"You are prepared, then," pursued Brigida, smiling, "to give a
reward of two hundred scudi to any one able to tell you who the
woman is who wore the yellow mask at the Marquis Melani's ball,
and how she contrived to personate the face and figure of the
late Countess d'Ascoli?"
"Of course we are prepared," answered D'Arbino, a little
irritably. "As men of honor, we are not in the habit of promising
anything that we are not perfectly willing, under proper
conditions, to perform."
"Pardon me, my dear friend," said the doctor; "I think you speak
a little too warmly to the lady. She is quite right to take every
precaution. We have the two hundred scudi here, madam," he
continued, patting the money-bag; "and we are prepared to pay
that sum for the information we want. But" (here the doctor
suspiciously moved the bag of scudi from the table to his lap)
"we must have proofs that the person claiming the reward is
really entitled to it."
Brigida's eyes followed the money-bag greedily.
"Proofs!" she exclaimed, taking a small flat box from under her
cloak, and pushing it across to the doctor. "Proofs! there you
will find one proof that establishes my claim beyond the
possibility of doubt."
The doctor opened the box, and looked at the wax mask inside it;
then handed it to D'Arbino, and replaced the bag of scudi on the
table.
"The contents of that box seem certainly to explain a great
deal," he said, pushing the bag gently toward Brigida, but always
keeping his, hand over it.
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