i found out she was so
inflamed with rage and jealousy that, overhearing of an appointment
between Bella and Luigi, she wrote a note in a handwriting roughly
resembling that of Bella to the latter's sweetheart, a certain Jose,
bidding him meet her at the same time and place as that arranged by the
other two. Well, Jose went, expecting to meet his beloved--and found her
in Luigi's arms. Tragedy followed, of course. Jose first tore the girl
away and then stabbed her to the heart, afterwards turning on Luigi.
They struggled--on the edge of the cliff; and Luigi proving the
stronger, Jose was hurled over the edge into the sea below."

"A tragedy indeed," commented Major Carstairs as the speaker paused.
"What was the next act? Did Luigi and Tochatti become reconciled and
walk off arm-in-arm?"

"No." Chloe's voice sank a little. "It seems that when Tochatti,
horror-struck by the result of her interference, rushed on to the scene,
Luigi turned upon her, guessing somehow that she was responsible, and
taxed her with having lured Jose to the spot that night. She owned up to
it, and instead of imploring forgiveness appeared to glory in her
treachery, whereupon Luigi, throwing the fatal letter into her face,
burst into a torrent of rage, telling her he had never cared for her,
that Bella was the only girl he had ever loved, and finished up by
stabbing himself before her eyes rather than endure a life from which
his adored one had vanished for ever."

"I say! What a tale--quite a Shakespearean ending, stage fairly littered
with corpses," struck in Major Carstairs. "I wonder Tochatti didn't put
the finishing touch by stabbing herself as well!"

"She did think of it, I believe," owned Chloe, "but the sound of
quarrelling had brought other people on the scene, and Tochatti was of
course arrested and the whole story investigated with more or less
thoroughness. Being a pretty common story, however--for the Sicilians
are a hot-blooded race--it was quite easy for the authorities to
reconstruct the scene; and since Tochatti was innocent of any actual
crime she was eventually released; only to fall ill with some affection
of the brain which finally landed her in an asylum."

"An asylum!" Anstice whistled. "Yet one would have hesitated to call her
insane----"

"Yes, now, but you must remember this is very many years ago. She
recovered at length, and the only reminiscence of the tragedy was a
marked aversion to using pen or pencil. She s