Peter's eve. And again, as if a single warning was not
deemed to be sufficient, on St. Peter's day itself, as the
pope was setting in one of the rooms of his suite with
Cardinal Capuano, and Monsignore Poto, his private
chamberlain, he saw through the open window such a
huge mass of black clouds piling up in the heavens, that
he anticipated a violent storm and ordered his compan-
ions to close the windows. He was not mistaken ; for
just as they were obeying his orders, there came such a
furious blast of wind that the tallest chimney of the



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THE BOEGIAS. 185

Vatican was blown over like a tree torn up by the roots,
and fell upon the roof ; it crashed through that and the
upper floor, and fell into the very room where they were.
At the shock which made the whole edifice tremble, and
at the crash which they heard behind them, Cardinal
Capuano and Monsignore Poto turned about, and, seeing
nothing but a cloud of dust and debris, leaped upon the
parapet outside the window, crying to the guards at the
door:

" The pope is dead ! the pope is dead ! "

Servants and retainers hastened to the spot, and found
three persons lying among the ruins, one dead and two
dying. The dead man was a gentleman of Sienna
named Lorenzo Chigi, and the two who were dying, two
inmates of the Vatican ; they were in a room on the
upper floor and fell through the hole made by the
falling chimney.
