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has condemned me to an infamous death! How vain then all hope, all effort

to escape!"

Overpowered by these reflections, Simon Turchi bowed his head upon his

breast; his hands worked convulsively, and at intervals heart-rending

sighs escaped him

Confusedly arose before him a horrible vision: he saw the scaffold

erected; he beheld the sword of the executioner glitter in the sunlight;

he heard the shouts of the populace calling down the vengeance of heaven

upon his guilty head and devoting his name to eternal infamy; he seemed to

feel the mysterious stroke from the uplifted blade, for his frauish

He thrust his hand into his doublet, and drew from it slowly a small phial

half filled with a yellow liquid, and held it before hiust and horror

"Poison, deadly poison!" he e to take a

few drops will sleep a sweet sleep froe fronominy of the scaffold? Instead of

wealth and happiness, is a miserable death to be the price of hts"