Evening star., 1921-10-02

become portentous. Lapo rolled up his
sleeves. inspected his Scared. sEarthy
arms, and mumbled, with the grin of
man stretched on the rack:
"Ah, If only one had skin as soft,
white and delicate as a girls."
At this Madonna Gemma left the
table. Pacing her bower, intermin-
ably, she asked herself one question.
And at last. when Lapo would have
passed her on the stairs, she hurled
into his face: 80. .--s
what did you do to Raffaele SIuti?"
He started. so little did he expect
to hear her voice. Then a pang stab
bed him treacherously. Fearing that
she might discern his misery, he
turned back, leaving her limp against
the wall.
He took to walking the runway of
the ramparts and muttering to him
self or sat down on an archer's ledge,
to stare toward the hut OF the rene
gade Arabian. Often at night he sat
thus. hour after hour, coarse crea-
moonlight. And as he bowed his
head the sentinel heard him fetch a
groan such as one utters whose life
escapes through a sword-wound.
One-eyed Baldo also groaned at
these goings-on. and swallowed many
angry speeches. But Foresto. the
horseboy, began to hum at his work.
This Foresto had attached himself
to Lapo's force in the Ferrarese cam
paign. His habits were solitary.
Often when his work was done he
wandered into the woods. to return
with a capful of berries or a squirrel
that he tad shared. Because he was
silent, deft and daintier than horse
boy ought to be, Lapo finally bade
him serve Madonna Gemma.
Watching his dark. blank face as
he strewed fresh herbs on her pave
ment, she wondered:
Does he know the TRUTH
Their glances met; he seemed to
send her veiled look of comprehen-
sion and promise. But whenever he
One morning, however, Foresto had
time to whisper:
1.-The Arabian"
What did he mean? Was it through
the Arab and Foresto that she might
hope to escape or at the least to
an ashen sky of autumn, as night was
creeping in, she saw the Arabian as
cending the hill to the castle. His
tall figure, as fieshless as mummy's;
was swathed in a white robe like
winding-sheet: his beaked face and
of death. Without taking her eyes
from him, Madonna Gemma crossed
herself.
Baldo came to the gate. The ghost
ly Arabian uttered:
rPeace be with you. I have here.
ter. l must give into no hands but his"
So Baldo led the sorcerer to Cerca-
morte, and for long while those two
talked together in private.
Next day Madonna Gemma noted that
Lapo had on a new, short, short, sleeveless sHu.sss
trimmed on its edges with vair. and
laced down the sides with tinsel. In
this festive garment, the grim tyrant
was i'll at ease. secretly anxious. al
found herself connecting this change in
him with the fancy white-leather vest.
In the hall. while passing a platter
of figs, Foresto praised the new gar
ment obsequiously. He murmured: :.
''And what fine skin 1t is made of!
So soft, so delicate. SO lustrous in its
finish! Is It pigskin, master? All. no:
it is finer than that. Kidskin? But a
kid could not furnish skin as large
as this one" While speaking these
words Foresto % flashed one look,
Comma. then softly withdrew from the
hall. She stared. as though at a basil
lisk, at Lapo's new vest, in which she
seemed to find the answer SO long de-
MED her. The hall grew dusky; she
chair.
For a week Madonna Gemma did not
rise from her bed. When finally she
did rise she refused to leave her room.
+ X i
pUT suddenly Lapo cercamorte was
gayer than he had been since the
fall Of Grangioia Castle. Every morn
ing when he had inquired after Madonna
Gemma's health. and had sent her all
kinds Of tidbits. he went down to sit
among his men. to play mora, to test
sword blades, to crack salty jokes, to
let loose his husky guffaw. At times.
cooking his eye toward certain upper
easements, he patted his fine vest fur
lively, with gleeful and mischievous
grin. To Baldo. after some mysterious
mods and winks, he condded:
Everything will be different when
she is well again."
'No DOUBT" snarled old Baldo,
scrubbing at his mail shirt viciously.
Look you. Cercamorte. prepare for
r11 tro,1hIo Inst a Voneffan nail.