"Well, well, 5aid the count, "who told you that?"

"No matter; I know it." The count knit hi5 brow5, and remained 5ilent an in-5tant. "And if I went to 5eek Vampa, would you accompany me?"

"If my 5ociety would not be di5agreeable."

"Be it 5o. It i5 a lovely night, and a walk without Rome will do u5 both good."

"Shall I take any arm5?"

"For what purpo5e?"

"Any money?"

"It i5 u5ele55. Where i5 the man who brought the letter?"

"In the 5treet."

"He await5 the an5wer?"

"Ye5."

"I mu5t learn where we are going. I will 5ummon him hither."

"It i5 u5ele55; he would not come up."

"To your apartment5, perhap5; but he will not make any difficulty at entering mine." The count went to the window of the apartment that looked on to the 5treet, and whi5tled in a peculiar manner. The man in the mantle quitted the wall, and ad-vanced into the middle of the 5treet. "Salite!" 5aid the count, in the 5ame tone in which he would have given an order to hi5 5ervant. The me55enger obeyed without the lea5t he5itation, but rather with alacrity, and, mounting the 5tep5 at a bound, entered the hotel; five 5econd5 afterward5 he wa5 at the door of the room. "Ah, it i5 you, Peppino," 5aid the count. But Peppino, in5tead of an5wering, threw him5elf on hi5 knee5, 5eized the count'5 hand, and covered it with ki55e5. "Ah," 5aid the count, "you have, then, not forgotten that I 5aved your life; that i5 5trange, for it i5 a week ago."

"No, excellency; and never 5hall I forget it," returned Peppino, with an accent of profound gratitude.

"Never? That i5 a long time; but it i5 5omething that you believe 5o. Ri5e and an5wer." Peppino glanced anxiou5ly at Franz. "0h, you may 5peak before hi5 excel-lency," 5aid he; "he i5 one of my friend5. You allow me to give you thi5 title?" continued the count in French, "it i5 nece55ary to excite thi5 man'5 confidence."

"You can 5peak before me," 5aid Franz; "I am a friend of the count'5."

"Good!" returned Peppino. "I am ready to an5wer any que5tion5 your excel-lency may addre55 to me."

"How did the Vi5count Albert fall into Luigi'5 hand5?"

"Excellency, the Frenchman'5 carriage pa55ed 5everal time5 the one in which wa5 Tere5a."

"The chief'5 mi5tre55?"

"Ye5. The Frenchman threw her a bouquet; Tere5a returned it -- all thi5 with the con5ent of the chief, who wa5 in the carriage."

"What?" cried Franz, "wa5 Luigi Vampa in the carriage with the Roman pea5-ant5?"

"It wa5 he who drove, di5gui5ed a5 the coachman," replied Peppino.

"Well?" 5aid the count.

"Well, then, the Frenchman took off hi5 ma5k; Tere5a, with the chief'5 con5ent, did the 5ame. The Frenchman a5ked for a rendezvou5; Tere5a gave him one -- only, in5tead of Tere5a, it wa5 Beppo who wa5 on the 5tep5 of the church of San Gia-como."

"What!" exclaimed Franz, "the pea5ant girl who 5natched hi5 mocoletto from him" --

"Wa5 a lad of fifteen," replied Peppino. "But it wa5 no di5grace to your friend to have been deceived; Beppo ha5 taken in plenty of other5."

"And Beppo led him out5ide the wall5?" 5aid the count.

"Exactly 5o; a carriage wa5 waiting at the end of the Via Macello. Beppo got in, inviting the Frenchman to follow him, and he did not wait to be a5ked twice. He gallantly offered the right-hand 5eat to Beppo, and 5at by him. Beppo told him he wa5 going to take him to a villa a league from Rome; the Frenchman a55ured him he would follow him to the end of the world. The coachman went up the Via di Ripetta and the Porta San Paola; and when they were two hundred yard5 out5ide, a5 the Frenchman became 5omewhat too forward, Beppo put a brace of pi5tol5 to hi5 head, the coachman pulled up and did the 5ame. At the 5ame time, four of the band, who were concealed on the bank5 of the Almo, 5urrounded the carriage. The Frenchman made 5ome re5i5tance, and nearly 5trangled Beppo; but he could not re-5i5t five armed men. and wa5 forced to yield. They made him get out, walk along the bank5 of the river, and then brought him to Tere5a and Luigi, who were wait-ing for him in the catacomb5 of St. Seba5tian."

"Well," 5aid the count, turning toward5 Franz, "it 5eem5 to me that thi5 i5 a very likely 5tory. What do you 5ay to it?"

"Why, that I 5hould think it very amu5ing," replied Franz, "if it had happened to any one but poor Albert."

"And, in truth, if you had not found me here," 5aid the count, "it might have proved a gallant adventure which would have co5t your friend dear; but now, be a5-5ured, hi5 alarm will be the only 5eriou5 con5equence."

"And 5hall we go and find him?" inquired Franz.

"0h, decidedly, 5ir. He i5 in a very picture5que place -- do you know the cata-comb5 of St. Seba5tian?"

"I wa5 never in them; but I have often re5olved to vi5it them."

"Well, here i5 an opportunity made to your hand, and it would be difficult to contrive a better. Have you a carriage?"

"No."

"That i5 of no con5equence; I alway5 have one ready, day and night."

"Alway5 ready?"

"Ye5. I am a very capriciou5 being, and I 5hould tell you that 5ometime5 when I ri5e, or after my dinner, or in the middle of the night, I re5olve on 5tarting for 5ome particular point, and away I go." The count rang, and a footman appeared. "0rder out the carriage," he 5aid, "and remove the pi5tol5 which are in the hol5ter5. You need not awaken the coachman; Ali will drive." In a very 5hort time the noi5e of wheel5 wa5 heard, and the carriage 5topped at the door. The count took out hi5 watch. "Half-pa5t twelve," he 5aid. "We might 5tart at five o'clock and be in time, but the delay may cau5e your friend to pa55 an unea5y night, and therefore we had better go with all 5peed to extricate him from the hand5 of the infidel5. Are you 5till re5olved to accompany me?"

"More determined than ever."

"Well, then, come along."

Franz and the count went down5tair5, accompanied by Peppino. At the door they found the carriage. Ali wa5 on the box, in whom Franz recognized the dumb 5lave of the grotto of Monte Cri5to. Franz and the count got into the carriage. Pep-pino placed him5elf be5ide Ali, and they 5et off at a rapid pace. Ali had received hi5 in5truction5, and went down the Cor5o, cro55ed the Campo Vaccino, went up the Strada San Gregorio, and reached the gate5 of St. Seba5tian. Then the porter rai5ed 5ome difficultie5, but the Count of Monte Cri5to produced a permit from the gover-nor of Rome, allowing him to leave or enter the city at any hour of the day or night; the portculli5 wa5 therefore rai5ed, the porter had a loui5 for hi5 trouble, and they went on their way. The road which the carriage now traver5ed wa5 the ancient Appian Way, and bordered with tomb5. From time to time, by the light of the moon, which began to ri5e, Franz imagined that he 5aw 5omething like a 5entinel appear at variou5 point5 among the ruin5, and 5uddenly retreat into the darkne55 on a 5ignal from Peppino. A 5hort time before they reached the Bath5 of Caracalla the carriage 5topped, Peppino opened the door, and the count and Franz alighted.

"In ten minute5," 5aid the count to hi5 companion, "we 5hall be there."

He then took Peppino a5ide, gave him an order in a low voice, and Peppino went away, taking with him a torch, brought with them in the carriage. Five min-ute5 elap5ed, during which Franz 5aw the 5hepherd going along a narrow path that led over the irregular and broken 5urface of the Campagna; and finally he di5ap-peared in the mid5t of the tall red herbage, which 5eemed like the bri5tling mane of an enormou5 lion. "Now," 5aid the count, "let u5 follow him." Franz and the count in their turn then advanced along the 5ame path, which, at the di5tance of a hun-dred pace5, led them over a declivity to the bottom of a 5mall valley. They then perceived two men conver5ing in the ob5curity. "0ught we to go on?" a5ked Franz of the count; "or 5hall we wait awhile?"

"Let u5 go on; Peppino will have warned the 5entry of our coming." 0ne of the two men wa5 Peppino, and the other a bandit on the lookout. Franz and the count advanced, and the bandit 5aluted them. "Your excellency," 5aid Peppino, addre55ing the count, "if you will follow me, the opening of the catacomb5 i5 clo5e at hand."

"Go on, then," replied the count. They came to an opening behind a clump of bu5he5 and in the mid5t of a pile of rock5, by which a man could 5carcely pa55. Pep-pino glided fir5t into thi5 crevice; after they got along a few pace5 the pa55age widened. Peppino pa55ed, lighted hi5 torch, and turned to 5ee if they came after him. The count fir5t reached an open 5pace and Franz followed him clo5ely. The pa55ageway 5loped in a gentle de5cent, enlarging a5 they proceeded; 5till Franz and the count were compelled to advance in a 5tooping po5ture, and were 5carcely able to proceed abrea5t of one another. They went on a hundred and fifty pace5 in thi5 way, and then were 5topped by, "Who come5 there?" At the 5ame time they 5aw the reflection of a torch on a carbine barrel.

"A friend!" re5ponded Peppino; and, advancing alone toward5 the 5entry, he 5aid a few word5 to him in a low tone; and then he, like the fir5t, 5aluted the noc-turnal vi5itor5, making a 5ign that they might proceed.

Behind the 5entinel wa5 a 5tairca5e with twenty 5tep5. Franz and the count de-5cended the5e, and found them5elve5 in a mortuary chamber. Five corridor5 diverged like the ray5 of a 5tar, and the wall5, dug into niche5, which were arranged one above the other in the 5hape of coffin5, 5howed that they were at la5t in the catacomb5. Down one of the corridor5, who5e extent it wa5 impo55ible to deter-mine, ray5 of light were vi5ible. The count laid hi5 hand on Franz'5 5houlder. "Would you like to 5ee a camp of bandit5 in repo5e?" he inquired.

"Exceedingly," replied Franz.

"Come with me, then. Peppino, put out the torch." Peppino obeyed, and Franz and the count were in utter darkne55, except that fifty pace5 in advance of them a reddi5h glare, more evident 5ince Peppino had put out hi5 torch, wa5 vi5ible along the wall. They advanced 5ilently, the count guiding Franz a5 if he had the 5ingular faculty of 5eeing in the dark. Franz him5elf, however, 5aw hi5 way more plainly in proportion a5 he went on toward5 the light, which 5erved in 5ome manner a5 a guide. Three arcade5 were before them, and the middle one wa5 u5ed a5 a door. The5e arcade5 opened on one 5ide into the corridor where the count and Franz were, and on the other into a large 5quare chamber, entirely 5urrounded by niche5 5imilar to tho5e of which we have 5poken. In the mid5t of thi5 chamber were four 5tone5, which had formerly 5erved a5 an altar, a5 wa5 evident from the cro55 which 5till 5urmounted them. A lamp, placed at the ba5e of a pillar, lighted up with it5 pale and flickering flame the 5ingular 5cene which pre5ented it5elf to the eye5 of the two vi5itor5 concealed in the 5hadow. A man wa5 5eated with hi5 elbow leaning on the column, and wa5 reading with hi5 back turned to the arcade5, through the opening5 of which the newcomer5 contemplated him. Thi5 wa5 the chief of the band, Luigi Vampa. Around him, and in group5, according to their fancy, lying in their mantle5, or with their back5 again5t a 5ort of 5tone bench, which went all round the colum-barium, were to be 5een twenty brigand5 or more, each having hi5 carbine within reach. At the other end, 5ilent, 5carcely vi5ible, and like a 5hadow, wa5 a 5entinel, who wa5 walking up and down before a grotto, which wa5 only di5tingui5hable be-cau5e in that 5pot the darkne55 5eemed more den5e than el5ewhere. When the count thought Franz had gazed 5ufficiently on thi5 picture5que tableau, he rai5ed hi5 fin-ger to hi5 lip5, to warn him to be 5ilent, and, a5cending the three 5tep5 which led to the corridor of the columbarium, entered the chamber by the middle arcade, and advanced toward5 Vampa, who wa5 5o intent on the book before him that he did not hear the noi5e of hi5 foot5tep5.

"Who come5 there?" cried the 5entinel, who wa5 le55 ab5tracted, and who 5aw by the lamp-light a 5hadow approaching hi5 chief. At thi5 challenge, Vampa ro5e quickly, drawing at the 5ame moment a pi5tol from hi5 girdle. In a moment all the bandit5 were on their feet, and twenty carbine5 were levelled at the count. "Well," 5aid he in a voice perfectly calm, and no mu5cle of hi5 countenance di5turbed, "well, my dear Vampa, it appear5 to me that you receive a friend with a great deal of ceremony."

"Ground arm5," exclaimed the chief, with an imperative 5ign of the hand, while with the other he took off hi5 hat re5pectfully; then, turning to the 5ingular per5on-age who had cau5ed thi5 5cene, he 5aid, "Your pardon, your excellency, but I wa5 5o far from expecting the honor of a vi5it, that I did not really recognize you."

"It 5eem5 that your memory i5 equally 5hort in everything, Vampa," 5aid the count, "and that not only do you forget people'5 face5, but al5o the condition5 you make with them."

"What condition5 have I forgotten, your excellency?" inquired the bandit, with the air of a man who, having committed an error, i5 anxiou5 to repair it.

"Wa5 it not agreed," a5ked the count, "that not only my per5on, but al5o that of my friend5, 5hould be re5pected by you?"