Year: 1861

knee turned just in time see the cleaning dagger
which aimed at Biancas breast and with his mailed
arm to parry the desperate blow.


''Ha foiled! Then to thy own breastih shreked the
frenzed woman she struck full at his heart with the
glittering weapon weapon orgefu that his coat of mail
there The blade shiyered in her hands, and she
grasped the broken ha she looked mournfuly upon it,
and muttered:


''Wolld that enough had been left to reach my own
heart" And then she turned upon Rnard she shouted


This is your love for mel This this is the promised
reom And there stands your queen your chosen love
Let her beware of injured womans hate for she shall
die! have sworn it"


"What means this; how came you here? Have you
dared follow me? Have you found out the spring
that opens yon door of which mortal knew before?"


'Ay, l have, false villain! sleep has not visited my
eyeds this night; heard all thy plans but nevernever
shall they be fulfilled Let your queen look to herself


live but to slay her now! Farewell till we meet again"


As she said this, Angela, with her disheveed hair
streaming from her shoulders fled from the room through


.he secret door.


so, who is she?" murmured the terrified Blanca, as
she staggered to seat why doth She thus threaten me,
who never has harmed her, nor even seen herr"


"She is poor maniac, lady; will shortly follow her
and that she doth harm to herself Be terri
fed there is danger to thee! will now leave thee.
Sleep in fearessness; pledge my life to dis
turb thee this night but hope the thou wilt
treat me more kindly"


The poor girl replied not and Riaard bqwiGg low with
respect turned and left her by the secret door. He
hasened to the room of ANGELA bQt she not there


Hehurred to the batemens Of the castle for he knew
her fierce and ungovernable passion and he feared that
she would attempt sedestruction Ere he reached the
outer walls he his captain Gonsalvo rushing with
terrified looks toward him. and he he cried in


breathless terror


80, my lord the lady ANGELA has cast herself from
the highest point of the batements into the waves be-


meath; she is lost. lost


"Ha, so soonl Well it is better thus! She would but
have lived to have be curse both to me and herself


She has perchance saved the trouble for this night
she attempted my life and the life of my captive.


''Indecd she must have been inSancl' replied Con


salvo; 'she looked she fled past Inc, when was


taking my rounds"


There a singular tone of satisfaction in this mans


voice. and his terror and agitation when he first told of


the adys act would seem experienced in deccp


ton to have been assumed but this act Of Angeas


in keeping with her character, that Rinard did not
dream of deception on the part of GQnsalvo
Ycthe deceived; for Angela was at that moment
alive and in his department He too had been a


watcher and when he her rush forth from the room


where she bad been oed in her attempted revenge he


met her, and whispered in her
Live, lady, for me and for revenge"


She paused, looked upon him with a shudder, and in


a low husky voice, replied 81 will live for reVepgel"
f "Then follow me; will conceal YOU, and make him


believe that you have cast yourself from the battement


then will wait till the time comes and you shalldrnk
r the cup of revenge to its very dregs!'
~ will obey lead on she replied The reader knows
r the rest.


It was not sunset when don Edmundo sailed in the


small pinnace bring the money for the conde
de Solano and his daughter. The cOnde was almost
happy he gaze4 from his barred easement and saw


the essenng sails Of this vessel for at least ne hoped


that the pirate would be true his word and free him
e upon the payment of the gold. He had no fear but
that it would be readily brought to hp-he little dream


ed of the dark plot which Rpard had formed to thwart
t his views and blast his hopes.


}, Don Edmundo, when he got board the pinnace
: or,J tod To az
all her SAIL and stood off the coast. Though young
one he very good sailor and soon had everything
drawing the best advantage that possible; but to
his annoyance and surprise his little vessel went very
l. slowly through the water He gazed her model,
l. looked well the sitting of her masts in the hull saw
that the bows sharp and her clear, that hc
l. sails well fitted, and he murmured:
0 "There is treachery in this-she has either


concealed drag under her keel else she is sadly out
of trim. Here is threecague breeze, and we no
7. going one league an hour


# "If you will heaye her to- when the twilight darkens


viii dive beneath her keel and whether there be
# drag there hold her baek cried OF his trsy
Y 'Ay-that will be best replied dor Edmundo, anC
IS in short time he brought his craft up in the wind to
k it was already dark


d The seaman at once dove beneath the water from


forward of the bows and q about half minute reap
d peared under the stern


Is Give me knife" he cried; "that NAV cut the
s fasenings. heavy anchor is hung tQ the sernpos
d by a hawser"


h The knife was lowered down to him, he soon separa
ted the hwscr and the keel clear its ncumbrance
1t so that one Of the pirates plans 0utwted. WheI
d the seaman drawn board Edmundo at drew
lie away his sails and gave his vessel her course again
and she moved along before the breeze at toera
N BILE rate though she not a very fast saer.
o. THAT drag be connected with plan for ou
Id capture else why should he wish to retain u.s. though
don Edmundo and then he determined nseadof steer
:" ing the usual course haul in the southwark,
to strike the OF Cuba far below his point of dest
to nation, whence he might work up to his port close ii
n shore, unobserved, if he should be chased.


He altered bis course at once and steered off at al
IN angle from that which he had been following and whic
er few hours later talenby Edyardo, i'll the plra


chieftain's own vessel. Edvardo directed to kee
a slowly that till morning, and thus as he wou
ot probably find the pnnace i'll sight, he was to sink AM


destroy her with all on board. But he had far NOR
10 mercifu plan in his mind-which however he ha
~ no chance put into execution for when the mornin
5u there sail in sight. He stood on his cours


till the blue bills of Cuba in view, but saw no sign
o. of the pnnace in view and then with regret he though
lg that she must have oundered He now felt that II tn
Dn ransom money was not saved it would be more dcu
tn for him to raise revolt among the followers OF Rnard
I'd and he began feel that the of poor Blanca
10 indeed desperate. But he determined to return, an
III either save her perish in the atemp therefore
r. turned his vessels prov toward the rendei
le vouss of Rinard.


a That mornings light had broken upon con Edmund
~ in a far different position from that which would hav


been his had he discovered the drag and altered
" course He still on the Florida coast-nearly oppt
m site Matanzas and he now headed out ipto the gu
e ~ stream to cross to Cuba.


ed He had not got aEee leagues from the coast whe
er one of his hailed from alo whom he had sent
st. keep look out and informed him of sail dead ahea
ct This was of trouble to him, for he knc
that several of the pirate cruisers at and
he knew whether be would not again be recaptureC


and this to him anything but desirable. While
en- yet ponderng upon his prospects, he heard agai
he the voice of his lookout who shouted that two MOI


vessels in sight close in company with the first thu
he had seen and then his heart again bounded with hop
he for ne knew that the pirates generally crused sngy
hit less on some important expeditionand that merchan
ed men, like frightened women, in the habit of clu


tering together The strange sails drew rapidly nea
ay and they the quick eye of don Edmundo
e saw that they not merchantmen, for they
heavier set of canvass and spread broader cew tha
M did the merchantmen Of that day
,e But they were coming up rapidly-it too late
I'M rereat-and he knew that indeedn they were encme
" it was too late escape. Ere the had reached
he meridian however, all of his doubts ended; all
rd his fears dspelled He vessel which he well kney
ke flag which the reader will recognise waved from he
nut mast-head for oni embroidered the wordsdeat
i al