The evening world. Newspaper, December 10, 1904, Page 9

Ss THE SATURDAY EVENING NOVE . Goeningsx-Clorid THE SATURDAY EVENING NOVEL NEW YORK, S84 TURDAY, DEC, lo, 1904. : cin eee gp (Copyright, 1904, by Henry Holt & Co.) CHAPTER I], On the Empe:or’s Business. BK drew rein on the banks of the Arno and breathed deep to know our long ride nearly at an end. : We had not come so far or to such a city to satisfy the curiosity of the traveller, or upon private business. Had I consulted my own inclinations, my horse had borne mo quite another road rather than toward Florence, where, as report reached Charles's Court, the very t air was dangerous to breathe. Such stories as had come to us of fraud and wanton flaunt of ribaldry and vice, of poisonings, torturings, stranglings, that made the daily sport and nightly revel of the Duke! It was no wonder Uist Charies, who had seated Alessandro, his son-in-law, only as a Ggurehead for his own dominion over Florence, was vastly disturbed at the unstable conditions, fearing popular discord and another anti-Medician gust that might blow the fickle city clean into the arms of France. And & was the pliant courteous papal banker, Stroazzi, to whom Charles had despatched me with forged letters and sealed inatructions for spying upon the color of the Florentine democrais, “Watch Strozzi nvost of all,” the Emperor had said as I left him In his tent gOver his second capon: “he's the piper to whose music my handsome son-in-law ls * dancing such a pretty jig. Mark him well and use your letters nimbly, that be may think you French and shadow forth his secret leanings.” We rounded a bend just as the sun lay cut half in twain by a low fenco of purple clouds. “Look, Monaieur!" cried Jacques eagerly. “Ay, Florence is as fair without as ghe ts foul within. Pray God we come out of her with whole skins!" The risk of my diplomatic errand had not touched me till now, Was I equal to Charlea’s trust? Was it not more likely that Strozzi would sound me, Instead of offering bimself to be sounded? But the Emperor's ring! I made sure it was gafo in the folds of my shirt and pressed on, emboklened. “T’ve half a mind to marry the girl,” declared Jacques dubiously, awakening from a fit of reverie as we came under the city walls. “Which one?’ I asked, smiling, for Jacques had left many sweethearts behind, one for every league at least. “Monsieur forgets the extraordinary charms of the last hostetry,” he expostu- lated with a shrug, crestfallen to find me, as ever skeptical of his constancy, We entrede the gates in the gloom of the dusk and wound through the streets almost without question to the Strozzi Palace. Already in the cold hall torches were alight upon the walla, A brisk step echood at the farther end. I turned. In the flare of the torches a man came quickly toward me. He had a high forehead, a full beard, @ bright eye The figure was slight, but athletic, “I am Strozzi,” he sald suavely, with a bow; “at your service, Monsieur.” “I am Gaspard d’Aubray,” I replied. “I have the honor to bear letters which require their delivery to you in person.” “Good! he rejomed. “Shall we go to my brary and read them at our leisure?’ I bowed, and he led the way to the room. ‘The letters?’ he inquired in a business-like tone I gave him first a short note of introducticy from Henry himself, a missive which I bad had the ingenuity to indite with my own hand, signature and all, the night before our start. ’ “ome say,” I insinuated coolly, “that Alessandro is not ¢o sit his Ife out in the ducal chair; that he's not the only Medicl; and that another, though he wear | @ cardinal’s robe, is not above a patniotisnr that would pay a profit.” “Ippolito,” returned Strozzi, curtly. “And what would Ippolito mean for France?” I inquired with interest, “That would depend upon her share in consummating the supposed stroke of policy,” he answered, “There is, however, another Medici in Florence ftself. Have you never heard of the despised Lorenzo whom they call, in the con- temptuous usage of our tognue, Lorenzaccio, and sometimes trontoally “the Philosopher?" “No,” 1 confessed. “Fle's not to be ignored, I've told the Duke as much, More concel never ) @welt in one man’s head than dwells in Lorenzaccio's, ‘They laugh at him and eall him coward, but d’Aubray, mark my word, to win applause the fellow’d mock at God Almighty, he'd sell his soul for a bravo, ° “Bnough of politica!” he exclaimed suddenly with an air of relief, “We must drop all weightier matters for the day, Vételil—you know Vitelli, the Duke's Mas- | ter of Horse?—gives the last ball of the Carnival, It's most fortunate you ar . rived in time, There's really nothing more magnificent to be seen in Florence ' than one of Vitelli’s balls, You'll come, of course?’ , I protested my fatigue and lack of suitable dress. “Nonsense!” ho inetsted as*we returned to the hall. “Go to bed now, If you | Vke, and sleep till eleven, Then I'll send your man to wake you, wih a bi of As wogs to choose from.” Once in my room I began to doubt whether It were a wise and prudent thing to take my Banker thus esaily at his word, to accept a chamber tn his house, to go to sleep there, quite as much at home as if I had known him always. our Wietle talk na@ paased off amicably enough, but Strozzi’s friendship-—. Eh bien! ‘Things having gone thus far, where was the use of borrowing trouble? I would sleep and take the chances. to sleep, A restleasness began to itch me ¢il I scarce could Ie such devices to encourage drowsiness as experience my eyes. Some one had knocked, The knock was repeated. I called, sitting half up, But the door was locked, and I went to Jacques bowed in quictly with look I knew upon his smiling face, He had something te tell. bit of kitchen gossip, Monsieur” began Jacques, “but not without im the Gret place, that the excellence of the Signor Banker's «able, which 1 already had ample opportunity to admire, is exceeded only by the excel- the ecaiatant kitchen maid, whose conversation is an art in itself.” “Naturally,” knowing my good Jacques’s frailty In such matters. “Yea, Monsieur, naturally as you say. Bat to edutinue, the Infmitable Laura has i ae Eee ~~ ae a wr (Brinted by arrangement between The Evening World and Henry Holt & Co., Publishers.) friends and one of them is maid to the lady Lucia, a beautiful signora whom the Bignor Banker condescends to admire. But it appears that the Duke himself has not felt above flattering the Signom Lucia with his distinguished attentions, and moreover has contrived to render that lady quite agreeably and disintorestedly fn love with himself. It appears also that he has somewhat relaxed his ardor of late, so far Indeed as to arouse the jealous concern of the Signora, Accordingly, Gignora Lucia, availing herself of the celestial counsel of an astrologer, secures @ lovw-potion, and this she despatches In the hands of the confidential mald to no leas a person than the chef of Vitelll, the Duke's Master of Horse, at whose table the Duke is wont offen to dine, together with a dirction to mix some of it @t the next opportunty in the wine of the unfaithful one. “Alas! the chef of the Master of Horse has the cynicism to laugh at the whole affair, and refwees to meddle with such unprofessional seasoning matters. Now, I feel bound to ask, Monsieur, in view of the whole situation, what would be the position of our host were the Duke perchance to learn that overtures of such @ mature had imprudently been made to the chef of the Master of Horse?" “You're right, Jacques,” I replied, “If Alessandro should get wind of this, Strozzi’s position would not be over agreeable.” “And now, if Monsieur wil! allow,” went on Jacques, “I 1) go in search of Tomaaso, who has promised to prepare a selection of masks for Monsteur.” “By afi means,” said I; and then as he turned to go I touched him on the @houlder and asked: “Are you also going to the ball?” “Naturally, Monsieur.” “That's all,” I concluded, and he went out in search of Tomasso. CHAPTER Il: The Ball at Vitelli s. and I descended Strozsi had already left, far to go. At the turning of a corner we came a blaze of torches that leapt and hissed in the The torches were fixed on the two aides of an open door through which many persons were entering, some parti- in their masks, others cloaked sombrely in cape or mantle. 4a we reached the doorway a gust swept out to us, thick with the odors of perfumes and wine, A strain of music came throbbing from the violina Jacques touched me on the arm. “Monsieur,” he said, “ ‘tis gay enough, no doubt, In there, But Florence Is @ harlot whose paint but hides an ugly face.’’ And with that, which I took for his prudent warning, he darted briskly to a small gate at the sida I went in alone, It was oddly upsetting to find myself thus plunged into a sea of strangers that were strange even to themselves, My only hope lay in the chancing upon some socia) fellow, gurrulous in his cups. Such a hope was not unjustified, for @ven at this early hour the extravagance of the mirth and reverty was well- nigh Incredible. Waves of boisterous merriment swept the hall every monient. Cries, shouts, bravos, the clapping of banda, kept the room in a constant up- roar, Mask pressed by mask, the men whispering in the ears of the women, who laughed ehrilly or shrieked én mock fright. The jesters, of whom there were more than 4 scdre at least, twirled their bladders and clapped them remorse- lessly over the heads of the unobservant. A constant rain of confetu shot in gusty sig-sags from a hundred hands. A bladder rapped me soundly on the head, Facing about quickly. 1 caught the laughing mouth of a stumpy, thick-set feilow who might well, from his @tze, bo the hunckback he mimicked. “You want me?” I asked him in Italian, “If you like, Monsieur,” he replied in French, I explained that I was but just come, thas this was but my fifth hour in Florence, “So—so?’ he replied, turning to whack a woman on the cheek with his blad- @e@ and grinning as she scowled upon him and rubbed the place, ‘There, now, fa a distinguished personage if you like,” he continued with a knowing leer. “Wo other than the Signora Lacia herself.” “On the arm of a nun?’ I demanded In confusion, staring after the couple. The hunchback doubled tn a laugh. “Nun!” he burst forth, “A nun! Why, man, that’s the Duke! The dress becomes him ill; but even did he wear it with a better grace, the hall had known him by the arm that rests in his.” I tried to overtake the strange pair with my eyes, but they were already lost tn the crowd. “You'll see him again, no doubt,” sald the hunchback, following my look. “You'll know him eo; short, thick, with a hoarse voicé, and evil eyes that ance through his mask silts [The fires of hell, But hush! Bee the straight chap here, masked as one of the Papal Guards? That's Strozzi—do you know btm? And there, clear across the hall, dancing, tn red and black—that's Strozzi's @eughter, Sigoorina Luisa, one of the gayest of the gay, aad yot by aM report & proper maid. All sorts flock hither, It’s the fashion, Come! We'll go thruugh em aes Ye