Part 3 (1/2)

Her ear! The dear little ear which I had kissed so often I put my hand to each little velvet shell to e had not yet been committed

Only over my dead body should they reach them I swore it to her between my clenched teeth

”You must not care, Etienne And yet I love that you should care all the same”

”They shall not hurt you--the fiends!”

”I have hopes, Etienne Lorenzo is there He was silent while I was judged, but he one”

”He did I heard him”

”Then he may have softened their hearts”

I knew that it was not so, but how could I bring ht as well have done so, for with the quick instinct of woman my silence was speech to her

”They would not listen to him! You need not fear to tell me, dear, for you will find that I am worthy to be loved by such a soldier Where is Lorenzo now?”

”He left the hall”

”Then he may have left the house as well”

”I believe that he did”

”He has abandoned !”

Afar off I heard those fateful steps and the jingle of distant keys

What were they co to judgment? It could only be to carry out the sentence upon

I stood between her and the door, with the strength of a lion in my limbs I would tear the house down before they should touch her

”Go back! Go back!” she cried ”They will murder you, Etienne My life, at least, is safe For the love you bearI will make no sound You will not hear that it is done”

She wrestled with ed ht had crossed my mind

”We may yet be saved,” I whispered ”Do what I tell you at once and without arguh the gap and helped her to replace the planks I had retained her cloak in my hands, and with this wrapped round me I crept into the darkest corner of her cell There I lay when the door was opened and severalno lantern, for they had none with them before

To their eyes I was only a dark blur in the corner

”Bring a light,” said one of theh voice, which I knew to be that of the ruffian, Matteo ”It is not a job that I like, and the nora, but the order of the tribunal has to be obeyed”

My ih them all and out by the open door But hoould that help Lucia? Suppose that I got clear away, she would be in their hands until I could cole-handed I could not hope to clear a way for her All this flashed through my mind in an instant, and I saw that the only course for me was to lie still, take what came, and waiters had ever wandered The next instant he gripped h me as if I had been touched with a hot iron

I bit my lip to stifle a cry, and I felt the blood run warm down my neck and back