have the story SO far as 1t has been enacted"
 The balance of the tale I learned from Count Baradini after he had re- covered. Senorina Blanca was com manded by her mother to marry the duke, and the king sent message to say that he would be pleased at a match between her and his well be- loved cousin. Despite these commands and requests the girl fatly refused to marry any one but the man she loved, and when those who were conspiring against her found it impossible to move her they desisted, and finally her mother gave reluctant consent that she should marry the count.
 When the wedding came off I was present and had pleasant chat with the bride about her husbands wound ing, of which she had been kept in ig- norance til the affair had blown over