The Argosy — page 133: what you’re looking at

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

120 The Sapphire Cross. Lucia shook her head sadly. She could think of nobody of the, kind. ‘‘ Supposing there to have been such a person,” continued Signor | Renzo, “he must either have been lurking about the stairs for some. time before committmg, the deed, or he must have entered the house. by the deaf porter’s lodge after Carlotta descended, or he must have been concealed in the apartment. If he had been lurking about the stairs, Guido himself, in all probability, would have seen him, nor: could he have failed to mention a fact so much in his own favour. If he were concealed in the apartment one would be led to suspect. the connivance of the servants. But against them, as you yourself have just said, the preliminary inquiry elicited absolutely nothing. There remains the third hypothesis, that the thief entered the house: after the maid had left the ante-chamber.” Lucia sighed wearily. This nameless, invisible, intangible murderer —who could he be? “He might have been anybody,” resumed the lawyer, unconsciously answering her thought. ‘‘Some abject wretch, half-meditating a crime as an escape from starvation, who, seeing an open door, entered, and tempted, succumbed.” Signor Renzo rose, and perplexed, took a turn or two about the room. ‘The Countess was almost recklessly benevolent, I have heard,” he went on. ‘‘I suppose there were all sorts of poor creatures who went to her for relief ? ” ) ‘All sorts.” Lucia gave a faint, sad smile of recollection, as she remembered how the people had thronged to the beautiful Countess’s dwelling as to some miraculous shrine. | “And, of course, it would be in this particular neighbourhood where she lived on the outskirts of such a seething mass of poverty, that her reputation for charity was greatest?” “Yes,” said Lucia, ‘‘everybody went to her until the Count interfered. And to the last she was very, very kind.” ‘“Humph!” Signor Renzo grew more and more meditative. ‘You know of no unusually miserable creature living hereabouts, who showed any special agitation on hearing of the murder, or behaved in any way strangely ?” Again she shook her head. ‘* Nobody left the neighbourhood rather suddenly?” persisted the lawyer. ‘““Ah!” cried Lucia, and clasped her hands in a positive spasm of remembrance. ‘“ Zito /” “Tito?” Signor Renzo took a chair and dropped into it in front of her. ‘And who is Tito?” | But already Lucia was remorseful. ‘It is impossible,” she said. ‘Do not ask me to suspect him.” ‘Tell! tell!” urged her companion excitedly. ‘ Never mind who he is. I woald suspect the Judy? on the Bench, now, rather than Guido.” ECOPMICLMIOO; KS, EO)