onio, "the door is open; escape with me; the night,
the forest will lend us their shelter."

"Only look around you," said the girl; "only see how both here and in
the room below all the windows are secured with strong iron bars; the
door of the house is fastened with a large key which my mother never
parts with. Did you not perceive, sir, how she threw the door into the
lock when you entered?"

"Then let the old hag fall first," cried Antonio: "we'll tear the keys
from her...."

"What, kill my mother!" shriekt the pale maiden, and clambered
forcibly round him, to hold him fast.

Antonio quieted her. He proposed to her that, as the old woman was
drunk and sleeping soundly, they should take the large house-key
gently from her side, then open the door, and escape. From this plan
Crescentia seemed to catch some hope: they both went silently down
into the room below, and found the old woman still fast asleep.
Crescentia crept trembling up to her, sought for the key, found it,
and succeeded after a time in loosening it from the string at her
girdle. She beckoned to the youth; they stept on tiptoe to the door;
they cautiously fixt the iron key in the lock; Antonio was now
straining his hand to draw back the bolt without noise; when he felt
that some one else was working at the lock on the outside in the same
noiseless manner. The door opened softly and in came face to face to
Antonio a large wild-looking man.

"Ildefonso!" screamed the damsel, and the youth at the first glance
recognized the murderer Roberto.

"What is this?" said he with a hollow voice. "Where got you that key?
whither are you going?"

"Roberto!" cried Antonio, and furiously seized the gigantic man by the
throat. They wrestled violently; but the nimbler strength of the youth
got the better and threw the villain upon the floor; he then knelt
upon his breast and plunged his dagger into his heart.

The old woman meanwhile had awaked with loud screams, had started up
on seeing the battle, and howling and cursing had torn her daughter
away; she dragged her up to the room overhead, and bolted the door
from within.

Antonio was now mounting to break into the loft, when several dark
forms stalkt in, and were no little astounded at finding their leader
dead on the ground.

"I am your captain now!" cried a broad bearded figure, fiercely
drawing his sword.

"Provided Crescentia is mine!" answered a younger robber in a tone of
defiance.

Each persisting