am emanate from the
cell in which the victim was entombed.

CHAPTER XXXI.

THE BANDITTI.

The night of which we are speaking was destined to be one pregnant with
alarms for the Countess of Arestino and Signora Francatelli.

Scarcely had they recovered from the effects of the appalling tragedy
which had just been enacted, when their attention was drawn to a strange
noise on one side of the cell.

They listened, and the noise continued--resembling an attempt to remove
the massive masonry at that part of the stone chamber.

"Merciful heavens!" said Flora, in a subdued whisper; "what new terror
can now be in store for us!"

But scarcely were these words uttered, when a considerable portion of
the masonry fell in with a loud crash; and had not the countess and
Flora already withdrawn to the vicinity of the door, when the mysterious
sound first began, they would either have been killed or seriously hurt
by the falling of the huge stones.

A faint scream burst from Flora's lips, and she would have rushed from
the cell, had not an ejaculation of joy escaped the countess.

For at the aperture formed by the falling in of the masonry, and by the
glare of the light that shone on the other side, as well as by the dim
taper that burnt before the crucifix in the cell, Giulia had in an
instant recognized the countenance of the Marquis of Orsini.

"Manuel!--dearest Manuel!" she exclaimed, rushing toward the aperture:
"art thou come to save me?"

"Yes, Giulia," replied the marquis. "But by what good fortune art thou
the very first whom it is my destiny to encounter? and who is thy
companion?"

"A good--a generous-hearted girl, whom you must save also from this
dreadful place," answered the countess. "And as for this accidental, but
most fortunate encounter, I can tell you no more than that this is our
cell. It is rather for me to ask----"

"We have no time to waste in idle talk, my lord," said Stephano, who now
appeared at the aperture. "Pardon my roughness, noble lady--but every
moment is precious. Is there any danger of an alarm being given?"

"None that I am aware of," returned the countess. "The place where we
now are must be a hundred yards below the surface of the earth----"

"No, my lady--that is impossible," interrupted Stephano; "a hundred feet
at the most--and even that is above the mark. But stand back, my lady,
while we remove some more of this solid masonry."

Giulia obeyed the robber-chief, and t