CHAPTER LXI. THE NARRATIVE
We will leave our friends occupied in consoling the afflicted Irene forthe loss of her brother, whom she had sincerely loved.
The last of a proud race! This thought would press upon the mind of thefair lady, who, despite her willingness to form a plebeian alliance,still valued, as we have seen, the high rank of her family.
Of the personal fortune which came to her through her brother's deathshe had not thought, for she was of too generous a nature to minglean idea of interest with the life or death of a beloved object. Theprince's family property, besides, which was in the Roman territory, hadbeen confiscated by those worthy servants of God whose possessions are"not of this world."
It was not until the friends had returned from the funeral that Attilioand Muzio had consulted with the General about imparting to his sisterthe knowledge of the fatal catastrophe. The General, calling Orazioand his wife into his room, then first informed them gently of the sadoccurrence.
Gasparo, who, with the exception of Irene, grieved the most, foundsome relief to his sorrow in the newly-acquired society of his formerlieutenant. He was also full of the desire to hear the adventures ofthe man whom he had thought lost forever. The two _ci-devant_ banditticlosely shut themselves up in Gasparo's room at the Victoria Hotel,at first conversing eagerly in interrogations and answers, nearly allmonosyllabic, oratory not being the forte of brigands, who are moreaccustomed to deeds than words. After a time, the lieutenant began thefollowing consecutive narrative:-
"After you had informed me, capitano mio, that you were tired of aforest life, and felt disposed to return to a private one, I continuedmy usual mode of existence, without ever deviating from the plan ofaction you had enjoined, which was to despoil the rich and the powerful,and to relieve the needy and wretched. Our companions, formed in yourschool, gave me little cause to reprove them; but if one failed in duty,I punished him without pity; and thus, by the grace of God, we lived forseveral years. The charms of womankind were always the rock on which ourhearts split; and well you know it, capitano."
At these words, Gasparo began pointing to his snow-white mustache,doubtless remembering more than one gallant adventure in his career ofperil.
The lieutenant continued: "You remember that Nanna, the girl that Iadored, and on whose account I was so much persecuted by her parents?Don't for a moment suppose that that dear creature betrayed me; no, hersoul was pure as an angel's." And the bold bandit chief put his hand tohis eyes.
"She is dead, then!" exclaimed Gasparo.
"She is dead," repeated his companion; and a long silence followed.
Presently Marzio continued, "One day my Nanna, who was not well, hadremained to pass the day in Marcello's house, where lived that poorCamilla, who had been violated and driven mad by the Cardinal --------.As I had to accompany my men on an important affair, the dwelling wasattacked in the night, and my treasure carried off to Rome.
"I was maddened, but not a stone did I leave unturned till I haddiscovered the place in which they had hidden Nanna. At last I learnt,through friends in that city, that the poor child was in the convent ofSt. Francis there, and that they had condemned her to serve the nuns,and never to see the light again.
"My wife in the service of nuns, in the service of betrayed young womenand of old foxes! 'I will give you a servant!' I said to myself; 'andby heaven, the devil shall have the convent and the wretches it holds.'
"The night following I entered Rome alone; it seemed to me a cowardlyaction to have companions in an undertaking which concerned none butmyself.
"I bought a large bundle of dried branches in the Piazza Navona. Ideposited them in a tavern, and waited till it grew late. Towardseleven, o'clock, just before the house closed, I took my burden andhurried off towards 'St. Francis.' Who can prevent a poor wretch fromcarrying a bundle of wood home? Besides, Rome has one good point, whichis that at night no one goes about for fear of the thieves, who arepermitted, by the liberality of the priestly government, to do just asthey please, as long as they do not interfere in politics.
"Having deposited my bundle at the gate of St. Francis, I pressed itclosely in, prepared a box of lights to strike, and gave a searchinglook up and down the road.
"As will be easily understood, after the door was burnt, there wouldstill remain the gratings; which would leave me pulling a very longface, and with little done. I was, therefore, obliged to make a noise,to attract the attention of those within. I then crossed the littlesquare, and hid myself in a doorway, awaiting the appearance of someone, or at least a patrol. I had not long to wait, for after a fewminutes I heard the measured tread of the patrol. Then, with thatswiftness of foot which you know me to possess--"
Here Gasparo put in: "I should think I did! I remember that lord bishopwho, having seen us at a distance on the road to Civita Vecchia, turnedhis horses, and set them in a gallop towards Rome, when you, in aboutthe same time which I take to tell it, were already at the horses'heads, and had stopped the carriage."
"And what a take that was, captain!" said the lieutenant. "How we didenjoy ourselves! how prodigal we were with our money for some timeafterwards--I mean with the proceeds of the poverty of the descendant ofthe Apostles." But let us return to our story.
"I flew to the bundle of wood, set it on fire, and returned to myhiding-place. In a few minutes a great blaze lit the convent gate,and soon afterwards we had a sight equal to that which the crater of avolcano shows. And the police? The sorriest rabble everywhere, but inno place have they reached such scoundrelism as in Rome. The police,naturally cowards and slow of movement, instead of running to the spotto extinguish the flames, began shouting and making a tremendous noiseto arouse the neighborhood. Near the fire they never went until a goodlynumber of people appeared at the doors, and then hurried to the scene ofaction.
"'It is now my turn,' said I to myself, and I rushed into the _melee_.The nuns should have been pleased with such a champion to deliver them,surrounded as they were by a company of roughs.
"Matters could not, however, have progressed better. At the clamor fromwithout, the nuns were not slow to awake, and the gratings flewopen. They flew to the rescue themselves, with tubs, pails, basins ofwater--in fact, with any utensil they could lay their hands on. Afterpretending to assist in extinguishing the external flames, but with myeyes fixed on the interior, seeing all parties well occupied, I sprangin to the assistance of the nuns in their sanctuary. No sooner within,than I cast a searching glance npon the crowd of females assembled, andto the oldest, who appeared the Superior, I addressed myself. Graspingher arm, I exclaimed, 'Come with me!' I found more resistance in theold lady than I expected. At first she struggled, and would only walk bycompulsion, collecting all her strength to oppose me: then she began toscream, and I was obliged to take her in my arms and to cover her facewith a handkerchief.
"I was getting away from the crowd all the time, and arriving before thedoor of a cell which I found open, I entered with my burden. There was alight in the room, and the bed had been occupied. I laid the abbess nponit, and locked the door.
"She was astonished but not alarmed. I never saw a demon with suchcourage. 'Where is Nanna?' I began, in a way to startle her. No answer.'Where is Nanna?' I repeated in a louder tone still. No answer. 'I willmake you find your tongue, witch!' I cried; and drawing this bit ofsteel from my belt, I made it glitter before her eyes. Still no answer."
"By the Virgin," said Gasparo, "these abbesses are all alike, realdemoniacs. At the defense of Rome in 1849, when it was needful to passthrough the convent of the Sacred Heart to occupy the walls, they keptme waiting with my company at the gate for hours without opening it.When the abbess received the Government order for us to pass, she toreit in pieces. It was only when we began to knock down the doors with ouraxes that she allowed us to enter."
"Such was this one," recommenced Marzio. "I was not in a humor to play;I wanted Nanna, and a hundred lives such as the one before me wouldcertainly not have stopped me from carryin
g out my object. Seizing herwith one hand, clenching my dagger with the other, I was just touchingher throat--not with the point of my dagger, for fear it should slip,but with a hairpin from her cap--I could easily see that the lady had nointention to reach martyrdom, as she was already beginning with-
"'For God's sake--'
"'My Nanna,' I cried, 'or I will send you to keep Satan company.'
"'For God's sake let me go!'
"'I released her head. She breathed hard, and passed her hand over herforehead.
"'You ask for a young girl of a good family, who came from Rome, and whohas been a fortnight in the convent?'
"'I believe her to be the one I seek,' I replied.
"'Then I will lead you to her, on the one condition that you will causeno scandal in this sacred house.'
"'I desire nothing but to take my wife with me,' I answered.
"When somewhat recovered, she rose from the bed and said, 'Come withme.' I followed her for some time, and arrived at a dark corridor. Wedescended several staircases, and by the light of a taper which I hadlit (I always carried a taper with me), I discovered an iron-barreddoor.
"'Poor Nanna,' I thought; 'what crime has the child committed that sheshould be thrown in this infernal den?'
"Having reached the bolted door, the abbess drew forth a key, and placedit in the lock. She turned it, and motioned to me to pull the doortowards me, it being too heavy for her to move. I did what I wasdesired, without for a moment losing sight of my guide, whose companywas too interesting for me to lose. On opening the door, I made theold lady enter first, and then followed. No sooner was I within, than ayoung dishevelled woman sprang on my neck, and clung to me desperately.
"'Oh, Marzio!' she exclaimed; and a flood of tears from my Nanna bathedmy face.
"I am too much of a brigand not to take my precautions in an emergency.Though beyond myself with joy at the recovery of my darling, Inevertheless did not cease to keep my eyes on the old wretch, who,without a strict watch, would undoubtedly have escaped us.
"When the first moment of emotion had passed, clasping my treasure bythe hand, I closed the door, and asked if there was another in her cell.She answered 'No.' The abbess, who had heard my question, said-
"'There is another door, and you had better leave by that, so as not tomeet the sisters, who are doubtless searching for me now.'
"Here a fresh incident arose. Another young girl came forward in haste,and interrupted the discourse of the abbess. I had seen something movingin the darkest corner of the prison cell, but pre-occupation and thecircumstances of the moment had prevented my thinking of it. All atonce I perceived a young girl somewhere about the age of my Nanna. Shehastened towards me, saying, with a voice of emotion:--
"'Surely you will not leave me alone in this prison. Oh, sir, I willfollow Nanna through life and to death itself!'
"'Yes, Marzio,' added Nanna, 'for heaven's sake don't let us leave myunhappy friend in this wretched abode. She was destined by the abbess toseem my companion, and to act as a spy; but instead of that she hasbeen an angel of comfort to me. She was charged to sound me, to gaininformation about you, to learn all she could of your companions--infact, every particular, and then to report all to the abbess.'
"'So then things are carried on thus,' thought I, 'in these laboratoriesof falsehood and 'hypocrisy.'
"'She was charged to watch me, threaten me, torment me, in fact, in caseI refused to divulge your hiding-places, your habitual rendezvous,your projects; but instead of that, she told me every thing, consoled,protected, reassured me, and said that she would rather die than injureme, or cause me any trouble.
"'Besides, yesterday, she saved me from the insults and violence of aninfamous prelate, who introduced himself into this cell (no doubt bythe help of that old wretch), and who even offered me bribes if I wouldlisten to his wicked proposals. She saved me by rushing in and utteringloud cries.
"'In vain did they promise her liberty if she would induce me to complywith their wishes, but nothing have they ever been able to obtain.During the day they compel us to do the vilest work of the cloister, andat night they shut us up in this unclean den.'
"Tears again flowed on the lovely face of my dear one, while she utteredthese words, and I assure you, captain, that my hand instinctivelytouched my dagger, with a wild wish to revenge Nanna's wrongs.
"I don't know how I restrained myself, for I was furious; I could haveannihilated the vile being before me, but it was well I did not, forwithout her I should never again have seen the light of heaven. 'Whereis the second door you speak of? whither does it lead?' I demanded.
"'It leads outside the convent,' she replied; 'remove that iron bedwhich stands in the corner, and I will show you.'
"I removed it, but saw nothing.
"'Try to stir the bricks where the mortar looks damp.'
"Taking hold of an iron bar from the bedstead, I began to move thebricks indicated. Finally I discovered a ring in a piece of wood,which showed the existence of a trap-door. I lifted the trap, andwas surprised to find a staircase below. 'I must arrange the order ofmarch,' said I to myself, 'and make the old witch the leader.' I thendesired my young companions to follow, and giving one taper with littleceremony to the abbess, said to her, 'Forward!'
"'This then,' thought I, 'is the secret stair; and how many black deedshave been committed in these labyrinths? Ah! poor deluded people, whofancy you are sending your daughters to be educated in asylums of puritywhen you place your children in convents!'"