Mezzoni the Brigand — page 133: what you’re looking at

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

MEZZONI THE BRIGAND. 125 As regarded the passage connecting this vault with the outside of the palace, that was evidently of a very modern construction. This passage robbed the vault of all usefulness as a place of confinement, since it would but facilitate the escape of a prisoner, while at the same time it very much enhanced its value as a secret hiding-place for stolen property, since it was not necessary to enter the palace to reach it. The possession of such a resort was the greatest safeguard possible for a guilty person, for property once placed here was as securely hidden or nearly so, as though it had been deposited at the bottom of the Mediterranean itself. No one would suppose the existence of such a hiding-place beneath the Corrello palace, even if they suspected the honesty of its master. The pretended old woman, who had lost her par- rot, made a more important discovery than she had expected, when she tossed about the rubbish in the rear yard. The moment that trap-door was seen the hunt for the parrot had ceased. Not a bird’s nest, but a burglar’s nest was the result of the examina- tion. . This subterranean chamber was accessible also by an iron door from the palace above. During these examinations, Beppo, the man-ser- vant who has several times been spoken of in the > course of our story, showed by his honest surprise that he had known nothing of these matters. The trap-door in the rear yard was a source of profound amazement to him. His master’s guilt was plain enough to the officers now, but as to Beppo, he could not believe his own senses. ‘ *, yo. ae oe hk — J : i, ' r “~%. s Vis yy tment’ 4 a ms > « > hr, sf ry « . a “4 +7 an h * A s ai fs *~ ‘ é — 7 7 - ¥, oa) ae it Pee ae a LS at WERE 2 OR er ee, ee ee eee is ee a Comicbooks com |