Colomba

  CHAPTER XIX

  It was rather late when the surgeon put in an appearance. On his road uphe had met with an adventure of his own. He had been stopped by GiocantoCastriconi, who, with the most scrupulous politeness, called on him tocome and attend a wounded man. He had been conducted to Orso's retreat,and had applied the first dressings to his wound. The bandit had thenaccompanied the doctor some distance on his way, and had greatly edifiedhim by his talk concerning the most celebrated professors at Pisa, whomhe described as his intimate friends.

  "Doctor," said the theologian, as they parted, "you have inspired mewith such a feeling of respect that I think it hardly necessary toremind you that a physician should be as discreet as a confessor." Andas he said the words he clicked the trigger of his gun. "You have quiteforgotten the spot at which we have had the honour of meeting. Fare youwell! I'm delighted to have made your acquaintance."

  Colomba besought the colonel to be present at the post-mortemexamination.

  "You know my brother's gun better than anybody," she said, "and yourpresence will be most valuable. Besides there are so many wicked peoplehere that we should run a great risk if there were nobody present toprotect our interests."

  When she was left alone with Miss Lydia, she complained that her headached terribly, and proposed that they should take a walk just outsidethe village.

  "The fresh air will do me good," she said. "It is so long since I'vebeen out of doors."

  As they walked along she talked about her brother, and Miss Lydia, whofound the subject tolerably interesting, did not notice that they hadtravelled a long way from Pietranera. The sun was setting when shebecame aware of this fact, and she begged Colomba to return. Colombasaid she knew a cross-cut which would greatly shorten the walk back,and turning out of the path, she took another, which seemed much lessfrequented. Soon she began to climb a hill, so steep that to keep herbalance she was continually obliged to catch hold of branches with onehand, while she pulled her companion up after her with the other. Afterabout twenty minutes of this trying ascent, they found themselves ona small plateau, clothed with arbutus and myrtle, growing round greatgranite boulders that jutted above the soil in every direction. MissLydia was very tired, there was no sign of the village, and it wasalmost quite dark.

  "Do you know, Colomba, my dear," she said, "I'm afraid we've lost ourway!"

  "No fear!" answered Colomba. "Let us get on. You follow me."

  "But I assure you we're going wrong. The village can't be over there.I'm certain we're turning our backs on it. Why, look at those lights,far away. Pietranera must be in that direction."

  "My dear soul," said Colomba, and she looked very much agitated, "you'reperfectly right. But in the _maquis_--less than a hundred yards fromhere--"

  "Well?"

  "My brother is lying. If you choose, I might see him, and give him onekiss."

  Miss Nevil made a gesture of astonishment.

  "I got out of Pietranera without being noticed," continued Colomba,"because I was with you, otherwise I should have been followed. To be soclose to him, and not to see him! Why shouldn't you come with me to seemy poor brother? You would make him so happy!"

  "But, Colomba--That wouldn't be at all proper on my part----"

  "I see. With you women who live in towns, your great anxiety is to beproper. We village women only think of what is kind."

  "But it's so late! And then what will your brother think of me?"

  "He'll think his friends have not forsaken him, and that will give himcourage to bear his sufferings."

  "And my father? He'll be so anxious!"

  "He knows you are with me. Come! Make up your mind. You were looking athis picture this morning," she added, with a sly smile.

  "No! Really and truly, I don't dare, Colomba! Think of the bandits whoare there."

  "Well, what matter? The bandits don't know you. And you were longing tosee some."

  "Oh, dear!"

  "Come, signorina, settle something. I can't leave you alone here. Idon't know what might happen to you. Let us go on to see Orso, or elselet us go back to the village together. I shall see my brother again.God knows when--never, perhaps!"

  "What's that you are saying, Colomba? Well, well, let us go! But onlyfor a minute, and then we'll get home at once."

  Colomba squeezed her hand, and without making any reply walked on soquickly that Miss Lydia could hardly keep up with her. She soon halted,luckily, and said to her companion:

  "We won't go any farther without warning them. We might have a bulletflying at our heads."

  She began to whistle through her fingers. Soon they heard a dog bark,and the bandits' advanced sentry shortly came in sight. This was our oldacquaintance Brusco, who recognised Colomba at once and undertook to beher guide. After many windings through the narrow paths in the _maquis_they were met by two men, armed to the teeth.

  "Is that you, Brandolaccio?" inquired Colomba. "Where is my brother?"

  "Just over there," replied the bandit. "But go quietly. He's asleep, andfor the first time since his accident. Zounds, it's clear that where thedevil gets through, a woman will get through too!"

  The two girls moved forward cautiously, and beside a fire, the blaze ofwhich was carefully concealed by a little wall of stones built roundit, they beheld Orso, lying on a pile of heather, and covered with a_pilone_. He was very pale, and they could hear his laboured breathing.Colomba sat down near him, and gazed at him silently, with her handsclasped, as though she were praying in her heart. Miss Lydia hid herface in her handkerchief, and nestled close against her friend, butevery now and then she lifted her head to take a look at the wounded manover Colomba's shoulder. Thus a quarter of an hour passed by without aword being said by anybody. At a sign from the theologian, Brandolacciohad plunged with him into the _maquis_, to the great relief of MissLydia, who for the first time fancied the local colour of the bandits'wild beards and warlike equipment was a trifle too strong.

  At last Orso stirred. Instantly, Colomba bent over him, and kissed himagain and again, pouring out questions anent his wound, his suffering,and his needs. After having answered that he was doing as well aspossible, Orso inquired, in his turn, whether Miss Nevil was still atPietranera, and whether she had written to him. Colomba, bending overher brother, completely hid her companion from his sight, and indeed thedarkness would have made any recognition difficult. She was holding oneof Miss Nevil's hands. With the other she slightly raised her woundedbrother's head.

  "No, brother," she replied. "She did not give me any letter for you. Butare you still thinking about Miss Nevil? You must love her very much!"

  "Love her, Colomba!--But--but now she may despise me!"

  At this point Miss Nevil made a struggle to withdraw her fingers. Butit was no easy matter to get Colomba to slacken her grasp. Small andwell-shaped though her hand was, it possessed a strength of which wehave already noticed certain proofs.

  "Despise you!" cried Colomba. "After what you've done? No, indeed! Shepraises you! Oh, Orso, I could tell you so many things about her!"

  Lydia's hand was still struggling for its freedom, but Colomba keptdrawing it closer to Orso.

  "But after all," said the wounded man, "why didn't she answer me? If shehad sent me a single line, I should have been happy."

  By dint of pulling at Miss Nevil's hand, Colomba contrived at last toput it into her brother's. Then, moving suddenly aside, she burst outlaughing.

  "Orso," she cried, "mind you don't speak evil of Miss Lydia--sheunderstands Corsican quite well."

  Miss Lydia took back her hand at once and stammered some unintelligiblewords. Orso thought he must be dreaming.

  "You here, Miss Nevil? Good heavens! how did you dare? Oh, how happy youhave made me!"

  And raising himself painfully, he strove to get closer to her.

  "I came with your sister," said Miss Lydia, "so that nobody mightsuspect where she was going. And then I--I wanted to make sure formyself. Alas! how uncomfortable you are here!"

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bsp; Colomba had seated herself behind Orso. She raised him carefully sothat his head might rest on her lap. She put her arms round his neck andsigned to Miss Lydia to come near him.

  "Closer! closer!" she said. "A sick man mustn't talk too loud." And whenMiss Lydia hesitated, she caught her hand and forced her to sit downso close to Orso that her dress touched him, and her hand, still inColomba's grasp, lay on the wounded man's shoulder.

  "Now he's very comfortable!" said Colomba cheerily. "Isn't it good tolie out in the _maquis_ on such a lovely night? Eh, Orso?"

  "How you must be suffering!" exclaimed Miss Lydia.

  "My suffering is all gone now," said Orso, "and I should like to diehere!" And his right hand crept up toward Miss Lydia's, which Colombastill held captive.

  "You really must be taken to some place where you can be properly caredfor, Signor della Rebbia," said Miss Nevil. "I shall never be able tosleep in my bed, now that I have seen you lying here, so uncomfortable,in the open air."

  "If I had not been afraid of meeting you, Miss Nevil, I should havetried to get back to Pietranera, and I should have given myself up tothe authorities."

  "And why were you afraid of meeting her, Orso?" inquired Colomba.

  "I had disobeyed you, Miss Nevil, and I should not have dared to look atyou just then."

  "Do you know you make my brother do everything you choose, Miss Lydia?"said Colomba, laughing. "I won't let you see him any more."

  "I hope this unlucky business will soon be cleared up, and that you willhave nothing more to fear," said Miss Nevil. "I shall be so happy,when we go away, to know justice has been done you, and that both yourloyalty and your bravery have been acknowledged."

  "Going away, Miss Nevil! Don't say that word yet!"

  "What are we to do? My father can not spend his whole life shooting. Hewants to go."

  Orso's hand, which had been touching Miss Lydia's, dropped away, andthere was silence for a moment.

  "Nonsense!" said Colomba. "We won't let you go yet. We have plenty ofthings to show you still at Pietranera. Besides, you have promised topaint my picture, and you haven't even begun it so far. And then I'vepromised to compose you a _serenata_, with seventy-five verses. Andthen--but what can Brusco be growling about? And here's Brandolacciorunning after him. I must go and see what's amiss."

  She rose at once, and laying Orso's head, without further ceremony, onMiss Lydia's lap, she ran after the bandits.

  Miss Nevil, somewhat startled at finding herself thus left in solecharge of a handsome young Corsican gentleman in the middle of a_maquis_, was rather puzzled what to do next.

  For she was afraid that any sudden movement on her part might hurt thewounded man. But Orso himself resigned the exquisite pillow on which hissister had just laid his head, and raising himself on his right arm, hesaid:

  "So you will soon be gone, Miss Lydia? I never expected your stay inthis unhappy country would have been a long one. And yet since you havecome to me here, the thought that I must bid you farewell has grown ahundred times more bitter to me. I am only a poor lieutenant. I had nofuture--and now I am an outlaw. What a moment in which to tell you thatI love you, Miss Lydia! But no doubt this is my only chance of sayingit. And I think I feel less wretched now I have unburdened my heart toyou."

  Miss Lydia turned away her head, as if the darkness were not dark enoughto hide her blushes.

  "Signor della Rebbia," she said, and her voice shook, "should I havecome here at all if----" and as she spoke she laid the Egyptiantalisman in Orso's hand. Then, with a mighty effort to recover herusual bantering tone--"It's very wrong of you, Signor Orso, to say suchthings! You know very well that here, in the middle of the _maquis_,and with your bandits all about me, I should never dare to be angry withyou."

  Orso made an attempt to kiss the hand that held out the talisman. MissLydia drew it quickly back; he lost his balance, and fell on his woundedarm. He could not stifle a moan of pain.

  "Oh, dear, you've hurt yourself, and it was my fault!" she cried, as sheraised him up. "Forgive me!" They talked for some time longer, very low,and very close together.

  Colomba, running hastily up, found them in the very same position inwhich she had left them.

  "The soldiers!" she cried. "Orso! try to get up and walk! I'll helpyou!"

  "Leave me!" said Orso. "Tell the bandits to escape. What do I care ifI am taken? But take away Miss Lydia. For God's sake, don't let anybodysee her here!"

  "I won't leave you," said Brandolaccio, who had come up on Colomba'sheels.

  "The sergeant in charge is the lawyer's godson. He'll shoot you insteadof arresting you, and then he'll say he didn't do it on purpose."

  Orso tried to rise; he even took a few steps. But he soon halted. "Ican't walk," he said. "Fly, all of you! Good-bye, Miss Nevil! Give meyour hand! Farewell!"

  "We won't leave you!" cried the two girls.

  "If you can't walk," said Brandolaccio, "I must carry you. Come, sir,a little courage! We shall have time to slip away by the ravine. TheSignor Padre will keep them busy."

  "No, leave me!" said Orso, lying down on the ground. "Colomba, take MissNevil away!--for God's sake!"

  "You're strong, Signorina Colomba," said Brandolaccio. "Catch hold ofhis shoulders; I'll take his feet. That's it! Now, then march!"

  In spite of his protests, they began to carry him rapidly along. MissLydia was following them, in a terrible fright, when a gun was fired,and five or six other reports instantly responded. Miss Lydia screamedand Brandolaccio swore an oath, but he doubled his pace, and Colomba,imitating him, tore through the thicket without paying the slightestheed to the branches that slashed her face and tore her dress.

  "Bend down, bend down, dear!" she called out to her companion. "You maybe hit by some stray bullet!"

  They had walked, or rather run, some five hundred paces in this fashionwhen Brandolaccio vowed he could go no further, and dropped on theground, regardless of all Colomba's exhortations and reproaches.

  "Where is Miss Nevil?" was Orso's one inquiry.

  Terrified by the firing, checked at every step by the thick growth ofthe _maquis_, Miss Nevil had soon lost sight of the fugitives, and beenleft all alone in a state of the most cruel alarm.

  "She has been left behind," said Brandolaccio, "but she'll not belost--women always turn up again. Do listen to the row the Padre ismaking with your gun, Ors' Anton'! Unluckily, it's as black as pitch,and nobody takes much harm from being shot at in the dark."

  "Hush!" cried Colomba. "I hear a horse. We're saved!"

  Startled by the firing, a horse which had been wandering through the_maquis_, was really coming close up to them.

  "Saved, indeed!" repeated Brandolaccio. It did not take the bandit morethan an instant to rush up to the creature, catch hold of his mane, andwith Colomba's assistance, bridle him with a bit of knotted rope.

  "Now we must warn the Padre," he said. He whistled twice; anotherdistant whistle answered the signal, and the loud voice of the Mantongun was hushed. Then Brandolaccio sprang on the horse's back. Colombalifted her brother up in front of the bandit, who held him close withone hand and managed his bridle with the other.

  In spite of the double load, the animal, urged by a brace of heartykicks, started off nimbly, and galloped headlong down a steep declivityon which anything but a Corsican steed would have broken its neck adozen times.

  Then Colomba retraced her steps, calling Miss Nevil at the top of hervoice; but no answering cry was heard.

  After walking hither and thither for some time, trying to recover thepath, she stumbled on two riflemen, who shouted, "Who goes there?"

  "Well, gentlemen," cried Colomba jeeringly, "here's a pretty racket! Howmany of you are killed?"

  "You were with the bandits!" said one of the soldiers. "You must comewith us."

  "With pleasure!" she replied. "But there's a friend of mine somewhereclose by, and we must find her first."

  "You friend is caught already, and both of you will sleep in jailto-night!"
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  "In jail, you say? Well, that remains to be seen. But take me to her,meanwhile."

  The soldiers led her to the bandits' camp, where they had collected thetrophies of their raid--to wit, the cloak which had covered Orso, anold cooking-pot, and a pitcher of cold water. On the same spot she foundMiss Nevil, who had fallen among the soldiers, and, being half deadwith terror, did nothing but sob in answer to their questions as to thenumber of the bandits, and the direction in which they had gone.

  Colomba threw herself into her arms and whispered in her ear, "They aresafe!" Then, turning to the sergeant, she said: "Sir, you can see thisyoung lady knows none of the things you are trying to find out fromher. Give us leave to go back to the village, where we are anxiouslyexpected."

  "You'll be taken there, and faster than you like, my beauty," rejoinedthe sergeant. "And you'll have to explain what you were after at thistime of night with the ruffians who have just got away. I don't knowwhat witchcraft those villains practise, but they certainly do bewitchthe women--for wherever there are bandits about, you are dead certain tofind pretty girls."

  "You're very flattering, sergeant!" said Colomba, "but you'll do well tobe careful what you say. This young lady is related to the prefect, andyou'd better be careful of your language before her."

  "A relation of the prefect's," whispered one of the soldiers to hischief. "Why, she does wear a hat!"

  "Hats have nothing to do with it," said the sergeant. "They were both ofthem with the Padre--the greatest woman-wheedler in the whole country,so it's my business to march them off. And, indeed, there's nothingmore for us to do here. But for that d----d Corporal Taupin--the drunkenFrenchman showed himself before I'd surrounded the _maquis_--we shouldhave had them all like fish in a net."

  "Are there only seven of you here?" inquired Colomba. "It strikes me,gentlemen, that if the three Poli brothers--Gambini, Sarocchi, andTeodoro--should happen to be at the Cross of Santa Christina, withBrandolaccio and the Padre, they might give you a good deal of corn togrind. If you mean to have a talk with the Commandante della Campagna,I'd just as soon not be there. In the dark, bullets don't show anyrespect for persons."

  The idea of coming face to face with the dreaded bandits mentioned byColomba made an evident impression on the soldiers. The sergeant, stillcursing Corporal Taupin--"that dog of a Frenchman"--gave the orderto retire, and his little party moved toward Pietranera, carrying the_pilone_ and the cooking-pot; as for the pitcher, its fate was settledwith a kick.

  One of the men would have laid hold of Miss Lydia's arm, but Colombainstantly pushed him away.

  "Let none of you dare to lay a finger on her!" she said. "Do you fancywe want to run away? Come, Lydia, my dear, lean on me, and don't crylike a baby. We've had an adventure, but it will end all right. In halfan hour we shall be at our supper, and for my part I'm dying to get toit."

  "What will they think of me!" Miss Nevil whispered.

  "They'll think you lost your way in the _maquis_, that's all."

  "What will the prefect say? Above all, what will my father say?"

  "The prefect? You can tell him to mind his own business! Your father?I should have thought, from the way you and Orso were talking, that youhad something to say to your father."

  Miss Nevil squeezed her arm, and answered nothing.

  "Doesn't my brother deserve to be loved?" whispered Colomba in her ear."Don't you love him a little?"

  "Oh, Colomba!" answered Miss Nevil, smiling in spite of her blushes,"you've betrayed me! And I trusted you so!"

  Colomba slipped her arm round her, and kissed her forehead.

  "Little sister," she whispered very low, "will you forgive me?"

  "Why, I suppose I must, my masterful sister," answered Lydia, as shekissed her back.

  The prefect and the public prosecutor were staying with thedeputy-mayor, and the colonel, who was very uneasy about his daughter,was paying them his twentieth call, to ask if they had heard of her,when a rifleman, whom the sergeant had sent on in advance, arrived withthe full story of the great fight with the brigands--a fight in whichnobody had been either killed or wounded, but which had resulted inthe capture of a cooking-pot, a _pilone_, and two girls, whom the mandescribed as the mistresses, or the spies, of the two bandits.

  Thus heralded, the two prisoners appeared, surrounded by their armedescort.

  My readers will imagine Colomba's radiant face, her companion'sconfusion, the prefect's surprise, the colonel's astonishment and joy.The public prosecutor permitted himself the mischievous entertainmentof obliging poor Lydia to undergo a kind of cross-examination, which didnot conclude until he had quite put her out of countenance.

  "It seems to me," said the prefect, "that we may release everybody.These young ladies went out for a walk--nothing is more natural in fineweather. They happened to meet a charming young man, who has been latelywounded--nothing could be more natural, again." Then, taking Colombaaside--

  "Signorina," he said, "you can send word to your brother thatthis business promises to turn out better than I had expected. Thepost-mortem examination and the colonel's deposition both prove that heonly defended himself, and that he was alone when the fight took place.Everything will be settled--only he must leave the _maquis_ and givehimself up to the authorities."

  It was almost eleven o'clock when the colonel, his daughter, and Colombasat down at last to their supper, which had grown cold. Colomba ateheartily, and made great fun of the prefect, the public prosecutor,and the soldiers. The colonel ate too, but never said a word, and gazedsteadily at his daughter, who would not lift her eyes from her plate. Atlast, gently but seriously, he said in English:

  "Lydia, I suppose you are engaged to della Rebbia?"

  "Yes, father, to-day," she answered, steadily, though she blushed. Thenshe raised her eyes, and reading no sign of anger in her father's face,she threw herself into his arms and kissed him, as all well-brought-upyoung ladies do on such occasions.

  "With all my heart!" said the colonel. "He's a fine fellow. But, byG--d, we won't live in this d---d country of his, or I'll refuse myconsent."

  "I don't know English," said Colomba, who was watching them with an airof the greatest curiosity, "but I'll wager I've guessed what you aresaying!"

  "We are saying," quoth the colonel, "that we are going to take you for atrip to Ireland."

  "Yes, with pleasure; and I'll be the Surella Colomba. Is it settled,colonel? Shall we shake hands on it?"

  "In such a case," remarked the colonel, "people exchanges kisses!"