and trees. Concealing himself, the Doctor watched the man 

 who was dressed like a peasant, carried a basket in his hand 

 and stealthily approached the stables. After collecting the 

 bones in the graveyard he was returning to the Hradschin 

 when he met a messenger from Baron von Zelewski sum- 

 moning him to the bedside of his wife; he drove to the 

 Baron's residence in Wyschehrad, a suburb of Old Prague, 

 and there he had been professionally detained two nights; 

 thus it happened that he first heard of the sad affair that agi- 

 tated the whole City when he called at Horcicky's Pharmacy. 



Questioned by Jacob, who began to see daylight, Dr. 

 Maier said the peasant was short and stout and walked 

 with a limp as if one leg was shorter than the other. Hor- 

 cicky then explained to the Vice Chancellor how the Venetian 

 apprentice, jealous of the Lieutenant's betrothal to Fraulein 

 Sofie, had probably sought to inculpate him in the dastardly 

 deed; the description of the supposed peasant's appearance 

 and halting gait tallied exactly with that of Carlo Malombra. 



Then Curtius dismissed the physician and the botanist, 

 ordered the Italian put to the question and soon extorted 

 from him a full confession. On reporting these facts to the 

 Emperor, his Majesty decreed that the wretched man should 

 be confined in the uppermost room of the Hunger Tower, 

 and that he should be supplied with a plenty of delicate food 

 and drink, all impregnated with the poison "aqua Toffnina" 

 that had proved fatal to the royal animals. The decree was 

 carried out with refined cruelty, and the horrible fate of 

 Malombra can be guessed. 



Swoboda was promoted to be Captain of the Royal Dra- 

 goons and Jacob Horcicky, now better known as Sinapius, 

 was made Director of the Imperial Botanic Gardens. 



155 



