igned
secrets. But let us not waste that time which now verges toward a
crisis, whereby doubt shall be dispelled and a ridiculous superstition
destroyed forever."

At this moment a loud, a piercing, and an agonizing cry burst from the
interior of the cell.

"The knave has overheard me, and would fain strike terror to your
hearts!" exclaimed the chief judge; then in a still louder tone, he
commanded the turnkey to open the door of the dungeon. But when the man
approached, so strange, so awful, so appalling were the sounds which
came from the interior of the cell, that he threw down the key in dismay
and rushed from the dreadful vicinity.

"My lord, I implore you to pause!" said the procurator fiscal, trembling
from head to foot.

"Would you have me render myself ridiculous in the eyes of all
Florence?" demanded the chief judge sternly.

Yet, so strange were now the noises which came from the interior of the
dungeon--so piercing the cries of agony--so violent the rustling and
tossing on the stone floor, that for the first time this bold
functionary entertained a partial misgiving, as if he had indeed gone
too far. But to retreat was impossible; and, with desperate resolution,
the chief judge picked up the key and thrust it into the lock.

His assistants, the procurator fiscal, and the sbirri drew back with
instinctive horror, as the bolts groaned in the iron work which held
them; the chain fell with a clanking sound; and as the door was opened,
the horrible monster burst forth from the dungeon with a terrific howl.
Yells and cries of despair reverberated through the long corridor: and
those sounds were for an instant broken by that of the falling of a
heavy body.

'Twas the chief judge, hurled down and dashed violently against the
rough uneven masonry, by the mad careering of the Wehr-Wolf as the
monster burst from his cell. On, on he sped, with the velocity of
lightning, along the corridor, giving vent to howls of the most
horrifying description.

Fainting with terror, the assistant judges, the procurator fiscal, and
the sbirri were for a few moments so overcome by the appalling scene
they had just witnessed, that they thought not of raising the chief
judge, who lay motionless on the pavement. But at length some of the
police-officers so far recovered themselves as to be able to devote
attention to that high functionary--it was, however, too late--his skull
was fractured by the violence with which he had been