The Tupelo journal., 1917-02-23

remained a week at the palace. the
name of which / did not know. In
deed. was not permitted to leave the
room of the patient. my meals all
being served there. My mail was
brought me, and 1t was amusing for
the first day or two to read the mes
sages of my patients with reference to
my sudden disappearance. Then l ask
ed those who had kidnapped me to
leave word at my apartments that l
had been called to Sienna on a very
important case. This had the effect Of
quieting those who sought me.
My patient turned out to be as en-
gaging a man as l had deemed him to
be when he passed me in the Pitt
palace.
"Your effort" l said to him one day,
ito keep your drama-it came very
near being a tragedy-from me would
possibly have been successful had it
not been that l was at the ball at the
Pitt palace the night you were stab
bed. / 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 l have a part
of it, l pledging myself to secrecy.
rather than to permit me to go away
with what l already have unpledged."
He was not only very much aston
ished. but saw the reasonableness of
what l said.
Il 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 W number. You. as an
American, are not mixed in our jeal-
ousies, our disputes, our
".ASsaSSinations."
You are wrong there. There are
no as~sassinations in modern Italy. |
fought with the Duke But l will
tell you the story and have every con-
idence that you will not reveal it.
Il am Count Baradini, and my ances-
tors have lived in this palace since the
twelfth century. The man o saw on
the other side Of the signorina at the
ball was the Duke Of Abolino. a rela-
tive of the king. The signorina herself
Is the daughter of the Countess Fran
coccio, an old family that sprang UP
under the influence of Lorenzo de- Me-
dici, commonly called Lorenzo the Mag
nificent. StgnOrina Blanca Francoccio
and myself have been lovers ever since
| was sixteen and she fourteen years
old Upon her entrance into society
lately on her eighteenth birthday the
duke saw her and became DESTROYS of
possessing her. He is a widower, very
rich and has great influence with the
King. SoOn after seeing Signorina b.
anca he made a formal application for
her hand. Her mother-her father is
dead-urged her to accept what is to
be considered in a worldly point Of
view a better position than I could give
her. To be a duchess and rich is high
err In the worldly scale than to be a
countess and with no possessions ex-
cept 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 discovered
that l was his rival. | was with Signo-
rina Blanca a few minutes before we
passed you, when the duke joined her
and by a look babe me give way to
him. l asked the lady to go with me
into another apartment. She aSSented,
whereupon the duke went with us. On
ed the duke so plainly that his pres
ence was not desirable that he left us,
giving me a malignant look as he did
so that plainly meant IL am a man of
too much Importance to be interfered
with by such as you
"On leaving the palace the duke, who
took occasion to go out at the same
time as /, jostled me. Seeing that |
must have it out with him, / sen him
a challenge.
"Just at present the king would be
furious if he knew that members of
the nobility to whom he looks for sup
port, especially his relative, had fought
a duel. If l were known to have sent
a challenge to the Duke of Abolino /
should in some way be made to suffer.
l met him within an hour after we
left the Pitt; but, realizing my posi-
ton, / did not dare eve pink him.
He came very near killing me, Is you
see, and l doubt not will be disappoint-
ed if l recover.
''The duke and my second joined in
conference as to how to keep the mat
ter a secret and decided to call upon
you to attend me.
There you have the story so far as
it has been enacted"