Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-26

over to him and peered down narrow wind
ing flight of stone steps, The air that issued
from that gloomy aperture made me feel
sick.
al think they lead to dungeon, said he,
coughing. Give me the lantern, if you are
afraid to come.
"You can take the light, being first l
answered, nettled by his tone; but l am no
more afraid than yourself. You are brave.
| If this Count is down there, he will make
short work of you
@For reply he snatched the lantern from
nv extended hand and, holding it so that it
shed little light into the pit, descended
very slowly. l followed, fearing every sec
ond to slip on the steps, which were green
with foul slime which had gathered there
possibly for years. 1t was horrible place.
1 called out:
"You will find more rats than French
men! Be CAREFUL And my voice doomed
round the stone walls of the abyss.
@Down and down! At last Heseltine, who
| was then good way ahead of me, shouted:
al have reached the floor. You are right.
There are plenty of rats
"Guard the light! They will tear you to
pieces if it goes out!'' warned him. Is the
Frenchman there?'
@There's hole in the middle of the stone
floor he called up. 1t looks like well,
| with short iron rungs down one side OF 1t. l
will descend
@And leave me here in the dark ex-
postulated.
AGO back, if YOU don't relish it,
II did not relish being left alone in that
pit of night, with famished rats as large as
cats. Would you?
T REJOINED Ziminsky and the others;
1 for they had met again, and the search
went on for an hour. We were obliged to
abandon it. Heseltine had not appeared
when we went into the dining room. One OF
those German iconoclasts had cut up an in
laid cabinet for fuel, and there was fire
enough to scorch our faces. There was
great golden goose on dish on the table,
and some of the newly discovered bottles of
champagne Itlooked exceedingly nice; but
Rage for the loss of his officers and fear for
worse that might be in store had made him
silent. Ziminsky whispered to me:
'"'Not a word, mind! Speak, and he'll
place YOU under arrest or turn you out into
| the night!
$50, of course, was quiet enough. But
where was the Englishman? He did not ap-
pear. The commandant sent his orderly
who waited at table to make inquiries.
More and more nervous did he become. He
scarcely tasted the goose, though he drank
immense quantities of wine. He kept ques-
tioning Ziminsky, who could give no expla-
nation of Heseltine's vanishing. l thought
of that terrible pit under the Shiny flags of
the dungeon and at last ventured:
alt is possible that l may
@The German interrupted with a terrible
oath. Hold your tongue!' he flashed, with
a glare of his wine heated eyes.
II said no more.
GAS for Hezeltine, no one ever saw him
again.
7 SHALL never forget that night; which,
indeed, have solemn cause to remember.
| Upon the dining table was an enormous vase
| filled with lilies of the valley, gathered from
one of the lighthouses, which shed a delicate
perfume, the pure breath of beautiful flow
ers. The Austrian composed sonnet on
| them. His flushed face, very handsome, and
sparkling eyes betrayed no trace of the fear
that sent Won Arnhelm again and again to
his wineglass. In fact, he became so intoxi
Gated that he forgot about the missing Eng
lishman, and Nietzche, and Foulkes; until a
deadly moodiness stole over him, and he sat
in the high backed chair of carved oak, and
peered straight before him with fixed ex-
preston that made me shudder.