CHAPTER III
GERARD PASTON
Before the chair, in which Mr. Thorneycroft was fixed, reached theground, terror had taken away his senses. A bottle of salts, placed tohis nose, revived him after a time; but he had nearly relapsed intoinsensibility on seeing two strange figures, in hideous masks and sablecloaks, standing on either side of him, while at a little distance was athird, who carried a strangely-fashioned lantern. He looked round forhis companions in misfortune, but, though the chairs were there, theywere unoccupied.
The masked attendants paid no attention to the iron-merchant's cries andentreaties; but as soon as they thought him able to move, they touched aspring, which freed his arms and legs from their bondage, and raisinghim, dragged him out of the vault, and along a narrow passage, till theycame to a large sepulchral-looking chamber, cased with black marble, inthe midst of which, on a velvet fauteuil of the same hue as the walls,sat Cyprian Rougemont. It was, in fact, the chamber where Ebba had beensubject to her terrible trial.
Bewildered with terror, the poor iron-merchant threw himself at the feetof Rougemont, who, eyeing him with a look of malignant triumph, cried--
"You have come to seek your daughter. Behold her!"
And at the words, the large black curtains at the farther end of theroom were suddenly withdrawn, and discovered the figure of EbbaThorneycroft standing at the foot of the marble staircase. Her featureswere as pale as death; her limbs rigid and motionless; but her eyesblazed with preternatural light. On beholding her, Mr. Thorneycroftuttered a loud cry, and, springing to his feet, would have rushedtowards her, but he was held back by the two masked attendants, whoseized each arm, and detained him by main force.
"Ebba!" he cried--"Ebba!"
But she appeared wholly insensible to his cries, and remained in thesame attitude, with her eyes turned away from him.
"What ails her?" cried the agonised father. "Ebba! Ebba!"
"Call louder," said Rougemont, with a jeering laugh.
"Do you not know me? do you not hear me?" shrieked Mr. Thorneycroft.
Still the figure remained immovable.
"I told you you should see her," replied Rougemont, in a taunting tone;"but she is beyond your reach."
"Not so, not so!" cried Thorneycroft. "Come to me, Ebba!--come to yourfather. O Heaven! she hears me not! she heeds me not! Her senses aregone."
"She is fast bound by a spell," said Rougemont. "Take a last look ofher. You will see her no more."
And, stretching out his hand, the curtains slowly descended, andshrouded the figure from view.
Thorneycroft groaned aloud.
"Are you not content?" cried Rougemont. "Will you depart in peace, andswear never to come here more? If so, I will liberate you and yourcompanions."
"So far from complying with your request, I swear never to rest till Ihave rescued my child from you, accursed being!" cried Thorneycroftenergetically.
"You have sealed your doom, then," replied Rougemont. "But before youare yourself immured, you shall see how Auriol Darcy is circumstanced.Bring him along."
And, followed by the attendants, who dragged Mr. Thorneycroft after him,he plunged into an opening on the right. A few steps brought him to theentrance of the cell. Touching the heavy iron door, it instantly swungopen, and disclosed Auriol chained to a stone at the farther corner ofthe narrow chamber.
Not a word was spoken for some minutes, but the captives regarded eachother piteously.
"Oh, Mr. Thorneycroft," cried Auriol, at length, "I beseech you forgiveme. I have destroyed your daughter."
"You!" exclaimed the iron-merchant in astonishment.
"It is true," said Rougemont.
"I would have saved her if it had been possible!" cried Auriol. "Iwarned her that to love me would be fatal to her. I told her I waslinked to an inexorable destiny, which would involve her in itsmeshes--but in vain."
"Oh!" ejaculated Thorneycroft.
"You see you ought to blame him, not me," said Rougemont, with aderisive laugh.
"I would have given my life, my soul, to preserve her, had it beenpossible!" cried Auriol.
"Horrors crowd so thick upon me that my brain reels," criedThorneycroft. "Merciless wretch!" he added, to Rougemont,"fiend--whatever you are, complete your work of ruin by my destruction.I have nothing left to tie me to life."
"I would have the miserable live," said Rougemont, with a diabolicallaugh. "It is only the happy I seek to destroy. But you have to thankyour own obstinacy for your present distress. Bid a lasting farewell toAuriol. You will see him no more."
"Hold!" exclaimed Auriol. "A word before we part."
"Ay, hold!" echoed a loud and imperious voice from the depths of thepassage.
"Ha!--who speaks?" demanded Rougemont, a shade passing over hiscountenance.
"I, Gerard Paston!" exclaimed Reeks, stepping forward.
The crape was gone from his brow, and in its place was seen the handsomeand resolute features of a man of middle life. He held a pistol ineither hand.
"Is it you, Gerard Paston?" cried Auriol, regarding him; "the brother ofClara, my second victim!"
"It is," replied the other. "Your deliverance is at hand, Auriol."
"And you have dared to penetrate here, Gerard?" cried Rougemont,stamping the ground with rage. "Recollect, you are bound to me by thesame ties as Auriol, and you shall share his fate."
"I am not to be intimidated by threats," replied Paston, with a scornfullaugh. "You have employed your arts too long. Deliver up Auriol and thisgentleman at once, or----" And he levelled the pistols at him.
"Fire!" cried Rougemont, drawing himself up to his towering height. "Noearthly bullets can injure me."
"Ve'll try that!" cried Ginger, coming up at the moment behind Paston.
And he discharged a pistol, with a deliberate aim, at the breast ofRougemont. The latter remained erect, and apparently uninjured.
"You see how ineffectual your weapons are," said Rougemont, with aderisive laugh.
"It must be the devil!" cried Ginger, running off.
"I will try mine," said Paston.
But before he could draw the triggers, the pistols were wrested from hisgrasp by the two attendants, who had quitted Thorneycroft, and stolenupon him unperceived, and who next pinioned his arms.
Auriol; or, The Elixir of Life Page 21
