4 Good —as good as I could even hope,' returned the duke. ' I have ,the power for arresting the gunmaker;' «And for executing him V ' Ib amounts to the same. J am ordered

to bring him before-£_e Emperor ; but that is easily managed.' Here the duke stopped and gazed about him, and then bending his head, so that no word could possibly pass beyond his com panion's oars, he continued: 4 You can call upon three of your best men, and I pan furnish $wt> from among my own servants. Early in. the morning—by the time tho sun is u»p—they must be at tho gunmaker's dwelling. They must make him angry —of course he will resist—and. then, kill him. Ib is very simple — very. 3'hey can easily de spatch him thus,, and then we have only to tell-the Etoperor thab he resisted bhe imperial authority even unto- death. So you see this is even better than it would have been liar. I received direct authority for his death ; for then some form of trial would have bean necessary, bub now we have only bo go to his house—provoke him to quarrel—kill him—and then tell the Emperor how it happened. What think you?'^ .' 7 hy, ; returned the priest, with a wick.d chuckle, 4 I can osily say thab Mas';or Nevel is done for—he is a dead mar.!. 1 'Exactly. Nothing could be better-* nothing.' After the explanation of this fiendish, hellish scheme, the two walked on some dis tance in silence. 'Stop,' uttered the duke, catching his companion by the arm. 4 Therß come two persons this way. We must not meot them. Here—into this passage —quick V It was a narrow, dark passage leading to the next street into which the duke dragged his companion, and here he meant to remain until the two persons had passed. The fact was, the duke did nob wish to be »een with the .priest ab that hour in the ! street, and ib is no matter of surprise that he should at that moment have been in fluenced by guilty fear. The two pedes trians came on, and passed the spot where the men stood. They were females, and one of them the priest saw in the face. The features were upturned to the star light, and he recognised them. 