The Prime Minister
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flimsy excuse to avert myanger."
Entering his carriage, he ordered the postillion to proceed to hisfather's Quinta at Belem. How dreary and long seemed the way as hepassed the shapeless masses of ruins which everywhere presentedthemselves on the road, appearing yet larger and wilder amid the gloomof night; his mind, too, like them, torn and agitated by a thousandconflicting emotions!
When he arrived, he found that his father was from home, and that hismother had retired to her chamber; nor could he venture to disturb her.The only member of his family not yet retired to rest being his youngerbrother Joze, to him he poured out his indignant griefs and vows ofvengeance against the sovereign, whom he imagined had cast so great adishonour on their name. Don Joze, being of a far milder temperamentthan his brother, endeavoured to calm his anger, by pointing out to himthe possibility of his wife's having spoken the truth; that if theirmother was aware of the King's visit, at all events there was someexcuse for her; but, at the same time, he pledged himself to aid him byevery means in his power, if his worst suspicions were confirmed. Thegreater part of the night had passed in these discussions, before theyoung Marquis, throwing himself on a couch in his brother's room,endeavoured to find some rest to his troubled thoughts.
Little did the Sovereign of Portugal dream of the plots against hiscrown and life hatching within the boundaries of his capital; nor waseven his sagacious Minister aware they had advanced so far.
Early in the morning, the young Marquis sought Donna Leonora, hismother, eager to learn if she had sanctioned the intimacy between theKing and his wife. She confessed that she had done so, and her motivesfor the act; which, although it satisfied him that his wife was not somuch to blame as he had suspected, did not lessen his anger against hissovereign, or cause him to alter any of the plans of revenge he hadharboured in his bosom. His conduct towards the King, when told to hismother, caused that ambitious lady to hurry on events which mightotherwise have been longer delayed; for feeling that the Monarch wouldtake the earliest opportunity to punish the insolence of his subject,she determined to use her best endeavours to prevent his having thepower to do so.
The young Marquis now returned home with rather a lighter heart; forthough he had neglected her, he yet loved his beautiful wife, and wasunwilling to part with her. He loved her, but his love was not deep; hehad soon discovered that the ardent passion he had once felt was notreturned; and though a _woman_ may yet love on through coldness,neglect, and scorn, a man never can; his love depends on its beingreturned, and it is the perfect confidence that it is so which willalone cause his to endure beyond the first few months of possession.
When he entered his wife's chamber, he found her seated at the toilet,pale and wan, for sleep had not that night visited her eyes. Tooclearly had her fate been revealed to her. The dread future had spokenwords of awful warning to her ears, but she, alas! had determined toclose her senses to both.
"Theresa!" said her husband, kindly approaching her, "I wronged you; butlet this be a warning to you. Whatever others may counsel, rememberfirst to obey your husband's wishes; and I do not choose to be sneeredat, even for the sovereign's sake, or to win the worthless state secretswhich alone Carvalho is likely to confide to his puppet. Fromhenceforth, therefore, when the King thinks fit to come to my palace,refuse to see him. Say such is your husband's wish; if you obey me not,the consequence be on both your heads. Speak, Theresa, do you hear me?"
At these words of her husband's, the countenance of Donna Theresa grewyet more pallid. Her voice trembled as she answered, "I cannot promiseto obey a command which I may not have power to perform; but, my lord,do not give utterance to those dreadful threats, which you cannot--youdare not execute, for destruction would inevitably overwhelm you, andall engaged with you in them."
"Let that care be mine," exclaimed her husband. "The cause is in yourhands. Should the King again visit this abode, and you send him notforthwith away, he dies! and his blood be on your head! If I fail, youwill have mine to answer for."
These threats increased yet more the agitation of the young Marchioness.She full well knew her husband was not a man to utter empty vows ofvengeance; but could she consent to see no more the man she loved?Could she give up all her long-cherished hopes of power? Yet, if shedisobeyed, what a dreadful alternative was presented to her--either shemust warn the King of his danger, and thus be an accessory to herhusband's death, perhaps to the destruction of his family, or she mustallow the former to run every risk of destruction! Such thoughts rushedtumultuously through her mind; but, alas! pride, ambition, and a fatalcontempt of the warnings of her conscience, prevented her following theonly secure, because the only right, course. When her husband quittedher, he had yet failed to draw a satisfactory promise from her that shewould obey his orders; but he comforted himself with the idea that histhreats would have their due effect. How vain were his hopes! Whatwould have made a weak woman tremble, caused Donna Theresa only topersevere more daringly in her course.
Volume 3, Chapter III.
In the neighbourhood of Lisbon, the Crown possessed one or two parks, ofgreat extent, which were called Coitadas, stocked with every descriptionof game, both to follow on horseback, or for the exercise of thefowling-piece; that of Alfitte, on the banks of the Tagus, being by farthe largest, covering many thousand acres of ground. The King, who waspassionately fond of the chase, was in the constant habit of resortingto a country-house he possessed on the borders of the forest,accompanied by some of his favourite courtiers, when, flinging aside allthoughts or cares of government, he gave himself up entirely to hisfavourite amusement. The kingdom, on these very frequent occasions,would have been allowed to take the best care it could of itself, undera less energetic minister than Carvalho; but that sagacious statesman,encouraging his sovereign in his pursuits, seized with avidity theopportunity of exercising the uncontrolled power thus delegated to him,to the yet further disgust of the haughty nobles of the land.Sometimes, however, he himself, who was a proficient in all manly andathletic exercises, would steal away from the city to join in the sport,though the same evening he might be again found at his post, deeplyengaged in the many momentous and difficult affairs which occupied hisattention.
It was a bright and glorious morning; the sun had just risen, tingingthe topmost boughs of the forest trees, glittering with the clear dropsof a gentle shower, which had fallen during the night, giving anadditional freshness and lustre to the smiling face of nature. Thebirds sang their sweetest notes to welcome the morn, as they flew fromspray to spray, rejoicing in their unrestrained liberty. The air wassoft and balmy, laden with the delicious odours springing from theflowering shrubs and plants which filled the forest glades. Not a humansound was heard to disturb the harmony of nature. It was such a sceneas our great poet of rural beauty loves best to describe. Through anopening in the wood, at the end of a long vista, might be seen theshining waters of the broad Tagus, flowing onward in tranquil majesty;and, in every direction, other glades led far away, now lost to view bysome gentle elevation, or sinking into some narrow valley.
Suddenly a tall dark figure emerged from the thickest part of theforest, and advancing into the open ground, looked cautiously on everyside. Though his step was firm, it possessed none of the elasticity ofyouth, as he stalked forward, unconsciously lifting his long thin armsaloft, in the energy of his thoughts. His dress, of the coarsestmaterials, was that of a common labourer; a broad-brimmed hat, frombeneath which escaped a few hoary locks, partly concealed his emaciatedand parchment-like countenance; yet, though age had there set itsfurrowing marks, it had not dimmed the wild lustre of his large androlling eyes. In his right hand he bore a long staff, with an ironpoint; but he made little use of it to aid his steps, seeming to carryit more as a weapon of defence, than for any other purpose: at his sidehung a wallet, such as is used by beggars to contain their food. Whatwas his usual occupation it was impossible to say; for, though hiscostume betokened the countryman, his manner and words seemed tocontradict that i
dea; and, indeed, from his behaviour, it appeared thathe was there for some secret, perhaps no good, purpose.
"Ah!" he exclaimed, as he strode rapidly onward, casting his searchingglances around, "the time has arrived when the wicked shall be broughtlow, and the proud abased; when vengeance is about to fall on the headsof the persecutors of the prophets of Heaven! yet must the task which Iam called on to fulfil be accomplished; the words of warning must bespoken ere the blow is struck. Even as the seers of old were sent tothose evil kings of Israel who worshipped strange gods, and hearkened tothe counsels of their idolatrous followers, so must I utter the messagesof Heaven to this hard-hearted Monarch; yet will he not hear, but willcontinue on still in his wickedness."
Muttering such words as these, the person continued his course, where wemust leave him, to turn to a far more exciting scene, which was enactingat no