Caesar's Column

ch communicated with the pneumatic-tube system standing open. In it he found a lon

translate to you. The number is that of Rudolph--the number it is addressed to is my own. We know each

,053 P 4. Dated this 7:9, from the

"means the Prince Caban

f the servants that a new victim--Estella--had been brought into the house, a girl of great beauty; and that Frederika was trying to prevent 826 B from seeing her. A sudden thought took possession of her mind; she would overthrow Frederika just as she herself had been overthrown. Yesterday,

under the chin, 'how have you been? I have

now for my pretty face, or that of any one

repeated, 'wh

into the house a young girl of ravishing beauty, and weeks afterwards you

not seen her. This is the first I h

ton,' replied Celestine; 'she

id respectfully; 'that is a

, 'that she is of magnificent beauty, tal

, I must

his library a

gton that you brought into the house some weeks since? Celestine

ith a great leap; but I contro

the purchase some time since, and the p

occupied at the time. How comes it, however, that s

to betray Frederik

r, Estella is of a very quiet, retiring disposition, and has

nd bring her

or it; so I proceede

'I have bad news for you. Th

e up, ve

he said, 'wha

in the folds of her dress for

we can. Keep your room, and I will tell the Prince that you are too sick to leave your bed, but hope to be well enough to pay your res

paced the room with hurried steps, w

similar fire-escapes. You see that yellow path below us; and there beyond the trees you may perceive a part of the wall of the gardens; that path terminates at a little gate, and here is a key that will unlock it. Study the ground well from your windows. Your escape would, however, have to be made by night; but as you would run some risk in crossing the grounds

her penetrating eyes se

r in flesh and blood. You bought me and brought me here; and who are your friends? They too are strangers to me. Why should I believe i

ng my

of soul nearly as great as your own. But what are we? The creatures of fate; the victims of circumstances. We look upon the Medusa-head of destiny, with its serpent curls, and our wills, if not our souls, are turned into stone. God alone, who knows all, can judge the heart

s that?' she

and darker o

e asked, and a slight blush seemed to mantle he

f our Brotherhood; but he is a brave man, and th

'he is of a good and noble na

ve you, or the Prince will

nfined to her bed, but that she hoped to do herself the honor of calling upon him the next day. He looked glum, but assented. Upon

if I ask you a few questions upon m

nly,' sh

me as your friend, do you not? Have I not

pleasant smiles and a

n,' I continued. 'Do you entertain f

; 'she is a sweet-tempered,

you know that the Prince has discove

lack eyes fa

she asked, fiercely, and her

tine,' I replied. 'I sus

d, 'that Celestine's motive wa

d her hands twitched nervously, as if

I continued. 'Would you not be glad to

uld,' she rep

your hands, will you b

nestly by the ha

e nor in death w

this place as you are. They have arranged to come for her on Monday night next. You must help me

he said; 'tell me

o protect her in that way until the fateful night arrives. And remember,' I said, touching her upon the breast and looking earnestly into her eyes, for I have little faith

in of her good faith. And as she desires to be

ENING, sev

ve gone through dreadful sce

ut five o'clock the

Estella,

er looking paler than usual. She had t

I shall return and make the same excuse. Do not worry--a

; that she had a high fever; and that she apologized for not obeying his summon

ad been overdoing her blandishments, and he had become

behind this bus

business, my l

ing her to me, ill or well,' h

the meantime? The first requisite was, therefore, food. I went at once to Michael, the cook's assistant, who is a trusty friend of mine, and secured from him, secretly and under a

worst, use the rope-ladder. If you manage to get outside the garden gate, call a hack and drive to that address.' Here I gave her your direction on a small piece of tissue paper. 'If you are about to be seized, chew up th

d as I left the room I hea

oo ill to leave her room, and that she refused to obey his summons. Una

he shouted; 'we will s

h them; some of the women followed. We proceeded up s

he cried, 'or I wi

would rush to the doom

was now heard from within the room;

ion of the United States forbids human slavery. My fathers helped to found this government. No one has th

ried the Prince, flinging himse

lla was heard agai

who enters

ed at once, with terror on

hat door,' he asked, 'a

e, who had always tried to ingratiate himself with the Prince by spying upon the rest of the se

said the Prin

the door flew open and Joachim sprawled upon the floor. I could see Estella standing back near the window, her right arm was raised, and I caught the glitter of something in her hand. In an instant J

d! she has

loody spot; but the knife had struck the breastbone and inflicted only

could not strike a deadly blow. I will

sharp spasm contract his features; he clapped his hand to his

' he cried, '

, and he fell in a heap on the floor; then he rolled over and over; mighty convulsions swept through him; he gro

ed like a Gothic priestess--a Vala of Odin--with the reeking human sacrifice already at her feet. The blood of a long line of heroic ancestors thrilled in her veins. Stepping over the dead body, already be

man flesh and blood, that has bought me? Come

legs would carry him, while all the rest of us followed pell-mell. At the

he Prince, 'lock the

ant and blow in safety. When he had

ice! We will have

n the arm;--she follow

ll be hard to answer. The girl will have to be taken off to be tried for murder, and he will lose her. If he attempts to use chloroform she will stab herself with the poisoned knife.

e to be changed every eight hours, and who are instructed that, whenever they think she is asleep, one of them is to notify him; and carpenters will then quietly cut the door from its hinges, and they will enter, disarm her and make her a prisoner. Estella, I find, has barricaded her door with her bedstead and the rest of the furniture. If she sleeps she will wake with any attempt to enter the room; but she is not likely, in her present state of high-wrou

rd. The whole household, after witnessing its terrible potency, fear it as they

oes not fail us,

rew

63 M

we both followed this narrative with the mos

, "she is worth dying for." "Or living for," said he,

aid, "that

them. The law of heredity is almost as unreliable as the law of variat

-morrow night? Should I not go to her at once? Could I not see Rudolph

l Estella is out of that house; and his busy brain will be full of schemes in the meantime. The best thing we can do now is to go to bed and prepare, by a good long sleep,