Mezzoni the Brigand — page 165: what you’re looking at

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

z. MEZZONI THE BRIGAND. 157 quietly, than to add unnecessary publicity to them by resistance. Please hand me the key.”’ As he made this demand he looked her full in the eyes, and to his surprise she complied doggedly. ‘Thank you,”’ said the detective. He then proceeded at once to open the cabinet, where, after a few moments’ examination, he dis- covered a vial of colorless liquid, about one-third full, without any label upon it, but with a black cross mark, made evidently with pen and ink upon the-cork. At this moment the countess, suddenly awakening, as if from a dream, and apparently realizing the damning character of this evidence of her guilt, attempted to seize it from the hand of the officer, but he promptly disposed of it in his breast pocket. ‘How much of this article, signora, did it require to kill the count?” asked the detective with the most perfect coolness. “The count, the count,’? she echoed, as she now staggered to a chair for support. “Yes, signora.’’ ‘“‘T said there was a conspiracy to——’ “Not at all. You will give me the information and thus avoid publicity.’’ ‘No publicity, no publicity,’ she repeated. ‘We will keep all quiet.”’ ‘“Quiet,’’ she again echoed. ‘Was the count cruel to you, signora, that made you poison him?”’ ‘Poison him,” she said, as though she were ina sort of trance. The detective was puzzled. Was she already de- ranged? She seemed to make no effort at evasion b Eomicbooks (Ee)