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The paper was a letter, unfolded and written over with great black characters The few lines above those ers stared me in the face They ran thus: "I told you that you had as well cut your throat as go upon that one,--wealth, honors, favor Buckingham is the sun in heaven, and cold are the shadows in which ho hailed another luminary There's a warrant out for the Black Death; look to it that one meets not you too, when you come at last But come, in the name of all the fiends, and play your last card There's your cursed beauty still Co behold your face once more"--The rest was hidden

I put out my hand and touched him upon the shoulder, and he raised his head and stared at rave

Over one side of his face, from temple to chin, was drawn and fastened a black cloth; the unharmed cheek was bloodless and shrunken, the lip twisted Only the eyes, dark, sinister, and splendid, were as they had been "I dig not h," he said "Is she behind you there in the shadow?"

Flung across a chair was a cloak of scarlet cloth I took it and spread it out upon the floor, then unsheathed a dagger which I had taken from the rack of weapons in the Governor's hall "Loosen thy poniard, thou murderer," I cried, "and come stand with me upon the cloak"

"Art quick or dead?" he answered "I will not fight the dead" He had not y and a dullness in his voice and eyes "There is tih," he said "I too will soon be of thy world, thou haggard, bloody shape Wait until I coht thee, shadow to shadow"

"I am not dead," I said, "but there is one that is Stand up, villain andthere, with her blood upon your hands!"

He rose at that, and drew his dagger from the sheath I laid aside my doublet, and he followed ers bungled at the fastenings I waited for hi like hith, slowly and with an uncertain step, and we stood together on the scarlet cloak I raised my left arth in his clasp; his hand lay within uid "Art ready?" I demanded