The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1915-09-01
CHAPTER XIII.
The Torture Chamber.

The Torture Chamber. gmC'
As. for the young American herself,
she had remained these hours alone ~.
1.-THE palace OF the king a.
The palace, as she now reflected,
was more nearly deserted than ever
she had seen it. The household staff
seemed disorganized. Fright had
caught hold Of all The most conflict
ing rumors went this way and that.
Il wonder" said Kitty Gray to her
self after a time, as she sat alone--"l
wonder!"
Now, what she wondered had to do
with certain questions which she long
had had In her own mind.
"'Cruciati candid cam mean
Observation-Disclosures torture cham
ber?'"
II so, where was that torture cham
Der? Was 1t under the battlements yon-
der, or here in the palace itself?
Where had the old king concealed his
wealth?
She rang the ben ana summoned
once more, the woman Of the palace
WIZ Illus lai udO CdlC0 Az ASA o. sAS
kings behest. s. ya,a 80
! '.Alargot." said she, talk TO me.
have Travelled far and am weary i am
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. perhaps. Talk to
me-" %si
I'VE are all distressed, excellency,
said the woman. I'VE know not what
there may be yonder. Perhaps this
moment the two Kingdoms may be at
war, But what can DO to make your
excellency more comfoftable?"
She was willing enough to curry IA
yor with favorite OF the king.
Tell me Margot." demanded Kitty
Gray. about this country here. am a
stranger from a far country. and l
know very little of this land and OF
it's customs. Is it an old land, this of
Gretzhohen, Margot?"
"More immemorially old. your excel.
lency, than NEST people have ever
dreamed Of. The first kings OF Gretz-
hofren date back SO far In history that
almost they merge into myths. The
oldest kingdoms Of Europe are not SO
old as this little one"
Does the history OF this country
date back so far as the middle ages?"
"Oh, easily. We are very old"
smiled, Margot. sd.
Those also were times of war and
bloodshed, We're they not?, Why, Mar
got, in those days they tortured pris-
Oners, did they not?" i'T'tn'
mot only prisoners, excellency. but
many others. II king Wished news
Cr money. II an official wished confes-
sion Of crime-H q bishop desired
confession of faith from a .heretic-the
torture chamber was the place to get
such results
But not here. Margot-surely not
here?"
These very walls saw it, excellency
yes!"
But that was long ago-those places
were all wiped out and forgotten ages
h since"
I Destroyed? Indeed. not. Do not
the people OF this country always pre-.
serve their monuments. their museums
Of weapons, their chambers Of horrors?
Do they not take u certain pride IN,
that? Monarchs even OF today know
the secrets OF the old torture cham.
bers III this land, and perhaps In many
another"
Il could not have believed it! And,
SO there was such place here. in this
palace"
Surely. can give warrant for ev
cry word have told you. excellency.
The tradition is that tho old torture
chamber OF Gretzhotfen was over yon-'
der-under the corner tower OF the
palace-where the embellishments ran
in. There is corridor which leads,
yonder. down below. into the vaults.
would not go there for all the world.
Few OF us know tho way, indeed-I
have never been, there. We folk OF
Gretzhoffen palace--we are wise
enough not to ask too many questions,
or to learn too many truths. Besides,
| should die with terror to think Of
what spirits must haunt such place
But, excellency.'' she concluded, let
US speak Of more pleasant things"