The Prime Minister
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marked suavity and courtesy, assured him that the King could notthen receive him, but would do so on the earliest occasion.
"I came to offer my services to sally forth, with my attendants, insearch of the vile perpetrators of the dreadful outrage committedagainst his Majesty," said the Duke.
"What! my lord Duke, do you give credence to the absurd story which hasgot about, that our beloved sovereign's life has been attempted?" saidthe Minister, with a bland smile. "Calm your apprehensions: I trust soblack a traitor does not exist in Portugal."
The Duke was completely deceived.
"I indeed rejoice to hear that the report was unfounded, SenhorCarvalho," he answered; "and pray inform me the first moment his Majestyis sufficiently recovered from his indisposition to receive me, for Ilong to throw myself at his feet, and express my deep loyalty anddevotion."
As the Duke took his leave, and was retiring, the Minister muttered,gazing sternly after him, "So humble and loyal already, my lord Duke?Your pride shall yet be brought lower than you think of!"
The nobility now flocked in numbers to the palace, some, perhaps, with ahope that the report might prove true, others with fears for theconsequences, and, among them, the Marquis of Tavora drove up in hiscarriage. Carvalho received him with the most respectful courtesy,assuring him of the King's regard; the frank expression of the Marquis'scountenance setting at fault the sagacity of the Minister, if he hadentertained any suspicions of his loyalty.
"Ah, my lord Marquis, it would be happy for other countries if theypossessed no worse traitors than live in Portugal!" observed theMinister. "By-the-bye, you made an application to his Majesty for aducal title, not long ago, and I heard the King regretting he had thenrefused you, but observing, that he now considered your services inIndia entitled you to the rank. He does not forget his friends."
"I am grateful for his Majesty's recollection of my wishes. I shallesteem the honour greater as a gift from him," answered the Marquis.
"I shall have much pleasure in reporting what your Excellency says,"returned the Minister, as the Marquis, pleased with the idea of atlength having his request acceded to, took his leave, with a lesshaughty air than was his custom.
"If the report I have just heard, and my own suspicions, are correct,that man is an admirable hypocrite," thought the Minister. "He will bea difficult person to deal with; but I think I have lulled his fears, ifhe entertained any."
"I regret that his Majesty cannot see you to-day, but you are one of thefirst he will receive," said the Minister to the Marquis d'Alorna, whothen entered. "I trust your lovely daughter is well, for whom both theKing and Queen entertain the most respectful regard?"
His hearer, who could not be otherwise than fully convinced of the truthof his words, answering briefly, retired.
What golden opinions Sebastiao Joze de Carvalho that day won from allclasses of men! It was one of difficulty, though of triumph, to him;for he felt that he was now fully establishing a power no future eventscould shake.
He did not, however, use the same style of language towards all. Whenthe King's favourite, Marialva, appeared, he drew him aside.
"I know, my dear Marquis, that you can thoroughly be trusted," he said."It behoves all true friends of our gracious sovereign's to be preparedfor his protection. He would see you, but it would excite jealousy inothers. He has been wounded, though, under the grace of Heaven, notseverely; and I leave you to judge whether by traitors or not. We mustexert ourselves to discover and bring them to punishment, even if theyare our brothers or dearest friends. Yet speak not your suspicions toany."
Marialva promised to follow Carvalho's advice, and left him, with aconviction that he was the most sagacious of ministers, and the mostattached servant of the King.
At last the young Count d'Almeida appeared, to make the usual inquiries,and to express his sorrow at the King's accident.
"I am glad to see you again at Court, for you have been long a truant,"said Carvalho. "Should you wish for employment, I can now better fulfilthe promise I made long ago, to give you some post worthy of yourtalents."
Luis expressed his gratitude and willingness to serve the state in anycapacity for which he was fitted.
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"I am glad to hear you say so," answered the Minister, adding, withemphasis, "We have need of honest men to guard the country, when treasonstalks abroad with daring front. I trust never to have to number theCount d'Almeida among the traitors in Portugal."
Luis started, and his heart beat quick, as if with conscious guilt; forhe remembered the scene, in which he had been an unwilling actor on thepast night. For an instant it rushed across his mind that the Ministermust have been aware of the meeting of the conspirators, and he trembledfor the safety of them all. The dangerous position in which he himselfalso stood occurred to him; for, though feeling himself innocent of anyevil intent, he well knew that, in the eye of the law, he was equallyamenable to punishment for concealing the conspiracy. When the firstreports reached him of the assassination of the King, the dreadfulthought occurred to him, had any of those whom he had met in the vaultof Malagrida been the perpetrators of the act?--he could not banish thesuspicion that such might have been the case. He had quitted the ruinat an early hour, and there was then time for a horseman to reach thecity before midnight, when, it was said, the event had taken place.Might not even suspicion alight on him, and on his young friend, of theTavora family, too, who were already suspected,--at that very hour theywere abroad, armed, and on horseback, perhaps passing near the spot?Would not his landlady, when she heard of the outrage, suspect that hewas concerned in it? Should he be once apprehended and interrogated,what plausible reason could he possibly give for having made a secretexpedition at night? If he said that he had gone at the request merelyof his young friend, Joze de Tavora, he would at once condemn bothhimself and all he had then met. Whichever way he looked at his case,it appeared desperate; and, for the first time in his life, thatsinking, that paralysing sensation of fear, struck his heart,--not thefear of death, but of dishonour and disgrace,--of seeing his hithertoproud name branded as that of a traitor and assassin; and he shudderedas he thought that his life must end on the scaffold, amid the hootingsand execrations of the populace, without the slightest means ofvindicating his character from opprobrium. He knew Pedro was to befully trusted, and he wished to beg his hostess not to mention to anyone his having quitted home on that fatal night; but the request itselfwould seem to have been made from a consciousness of guilt, so heresolved not to speak to her on the subject.
At one moment he thought of hastening to the Minister, who, havingbefore expressed an interest in his affairs, would, he trusted, believehim, and of confessing that he had been abroad on that night onhorseback, and that he had thought it wiser to say so, lest any unjustsuspicions might be raised against him, resolving, at the same time, toendure every torture, and death itself, rather than betray any of thosewho had confided in his honour. Then it occurred to him, that the veryconfession itself, notwithstanding all his caution, might throw somesuspicion on the young Tavora, and from him on his relations, so hequickly abandoned his purpose. Next he thought of instantly quittingthe country, but then he should leave his character open to the mercy ofany who might choose to blacken it; or should he not be able to effecthis escape, (a difficult undertaking in those days, when every ship wassearched before sailing,) the very attempt would offer a presumptiveproof of his guilt. At last he came to the determination of braving theworst, and, buoyed up with the consciousness of innocence, trusting inHeaven's protection, to repair at once to the palace, to make hispersonal inquiries as to the state of the King.
What was his surprise and satisfaction, then, on approaching theneighbourhood, to hear that the reports were false, and that the Kinghad met merely with a slight accident. His confidence being thusperfectly restored, he appeared before the Minister with a calm heartand clear brow; nor had he any cause to
dread the consequences of hisunfortunate expedition, till he heard the last words the latter uttered.
Carvalho's hawk-eyed glance marked the agitation Luis could not entirelyconceal; a dark shade, like a cloud on the summer sky, passing acrosshis brow; but his countenance again shone with deceitful smiles; for itwas his purpose to lull in fancied security, not to alarm, the guiltyones. He had, throughout the day, marked, with unerring acuteness,every look, every variation of feature, of those with whom he had made apoint of conversing when they visited the palace; and many, who fanciedthat they had outwitted him, had but the more completely betrayedthemselves. He was still more courteous, and full of expressions ofregard for Luis than at first; but from that moment he suspected him ofbeing privy to the conspiracy; for that there was one against the