CHAPTER XXIV
THE MOUNTAIN FORTRESS
And so on a bright spring morning our pilgrims started. Whoever hastraversed the road from Sorrento to Naples, that wonderful path alongthe high rocky shores of the Mediterranean, must remember it only asa wild dream of enchantment. On one side lies the sea, shimmeringin bands of blue, purple, and green to the swaying of gentle winds,exhibiting those magical shiftings and changes of color peculiarto these waves. Near the land its waters are of pale, transparentemerald, while farther out they deepen into blue and thence into aviolet-purple, which again, towards the horizon-line, fades into mistypearl-color. The shores rise above the sea in wild, bold precipices,grottoed into fantastic caverns by the action of the waves, andpresenting every moment some new variety of outline. As the path ofthe traveler winds round promontories whose mountain-heights arecapped by white villages and silvery with olive-groves, he catches theenchanting sea-view, now at this point, and now at another, with Naplesglimmering through the mists in the distance, and the purple sides ofVesuvius ever changing with streaks and veins of cloud-shadows, whilesilver vapors crown the summit. Above the road the steep hills seempiled up to the sky,--every spot terraced, and cultivated with someform of vegetable wealth, and the wild, untamable rocks garlandedover with golden broom, crimson gillyflowers, and a thousand otherbright adornments. The road lies through villages whose gardens andorange-orchards fill the air with sweet scents, and whose rose-hedgessometimes pour a perfect cascade of bloom and fragrance over the walls.
Our travelers started in the dewy freshness of one of those gorgeousdays which seem to cast an illuminating charm over everything.Even old Elsie's stern features relaxed somewhat under the balmyinfluences of sun and sky, and Agnes's young, pale face was lit upwith a brighter color than for many a day before. Their pilgrimagethrough this beautiful country had few incidents. They walked in theearlier and latter parts of the day, reposing a few hours at noonnear some fountain or shrine by the wayside,--often experiencing thekindly veneration of the simple peasantry, who cheerfully offered themrefreshments, and begged their prayers at the holy places whither theywere going.
In a few days they reached Naples, where they made a little stop withthe hospitable family to whom Jocunda had recommended them. From Naplestheir path lay through the Pontine Marshes; and though the malariamakes this region a word of fear, yet it is no less one of strange,soft, enchanting beauty. A wide, sea-like expanse, clothed with anabundance of soft, rich grass, painted with golden bands and streaks ofbright yellow flowers, stretches away to a purple curtain of mountains,whose romantic outline rises constantly in a thousand new forms ofbeauty. The upland at the foot of these mountains is beautifullydiversified with tufts of trees, and the contrast of the purplesoftness of the distant hills with the dazzling gold and emerald of thewide meadow-tracts they enclose is a striking feature in the landscape.Droves of silver-haired oxen, with their great, dreamy, dark eyes andpolished black horns, were tranquilly feeding knee-deep in the lush,juicy grass, and herds of buffaloes, uncouth, but harmless, might beseen pasturing or reposing in the distance. On either side of the waywere waving tracts of yellow fleur-de-lis, and beds of arum, with itsarrowy leaves and white blossoms. It was a wild luxuriance of growth, adreamy stillness of solitude, so lovely that one could scarce rememberthat it was deadly.
Elsie was so impressed with the fear of the malaria, that shetrafficked with an honest peasant, who had been hired to take back toRome the horses which had been used to convey part of the suite of anobleman traveling to Naples, to give them a quicker passage acrossthan they could have made on foot. It is true that this was quitecontrary to the wishes of Agnes, who felt that the journey ought to beperformed in the most toilsome and self-renouncing way, and that theyshould trust solely to prayer and spiritual protection to ward off thepestilential exhalations.
In vain she quoted the Psalm, "Thou shalt not be afraid for the terrorby night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day, nor for the pestilencethat walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth atnoon-day," and adduced cases of saints who had walked unhurt throughall sorts of dangers.
"There's no use talking, child," said Elsie. "I'm older than you, andhave seen more of real men and women; and whatever they did in oldtimes, I know that nowadays the saints don't help those that don't takecare of themselves; and the long and the short of it is, we must rideacross those marshes, and get out of them as quick as possible, or weshall get into Paradise quicker than we want to."
In common with many other professing Christians, Elsie felt that goingto Paradise was the very dismalest of alternatives,--a thing to bestaved off as long as possible.
After many days of journeying, the travelers, somewhat weary andfoot-sore, found themselves in a sombre and lonely dell of themountains, about an hour before the going down of the sun. Theslanting yellow beams turned to silvery brightness the ashy foliageof the gnarled old olives, which gaunt and weird clung with theirgreat, knotty, straggling roots to the rocky mountain-sides. Beforethem, the path, stony, steep, and winding, was rising upward and stillupward, and no shelter for the night appeared, except in a distantmountain-town, which, perched airily as an eagle's nest on its hazyheight, reflected from the dome of its church and its half-ruinedold feudal tower the golden light of sunset. A drowsy-toned bell wasringing out the Ave Maria over the wide purple solitude of mountains,whose varying outlines were rising around.
"You are tired, my little heart," said old Elsie to Agnes, who haddrooped during a longer walk than usual.
"No, grandmamma," said Agnes, sinking on her knees to repeat herevening prayer, which she did, covering her face with her hands.
Old Elsie kneeled too; but, as she was praying,--being a thriftyold body in the use of her time,--she cast an eye up the steepmountain-path and calculated the distance of the little airy village.Just at that moment she saw two or three horsemen, who appeared to bestealthily observing them from behind the shadow of some large rocks.
When their devotions were finished, she hurried on her grandchildsaying,--
"Come, dearie! it must be we shall find a shelter soon."
The horsemen now rode up behind them.
"Good-evening, mother!" said one of them, speaking from under theshadow of a deeply slouched hat.
Elsie made no reply, but hurried forward.
"Good-evening, pretty maid!" he said again, riding still nearer.
"Go your ways in the name of God," said Elsie. "We are pilgrims, goingfor our souls to Rome; and whoever hinders us will have the saints todeal with."
"Who talks of hindering you, mother?" responded the other. "On thecontrary, we come for the express purpose of helping you along."
"We want none of your help," said Elsie, gruffly.
"See, now, how foolish you are!" said the horseman. "Don't you see thatthat town is a good seven miles off, and not a bit of bed or supper tobe had till you get there, and the sun will be down soon? So mount upbehind me, and here is a horse for the little one."
In fact, the horsemen at this moment opening disclosed to view apalfrey with a lady's saddle, richly caparisoned, as if for a personof condition. With a sudden movement, two of the men dismounted,confronted the travelers, and the one who had acted as spokesman,approaching Agnes, said, in a tone somewhat imperative,--
"Come, young lady, it is our master's will that your poor little feetshould have some rest."
And before Agnes could remonstrate, he raised her into the saddle aseasily as if she had been a puff of thistledown, and then turning toElsie, he said,--
"For you, good mother, if you wish to keep up, you must e'en be contentwith a seat behind me."
"Who are you? and how dare you?" said Elsie, indignantly.
"Good mother," said the man, "you see God's will is that you shouldsubmit, because we are four to you two, and there are fifty more withincall. So get up without more words, and I swear by the Holy Virgin noharm shall be done you."
Elsie looked and saw Agnes alread
y some distance before her, the bridleof her palfrey being held by one of the horsemen, who rode by her sideand seemed to look after her carefully; and so, without more ado, sheaccepted the services of the man, and, placing her foot on the toe ofhis riding-boot, mounted to the crupper behind him.
"That is right," said he. "Now hold on to me lustily, and be notafraid."
So saying, the whole troop began winding as rapidly as possible up thesteep, rocky path to the mountain-town.
Notwithstanding the surprise and alarm of this most unexpectedadventure, Agnes, who had been at the very point of exhaustion fromfatigue, could not but feel the sensation of relief and repose whichthe seat in an easy saddle gave her. The mountain air, as they rose,breathed fresh and cold on her brow, and a prospect of such wondrousbeauty unrolled beneath her feet that her alarm soon became lost inadmiration. The mountains that rose everywhere around them seemed tofloat in a transparent sea of luminous vapor, with olive-orchardsand well-tilled fields lying in far, dreamy distances below, whileout towards the horizon silver gleams of the Mediterranean graduallywidened to the view. Soothed by the hour, refreshed by the air, andfilled with admiration for the beauty of all she saw, she surrenderedherself to her situation with a feeling of solemn religious calm, asto some unfolding of the Divine Will, which might unroll like thelandscape beneath her. They pursued their way in silence, rising higherand higher out of the shadows of the deep valleys below, the man whoconducted them observing a strict reserve, but seeming to have a carefor their welfare.
The twilight yet burned red in the sky, and painted with solemn lightsthe mossy walls of the little old town, as they plunged under asombre antique gateway, and entered on a street as damp and dark as acellar, which went up almost perpendicularly between tall, black stonewalls that seemed to have neither windows nor doors. Agnes could onlyremember clambering upward, turning short corners, clattering downsteep stone steps, under low archways, along narrow, ill-smellingpassages, where the light that seemed so clear without the town wasalmost extinguished in utter night.
At last they entered the damp court of a huge, irregular pile of stonebuildings. Here the men suddenly drew up, and Agnes's conductor,dismounting, came and took her silently from her saddle, sayingbriefly, "Come this way."
Elsie sprang from her seat in a moment, and placed herself at the sideof her child.
"No, good mother," said the man with whom she had ridden, seizing herpowerfully by the shoulders, and turning her round.
"What do you mean?" said Elsie, fiercely. "Are you going to keep mefrom my own child?"
"Patience!" replied the man. "You can't help yourself, so recommendyourself to God, and no harm shall come to you."
Agnes looked back at her grandmother.
"Fear not, dear grandmamma," she said, "the blessed angels will watchover us."
As she spoke, she followed her conductor through long, damp, moulderingpassages, and up flights of stone steps, and again through other longpassages, smelling of mould and damp, till at last he opened the doorof an apartment from which streamed a light so dazzling to the eyes ofAgnes that at first she could form no distinct conception as to whereshe was.
As soon as her eyesight cleared, she found herself in an apartmentwhich to her simplicity seemed furnished with an unheard-of luxury.The walls were richly frescoed and gilded, and from a chandelier ofVenetian glass the light fell upon a foot-cloth of brilliant tapestrywhich covered the marble floor. Gilded chairs and couches, covered withthe softest Genoese velvet, invited to repose; while tables inlaidwith choice mosaics stood here and there, sustaining rare vases,musical instruments, and many of the light, fanciful ornaments withwhich, in those days, the halls of women of condition were graced. Atone end of the apartment was an alcove, where the rich velvet curtainswere looped away with heavy cords and tassels of gold, displayinga smaller room, where was a bed with hangings of crimson satinembroidered with gold.
Agnes stood petrified with amazement, and put her hand to her head, asif to assure herself by the sense of touch that she was not dreaming,and then, with an impulse of curious wonder, began examining theapartment. The rich furniture and the many adornments, though only suchas were common in the daily life of the great at that period, had forher simple eyes all the marvelousness of the most incredible illusion.She touched the velvet couches almost with fear, and passed from objectto object in a sort of maze. When she arrived at the alcove, shethought she heard a slight rustling within, and then a smothered laugh.Her heart beat quick as she stopped to listen. There was a titteringsound, and a movement as if some one were shaking the curtain, and atlast Giulietta stood in the door-way.
For a moment Agnes stood looking at her in utter bewilderment. Yes,surely it was Giulietta, dressed out in all the bravery of splendidapparel, her black hair shining and lustrous, great solid ear-rings ofgold shaking in her ears, and a row of gold coins displayed around herneck.
She broke into a loud laugh at the sight of Agnes's astonished face.
"So, here you are!" she said. "Well, now, didn't I tell you so? You seehe was in love with you, just as I said; and if you wouldn't come tohim of your own accord, he must fly off with you."
"Oh, Giulietta!" said Agnes, springing towards her and catching herhands, "what does all this mean? and where have they carried poorgrandmamma?"
"Oh, never worry about her! Do you know you are in high favor here, andany one who belongs to you gets good quarters? Your grandmother justnow is at supper, I doubt not, with my mother; and a jolly time theywill have of it, gossiping together."
"Your mother here, too?"
"Yes, simple, to be sure! I found it so much easier living here than inthe old town, that I sent for her, that she might have peace in her oldage. But how do you like your room? Were you not astonished to see itso brave? Know, then, pretty one, that it is all on account of the goodcourage of our band. For, you see, the people there in Rome (we won'tsay who) had given away all our captain's lands and palaces and villasto this one and that, as pleased them; and one pretty little villa inthe mountains not far from here went to a stout old cardinal. What doesa band of our men do, one night, but pounce on old red-hat and tiehim up, while they helped themselves to what they liked through thehouse? True, they couldn't bring house and all; but they brought storesof rich furnishing, and left him thanking the saints that he was yetalive. So we arranged your rooms right nobly, thinking to please ourcaptain when he comes. If you are not pleased, you will be ungrateful,that's all."
"Giulietta," said Agnes, who had scarcely seemed to listen to thisprattle, so anxious was she to speak of what lay nearest her heart, "Iwant to see grandmamma. Can't you bring her to me?"
"No, my little princess, I can't. Do you know you are my mistress, now?Well, you are; but there's one that's master of us both, and he saysnone must speak with you till he has seen you."
"And is he here?"
"No, he has been some time gone northward, and has notreturned,--though we expect him to-night. So compose yourself, and askfor anything in the world, but to see your grandmother, and I will showthat I am your humble servant to command."
So saying, Giulietta courtesied archly and laughed, showing her white,shiny teeth, which looked as bright as pearls.
Agnes sat down on one of the velvet couches, and leaned her head on herhand.
"Come, now, let me bring you some supper," said Giulietta. "What sayyou to a nice roast fowl and a bottle of wine?
"How can you speak of such things in the holy time of Lent?" said Agnes.
"Oh, never you fear about that! Our holy Father Stefano sets suchmatters right for any of us in a twinkling, and especially would he doit for you."
"Oh, but Giulietta, I don't want anything. I couldn't eat, if I were totry."
"Ta, ta, ta!" said Giulietta, going out. "Wait till you smell it. Ishall be back in a little while."
And she left the room, locking the door after her.
In a few moments she returned, bearing a rich silver tray, on which wasa covered d
ish that steamed a refreshing odor, together with a roll ofwhite bread, and a small glass _flacon_ containing a little choice wine.
By much entreaty and coaxing, Agnes was induced to partake of thebread, enough to revive her somewhat after the toils of the day; andthen, a little reassured by the familiar presence of Giulietta, shebegan to undress, her former companion officiously assisting her.
"There, now, you are tired, my lady princess," she said. "I'll unlaceyour bodice. One of these days your gowns will be all of silk, andstiff with gold and pearls."
"Oh, Giulietta," said Agnes, "don't!--let me,--I don't need help."
"Ta, ta, ta!--you must learn to be waited on," said Giulietta,persisting. "But, Holy Virgin! what is the matter here? Oh, Agnes, what_are_ you doing to yourself?"
"It's a penance, Giulietta," said Agnes, her face flushing.
"Well, I should think it was! Father Francesco ought to be ashamed ofhimself; he is a real butcher!"
"He does it to save my soul, Giulietta. The cross of our Lord withoutwill heal a deadly wound within."
In her heart, Giulietta had somewhat of secret reverence for suchausterities, which the whole instruction of her time and country taughther to regard as especially saintly. People who live in the senses morethan in the world of reflection feel the force of such outward appeals.Giulietta made the sign of the cross, and looked grave for severalminutes.
"Poor little dove!" she said at last, "if your sins must needs beexpiated so, what will become of me? It must be that you will lay upstores of merit with God; for surely your sins do not need _all_ this.Agnes, you will be a saint some day, like your namesake at the Convent,I truly do believe."
"Oh, no, no, Giulietta! don't talk so! God knows I wrestle withforbidden thoughts all the while. I am no saint, but the chief ofsinners."
"That's what the saints all say," said Giulietta. "But, my dearprincess, when _he_ comes, he will forbid this; he is lordly, and willnot suffer his little wife"--
"Giulietta, don't speak so,--I cannot hear it,--I must not be hiswife,--I am vowed to be the spouse of the Lord."
"And yet you love our handsome prince," said Giulietta; "and thereis the great sin you are breaking your little heart about. Well, now,it's all of that dry, sour old Father Francesco. I never could abidehim,--he made such dismal pother about sin; old Father Girolamo wasworth a dozen of him. If you would just see our good Father Stefano,now, he would set your mind at ease about your vows in a twinkling; andyou must needs get them loosed, for our captain is born to command,and when princes stoop to us peasant-girls, it isn't for us to saynay. It's being good as Saint Michael himself for him to think of youonly in the holy way of marriage. I'll warrant me, there's many a lordcardinal at Rome that isn't so good; and as to princes, he is one of athousand, a most holy and religious knight, or he would do as others dowhen they have the power."
Agnes, confused and agitated, turned away, and, as if seekingrefuge, laid her down in the bed, looking timidly up at the unwontedsplendor,--and then, hiding her face in the pillow, began repeating aprayer.
Giulietta sat by her a moment, till she felt, from the relaxing of thelittle hand, that the reaction of fatigue and intense excitement wasbeginning to take place. Nature would assert her rights, and the heavycurtain of sleep fell on the weary little head. Quietly extinguishingthe lights, Giulietta left the room, locking the door.