CHAPTER XV.
The host, seeing that the game was about to be carried too far,approached Renzo, and entreating the others to be quiet, endeavoured tomake him understand that he had best go to bed. But our mountaineercould think of nothing but _name_, _surname_, and _proclamations_; yetthe words _bed_ and _sleep_, repeated frequently in his ear, made atlast some impression, and producing a sort of lucid interval, made himfeel that he really had need of both. The little sense that remained tohim enabled him to perceive that the greater part of the company haddeparted; and with his hands resting on the table before him, heendeavoured to stand on his feet; his efforts would have been, however,unavailing, without the assistance of the host, who led him from betweenthe table and the bench, and taking a lantern in one hand, managedpartly to lead and partly to drag him to the stairs, and thence up thenarrow staircase to the room designed for him. At the sight of the bed,he endeavoured to look kindly upon the host; but his eyes at one timesparkled, at another disappeared, like two fireflies: he endeavoured tostand erect, and stretched out his hand to pat the shoulder of his hostin testimony of his gratitude; but in this he failed: however he didsucceed in saying, "Worthy host, I see now that you are an honest man;but I don't like your rage for _name_ and _surname_. Happily I amalso----"
The host, who did not expect to hear him utter one connected idea, andwho knew from experience how prone men in his situation were to suddenchanges of feeling, wishing to profit by this lucid interval, madeanother attempt. "My dear fellow," said he, in a tone of persuasion, "Ihave not intended to vex you, nor to pry into your affairs. What wouldyou have had me do? There is a law, and if we innkeepers do not obey it,we shall be the first to be punished; therefore it is better to conform.And after all, as regards yourself, what is it? A hard thing, indeed!just to say two words. It is not for them, but to do me a favour. Now,here, between ourselves, tell me your _name_, and then you shall go tobed in peace."
"Ah, rascal! knave!" cried Renzo, "do you dare to bring up this cursed_name_ and _surname_ and _business_ again?"
"Hush! you fool! and go to bed," said the host.
But Renzo continued to bellow, "I understand it, you belong to theleague. Wait, wait, till I settle matters for you;" and turning to thedoor, he bellowed down the stairs, "Friends! the host is of the----"
"I spoke in jest," cried the host, pushing him towards the bed, "injest; did you not perceive I spoke in jest?"
"Ah, in jest; now you talk reasonably. Since you said it in jest--theyare just the thing to make a jest of----." And he fell on the bed."Undress yourself quickly," said the host; and adding his assistance tohis advice, the thought occurred to him, to ascertain if there were anymoney in Renzo's pockets, as on the morrow it would fall into hands fromwhich an innkeeper would have but little chance of recovering it; hetherefore hazarded another attempt, saying to Renzo, "You are an honestyouth, are you not?"
"Yes, an honest youth," replied Renzo, still endeavouring to rid himselfof his clothes.
"Well, settle this little account with me now, because to-morrow I amobliged to leave home on business."
"That's right," said Renzo "I am honest. But the money--we must find themoney----!"
"Here it is," said the host; and calling up all his patience and skill,he succeeded in obtaining the reckoning.
"Lend me your hand to finish undressing, host," said Renzo; "I begin tocomprehend, do you see, that----I am very sleepy."
The host rendered him the desired service, and covering him with thequilt, bade him "Good night."
The words were scarcely uttered before poor Renzo snored. The hoststopped to contemplate him a moment by the light of his lantern; "Madblockhead!" said he to the poor sleeper, "thou hast accomplished thy ownruin! dunces, who want to travel over the world, without knowing wherethe sun rises, to entangle themselves with affairs they know nothing of,to their own injury and that of their neighbour!"
So saying, he left the apartment, having locked the door outside, andcalling to his wife, told her to take his place in the kitchen,"Because," said he, "I must go out for a while, thanks to a stranger whois here, unhappily for me;" he then briefly related the annoyingcircumstance, adding, "And now keep an eye on all, and above all beprudent. There is below a company of dissolute fellows, who, betweendrink and their natural disposition, are very very free of speech.Enough--if any of them should dare----"
"Oh! I am not a child! I know what I ought to do. It could never besaid----"
"Well, well. Be careful to make them pay. If they talk of thesuperintendant of provision, the governor, Ferrer, and the council often, and the gentry, and Spain and France, and other follies, pretendnot to hear them, because, if you contradict them, it may go ill withyou now, and if you argue with them, it may go ill with you hereafter;and take care, when you hear any dangerous remarks, turn away yourhead, and call out 'Coming, sir.' I will endeavour to return as soon aspossible."
So saying, he descended with her into the kitchen, put on his hat andcloak, and taking a cudgel in his hand, departed. As he walked along theroad, he resumed the thread of his apostrophe to poor Renzo. "Headstrongmountaineer!"--for that Renzo was such, had been manifest from hispronunciation, countenance, and manners, although he vainly tried toconceal it,--"on a day like this, when by dint of skill and prudence Ihad kept my hands clean, you must come at the end of it to spoil all Ihave done! Are there not inns enough in Milan, that you must come tomine! at least, if you had been alone, I would have winked at it forto-night, and made you understand matters to-morrow. But no; mygentleman must come in company, and, to do the thing better, in companywith an informer."
At this moment he perceived a patrole of soldiers approaching; drawingon one side to let them pass, and eyeing them askance, he continued,"There go the fool-punishers. And thou, great booby, because thou saw'sta few people making a little noise, thou must think the world was turnedupside down; and on this fine foundation thou hast ruined thyself andwould have ruined me; I have done all I could to save thee, now thoumust get thyself out of trouble. As if I wanted to know thy name fromcuriosity! What was it to me whether it were Thaddeus or Bartholomew? Ihave truly great satisfaction in taking a pen in my hand! I know wellenough that there are proclamations which are disregarded; just as if wehad need of a mountaineer to tell us that! And dost thou not know, thoufool! what would be done to a poor innkeeper, who should be of thyopinion (since upon them the proclamation bear hardest), and should notinform himself of the name of any one who did him the favour to lodge athis house. _Under penalty of whoever of the above-said hosts, tavernkeepers, and others, of three hundred crowns_,--behold three hundredcrowns hatched; and now to spend them well,--_two thirds to be appliedto the royal chamber, and the other third to the accuser or informer.And in case of inability, five years in the galleys, and greaterpecuniary and corporal punishments, at the discretion of hisExcellency._ Very much obliged for such favours, indeed!" He ended hissoliloquy, finding himself at his destined point, the palace of the_Capitano di Giustizia_.
There, as in all the offices of the secretaries, there was a great dealof business going on; on all sides, persons were employed in issuingorders to ensure the peace of the following day, to take from rebellionevery pretext, to cool the audacity of those who were desirous of freshdisorders, and to concentrate power in the hands of those accustomed toexercise it. The number of the soldiers who protected the house of thesuperintendant was increased; the ends of the streets were defended bylarge pieces of timber thrown across them; the bakers were ordered tobake bread without intermission; expresses were sent to all thesurrounding villages, with orders to send corn into the city; and atevery baker's some of the nobility were stationed, to watch over thedistribution, and to restrain the discontented by fair words and theauthority of their presence. But to give, as they said, a blow to thehoop, and another to the cask, and increase the efficacy of theircaresses by a little awe, they took measures to seize some of theseditious, and this was the principal duty of the _Capitano diGiustizia_.
His blood-hounds had been in the field since thecommencement of the tumult; and this self-styled Ambrose Fusella was apolice officer in disguise, who, having listened to the famous sermon ofRenzo, concluded him to be fair game. Finding that he had but newlyarrived from his village, he would have conducted him immediately toprison, as the safest inn in the city; but in this, as we have seen, hedid not succeed. He could, however, carry to the police certaininformation of his _name_, _surname_, and _country_, besides many otherconjectures; so that when the host arrived to tell what he knew ofRenzo, their knowledge was already more precise than his. He entered theaccustomed hall, and gave in his deposition, that a stranger had come tolodge at his house, who would not tell his name.
"You have done your duty in giving us the information," said a notary,laying down his pen; "but we know it already."
"That is very singular!" thought the host; "you must have a great dealof cunning."
"And we know also," continued the notary, "this famous name."
"The devil! the name also. How do they know that?" thought the hostagain.
"But," resumed the notary, with a serious air, "you do not tell all."
"What is there more to tell?"
"Ah! ah! we know well that this man carried to your house a quantity ofstolen bread--bread acquired by theft and sedition."
"A man comes with bread in his pocket; am I to know where he got it? ifit was on my death-bed, I can say, I only saw him have one loaf."
"Thus it is! you are always excusing and defending yourselves! If wewere to take your word for it, you are all honest people. How can youprove that this bread was honestly acquired?"
"Why need I prove it? it is nothing to me. I am an innkeeper."
"You cannot, however, deny, that this, your customer, had the audacityto complain of the proclamations, and make indecent jokes on the arms ofhis Excellency."
"Pardon me, signor; how could he be my customer, when I never saw himbefore? It was the devil, saving your presence, who sent him to myhouse. If I had known him, there would have been no need of asking hisname, as your honour knows."
"However, in your inn, and in your presence, seditious and inflammatoryconversation has been held; your customers have been riotous, clamorous,and complaining."
"How would your honour expect me to pay attention to the absurditiesuttered by a parcel of brawlers. I attend only to my own affairs, for Iam a poor man. And then your honour knows, that those who are lavish oftheir tongue, are often lavish of their fists, especially when there aremany together."
"Yes, yes, they may have their way now; to-morrow--to-morrow, we willsee if the heat is dislodged from their brains. What do you think?"
"I don't know."
"That the mob will become masters in Milan?"
"Certainly!"
"You shall see, you shall see."
"I understand--I know the king will be always the king; but he who hastaken any thing will keep it. Naturally a poor father of a family has nodesire to give back; your honours have the power; that belongs to you."
"Have you still some people at your house?"
"A number."
"And this your customer, what is he about? Is he still labouring toexcite the people to sedition?"
"This stranger, your honour means; he is gone to sleep."
"Then you have a number? Well, be careful not to let them go away."
"Am I to play the constable?" thought the host, but said nothing.
"Return to your house, and be prudent," resumed the notary.
"I have always been prudent. Your honour can say that I have never madeany disturbance."
"Well, well; but do not think that justice has lost its power."
"I! Good heavens! I think nothing. I am an innkeeper."
"The same old tune. Have you nothing more to say?"
"What else would your honour have me say? Truth is one."
"Well; you have done enough for to-day: but to-morrow, we will see; youmust give more full information, and answer all questions that shall beput to you."
"What information have I to give? I know nothing; I have hardly brainsenough to attend to my own affairs."
"Take care not to let him go away."
"I hope your honour will remember that I have done my duty. Yourhonour's humble servant."
On the following morning, Renzo was still in a sound and deep sleep,when he was suddenly roused by a shaking of the arms, and by a voice atthe foot of the bed, crying, "Lorenzo Tramaglino!" He sat up, andrubbing his eyes, perceived a man clothed in black standing at the footof his bed, and two others, one on each side of the bolster. Betweensurprise, sleep, and the fumes of the wine, he remained a momentstupified, believing himself to be still dreaming.
"Ah! you have heard at last! Lorenzo Tramaglino," said the man in black,the notary of the preceding evening. "Up, up; get up, and come with us."
"Lorenzo Tramaglino!" said Renzo Tramaglino. "What does this mean? Whatdo you want with me? Who has told you my name?"
"Few words, and get up quickly," said one of the men at his side,seizing him by the arm.
"Oh! oh! what violence is this?" cried Renzo, drawing away his arm."Host! oh! host!"
"Shall we carry him off in his shirt?" said one of the officers; turningto the notary.
"Did you hear what he said?" said he to Renzo; "we will do so, if you donot rise quickly, and come with us!"
"Why?" demanded Renzo.
"You will hear that from the _Capitano di Giustizia_."
"I! I am an honest man; I have done nothing; I am astonished----"
"So much the better for you! so much the better for you! In two wordsyou will be dismissed, and then go about your affairs."
"Let me go now, then; there is no reason why I should go before the_capitano_."
"Come, let us finish the business," said an officer.
"We shall be obliged to carry him off!" said the other.
"Lorenzo Tramaglino!" said the notary.
"How does your honour know my name?"
"Do your duty," said he to the men, who attempted to draw Renzo from thebed.
"Oh! don't touch me! I can dress _myself_."
"Dress yourself, then, and get up," said the notary.
"I will," said Renzo, and he gathered his clothes, scattered here andthere on the bed, like the fragments of a shipwreck on the coast. Whilstengaged in the act of dressing, he continued, "but I will not go to the_Capitano di Giustizia_; I have nothing to do with him: since you putthis affront on me, I wish to be conducted to Ferrer; I am acquaintedwith him; I know he is an honest man, and he is under obligations tome."
"Yes, yes, my good fellow, you shall be conducted to Ferrer," repliedthe notary.
In other circumstances he would have laughed heartily at the absurdityof such a proposition, but he felt that this was not a moment formerriment. On his way to the inn, he had perceived so many peopleabroad, such a stirring--some collecting in small quantities, othersgathering in crowds--that he was not able to determine whether they werethe remnants of the old insurrection not entirely suppressed, or thebeginnings of a new one. And now, without appearing to do so, helistened, and thought the buzzing increased. He felt haste to be ofimportance; but he did not dare to take Renzo against his will, lest,finding himself in the street, he might take advantage of publicsympathy, and endeavour to escape from his hands. He made a sign to hisofficers to be patient, and not exasperate the youth; whilst he himselfsought to appease him with fair words.
Renzo meanwhile began to have a confused recollection of the events ofthe preceding day, and to comprehend that the _proclamations_, _name_,and _surname_, were the cause of all this trouble; but how the devil didthis man know his name? And what the devil had happened during thenight, that they should come to lay hands on one, who, the day before,had such a voice in the assembly, which could not be yet dispersed,because he also heard a growing murmur in the street. He perceived alsothe agitation which the notary vainly endeavoured to conceal; therefore,to feel his p
ulse, and clear up his own conjectures, as well as to gaintime, he said, "I comprehend the cause of all this, it is on account ofthe _name_ and _surname_. Last night, 'tis true, I was a little merry;these hosts have such treacherous wine and, you know, often when winepasses through the channel of speech, it will have its say too. But ifthat is all the difficulty, I am ready to give you every satisfaction.Besides, you know my name already. Who the devil told it to you?"
"Bravo! my good fellow, bravo!" replied the notary in a tone ofencouragement. "I see you are in the right, and you must believe that Iam also. I am only following my trade. You are more tractable thanothers. It is the easiest way to get out of the difficulty quickly. Withsuch an accommodating spirit, you will soon be set at liberty; but myhands are tied, and I cannot release you now, although I would wish todo so. Be of good courage, and come on boldly. When they see who youare--and I will tell--Leave it to me--quick, quick, my good fellow!"
"Ah! you cannot! I understand," said Renzo. "Shall we pass by the squareof the cathedral?"
"Where you choose. We will go the shortest road, that you may be thesooner at liberty," said he, inwardly cursing his stars at being unableto follow up this mysterious demand of Renzo's, which might have beenmade the subject of a hundred interrogatories. "Miserable that I am!"thought he, "here is a fellow fallen into my hands, who likes no betterfun than to prate. Were there but a little time, he would confess all inthe way of friendly discourse, without the aid of rope. Ay! and withoutperceiving it too. But that he should fall into my hands at such anunlucky moment.--Well, it can't be helped," thought he, while turninghis head and listening to the noise without, "there is no remedy: thiswill be a hotter day than yesterday!"
That which gave rise to this last thought was an extraordinary uproar inthe street, which tempted him to open the window and reconnoitre. Therewas a concourse of citizens, who, at the order given them by the patroleto separate, had resisted for a while, and then moved off, on all sides,in evident discontent. It was a fatal sign to the eyes of the notary,that the soldiers treated them with much politeness. He closed thewindow, and remained for a moment undecided, whether he should conductthe enterprise to an end, or, leaving Renzo in the care of thebailiffs, go himself to the _Capitano di Giustizia_, and relate thewhole difficulty. "But," thought he, "he will tell me I am a poltroon, acoward, and that it was my business to execute orders. We are at theball; we must dance, it seems. Cursed crowd! what a damned business!"He, however addressed Renzo in a tone of kind entreaty, "Come, my worthyfellow, do let us be off, and make haste."
Renzo, however, was not without his thoughts. He was almost dressed,with the exception of his doublet, into the pockets of which he wasfumbling. "Oh!" said he, regarding the notary significantly, "Oh! I hada letter, and some money here, once, sir!"
"When these formalities are over, all shall be faithfully restored toyou. Come, come, let us be off."
"No, no, no!" said Renzo, shaking his head, "that won't do: I must havewhat belongs to me, sir. I will render an account of my actions, but Imust have what belongs to me."
"I will show you that I have confidence in you; here they are. And nowmake haste," said the notary, drawing from his bosom the sequesteredgoods, and consigning them, with something like a sigh, to Renzo, whomuttered between his teeth, as he put them in his pocket, "You have somuch to do with thieves, that you have learned the trade!"
"If I get you once safe out of the house, you shall pay this withinterest," thought the notary.
As Renzo was putting on his hat, the notary made a sign to the officers,that one of them should go before, and the other follow the prisoner;and as they passed through the kitchen, and whilst Renzo was saying,"And this blessed host, where has he fled?" they seized, one his righthand, the other the left, and skilfully slipped over his wrists,hand-fetters, as they were called, which, according to the customs ofthe times, consisted of a cord, a little longer than the usual size ofthe fist, which had at the two ends two small pieces of wood. The cordencircled the wrist of the patient; the captor held the pegs in hishand, so that he could, by twisting them, tighten the cord at will, andthis enabled him, not only to secure the prisoner, but also to tormenthim, if restless; and, to ensure this more effectually, the cord wasfull of knots.
Renzo struggled and exclaimed, "What treachery is this? to an honestman!" But the notary, who had fair words prepared for every occasion,said, "Be patient, they only do their duty. What would you have? It is amere ceremony. We cannot treat people as we would wish. If we did notobey orders, we should be worse off than you. Be patient."
As he spoke, the two operators twisted the pegs; Renzo plunged like askittish horse upon the bit, and cried, "Patience, indeed!"
"But, worthy young man," said the notary, "it is the only way to comeoff well in these affairs. It is troublesome, I confess, but it willsoon be over; and since I see you so well disposed, I feel aninclination to serve you, and will give you another piece of advice foryour good, which is, to pass on quietly, looking neither to right norleft, so as to attract notice. If you do this, no one will pay anyattention to you, and you will preserve your honour. In one hour youwill be at liberty. There are so many other things to be done, that yourbusiness will soon be despatched; and then I will tell them----. Youshall have your liberty, and no one will know you have been in the handsof the law. And you," pursued he, addressing his followers in a tone ofseverity, "do him no harm, because I take him under my protection. Youmust do your duty, I know; but remember that this is a worthy and honestyouth, who in a little while will be at liberty, and who has a regardfor his honour. Let nothing appear but that you are three peaceable men,walking together. You understand me!" and smoothing his brow, andtwisting his face into a gracious smile, he said to Renzo, "A littleprudence,--do as I tell you; do not look about; trust to one who hasyour interest at heart! And now let us begone." And the convoy movedforward.
But of all these fine speeches Renzo believed not a word. He understoodvery well the fears that prevailed over the mind of the notary, and hisexhortations only served to confirm him in his purpose to escape; and tothis end to act directly contrary to the advice given him. No one mustconclude from this that the notary was an inexperienced knave. On thecontrary, he was master of his trade, but at the present moment hisspirits were agitated. At another time he would have ridiculed any onefor pursuing the measures he had now himself employed, but his agitationhad deprived him of his accustomed cunning and self-possession. We wouldrecommend, therefore, to all knaves by trade, to maintain on alloccasions their _sang froid_, or, what is better, never to placethemselves in difficult circumstances.
Renzo, then, hardly found himself in the street, when he began to lookaround, and listen eagerly. There was not, however, an extraordinaryconcourse of people; and although on the countenance of more than onepasser-by you could read an expression of discontent and sedition, yeteach one pursued his way in quietness.
"Prudence! prudence!" murmured the notary behind him. "Your honour,young man, your honour."
But when Renzo heard three men, who were approaching, talk of a bakery,of flour concealed, of justice, he began to make signs to them, andcough in such a manner, as indicated any thing but a cold. They lookedattentively at the convoy, and stopped; others who had passed by, turnedback, and kept themselves a short distance off.
"Take care; be prudent, my good fellow; do not spoil all; your honour,your reputation," said the notary in a low voice, but unheeded by Renzo.The men again twisted the pegs.
"Ah! ah! ah!" cried the prisoner. At this cry the crowd thickenedaround; they gathered from all parts of the street. The convoy wasstopped! "He is a wicked fellow," said the notary in a whisper to thosenearest him; "he is a thief taken in the fact. Draw back, and letjustice have its way." But Renzo perceived that the occasion wasfavourable: he saw the officers pale and almost dead with fright. "If Ido not help myself now," thought he, "so much the worse for me;" andraising his voice, he cried, "My friends; they are carrying me off,because I cried, '
Bread! and justice!' yesterday. I have done nothing;I am an honest man! Help me, do not abandon me, my friends."
He was answered by a light murmur, which soon changed to an unanimouscry in his favour. The officers ordered, requested, and entreated thosenearest them to go off, and leave their passage free; but the crowdcontinued to press around. The officers, at the sight of the danger,left their prisoner, and endeavoured to lose themselves in the throng,for the purpose of escaping without being observed; and the notarydesired heartily to do the same, but found it more difficult on accountof his black cloak. Pale as death, he endeavoured, by twisting his bodyto work his way through the crowd. He studied to appear a stranger, who,passing accidentally, had found himself in the crowd like a bit of strawin the ice; and finding himself face to face with a man who looked athim more intently and sternly than the rest, he composed his countenanceto a smile, and asked, "What is this confusion?"
"Oh! you ugly raven!" replied he. "A raven! a raven!" resounded from allsides. To the cries they added threats, so that, finally, partly withhis own legs, partly with the elbows of others, he succeeded inobtaining a release from the squabble.