The Dermott news., 1915-06-17

glance at it's contents made me turn pale. There, reposing in place of honor in the center ot the other gems, was the onyx engraved with the pro file of Vespasiau!
 Tt was now for the first time that light began to break upoa my mind To you. who hear only the circum stances which have been obliged to mention in making my story clear it has. no doubt, been easy to guess the solution all along l can only say that till l saw the seal there ip it's place. as if nothing had happened, not the faintest suspicion of the truth had entered my mind.
 The person who had restored Aat seal to it's place must, of course, be in possession of the secret of Vescaro's fate And that person could be equally only one man-Cardinal Salyatierra. At last l began to perceive the manner in which 1 had been duped. The last had seen of Vescaro was
 when he was walking towards the end of the gallery with the seal in his hand. followed by Salvatierra and the Dominican had only the cardin- | als assurance-his suggestion rather that the count had ever returned! Stunned by this blow, I turned a | glance towards the end wall which l l have already described as being GOV
 cred with mirror. which gave de-
 captive appearance to the length of the gallery 1 started, and gave vent 10 a stiled cry. This wall was close
 to, almost touching the case which contained the seals,
 T rubbed my eyes and stared. How, l if this were so. could have seen Yes | caro and the two others walk Of in that direction? I gazed round dis tractedly searching for something to 1 enIighten me l observed the Egyptian
 statue still in its place, though it. also, 1 now appeared to be standing close
 up against the end wall l looked l further for the Buddhist idol on it's i bracket It was nowhere to be seen! l l became positive-yes, the bracket
 supporting the idol was farther along lilt Ndli NlllNb i'S" bNANAN ''S W | false one, which could be withdrawn
 at will, leaving space beyond
 The trap once closed, no doubt there had been men waiting to rush ont and secure the prisoner, while l Salyatierra and the Dominican
 perha, familiar of the holy office l had made their way back by some l secret passage.
 T made brief examination of the
 walls of the gallery. and found what l expected Immediately behind the Egyptian statue was a panel. which sounded hollow to my knock, It was
 no doubt opened by l secret spring. and the statue had been placed there to conceal the opening
 There was no more for me to de n the gallery. and came away. Hut l had not yet aseerta!ned Nescaro,s ultimate fate
 The evidence was supplied to me almost by accident. On quitting the museum turned into the grounds ot the Vatican. where had special priv ileces as an ambassador to the court. and which l had never properly eX- ploycd. The vast extent of these grounds is well known, and l wan, dered on idly till came to what ap. peared to be disused cemetery hid den Tn remote corner. Guided, per haps. by an intuition, l passed into this little burial ground. in which l had not walked far before l perceived in front Of me what had the aspect of newly made grave l stepped hast fly forward and on a small stone which had been placed at tbe head read the inscription in Latin: