D Peer Benefits! enzo, fervently, and the glare of hatred in his eye confirmed his words. “ If I told thee the truth about that, thou 7w0uldst not ask me that question.” ;: r . _ .‘f Then tell me truth,” she said, coldly, Withdrawingirom him as she spoke; “ we are near enough, my lord, to to each other. Keep your distance.” - Somethingin her tone warned the Spaniard not to presume too much. He took his seat in a chair, motioning to her to occupy the couch. She followed the motion, and asked: ' \ , “ W'ell, my lord, what have you to say about your trip to the Adriatic, and your various ad— ventures with the Countess Milleroni? What . would you of her?” “ Vengeance!" answered Lorenzo, savagely, his eyes glowing. “ She and her cursed Swiss lover together (thwarted me and humiliated ' me, and vengeance on both will I have. I Ine- gan with him. Oh, Julia! I made him suffer yesterday. I fought him and wounded him sorely. And then, in his full view, I made love to, his mistress, as he lay wounded in a poor fishing—smack. The fool took it to. heart so much that he fled from Venice. That’s why 1 took my trip to theAdriatic.” ' “ Well, sir, continued the girl, coldlyp“ and what about the lady? What do you intend to do about her?” ” “ To her love me,” said Belinda, cool— ly, “and than break her heart, and torture it as]; tortured his.” , , r ' ~ ‘ “A wiseplot, truly; and «what is» to hinder thee from learning to love her?” I. , “ Thoul” said: Don Lorenzo, softly, kneeling at, hardest; ,‘fvthy love alone, which: passes all, womanh love, for thou, Julia, art the only, wo- man that ever I loved or can 1mm}? , “Youtsay, . truly,” v she observed, with a strange «look out of her~ blue eyes, .‘f I am the only woman you shall ever love again; and T you shall love me as you never yet loved any woman, false and cruel one.” _ . Y; ,He looked doubtfully at this fragile little being, who spoke so mysteriously." But thfl both hands on his shoulders. - ’ “Lorenzo Bellario,” she said, “we two an bad. One as bad as the other. We should bc true to one another. Can you be true to me, forever?” And she looked as though she would read hi: soul with her keen glance. , He faltered a mo ment before those eyes. “ Why not?” he asked, at last. . . - “ Listen,” she answered, solemnly, “ as long as you are true to me, I am true to you. 3 loved, you first, and I thought you loved me, ~ and me only. But I have seen Annette. since. and she has told me who you are. Iknew then for the first time that you dared to ap— proach me, Julia Dandolo, daughter of ten generutious of princes, as a light 0’ love.- Be it so, my lord. I forgive you the insolence, because I am a. fool, for the love of your beau tiful eyes- But warned. Love me now, and love mewholly. ..Let not a thought 01 your heart go outrttoward another woman in Venice, or you will repent the moment. before you are a day older. I know you, Don Lorenzo, thoroughly, and I hold you in the hollow 01' my hand. I love you -_ very much, but I can hate you as you never werehatedif you make me jealous.” . . ~ s . She looked into his eyes with such a deadly glitter in her own, that Don Lorenzo, bold as. he generally was, shuddered slightly. v little, delicate, fair-haired girl, for,one moment looked-like a perfect fiend. The next shebe— , came the. soft, melting angel, that twined her arms round his neck, and whispered: . “ Dost; thou love me, Iorenzo?” w Ha strained her to his breast, and pressed fervent kiss on her lips. She returned the ca- ress fora single instant, and then sprung away, laughing "maliciously. , , ' “And so Bonetta has left Venice, and the field is clear for Don Lorenzo to woo the beau- tiful countess?” she queried. “ How his woo ing would have, sped if that naughty Julia had not come to spoil it! How my lord would have enjoyed the game, withhis beautiful eyes lau- ' gulshing onthe sweet countess, and—«oh, I’ve a mind to kill you!” She. suddenly broke off, the very incarnation of jealous fury, her eyes darting flames of fire, the little dagger, so slight in appearance, so terrible in reality, convulsivelyolaspediin her hand. i * Don Lomnzo felt like a. man with a danger~ ous serpent confined in his room, which: he- darednotappmach... , n .“g; - I Then her mood changed again, and, she, laughedas she, continued: , / . . ‘ , .“ And so, ~poor, Benetta corresponded with ' the Turk? How strange that two captains cf , Venice’shquld .do'thenmmething-sis it not, Lerenzoi”; 2 ~;.: . « ‘ . _ The Spaniard turned pale from some hidden “What do you mean?” hefaltered.’ . , “ Daoud.l’aeha-writes a great many letters,’ was; therenigmatieal answer; .“Ionee saw a commission, filled out by him in the name of one—e”: , The Spaniard made but one bound to the corner of the room, where a small iron door opened into the wall. 3 It was standing ajar. , _ He. flung it opcaand revealed asmell cup- board, perfectly empty and here ,of anything. . Then he hurriedround, ghastly‘Paley his eyes- flaming like torches, and leaped upon the slen— , der figure of the girl~page with a fierce: , “ Where are they? Hell’s mallson on theel? Whereare they?” - , - She sprung back and strait at him withthe: dagger, with flashing eyes and the fury of a; wildcat, and the Spaniard again recalled before, her- ~ ~ w u r . “ How dare youl’lsbe; cried, her little figure stiffened and erect, with Weapon, the incarnation of angry repulsion—“how ,you speak'tome Implant?” r . ‘ r _, He suddenly, his whole attitude, and, sunk on his knees before bar, with bowed head “Oh, Julia,” he said-with beseeching eyes,“ , g“. I yield-tc’thee forever. . .Thou hast conquer-' She stood «lockingdown at him,ywith hcav: ‘ 3 breast. forzsome Then she ly sheathedher dagger. ‘ ' “Don Lorenzo camera. said, slowly; . u 30.“; “Y5 Annette betrayed youu‘ ‘ Women be trampled on forever without, statement-lest. (I ham your papers safe. I promised Annette to keep them,th hereafetys ~[know how Mugabe Would live, if you hndvher heck hem.,~.wa.opgu: (hose doors, and ,mark my words. Letdnuotto come to 869 recovery \day. Sandbar tonic. utilises that you do , too ardentdinpyour pursuits! my eicellent' cousin, nomthat Bonatta isamy. Row. sb'ange‘ that. he. should correspondgwith Daoud. Penance)” , r r ‘« Don anzolookedup at , There seem- e-edvtalbesomehidden meaning in her werds. But whatever it was, she did not explain her- self. ’ H No, by all the saints!” responded. Don Lor~ : “Open the door,” she said, quietly; “you: have angered me today, Don Lorenzo. See that you, fail not at the Window to—night. Then I shall know you are not with Estella.” “ I will be there,” he declared, humbly; “Ah, sweetest‘Julia! If I did not. love thee so much, should I have let thee tyrannize over me as thou best done?” 7 , , “ I and my stiletto,” she said, sarcastically; “give it its this weight, Signor.” . Den Lorenzo was kneeling close beside her as she said-this. With a sudden movement. which she could not arrest, he clutched her wrist with one hand, while he passed his arm around her and seized the other arm from be hind, holding her powerless in his iron grip. “Now, tigress,” he said, with a. grim smile, “ will you betray me 7.1” She looked up at him, with the first natural look of love she had yet shown. 0“ Betray you, Lorenzo?” she said, softly; “ I have saved you, foolish man!” - “ What do you mean?” he asked, feeling her form quite limp in his arms, for she had ceased to struggle. » ‘ “That I have banished your foe,” replied Julia. “ You can have your revenge on Estel 1a. when you like. I will help you in it.” » » » “Then what have you been doing all this time?” he asked, relaxing his grasp, in his as; tonishnmnt. : ,, ;_ _ A ,“ Don Lorenzo,” she answered, suds . denly springing away, and presenting her dag , gar, witha laugh. ~ Then, as suddenly, she sheathed ,it,‘ and held out her hand, frankly. “A truce, Lorenzo; we have played at .cross purposes long enough. Then lovest me. «and I love thee. ‘we will have our revenge. We both hate Estella, Annette shall take my place from time to time, and I will be thy page, for I am a fool and I love thy beautifu eyes, in spite of all I know of thee.” . The strange, whimsical little creature threw her arms around him, and pressed. her lips t< ;those , eyes she praised. Don Lorenzo looke< ; at her with a long, yearning gaze, as .he held ‘ her in his arms. strange‘girl suddenly bent forward and placed ’ “Little witch l” he murmured, softly, witl a. sort of sigh; “thou hast done what nevei ~woman did before—made me love thee.” ’ “ I know it, ” she returned, with her peculiar. searching look; “but, oh, we shall both tor? ture each other, for thou hast done the same to me.” He could not understand her meaning, and said so. - “ Oh! you will know some day,” she declar ed, shaking her bright curls; “ but I known who will pay for all our tortures.” “ Who?” he demanded, puzzled. l‘ Estella,” she answered, savagely. “He: heart shall bleed a‘ drop for every pang she costs, my darling and me.” , She kissed him in a strange, fierce way, and then leaped back. ' ‘ » , “Open the doors,” she ordered; “I would go forth.” the master in his guns. ,Without a word, he obeyed her command: as if shehad been a. queen; and she flitted doWn the steps of the palace, as rapidly as she had come. Don Lorenzo saw her jump into the gondola, write something on the tablet: she, were at her girdle, show it to the gonad liars, and move off toward . the ,Daudoh -Full of conflicting thoughts, the Spaniard returned to his room, and shut himself in alone, till long after dark. CHAPTER! XIII. ’cOLA . no'r'rAnMA’s PUPIL. ' SIX months have passed since the day on which Don Lorenzo Bellario fought his duel on the Island of San Antonio, and since the dis appearance of poor Captain Bonetta» under attaiut of treason to the Venetian Republic. During these six months the stranger, who went by the curious name of the “Slave oi Love” in the city of Florence, had mended apace. - He was a. docile patient, with the con— stitution of chemo, and his wound closed 11; inside of six weeks from his arrival at the house of Bottarma brothers. . Y. .From the day Guiseppe Bottarma pronounced his wounds healed, the stranger devoted hill} selftwith all his energy to obey the instruction.- of ’Cola the athlete. _, ’Cola. Bottarma was the father of the science of fencing, the first man pensed with, and the sword be made a shield rather its reviver, since the times of the gladiators. , . _ : x . He found in the stranger a. docile pupil, who was content to run his daily round so many times, and carry little weights about, increas— ing daily, before. he was allowed to touchafoil. kept this hugeskeleton close. down to a . limited dietof meat, with vinegar and watei for his eradicating the natural tendency of his frame to ,put on flesh, and hardening his muscles by the constant exercise he posed. , _- , Then he began to teach him to fence, begin- ning With the simplest thrusts and panics, till all the mysteries of stoccada, imbrogliata, m’posta, etc, were gradutu unfolded to Day by day, the gaunt, weak skeleton, so slow in his movements, 50 languid from wounds, gathered his strength and pmgresscd. V TWO months from'his arrival, he would ex— ercise an hour at a time at light work. In threemonths he was thrusting at a mark for dear life. I . In four months he was fencing. every day with lGola Botfm'ma, receiving, many an un- merciful rap with the button of the foil. .In‘five-months. it took all ’Cola knew to hit him, after a long rally. I In the sixthth he began to pass his master, and to hit him repeatedly, from his great advances in highland reach. At last, one morning, the fencing-master, utter, a long ,gbout, during which the other gave him two teens in bits, threw down his gfoil.‘ , “ Amara,” he said, the ether by the only name he kBGWhim by; “ do you remem- ber 1What you asked me todofor you once." -ed - rue. Be :merciml,‘tor I. min-thy power. . a betrayed me.” ‘ r , ‘f Totcach me to beat you,” replied Schiavo d’Amore; “ but I cannot do it yet. , You, let .me hit you.” r ., “You are wrong,” protested _ the fencing- mastcr; “you have learned more you .know..,1-You had hight and strength before, but you were slow.. Now you are as tough .assteel, and as quick as a cat, while you have lost-no strength, but-rathergained it. And ,youare the only man in ,Italy nth!“ be“ ;7001:} Betterme.” ‘ v The stranger throw away foil, and hugged ,,,“Now.blessings,on thy heed, ’Cclal”, he cried; “thou hast given ,me, new life, ,ay, more than: L'l‘hou hast given me; .ven- ,geanceon ,the only man in the world I hate, _ Don Incense Bellariol” ’ ,, “Bellario'?” repeatedBottarma, curiously ; “what has he done tothee?” . , x , , . “He called me out on a trifle,” answered the other, “and wounded me sorely. Well, that who showed Europe that shields might be dis: ‘ . backbedde, them. I could have forgiven. But after that he took advantage of my being away to steal my mistress from me, and flaunt his conquest in my'face, Till then I was kind and» good- natured to all the world. But as I fell back in the boat, and saw her I loved float by, sing‘ ing gayly, in his arms, then I swore to punish that man for all hiscrimes to me and others, if it pleased God to let Antonio Bonetta. live.” “Antonio Bonetta l” repeated Bottarma, eagerly ; “is that your name?” “Ay,” said Bonetta, for it washe; “and what of it?” “Only this,” said the fencing-master, dryly; “the hue and cry is out after thee, and a price is on thy head in Venice.” turn. / r I “For treason, and correspondence with the Tur ,” said Bottarma; “had I known it was thee, I should have told thee long ago.” , “It is a lie, 3. base, cowardly liel” cried Bonetta, red with passion; “it comes from his hand, and to his heart will I pin the cal umny when I get back.” , . “ Be cautious,” enjoined Bottarma, smilin . “What, pupil? Can you keep your coolness in the swiftest rally, and lose temper at a lie? I heard the whole story from a Venetian pupil of . mine, who has just arrived. v One Count Lulliv ‘It seems that the accusation against thee was put inthe lion’s mouth—3’ ' _ “:Bellario, for a thousand!” cried the Swiss. “ Ay, but worse remains,” persisted thl fencingunaster. “ In thy pillow was found a letter from theGrand Turk, offering money to betray the Venetian fleet.” ' Bonetta was silent now for a minute. - / “‘You are right,