The Neapolitan Lovers Author:Alexandre Dumas General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1917 Original Publisher: Brentano's Subjects: Fiction / Classics Fiction / Historical Fiction / Literary History / General History / Europe / Italy Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing... more » text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER II THE ENVOY FROM ROME A Small door in a dwelling situate in the most lonely part of the ascent to Pausilippo, was opened from the inside, and a man emerged. He followed a narrow path which turned downwards, descending rapidly towards the sea, and leading straight to the " Palace of Queen Joanna," a curious ruin which covered the top of a rock incessantly washed by the waves, which at high-tide penetrated the lower rooms of an unfinished building which had arrived at decrepitude without having ever enjoyed life. The Neapolitans, wholly regardless of the fact that its architecture plainly proved that it dated only from the seventeenth century, persisted in attributing it to Queen Joanna of evil memory, but it had, in fact, been built by the Duke of Medina, a favourite of Olivarez, who on his master's downfall had been obliged to return to Spain, leaving this unfinished palace to become, so it was said, the hiding- place of evil-doers, and the haunt of evil spirits. The pathway ended abruptly on the edge of a rock overhanging an abyss some twelve feet in depth. At present, however, the path was continued by a narrow plank, the other end of which rested on a window sill on the first floor of the palace, forming a bridge something like the one to be crossed in order to arrive at the Mohammedan Paradise. The man in the mantle nevertheless walked straight over it with a carelessness which indicated full acquaint- as a'nce with his road, but the instan...« less