The Masked Ball

On one of the narrowest and stoepest streets of Toledo the re stood, a crreat niany years ago, i fine old Moorieli house. Over the portal was the coat of ariiis of tiie noble fainily of Verano. It was a most imposing lookinjr building and wiis built on the Moorish plan. Throujfh the opeo, delicate, Iron scrollwork of the gates a large patio or court yard eould be seen, with a fouiitain playing in the ïniddle ainl beautlful flowers {rrowin; all around. For niany years luit few visitors were allowad to enter, for the masier of the house was very old and very fee b la and aaw hardly any one but the priest and the doctor. The old Count de Verano was a long time shullliiiir offt.his mortal coil; every now and then there was a report that he was sinking f.ist but he revived in a marvelous way after each attack and lingered on an on, until people whispered to each other that he must be either the Wandering Jew himself or else had committed sonie awful critne for which he was doomed to live on forever. There was one liriirht thing in all that dreary house and that was the granddaughter of the old Count. She was 16 years old and as pretty and as sweet a little fairy as ever was scen in Toledo. She was the life of the house, and not a creature in it, froin the old major domo to the groom in the stable, bút wonld willingly have died for the little Countess Teresita de Verano. She was smnll and slight, and agile, with tiny hands and feet. Her head was heautifully placed npon her shoulders, and bergreat black fcyea made a curlous contrast to the macees of rich brown hair which were cottled round and round the Binall, well-shapcd head. Her mother had been one of the beauties of the Sevilla and liad died when she was bom. Hor father lived with the old Count in thts dieary old palace in the Calle de la Trinidad.' Hut nothing could sadden the spirits of Teresita. Her laugh was like a peal of bells, and ghe had such coaxtng, wheedling ways that even the soleinn visaged old major domo could not refuse her anythinr. Her fatherwas a man of agood de'al of iflinement and taste, and adurned his little daughter to her heart's content; all the more that she rosembled in niany ways the mother, whom be had loved so dearly. Time passed and at last the old Count de Verano died and his son lived quietly with his daughter in the dreary old palace. The term of inourning havi ti r explred, all Toledo was elèctriffed by the news that the Count de Verano m going to give a masked ball to introduce Ton.iU inlo xi'Ulv MmiiV VIIIS liad passed since many of his old fliends liad crossed the threshold, aud great was the curiosity of those who were fortúnate enough to be invited. None of the guests refused, for the house was said to be haunted and all were anxiousto see what the old palace looked like inside. Ik-sides that, a masked ball was quite a new thinff to the good people of Toledo. The evening carne and the old palace was brilliant with a thoiisund lights. The suites of rooms were bllQg with choice old tapestries, and the halidsoine silver and gold chandeliers bristled with lijrht and rellected a thousand brilliant colors. The hall was hung with old annors and the broad marble staircase was thronged with people going up and coming down and all were dressed In dominóes and masks. At rnidnight they were all to uninask. The guests were more or less ëtartled tlierefore at meeting, couiing down stans, a man dressed entirely in armor, with vizor down, who wore neither domino nor mask. He seenied to know no one, for he was met several times in different parts of the house and always alone. The clanking of his armor and his sword could be heard a long way off, and as he carne near, people involuntarily stepped aaide, 8o chilly did the air become as he strode past, regardless of everything and of everybody. It had been arranged between the Count and his daughter that they tliemselves should not dress in dominóes and masks. Don Jayme thought Teresita too young for that kind of thing, and they stood together at the end of the long drawingroom to receive their guests. Teresita looked very lovely in her white gauze draperies, and she had no lack of partners for the different dances which varied the entertainment. Her simplicity and gaiety charmed all heart, and the knowing duennas prophesied that she would be a great succeas. Her father's heart swelled with piïde as he heard tbeSG comments upon his darling. The only thins; which disturbed every one's enjoy ment was the entrance from time to time of the man in armor. Hewálked straight tbroagh the different rooms, payiag no attention to any one, and the fun and conversation died away as he passed. l'eople whispered to eaeh olher and wondered who the strauge knight mlght be. Sonie suggested there was a stoiy of the house beini; na.inted and perhaps tliis was the ghost, olhers that the armor was only put on for the evening and that the knijiht had made a mistake and thought t was a fancy dress ball instead of a masked one. In short, all sorts of ideas and sujigestions were made. Teresita was to full of enjoyment and deilgbt to care about the kuight at tirst but even she could not help noticing the disturbed looks of the people about her and the dead silence which feil upon them all as the knlghi passed throuyh the rooms at Ion;; intervals. She determined to tlnd out somethinjr more about the man. She went all through the rooms until she found Don Jayme. "Padre mio," she said, "who is the curious caballero dressed in armor, who keeps walking abeut all by hiniselt ? " "What caballero?" said Don Jayne, Uirning pale. "1 have seen no oue dressed in armor." "Seen no one dressed in armor V" cried Teresita turninjí round to look at her father. "Wheie are your eyes, dear papa? We have ill sein hiiu and I urn sure you can hear his sword and his armor rattle and clatter a mile off, Why ! there - there he U coming through the doornowl Don't you see himf Can't you hear hlra? " Don Jayme said nothing, but turnee] white to the very lips. He neither saw nor heard anything himself, but he new that the appearance of the ghost of the house portended no particular good, bút rather disaster. At last, like a transforination scène, every one bloomed out in gay costumesand bnght color?, and leut additional brilliance to the ïlready beautlful rooms. The servants handed round wine and cakes, chocolate and ices, and the air was til led with the hum of many volees. Everybody peemed happy and contented and began nibbling their cakes and sipping wine. But after the lirst taste, the ïiiests looked at each olher. First one then the other put down his glass with a face of disgust. What could be the matter with the wine? It looked like a rich, heavy Biirgundy, but it Usted like blood At tht; moment that one of the gueet was saying "it tasted like blood," the knight in armor entered tlie room. In : second the voices were hushed and al gazed silently at the figure which lookei neither to the right nor to the left, but strode across the floor as though he were in a liurry. Hut Teresita witli a couragt unusual for so young a girl, quietly lef bét seat and placing herself in front o] the figure mM, "Senor Caball.-ro, wil! you not unuiask now, and join us in our slipper. The figure did not auswer, and the rui-sls shuddered and covered their eyes when they saw what the young girl was doing, but when they looked agaiu the BgOre li. ui gone and Teresita lay on the Ilour In a dead faint. 8he very soon recovered her senses, however, made liglit of the whole matter and was nmong the gayest of the wliole company for the rest of tlie evening. "So much for trying to be polite to people whora you do not know," she said laughing. ''But the man is very 4ange. l'erhaps he is mud, poor thing." Don Jayme had made no answer wlien Teieslta said that the knight in armor was coming at the door. He could see nothing nor could be hear anything, but lie bad heard enough of the guost in his boyhood lo remember tbat those whose attention the ghost wished to attract were the very persons who were both blind and ileaf a6 far as he was concerne'!. The ghost was restless about something, and he must lind out what it was. As soou as he could leiive his guest9 unnoticed, he made his way to the room of Juan, the okl major domo of the house. He bad been in the tatnily ever since Don Jayme was a baby, and was a most valuable aml trustworthv servant. Don Jayme was startled wlien he Baw him. For the first time in bis ÜfeJuan looked frightened. Don Jayme had never in his remoinbrance look like that. Poor Juan's lips were white and trembllng, his eyes seemed startling out of their sockets as if tliey were ïtraining to see something that was far off. When he saw bis master enter the room he beid up both hands and said in a frightened whisper: "5lv marter what is the ghost walking for? V'iu hare doubtleas seen hltn." And he seeined anxlous for Don Jayme's answer. "No Juan, I can ni-iiher see nor bear him, but the señorita has, and so have all the gucsts." Oíd Juan feil back in his ehair and gave a x roa n. "You must hear him, Seuor Conde. He is coming along the pafrsage now, can't you hear his armor creakiniï his sword clanklng over the stones? Tiire he is just passing the door, can't vou see him i " Don Jayme did his best. He listened caivinlly, even eagerly, and struined his eyes to Eee the shadow of a man in armor. Joan saw that he was making a great eft'ort :iiid groaned again. "No," said Don Jayme after a few minutes pause, "no, I can hear and j-ee nothing." "Oh, Dios mió," cried poor Juan, "how can I convince ihe Señor Conde? Come into the hall and see if the armor is all there." They went together into the hall. Apparently all the armor was there, but to make quite su re tbey counted the pieces hanging up. Almost at the furtherend ot' the hall one complete set of armor was missing. They turned and looked at each other. Don Jayme's face was now as white s Juan's and he whispered : - "What does it mean, Juan, the ghost's walkinx? "' "It means - t means misfortune," replied Juan, also ir a wliisper, "There he is coming towards us again. Surely you can see him now, señor? " "No," replied Don Jayme, "I see nothing." "He is making enough noise to waken the dead;" mutured Juan to himself. "Don Jayme must be deaf not to hear him." While Juan and his master were trying to fathom the mystery of the ghost, the guests were beginning to feal uncomfortable at remaining any longer in a house that had the reputation of being haunted. The small hours liad already begun, and who could tell how many inore ghosts mttrht be Been that night? The guests stirred uneasily and made inquirios lor the host. Teresita did her best to amuse tliern and begged them to stay for a few more dances, liut her efforts were ur.availing, aiid seeing that they were really in earnest she pressed thcin no more but sent a servant to flnd her Tathcr. The curious events of the evening had made a very unpleasant ïmpression evon on her young miiid. She was, therefore, not astouished that her guests should i-h to to leave a house where they had boen witnesses of such strange things. Dol: Jayme, the moment tliat he had seen the last of his guests, returned with all speed to Juan with whom he cousulted as to what they should do to get lid of the ,'host. "If he would only go with the guests, liow glad we should all be,'' sighed old Juan. The servants ware frightened aluiost out of their genees, and sat close together in the kitchen, talking in whigpen, and ¦shivering wheuever they heard the clattei ing of the sword along the stone floor as the kuight .-trodi' about the house. Teresita sat for a time alone in the drawmg room where she had had 3o much enoyment and dancing. She was not at all Lired and would joyfully have gone on dancing for unother iwo bours, if the a;uests had not been so fi ightentd by the knight and armor and gone away together like a flock of gheep. Slie wondered wliere her fathur was and why he turned so pale and did not answer when she pointed out to him the knight in armor coming into the room. At last she got Lircd sitting by hcrself. There was a long pier glass at one end of the drawing room and as she roso she saw herself reflected in t. She looked almont as freth as when the evcuing began and she walked up to the glass and slood admiring herself for soine time. At last she begau to humming a gay bolero air and involuntarily her feet kept time to the inu-ic, till sho fouud nerlPlf dancing tohcrown rtflection In the glass. She dauevdand eapered till sbesank exhaustcd on a sola. 8he rnther wondered why no one had come up all this time, to put out the lights and sluit up the house. She listened attentively but not a sound could she hear at any one stlrrlng, excepting sccnsionally the tramp and clatter ol the knight iu armor as he made his rounds. She had become so used to the sound that it did not disturb her in the least. Thcservants were too frightened to move from tlie Uitchen unless they all went together, and Don Jayme and Juan were talklng together in the old major domo's room. Juan confeBSed to feeling nervoua, because he gnid that had he not been told by his late master that the ghoxt had walked when Don Jayme's grandfather was away fighthifr in the wars ngains the Moors, The host appeared then fo two days and three nights, in the verj snit of mail. At the end of tbe three days the iiewscame that Don Andrés hai been killed in battle and the ghost had dlssapeured as suddenly as lie liad come "Have you seen hiiii before to-niglit Juan ? '' inquired Don Jayinc. "No, benoi-," was the reply. "I was carrying sume candles into the drawlng room before the couipany came when I met him o the slairs. I thought at first that perhaps it some senor niight have come early by mistake, or that perhaps you had diessed up In that fasliion to astonisli your guests. lint soon afterward I siiw you come out of your room drawed as you are now, aud then it llashed across me what it was. And ever since it has been marching up and down the house. He seems to have tinished bis rounds for to-nigiit at any rate, for I hear hia footsteps no inore." J list then Teresitu, who had been huntin all over the house for her fatlier, opened the door, and seeing her t'Hther, she iniraediately began talking about the ball and the guests, aud tinally of the man in arinor. "1 tliink he must be tired by this time she said, "for he has been walking for tour entlre hours, but 1 do not hear him now, and although I liave been all over the house to tind you, I have neither seen nor heard him." All this excitement had tried Don Jayme very much. "Let us go and have a glass of wine," he said, and refresh ourselves before we go to bed," and led the way to the dining room. Juan followed his master, poured him out a glass of wine and retired quite satïsrled that the ghost's watch was over for that niglit. Teresita had stayed behind for a few minutes to give wine directions to her inaid, but joincd her father in the diningroom alinost iminedialely after Juan liad left him. He was sitting In his usual seat at the head of the table, apparently siplng his wine, for his glass was half empty and he held it in his hand, which w;is resting on the table. Teresit:i had hanllv time to more than notice tuis, for ¦be waa startled by aeeiog the knight in irmor standinj: erect aud immovalle beliind lier fathei's chalr, "Why, there is our friend the knight, lapa," slie said, "standing directly belind you. If you turn your head just the rast liltle bit, you cannot help seeing ïi in." But her father taking no notice of her remark, she touched him. A shriek resounded through the house, brlnging ill the seivunts tuinbling over each other n their haste to get iuto the room. Don For days and wepks Teresita's life bwg on a thread but at last she rseovereil. fier gay spirits were gone, her face was liucheil and ivorn ad her hair was perfectly white. It is snid that one of the sweetest f:iced of the nuns in the days when the chnrcb of Ste Maria la Blanc i jad a convent attached to It, was named Teresita de Verano. And the old house n the ('alle de la Trinidad is empty and luppëaed. to be haunted still by the Cuight in Arator.