Beadle's Dime Novels, No. 11 — page 84: what you’re looking at

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

- 82 THE PRISONER OF LA VINTRESSE. A lurking smile grew deeper on the thin lips of Senor Ve- lasquez. “Well, what's the business?” asked the don, laying his costly pipe aside. “What have you found out—what do you know ?” “T have by letter given you a precise account of my do- ings up to the present time,” said the senor. “Ihave now | only to exonerate Senor Abrates; she escaped him, as well as myself.” “How do you know ?” inquired the don. “T have seen her,” was the reply. ~ “Where? when?” cried Don Carlos, excitedly. ““ Patience, my dear friend,” said the senor,’softly; “I will tell you the whole story. For some reasons, probably of im- portance, Senorita Monserate left the house of Senor Abrates, I tracked her to a common boarding-house, where she had ~ taken rooms under the name of Smith. For some time I watched her, waiting for an opportunity to surprise her; but before that could happen, she had changed her name again, ‘and her lodgings. For weeks I tried in vain to obtain an in- _terview with her. I have waited patiently before the house in which she was, for hours at a time. I have tracked her to stores and the post-office, but she was too cunning forme. [ have every reason to suspect that she knew me. One day I saw a boy go from the house with a letter. I knew then that she would not venture out. I followed the boy and overtook him. I wished to see the letter—he was not to be threatened. I bribed him; he carefully unsealed it, for the seal was yet wet, and, for a half-sovereign, allowed me to read it. It was a plan for flight. On a certain day she was to meet the man to whom she had written, and place herself under his protec- tion. Thus forewarned, I thought I might outwit her. I ob- tained a country sujt and wagon, and should assuredly have been successful, but for the breaking of my shafts in gving down-hill. The accident delayed me nearly half an hour, and I was in the vicinity of no other carriage. When [ arrived there, she had gone. If I had found her—” he paused here, but “you would never have seen her,” gleamed jig his crafty eye. “Too bad!” muttered the don, making as if he would coml{cbooks.com