Adventure Magazine Cover — page 145: what you’re looking at

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

THE WAY OF SINNERS Like a flash of black lightning, the duke was on his feet, his eyes blazing out of a face suddenly paler. ““‘Wast thou masked?” he demanded, his fingers on the little gold bell. ‘Did he see thy face at allp”’ “No, sire.” Still piercing my forehead with his gaze, Alessandro let out his breath slowly in a sigh of relief. His fingers moreover loosed their grip on the bell. ““*Twas wise of thee,’ he said at last, “for had he seen thee, thou’d have gone within five minutes, where thou’d never have been recognized again— Now be- ware, fellow! If he did see thee, confess it—better an easy death now, than the flesh taken off thee in strips an he traces thee hither!’ “Nay, sire—indeed.” The duke seated himself and shaded his eyes again “N arrate what befell from the begin- ning,’ he commanded harshly. ‘And quickly!” The which I did; receiving no sign of his approbation or disapproval, until I told how Rosa Salviati had killed one of the men- at-arms, and scratched the count’s face in her mad fury, so that he fell down possessed. “Ha?” demanded Alessandro suddenly, lowering his hand and staring at me with narrowed eyes. ‘‘She called him vile names to his face, and then scratched the said face so that he—?” “Ves, sire!”’ “Gloria Deo in Excelsis!” says the duke, now ringing his golden bell vigorously. “Captain—send a man at once to my treasurer, and bid him here on the instant.” The captain hesitated. “He hath retired, sire.”’ ‘He is still the treasurer in his night- shirt,’ snapped the duke, “let him come hither in it—forthwith!”’ The door closed; and from the anteroom I heard hasty orders and the hurry of de- parting footsteps. The duke set himself to pace the room—Just as I remembered him to have done months before, when Uccello was expected; but this time his Highness’s face was smiling, and he was rubbing his hands together with delight. He even chuckled to himself aloud, which was not his habit in the presence of commoners; a stern and forbidding face was ever his public wear. 143 ‘And after this,”’ says he, without looking at me, ‘“‘how didst thou escape? Sure what were left of the count’s men were fain to fall upon thee?”’ “They were much shaken by their mas- ter’s predicament,” says I, ‘“‘and—”’ I told him how I had played the noble; at which he burst into candid laughter, and smote me on the shoulder. “T dub thee il Conte dello Bordello!’ he cried. ‘QO Holy Virgin, why was I not there! All amid the silks and velvets—Oh, and blood on the bed and dead men’s hair in the sweetmeats, and that putana screaming, and old Roberto frothing at the mouth, and thou directing the lightning —by God’s wounds, ’tis rare. Here—" He strode over to his desk and fumbled in a drawer of it; pulled forth a silver disk, glanced at the engraving on its face, and tossed it to me. So surprized was I that it fell on the carpet at my feet, and I must stoop to pick it up. “There is the first medal of my new order,” says he, still laughing in gusts, ‘“‘the Order of Jesus Christ. Wear it in thy hat; thou hast done well and shalt—”’ A knock at the door; instanter the duke forgot me and my well-doing, and my holy decoration for the bullying of a harlot; and stepped forward to greet his treasurer. This one, who had indeed come in his shirt and with aged eyes all rheumy from his pillow, bowed as low as his pot-belly would permit him, and was about to make some ceremonious speech, when the duke broke in: “Messer Valdifiore—concerning that war- rant for twenty thousand crowns.”’ The old man was evidently not so far awake that he could remember this. ““My steward spoke to thee of it yester- day, fool!’ snaps Alessandro, taking him by the shoulder and shaking him. “Oh, sire—yes. The warrant for twenty thousand crowns to the—to the—’’ “Aye. Well, ‘twill be presented to- morrow; and thou’rt to refuse it payment. Dost understand me?”’ “But, sire—’’ “Well?” “On what account?” “On account of my order!’’ roared Ales- sandro. “Is not that enough for thee? Ah, but— Yes. The ducal warrants must not fall into disrepute, thou wouldst say. Well, then, the signature is not mine— *twas mv secretary wrote it.”’ Co DOOLK (C@