s a natural outcome of the carnival season. It happened not long
ago. On the last day of the revels, when extravagance of costume and
conduct had reached its climax, when the actors strove to so carefully
disguise themselves as to render discovery impossible, a certain popular
beauty of the humble class was being pursued, complimented, and plied
with bonbons by a masked individual, to the great, disgust and annoyance
of a youth who was her acknowledged lover. It seems that the conspicuous
attention thus bestowed by a new aspirant for her favor was not entirely
displeasing to the youthful beauty. The fact that her accepted lover
evinced great jealousy at this condition of affairs seemed to spur on
both the girl and her newly devoted companion. At last, jealousy so
wrought upon the passion of the neglected lover that, seizing a
favorable moment for his purpose, he plunged his knife to the hilt in
the breast of the unknown rival. The wounded man fell to the ground,
bathed in his own blood, and his mask was promptly removed to give him
breathing space. He who had given the fatal blow escaped. To the
amazement of all, the dying youth was recognized as the girl's own
brother, who was merely enacting a Carnival deception. The man who dealt
the murderous blow has never since been heard from, but the
broken-hearted girl, who was by no means blameless, soon entered a
convent and donned the irrevocable veil.

Once since the English held possession here, a Scotchman was sent to
Malta as governor, a devout Presbyterian, who conscientiously endeavored
to abolish the noisy celebration of the Carnival on the Sabbath. This so
angered the people that it very nearly led to an open and general
rebellion against English rule. The occasion was not without bloodshed,
though the governor did not push matters to extremes. Their
parishioners were secretly spurred on by the priesthood, who were only
too happy to find an opportunity to make trouble for the Protestants.

Some of those who read these pages will doubtless remember the Carnival
as it occurred annually in the principal cities of Italy a few years
ago, in Venice, Naples, Milan, and Rome, but more particularly in the
last named capital. The Italian populace would no more be content
without the annual Carnival than the Spaniards would without their cruel
bullfights. The difference between these nationalities is clearly
evinced in these two exhibitions. The Italians are passionate and quic