Adventure, June 1911 — page 74: what you’re looking at

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

260 and why I brought you here to save you from Antonio della Scala——” “No, no, do not tell me! Ah, what mat- ter now!” = The Princess had sprung up from her chair and was facing me, white as death, and with such terror and anguish in her eyes as made me cold with horror. “What is it?” I cried. madonna?” “T did not know!” she cried pitifully, ap- pealing to me as if for pardon. ‘I did not know—you never told me! Ah, why did I not hear you patiently on the first night you brought me here? Now it is too late, and there is no hel es “What is it?” I cried again, frightened by the look of pale anguish in her face. “They are coming!” she wailed, throw- ing her arm across her eyes. “They are coming! Within the hour they will be here!’’ “What is it, CHAPTER XXIII THE SCARF WITH THE GOLD FLOWERS R a moment I stood staring at her, too dazed for words. At last the mean- ing of her warning burst on my clouded wits, and I sprang forward and caught her by the hand. ‘Be calm, Madonna Giulia,’ I said quietly, though my blood was all on fire. “Do you mean that Antonio della Scala is coming here to-night?” _ She uncovered her eyes and looked wildly at me, and the sight of her anguish moved me as the thought of danger could never have done. ‘Yes,’ she murmured, half inaudibly.- : “But how can you know that? Who has told you?” I asked, in utter amazement. “Madonna, Violante,” she answered, with tears of despair running down her cheeks. She came here, and you let her see me, and together we formed the plot. You can do nothing, they will be here within the hour!”’ In an instant all was clear tome. “Ah!” I cried, with a sudden sharp, unreasonable bitterness gnawing at my heart, “you plotted this with Madonna Violante—you told me nothing of it! You did not trust me ever so little, Princess, and yet I was freely risking my life to do you service!” Every vestige of her pride and scorn had left her. She looked at me with the pale, desperate face of a suffering child. “I did not know that you loved me, that you wished Adventure ; to help me!” she wailed, her hands stretched out in prayer for pardon. ‘You had not told me this! I had heard you say that you would sell me to Francesco Carrara to fill your purse and the purses of your bravoes. Madonna Violante told me that I was not safe in your hands; she said that one day you would boast that——” | “Do you not know that Ranucio della Torre and his wife would lie away their souls if they could gain thereby? Do you trust them? Do you know me so little, when I have striven so hard to serve you?” “You had not spoken then,” she re- peated drearily. ‘I did not know. Ah, what have I done, Sir John?” “No great harm, save that by your mis- trust you have hurt me,” I answered, forcing myself to cheerfulness. ‘“‘Let them come, they shall not get you! We will give An- tonio della Scala such a welcome as will be little to his fancy!” I swung on my heel with a laugh, for the prospect of a fight was sweet to me. She caught my arm. “Oh, you do not understand! They will not attack the castle walls!—they have a surer way to make their entrance! I have killed you, Sir John, when you were striving hard to serve me! my life I shall have your blood on my hands and your death on my soul!” A wild triumph filled me at the words, for now I saw that she trusted me. “Tell me all, madonna,” I said. ‘‘ Never fear, I will find a way to outwit them.” “You can not!’’ she moaned, and hid her faceagain. “Antonio knows this castle well. He knows the secret passage——”’ “The passage!”* My heart was beating faster. “Yes, yes. There is an underground pas- sage that crosses beneath the moat and opens through a moving block of stone in the castle store-room. They can enter it through a great hollow oak in the wood yonder. They will come and take you, and I have doomed you to certain death!” She looked at me with hopeless eyes. ““No matter, Madonna Giulia,” I said cheerfully. “I have seen more desperate affairs than this. We will barricade the entrance to the passage——”’ She shook her head with a moan. ‘“‘It is too late! How can I tell you what I have done? I begged you to give me the freedom of the castle only that I might get speech with your men, and [I bribed your fellow COmmiclbooks (©