BALTHAZAR'S DAUGHTER
Graciosa was Balthazar's youngest child, a white, slim girl with violeteyes and strange pale hair which had the color and glitter of stardust."Some day at court," her father often thought complacently, "she, too,will make a good match." He was a necessitous lord, a smiling, suppleman who had already marketed two daughters to his advantage. ButGraciosa's time was not yet mature in the year of grace 1533, for thegirl was not quite sixteen. So Graciosa remained in Balthazar's bigcheerless house and was tutored in all needful accomplishments. Shewas proficient in the making of preserves and unguents, could play theharpsichord and the virginals acceptably, could embroider an altarclothto admiration, and, in spite of a trivial lameness in walking, coulddance a coranto or a saraband against any woman between two seas.
Now to the north of Balthazar's home stood a tall forest, overhangingboth the highway and the river whose windings the highway followed.Graciosa was very often to be encountered upon the outskirts of thesewoods. She loved the forest, whose tranquillity bred dreams, but wasalready a woman in so far that she found it more interesting to watchthe highway. Sometimes it would be deserted save for small purplebutterflies which fluttered about as if in continuous indecision, andrarely ascended more than a foot above the ground. But people passedat intervals--as now a page, who was a notably fine fellow, clothed inash-colored gray, with slashed, puffed sleeves, and having a heron'sfeather in his cap; or a Franciscan with his gown tucked up so that yousaw how the veins on his naked feet stood out like the carvings on avase; or a farmer leading a calf; or a gentleman in a mantle ofsquirrel's fur riding beside a wonderful proud lady, whose tiny hat wasembroidered with pearls. It was all very interesting to watch, it waslike turning over the leaves of a book written in an unknown tongue andguessing what the pictures meant, because these people were intent upontheir private avocations, in which you had no part, and you would neversee them any more.
Then destiny took a hand in the affair and Guido came. He reined hisgray horse at the sight of her sitting by the wayside and deferentiallyinquired how far it might be to the nearest inn. Graciosa told him.He thanked her and rode on. That was all, but the appraising glance ofthis sedate and handsome burgher obscurely troubled the girl afterward.
Next day he came again. He was a jewel-merchant, he told her, and hethought it within the stretch of possibility that my lord Balthazar'sdaughter might wish to purchase some of his wares. She viewed themwith admiration, chaffered thriftily, and finally bought a topaz, dugfrom Mount Zabarca, Guido assured her, which rendered its wearer immuneto terrors of any kind.
Very often afterward these two met on the outskirts of the forest asGuido rode between the coast and the hill-country about his vocation.Sometimes he laughingly offered her a bargain, on other days he pausedto exhibit a notable gem which he had procured for this or that wealthyamateur. Count Eglamore, the young Duke's favorite yonder at court,bought most of them, it seemed. "The nobles complain against thisupstart Eglamore very bitterly," said Guido, "but we merchants have noquarrel with him. He buys too lavishly."
"I trust I shall not see Count Eglamore when I go to court," saidGraciosa, meditatively; "and, indeed, by that time, my father assuresme, some honest gentleman will have contrived to cut the throat of thisabominable Eglamore." Her father's people, it should be premised, hadbeen at bitter feud with the favorite ever since he detected andpunished the conspiracy of the Marquis of Cibo, their kinsman. ThenGraciosa continued: "Nevertheless, I shall see many beautiful sightswhen I am taken to court. . . . And the Duke, too, you tell me, is anamateur of gems."
"Eh, madonna, I wish that you could see his jewels," cried Guido,growing fervent; and he lovingly catalogued a host of lapidary marvels.
"I hope that I shall see these wonderful jewels when I go to court,"said Graciosa wistfully.
"Duke Alessandro," he returned, his dark eyes strangely mirthful, "is,as I take it, a catholic lover of beauty in all its forms. So he willshow you his gems, very assuredly, and, worse still, he will makeverses in your honor. For it is a preposterous feature of DukeAlessandro's character that he is always making songs."
"Oh, and such strange songs as they are, too, Guido. Who does not knowthem?"
"I am not the best possible judge of his verses' merit," Guidoestimated, drily. "But I shall never understand how any singer at allcame to be locked in such a prison. I fancy that at times the paradoxpuzzles even Duke Alessandro."
"And is he as handsome as people report?"
Then Guido laughed a little. "Tastes differ, of course. But I thinkyour father will assure you, madonna, that no duke possessing such azealous tax-collector as Count Eglamore was ever in his lifetimeconsidered of repulsive person."
"And is he young?"
"Why, as to that, he is about of an age with me, and in consequence oldenough to be far more sensible than either of us is ever likely to be,"said Guido; and began to talk of other matters.
But presently Graciosa was questioning him again as to the court,whither she was to go next year and enslave a marquis, or, at worst, anopulent baron. Her thoughts turned toward the court's predominatingfigure. "Tell me of Eglamore, Guido."
"Madonna, some say that Eglamore was a brewer's son. Others--and yourfather's kinsmen in particular--insist that he was begot by a devil inperson, just as Merlin was, and Plato the philosopher, and puissantAlexander. Nobody knows anything about his origin." Guido was sittingupon the ground, his open pack between his knees. Between the thumband forefinger of each hand he held caressingly a string of pearlswhich he inspected as he talked. "Nobody," he idly said, "nobody isvery eager to discuss Count Eglamore's origin now that Eglamore hasbecome indispensable to Duke Alessandro. Yes, it is thanks to Eglamorethat the Duke has ample leisure and needful privacy for the pursuit ofrecreations which are reputed to be curious."
"I do not understand you, Guido." Graciosa was all wonder.
"It is perhaps as well," the merchant said, a trifle sadly. Then Guidoshrugged. "To be brief, madonna, business annoys the Duke. He findsin this Eglamore an industrious person who affixes seals, draughtsproclamations, makes treaties, musters armies, devises pageants, andcollects revenues, upon the whole, quite as efficiently as Alessandrowould be capable of doing these things. So Alessandro makes verses andamuses himself as his inclinations prompt, and Alessandro's people arenone the worse off on account of it."
"Heigho, I foresee that I shall never fall in love with the Duke,"Graciosa declared. "It is unbefitting and it is a little cowardly fora prince to shirk the duties of his station. Now, if I were Duke Iwould grant my father a pension, and have Eglamore hanged, and purchasea new gown of silvery green, in which I would be ravishingly beautiful,and afterward-- Why, what would you do if you were Duke, Messer Guido?"
"What would I do if I were Duke?" he echoed. "What would I do if Iwere a great lord instead of a tradesman? I think you know the answer,madonna."
"Oh, you would make me your duchess, of course. That is quiteunderstood," said Graciosa, with the lightest of laughs. "But I wasspeaking seriously, Guido."
Guido at that considered her intently for a half-minute. Hiscountenance was of portentous gravity, but in his eyes she seemed todetect a lurking impishness.
"And it is not a serious matter that a peddler of crystals should havedared to love a nobleman's daughter? You are perfectly right. That Iworship you is an affair which does not concern any person save myselfin any way whatsoever, although I think that knowledge of the factwould put your father to the trouble of sharpening his dagger. . . .Indeed, I am not certain that I worship you, for in order to adorewholeheartedly, the idolater must believe his idol to be perfect. Now,your nails are of an ugly shape, like that of little fans; your mouthis too large; and I have long ago perceived that you are a trifle lamein spite of your constant care to conceal the fact. I do not admirethese faults, for faults they are undoubtedly. Then, too, I know youare vain and self-seeking, and look forward contentedly to the
timewhen your father will transfer his ownership of such physicalattractions as heaven gave you to that nobleman who offers the highestprice for them. It is true you have no choice in the matter, but youwill participate in a monstrous bargain, and I would prefer to have youexhibit distaste for it." And with that he returned composedly toinspection of his pearls.
"And to what end, Guido?" It was the first time Graciosa hadcompletely waived the reticence of a superior caste. You saw that thechild's parted lips were tremulous, and you divined her childish fitsof dreading that glittering, inevitable court-life shared with anunimaginable husband.
But Guido only grumbled whimsically. "I am afraid that men do notalways love according to the strict laws of logic. I desire yourhappiness above all things; yet to see you so abysmally untroubled byanything that troubles me is another matter."
"But I am not untroubled, Guido----" she began swiftly. Graciosa brokeoff in speech, shrugged, flashed a smile at him. "For I cannot fathomyou, Ser Guido, and that troubles me. Yes, I am very fond of you, andyet I do not trust you. You tell me you love me greatly. It pleasesme to have you say this. You perceive I am very candid this morning,Messer Guido. Yes, it pleases me, and I know that for the sake ofseeing me you daily endanger your life, for if my father heard of ourmeetings he would have you killed. You would not incur suchhare-brained risks unless you cared very greatly; and yet, somehow, Ido not believe it is altogether for me you care."
Then Guido was in train to protest an all-mastering and entirely candiddevotion, but he was interrupted.
"Most women have these awkward intuitions," spoke a melodious voice,and turning, Graciosa met the eyes of the intruder. This magnificentyoung man had a proud and bloodless face which contrasted sharply withhis painted lips and cheeks. In the contour of his protruding mouthshowed plainly his negroid ancestry. His scanty beard, as well as hisfrizzled hair, was the color of dead grass. He was sumptuously clothedin white satin worked with silver, and around his cap was a gold chainhung with diamonds. Now he handed his fringed riding-gloves to Guidoto hold.
"Yes, madonna, I suspect that Eglamore here cares greatly for the factthat you are Lord Balthazar's daughter, and cousin to the late Marquisof Cibo. For Cibo has many kinsmen at court who still resent thecircumstance that the matching of his wits against Eglamore's earnedfor Cibo a deplorably public demise. So they conspire against Eglamorewith vexatious industry, as an upstart, as a nobody thrust over peopleof proven descent, and Eglamore goes about in hourly apprehension of aknife-thrust. If he could make a match with you, though, yourfather--thrifty man!--would be easily appeased. Your cousins, thoseproud, grumbling Castel-Franchi, Strossi and Valori, would not proveover-obdurate toward a kinsman who, whatever his past indiscretions,has so many pensions and offices at his disposal. Yes, honor wouldpermit a truce, and Eglamore could bind them to his interests withinten days, and be rid of the necessity of sleeping in chain armor. . . .Have I not unraveled the scheme correctly, Eglamore?"
"Your highness was never lacking in penetration," replied the other ina dull voice. He stood motionless, holding the gloves, his shoulders alittle bowed as if under some physical load. His eyes were fixed uponthe ground. He divined the change in Graciosa's face and did not careto see it.
"And so you are Count Eglamore," said Graciosa in a sort of whisper."That is very strange. I had thought you were my friend, Guido. But Iforget. I must not call you Guido any longer." She gave a littleshiver here. He stayed motionless and did not look at her. "I haveoften wondered what manner of man you were. So it was you--whose handI touched just now--you who poisoned Duke Cosmo, you who had the goodcardinal assassinated, you who betrayed the brave lord of Faenza! Oh,yes, they openly accuse you of every imaginable crime--this patientEglamore, this reptile who has crept into his power through filthypassages. It is very strange you should be capable of so muchwickedness, for to me you seem only a sullen lackey."
He winced and raised his eyes at this. His face remainedexpressionless. He knew these accusations at least to be demonstrablelies, for as it happened he had never found his advancement to hingeupon the commission of the crimes named. But even so, the past was acemetery he did not care to have revivified.
"And it was you who detected the Marquis of Cibo's conspiracy.Tebaldeo was my cousin, Count Eglamore, and I loved him. We werereared together. We used to play here in these woods, and I rememberhow Tebaldeo once fetched me a wren's nest from that maple yonder. Istood just here. I was weeping because I was afraid he would fall. Ifhe had fallen and been killed, it would have been the luckier for him,"Graciosa sighed. "They say that he conspired. I do not know. I onlyknow that by your orders, Count Eglamore, my playmate Tebaldeo wasfastened upon a Saint Andrew's cross and his arms and legs were eachbroken in two places with an iron bar. Then your servants tookTebaldeo, still living, and laid him upon a carriage-wheel which washung upon a pivot. The upper edge of this wheel was cut with very fineteeth like those of a saw, so that his agony might be complete.Tebaldeo's poor mangled legs were folded beneath his body so that hisheels touched the back of his head, they tell me. In such a posture hedied very slowly while the wheel turned very slowly there in the sunlitmarket-place, and flies buzzed greedily about him, and the shopkeeperstook holiday in order to watch Tebaldeo die--the same Tebaldeo who oncefetched me a wren's nest from yonder maple."
Eglamore spoke now. "I gave orders for the Marquis of Cibo'sexecution. I did not devise the manner of his death. The punishmentfor Cibo's crime was long ago fixed by our laws. Cibo plotted to killthe Duke. Cibo confessed as much."
But the girl waved this aside. "And then you plan this masquerade.You plan to make me care for you so greatly that even when I know youto be Count Eglamore I must still care for you. You plan to marry me,so as to placate Tebaldeo's kinsmen, so as to bind them to yourinterests. It was a fine bold stroke of policy, I know, to use me as astepping-stone to safety--but was it fair to me?" Her voice rose now alittle. She seemed to plead with him. "Look you, Count Eglamore, Iwas a child only yesterday. I have never loved any man. But you haveloved many women, I know, and long experience has taught you many waysof moving a woman's heart. Oh, was it fair, was it worth while, tomatch your skill against my ignorance? Think how unhappy I would be ifeven now I loved you, and how I would loathe myself. . . . But I amgetting angry over nothing. Nothing has happened except that I havedreamed in idle moments of a brave and comely lover who held his headso high that all other women envied me, and now I have awakened."
Meanwhile, it was with tears in his eyes that the young man in whitehad listened to her quiet talk, for you could nowhere have found anature more readily sensitive than his to all the beauty and wonderwhich life, as if it were haphazardly, produces every day. He pitiedthis betrayed child quite ineffably, because in her sorrow she was sopretty.
So he spoke consolingly. "Fie, Donna Graciosa, you must not be tooharsh with Eglamore. It is his nature to scheme, and he weaves hisplots as inevitably as the spider does her web. Believe me, it iswiser to forget the rascal--as I do--until there is need of him; and Ithink you will have no more need to consider Eglamore's trickeries, foryou are very beautiful, Graciosa."
He had drawn closer to the girl, and he brought a cloying odor offrangipani, bergamot and vervain. His nostrils quivered, his face hadtaken on an odd pinched look, for all that he smiled as over someoccult jest. Graciosa was a little frightened by his bearing, whichwas both furtive and predatory.
"Oh, do not be offended, for I have some rights to say what I desire inthese parts. For, _Dei gratia_, I am the overlord of these parts,Graciosa--a neglected prince who wondered over the frequent absences ofhis chief counselor and secretly set spies upon him. Eglamore herewill attest as much. Or if you cannot believe poor Eglamore anylonger, I shall have other witnesses within the half-hour. Oh, yes,they are to meet me here at noon--some twenty crop-haired stalwartcut-throats. They will come riding upon beautiful broad-chested horsescovered with red
velvet trappings that are hung with little silverbells which jingle delightfully. They will come very soon, and then wewill ride back to court."
Duke Alessandro touched his big painted mouth with his forefinger as ifin fantastic mimicry of a man imparting a confidence.
"I think that I shall take you with me, Graciosa, for you are verybeautiful. You are as slim as a lily and more white, and your eyes aretwo purple mirrors in each of which I see a tiny image of DukeAlessandro. The woman I loved yesterday was a big splendid wench withcheeks like apples. It is not desirable that women should be so large.All women should be little creatures that fear you. They should havethin, plaintive voices, and in shrinking from you be as slight to thetouch as a cobweb. It is not possible to love a woman ardently unlessyou comprehend how easy it would be to murder her."
"God, God!" said Count Eglamore, very softly, for he was familiar withthe look which had now come into Duke Alessandro's face. Indeed, allpersons about court were quick to notice this odd pinched look, likethat of a traveler nipped at by frosts, and people at court becameobsequious within the instant in dealing with the fortunate woman whohad aroused this look, Count Eglamore remembered.
And the girl did not speak at all, but stood motionless, staring inbewildered, pitiable, childlike fashion, and the color had ebbed fromher countenance.
Alessandro was frankly pleased. "You fear me, do you not, Graciosa?See, now, when I touch your hand it is soft and cold as a serpent'sskin, and you shudder. I am very tired of women who love me, of allwomen with bold, hungry eyes. To you my touch will always be amartyrdom, you will always loathe me, and therefore I shall not wearyof you for a long while. Come, Graciosa. Your father shall have allthe wealth and state that even his greedy imaginings can devise, solong as you can contrive to loathe me. We will find you a suitablehusband. You shall have flattery and titles, gold and fine glass, softstuffs and superb palaces such as are your beauty's due henceforward."
He glanced at the peddler's pack, and shrugged. "So Eglamore has beenwooing you with jewels! You must see mine, dear Graciosa. It is notmerely an affair of possessing, as some emperors do, all the four kindsof sapphires, the twelve kinds of emeralds, the three kinds of rubies,and many extraordinary pearls, diamonds, cymophanes, beryls, greenperidots, tyanos, sandrastra, and fiery cinnamon-stones"--he enumeratedthem with the tender voice of their lover--"for the value of these mayat least be estimated. Oh, no, I have in my possession gems which havenot their fellows in any other collection, gems which have not even aname and the value of which is incalculable--strange jewels that wereshot from inaccessible mountain peaks by means of slings, jewelsengendered by the thunder, jewels taken from the heart of the Arabiandeer, jewels cut from the brain of a toad and the eyes of serpents, andeven jewels that are authentically known to have fallen from the moon.We will select the rarest, and have a pair of slippers encrusted withthem, in which you shall dance for me."
"Highness," cried Eglamore, with anger and terror at odds in hisbreast, "Highness, I love this girl!"
"Ah, then you cannot ever be her husband," Duke Alessandro returned."You would have suited otherwise. No, no, we must seek out some otherperson of discretion. It will all be very amusing, for I think thatshe is now quite innocent, as pure as the high angels are. See,Eglamore, she cannot speak, she stays still as a lark that has beentaken in a snare. It will be very marvelous to make her as Iam. . . ." He meditated, as, obscurely aware of opposition, hisshoulders twitched fretfully, and momentarily his eyes lightened likethe glare of a cannon through its smoke. "You made a beast of me, somelong-faced people say. Beware lest the beast turn and rend you."
Count Eglamore plucked aimlessly at his chin. Then he laughed as a dogyelps. He dropped the gloves which he had held till this,deliberately, as if the act were a rite. His shoulders straightenedand purpose seemed to flow into the man. "No," he said quietly, "Iwill not have it. It was not altogether I who made a brain-sick beastof you, my prince; but even so, I have never been too nice to profit byyour vices. I have taken my thrifty toll of abomination, I have stoodby contentedly, not urging you on, yet never trying to stay you, as youwaded deeper and ever deeper into the filth of your debaucheries,because meanwhile you left me so much power. Yes, in some part it ismy own handiwork which is my ruin. I accept it. Nevertheless, youshall not harm this child."
"I venture to remind you, Eglamore, that I am still the master of thisduchy." Alessandro was languidly amused, and had begun to regard hisadversary with real curiosity.
"Oh, yes, but that is nothing to me. At court you are the master. Atcourt I have seen mothers raise the veil from their daughters' faces,with smiles that were more loathsome than the grimaces of a fiend,because you happened to be passing. But here in these woods, yourhighness, I see only the woman I love and the man who has insulted her."
"This is very admirable fooling," the Duke considered. "So all theworld is changed and Pandarus is transformed into Hector? These aresonorous words, Eglamore, but with what deeds do you propose to backthem?"
"By killing you, your highness."
"So!" said the Duke. "The farce ascends in interest." He drew with aflourish, with actual animation, for sottish, debauched andpower-crazed as this man was, he came of a race to whom danger was acordial. "Very luckily a sword forms part of your disguise, so let usamuse ourselves. It is always diverting to kill, and if by any chanceyou kill me I shall at least be rid of the intolerable knowledge thatto-morrow will be just like to-day." The Duke descended blithely intothe level road and placed himself on guard.
Then both men silently went about the business in hand. Both wereoddly calm, almost as if preoccupied by some more important matter tobe settled later. The two swords clashed, gleamed rigidly for aninstant, and then their rapid interplay, so far as vision went, meltedinto a flickering snarl of silver, for the sun was high and each man'sshadow was huddled under him. Then Eglamore thrust savagely and in theact trod the edge of a puddle, and fell ignominiously prostrate. Hissword was wrenched ten feet from him, for the Duke had parriedskilfully. Eglamore lay thus at Alessandro's mercy.
"Well, well!" the Duke cried petulantly, "and am I to be kept waitingforever? You were a thought quicker in obeying my caprices yesterday.Get up, you muddy lout, and let us kill each other with some pretensionof adroitness."
Eglamore rose, and, sobbing, caught up his sword and rushed toward theDuke in an agony of shame and rage. His attack now was that of afrenzied animal, quite careless of defense and desirous only of murder.Twice the Duke wounded him, but it was Alessandro who drew backward,composedly hindering the brutal onslaught he was powerless to check.Then Eglamore ran him through the chest and gave vent to a strangled,growling cry as Alessandro fell. Eglamore wrenched his sword free andgrasped it by the blade so that he might stab the Duke again and again.He meant to hack the abominable flesh, to slash and mutilate thathaughty mask of infamy, but Graciosa clutched his weapon by the hilt.
The girl panted, and her breath came thick. "He gave you your life."
Eglamore looked up. She leaned now upon his shoulder, her facebrushing his as he knelt over the unconscious Duke; and Eglamore foundthat at her dear touch all passion had gone out of him.
"Madonna," he said equably, "the Duke is not yet dead. It isimpossible to let him live. You may think he voiced only a capricejust now. I think so too, but I know the man, and I know that all thismadman's whims are ruthless and irresistible. Living, DukeAlessandro's appetites are merely whetted by opposition, so much sothat he finds no pleasures sufficiently piquant unless they have God'sinterdiction as a sauce. Living, he will make of you his plaything,and a little later his broken, soiled and castby plaything. It istherefore necessary that I kill Duke Alessandro."
She parted from him, and he too rose to his feet.
"And afterward," she said quietly, "and afterward you must die just asTebaldeo died."
"That is the law, madonna. But whether Alessandro enters hell to-dayor later, I am a
lost man."
"Oh, that is very true," she said. "A moment since you were CountEglamore, whom every person feared. Now there is not a beggar in thekingdom who would change lots with you, for you are a friendless andhunted man in peril of dreadful death. But even so, you are notpenniless, Count Eglamore, for these jewels here which formed part ofyour masquerade are of great value, and there is a world outside. Thefrontier is not two miles distant. You have only to escape into thehill-country beyond the forest, and you need not kill Duke Alessandroafter all. I would have you go hence with hands as clean as possible."
"Perhaps I might escape." He found it quaint to note how calm she wasand how tranquilly his own thoughts ran. "But first the Duke must die,because I dare not leave you to his mercy."
"How does that matter?" she returned. "You know very well that myfather intends to market me as best suits his interests. Here I am somuch merchandise. The Duke is as free as any other man to cry abargain." He would have spoken in protest, but Graciosa interruptedwearily: "Oh, yes, it is to this end only that we daughters of DukeAlessandro's vassals are nurtured, just as you told me--eh, how longago!--that such physical attractions as heaven accords us may bemarketed. And I do not see how a wedding can in any way ennoble thetransaction by causing it to profane a holy sacrament. Ah, no,Balthazar's daughter was near attaining all that she had been taught todesire, for a purchaser came and he bid lavishly. You know very wellthat my father would have been delighted. But you must need upset thebargain. 'No, I will not have it!' Count Eglamore must cry. It costyou very highly to speak those words. I think it would have puzzled myfather to hear those words at which so many fertile lands, stoutcastles, well-timbered woodlands, herds of cattle, gilded coaches,liveries and curious tapestries, fine clothing and spiced foods, allvanished like a puff of smoke. Ah, yes, my father would have thoughtyou mad."
"I had no choice," he said, and waved a little gesture of impotence.He spoke as with difficulty, almost wearily. "I love you. It is atheme on which I do not embroider. So long as I had thought to use youas an instrument I could woo fluently enough. To-day I saw that youwere frightened and helpless--oh, quite helpless. And somethingchanged in me. I knew for the first time that I loved you and that Iwas not clean as you are clean. What it was of passion and horror, ofdespair and adoration and yearning, which struggled in my being then Icannot tell you. It spurred me to such action as I took,--but it hasrobbed me of sugared eloquence, it has left me chary of speech. It isnecessary that I climb very high because of my love for you, and uponthe heights there is silence."
And Graciosa meditated. "Here I am so much merchandise. Heigho, sinceI cannot help it, since bought and sold I must be, one day or another,at least I will go at a noble price. Yet I do not think I am quiteworth the value of these castles and lands and other things which yougave up because of me, so that it will be necessary to make up thedifference, dear, by loving you very much."
And at that he touched her chin, gently and masterfully, for Graciosawould have averted her face, and it seemed to Eglamore that he couldnever have his fill of gazing on the radiant, shamed tenderness ofGraciosa's face. "Oh, my girl!" he whispered. "Oh, my wonderful,worshiped, merry girl, whom God has fashioned with such loving care!you who had only scorn to give me when I was a kingdom's master! andwould you go with me now that I am friendless and homeless?"
"But I shall always have a friend," she answered--"a friend who showedme what Balthazar's daughter was and what love is. And I am vainenough to believe I shall not ever be very far from home so long as Iam near to my friend's heart."
A mortal man could not but take her in his arms.
"Farewell, Duke Alessandro!" then said Eglamore; "farewell, poor clayso plastic the least touch remodels you! I had a part in shaping youso bestial; our age, too, had a part--our bright and cruel day, whereinyou were set too high. Yet for me it would perhaps have proved as easyto have made a learned recluse of you, Alessandro, or a bloodlesssaint, if to do that had been as patently profitable. For you and allyour kind are so much putty in the hands of circumspect fellows such asI. But I stood by and let our poisoned age conform that putty into theshape of a crazed beast, because it took that form as readily as anyother, and in taking it, best served my selfish ends. Now I must payfor that sorry shaping, just as, I think, you too must pay some day.And so, I cry farewell with loathing, but with compassion also!"
Then these two turned toward the hills, leaving Duke Alessandro wherehe lay in the road, a very lamentable figure in much bloodied finery.They turned toward the hills, and entered a forest whose ordering wastime's contemporary, and where there was no grandeur save that of thetrees.
But upon the summit of the nearest hill they paused and looked over arestless welter of foliage that glittered in the sun, far down into thehighway. It bustled like an unroofed ant-hill, for the road was alivewith men who seemed from this distance very small. Duke Alessandro'sattendants had found him and were clustered in a hubbub about theirreviving master. Dwarfish Lorenzino de Medici was the most solicitousamong them.
Beyond was the broad river, seen as a ribbon of silver now, and on itsremoter bank the leaded roofs of a strong fortress glistened like achild's new toy. Tilled fields showed here and there, no larger inappearance than so many outspread handkerchiefs. Far down in the easta small black smudge upon the pearl-colored and vaporous horizon wasall they could discern of a walled city filled with factories for theworking of hemp and furs and alum and silk and bitumen.
"It is a very rich and lovely land," said Eglamore--"this kingdom whicha half-hour since lay in the hollow of my hand." He viewed it for awhile, and not without pensiveness. Then he took Graciosa's hand andlooked into her face, and he laughed joyously.
The Certain Hour (Dizain des Poëtes) Page 11
