Year: 1870

threshold Of the cathedral door anc
clasp in his arms young female men
dicant. He carried her aloft to hi
habitation and caused her to sit down
She was trembling, frightened, anc
Esquilon viewed her with glowing
eyes.


At length with an agitated voic,
and stammering lips. endeavoring to
modify his naturally brusquc and dis
dainful tone he questioned her briefly
Had Esquilon known the world NOR,
intimately than from the towers Of tn,
cathedral he would most certainly hav,
avoided some indiscrect inquiries tina,
might have embarrassed truth itself
disguised in youthful beauty and pov.
erty. Certain it is that the answers OF
Rosa. for this was the maidcn's name
80 confused the judgment Of the pas
sionate Esquilon that, clasping her q
second time in his stout arms he as
cended like lightning to the tower, and
never did those in the vicinity of that
town hear chime more noisy, pro
longed, and importunate. In short
time EsQuilon and Rosa were married.


In spite Of the slight knowledge OF
the world which we have attributed to
the bcllman. he could not but suspect
that his wife was too pretty not TO
have had lover in her former aban-
doncd life. In fact, not to mention the
elegant youths who when they went to
hear the magnificent orchestra of the
chapel so charitably, disintercstedly,
and abundantly assisted her. a ruddy,
hea,hy-looking fellow OF her own pro-
fesslon was sighing for her at the epoch
of the bellman's terrible Intervention.
They called him the "Limpcr" for hav-
ing lcg that excited compassion
when be exposed it in public, but a
sounder or better turned one was not
! presented at the academy of san Fer
nando, If certain bandages were rcmov-
Ell when night had spread her protect
ing mantle Esquilon loved his wife
pa.sionately and could no. help being
jealous but, too good, like so many 9TH
ers. and slightly instructed moreover
in the artltices OF men. he was satisfied
TO stand behind her when she heard
mass from the iiligrccd galleries and 10
watch the movement Of her eyes. These
were fixed ne day upon u sexton who
was ringing the little bell in the sacred
services, and the cunning Rosa man
aged to repress tremor of Joy at
recoy oynizIng beneath the sexton, gar
nents the never forgotten Llmper, her
old lover.


To relate the mean, Of which the
uituuitaut ~ tiict himself W t!lctt 81
singular netamo. phosis, the measures
he took . remain concealed behind th.
front OF the great altar. the deXterIty
with which at night he climbed covered
with cobwebs through the sculptures
and cornices of the chspcls ami naves,
reaching for the termination OF his
journey the most secret part of the
roof where Rosa was expecting him.
the craft and tiDs Of the latter used to
persuade her husband to tolerate these
nocturnal rambles,-ali this would be
for me d most pleasant matter but it
his necessary to have compassion on the
three objects that we have left taking
the fresh air.


From what l have just related l
could conjecture that had surprised
the lovers at rendezvous, and that
not only but the unfortunate bcllman
also had caught them in their criminal
interview. The forms in the shadow.
or rather the sexton and Rosa, did not
venture to move for fear Of being per-
ceived, but it was too late. EsquiloR
slowly approached them with his furi-
Gus, tiger-like yells and with the terri
BILE eyes of wildcat. In them read
the sentence of ferocious vengeance
and in his measured pace the irrevoca-
BILE determination to execute it. He
was near the criminals when they, GER
tain Of having been discovered, by an
instinct Of self-perservation arose
unanimously to flee, and the bell-ringer
with another furious cry threw himself
upon them selzing each of the unhappy
lovers with desperate, iron grasp
did not hear q word. The blood froze
in my veins as l saw them almost or
the edge Of the cornice, suspended Oyel
an abyss. Esquilon doubtless wished
to precipitate them from the roof for a
confused outcry was now heard as OF
entreaties and menaces, and terrible
desperate struggle began, the combat
ants at times touching the last tile tina
projects more than q yard over the
abyss below. In vain from INV window
l called them BY name, threatened
them,-the miserable sexton fell whiz.
zing through the air, and horrible
dull SOUND echoed at the bottom Of thu