CHAPTER XX.
But love is strong. There came Strength upon Woman's fragile heart and frame; There came swift courage.
MRS. HEMANS.
Death has no pang More keen than this. Oh, wherefore art thou here?
MRS. HEMANS.
A profound silence followed Don Felix's departure. Don Luis had soevidently evaded the King's demand, as to how he had witnessed thisimportant interview, that even those most prejudiced in his favor, onaccount of his extreme sanctity, found themselves doubting his honor;and those who had involuntarily been prejudiced against him, by theindefinable something pervading his countenance and voice, doublyrejoiced that their unspoken antipathy had some foundation. In moderncourts of justice, to refuse the validity of evidence merely becausethe manner of obtaining it was supposed dishonorable, would bepronounced the acme of folly and romance. In the age of which wewrite, and in Spain especially, the sense of honor was so exquisitelyrefined, that the King's rebuke, and determination not to allow thevalidity of Don Luis's evidence, unless confirmed by an honorablewitness, excited no surprise whatever; every noble, nay, every one ofthe Associated Brethren, there present, would have said the same; andthe eager wonder, as to the person of the witness on whom so muchstress was laid, became absolutely intense. The prisoner was veryevidently agitated; his cheek flushed and paled in rapid alternation,and a suppressed but painful exclamation escaped from him as Don Felixre-entered, leading with him a female form; but the faint sound wasunheard, save by the King and the Sub-Prior, who had been conversingapart during d'Estaban's absence--lost in the irrepressible burst ofwonder and sympathy, which broke from all within the hall, as in thenew witness, despite the change of garb, and look, from the dazzlingbeauty of health and peace, to the attenuated form of anxiety andsorrow, they recognized at once the widow of the murdered, DonnaMarie. Nor was this universal sympathy lessened, when, on partiallyremoving her veil, to permit a clear view of the scene around her, hersweet face was disclosed to all--profoundly, almost unnaturally, calm,indeed--but the cheek and lips were perfectly colorless; the ashywhiteness of the former rendered them more striking from the longblack lash resting upon it, unwetted by a single tear: and from thepeculiarly dark eye appearing the larger, from the attenuation of theother features. One steady and inquiring glance she was seen to fixupon the prisoner, and then she bent in homage to the Sovereign; andemotion, if there were any, passed unseen.
"Sit, lady," said the King, with ready courtesy, touched more than hecould have imagined possible, by the change fourteen short days hadwrought. "We would feign render this compelled summons as brief andlittle fatiguing as may be: none can grieve more than ourselves atthis harsh intrusion on thy hours of sorrow; but in a great measurethe doom of life or death rests with thee, and justice forbids ourneglecting evidence so important. Yet sit, lady; we command it."
"It needs not, gracious Sovereign; my strength will not fail me,"replied Marie, her sweet voice falling distinctly on every ear, whileStanley started at its calmness; and she gracefully refused the seatDon Felix proffered. "Give no more thought to me than to any otherwitness; it is not a subject's place to sit in presence of herSovereign."
But Ferdinand's kindliest feelings were excited, and instead ofpermitting the Sub-Prior to give the necessary details, he himself,with characteristic brevity, but clearly and kindly, narrated theprogress of the evidence for and against the prisoner, and how greatthe weight laid on the proofs, if there were any, of acknowledgedenmity, and premeditated injury, on the part of the accused towardsthe deceased. The questions to which he was compelled to request herreply were simply, "Was she aware of any cause of hatred existingbetween the accused and the deceased?" "Had she ever heard opprobriousand insulting epithets used by the former or the latter?" "or anythreat, implying that the death of Don Ferdinand Morales was desiredby the prisoner?" "Had she ever seen the prisoner draw his sword uponthe deceased?--and had she any reason to believe that Don Ferdinandhad ever refused, or intended to refuse to meet the prisoner inhonorable combat, and so urged the gratification of vengeance by adeed of murder? Reverend Father," continued the King, "be pleasedyourself to administer the customary oath."
Father Francis instantly rose from his seat, and taking the large andrichly embossed silver crucifix from the Monk, who had administeredthe oath to all the other witnesses, himself approached Marie. "MarieHenriquez Morales," he said, as he reverentially held the solemnsymbol of his religion before her, "art thou well advised of thesolemnity of the words thou art called upon to speak? If so, swear tospeak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Swear bythe Holy Symbol which I support; by the unpronounceable name of theFather, by the flesh and blood, the resurrection and the life of ourLord and Saviour Christ Jesu; by the Holy Spirit; by the saving andglorious Trinity; by the goodly army of Saints and Martyrs; daughter,swear, and the blessing or the curse be with you as you swear true orfalsely."
The fine countenance of the Sub-Prior glowed with the holy enthusiasmof his appeal; his form, as he stood, one hand clasping the crucifix,the other emphatically raised, seemed dilated to unusual height andmajesty, and the deep solemnity of his accents so enhanced the awfulresponsibility of the oath, that it thrilled throughout the multitudeas it had never done before. So deep was the stillness which followed,that not one of those vast crowds seemed to breathe. To the prisonerit was a moment of intense emotion: for if, indeed, Marie had oncetold him truth, that oath, to her, even in its solemnity, was asnought; but ere he could even think as to the wording of her answer,that answer came, and so distinct, so unfalteringly spoken, that therewas not one person present who even strained his ear to catch thewords.
"Reverend Father," she said, "I am grateful for thy counsel; and,believe me, am well advised of the truth and solemnity of the words Ispeak. But I cannot aid his Grace, and these his subjects, in theirdecision as to the prisoner's sentence. My evidence is valueless.I belong to that race whose word is never taken as witness, for oragainst, in a court of justice. I cannot take the oath required, for Ideny the faith in which it is administered. I am a JEWESS!"
A wild cry, in every variety of intonation--astonishment, horror,wrath, and perhaps terror, ran through the hall--from Sovereign,Noble, Monk, and Citizen, simultaneously. Father Francis staggeredback several paces, as if there were contamination in remaining by herside, and then stood as rooted to the ground, his hand convulsivelygrasping the crucifix which had nearly fallen from his hold; his lipsapart, his nostrils slightly distended, and his eyes almost startingfrom their sockets, in the horrified and astonished gaze he fixed uponthe pale and fragile being who had dared speak such impious words. Theattendant fathers rose simultaneously, and formed a semicircle roundtheir superior, ready, at his slightest signal, to hurl down onher the anathema of the church; reverence to the Sub-Prior alonepreventing the curse from instantly bursting forth. The nobles, theAssociated Brethren, Ferdinand himself, started almost unconsciouslyto their feet, and an eager rush brought many of the citizens stillnearer to the scene of action. The prisoner, with an irresistibleimpulse, darted forwards, and ere any one had recovered from histrance of bewilderment, had flung himself at Marie's feet.
"Marie! Marie!" he exclaimed, in a voice so hoarse and choked, itswords were heard by her alone. "Oh! why hast thou done this? Why nottake the required oath, and condemn me at once? Marie, I am unworthyof such self-sacrifice!"
"Ha! didst thou slay him then? Have I judged thee too kindly, Arthur,"she answered; and the hand she laid heavily on his shoulder trembledso violently, it was evident she had thus placed it only to save herfrom sinking to the ground, for the unnatural strength had gone.
"No!" he exclaimed, in a tone and with a look that satisfied her atonce, and there was no time for more. The King had perceived that theSub-Prior was recovering composure, and with it energy of action;though himself a zealous Catholic, he felt compelled to save Marie."Hold! hold!" he said hastily, as Father Francis was about to speak."Reverend Father, we
pray thee, be not over hasty in this matter;these are strange and terrible words; but they are meaningless; theymust be. Her misery has turned her brain; she is mad; heed her not; besilent all of ye! See how she glares upon the prisoner! Is that thelook of sanity? By St. Francis, we have done wrong to call her hither!Stand back, good fathers. Remove the prisoner; and let Donna Marie beconducted from the hall. Our Consort should have warned us of this!"
"Forbear, my liege!" replied the Sub-Prior sternly. "The blasphemingwords were all too calmly and collectively spoken for the ravings ofmadness. Let not the false unbeliever pass hence till at least shehas done reverence to the sacred symbol, she has, by daring denial,insulted. As thou wouldst save thine own soul from hell-fire, myliege, interfere not in this!"
As he spoke, several soldiers had endeavored rudely to drag Arthurfrom Marie: he strove fiercely for freedom, for but one hour's powerto protect her, but in vain. And the look she fixed upon him, as hewas torn from her, from its contrast with her previous profound calm,did indeed seem almost of madness. The excitement which had enabledher to make this dread avowal--an avowal comprising such variety, andterrible danger, that the magnitude of the sacrifice comprised in theconfession can now scarcely be understood; danger, not merely from thevengeance of the church for long years of fraud, nor from the secretand awful tribunal of whose existence she was conscious (though not ofits close vicinity); not merely these, but danger from the wrath, andterrors of the secret members of her own faith, who might naturallyimagine their own safety endangered in the suspicion, engendered byher rash confession. Of all this she had thought; had believed herselfstrengthened to brave and bear every possible suffering, rather thanbreathe those words which must seal Stanley's fate; but now that shehad spoken, though she would not have recalled them if she could--suchan overpowering, crushing sense of all she had drawn upon herself,such fearful, spectral shapes of indefinable horror came upon her,that, as the Sub-Prior stood again before her with the uplifted cross,bidding her kneel and acknowledge him whose fate it imaged--she burstinto a wild hysteric laugh, and fell prone upon the floor.
"Said I not she was mad? And what need was there for this unmanlyviolence?" angrily exclaimed the Monarch; and, starting from his seat,he authoritatively waved back the denouncing monks, and himself bentover Marie. The Duke of Murcia, Don Felix d'Estaban, the Lord ofAguilar, and several other nobles following the Sovereign's example,hastened to her assistance. But to restore animation was not in theirpower, and on the King's whispered commands, Don Felix gently, eventenderly raised her, and bore her in his arms from the hall. Even inthat moment of excitement Ferdinand could not forbear glancing at theprisoner, whose passionate struggles to escape from the guard, whenMarie fell, had been noticed by all, and unhappily, combined with, hisprevious irritation, but confirmed the unspoken suspicions of many asto the real cause of his enmity against Don Ferdinand. The expressionof his countenance was of such contending, terrible suffering, thatthe King hastily withdrew his gaze, vainly endeavoring to disbelieve,as he had done, the truth of Garcia's charge.
Order was at length universally restored, and after a brief silence,the chief of the Santa Hermandad demanded of the prisoner if he hadaught to say in his defence, or reply himself to Don Luis Garcia'scharge. The reply was a stern, determined negative; and, deputed so todo by the Sub-Prior, who seemed so absorbed in the horror of Marie'sdaring avowal, as to be incapable of further interference, the Hermanoproceeded to sum up the evidence. As the widow of the deceased had sostrangely, yet effectually deprived them of her evidence, he said,he thought some slight regard ought to be paid to Don Luis Garcia'swords; but even without doing so, the circumstantial evidence, thoughcontradictory and complicated, was enough in his opinion to convictthe prisoner; but he referred to his associates and to the peersthen present, to pronounce sentence. His task was but to sum up theevidence, which he trusted he had done distinctly; his opinion wasthat of but one individual; there were at least fifty or sixty voices,to confirm or to oppose it.
Deep and sustained as had been the interest throughout the trial, itwas never more intense than during the awful pause which heralded theprisoner's doom. It was spoken at length; the majority alike of thenobles and of the Santa Hermandad, believed and pronounced him guilty,and sentence of death was accordingly passed; but the Duke of Murciathen stepped forward, and urged the following, not only in the name ofhis brother peers, but in the name of his native sovereign, Isabella;that in consideration of the complicated and contradictory evidence,of the prisoner's previous high character, and of his stronglyprotested innocence, a respite of one month should be granted betweensentence and execution, to permit prayers to be offered up throughoutSpain for the discovery of the real murderer, or at least allow timefor some proof of innocence to appear; during which time the prisonershould be removed from the hateful dungeon he had till that morningoccupied, and confined under strict ward, in one of the turrets of thecastle; and that, if at the end of the granted month affairs remainedas they were then, that no proof of innocence appeared, a scaffold wasto be erected in the Calle Soledad, on the exact spot where the murderwas committed; there the prisoner, publicly degraded from the honorsand privileges of chivalry, his sword broken before him, his spursignominiously struck from his heels, would then receive the awardof the law, death from hanging, the usual fate of the vilest andcommonest malefactors.
Ferdinand and the Sub-Prior regarded him attentively while thissentence was pronounced, but not a muscle in his countenance moved;what it expressed it would have been difficult to define; but itseemed as if his thoughts were on other than himself. The Kingcourteously thanked the assemblage for their aid in a matter somomentous, and at once ratified their suggestion. The AssociatedBrethren were satisfied that it was Isabella's will; confident also intheir own power to prevent the evasion, and bring about the executionof the sentence, if still required, at the termination of the giventime; and with a brief but impressive address from the Sub-Prior tothe prisoner, the assemblage dispersed.
But the excitement of the city ceased not with the conclusion of thetrial: not alone the populace, but the nobles themselves, even theHoly Fathers and Associated Brethren were seen, forming in variousgroups, conversing eagerly and mysteriously. The interest in theprisoner had in some measure given way to a new excitement. Questionfollowed question, conjecture followed conjecture, but nothing couldsolve the mystery of Donna Marie's terrible avowal, or decrease thebewilderment and perplexity which, from various causes, it created inevery mind. One alone, amongst the vast crowds which had thronged thetrial, shunned his fellows. Not a change in the calm, cold, sneeringexpression of Don Luis Garcia's countenance had betrayed eithersurprise at, or sympathy with, any one of the various emotionsstirring that vast multitude of human hearts; he had scarcely evenmoved his position during the continuance of the trial, casting indeedmany a glance on the immediate scene of action, from beneath histhick and shadowy eyebrows, which concealed the sinister gaze fromobservation. He shunned the face of day; but in his own dark haunts,and with his hellish colleagues, plans were formed and acted on, witha rapidity which, to minds less matured in iniquity, would have seemedincredible.