A Servant of Satan: Romantic Career of Prado the Assassin — page 29: what you’re looking at

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

A SERVANT OF SATAN, 21 CHAPTER IL A SHOCKED FATHER. The sun was just rising from behind Vesuvius when one of those hideous and awkward-looking cabs which infest the streets of Naples crawled up to the park gates of a handsome villa on the road to Posilipo. Carelessly tossing a five-lire note to the driver, a young man whose travel-stained ap- pearance showed traces of a long journey jumped to the ground and violently rang the beil. Some minutes elapsed before the porter was sufficiently aroused from his sleep to realize the fact that a stranger was waiting for admittance, and when he finally issued forth to unlock the gates, his face bore manifest evidence of the intense disgust with which he regarded the premature disturbance of his ordi- narily peaceful slumbers. ‘““is this the Count von Waldberg’s villa?” inquired the stranger. “Yes,” replxed the porter in a gruff voice. ‘‘ What of that?” “1 want to speak to himat once. Unlock the gate.” *“Indeed! You want to see his excellency?” ‘* At once!” “At this hour? Per Bacco! Who has ever heard of such a thing? You will have to come back later in the day, my young friend—very much later in the day—if you wish to be granted the honor of an audience,” and with that he turned away and was about to. leave the stranger standing in the road, when suddenly steps were heard ap- proaching along the gravel path which led up to the villa, and atall, soldierly figure appeared in view. aed comicbooks.com —