Exili, to escape the vengeance of Beatrice Spara, to whom he had
proved a faithless lover, fled from Naples, and brought his deadly
knowledge to Paris, where he soon found congenial spirits to work
with him in preparing the deadly poudre de succession, and the
colorless drops of the aqua tofana.
With all his crafty caution, Exili fell at last under suspicion of
the police for tampering in these forbidden arts. He was arrested,
and thrown into the Bastile, where he became the occupant of the
same cell with Gaudin de St. Croix, a young nobleman of the Court,
the lover of the Marchioness de Brinvilliers, for an intrigue with
whom the Count had been imprisoned. St. Croix learned from Exili,
in the Bastile, the secret of the poudre de succession.
The two men were at last liberated for want of proof of the charges
against them. St. Croix set up a laboratory in his own house, and
at once proceeded to experiment upon the terrible secrets learned
from Exili, and which he revealed to his fair, frail mistress, who,
mad to make herself his wife, saw in these a means to remove every
obstacle out of the way.
Pages:
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664