A Servant of Satan: Romantic Career of Prado the Assassin — page 41: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A SERVANT OF SATAN, _ §o°- contained in that envelope. Would he be justified in opening it? ‘The whole honor of the ancient house of Waldberg was at stake. It was absolutely necessary that he, as its chief, should know whether or not one of the principal members thereof was a common thief. If so it was his-duty to mercilessly lop off the rotten branch of the family tree. After long hesitation he finally seized the letter, and with one wrench tore open the envelope. As he did so an exclamation of horror and disgust escaped his blanched lips, for several Prussian bank-notes of consider- able value, which he immediately recognized as his pro- perty, fell at his feet on the carpet. It is impossible to describe the intense misery of the wretched father when he found that the thief who was being tracked by the Neapolitan police was no other than his first-born. For several hours he sat at his writing-. _ table, his gray head bowed in grief and almost prostrated by this awful discovery. For a long time he was totally unable to decide what was to be done, and, indeed, had Frederick presented himself before him at that time he would have been almost capable of killing him with his own hand in his paroxysm of anger and shame. ‘Shortly after darkness had set in, Franz entered Freder- ‘ick’s room and handed him a sealed letter addressed in his father’s hand. Glancing at its contents the young man uttered a cry of despair and terror, and springing to his feet was rushing toward the door, when Franz quietly placed himself with his back against it, saying: | ‘“His excellency’s orders are that the Herr Graf must not leaye this room under any pretext until the hour of de-— parture. I have his strict commands to remain with the Herr Graf and to prevent him from communicating with anybody in the house. ) The old soldier’s lips quivered as he spoke, and ie eyes were full of tears. For it cut him to the very heart to see GOmMmIcboo <s) €o =|