restoration, except such as might involve him
in mortal sin.

The third section described the priest's
share in promoting the marriage of Maddalena
Lomi with Fabio; and the hopes he
entertained of securing the restitution of the
church property through, his influence over
his niece, in the first place, and, when she had
died, through his influence over her child, in
the second. The necessary failure of all his
projects, if Fabio married again, was next
glanced at; and the time at which the first
suspicion of the possible occurrence of this
catastrophe occurred to his mind, was noted
with scrupulous accuracy.

The fourth section narrated the manner in
which the conspiracy of the Yellow Mask
had originated. The writer described himself
as being in his brother's studio, on the night
of his niece's death, harassed by forebodings
of the likelihood of Fabio's marrying again,
and filled with the resolution to prevent any
such disastrous second union at all hazards.
He asserted that the idea of taking the wax
mask from his brother's statue flashed upon
him on a sudden, and that he knew of nothing
to lead to it, except, perhaps, that he had
been thinking, just before, of the superstitious
nature of the young man's character, as he had
himself observed it in the studio. He further
declared that the idea of the wax mask
terrified him at first; that he strove against it
as against a temptation of the devil; that,
from fear of yielding to this temptation, he
abstained even from entering the studio
during his brother's absence at Naples, and
that he first faltered in his good resolution
when Fabio returned to Pisa, and when it
was rumoured, not only that the young nobleman
was going to the ball, but that he would
certainly marry for the second time.

The fifth section related, that the writer,
upon this, yielded to temptation rather than
forego the cherished purpose of his life, by
allowing Fabio a chance of marrying again—
that he made the wax mask in a plaster
mould taken from the face of his brother's
statue — and that he then had two separate
interviews with a woman named Brigida (of
whom he had some previous knowledge) who
was ready and anxious, from motives of
private malice, to personate the deceased
countess at the masquerade. This woman
had suggested that some anonymous letters
to Fabio would pave the way in his mind for
the approaching impersonation, and had
written the letters herself. However, even
when all the preparations were made, the
writer declared that he shrank from proceeding
to extremities; and that he would have
abandoned the whole project, but for the
woman Brigida informing him, one day, that
a work-girl named Nanina was to be one of
the attendants at the ball. He knew the
count to have been in love with this girl, even
to the point of wishing to marry her; he
suspected that her engagement to wait at the
ball was preconcerted; and, in consequence,
he authorised his female accomplice to perform
her part in the conspiracy.

The sixth section detailed the proceedings
at the masquerade, and contained the writer's
confession that, on the night before it, he had
written to the count proposing the reconciliation
of a difference that had taken place
between them, solely for the purpose of
guarding himself against suspicion. He next
acknowledged that he had borrowed the
key of the Campo Santo gate, keeping the
authority to whom it was entrusted in
perfect ignorance of the purpose for which he
wanted it. That purpose was to carry out
the ghastly delusion of the wax mask (in the
very probable event of the wearer being
followed and enquired after) by having the
woman Brigida taken up, and set down, at the
gate of the cemetery in which Fabio's wife
had been buried.

The seventh section solemnly averred that
the sole object of the conspiracy was to
prevent the young nobleman from marrying
again, by working on his superstitious fears;
the writer repeating, after this avowal, that
any such second marriage would necessarily
destroy his project for promoting the ultimate
restoration of the church possessions, by
diverting Count Fabio's property, in great
part, from his first wife's child, over whom
the priest would always have influence, to
another wife and probably other children,
over whom he could hope to have none.

The eighth and last section expressed the
writer's contrition for having allowed his
zeal for the church to mislead him into
actions liable to bring scandal on his cloth;
reiterated in the strongest language, his
conviction, that, whatever might be thought
of the means employed, the end he had
proposed to himself was a most righteous one;
and concluded by asserting his resolution to
suffer with humility any penalties, however
severe, which his ecclesiastical superiors
might think fit to inflict on him.

Having locked over this extraordinary
statement, the doctor addressed himself again
to Luca Lomi.

"I agree with you," he said, " that no
useful end is to be gained now by mentioning
your brother's conduct in public — always
provided, however, that his ecclesiastical
superiors do their duty. I shall show these
papers to the count as soon as he is fit to
peruse them, and I have no doubt that he
will be ready to take my view of the matter."

This assurance relieved LucaLomi of a great
weight of anxiety. He bowed and withdrew.

The doctor placed the papers in the same
cabinet in which he had secured the wax
mask. Before he locked the doors again, he
took out the flat box, opened it, and looked
thoughtfully for a few minutes at the mask
inside; then sent for Nanina.

"Now, my child," he said, when she