CHAPTER THE FIFTEENTH.
The Count of Paris and his lady were that night lodged in the ImperialPalace of the Blacquernal. Their apartments were contiguous, but thecommunication between them was cut off for the night by the mutual doorbeing locked and barred. They marvelled somewhat at this precaution.The observance, however, of the festival of the Church, was pleaded asan admissible, and not unnatural excuse for this extraordinarycircumstance. Neither the Count nor his lady entertained, it may bebelieved, the slightest personal fear for any thing which could happento them. Their attendants, Marcian and Agatha, having assisted theirmaster and mistress in the performance of their usual offices, leftthem, in order to seek the places of repose assigned to them amongpersons of their degree.
The preceding day had been one of excitation, and of much bustle andinterest; perhaps, also, the wine, sacred to the Imperial lips, ofwhich Count Robert had taken a single, indeed, but a deep draught, wasmore potent than the delicate and high-flavoured juice of the Gascognegrape, to which he was accustomed; at any rate, it seemed to him that,from the time he felt that he had slept, daylight ought to have beenbroad in his chamber when he awaked, and yet it was still darknessalmost palpable. Somewhat surprised, he gazed eagerly around, but coulddiscern nothing, except two balls of red light which shone from amongthe darkness with a self-emitted brilliancy, like the eyes of a wildanimal while it glares upon its prey. The Count started from bed to puton his armour, a necessary precaution if what he saw should really be awild creature and at liberty; but the instant he stirred, a deep growlwas uttered, such as the Count had never heard, but which might becompared to the sound of a thousand monsters at once; and, as thesymphony, was heard the clash of iron chains, and the springing of amonstrous creature towards the bedside, which appeared, however, to bewithheld by some fastening from attaining the end of its bound. Theroars which it uttered now ran thick on each other. They were mosttremendous, and must have been heard throughout the whole palace. Thecreature seemed to gather itself many yards nearer to the bed than byits glaring eyeballs it appeared at first to be stationed, and how muchnearer, or what degree of motion, might place him within the monster'sreach, the Count was totally uncertain. Its breathing was even heard,and Count Robert thought he felt the heat of its respiration, while hisdefenceless limbs might not be two yards distant from the fangs whichhe heard grinding against each other, and the claws which tore upfragments of wood from the oaken floor. The Count of Paris was one ofthe bravest men who lived in a time when bravery was the universalproperty of all who claimed a drop of noble blood, and the knight was adescendant of Charlemagne. He was, however, a man, and therefore cannotbe said to have endured unappalled a sense of danger so unexpected andso extraordinary. But his was not a sudden alarm or panic, it was acalm sense of extreme peril, qualified by a resolution to exert hisfaculties to the uttermost, to save his life if it were possible. Hewithdrew himself within the bed, no longer a place of rest, being thusa few feet further from the two glaring eyeballs which remained soclosely fixed upon him, that, in spite of his courage, nature painfullysuggested the bitter imagination of his limbs being mangled, torn, andchurned with their life-blood, in the jaws of some monstrous beast ofprey. One saving thought alone presented itself--this might be a trial,an experiment of the philosopher Agelastes, or of the Emperor hismaster, for the purpose of proving the courage of which the Christiansvaunted so highly, and punishing the thoughtless insult which the Counthad been misadvised enough to put upon the Emperor the preceding day.
"Well is it said," he reflected in his agony, "beard not the lion inhis den! Perhaps even, now some base slave deliberates whether I haveyet tasted enough of the preliminary agonies of death, and whether heshall yet slip the chain which keeps the savage from doing his work.But come death when it will, it shall never be said that Count Robertwas heard to receive it with prayers for compassion, or with cries ofpain or terror." He turned his face to the wall, and waited, with astrong mental exertion, the death which he conceived to be fastapproaching.
His first feelings had been unavoidably of a selfish nature. The dangerwas too instant, and of a description too horrible, to admit of anywhich involved a more comprehensive view of his calamity; and otherreflections of a more distant kind, were at first swallowed up in theall-engrossing thought of immediate death. But as his ideas becameclearer, the safety of his Countess rushed upon his mind--what mightshe now be suffering! and, while he was subjected to a trial soextraordinary, for what were her weaker frame and female couragereserved? Was she still within a few yards of him, as when he lay downthe last night? or had the barbarians, who had devised for him a sceneso cruel, availed themselves of his and his lady's incautiousconfidence to inflict upon her some villany of the same kind, or evenyet more perfidious? Did she sleep or wake, or could she sleep withinthe close hearing of that horrible cry, which shook all around? Heresolved to utter her name, warning her, if possible, to be upon herguard, and to answer without venturing rashly into the apartment whichcontained a guest so horribly perilous.
He uttered, therefore, his wife's name, but in trembling accents, as ifhe had been afraid of the savage beast overhearing him.
"Brenhilda! Brenhilda!--there is danger-awake, and speak to me, but donot arise." There was no answer.--"What am I become," he said tohimself, "that I call upon Brenhilda of Aspramonte, like a child on itssleeping nurse, and all because there is a wild-cat in the same roomwith me? Shame on thee, Count of Paris! Let thy arms be rent, and thyspurs be hacked from thy heels!--What ho!" he cried aloud, but stillwith a tremulous voice, "Brenhilda, we are beset, the foe are upon us!--Answer me, but stir not."
A deep growl from the monster which garrisoned his apartment was theonly answer. The sound seemed to say, "Thou hast no hope!" and it ranto the knight's bosom as the genuine expression of despair.
"Perhaps, however, I am still too cold in making my misery known. Whatho! my love! Brenhilda!"
A voice, hollow and disconsolate as that which might have served aninhabitant of the grave, answered as if from a distance. "Whatdisconsolate wretch art thou, who expectest that the living can answerthee from the habitations of the dead?"
"I am a Christian man, a free noble of the kingdom of France," answeredthe Count. "Yesterday the captain of five hundred men, the bravest inFrance--the bravest, that is, who breathe mortal air--and I am herewithout a glimpse of light, to direct me how to avoid the corner inwhich lies a wild tiger-cat, prompt to spring upon and to devour me."
"Thou art an example," replied the voice, "and wilt not long be thelast, of the changes of fortune. I, who am now suffering in my thirdyear, was that mighty Ursel, who rivalled Alexius Comnenus for theCrown of Greece, was betrayed by my confederates, and being deprived ofthat eyesight which is the chief blessing of humanity, I inhabit thesevaults, no distant neighbour of the wild animals by whom they aresometimes occupied, and whose cries of joy I hear when unfortunatevictims like thyself are delivered up to their fury."
"Didst thou not then hear," said Count Robert, in return, "a warlikeguest and his bride conducted hither last night, with sounds as itmight seem, of bridal music?--O, Brenhilda! hast thou, so young--sobeautiful--been so treacherously done to death by means so unutterablyhorrible!"
"Think not," answered Ursel, as the voice had called its owner, "thatthe Greeks pamper their wild beasts on such lordly fare. For theirenemies, which term includes not only all that are really such, but allthose whom they fear or hate, they have dungeons whose locks neverrevolve; hot instruments of steel, to sear the eyeballs in the head;lions and tigers, when it pleases them to make a speedy end of theircaptives--but these are only for the male prisoners. While for thewomen--if they be young and beautiful, the princes of the land haveplaces in their bed and bower; nor are they employed like the captivesof Agamemnon's host, to draw water from an Argive spring, but areadmired and adored by those whom fate has made the lords of theirdestiny."
"Such shall never be the doom of Brenhilda!" exclaimed Count Robert;"her husband
still lives to assist her, and should he die, she knowswell how to follow him without leaving a blot in the epitaph of either."
The captive did not immediately reply, and a short pause ensued, whichwas broken by Ursel's voice. "Stranger," he said, "what noise is that Ihear?"
"Nay, I hear nothing," said Count Robert.
"But I do," said Ursel. "The cruel deprivation of my eyesight rendersmy other senses more acute."
"Disquiet not thyself about the matter, fellow-prisoner," answered theCount, "but wait the event in silence."
Suddenly a light arose in the apartment, lurid, red, and smoky. Theknight had bethought him of a flint and match which he usually carriedabout him, and with as little noise as possible had lighted the torchby the bedside; this he instantly applied to the curtains of the bed,which, being of thin muslin, were in a moment in flames. The knightsprung, at the same instant, from his bed. The tiger, for such it was,terrified at the flame, leaped backwards as far as his chain wouldpermit, heedless of any thing save this new object of terror. CountRobert upon this seized on a massive wooden stool, which was the onlyoffensive weapon on which he could lay his hand, and, marking at thoseeyes which now reflected the blaze of fire, and which had recentlyseemed so appalling, he discharged against them this fragment ofponderous oak, with a force which less resembled human strength thanthe impetus with which an engine hurls a stone. He had employed hisinstant of time so well, and his aim was so true, that the missile wentright to the mark and with incredible force. The skull of the tiger,which might be, perhaps, somewhat exaggerated if described as being ofthe very largest size, was fractured by the blow, and with theassistance of his dagger, which had fortunately been left with him, theFrench Count despatched the monster, and had the satisfaction to seehim grin his last, and roll, in the agony of death, those eyes whichwere lately so formidable.
Looking around him, he discovered, by the light of the fire which hehad raised, that the apartment in which he now lay was different fromthat in which he had gone to bed overnight; nor could there be astronger contrast between the furniture of both, than the flickeringhalf-burnt remains of the thin muslin curtains, and the strong, bare,dungeon-looking walls of the room itself, or the very serviceablewooden stool, of which he had made such good use.
The knight had no leisure to form conclusions upon such a subject. Hehastily extinguished the fire, which had, indeed, nothing that it couldlay hold of, and proceeded, by the light of the flambeau, to examinethe apartment, and its means of entrance. It is scarce necessary tosay, that he saw no communication with the room of Brenhilda, whichconvinced him that they had been separated the evening before underpretence of devotional scruples, in order to accomplish some mostvillanous design upon one or both of them. His own part of the night'sadventure we have already seen, and success, so far, over so formidablea danger, gave him a trembling hope that Brenhilda, by her own worthand valour, would be able to defend herself against all attacks offraud or force, until he could find his way to her rescue. "I shouldhave paid more regard," he said, "to Bohemond's caution last night,who, I think, intimated to me as plainly as if he had spoke it indirect terms, that that same cup of wine was a drugged potion. Butthen, fie upon him for an avaricious hound! How was it possible Ishould think he suspected any such thing, when he spoke not out like aman, but, for sheer coldness of heart, or base self-interest, sufferedme to run the risk of being poisoned by the wily despot?"
Here he heard a voice from the same quarter as before. "Ho, there! Ho,stranger! Do you live, or have you been murdered? What means thisstifling smell of smoke? For God's sake, answer him who can receive noinformation from eyes, closed, alas, for ever!"
"I am at liberty," said the Count, "and the monster destined to devourme has groaned its last. I would, my friend Ursel, since such is thyname, thou hadst the advantage of thine eyes, to have borne witness toyonder combat; it had been worth thy while, though thou shouldst havelost them a minute afterwards, and it would have greatly advantagedwhoever shall have the task of compiling my history."
While he gave a thought to that vanity which strongly ruled him, helost no time in seeking some mode of escape from the dungeon, for bythat means only might he hope to recover his Countess. At last he foundan entrance in the wall, but it was strongly locked and bolted. "I havefound the passage,"--he called out; "and its direction is the same inwhich thy voice is heard--But how shall I undo the door?"
"I'll teach thee that secret," said Ursel. "I would I could as easilyunlock each bolt that withholds us from the open air; but, as for thyseclusion within the dungeon, heave up the door by main strength, andthou shalt lift the locks to a place where, pushing then the door fromthee, the fastenings will find a grooved passage in the wall, and thedoor itself will open. Would that I could indeed see thee, not onlybecause, being a gallant man, thou must be a goodly sight, but alsobecause I should thereby know that I was not caverned in darkness forever."
While he spoke thus, the Count made a bundle of his armour, from whichhe missed nothing except his sword, Tranchefer, and then proceeded totry what efforts he could make, according to the blind man'sinstructions, to open the door of his prison-house. Pushing in a directline was, he soon found, attended with no effect; but when he appliedhis gigantic strength, and raised the door as high as it would go, hehad the satisfaction to find that the bolts yielded, thoughreluctantly. A space had been cut so as to allow them to move out ofthe socket into which they had been forced; and without the turn of akey, but by a powerful thrust forwards, a small passage was left open.The knight entered, bearing his armour in his hand.
"I hear thee," said Ursel, "O stranger! and am aware thou art come intomy place of captivity. For three years have I been employed in cuttingthese grooves, corresponding to the sockets which hold these ironbolts, and preserving the knowledge of the secret from theprison-keepers. Twenty such bolts, perhaps, must be sawn through, eremy steps shall approach the upper air. What prospect is there that Ishall have strength of mind sufficient to continue the task? Yet,credit me, noble stranger, I rejoice in having been thus far aiding tothy deliverance; for if Heaven blesses not, in any farther degree, ouraspirations after freedom, we may still be a comfort to each other,while tyranny permits our mutual life."
Count Robert looked around, and shuddered that a human being shouldtalk of any thing approaching to comfort, connected with his residencein what seemed a living tomb. Ursel's dungeon was not above twelve feetsquare, vaulted in the roof, and strongly built in the walls by stoneswhich the chisel had morticed closely together. A bed, a coarsefootstool, like that which Robert had just launched at the head of thetiger, and a table of equally massive materials, were its only articlesof furniture. On a long stone, above the bed, were these few, butterrible words:--Zedekias Ursel, imprisoned here on the Ides of March,A.D.----. Died and interred on the spot"--A blank was left for fillingup the period. The figure of the captive could hardly be discerned amidthe wildness of his dress and dishabille. The hair of his head, uncutand uncombed, descended in elf-locks, and mingled with a beard ofextravagant length.
"Look on me," said the captive, "and rejoice that thou canst yet seethe wretched condition to which iron-hearted tyranny can reduce afellow-creature, both in mortal existence and in future hope."
"Was it thou," said Count Robert, whose blood ran cold in his veins,"that hadst the heart to spend thy time in sawing through the blocks ofstone by which these bolts are secured?"
"Alas!" said Ursel, "what could a blind man do? Busy I must be, if Iwould preserve my senses. Great as the labour was, it was to me thetask of three years; nor can you wonder that I should have devoted toit my whole time, when I had no other means of occupying it. Perhaps,and most likely, my dungeon does not admit the distinction of day andnight; but a distant cathedral clock told me how hour after hour fledaway, and found me expending them in rubbing one stone against another.But when the door gave way, I found I had only cut an access into aprison more strong than that which held me. I rejoice, nevertheless,since it ha
s brought us together, given thee an entrance to my dungeon,and me a companion in my misery."
"Think better than that," said Count Robert, "think of liberty--thinkof revenge! I cannot believe such unjust treachery will endsuccessfully, else needs must I say, the heavens are less just thanpriests tell us of. How art thou supplied with food in this dungeon ofthine?"
"A warder," said Ursel, "and who, I think, understands not the Greeklanguage--at least he never either answers or addresses me--brings aloaf and a pitcher of water, enough to supply my miserable life tilltwo days are past. I must, therefore, pray that you will retire for aspace into the next prison, so that the warder may have no means ofknowing that we can hold correspondence together."
"I see not," said Count Robert, "by what access the barbarian, if he isone, can enter my dungeon without passing through yours; but no matter,I will retire into the inner or outer room, whichever it happens to be,and be thou then well aware that the warder will have some one tograpple with ere he leaves his prison-work to-day. Meanwhile, thinkthyself dumb as thou art blind, and be assured that the offer offreedom itself would not induce me to desert the cause of a companionin adversity."
"Alas," said the old man, "I listen to thy promises as I should tothose of the morning gale, which tells me that the sun is about torise, although I know that I at least shall never behold it. Thou artone of those wild and undespairing knights, whom for so many years thewest of Europe hath sent forth to attempt impossibilities, and fromthee, therefore, I can only hope for such a fabric of relief as an idleboy would blow out of soap bubbles."
"Think better of us, old man," said Count Robert, retiring; "at leastlet me die with my blood warm, and believing it possible for me to beonce more united to my beloved Brenhilda."
So saying, he retired into his own cell, and replaced the door, so thatthe operations of Ursel, which indeed were only such as three years'solitude could have achieved, should escape observation when againvisited by the Warder. "It is ill luck," said he, when once more withinhis own prison--for that in which the tiger had been secured, heinstinctively concluded to be destined for him--"It is ill luck that Ihad not found a young and able fellow-captive, instead of one decrepitby imprisonment, blind, and broken down past exertion. But God's willbe done! I will not leave behind me the poor wretch whom I have foundin such a condition, though he is perfectly unable to assist me inaccomplishing my escape, and is rather more likely to retard it.Meantime, before we put out the torch, let us see, if, by closeexamination, we can discover any door in the wall save that to theblind man's dungeon. If not, I much suspect that my descent has beenmade through the roof. That cup of wine--that Muse, as they called it,had a taste more like medicine than merry companions' pledge."
He began accordingly a strict survey of the walls, which he resolved toconclude by extinguishing the torch, that he might take the person whoshould enter his dungeon darkling and by surprise, For a similarreason, he dragged into the darkest corner the carcass of the tiger,and covered it with the remains of the bed-clothes, swearing at thesame time, that a half tiger should be his crest in future, if he hadthe fortune, which his bold heart would not suffer him to doubt, ofgetting through the present danger. "But," he added, "if thesenecromantic vassals of hell shall raise the devil upon, me, what shallI do then? And so great is the chance, that methinks I would faindispense with extinguishing the flambeau. Yet it is childish for onedubbed in the chapel of Our Lady of the Broken Lances, to make muchdifference between a light room and a dark one. Let them come, as manyfiends as the cell can hold, and we shall see if we receive them not asbecomes a Christian knight; and surely, Our Lady, to whom I was ever atrue votary, will hold it an acceptable sacrifice that I tore myselffrom my Brenhilda, even for a single moment, in honour of her advent,and thus led the way for our woful separation. Fiends! I defy ye in thebody as in the spirit, and I retain the remains of this flambeau untilsome more convenient opportunity." He dashed it against the wall as hespoke, and then quietly sat down in a corner, to watch what should nexthappen.
Thought after thought chased each other through his mind. Hisconfidence in his wife's fidelity, and his trust in her uncommonstrength and activity, were the greatest comforts which he had; norcould her danger present itself to him in any shape so terrible, butthat he found consolation in these reflections: "She is pure," he said,"as the dew of heaven, and heaven will not abandon its own."