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palace 8” “They are both gone. sire.” “'All the guests are not gone i” “All except the Count Denaro. He is with the marquis.” “ What in the world sent them off so early I Bless my soul ! Refreshments had not been served. What was the matter 2” The boy started to speak and stop- ped. Finding his master waiting he started again, but broke down as be- fore. " Filippo. have I ever given you occa- sion to fear me i” . “ Oh. no. my lord! You have given only occasion to love you with all my heart.” " Then why do you fear to answer the question 1 ask 3‘" “It was, my lord, because 1â€"” he‘ cast a quick sweeping glance around the hall, and presently went on, with fear and trembling, “becauseâ€"I was afraid of another.” " You mean Marquis Stefiano 8” “Yes, my lor .” " Now. boy, tell me plainly what he had to do with it. and in return I Promise you that you shall suffer not one atom from him, either in word or deed.” guts and the two young nobles of whom the duke had spoken; he was. moreover. possessed of a considerable L-1.I degree of dramatic power; and he told the story so faithfully that, had his heater been present at the meeting. he could not have seen it more vividly. He had not a'question to add. He simply listened to the end. and. hav- ing assured him once more that he had nothing to fear, dismissed him. After that he would have avoided his brother. and he sought to do so. He did not wish to see him until he had slept and had opportunity for thought, and if possible he would have held another interview with his ward before he answered any questions of Steffano‘s asking. “0-..:â€" vvvttwuv u w~â€"â€"â€" But he was not to escape. Being in' his own mind well assured that if. the guests haul all departed, his brother would have betaken himself to the BmOking-room, he ventured to look in- to the drawing-room before retiring to his private apartments.. He entered. finding the lights mostly extinguished. but enough had been left burning to reveal to him the forms of Steffano and Guiseppe Denaro seated at an open window. Even then he would have passed on. but the marquis had seen him and came forth to speak with him. “Well, Antonio, was 1 not right 9" he asked. with intense eagerness. Did I make a mistake i" “Steffano. we will not speak of it my ward to trouble me. and I wouldi have rest and quiet. I wish to think.” “ But you will give me a simple word of answer to my question. Surely that can not tax you heavily." ' The duke was not a man who could hide his true feelings. \Vhatever he felt. especially if he felt it deeply, ap- peared on the surface. The marquis saw the cloud upon his brother’s brow and the pained look in his large, ex- pressive eyes. and he burst forth coarsely : _ r - n . f ‘ ___- j--AA = “ 'Fore heaven! I trust I have done nothing to ruffle the current of your life. If I have I am truly sorry.” “ Steffano.” returned the duke, stern- 1y. but without anger, “ what is your own opinion. now that you are sober and rational, of your treatment of Sig- nor Zanoni last evening 7" z “Vt wuvâ€"â€" ll . Oho! th'has'been Eattling, Iwon- der? Will your grace kindly inform .__.-.G “C; ' ..... vagâ€" c_v. me how the story came to your ears? Oho! I have it! The princess told you, and the painter told her. A must no- ble and reliable source of information. truly! I can imagine that the fellow did not spare me in his pathetic nar- rative! And did you helieve it all 8” I o- \- “-â€" V v._ ‘ 'Yes. Steffano, I believed every word ‘ of it. You are mistaken. however, if you think the man you so grossly in-I suited is the only person who was wit! nees, with yourself, of the disgraceful; scene.” ‘ "Duke,” demanded the marquis hotly. "do you say that Iâ€"Steffano Fameseâ€"insulted a low-born. plebeian painter ?” “ I say the insult was the more gross and unpardonable in that it was given by a Farnese and brother of the reign-; in: _dukg I” ' s I L 2‘ LL- _-L‘-_‘ O ‘- -vv “Per Bacco! I doubt if the nobles of Parma would be content to accept your dictum." the marquis rejoined, with a grating, bitter laugh. The duke turned quickly to the count, who still mt in the races at the win- ” Signor Count.” he said, looking at the man squarely in the face. “what is your opinion? I will leave it to you as a man of sense, of judgment, and as one posassing a sense 'of honor and self-respect. You were witness of the scene. \Vould you deem Stetfano’s treatment of Signor Zenoni an insult!” as a man of as one posse: self-respect. scene. \Voul treatment of 0 ‘Q:’A ” m1 wié'sfii’l'éa't'ifi't'hé’ieéeiys (St the win; dow. . . ” Signor Count,” he 881d. looking at 3 “Hark ye!” Here Steffano grasped the bewildered count by the wrist and whispered into his ear: “I can trust uarel in the face, “what you, I know. By heavens! If you isgoglopigion? yI will leave it to you should betray me} But tushl 0f as a man of sense, of judgment. and .Wh“ em I thinking! Here, It . is, as one possessing a sense of honor and plumply and plainly; My good brotherâ€" self-respect. You Iwere witness of the Duke 0‘ Fameâ€"would 81: this moment scene. Would you deem Stetfano’s ”1on 0V“ the WhOlB body Of . the treatment of Signor Zanoni an insult!” “Ohm”, 11903 and heels, and take into ‘ ‘S' " returned the poor fellow,'hi8 councilâ€"take to his heartâ€"the "‘3’ - .. - 'bod otwhth cell th 1 B trembling perceptrbly. I Wish you y e. e s e poop e. y would excuse me.” St- PM!“ If the members of our "Which means.” retorted the duke. Grand Council of Twenty could but without pausing to reflect, “ that you gain suspicion of the reel feelmgs and shrink from characterizing the man- deep-rooted sentiments of their chief nor: of your friend in their true they would depom him oft-bend. . Keven't you ever thonflt of this!” g" Ah.“- placing the untogtuu- “l have sometimes thought." mulled ‘ ‘Which means.” retorted the duke. without pausing to reflect. “ that you chi-ink from characterizing the man- up 9! your friend in their true feared and hated. and yet whosg)goott1; “Enough!” said Antonio, after a brief, painful silence. “Let us say no more at present. I forgive you, Guis- eppe. for your loyalty to your friend. and I ask your pardon for having plac- ed you in such a dilemmaâ€"No! not {another word toâ€"night!” he added. to his brother. who had started to speak. And with this he turned and left the room. .- i ‘ t-) _--nn ; UULLI. For a. time after the duke had gone the two men regarded one another In silence. The marquis was the first to speak. “ Well, old fellow, what do you think of it 2” " Upon my word, Steffano, I know not what to think.” “ You know, I hope, what to think about the princess and the painter i” “ She loves him i” was the reply giv- en with a gasp of pain and anguish. u nr nnnrno Aha. does: and Door Anton- â€"“ 6f eâ€"oni's‘e she does; and poor Anton- io, heaven help him, sees clearly en- ough what .a mess he has made of. 1t. though, thank fortune, we can put an effective stop to it.” “ Do you suppose she confessed to the duke that she loves the man ?” the count asked eagerly. ‘- Q C II “ Of course she did. Couldn’t you see that for yourself? Good heavens, man. he was completely demoralized by his interview with her. Didn’t you mark the p'ain in his face? He looked as though he’d lost his best friend.” ”‘7 Kayâ€"effluâ€"t .1iiighâ€"t it not have been his regret at the affair by the rlver yestgg'Qay 9” - AA- A I "I .I .- - J “ Well upon my word 1” And Stelfano laughed uproariously. “Haven’t you eyes. my dear Count? Couldn’t you see how my question concerning the prin- cess fretted and perplexed him? Bless your simple soul, would the story of the spat with the painter have caused him to refuse us all information touch- ing a matter entirely different. No. 1 can tell you the whole secret, just as surely as though I had it from him- self. Listen and you shall be enlight- ened; you shall acknowledge that I am right. too. “The duke was alone with Isabel a long time. I saw the Countess R1221 coming away from the chamber where she had been carried while in her swoon and she, the countess, told me that they had all, every one of them. been sent away, and she was sure had heard the key turned in the lock af- tel the door had been closed. Mark what I sayâ€"the door was locked, and Antonio and the princess were closeted together. ” Now see.” Here Steffano laid down each proposition with the fingers of the right hand upon the open palm: of‘ the left, speaking sharply and ear--1 nestly, as though he meant that each and every word should strike home -â€"should find lodgment in his heart. “ No! the whole scene is as clear to me as though I had been there through it all. The duke asked her. fairly and squarely, if she loved the painter. But, you will understand. she had already betrayed herself. over and over again. Guiseppe! I know the dear girl well enough to know that she’d cut her hand off sooner than tell a lie. She saw plainly enough that her see- ret had already gone from her keeping; so she had nothing to lose by making _a clean breast of it. “ Remember, further, she must have been at the timeâ€"when she first re- covered consciousnessâ€"firm in the be- lief that her low-born lover was dead. and, so believing, she would speak free- ly and fearlessly. Yes, my dear Count, be sure she made aclean thing of it. telling her guardian everything. “ And now, you ask me why the duke was so reticent; and you would fain know what he will do about it. He was reticent because he was so terribly wrought upon that he knew not what to say. With regard to what he will doâ€"he will try to save his ward with- out harm to her plebeian lover. Upon my word, his infatuation for that fel- low is beyond my comprehension. Count as I live, I do verily believeâ€"I am ser- ious in this, I mean itâ€"I do verily believe that if he were hard pushed; it the princess should hold out, as we know she is cap- able of doing, and the painter should-go down on his knees and implore, as he is evidently capable if imploring. he would wilt like abruised flower-bud.” {Nova Guiseppe, do you begin ratand? Dthyou not see what you b1 M “W“â€"v the golden prize toaforeign arm, on}: you lose her forever. 11 Antonio allows her to go, over to her every penny he holds of {her property. Say, man, will you that 2" . “Will you point cutaway by which I can prevent it?" \ . _. s 11 _L nn‘l‘l’? nl‘llflklv. I can prevent it: \ . “Yes; I can do that very quickly. Were the ease mine I a brave. in which case the of a sharp stiletto would put him out of the way and nobody wo wiser. But that you would not do. Oh you needn't have shaken 5'0.” head; I know your quality in that direction. But I’ll tell you what you caudo. You are one of the best swordsmen in Par- ma. You certainly have just cause for calling him out. He kne ' known for a long timeâ€"of your devoted love for the princess; and yet, plebeian as he is, he sets himself to 'the work of robbing you of your heart's desire.' Just heaven! will you stand supinely by and see him bear the beautiful ° away-3" “Never! Never! By the life of my ‘immortal soul, he shall not do it 1" ‘ “Will you swear it'?’ “Yes, I swear it 1" “Then, my dear Guiseppe, go home and sleep upon it. Only, remember this one thing.” Again the plotter caught the count by the wrist, and whispered into his ear: “Of course, the duke will put a stop to the princess's vi-;its to the painter's studio. At this {both she and the painter will fume [and fret savagely; and thus the grand denouement will be hastened. Just imagine how it would be with yourself. Give them three days, and, by San Mar- co, they will be off.” “Stefano!" “Do you doubt it i" What would you do were you in the painter's place and he in yoprsr: .. 1 -J_-2LL-.I u W C“ v--â€" mt‘You arearight," the count admitted, after a. brief pause. “Oh, let me think! I can not lose her! It would kill me!" _ _ ‘ n .511 I“ “It ;ou are brave and true you shall not. Go home and sleep upon it." “I will. Oh, Steftano, you will stand by me 3” “To the death, Guiseppe!” “Thanks! Good-night. I shall see you on the morrow.'f 1‘- _-A-__ “And be sure you come with your heart strong and your resoluuon hrm- 1y fixed." “I will be sure.” “Then success will be yours. Cour- age, old fellow! Have only courage and the most beautiful, as well as the sweetest, girl in Italy shall be your - "Sâ€"I-Lveftano accompained the count 8.8 for as the outer door of the: main vest:- buleAand there they partod. “Oh," the marquis muttered, as he turned toward his own apartments, “1 wish he could gain speech with Isabel while he is in this uncertain stateol am sure she would speak her mind Without fear and without subterfuge. Mercyl what a. muddle it is! But I think I see my way. Ah! With the painter and the count out of the way the prize may be mine.“ Was it in answer to Steffano's earn- est desire or was it fate? Whatever fillet cause, the result was a thing of ac . In the rear of one of the :wings of the ducal palace was a garden enclos- ed on two sides by walls ofl'the palace, onathird byahigh wall, erected for the purpose, while on the fourth it was shut in by an iron fence of intricate lattice work. It was a beautiful 390W a perfect bower of flowering Vines and blooming shrubbery, its wealth of roses, of infinite variety, just bursting into full-blown loveliness and fragrance. and was dying, for which cause it had Ebeen taken up, and new, fresh young ‘Plants had been planted in place of the iold; but they afforded no protection as ‘yet, and Would not before another year. .However, our heroine had not thought . !of that; or, at all events, it had not. iheld her back. She had come forth, and was pacing thoughtfully to and fro. l She had plucked asingle rose, still wet with dew, picked it in pieces, and as each white petal had fluttered to the earth a sigh or a whispered murmur had fallen from her lips. It was plainly to be seen that she had . been weeping, but there were no signs of tears now. Her lips were cloud, ~ save when they parted for a murmur- ; ed word. and firmly compressed. Her 1 eyes glowed with a steady. fervent 3 light; her hands were tightly clasped , before her, and in form and feature; in every look and - every movement. she I was] the incarnation of resolution and Within view of that garden, in the 031' 1! morning, walked Count Guiseppe Decnaro. Sleep he could not, and his Chamber would not. hold him. He must have heaven's free, fresh air in which to breatheâ€"in which to think. 60 he had arisen and dressed himself and wandered forth. A lover's instinct htd Prgbagbly given direction to his walk. It had strangely chanced that on that self-same morning. and during that identical hour, the P.incess Isabel, finding it impossible to Asleep, ha_d arisen, and sou-gilt her favorite out-ot- door retreatâ€"the garien ateesaid. 'Until the present season there had Peep, jggt inside the iron fence, 8. high, 'thick hedge of close shrubbery, through which no prying eye (3on pengtxjate, put it. _h9d became 91d, Augwi‘t 18’ w!‘ since he had lifted his head from its pillow. One questionâ€"one othemeâ€" formed the center around which. . all his fevered thought and imaginings held their course. The question this: If the painter were out of the way, removed by hisâ€"Denaro's :- hand, .would she in time listen to hiso'plead- ings? Would the duke give him his best influence 3 So he asked himself.1 and when his common sense answered “No," he straightway flew into a paroxysm of wrath against the man he would slay. The fact was, his exceeding jealously of Juan Zanoni had made him mad. Never at his best aman of strong mind; never an independent. self-governed man; never a brave. bold and fear- ion. in danger of becoming idiotic. “Oh. if I could see her and speak with her l" What he would say he never told . himself, for, as the last word of she ,sentence found speech. his startled . 'eyes had rested upon the Witching form of the loved one in the garden. He had been admitted to that bloom- ing bit of paradise more than oncefland the way was familiar to him. Without pausing to reflectâ€"with only the one thought of meeting and speaking with the princess in his mindâ€"he turned quickly toward a small postez'n which he knew he would find open determin- mined to reach her if the thing were possible. COLORS BEST SUITED FOR WARFARE Recent Experiments Shaw ‘l‘luu Senrle Gives the Worst Mark far the line. Scarlet, it has always been supposed, was the worst color possible for the pur- poses of the battlefield. It has been said so with such frequency, indeed, that nobody of late years has caredlto dispute the fact. We owe it to some, very practical experiments carried out in Germany that the question has now been putt on a more satisfactory basis. A squad of ten men, two dressed in ,light gray, two in dark gray, two in scarlet, two in blue and two in green were lately ordered to march across an open country. Their movements were closely watched. The first men. to disappear from sight were those in light gray, immediately afterward the scarlet, and the green. Here we have all well-worn theories upset. Experi- ments carried out on the rifle range showed that our national color pos- sesses even distinct merits. The idea was this time to ascertain i which color gave the worst mark for the rifle. Twenty men, all good shots were used for the purposes of the ex- periment. After they had fired a given number of rounds it was discovered that scarlet was far the most difficult color to hit. For every miss at the other colors there were three in fa- vor of scarlet. We will not assert that these experiments were conclusive evidence in favor of our national but they certainly go a long way to! justify its retention. There is much to be isaid in these days of quick-firing guns lin favor of a uniform which is lriifti- ‘cult to hit, and in this particular scar- let undoubtedly will hold its own ‘against all other colors. An Incident of the Wreck of Ilne summer Mainland In Australian Wan-rs. Every shipwreck has its story of . heroism and gallantry, and the recent wreck of the Maitland was no excep- tion, says the Sydney Daily Telegraph. There’s a world of tenderness, too, in the boatswain’s narrative of how a helpless baby was sucoonred and sav- ed. Her mother, Mrs. Howard, had been sent ashore on Friday. and the surf that rolled between her and her baby seemed likely to part them for ever. The little one cried bitterly. “Biscuits.” said the boatswain, “were the only food left. \Ve soaked them _ ~_ â€"' in a little port wine. When the tiny mite held out her chubby hands for more we knew that we had found just what was wanted. For hours after-: wards lwalked up and down the deck singing the child to sleep. Then the captain relieved me, and did the same. Thus the night passed. In the morn- ing we softened abiscuit and spread it with sausage meat. It was good to see the child eat. A few hours later brave boys from the shore breasted the wavesâ€"and you know the rest.” Not a family in the district but went- ed to see the little shipwrecked stren- ger; not awoman but wanted to nurse it. And when mother and child left ‘for Sydney the whole population for miles around was at. an “mm m IE ‘9; meted an? A SHIPWRECKED BABY. (To Be Continued.) off. was at 1113 station to boundod Williams: .55.. “Justin a. L uwgcr' Ll . Amherst, N.S., testifies '00 mm? of the new specific for 311 hem Ind It troubles: “ For some tlme Put in in the region of my hear“ “ate pains which gave me 81-22me and weakened me at times so tin” namely breathe. I was very muchm down and felt. nervous and irri "I “ I bud taken I put mny remedies without receivinfi . my benefit, u frien induced me to try \ Milburn'l Heart and ‘x Nerve Pills. 1 had rum/E pl . onl buntekingthem \ I . rt time when I \ felt that they were ~.,, doing me great good; so I continued M use and now feel all right. Icsn hum, recommend Milburn s 'Hesrt Ind a“ Pills for nervous prostretion.” Mrs. Fowler adds: “My W now fifteen years of ego, we: We. "1 and run down, and she 3150 took “Ml Hurt and Nerve Pills for some time“ is now strong, healthy and vigorous.” Milbnrn’s Heart and Nerve Pills“ pd itation, smothering tie-nation, dig, 3n faint spells, nervousness. "h! female troubles. etc. Price 50o. s 5 three boxes for 81.25. Sold by d] 41‘. (into. T. Milbnrn 6; Co., Toronto,0m The gas meter has more teat (b any other animated thing. Many a poor man finds it harm get drunk than to stay sober. Consistency may be a jewelbut iii apt to have an alum flavor. â€"Kissing may be unhealthy. but every girl considers herself an immune. When a men swamps in speculum a. lot of wreckage comes to thaamlu An old bachelor declares that on the sweet, girl graduate will term in time. It's far etsier to pur’se oldjth la the comic paper than it ism nfl Ir. Iolvfllo Illhr, 0.».th an I “ nun-Liver PIIII and. a g. as. o! no. I urn-truth! with“. “on and III|II In tho mall at I!“ and utter uklng Lin-Um HIE b vâ€"'â€"' The only way some married pub manage to avoid quarreling is by» (using to make up. Woman was made from the rim man. but as to the origin oil history is painfully silent. about “In. nooks th and .0.” Prlu 2|... “fl. Lydia A. Fowler, Electric mherst, N.S., testifies to m M \â€" “vâ€"w Hattieâ€"So you and Jack qwfl' Hattieâ€"So you and Jack cum“ did Em! . E1 â€"He said something that I did“ like. and I told him we mustbumf gers henceforth. Ellaâ€"Not he. Yo.u see his 13an were occuple COFFIN AS A Among the Chinese sidered a neat and up] Perhaps 801119 that, the sphixn being very wig? shut 8000 393W Palms GETTING 0‘ A8 age advam-cs, peOple find them.» dySpeptic and 1mm lose interest in the I- A, and may plaincrs, ‘ Ward’s 3100‘1 “m ‘ the? em bef"re eng' 1’“* tobrimlz t1;1 1 . ,y n 1 heat um tn: 6 Pm " t w 'ife ‘ng mysel have vied he“ ‘0‘ POINTED PARAGRAPHX CURED. some people )blnX got its a coffinis Owing to the \ n mation of the In tin Canada we h m (bliged to hm {I United Stuns in 0 get quality :mc ham a far SUI LII‘CIII\;*A ()111 We have two We have the Painis! Paint and that. accmmt immense 8:110 01' also have a Lnr; of Dry Paints. ‘ J as i, opened I Shipment. of ,‘liXi for House and Du ng‘n’ '3; . 1898. “I? ti 2 In In TE L H of l N