In a few moments Girasole came back
and entered Minnie’s room. He was followed
by a woman who was dressed in the garb of an Italian
peasant girl. Over her head she wore a hood to
protect her from the night air, the limp folds of
which hung over her face. Minnie looked carelessly
at this woman and then at Girasole.
“Charming mees,” said
Girasole, “I haf brought you a maid for dis
night. When we leaf dis you sall haf what
maid you wis.”
“That horrid old fright!”
said Minnie. “I don’t want her.”
“You sall only haf her for dis
night,” said Girasole. “You will be
taken care for.”
“I suppose nobody cares for
what I want,” said Minnie, “and
I may as well speak to the wall, for all the good
it does.”
Girasole smiled and bowed, and put
his hand on his heart, and then called down the stairs:
“Padre Patricio!”
A solid, firm step now sounded on
the stairs, and in a few moments the priest came up.
Girasole led the way into Hawbury’s room.
The prisoner lay on his side. He was in a deep
sleep. Girasole looked in wonder at the sleeper
who was spending in this way the last hours of his
life, and then pointed to the coffin.
“Here,” said he, in Italian,
“is the body. When the grave is dug they
will tell you. You must stay here. You will
not be afraid to be with the dead.”
The priest smiled.
Girasole now retreated and went down stairs.
Soon all was still.
The Italian woman had been standing
where she had stopped ever since she first came into
the room. Minnie had not paid any attention to
her, but at last she noticed this.
“I wish you wouldn’t
stand there in that way. You really make me feel
quite nervous. And what with the dark, and not
having any light, and losing poor dear Kitty, and
not having any chair to sit upon, really one’s
life is scarce worth having. But all this is thrown
away, as you can’t speak English and
how horrid it is to have no one to talk to.”
The woman made no reply, but with
a quiet, stealthy step she drew near to Minnie.
“What do you want? You
horrid creature, keep away,” said Minnie, drawing
back in some alarm.
“Minnie dear!” said the
woman. “H-s-s-s-h!” she added, in
a low whisper.
Minnie started.
“Who are you?” she whispered.
One arm went around her neck, and
another hand went over her mouth, and the woman drew
nearer to her.
“Not a word. H-s-s-s-h! I’ve
risked my life. The priest brought me.”
“Why, my darling, darling love
of an Ethel!” said Minnie, who was overwhelmed
with surprise.
“H-s-s-s-h!”
“But how can I h-s-s-s-h when
I’m so perfectly frantic with delight?
Oh, you darling pet!”
“H-s-s-s-h! Not another word. I’ll
be discovered and lost.”
“Well, dear, I’ll speak very, very low.
But how did you come here?”
“The priest brought me.”
“The priest?”
“Yes. He was sent for,
you know; and I thought I could help you, and he is
going to save you.”
“He! Who?”
“The priest, you know.”
“The priest! Is he a Roman Catholic priest,
Ethel darling?”
“Yes, dear.”
“And he is going to save me this time,
is he?”
“I hope so, dear.”
“Oh, how perfectly lovely that
is! and it was so kind and thoughtful in you!
Now this is really quite nice, for you know I’ve
longed so to be saved by a priest. These
horrid men, you know, all go and propose the moment
they save one’s life; but a priest can’t,
you know no, not if he saved one a thousand
times over. Can he now, Ethel darling?”
“Oh no!” said Ethel, in
a little surprise. “But stop, darling.
You really must not say another word no,
not so much as a whisper for we certainly
will be heard; and don’t notice what I
do, or the priest either, for it’s very, very
important, dear. But you keep as still as a little
mouse, and wait till we are all ready.”
“Well, Ethel dear, I will; but
it’s awfully funny to see you here and
oh, such a funny figure as you are!”
“H-s-s-s-h!”
Minnie relapsed into silence now,
and Ethel withdrew near to the door, where she stood
and listened. All was still. Down stairs
there was no light and no sound. In the hall
above she could see nothing, and could not tell whether
any guards were there or not.
Hawbury’s room was at the back
of the house, as has been said, and the door was just
at the top of the stairs. The door where Ethel
was standing was there too, and was close by the other,
so that she could listen and hear the deep breathing
of the sleeper. One or two indistinct sounds
escaped him from time to time, and this was all that
broke the deep stillness.
She waited thus for nearly an hour,
during which all was still, and Minnie said not a
word. Then a shadowy figure appeared near her
at Hawbury’s door, and a hand touched her shoulder.
Not a word was said.
Ethel stole softly and noiselessly
into Hawbury’s room, where the priest was.
She could see the two windows, and the priest indicated
to her the position of the sleeper.
Slowly and cautiously she stole over toward him.
She reached the place.
She knelt by his side, and bent low
over him. Her lips touched his forehead.
The sleeper moved slightly, and murmured some words.
“All fire,” he murmured;
“fire and flame. It is a furnace
before us. She must not die.”
Then he sighed.
Ethel’s heart beat wildly.
The words that he spoke told her where his thoughts
were wandering. She bent lower; tears fell from
her eyes and upon his face.
“My darling,” murmured
the sleeper, “we will land here. I will
cook the fish. How pale! Don’t cry,
dearest.”
The house was all still. Not
a sound arose. Ethel still bent down and listened
for more of these words which were so sweet to her.
“Ethel!” murmured the
sleeper, “where are you? Lost! lost!”
A heavy sigh escaped him, which found
an echo in the heart of the listener. She touched
his forehead gently with one hand, and whispered,
“My lord!”
Hawbury started.
“What’s this?” he murmured.
“A friend,” said Ethel.
At this Hawbury became wide awake.
“Who are you?” he whispered,
in a trembling voice. “For God’s
sake oh, for God’s sake, speak again!
tell me!”
“Harry,” said Ethel.
Hawbury recognized the voice at once.
A slight cry escaped him, which was
instantly suppressed, and then a torrent of whispered
words followed.
“Oh, my darling! my darling!
my darling! What is this? How is this?
Is it a dream? Oh, am I awake? Is it you?
Oh, my darling! my darling! Oh, if my arms were
but free!”
Ethel bent over him, and passed her
arm around him till she felt the cords that bound
him. She had a sharp knife ready, and with this
she cut the cords. Hawbury raised himself, without
waiting for his feet to be freed, and caught Ethel
in his freed arms in a silent embrace, and pressed
her over and over again to his heart.
Ethel with difficulty extricated herself.
“There’s no time to lose,”
said she. “I came to save you. Don’t
waste another moment; it will be too late. Oh,
do not! Oh, wait!” she added, as Hawbury
made another effort to clasp her in his arms.
“Oh, do what I say, for my sake!”
She felt for his feet, and cut the rest of his bonds.
“What am I to do?” asked
Hawbury, clasping her close, as though he was afraid
that he would lose her again.
“Escape.”
“Well, come! I’ll leap with you from
the window.”
“You can’t. The house
and all around swarms with brigands. They watch
us all closely.”
“I’ll fight my way through them.”
“Then you’ll be killed, and I’ll
die.”
“Well, I’ll do whatever you say.”
“Listen, then. You must escape alone.”
“What! and leave you? Never!”
“I’m safe. I’m disguised, and
a priest is with me as my protector.”
“How can you be safe in such a place as this?”
“I am safe. Do not argue.
There is no time to lose. The priest brought
me here, and will take me away.”
“But there are others here.
I can’t leave them. Isn’t Miss Fay
a prisoner? and another lady?”
“Yes; but the priest and I will
be able, I hope, to liberate them. We have a
plan.”
“But can’t I go with you and help you?”
“Oh no! it’s impossible.
You could not. We are going to take them away
in disguise. We have a dress. You couldn’t
be disguised.”
“And must I go alone?”
“You must.”
“I’ll do it, then.
Tell me what it is. But oh, my darling! how can
I leave you, and in such a place as this?”
“I assure you I am not in the slightest danger.”
“I shall feel terribly anxious.”
“H-s-s-s-h! no more of this. Listen now.”
“Well?”
Ethel bent lower, and whispered in
his ear, in even lower tones than ever, the plan which
she had contrived.