Agnes: A Tale of the Streets — page 141: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

326 and trust to the current of events. Signor Palmas repeated the encuuraging words which he had be. fore spoken to our hero; and then the conversa- tion was turned by the latter into a new channel. The ovening passed away without any incident worthy of notice; and shortly after Charles had retired to his chamber, he dispensed with the at- tendance of Fiorello for tho night. When he fancied that all was quiet within the walls of the mansion, he took with him the means of procuring a light—bhe stule down from his apartment by a private staircase—and he passed out into the garden, It was a moonlight night: he soon made his way to the particular summer-bouse which has before been montioned ; and pressing on the hidden apring, he found that the table, which atood ona massive pedestal, being two feet and a half wide at the base, moved completely round, disclosing an aperture of about the size which the base itself had covered. Our horo unhesitatingly committed himself to the descent of stone steps which led down the opening; and then it was that he lighted the lamp which he had brought with him, Before he completely closed the massive woodwork over his head, he made himself acquainted with the precise working of the spring, 60 that he should not be at a loss how to effect his egress from the place when his business there sbould be finished. He descended the steps sluwly and cautiously— mot because he for a single moment auapected that there was anybody there, but for fear lest any of the stone stairs should be broken, or that the currents of air should extinguish the lamp. The buttom of the flight was reached : Charles pursued @ stone passage for about twenty yards; and then he reached a good-sized apartment, which he felt convinced was the hall of assemblage alluded to in the deceased Count’s letter. There wasa little square trap, or guichet, in the door leading into it, so that pass-words or uther communications might be ex. changed when tho conclave was sitting, between the.door-keeper inside and enybody approaching by way of the passage. Thore were likewise numerous forms and benches in the ball, and a small raised dais with an arm-clair for the presi- dential seat. Our hero remembered all be had seen at the Spartivento Palace ; and with a shud- dering sensation be thought within himself, “I wonder whether this hall has bebeld any scenes so hideous and awful as that which in ite association with the name of Fussano has become so indelibly impressed upon my momory!” Charles proceeded to examino the floor of the ball of avse:mblaye: it was paved with large stones but the stoue in the centre was of much smaller dimensions. Our hero had not been uumindful of the probability of experiencing somo little diffi- culty in raising the stone; end he had therefore brought with him along poniard, which be found in bis apartment. By the sid of this implement he quickly raised the stone; and beneath it he ° fuuud a tin box, which contained a quantity of letters. Charles considered the correspoudeuce tu be sucred: he was accordingly about tu commence tho destruction of those ducuments un the spot, when be was suddenly startled by the suund of a door closing somewhere within the subterranvans, lio paused and listened with suspended breath ; Sut ali was now etill, Thatit was o0 ere freak of Spe faucy on his part, be felt perfvotly covvinced ; AGNES; OR, BEAUTY AND PiLBASUER. while he was also confident that it was no door which he himself had neglected to shut that could have occasioned the nuise. Ho therefore determined to penetrate further into the vaulted pase with which his mansion was undormined. “ What saic the Count’s letter P” hé asked hinu- self. “Did it not inform mo that othcra were ac- quainted with the secrets of this place ?—ahd in- asmuch as it has evidently been a point of renzos- vous for the conspirators at different times, it is probable that there are several hundred ‘Rersons who have a knowledge of thesc subterraneans and of the mysterious modes of gaining access to them. Who knows, then, but that some one may now bc concealed here? Perhaps more than one person ?” Strange that this idea did not occur to me before $ [ will satisfy myself on the point. But Ab! these papers! I may be suddenly surprised on this spot —and others may be less scrupulous than myself with regard to the documents! I will replace them while I search.” In his haste to put back the papers into the tin box, Charles scattered threo or four of thom on the pavement; and while picking them up, his eye caught the signature of Charles Albert, written in that very same cipher which had been used by Fossano, and into which our hero had obtained a complete insight at the Spartivento Palace. This was a revelation; for it was evidently that same Charles Albert, King of Snurdinia, who bad been defeated at the battle of Novara, and who had since abdicated in favour of his son. Our hero bad however often heard an opinion expressed to the effect that Cnarles Albert had privately en- couraged the Carbunari and other Sveret Societies in the hope of becoming King of all Italy; and De Vere was now tulerably well satisfied that there was goud foundation fur the rumour. He did not however penetrate any further into tho mysteries of those letters: the little he bad seen was accidental; and hastily consiguing them to tho tin box, he replaced them under the stone. He now continued his rescarches. A door on the opposite side uf the hal! led him into avuother stone passage, where there were two duvra on the right side, and a third door at the extremity. Tho young Cvunt opened the firet door, aud found that it led into a small apartment whiely jnstuntanevusly reminded him of the guard-roum at the Sparti- vento Palace, “Doubticss this bas served as o guard-rvom likewise,’ thougbt our hero to himeolf: aud thea be passed on to the next dour, Ou vpening it, Charles immediately became sen- sible of a degreo of warmth, which did not prevail elsewhere in the subterranean; and castiug his Jooks around, he beheld an iron stove in one corner, Lifting the lid of the furnace, he per- cvoived the smouldering embers: and the evurce of the heat was no Jonger a mystery. “Tuen some one és hore!” be moutally cjaca- lated: and now he beheld a cloak rolled up on a quantity of dry woud, which no duubt fel the stove, and which might be likewise spread out in such « way as to furm, by the adjunct of the cloak a bed to protect the linbs of its occupaut trom the culd that would otherwise etriky up trum che pavement-tivur. There was a small cupboard iu this ruvow, Charles opened it, and he vebeld several adui- comicbaoo S