h I have diligent inquired.

"My oath to forego the hall, give up my place with my fighting men.
Yea, upon my father's sword I swore, recking light of an oath, and the
old man, dying, would have it so. That oath torments me now. The evil
demons of the air haunt my bed; fiends leer at me through the day and
whisper all the night. I see my father's soul writhing in the fires of
Hell, and there he lays and beckons me to him. But no, by the heart of
Mars I'll be no craven fool to give up my castle and my name. Perhaps
my son may, I'll make him swear to me to do so. Yet I fear; I fear; I
like not that pit of scorching flame where my father suffers because he
did lay his hand upon his brother."

I could not but look him in the face, and he thought there was wisdom
in my glance, for he clutched me at the throat.

"Ah, thou prying hound, what dost thou know? Speak! Speak!"

But speak I could not, though a soul's salvation hung on my glib and
nimble tongue.

Count Raoul soon loosed me, seeing my ignorance. Yet some dark story
had I heard and repeated not--the crimes of the great are too dangerous
morsels for a poor man to mouth.

"Go now to thy shop, and mark ye, sirrah, that no man sees thy work."

I had hardly gotten well to my forge before three stout varlets came in
on a pretense of seeing a golden bracelet which I showed them without
suspecting aught. When, my back well turned, they slipped gyves upon
my wrists, bound me by a great band of iron at the waist, and made all
fast to the huge stone pillar.

Thenceforward, all through the days and nights which followed, one of
these men stood ever at my window to see I worked with speed, worked on
the locket and not upon my chains.

Count Raoul came many times as the work progressed, but the guards were
alway at too great a distance to tell in what quaint form my beaten
gold was fashioned.

Many, many lockets I made of cunning workmanship and design, of curious
chasings and most marvelous wrought intertwinings, yet none suited my
lord. One after one they returned to the melting pot and my labors
re-commenced.

During the long months I was thus engaged, I saw the Count often, nay,
more than daily, for his whole feverish life seemed in-woven with the
yellow and white metals I was busy interlacing and rounding and
polishing up.

At times an abject fear sat upon his countenance, and he mumbled of
strange sights he saw, of communings with the Prince of Darkne