One of the
earliest results of the librarian's degraded condition was that
Tiberio Colaisso procured himself a new green smoking cap
ornamented profusely with fresh silver lace.
CHAPTER XXVII.
Sant' Ilario had guessed rightly that the place of safety and
secrecy to which he was to be conveyed was no other than the Holy
Office, or prison of the Inquisition. He was familiar with the
interior of the building, and knew that it contained none of the
horrors generally attributed to it, so that, on the whole, he was
well satisfied with the cardinal's choice. The cell to which he
was conveyed after dark was a large room on the second story,
comfortably furnished and bearing no sign of its use but the
ornamented iron grating that filled the window. The walls were not
thicker than those of most Roman palaces, and the chamber was dry
and airy, and sufficiently warmed by a huge brazier of coals. It
was clear from the way in which he was treated that the cardinal
relied upon his honour more than upon any use of force in order to
keep him in custody. A silent individual in a black coat had
brought him in a carriage to the great entrance, whence a man of
similar discretion and of like appearance had conducted him to his
cell.
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