May, 1, 1004.
THE ILLUSTRATED REE.
13
this, our town; of an Tngloz hungry for
men to hang of you. In short."
"And what do you think of it, Castro?"
I asked.
"I think that Domingo has his orders.
Manual has made his song already. And
do you know Its burden, senor? Killing Is
It9 burden. I would the devil had all
the Improvlsadcrca. They gape round him
whilo he twangs and screeches, tho wind
bag! And ho knows what words to ping
to them, too. llo has talent. Mala
detta!" "Well, and what do you advlso?"
"I advise the senor to keep, now. within
the Casa. No songs can Rive that vermin
the audacity to seek tho senor here. The
Kato remains barred; the firearms are al
ways loaded; and Cesar Is a sagacious
African. Hut methinks this moon would
fall out of the heaven first before they
would dare. Keep to the Casa,
I s:iy I, Tomas Castro."
He flung the corner of Vis cloak over his
left shoulder and preceded mo to the door
of my room; then, nfter a "God guard you,
senor, " continued along the colonnade,
I went to the window and leuned my
forehead on the Iron bar. There was no
glass; tho heavy shutter was thrown open;
and, under the faint crescent of the moon,
I saw a small part of the beach, very
white, the long etreak of light lying mistily
on the bay, and two black shapes, cloaked,
moving and stopping all of a piece like
pillars, their Immensely long shadows run
ning away from their feet, with the points
of the hats touching the wall of the Casa
Riego. Another, a shorter, thicker shape,
appeared, walking with dignity. It was
Castro. The other two had a movement
of recoil, then took oft their hats.
"Buenas noches, caballtros," .his voice
said, with grim politeness. "You are out
late."
"So Is your worship. Vaya, senor, con
JOIos. Wo are taking the air."
They walked away, while Castro re
mained looking after them. But I, from
my elevation, noticed that they had sud
denly crouched behind some scrubby bushes
growing on the edge of the sand. Then
Castro, too, passed out of my sight in the
opposite direction, muttering angrily.
I forgot them all. Everything on earth
was still, and I seemed to be looking
through a casement out of nn enchanted
castle, standing In the dreamland of ro
mance. I breathed out tho name of
Beraphlna into the moonlight In an In
creasing transport.
"Eeraphina! Seraphlna! Seraphlna!"
The repeated beauty of tho sound intoxi
cated me.
"Seraphlna!" I cried aloud, and stopped,
astounded at myself. And the .moonlight
of romance seemed to whisper spitefully
from below:
"Death to the traitor! Vengeance for our
brothers dead on the English gallows!"
"Come away, Manuel."
"No. I um an artist. It is necessary for
my soul."
"Be quiet!"
Their hissing ascended along the wall
from under the window. The two Lugare
nos had stolen up unnoticed by me. There
was a stifled metallic ringing as of a guitar
carried under a cloak.
"Vengeance on the heretic Inglez!"
"Come away! They may suddenly open
the gate mid full upon U3 with sticks."
"My gentle spirit is roused to the ac
complishment of great things. I feel in
me a vallancc, an inspiration. I am no
vulgar Beller of aguardiente, like Domingo.
I was born to be the capaLaz of the Lu-garenos."
"We shall be set upon and beaten, oh
thou, Manuel. Come uway!"
There were no footsteps, only a noiseless
flitting of two shadows, and a distant voice
crying:
"Woe, woe, woe to the traitor!"
I had not needed Castro's warning to
Understand the meaning of this. O'Brien
was setting his power to work, only this
Manuel's restless vanity had taught me ex
actly how the thing was to be done.
I remained at the casement, lost in rather
omber reflections. I was now a prisoner
within the walla of the casa. After all,
it mattered little. I did not want to go
away unit ss I could carry off Seraphlna
with me. What a dream! What an Im
possible dream! Alone, without friends,
with no place to go to, without means of
going; without, by heaven, the right of
even as much as speaking of It to her.
Carlos Carlos dreamed a dream of his
dying hoiirs. England was so far, the
enemy so near; and -Providence Itself
seemed to have forgotten me.
A sound of panting made me turn my
head. Father Antonio was mopping his
brow In the doorway.
"How did your reverence leave Don Car
los?" I asked.
"Very low." he said. "The disease Is
making" terrible ravages, and my ministra
tions I thought to be used to the sight
of human misery, but " He raised his
hands; a genuine emotion overpowered him;
then, uncovering his face to stare at me,
"He la lost, Don Juan," he exclaimed.
He made aa effort. "My son," he said
with decision, "I call you to follow me to
the bedside of Don Carlos at this very
hour of night. I, aa humble priest, the
unworthy Instrument of Clod's grace, call
Wpon you to bring Mm a peace which my
ministrations cannot give. His timo la
near."
I rose up, startled by his solemnity, by
the hint of hidden significance in these
words.
"Is he dying now?" I cried.
"He ought to detach his thoughts from
this earth; nnd if there is no other way "
"What way? What nm I expected to
do?"
"My son, I had observed your emotion.
We, the appointed confidants of men's
frailties, are quick to discern the signs of
their Innermost feelings. Let me tell you
that my cherished daughter In God, Ro
norlta l)ona Seraphlna Ricgo, is with Don
Carlos, the virtual head of the family,
since his Excellency Don Balthasar Is in a
state of, I may F.ay, infantile innocence."
"What do you mean, father?" I faltered.
"She is waiting for you with him," ho
pronounced, looking up. And as his sol
emnity seemed to have deprived mo of my
power to move, he added, with his ordinary
simplicity: "Why, my son, she Is, I may
say, not wholly Indifferent to your person."
I could not have dropped more suddenly
Into the chair had tho good padre dis
charged a pistol Into my breast. He went
away; and when I lenped up. I saw a
young man In black velvet and white ruflles
Blaring at me out of the large mirror set
frameless Into the wall, like the apparition
of a Spanish ghost with my own EngllHh
face.
When I ran out, the moon had sunk
below the ridge of the roof; tho whole
quadrangle of the Casa had turned black
under the stars, with only a yellow glim
mer of light falling Into the well of the
court from the lamp under the vaulted
gateway. Two tiny flames burned before
Carlos' door at the end of the long vist't,
and two of Seraphlna's maids shrank away
from the great mahogany panels at my ap
proach. The candle sticks trembled askew
in their hands; the wax gutered down, and
the taller of the two girls, with an uncov
ered long neck, gazed at me out of big
sleepy eyes In a sort of dumb wonder.
The teeth of tho plump little one I.a
Chlca rattled violently like castanets. She
moved aside with a hysterical little laugh,
and glanced upwards at me.
I stipped, as if I had Intruded; of all
the persons in the sick room, not one
turned a head. The stillness of the lights,
of things, of the air, seemed to have pnssed
into Seraphlna's face. She stood with a
stiff carriage under the heavy hangings
of the bed, looking very Spanish and ro
mantic in her short black skirt, a black
lace shawl enveloping her head, her shoul
ders, her arms, us low as the waist. Her
bare feet, thrust into high-heeled slippers,
lent to her presence an air of flij-Tht, as ir
she had run Into that room In distress or
fear. Carlos, sitting up amongst the snowy
pillow of eiderdown at his back, was not
speaking to her. He had done; and tho
flush on his cheek, the eager luster of his
eyes, gave him an appearance of animation,
almost of Joy, a sort of consuming, flame
like brilliance. They were waiting for
me.
Seraphlna's unstirrlng head was lighted
strongly by a two-branched sconce on tho
wall; and when I stood by her side, not
even the shadow of the eyelashes on her
cheek trembled. Carlos' Hps moved; his
voice was almost extinct; but for all his
emaciation, the profundity of his eyes, the
sunken cheeks, the hollow temples, ho re
mained attractive, with the charm tif his
gallant and romantic temper worn away
to an almost unearthly fineness.
He was going to have his desire be
cause, on the threshold of his spiritual In
heritance, he refused, or was unable, to
turn his gaze away from this world. Father
Antonio's business was to save this soul, and
with a sort of simple and sacerdotal shrewd
ness In which there was much love for
his most noble penitent, he would try to
appease its trouble by a romantic satisfac
tion. His voice, very grave and profound,
addressed me:
"Approach, my son nearer. We trust
the natural feelings of pity which are Im
planted in every human breast, the no
bility of your extraction, the honor of
your hidalguidad, and that Inextinguishable
courage which, as by the unwearied mercy
of God, distinguishes the sons of your
fortunate and happy nation." His bass
voice, deepened In solemn utterance, vi
brated huskily. There was a rustic dig
nity In his uncouth form. In his broad
face, In the gesture of the raised hand.
"You shall promise to respect the dictates
of your conscience, guided by the authority
of our faith; to defer to our scruples, and
to the procedure of our church In matters
which we believe touch the welfure of
our souls. You promise?"
He waited. Carlos' eyes burned darkly
on my face. What were they asking of
me? Tills was nothing. Of course I would
respect her scruples her scruples if my
heart should break. She had already all
the devotion of my love and youth, the
unreasoning and potent devotion, without
a thought of hope of reward. I was almost
ashamed to pronounce the words they ex
pected. "I promise."
And suddenly the meaning pervading this
scene, something that was In my mind
already, and that I had hardly dared to
look at till now, became clear to me In
Its awful futility against tho dangers, In all
Its remote consequences. It was a be
trothal. Tho priest Carlos, too must have
known that it had no binding power. To
Carles It was symbolic of his wishes.
Tather Antonio was thinking of the papal
dispensation. I was a heretic What If
it were refused? But what was that risk
to me, who had never dared to hope?
Moreover, they had brought her there, had
pt rsuaded her; she had been Influenced by
her fears. Impressed by Curios. What
could she care for me? And I repeated:
"I promise. I promise, even nt the cost
of suffering ami unhapplness. never to
demand anything from her against her
conscience."
Carlos' voice sounded weak. "I answered
for him, good father." Then he seemed
to wander In a whisper, which we two
caught faintly, "Hi resembles his sister.
0 Divine"
And on this ghostly sluh, on this breath,
with the feeble click of beads In the nun's
bands, a silence fell upon the room.
Seraphlna had given me a quick glance
the first glance which I had rather felt
than seen. Carlos made an effort, and,
raising himself, put her hand In mine,
Father Antonio, trying to pronounce
n short allocution, nroko down, naive In
his ftnotinn, as lie had been in his dignity.
1 could at first catch only the words, "Be
loved child Holy Father poor priest.
" He hul taken this upon himself;
and he would attest the purity of our In
tentions, the necessity of the case, tho
assent of the head of the family, my ex
cellent disposition. All the Englishmen
had excellent dispositions. He would, per
sonally, go to tho foot of the Holy See on
his knees, If necessary. Meantime, a docu
mentlie should nt once prepare a Justifica
tive document. The archbishop, it is true,
did not like him on account of the calum
nies of that man O'Brien. But there was,
beyond the seas, the supreme authority
of the church, unerring und Inaccessible to
calumnies.
All that time Seraphlna's hand was lying
passive in my palm warm, soft, living;
all tho life, all the world, all the happi
ness, the only desire and 1 dared not
closo my grasp, afraid of the vanity of my
hopes.
With a slow effort Carlos raised his arm
and his eyelids. I made a movement to
stoop over him, and the floor, the great
bed, the whole room, seemed to heave nnd
sway. I felt a slight, a fleeting pressure
of Seraphlna's hand before It slipped out
of mine.
He had thrown his arm over my neck;
there was tho calming austerity of death
on his lips, that just touched my car:
"IJke an Englishman, Juan.
"On my honor, Carlos."
His nrm, releasing my nock, fell stretched
out on the coverlet. Father Antonio had
mastered his emotion; with the trail of un
dried tears on his face he had become a
priest again, exaited above the reach of
his earthly sorrow by tho august concern
of his sacerdoce.
"Don Carlos, my son, Is your mind at
ease now?"
Carlos closed his eyes slowly.
"Then turn all your thoughts to heaven."
Father Antonio's bass voice rose, aloud,
with an extraordinary nuthority. "You
have done with the earth."
Tho arm of the nun touched tho cords
of the curtains, and the massive folds
shook and fell expanding, hiding from ua
tho priest and the penitent.
CHAPTER IV.
Seraphlna and I moved towards the door
sadly.
"Senorita." I said low, with my hand on
the wrought bronze of the door handle,
"Don Carlos might have died In full trust
of my devotion to you without this."
"I know it," she answered, bunging her
head.
"It was his wtah," I said. "And I de
ferred." "It was his wish," sho related.
"Itemember he had naked you for no
promise."
"Yes, it Is you only lie has. asked. You
havo remembered It very well, senor. And
you you ask for nothing."
"No," I said. "1 owe you gratitude for
having condescended to stand with your
hand In mine if only for a moment If only
to bring peaeo to a dying man; for this
wonderful instant, that, all my life, I
shall remember us those who are suddenly
stricken blind remember the great glory
of tho sun. And I promise never to men
tion it to you again."
Her Hps wero slightly parted, her eyes
remained downcast, her livnil drooped as
If in extreme attention.
"I asked for no promise," she murmured
coldly.
My heart was heavy. "Thank you for
that proof of your confidence," I said. "I
am yours without any promises. Wholly
yours. But what can I offer? What help?
What refuge? What protection? What
can I do? I can only die for you. Ah, but
this was cruel of Carlos, when he knew
that I had nothing else but my poor life
to give."
"I accept that," she said unexpectedly.
"Benorlta, It is generous of you to accept
tM worthless a gift a life S value not at
all save for one unique- memory which I
owe to you."
I knew sho was looking ut me while I
swung open the door with a low bow. I
did not trust myself to look at her. 1 felt
an nlmost angry desire to selie her In
my arms-to go back to my dream. If
I had lookeil at her then, I believe 1 could
not havo controlled myself.
She passed out; and when I looked up
there was O'Brien booted and spurred,
but otherwise In his lawyer's black, in
clining his dapper figure profoundly before
her In the dim gallery. She had stopped
short. The two maids, huddled together
behind her, stared with terrified eyes.
I cloM'-d tho door quietly. Carlos was
done with the earth. This h id become my
affair, and the ncees-lty of coming to an
Immediate decision almost deprived me of
my power of thinking.
He stepped bark, with a ceremonious
bow for Seraphlna. Xm Chlca ran no close
to her elbow. I heard her voire vlnu
sadly, "Vmi need fear nothing for ,, uir
ficlf, child;" ami they moved away slowly,
t remained facing O'Brien, with a vaguo
notion of protecting thilr retreat.
He Paid. "Won't you give mo that light?"
And I understood hu demanded a sur
render. "I wiuld sec you die first where you
stand," was my answer.
He lifted his head; the light twinkled
In his eyas. "Oh, 1 won't die," he said,
with that hlzzare suggestion of humor In
his face, In his subdued voice. "But it Is
a small thing; and you are young; it may
be worth you while to try and please mo
this time."
Before I could answer. Seraphlna, from
Borne Utile distance, called out hurriedly:
"Don Juan, your arm."
Her voice, sounding a little unsteady,
mil do me forget O'Brien, nnd, turning my
buck on him, I ran up to her. She needed
my support; and before us I .a Chlca tot
tend and stumbled along with tho llfcht,
moaning:
"Madre do Dlos! What will I omc of
us now! oh, what will become of us
now!"
"Yon know what he had nsked mo to lot
Mm do," Keniplilnn talked rapidly. "I
made answer, 'No; give the light to my
cousin.' Then he said, 'Do you really wish
It. scnnrlta? I am the older friend.' I re
peated, 'Give the light to my cousin, senor.'
He, then, cruelly, 'Fur the young man's
own sike, reflect, senorlta.' And he waited
before he asked me again. 'Shall I sur
render It to him?' I felt death upon my
heart, nnd all my fear for you there."
Sho touched her beautiful throat with a
swift movement of a hand that disappeared
at once under the lace. "And because I
could not speak, I Don Juan, you have
Just offered me your life I Mlserlcor-
dla! What else was possible? I made
with my head the sign 'Yes.' "
In the stress, hurry, and rapturo encom
passing my immense gratitude, I pressed
her hand to my side familiarly, as If we
had been two lovers walking In a lane
on a serene evening.
"If you had not made that sign, It would
hnve lieen worse than death In my heart."
I said. "He had asked me, too, to re
nounce my trust, my light."
We walked on slowly, acrompniiled In
our sudden silence by the plash of the
fountain at the bottom of the great square
of darkness on our left, and by the moans
of the Chlca.
"That Is what ho meant," said the en
chanting voico by my side. "And you re
fused. That Is your valor."
We stopped. Da Chlca, silent, as If ex
hausted, drooped lamentably, with her
Shoulder against the wall, by Seraphlna's
door.
"Poor Don Carlos!" sho said. "I had a
great affection for him. I was afraid they
would wain mo to marry him. He loved
your sister."
"He never told her," I murmured. "I
wonder If she ever guessed."
"He was poor, homeless. 111 already, In
a foreign land."
"We all loved Mm at home." I said.
"He never asked her," she breathed out.
"And, perhaps but he never asked her."
"You have been very good to him," I
said; "only he need not have demanded
this from you. Of course, I understood
perfectly. I hope you understand, too, tint
"Senor, my cousin," she flushed out sud
denly, "do you think that I would have
consented only from my affection for him?"
"Senorlta," I crle..; "I am poor. home,
less, in a foreign hind. How can I be
lieve? How can I dare to dream '-unless
your own voice "
"Then you are permitted to usk. Ask,
lion Juan."
I dropixid to one knee, and. suddenly
extending her arm. she pressed her hand
to my Hps. A minute passed. I could
hear her rapid breathing above, and I
stood up before her. holding both her
hands.
"lluw very few days have we been to
KftU'er." she whisked. "Juan, I am
ashamed."
"I did not count the days. I have known
you always. I have dreamed of you since
I can rememher-for days, for months a
year, all my life."
The crash of a heavy door flung to, ex
ploded. filling the galleries all round the
patio with the sonorous reminder of our
peril. (To lie Continued.)
