CHAPTER LII. THE SPY IN VENICE
It is eleven o'clock at night. The canals of Venice are covered withgondolas, and the Place of St. Mark, illuminated, is so crowded withpeople that scarcely a stone of the pavement is visible. From thebalcony of the Zecchini Palace, on the north side of the Piazza, theRecluse has saluted the people, and the redeemed city ("redeemed," yes,but by a bargain--the ancient bulwark of European civilization was,alas! bought and sold a bargain between courts), and that salutationwas frantically responded to by an exulting and affected multitude. Andabove all was the beholder struck by the aspect of the populace, as hesaid to himself, "The stigma which despotism imprints upon the humanface can even be depicted here."
A people, once the ancient rulers of the world, transformed by theforeigner and the priest, whose rod of deception, dipped in thechemistry of superstition, is able to change good into evil, goldto dross, and the most prosperous of nations into one of beggars andsacristans; these have bartered away this noble city of the sea, whichcalls herself "daughter of Rome"--left her disheartened, dishonored,and defamed! And he who loved the people cried out in the anguish of hissoul, "Alas, that it should be so!"
But moved as he was by the contemplation of the scene, nevertheless hedid not fail to cast a scrutinizing look over the buzzing crowd. After alife of sixty years, into which so many events had been crowded, the manof the people was not wanting in experience that enabled him to analyzefairly the component parts of a densely-packed crowd, among whom werehidden the thief, the assassin, the spy, and the hireling of the priest.And many such were purposely mingled with the good and honest of thatpopulation.
While thoughtfully gazing, as we have said, upon the assembled people, aslight touch upon his shoulder made him aware of Attilio's presence.
"Do you see," said the young Roman to him, "that scoundrel's face, whosehead is covered with a cap of the Venetian fashion, standing amongstthose simple Venetian souls, but as easy to be distinguished as aviper amongst lizards, or a venomous tarantula amongst ants? When suchreptiles wind about in a crowd, it is not without a motive; he is sentfrom Rome, and there is certainly something new in store for us. Thatfollow is Cencio. I must look to him a little!"
Our readers will remember the subaltern agent of Cardinal Procorpio,for whom Gianni had rented a room in sight of Manlio's studio. After hisemployers had been hanged, he had been promoted to a higher office, thatof principal agent to his Eminence Cardinal --------, the Pope's primeminister.
Cencio, once a Liberal, afterwards a traitor, had made profitable useof his knowledge of some of the democrats of Rome, and was, therefore,prized as a secret agent by the Cardinal's tribunal. We shall presentlysee what his mission to Venice had been. Meantime, in a saloon in theZecchini Palace, closely filled with guests, amongst the brightestof the Venetian beauties, shone our three heroines, Irene, Julia, andClelia.
The Venetian youths, accustomed to contemplate the charms of thedaughters of the Queen of the Adriatic, were nevertheless astoundedat the enchanting appearance of these three Roman ladies. We say threeRomans, because Julia had by this time espoused her Muzio, and, althoughan affectionate daughter of her own dear native land, she was proud ofher adopted country and called herself a Roman.
Irene was a little older than her companions, but had preserved so muchfreshness, that her extremely majestic carriage covered the differenceof years, and she had so much the perfection of a matron about her, thatshe could well have served as a model to an artist wishing to portrayone of those grand Roman matrons of Cornelia's time. Marriage had notchanged her younger and equally lovely companion; and the trio formedsuch an ornament to that drawing-room that the Venetian youths flutteredaround them perfectly dazzled and amazed.
By the side of Clelia were Manlio and the gentle Silvia. Of all ourladies only the Signora Aurelia was missing, and she had ended herunintentionally adventurous career by marrying the good-natured CaptainThompson, to whom she clung like the ivy to the oak; and although thesea was still a little repugnant to her, on account of that storm inwhich she had suffered so much, yet the billows had lost much of theirterror, now her British sea-lion stood by her side to guard her.
Orazio and Muzio were standing together in a corner of the room talkingover the events of the day, when Attilio, going up to them, made themacquainted with his discovery, and after some consultation they startedoff in company to the Piazza di San Marco. Not a few vain efforts didthe three friends make to break through the crowd before they succeededin at last reaching the object of their search, and whilst GeneralGaribaldi, recalled by the people to the balcony, was again addressingthe crowd, he saw his three young friends surround the fictitiousVenetian. The iron hand of Orazio grasped the wrist of the agent likea vice, and Muzio, whose voice the scoundrel had formerly heard, fixinghis glittering eyes upon him, said in a low tone, "Cencio, come withus."
The tool of the priests, the traitor of the meeting at the Baths ofCaracalla, trembled from head to foot, his florid face became pale asthat of a corpse, and, without articulating a word, he walked forwardin the direction indicated by Muzio, between the other two Romans, whopushed him unresistingly on.