allowed all the spectators to go out, and the lamps to he all extinguished, except one, which served to light a lantern, with which he was to conduct Marianna and her two companions to Ripetta street. Pitichinaccio again began to groan and complain. Capuzzi took him under his left arm to pacify him, whilst with the other, he drew along his pretty niece. Splendiano walked on before, armed with the lantern, which gave nearly enough light to render the darkness more visible.
At some distance from the People's Gate, four figures, wrapped in immense cloaks of the color of the walls, suddenly stopped the progress of the company. By a blow of the hand, the doctor's lantern was extinguished and thrown down; then a dim light proceeding from an unknown source, lighted four skulls, whose eyeless sockets were turned towards Capuzzi and the doctor, who were petrified with terror.
"Curses, curses, curses on thee, Splendiano Accoramboni!" said the four phantoms. Then the first continued in a plaintive voice:
"Knowest thou me, Splendiano? I am Cordier, the French painter, whom thou hast put into the earth, last week, with thy devilish drugs!"
The second advanced, and said:—"Knowest thou me, Splendiano? I am Kufner, the German painter, killed by thy opiates!"
The third cried out to him, in a hoarse voice:—"Knowest thou me, Splendiano? I am Liers of Flanders, whom thou hast poisoned with thy pills, to gain possession of my pictures!"
Lastly, the fourth said to him:—"Knowest thou me, Splendiano? I am Ghigi, the Neapolitan, whom thy powders sent to purgatory!"
And all four exclaimed in chorus:—"Curses, curses, curses on thee, Splendiano Accoramboni! the devil sends us to seek thee, illustrious doctor Pyramid! come, come."
And seizing on him with the quickness of lightning, they disappeared in the darkness, howling like a storm wind.
Pasquale Capuzzi recovered a little from his fright when
