The Duchess's Revenge or The Three Warnings — page 17: what you’re looking at

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

‘THE DUCHESS'S REVENGE. “— eee |e - _ - me / 15 “©¥You late aia praise my iE my face, my lips; I give them to you. All these I freely | give you; and, in return, T ask that’ you willseek | Th the ola oak Gabinete that stands in the hall at Mugnone; for therein yen will find that which you love best.’ “What can this mean 2” criéd the aiuiee. “It is the Jady’s handwriting, truly,” cried Bentivoglio. ‘Seek in the old oak cabinet.’ I see it all, my lord. Tne lady, aided by a ‘woman's quick imagination, has hit upon a pretty surprise. No doubt she started from the palace, and arrived here before we did, and now lies concealed in yonder cabinet, where she has overheard our talk.” “Tf that be so, we ‘so00n will have the pretty eavesdropper from her hidine-place,’’ ‘cried the duke, lawghing. ‘Come forth! «ome forth you little spy! I claim tke fair gifts you have pro- mised me. J’ll have that face head, those liquid eyés, and ruby lips; ell, all are mine!” | As he apoke he advanced ‘to the cabinet, and throwing open the heavy doors, gazed imbide, Scarcely had he done so than he and Benti- vocliouttered a scream of terror, and recoiled from the cabinet im horror. Well micht they try to ‘close the terrible gpectacle from their sight’ by pressing their bands to their eyes’; bat that one glance had'so impressed the image on their brains thatnothing | | passed. Your death is now all that remains to now could ever efface it. There, on one shelf of the cabmét, was Con- stantia’s lovely head, which had evidently been just separated from the body. Her lovely face, now pale and pinched, was still beautiful. The thin, closed eyelids, marked with timmy veins, ‘shut im her liquid eyes; her golden hair, amidst which still ¢leamed the duchéss’s diamonds, was dabbled im blood that still flowed from her throat. “* Great HESVEHS 7 ; ‘duke. Beuntivoglio bated at the lifeless head, his -Inmbs trembling violently, and the veins on his temples swelling up like knotted cords. denly throwing ‘his arms above his head, he uttered one long piercing scream of agony, and, rushing towards the ‘cabinet, exclaimed : “ Constantia! my child! my child!” He was‘about to touch the head, when a new horrorseized them both. A bright light began to shine into and from the cabinet; this slowly grew brighter, and at last assumed the shape of the White Lady. ‘Blanche! ” cried the duke ; time come— his is the third warning! Constantia !”’ }?? “then has my cried the > Sud- | | from the other’s grasp, by ‘a dexterous move- - cozen. stantia Baronci. story of the White Lady; I willfinishit. Blanche “Your child!” exclaimed the duke. ‘ What mean you r”’ “Constatitia was my dauchter. I trained her, for revenge upon your house, to lie, to eheat, to She never loved you: she aeepised— hated you—and all she did was to ‘bring ruin | on the house of Vergellesi.” - “Constantia Gornito your daughter!” 1ex- claimed the duke. . f “Sie was not Constantia Gornito, but Con- You told me only pstt of ‘the was the sister of one Bentivoclio Baronci, a gentleman of fair estate, who was my’ ancestor. Your ancestor tore the girl from the brother’s arms, ruined, murdered her; then drove the brother into exile. But an Italiam rever for- | gives or forgets ‘an injury. LThoueh born abroad, each one of our family swore, wpon our father’s death-bed, to carry venseance to the house of Vergellesi im ‘our hearts. Generation after generation swore to the vendetta, till I the last, having no male heir to Garry on the war, deter- mined that it should end, but only by the wiping out the nate of Vergellesi from the world. I sacrificed my daughter 10 this purpose, but'the night you would have made hex tke duchess would Have been the signal of your death; for by that means I hoped to build up the house of Baronci.' She is dead! and that fond hepe has fillup my cup of vengeance.” “ Villain!’ eried the duke, drawing his sword. “Your life shall answer for your perfidy.” He aimed a desperate blow at Bentivoglio, but quick as lightning the villain sprung on one side, aud closing with the duke, passed the dagger through the fleshy part of his adversary’s arm. “Take back your wife’s present, my lord, the duke,” cried Bentivoglio, with fiendish ‘glee ; “she gaveit to me for this purpose. Now have the Baronci paid back their wrougs to the Ver- gellesi in their'own coin.” “ Coward,” cried the duke, wresting himself ment. “Cowardly ‘hound, thus'do I put an end to all your scorpion race.” He made’ a desperate lunge, and his keen rapier passed through Bentivoglio’s breast. Uttering ‘one sharp cry of agony, Bentivoglio fell backwards to the earth. The noise of the strife had scarcely ended, when the doors of the hall were thrown wide open, and a crowd of servants entered, bearing large | candles, and announcing at the top oi their Slowly the phantom stooped, as if to press the | cold lips of the lifeless head; then, standing erect, pointed first towards Bentivoglio and then . to the duke. The action seemed to call Bentivoglio to Tife once again. Turning qnackly towards the duke, he drew the poignard he had‘had from Fiammetta. «This, my lord duke,’ he cried, “is your work. Bat, trust me, my child shall not go un- avenged.” voices: ‘‘ The duchess! the duchess!” Dressed in her full robes, the duchess swept into the room, followed by her ladies. “How now, my lord?” she demanded. “What means this horrid spectacle? Swords drawn, and Signor Bentivoglio slain P” “f Far worse than that, madam,’’ cried the duke; look in yonder cabinet. Behold the work of your fair hands. Oh, devil! that could do so foul a deed on one so fair !”’ A shudder passed over the duchess as she (E(0) JOOKS AMILICE com