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THE PAINTER OF PARFIA; __ 0R, __ THE MAGIC OF A MASTERPIECE. WWW (Continued) “0h!” he said to himself, as he moved away from the, office of the council, "if the painter shall be saf?‘ 1y out of the way before Antonio finds opportunity to hold private C0?" fab with him all may be Well. lr)’ heavens, I ,would kill him With my own hands if I could. \Vhy_have I not done itâ€"I have been blind. I have been a fool. But wait. We shilll see.” He found the baron at. home, mm was admitted to his presenfiei bu.“ scarcely had he mentioned his bus“ ness before he made the discovery that here. too, he “'05 uuwflcomfl "Signor Marquis." his lordship fin- swered sharply, "if you are Seekmg information on that subjf‘t“t I mus: refer you to your brother the. duke. "But, my noble lord. you, W1” “‘9” me if the order his beenasfiued- "Marquis, you have no right l0 1151: me such a question. Yet. I W1“ “til you this. The warrant for ZanODIS execution has been signed by "1575?“ For further information 1 31111515 “f” you to the duke." "Baron, I trust you have nolL SUf’ fered the duke. toâ€"" "Stop! I beg you will say 1“? mor‘f; If you would please me. you \Vll1- H0- And the baron as he said this, pOled to the door. Defeated at every turn. the mar- quis wended his way toward the Town of the club, cursing bitterly as he went. He must find a 'place who‘re lie could procure wine; and drillk_ 1*: “1 peace, and at the same time think. But we may remark here, his think- ing amounted to nothing. He coslmt‘ ed and be plotted, but he Was forced sin the end to acknowledge 111111501f powerless to accomplish his DUYI’QSe- If blind fortune did not hell) him, then he was powerless. In shm‘t he was in that most wretched and suf- fering condition of spirit to which the man of evil passion can be reducedâ€" possessed by impotent rage. While the Marquis Steffano, £681- ifishimself baffled at every turn-â€" for he surely felt soâ€"while he Silt alone in the room of the club. swal- lowing cup after cup of the wine and cursing his fate. the painter Zanoni Paced to and fro in his really com- fortable prison cell. From the broad arched window he could look upon the river and see the path on the bank where he had often walked. Would he ever walk there again? He was thus reflecting when his attentlon was attracted by the sound of a foot- fall in the corridor without, and a» moment later he heard the bar re- moved from his door and a key tum" ed in the lock. Next the door Was opened. the duke entered the cell, and the way then closed behind him. He was alone. _ There were two comfortable chairs in the place, one of which, the easiest, the prisoner handed out, at the same time bowing with - grave politeness. Once the visitor made a motion as IlhOIIEh he would put out his hand for friendly embrace,. but he did not do it. Yet his look was friendly and sI'EDIJathetic. He asked after the prisoner's health. and hoped he was pleased with the quarters which had been given him. "I am pleased. my lord; and I am certainly grateful; and I am more grateful, because I believe I am inâ€" debted to your kind offices for them." The duke nodded. but made no furâ€" ther admission. He paused for a time thoughtfully; and at length said: "Signor Zanoni, you remember the request you made on the occasion of my former visit. I may inform you that your wishes have been com- plied with. Though you did not dis- tinctly ask me to put off the execu- tion of the sentence of the court against you. I have done it. The warrant is in my hands; and I may hold it, at least for several days~per- haps for weeks." , The painter's handsome face glowed With joy and gratitude. He had not yet seated himself. He took two or three rapid turns to and fro across the cell. after which he drew a chair near to his visitor and sat in it. "My lord," he said. with deep and powerful feeling in look and tone. "I will not attempt to express my thank- fulness for the favor you have con- ferred. I can only hope that in the end you will find yourself richly rc- paid. I will now tell you why I would have asked the boon which you have granted without the asking. Am I mistaken in supposing that you could, if you would, allow me to have my easel, my canvas and my materials for painting here in this place I" The duke, though some such thought had once or twice occurred to him, was startled when the proposition had been thus plainly made. He did not reply at once. At length he said: "Do you mean, signer, that you'wish to paint here ?" "My lord." Zanoni answered, with a. wondrous light in his lustrous eyes 2 the light of live until I have finished ture I have cilia. It shall be yours when it is doneâ€"my gift to you for your kind- ness, and in token of the love I bear toward you." the picâ€" The duke was deeply moved. Afterl a little thought, and with marked hesitation, he said: " But Zanoni â€" the model! course, you must be aware that can notâ€"" _ "Hush! I know what you would say. If I required the features the Princess Isabel for my model, sure I have them in my heart. I do not. I have a face of my own- Of you a. face that has come to me as from‘ It is the. face of the. princess;l and yet unlike. It is as beautiful as heaven. inspiration; "I ask to” commencedâ€"my St. Ce-l iiut' iis hers: yet its beauty is different. Th. 1 of the divine maternity is e g Dry I feel in it. 011! let me paint itl that I shall do the subject ample justice.” Antonio was stirred to the utterâ€" most. depths of his art-loving heart. Ho sat. for a tinw in silence, gaging into the painter’s inspired face. 'lhon he started up and took a turn across lhi cell. Finally he resumed his seat. and Spoke. _ "Signor Zanoni, can you paint here in this cell? \Yill the- light be good? "It could not be better, my lord; only, I should require two or three curtains of light, fine fnlirit. of dif- ferent shades of color, and enough to cover the window: lh’y be rolled up at the bottom. so that I may have my full light, if I desire, hizrh up." ' "It shall be arranger], Signor : ’1‘: shall be done forthwith. If you Will tell me. how I shall get thum, and what I rlhnll get, I will myst‘lf super- intend the. work of taking them from Your studio, and nothing else shall bc disturbed. Ah! And that re- minds inc, Signor Maracr-ini h:is_gl_V‘ en me your rapier. I will hold ii in keeping. You shall tell me about it some. other time. For the present I must look to this other matter. as I have another engagement for this forenoon. Have you the kvys of your rooms with you ?" "Yes, only my knife were taken from me. see that I have my knife. want it." “You shall have that. or mine. You shall have all you can possibly wnnl’.’ Zanoni selected the keys which would be required, and with thorn he rapier and pOckct You will I shall gave- to the duke directions full and explicit. Not a long time had elapsed after the, duke had gone when the keeper of the prison made his appenmnce. 05kâ€" lng for directions with rrgird to the curtains wanted for the window..The prisoner explained what hc required, and the keeper promised that the work should be done at once, and he was cheerful about it. The thought of having a great painting done for the duke, it might. be said. under 1113 own rye and supervision really pleas- ed him. Before the day had passed our hcro's prison cell had been transformed into a proper studio, and he felt his chains no longer. His easel had been set up', the canvas was on it; his own stand for colors hld been brought, together with all the pigments he had onvhund. In short. nothing was wanting for the consummation of the grand pur- pose he had in view. \Vhat should come of it? He did not know; he could not guess. Yet. a still, small voice, with a music in it of a. bygone time, whispered "Hope." CHAPTER XVII. 0n the morning of the' day £0110w- ing the transformation of theprison cell the duke made an early call upon the painter. Arrangements had been made with the keeper for the procur- mg of everything that should be re- Quired, but Antonio had not been able to resist the desire to know if there was anything more he could do. This was his ostensible reason for the morning visit. Had he confessed the true reason, however, it would prob- ably have appeared that he wished to satisfy himself that the painter was really at work-that his St. Cecilia. Evan to be a substantial,’ beautiful act. "Signor," he said, when he had closely scanned the various prepar- ations which he had already made for Proceeding with the work, "I have no wish~no thoughtâ€"to hurry you. I would not have you. on any account, lose patience. Yet I wish you would tell me. as nearly as you can, how 10118 a. time you will require in which to complete the picture I" "Has the chief justice asked you that f" , "N0." replied the ruler quickly, "No one has spoken to me on the subject at all; but they may do soâ€"either the baron or some one or more of his colâ€" leagues. and I would like to be able to answer intelligently." “My lord. let us call itâ€"say three weeks. I shall probably have it com- plete in two; but we may as well [be on the safe side." . "You are right, signer. \Ve had bestvtake time enough. I shall call it three weeks." f'And now, Duke,” said Zanoni. lookâ€" ing his patron squarely in the face and speaking with full, deep meaning. "I have a bargain to make with you; 01‘, I had better say, I demand of you a promiseâ€"a promise that you shall not presume to break. You shall not look upon my painting, after I‘have commenced work upon it, until the llast touch is given; until 1 pronounce it finishedl Will you give me that i promise?" "he duke hesitated. It was a pro miss that he did not like to give, He had anticipated a great deal of plea- sure and satisfaction in watching the {work grow toward perfection. -Would the painle; ask him almost anything but that? "My lo ,. pronounced the prisoner, with a look and tone not for one moâ€" ment to be mistaken, “you must make your choice. You may have the St. Cecilia, perfect as '1 din create it, pn my terms; or, you may sign my death \Vill‘l‘llnl. forthwith.” 'Zanoni! You are not serious! ' Hllolll li is useless to argue or to ditpute. Llol look like a man who would trifle?" ’lhere was a soleiunity, a. pathos, a depth of power and feeling in the large ‘ Should be so arranged that they cnn‘ voice of the painter that impressed his bearer as he felt he had never been impressed befOre. He knew, at least. that he must consent or give up his picture. The last he could not do. "My lord," added Zanoni, while the duke was mruggling up from the great disappointmentâ€"he spoke. With touching gentleness and humility, “l have a reasonâ€"a icason deep and dear to rileâ€"for making this dun-ind. It is no mere caprice. no wliimut is a purpose of mine, which I can not ex- plain; but I tell you this: In ‘tho end. when your eyes shall have. seen the finished picture, if you do not forgive me for the course I have taken I will bid you hold; me in memory as a false and rccreunt friendâ€"a traitor!"~ "Enough!" .said Antonio. And in the (lelei of his emotion he put forth ,his hand, and gave the painter a warm Er-mbi‘ace. "iou have my promise. Ih‘rom this time I will not look upon the picture again until it is finished. I may look at it now." "Yes." And the arxist went to the canvas and lifted off the curtain that hazl covarcd it. The duke. gained a favorable position and looked upon it long and earnest- ;ly. Iis possibilities of suipassing beauty and excellence were already apparent, and already was there a startling beauty springing into life in the face. . “It is Isabel's facel" the gazcr whis- pered in a sort of ecstasy of wonder and delight. "Wait until it is finished and then tell mo if you know it.” Zanoni re- plied in a like \t'lii:pcrezi lone. "Oh. you will not alter it; you will not. paint another face?" “My dear duke, I will follow my in- spiration. You have. my promise that you .:h.'tll be content in the end.” "I must be satisfied. Lul you will preserve the dear face if you can." "You shall be satisfied. Be Mlle of that.” ‘ For a little time longer the duke gazed upon the picture, and then turn- ed. slowly and thoughtfully. towuid the door. \Vilh his llilli"l on the latch, he stopped. and looked back. "Signor Zanoni, I rcposo in you tho fullle confidence. I shall leave you to your work; and. since I am not to see the p'clul‘c‘ i shall not comwngain until the two wcckls are at an end. Should it be complete bcforc, you will sentl me word?" "I will, my lord.“ "Thenâ€"for the present I I'Ir‘avcn prayer and keep you!" And with this Antonio opened the door. which had been left unlock-id during his stop, and plSéed out from the painter's presence. An hour later Zanoni was at work. The prison was forgotten; the dead count and the living marquisâ€"everyâ€" thing for the time was banished from iis memory. save the work beneath his hand and the inspiration that gave him guidance. He worked slowly and with exceed- ing care. Eh'ery touch of the magic brush brought the face of the saint nearer to lifeâ€"nearer to perfection. Occasionally a touch would be put on that he must blot out or change, hut not many. He saw the end and wrought surely toward it. So the hours passed; the days. The keeper himself â€" Maraccini â€"~ waited upon him. diligently and kindly, sup- plying him with everything he re- quired. even anticipating his wants when he could. A weekâ€"six daysâ€"~had passed, when, one evening. the. keeper said, as he was about to carry the supper tray to the corridor, where a servant was in waiting to receive it: “Signor Zanoni. you will miss me to- morrow. I am called away unexpech edly, and imperatively, but my lieu- leave. tenant will do all you want. You al- ready know him." "Yes," replied the painter. "I shall get along very well with him; but I shall miss you. I trust you may be. prospered, and that good fortune, may attend you. You have been very good to me, Signor Maraccini. and if my life is spared long enough, or, if I can gain time from this other work. I will paint for you something that you will prize in the coming time and that your children may prize after you." "Signor!" cried the keeper, in an ecstasy of delight. "You shall certain- ly have the time. The duke shall give it. 'Ah! I can not tell you how happy you have, made me.” And his glowing face did not belie his words. The morrow came, and the keeper’s ass1tant brought in the breakfast to our painter. He. was a middleâ€"aged man. with a kindly face, though eviâ€" dently of a. quick, hot temper, when arouswd. [His name‘was (‘ola Pandol- f0. He bade the prisoner a cheery "Good-morning!" as he. entered, but made no conversation further than to inquire if anything more. was wanted. Tlal‘cr, howriver, when he returned to take away the tray. he asked permisâ€" Slol’lâ€"Ol‘. rather asked if he might ask permissionâ€"to look at the. painting on the easel. ‘ 'Zanoni uncovered it without hesita- tion. at the same time. remarking, With a. smileâ€"a smile that always warmed the lieutenant's heart: I"If so slight a thing as that can give you pleasure. I should be a nigâ€" gard, indeed, to refuse it.” _The assistant was a lover of 300d pictures. and possessed a correct judg- ment. [He gazed long and earnestly. At length he said, with a deep drawn breath as he moved back with his eyes still fixed upon the picture, seeming to take in all its parts: "Perhaps my judgment is at fault. Very likely it is. But, let others say what they will, I will say, if our Ita~ lian mastersâ€"or any one of themâ€" ever painted a picture more worthy the name of master-piece than is this 'lOW before me, I have not seen it!" ."Your praise is pleasing to me, Signor, for I know you possess true taste and feeling. I only hope you may think as well of it when it is finished.” "No fear of that. He .paused‘ a moment and glanced again at the painting. Presently he added: t "May I ask you a question?" Signor Zanoni." I "Certainly." ‘ "What .I would ask is this: Are you intending that this face shall re- present llll‘ features of Princess Isabel di Varonu’l” "Why do you ask?" returned the artist, with marked interest. "Because," replied the other, "I heard it said, not long since, that you were to paint for the duke a Saint Cecile. which should lie at the same time a portrait of the prim‘ot‘x; rind llecaUSe, furihcr. I «can trace in this a ~1rikinp‘ resemblance to the beauti- ful larl‘y i have named." "Still" suggested Zanoni. smiling. "you would not call it a correct like- new"? “No, I should not." "\Vcll. my friend. I tfell you frankly Ido not mean it to be a portrait of the princess. though she sat to me in tho beginning and the outlines of the. face were drawn from her model; yet even v-forc she had made her last visit to run I had resolved to make a change. I can truthfully say what of likeness there may be at the present lime. in this farv1 to the face of the Princess Isabel is puroly accidental. I am painting from another memory en- lli‘oly. At :ome future l‘llYIF‘ you may know the Secret. but not now." To be Continued. CHINESE JUSTICE. An I‘lii‘orlilnnte “'iliow "as a Tour of law in the Flowery kingdom. Mr. James Murray. writes from ("hung-King, \Vest (hint: "Having had occasion to buy a small landed estate on the hills near Chungâ€"King. I found a widow lady, named Hsao, who owned property suitable, an“. who agreed to sell at the price of 14“: tools. 'l‘hn silver was thereupon paid over to hvr and a deed,of transfer given. which was duly registered at th4 Chinr-se Yamm :znl British consulate. A neighbodng l‘inilcd proprietor,hcarâ€" ing that an Englishman had bought land adjoining his, tried to raise the people against the foreign purchaser, and actually had th: boundary stones thrown down. Knowingr the instigatâ€" or of this, disturbance. I incntionedhix name to our energetic British Consul. Mr. G. Litton, who promptly had an intimation sent to him through the Chinese Magistrate, saying that if any disturbance occurred with regard to thisi transaction, he would be held per- sonally and pccuniarily responsible. This message had immediately the de- sired cffect, and the. people were p-iaceful, but only that the irate (‘hinese proprietor might turn his vengeance on the. unfortunate Mrs. Hsao, who had sold the land. A claim was made that a few feet of the land sold belonged to the adjoining estate, which, if true.0 could not be valued at more than 10 taels; but 150 taelswere demanded and paid. Then a neighbor- ing temple. taking courage from the success of this claim. demanded 50 taels for the sale having adversely af- fected its interests, and this sum alâ€" so was paid, but as the "I‘.uan Kia' or local militia acted as intermediaries on this transaction, the silver stuck to'their hands, never reaching the priests. Then the Chinese Magistrate levied twenty taels on the, unfortunâ€" ate widow for having settled the disâ€" pute. The British Consul obtained a. despatch from the Taotai saying the land had all been fairly bought and that every foot of it was mine withâ€" out lhe expenditure of another cent. but the case of the poor widow Hsao was far otherwise. She. had received 140 taels as the price of the land, and had expended 220 taels to satisfy the clamorous neighbors, leaving a net 'loss of 70 taels and her land on the transaction. CUNNING SPIDERS. auâ€" Live In the Flower of the Pitcher Plant Because of Its Dangers. Mr. R. I. Pocock. the English natur- alist. tells an interesting story of the spiders which dwell in the flower of the pitcherâ€"plant of India and Ausâ€" tralia. This flower is an insect-trap. Around its upper edge it is brilliant- ly colored and sweet with honey. Lower down the walls are waxy. and so smooth that no insect can gain a hold upon them. The bottom of the pitcher is filled with a. liquid, con- taining several acids, which p0ssesscs the power of digesting organic mat- ter. The luckiess insects which fall into this liquid are gradually absorb- ed by the plant. But while most inâ€" sects carefully avoid this death~trap, a particular species of spider chooses it as a dwelling~place. By spinning a little web like a carpet. over a part of the waxy interior of the pitcher, it is enabled to stay there in safety. These spiders have apparently chosen their singular home just because of its dan- gers. In such a place they are proâ€" tected against their enemies Ifalarm- ed, the spider drops into the liquid at the bottom of the plant and remains there until its enemy has disappeared, escaping afterward, probably by means of a. silken cable which it had spun us it fell. A short submergence in the digestive fluid is not injurious to the spider. ~Â¥.â€"â€"â€"â€"â€".â€"â€"~â€" . ENGLAND’S ARMY AS IT MIGHT BE. If the Prussian conscription were ap- plied in India, England, would have 2,500,000 regular soldiers actually in barracks, with 800,000 recruits, coming up every year. ‘ _ _. m<._‘.p...__ “"h- ELEVEN LAME CITIES. There are 11 cities in the world with a population of over 1,000,000. They are London, Paris, Berlin, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Peking, Vienna, Tokio, Canton and St. Petersburg. VIGDRDUS [in AGE. MR. WM. ELLIOTT TELLS HOW TQ OBTAIN IT. He Has Been Minion to hunting Spell: and (‘rllnlpstvas Gradually Growing Weaker and weaker. From the Echo. Plattsville, Ont. Dr. Vt'illiamis’ Pink Pills have attains ed amost enviable reputation in this community. Probably no other medi~ cinehas had such a large and increas- ing sale here. The reason is that this medicine cures. Old and young alike are benefited by itsuse. Recently we printed an account of a remarkable cure of a well known lady oflhis place through the agency of Dr. \Villiums' I’ink Pills, and since pullishing that wehave heard of another similar case. Mr. \Vm. 'Iilliott. a. farmer living near Bright isaW/‘ll known figure there. Although an old man he almost daily walks to the village, a distance of nearly a mile, for his mail. Many ymrs ago he came from Scotland to the farm on which he now lives and cleared it of forest. In conversation with him, be related to :in Erho rc- porl'cr the following: “I am T?‘ years of age and strong agid healthy for an old man. hIine has liwcu a vigorous constitution and up till six years ago I hardly knew what it was to have a day's illness. But then my health began to fail. I income subject to (‘I‘ltmps in the. stomach. I was treat- ed by doctors, but received no benefit; 1 gTfldually grew weaker and as I was past the ihreee score and ten, I thought my time had come. Next I took fainting fits and often I, would have. to be carried back to the house entirely helpless. The doctors said my trouble was general weakness due to old age and idvisod m,‘ In: carry some stimulant with me to us“ When I felt a faintness coming on. but this Irefused to do. I had read in ill", papers of Dr. \Yilliam’s Pink Pills anl ihought they would be specially adaplpd to my case. I tried one box but they did not seem to help me. In fact Ithought I felt worse. I decided to continue them. however, and after taking four boxes there was a marked improvement. My strength returned and I was no longer troubled with fainting spells. In six months time with this treatment I gained fif- teen pounds, taking in all eight boxes of the Pills. Toâ€"day Iam awell man and I owe my complete recovery to Dr. \Villiams' Pink Pills.” These pills cure not by purging the system as do ordinary medicines. but by enriching the blood and strengthâ€" ening the nerves. They cure rheuma- tism sciatica, locomotor ataxia, para- lysis, heart troubles, erysipelas and all forms of weakness. Ladies will find them an unrivalled medicine for all ailments peculiar to the sex: restoring health and vigor, and bringing arosy glow to pale and sallow cheeks. There- is no other medicine. "just as good." See that the full name, Dr. Williams’ Pink Pills for Pale People is on every package you buy. If your dealer does not have them, they will be sent post paid at 50 cents a box, or six boxes for $2.50, by addressing the Dr. Williams‘ Medicine 00.. Brockville, Ont., or Schenectady, New York. ODD INFORMATION. ~â€" mvers Short Sunk-Jim of Knowledge About furious Things. No fewer than 1,173 persons have been buried in \Vestminster Abbey. The thickness of the hair varies from the 250th to the 600th part of an inch. During the Jordan’s course of 120 miles it has 27 fails and descends 3,000 feet. Tea is very cheap in China; in one ' province of the empire good tea is sold at I 1-4d a pound. Bank of England notes are number- ed backwardâ€"from 10,900, hence the figures 00,001. The deepest coal mine in the world is the Lambert, in Belgium; you can. descend 3,490 feet. A hive of 5,000 bees should produce 50 pounds of honey every year, and multiply tenfold in five years. Italy produces annually 70,000,000 gallons of olive oil. the market value of which is £24,000,000. It is estimated that there .are 62.- 050.000 horses in the world, 185,150,000 cattle. and 485,500,000 sheep. The longest span of telegraph wire in the world is in India, over the River Kistna. It is over 6,000 ft. in length. Cyclists should wear shoes with soles of average thickness. Thin soled shoes cause numbness of the feet, and should not be worn. especially on long rides. In a home for sandwichmen, in Lon- don there are said to be several uni- versity graduates and medical men, and a Scotchman who ran through £50,000 in three years. Egypt is the only country in the world where there are more men than women. The male sex in the dominions of the Khedive exceeds the female in numbers by 160,000. ‘w~â€"‘ â€" CURIOUS. WORK FOR MEN. Among the. Riffian pirates of Mo- rocco the women do all the agricultur- al and other hard work. while the men, when. at home, do the cooking and mend the clothes. including the wo- men‘s. ; A MUSICAL INVENTION. In order to facilitate the production of higher notes on a. Cornet tho ordin- ary mouthpiece is inclosed in a spring controlled sleeve, which is pressed in by the lips on the high notes,to form a smaller opening in the rubber mouth ring. â€"~._._~_ A Retortâ€"What kind of a cook are you? he asked of the maid he loved so true. Before I tell, said she, what kind of a hired man are youi