compel me to do; and the remembrance that I was loved by you,will be a soothing balm to my heart for the few remaining years I haveto endure my cruel lot. But you must learn to forget me, or to think ofme as one already in her grave. You will enter the world, where thereis much to drown your thoughts of the past, and where you will meet withone in whose love you may be happy." As she came to the last sentenceher voice trembled, and her tears flowed fast.
Luis clasped her in his arms, and she did not attempt to resist. Heswore that he could never forget her; and that he could never love orwed another. He entreated her not to despair, or consent to return to aconvent, and he promised that he would compel the Count to contradictthe vile accusation he had brought against him; and that perhaps thenher father might relent. That he could at once prove part of theCount's story false, through his friend, Captain Pinto, who was with himat the time, and engaged in the rencontre. He said, indeed, everythingthat could possibly be said on the occasion, though he failed ofimparting any of his own sanguine hopes to Clara; yet at times she gazedup into his face and smiled, but it was a smile more of sadness than ofjoy, and her tears again flowed unrestrained. How long the interviewwould have lasted it is impossible to say, had not Senhora Gertrudes,who had been in attendance at a respectful distance, hastened up to warnher that they must part; and at length Luis, imprinting another kiss onher brow, yielded her half fainting to her nurse's arms, and hurriedfrom the palace.
At the gate he found Captain Pinto waiting for him, who insisted on hisaccompanying him to his lodgings, and on the following day returned withhim to the palace, where he went with the hopes of seeing Clara, or, atall events, having an interview with her father. He had been againunsuccessful in his search for the packet he had received in thehermit's cave, and now all hopes of ever discovering it had vanishedwith the destruction of his father's house; so he tried to consolehimself with the hope that it was unimportant; though the contrary wouldagain and again recur to him. As he appeared, a servant handed him aletter, requesting him to read it at once. It was from the fidalgo,expressing his deep obligation to him for rescuing his daughter fromdestruction, and for having afterwards recovered her from the ruffianwho had carried her off; but that these acts could not cancel thefeelings he entertained towards the destroyer of his son, evenconvinced, as he now was, from what his daughter had told him, that hewas innocent of any intention to commit the deed. He finished byrequesting Captain Pinto would do him the favour of calling, adding, ina postscript, that he had desired his daughter not to see him again, andbegging him not to attempt to seek her.
The Captain having but little time to spare, immediately requested to beconducted to the fidalgo, while Luis waited outside. He soon returned,shaking his head.
"The fidalgo is inexorable," he said. "I have convinced him that youneither intended to kill his son, nor had anything to do with concealinghim; hinting, that it was our suspicion the Count had done so himself.He seemed struck by the observation; and will make all possibleinquiries on the subject; but he insists on your not again seeing hisdaughter, and he says that when he is perfectly convinced of his son'sdeath he shall return to Oporto, where she is again to enter a convent.It is extraordinary how slow some men are in forming an opinion, and howdifficult it is to knock it out of their heads, when once there: now hehas taken it into his that the Count is an honourable man, and has muchat heart the interests of his family; nor can all Donna Clara and I havesaid to him persuade him that it was probably he who caused Goncalo tobe concealed after he was wounded, for the sake of making her hate you;and that also it was on his account she was carried away after you hadsaved her from the ruins. I trust, however, that I have made someimpression, though he does not acknowledge it. But come, it is uselessremaining here, and I must attend to these disagreeable duties imposedon me."
Luis accompanied his friend, in a state of sad despondency; his hopesagain blasted, even on the very threshold, as he had fancied, ofhappiness.
"Come, rouse thee, my friend," said the Captain. "This is but one ofthe many trials you must yet undergo in your course through life, toperfect your character as a man; and fortunate are those who are sotried, that when the still greater struggles of life approach, they maynot be found wanting. See, it is now my turn to raise, rather thandepress your hopes. Look on what has occurred, with the calm eye ofphilosophy, and you will see that you are not only not in a worse statethan you were before the earthquake, but have the additional consolationof feeling that you have saved the life of a very charming lady, Iallow. Her father may relent; her brother may not have died from hiswound, as we have only the Count's word for it, and he may be proved tobe a villain. Here is food enough to supply a lover's hopes for a yearat least. However, I not being a lover, must hurry on to take mydinner, so come in, and share it with me."
Volume 2, Chapter XVIII.
Several days had passed by since the dreadful morning of terror anddestruction; and, though slight shocks were occasionally still felt,people had become accustomed to them, and were beginning to arousethemselves from the state of apathy into which fear had thrown them. Itwas a sad spectacle, to see the forlorn citizens wandering over the yetsmoking ruins of their former habitations, seeking, in vain, to find thespots where they had dwelt in peace and happiness; but wheresoever theyturned, naught but scenes of destruction and confusion met their view.In vain they endeavoured to recover their property; what the earthquakehad spared the devouring flames had consumed. Precious jewels, and richstores of gold and silver, had been reclaimed by the earth, from whencethey were dug; and immense quantities of valuable merchandise had beendestroyed; so that the before flourishing merchant or tradesman foundhimself reduced to bankruptcy and starvation. The historian of the timewinds up his description with these words:--"The whole of the centre ofLisbon was reduced to one horrid desert, in which naught was beheld butmountains of stone and ashes; some ruined walls, blackened by the fire,alone rising amid this sea of confusion, sad monuments of those finestreets and spacious squares which, but a few days before, were full ofwealth, and crowded with people."
Now was the time that the sagacity, energy, courage, and perseverance,of the Minister were most conspicuous in restoring order, and preventingthe site of the city from being deserted altogether. No sooner had theashes cooled, than, assembling workmen, he caused roads to be cutthrough the ruins, and immediately commenced rebuilding the city, hehimself planning those streets which now form by far the handsomest partof Lisbon.
Since Luis had restored Clara to her father, he had devoted all histhoughts and energies to the task of endeavouring to discover sometraces of her brother; but he had as yet been completely unsuccessful.He had applied to Antonio, but he could not, or would not, afford himany assistance; and of the companions of the youth, some had beenkilled, many had fled, and the rest would not trouble themselves abouthis fate. Captain Pinto had not even been acquainted with him by sight;and his unhappy father was still too weak to leave his couch, to go insearch of him, so that Luis began to fear that he should be for everunable to prove his own innocence. The Count San Vincente, in the meantime, paid daily visits to the fidalgo, professing to be using hisutmost exertions to discover his son, though Clara perseveringly refusedto see him nor did he, indeed, appear anxious for an interview.
Luis had one morning wandered, accompanied by Pedro, nearly into thecentre of the ruins; for there was something consonant with his ownfeelings in their desolate aspect, and he loved to be among them;perhaps, that the contemplation of the misery he beheld afforded, in thecomparison, some alleviation to his own. The immediate scene we havealready described;--beyond, on the hills above, were scattered the tentsand huts of the inhabitants; while on every side, in the distance, arosethe lofty gibbets, loaded with ghastly corpses,--a warning to the daringbanditti who even yet prowled about, thirsting for booty, though theirnumbers and depredations had greatly been diminished by the summaryproceedings against them. As he was returning homeward, he overtook aparty of the new
guards, dragging a man on among them towards thenearest hall of justice. He was about to pass them, when his steps werearrested by a voice calling to him from the crowd, in accents ofentreaty, "Oh, Senhor Don Luis! save me, save me!--You know that I am anhonest man and a friar, which I cannot make these gentlemen believe, andI shall be hung, to a certainty, before I can prove my innocence."
On hearing himself addressed, Luis turned round, and beheld his quondamacquaintance, Fre Diogo Lopez, in the hands of the officials of the law.
"Speak a word for me, senhor," he continued. "You know that I savedyour life the other day; so, if you have a spark of the noble sentimentof gratitude, you will return me the favour on this occasion, or youwill never enjoy another."
"He speaks true," said Luis to the guards; "and if you have no specificcharge against him, I will be answerable if you