by L. Mühlbach
AN HONEST BETRAYER
At about the same time Cecil was hastening through the streets of Rome,often looking back to see if any one was following him, and viewing withsuspicious eyes every one he met. He finally stopped before the backdoorof a palace, and, after having satisfied himself that he had not beenfollowed, he lightly knocked three times at the door. Upon its beingopened, a grim, bearded Russian face presented itself.
Cecil drew a ring from his bosom and showed it to the porter.
"Quick! conduct me to his excellency," said he.
The Russian nodded his recognition of the token, and beckoned Cecil tofollow him. After a short reflection, Cecil entered and the door wasclosed.
Guided by his conductor through a labyrinth of rooms and corridors,Cecil finally succeeded in reaching a little boudoir, whoseheavily-curtained windows hardly admitted a ray of dim twilight.
The conductor, bidding Cecil to wait here, left him alone.
In a few moments a concealed door was opened, and a man of a tall, proudform entered.
"At length!" he said, on perceiving Cecil. "I had begun to doubt yourcoming."
"I waited until I could bring you decisive intelligence, yourexcellency," said Cecil.
"And you bring it today?" quickly asked the unknown.
"In an hour we leave Rome for St. Petersburg!"
Uttering a loud cry of joy, the stranger walked the room in visiblecommotion. Cecil followed him with timid, anxious glances, and, as hestill kept silence, Cecil said:
"Your excellency, I have truly performed what you required of me. I havepersuaded the count to make the journey, notwithstanding his oppositionto it, and, as you commanded, his ward remains behind in Rome, alone andunprotected."
"Ah, you praise your acts because you desire your reward," said hisexcellency, contemptuously opening his writing-desk, and drawing forth awell-filled purse. "You there have your pay, good man!"
Cecil indignantly rejected the money. "I am no Judas, who betrays hismaster for money," said he. "Please remember, your excellency, for whatI promised to fulfil your excellency's commands, and what reward youpromised me!"
"Ah, I now remember! You required my promise that no harm should befallthe count!"
"Only on that condition did I promise my assistance," said Cecil. "Whenyour emissary sought me and called me to you, I only followed him, asyou well know, most noble count, because you gave me to understand thatmy master's life and safety were concerned. I came to you. Allow me,your excellency to repeat your own words. You said: 'Cecil, you havebeen represented to me as a true friend of your master. Fidelity is sorare a virtue, that it deserves reward. I will reward you by saving yourlife. Quickly leave this traitorous count, and break off all connectionwith him, else you are lost. I am secretly sent here in order to capturethe count and his criminal ward, and take them to St. Petersburg. Whatthere awaits the count may easily be imagined.' Thus speaking, yourexcellency then showed me the command for the count's arrest, signedby the empress. Upon which I asked: 'Is there no means of savingthe count?' 'There is one,' said you. 'Persuade the count to returnimmediately to St. Petersburg, leaving his ward behind him here, andI swear to you, in the name of the empress, that no harm shall come tohim.'"
"Well," impatiently cried the count, "what is the use of repeating allthat, as I know it already?"
"Only because your excellency seems to forget that what I did was notdone for your miserable gold, but for a totally different reward--thesafety of a man whom I love as my own son."
"You have my word--no harm shall come to him."
"I doubt not your excellency's word," firmly and decidedly respondedCecil, "your word is all-powerful, and when you let your commandingvoice be heard, all Russia trembles and bows before you. But here yourvoice resounds only between these walls, and nobody hears it but Ialone. Give me an evidence of your word--a safety-pass, signed by yourown hand, for my master, and then destroy the order for his arrest whichyou now hold!"
"Ah, it seems you would prescribe conditions?" said the count, proudly.
"Certainly I will," said Cecil. "I have complied with your conditions,and now it is your turn, Sir Count, to comply with mine, for you knewthem before!"
A dark glow of anger showed itself in the count's face, and,passionately starting up, he approached Cecil, raising his armthreateningly against him.
"Sir Count," said Cecil, stepping back, "you mistake! I am no Russianserf, I am a free man, and no one has a right so to threaten me!"
The count had already let his arm fall, seeming suddenly to have changedhis mind, and in a more friendly manner he said:
"You are right, Cecil, and what you desire shall be done."
Taking a large sealed paper from a drawer in his writing-desk, he handedit to Cecil.
"That is the order for the arrest; destroy it yourself!" said he.
Taking the paper, Cecil read it with attention. "It is, as you say, theorder for the arrest. It is destroyed!"
With a satisfied smile, he tore the paper into a thousand pieces, andplaced these in his bosom.
The count had stepped to the table and hastily written a few lines uponanother piece of paper. This he handed to Cecil. "I hope you are nowsatisfied," said he.
Cecil took the paper and read it.
"This is a safety-pass in due form," said he--"a valid instruction toall boundary guards and officials to let us pass without molestation.Your excellency, we are quits. I complied with your wish, as you nowhave with mine, and my dear master is saved!"
"It being understood that you start immediately," said the count.
"The post-horses are already ordered, and we shall set out as soon as Ireturn home. Farewell, therefore, Sir Count; I thank you for enabling meto save the man whom I most loved. I thank you!"
Cecil was approaching the door, when he suddenly stopped, and his facetook a sad expression. "I have deceived my dear master, in order to savehim," said he, "and in order to redeem the promise I made to his fatheron his death-bed, swearing that I would watch over and protect the sonat the risk of my heart's blood. But if the son knew what I have done,he would call me a betrayer and curse me, for he holds his ward dearerthan his own life! He leaves the princess in the belief that itis necessary for her safety, and repairs to Russia, to return withincreased wealth. Sir Count, what is to become of Natalie?"
"That," low and mysteriously replied the count, "that can be decidedonly by the will of her who has sent me. Until that decision no hair ofher head can be touched, and the princess will follow me to Russia, onlywith her own free will! But you must know that the empress hates no onemore than her own son. How, then, if she should be disposed to pass himover, and select another as her successor?"
"Oh, would to God that I rightly understand you!" exclaimed Cecil.
"We shall, one day, perfectly understand each other," said the count,with a significant smile. "Now, hasten to redeem your word, and leaveRome with your master!"
As soon as Cecil left the room, the count's face assumed a knavishlymalicious expression. With a loud laugh he threw himself upon the silkendivan.
"Thus are all these so-called good men real blockheads, stupid fools,who believe every word spoken to them with a friendly mien! This honestman really believes that his highly-prized master is now saved, becausehe bears in his bosom the fragments of the order for his arrest. Worthydunce; as if there were no duplicate, and as if every promise werecountersigned by the Divinity himself! Go home with your count--my wordshall be fulfilled. No hair of his head shall be touched, but his proudback shall be curled, and in the mines of Siberia he may learn to bowbefore a higher power!"
Thus speaking, the count pulled a bell whose silken cord hung over thedivan, and, as no one instantly appeared, he pulled it again, this timemore violently. But yet some minutes passed, and still the bell wasunanswered. The count gnashed his teeth with rage, and muttered vehementcurses.
At length the door opened, and with an imploring face a servant appearedupon the threshol
d.
"Miserable hound, where were you?" cried the count to him.
The servant fell upon his knees and crept like a dog to his master'sfeet.
"Excellency, we had, as your grace commanded, so long as the gentlemanwas with you, withdrawn from the anteroom and waited in the corridor,where the bell could not be heard," stammered the servant.
"I will teach you wretches to keep me waiting," exclaimed the count, andseizing the knout that lay upon the table before him, he laid it withmerciless rage upon the poor servant, until his own arm sank powerless,and he felt himself exhausted with fatigue.
"Now, go, you hound!" said he, replacing the knout upon the table; andthe flagellated serf, rising respectfully, with his hand wiped away theblood which ran in streams from his wounds.
"Now go and send my officers to me!" cried the count. The servantstaggered out to obey the command, and soon the persons thus orderedmade their appearance and remained standing in silence at the door.
The count lay stretched out upon the divan, playing with the knout,whose leathern thongs were still dripping with his servant's blood.
"Let a courier take horse immediately, and give him the ordercountersigned by her imperial majesty for the arrest of Count PauloRasczinsky. The courier will follow him with it to the Russian frontier,and then by virtue of this order arrest him at the next station and sendhim to St. Petersburg in chains! This is the command for the courier; hewill answer with his head for its execution!"
One of the officers bowed, and went to dispatch the courier.
"Is our reconnoitrer returned?" asked the count of the two who remained.
"He is."
"What news brings he? Does he know the cause of the murderous attackat the festival of the French cardinal? Yet why do I ask you? Makeyourselves scarce, and let him come to speak for himself!"
The officers were no sooner gone, than a wild-looking, bearded churlmade his appearance upon the threshold of the door and greeted the countwith a grinning laugh.
"What know you of the murderous attack?" asked the count, in Italian.
"A friend of mine was charged with the affair," said the bravo. "He isin the pay of the most holy Cardinal Albani. We served long togetherunder the same chief, and I know him intimately. He carries the mostskilful dagger in all Rome, and it is the greatest wonder that he missedon this occasion."
"Was it done by order of the cardinal?"
"No! The lord cardinal had lent this bravo to the celebratedimprovisatrice Corilla--the order came from her."
"It is well!" said the count. "Do you know all the _bravi_ in Rome?"
"All, your excellency. They are all my good friends."
"Well, now listen to what I have to say to you. You must hold the lifeof the Princess Tartaroff as sacred as your own! Know that she is nomoment unwatched; that wherever she appears she is surrounded by secretprotectors. Whoever touches her is lost--my arm will reach him! Say thatto your friends, and tell them that the Russian count keeps his word.Four thousand sequins are yours in four weeks, if until then theprincess meets with no accident. Away with you, and forget not mywords!"
"Ah, these words, your excellency, are worth four thousand sequins, andthese one does not so easily forget!" said the bandit, leaving the room.
Again the count rang, and ordered his private secretary, Stephano, to becalled.
"Stephano," said the count to him, "the first step is taken toward theaccomplishment of our object. The work must succeed; I have pledgedmy word for it to the empress, and who can say that Alexis Orloff everfailed to redeem his word? This princess is mine! Count Paulo Rasczinskyis just now leaving Rome, and she has no one to protect her!"
"But it is not yet to be said that she is already yours!" said Stephano,shrugging his shoulders. "As you will not employ force, your excellency,you must have recourse to stratagem. I have hit upon a plan, of which Ithink you will approve. They describe this so-called little princessas exceedingly innocent and confiding. Let us take advantage of herconfiding innocence--that will be best! Now hear my plan."
Stephano inclined himself closer to the ear of the count, and whisperedlong and earnestly; it seemed as if he feared that even the walls mightlisten to him and betray his plans; he whispered so low that even thecount had some trouble in understanding him.
"You are right," said the count, when Stephano had ended; "your planmust and will succeed. First of all, we must find some one who willincline her in our favor, and render her confiding."
"Oh, for that we have our good Russian gold," said Stephano, laughing.
"And besides," continued the count, "our incognito is at an end. AllRome may now learn that I am here! Ah, Stephano, what a happy timeawaits me! This Natalie is beautiful as an angel!"
"God grant that you may not fall in love with her!" sighed Stephano."You are always very generous when you are in love."