The observation with which the m.u.f.fled stranger concluded his brief narrative, convinced Wagner that it was amongst those ruins the brethren of the Rosy Cross had fixed their secret abode. But he had no time for reflection, inasmuch as his guide hurried him on amidst the tombs, on which the light of the silver moon now streamed with a power and an effect that no dark cloud for the time impaired. Stopping at the base of one of the most splendid monuments in the cemetery, the m.u.f.fled stranger touched some secret spring, and a large marble block immediately opened like a door, the aperture revealing a narrow flight of stone steps.

Wagner was directed to descend first, a command which he obeyed without hesitation, his guide closing the marble entrance ere he followed. For several minutes the two descended in total darkness. At length, a faint, glimmering light met Wagner's view; and as he proceeded it grew stronger and stronger, until it became of such dazzling brilliancy that his eyes ached with the supernatural splendor. That glorious l.u.s.ter was diffused from a silver lamp, hanging to the arched roof of a long pa.s.sage, or corridor of masonry, to which the stone steps led.

"Fernand Wagner," said the guide, in his mild and somewhat monotonous voice, "thou now beholdest the eternal lamp of the Rosicrucians. For a hundred and twenty years has that lamp burnt with as powerful a l.u.s.ter as that which it now sheds forth; and never once--no, not once during that period, has it been replenished. No human hand has touched it since the day when it was first suspended there by the great founder of our sect."

All doubt was now dispelled from the mind of Wagner--if a doubt he had even for a moment entertained since the m.u.f.fled stranger had summoned him from the inn:--he was indeed in the secret abode of the holy sect of the Rosy Cross! His guide, too, was a member of that brotherhood--and there, almost too dazzling to gaze upon, burnt the eternal lamp which was the symbol of the knowledge cherished by the order! Wagner turned to gaze in wonder and admiration upon his guide: and beneath the broad brim of the slouched hat, he beheld a countenance venerable with years, imposing with intelligence, and benevolent with every human charity.

"Wise and philanthropic Rosicrucian!" exclaimed Wagner, "I offer thee my deepest grat.i.tude for having permitted me to enter this sanctuary. But how camest thou to learn that I sought admittance hither? and unveil to me the great mysteries of this place."

"We are the servants of holy angels, who reveal to us in visions the will of the Most High," answered the Rosicrucian; "and they who commanded me to bring thee hither, will induce thine heart to retain our secret inviolable."

"Not for worlds," cried Wagner, with an enthusiasm which denoted sincerity, "would I betray ye!"

"'Tis well," said the Rosicrucian, with philosophic calmness--as if he put more faith in the protecting influence of Heaven than in the promises of man. "I shall not accompany thee further. Follow that pa.s.sage: at the extremity there are two corridors branching off in different directions; but thou wilt pursue the one leading to the right.

Proceed fearlessly, and stop not till thou shalt stand in the presence of the founder of the sect."

Fernand hastened to obey these directions, and having threaded the two pa.s.sages, he entered a large and rudely-hollowed cavern, where the feelings of mingled awe and suspense with which he had approached it were immediately changed into deep veneration and wonder as he found himself in the presence of one who, by his appearance, he knew could he none other than Christia.n.u.s Rosencrux! Never had Fernand beheld a being of such venerable aspect; and, though old--evidently very old, as indeed Wagner knew him to be--yet the founder of the celebrated Rosicrucians manifested every appearance of possessing a vigorous const.i.tution, as he was a.s.suredly endowed with a magnificent intellect. His beard was long and white as snow; a century and three score years had not dimmed the l.u.s.ter of his eyes; and his form, though somewhat bent, was masculine and well-knit. He was seated at a table covered with an infinite variety of scientific apparatus; and articles of the same nature were strewed upon the ground. To the roof hung an iron lamp, which indeed burnt faintly after the brilliant l.u.s.ter of the eternal flame that Wagner had seen in the pa.s.sage; but its flickering gleam shone lurid and ominous on a blood-red cross suspended to the wall. Fernand drew near the table, and bowed reverentially to the Rosicrucian chief, who acknowledged his salutation with a benignant smile.

"Wagner," he said, in a firm but mild tone, "I have been forewarned of thy coming, and am prepared to receive thee. Thy constant and unvarying faith in Heaven has opened to thee the gates of salvation; and it is mine to direct thee how to act, that the dreadful doom which thou hast drawn upon thyself may be annihilated soon and forever."

The venerable man paused, and Fernand again bowed lowly and with profound respect.

"So soon as the morning's sun shall have revisited this hemisphere,"

continued Rosencrux, "thou must depart for Italy. Start not, Fernand--but prepare to obey that power which will sustain thee. On arriving in Italy, proceed direct to Florence; and fear not to enter that city even in the broad daylight. Thou wilt not be harmed! There await the current of those circ.u.mstances that must lead to the grand event which is ordained to break the spell that has cast upon thee the doom of a Wehr-Wolf. For as thou didst voluntarily unite thyself in the face of heaven with Donna Nisida of Riverola, so it is decreed, for the wisest purposes, that a circ.u.mstance intimately connected with her destiny must become a charm and a talisman to change thine own. On thine arrival in Florence, therefore, seek not to avoid Lady Nisida; but rather hasten at once to her presence--and again I say, a supernal power will protect thee from any baneful influence which she might still exercise over thee. For, the spell that the evil one hath cast upon thee, Fernand Wagner, shall be broken only on that day and in that hour when thine eyes shall behold the skeletons of two innocent victims suspended to the same beam!"

Having uttered these words in a louder and hurried, but not the less impressive tone, than he had at first used, Christia.n.u.s Rosencrux motioned impatiently for Wagner to depart. And Fernand, amazed and horrified at the dreadful words which had met his ears, retreated from the cavern and sped rapidly back to the spot where he had quitted his guide, whom he found waiting his return beneath the undying lamp. The Rosicrucian conducted Wagner in silence from that deep and subterranean abode beneath the tomb; thence through the cemetery amidst the ruins of the monastery--and across the wild waste, back to Syracuse; nor did the m.u.f.fled brother of the Rosy Cross take leave of Fernand until they had reached the door of the hostel. There they parted, the Rosicrucian invoking a blessing upon the head of Wagner, who regained his chamber without disturbing the other inmates of the house: but with the conflicting emotions of ardent hopes and appalling fears, and holy aspirations, filling his breast. By degrees, however, as he was enabled to reason to himself with increasing calmness, the fears and the doubts became fainter and fainter, while the hopes and the aspirations grew stronger and stronger: and at length, throwing himself upon his knees, he exclaimed fervently, "O Lord, deal with me as thou wilt--thy will be done!"

It was late in the afternoon of a sultry day, toward the close of September, or, to be more particular, on the 25th of that month, that a numerous and brilliant cavalcade, on emerging from a grove which bounded one of the sinuosities of the Arno, came within sight of the towers and pinnacles of Florence.

On the white felt turbans of a hundred and fifty Ottoman soldiers glistened the crescent, the symbol of Islamism; and their steel-sheathed scimiters and the trappings of their horses sent forth a martial din as they were agitated by the rapidity of the march.

Forty-eight slaves, also mounted on steeds procured at Leghorn, followed the soldiers with a short interval between the two corps, and in the s.p.a.ce thus left, rode the Greek Demetrius and Lady Nisida of Riverola.

The latter wore the garb of her s.e.x, and sat upon her horse with the grace of an amazonian queen.

The moment the cavalcade came in sight of the fair City of Flowers, a flush of joy and triumph suddenly diffused itself over Nisida's countenance; and her lips were simultaneously compressed to prevent the utterance of that exclamation of gladness which her heart sent up to her tongue.

Demetrius now commanded a temporary halt; addressing himself to a Turkish youth, who had been attached to his person in the capacity of secretary, he said, "Yakoub, hie thou in advance, with an escort of two soldiers and two slaves, and push on to Florence. There seek an immediate interview with the president of the council of state, and acquaint that high functionary with the tidings of my approach. Thou wilt inform him that I am about to enter Florence in the peaceful capacity of envoy from the puissant and most glorious Ibrahim Pasha, the vizier of the sultan, to treat on divers matters interesting to the honor of the Ottoman Porte and the welfare of all Italy. In the meantime, I shall so check our speed that we may not reach the city until after sunset, which arrangement will afford you two full hours to accomplish the mission which I now trust to thee."

Yakoub bowed, and hastened to obey the commands which he had received--speeding toward Florence, attended by two soldiers and two slaves. Demetrius then ordered his party to dismount and rest for a short s.p.a.ce upon the banks of the Arno. Some of his slaves immediately pitched a tent, into which he conducted Nisida; and refreshments were served to them.

When the repast was concluded, and they were left alone together for a few minutes, Nisida's manner suddenly changed from calm patrician reserve to a strange agitation--her lips quivered, her eyes flashed fire;--and then, as if desperately resolved to put into execution the idea which she had formed, she seized Demetrius by the hand, bent her head toward him, and murmured in the faintest whisper possible, "Start not to hear the sound of my voice! I am neither deaf nor dumb. But this is not the place for explanations. I have much to tell, you much to hear--for I can speak to thee of Calanthe, and prove that he whom thou servest so zealously is a wretch meriting only thy vengeance."

"My G.o.d! my G.o.d!--what marvels are now taking place!" murmured the Greek, surveying Nisida in profound astonishment not unmingled with alarm.

"Silence--silence, I implore you!" continued she, in the rapid, low, and yet distinctly audible whisper, "for _your_ sake--for _mine_, betray me not! Deaf and dumb must I appear--deaf and dumb must I yet be deemed for a short s.p.a.ce. But to-night, at twelve o'clock, you will meet me, Demetrius, in the garden of the Riverola mansion;--and then I will conduct you to an apartment where we may confer without fear of being overheard--without danger of interruption."

"I will not fail thee, lady," said the Greek, scarcely able to recover from the amazement into which Nisida's sudden revelation of her power of speech and hearing had thrown him: then, as an oppressive feeling seized upon his soul, he demanded, "But Calanthe, lady, in the name of heaven!

one word more and let that word give me hope that I may see my sister again!"

"Demetrius," answered Nisida, her countenance becoming ominous and somber, "you will never behold her more. The l.u.s.t of Ibrahim Pasha--nay, start not so violently--brought destruction and death upon Calanthe!"

The features of the young Greek were at first distorted with anguish, and tears started from his eyes: but in the next moment their expression changed to one denoting the fiercest rage.

Nisida understood all that was pa.s.sing in his soul; and she bent upon him a significant glance, which said more eloquently than language could have done--"Yes, vengeance thou shalt have!"

She then rose from the velvet cushions which had been spread upon the ground within the tent, and waving her hand in token of temporary farewell to Demetrius, hastened forth, mounted her horse, and departed, alone and unattended, toward Florence.

Great was the surprise that evening of the numerous servants and dependents at the Riverola mansion, when Donna Nisida suddenly reappeared after an absence of very nearly seven months--and that absence so unaccountable to them! Although her haughty and imperious manner had never been particularly calculated to render her beloved by the menials of the household, yet her supposed affliction of deafness and dumbness had naturally made her an object of interest; and, moreover, as close upon three months had elapsed since Count Francisco himself had disappeared in a strange and alarming way two days only after his return from the wars, the domestics were pleased to behold at least one member of the lost family come back amongst them. Thus it was with sincere demonstrations of delight that the dependents and menials welcomed Donna Nisida at Riverola; and she was not ungracious enough to receive their civilities with coldness. But she speedily escaped from the ceremonies of this reception: and, intimating by signs to the female minions who were about to escort her to her apartments that she was anxious to be alone, she hurried thither, her heart leaping with joy at the thought of being once more beneath the roof of the palace of her forefathers. And, Fernand--wast thou forgotten? Oh! no--no; in spite of all her revived schemings and new plots, Nisida, thy well-beloved Nisida, had room in her heart for thine image! On reaching her own suit of apartments, the key of which had been handed to her by one of the female dependents, Nisida found everything in the same state as when she last was there; and it appeared to her a dream, yes, a very wondrous dream, that she had been absent for nearly seven months, and during that period had seen and experienced such strange vicissitudes. The reader need scarcely be informed that Nisida's first impulse, on entering her own suit of apartments in the Riverola mansion, was to hasten and gaze once more upon the portrait of her mother, and intent, earnest, enthusiastic was the upraised look now fixed upon that portrait, even as when we first saw Nisida contemplating the sweet and benignant countenance in the second chapter of our narrative. Yes:--and again was her gaze indicative of a devotion, an adoration, a worship.

"Oh! my sainted mother," thought Nisida within her breast, "I have not proved ultimately faithless to the solemn vows I pledged to thee upon thy death-bed! No; if for a time I yielded to the voluptuous idleness of love and pa.s.sion in that now far off Mediterranean isle, yet, at last did I arouse myself to energy for young Francisco's sake, and I came back as soon as Heaven sent me the means of return to the place where my presence may best serve _his_ interests, and carry out _thy_ wishes!

For, oh! when thou wast alive, my worshiped, my adored mother, how good, how kind, how affectionate wast thou toward me. And that tenderness of a mother for her offspring, ah! how well can I comprehend it now; for I also shall soon become a mother. Yes, Fernand! within the last week I have received the conviction that a being bearing thine image will see the light in due time; and the honor of the proud name of Riverola requires that our child must not be born of an unwedded mother! But wilt thou seek me out, Fernand? Oh! where art thou now? whither was the bark, in which I beheld thee last, wafting thee away?"

And, all the while that these thoughts were agitating within her mind, Donna Nisida kept her eyes intently fixed on the portrait; but on reflecting a second time that should she fail to meet with Wagner soon again, or should he prove faithless to her, or if, indeed, he should nurse resentment and loathing for her on account of her unworthy conduct toward him on the island, and that her child should be born of an unwedded mother,--when, we say, she thought of this dread probability a second time, she burst into tears, and turned away from the contemplation of her mother's countenance. And Nisida so seldom wept, that when tears did escape the usually sealed up springs of her emotions, they came in torrents, and were most bitter and painful to shed. But she at length triumphed over her feelings, or rather, their outpourings relieved her; and now the remembrance of another duty which she had resolved upon performing the moment she should reach home again was uppermost in her mind. She contemplated a visit to the mysterious closet--the dark cabinet of horrible secrets, in order to ascertain whether curiosity had triumphed over Francisco's prudence, or if any one indeed had violated the loneliness of that chamber in which the late Count of Riverola, had breathed his last. She accordingly took a lamp in her hand, for it was now far advanced in the evening, and proceeded to the apartment where a father's dying injunctions had been given to her brother, and which that father and that brother had so little suspected to have been heard and greedily drunk in by her ears. The door of the room was locked; Nisida accordingly proceeded forthwith to her brother's chamber; and there, in a secret place where she knew he had been accustomed to keep papers or valuables, she found the key of the chamber containing the mysterious closet, but not the key of the closet itself.

Of this latter circ.u.mstance she was glad; inasmuch as she conceived that he had adopted her counsel to carry it invariably secured about his person, so that no prying domestics might use it in his absence.

Returning, therefore, with the one key which she had found, she entered the apartment where her father had breathed his last.

Unchanged was its appearance, in mournfulness and gloom unchanged, in arrangements and features precisely the same as when she last was there, on the night when she intercepted the banditti in their predatory visit.

She drew aside the hangings of the bed, a cloud of dust flew out--and for a few moments she stood gazing on the couch where the dark spirit of her sire had fled from its mortal tenement! And as she still lingered near the bed, the remembrance of the death-scene came so vividly back to her mind, that for an instant she fancied she beheld the cold, stern, relentless countenance of the late Count of Riverola upon the pillow; and she turned away more in loathing and abhorrence than alarm, for through her brain flashed in dread a.s.sociation with his memory, the awful words--"And as the merciless scalpel hacked and hewed away at the still almost palpitating flesh of the murdered man, in whose breast the dagger remained deeply buried--a ferocious joy--a savage, hyena-like triumph filled my soul; and I experienced no remorse for the deed I had done!"

Yes, she turned aside, and was advancing rapidly toward the mysterious closet, when--holy G.o.d!--was it reality or imagination? Was it a human being or a specter from another world? For a tall, dark form, m.u.f.fled apparently in a long cowl--or it might be a cloak, but Nisida was too bewildered to discriminate aright--glided from the middle of the room where her eyes first beheld it, and was lost to view almost as soon as seen. Strong minded as Nisida was, indomitable as was her courage, and far away as she was from being superst.i.tious, yet now she staggered, reeled, and would have fallen had she not come in contact with the mysterious closet, against which she leaned for support. She gasped for breath, and her eyes were fixed wildly upon the door by which the figures had disappeared. Nevertheless, she had so far retained her presence of mind as to grasp the lamp firmly in her hand, for at that moment, after such a fright, in the room where her father had died, and in the close vicinity of the fearful cabinet, even Nisida would have fainted with terror to be left in darkness.

"'Twas imagination--naught save imagination," she thought within herself, as she exerted all her power to surmount the alarms that had seized upon her. "But no! I remember to have closed the door carefully behind me, and now it is open!"

As that reminiscence and conviction flashed to her mind, she nerved herself to advance into the pa.s.sage; but all was silent, and not a soul was there save herself. Scarcely knowing what to think, yet ashamed to give way to superst.i.tious fears, Nisida retraced her steps, and proceeded to examine the door of the closet. She was satisfied that it had never been opened since the night of her father's death; for the seals which she had induced Francisco to place upon the lock next day were still there. But all the while she was thus scrutinizing the door, the lock, and the seals, she could not help occasionally casting a furtive glance around, to convince herself that the tall, dark, m.u.f.fled form was not standing behind her: and, as she retraced her way to her own apartments, she stopped now and then through dread that _other_ footsteps beside her own echoed in the long and lonely corridors of the old mansion. She, however, regained her chamber in safety, and fell into a deep reverie respecting the tall figure she had seen. Were it not for the fact, of which she was confident, of her having closed the door on entering the room where her father had died, she would have concluded that her imagination had deluded her; but she now feared lest she might be watched by spies for some unknown and hostile purpose. It was perplexing, to say the least of it; and Nisida determined to adopt all possible precautions against her secret enemies, whoever they might be.

She accordingly arose from her seat--put off her upper garment--donned her thin but strong corselet--and then a.s.sumed the black velvet robe which reached up to her throat, concealing the armor beneath. Her flexible dagger--that fatal weapon which had dealt death to the unfortunate Agnes--was next thrust into the sheath formed by the wide border of her stomacher; and Nisida smiled with haughty triumph as if in defiance to her foes. She then repaired to one of the splendid saloons of the mansion; and ere she sat down to the repast that was served up, she dispatched a note acquainting Dr. Duras with her return, and requesting his immediate presence. In about half an hour the physician arrived, and his joy at beholding Nisida again was only equaled by his impatience to learn the cause of her long absence and all that had befallen her during the interval.

She made a sign for the old man to follow her to the retirement of her own apartments; and then, having closed the door, she said to him in a low tone, "Doctor, we will converse by means of signs no more; for, though still forced to simulate the deaf and dumb in the presence of the world, yet now--with you, who have all along known my terrible secret--our discourse must be too important to be carried on by mere signs."

"Nisida," returned Duras, also in a low and cautious tone, "thou knowest that I love thee as if thou wast my own daughter; and thy voice sounds like music upon my ears. But when will the dreadful necessity which renders thee dumb before the world--when will it cease, Nisida?"

"Soon--soon, doctor--if thou wilt aid me," answered the lady.

A long and earnest conversation then ensued; but it is not necessary to give the details to the reader, inasmuch as their nature will soon transpire. Suffice it to say that Nisida urged a particular request, which she backed by such explanation and we must also say misrepresentations as she thought suitable to her purpose; and that Dr.

Duras eventually, though not without compunction and hesitation, at length acceded to her prayer. She then gave him a brief account of her abduction from Florence by the villain Stephano--her long residence on the island of snakes--and her deliverance from thence by the Ottoman fleet, which was now off the port of Leghorn. But she said nothing of Fernand Wagner: nor did she inform the physician that she was acquainted with the cause of Francisco's disappearance and the place where he was detained. At length Dr. Duras took his leave; but ere he left the room Nisida caught him by the hand, saying, in a low, yet impressive tone--"Remember your solemn promise, my dear friend, and induce your brother to leave Flora Francatelli to her fate."

"I will--I will," answered the physician. "And after all you have told me, and if she be really the bad, profligate, and evil-disposed girl you represent her, it will be well that the inquisition should hold her tight in its grasp."

With these words Dr. Duras departed, leaving Nisida to gloat over the success which her plans had thus far experienced.

CHAPTER LX.

It was verging toward midnight, and the moon was concealed behind dark clouds, when a tall figure, m.u.f.fled in a cloak, climbed over the railing which inclosed one portion of the s.p.a.cious garden attached to the Riverola Palace. That person was Fernand Wagner. He had arrived in Florence two days before that on which Nisida returned to the ancestral dwelling:--he had entered the city boldly and openly in the joyous sun-light--and yet no one molested him. He even encountered some of the very sbirri who had arrested him in the preceding month of February; they saluted him respectfully--thus showed that they recognized him--but offered not to harm him. His trial, his condemnation, and his escape appeared all to have been forgotten. He repaired to his mansion; his servants, who had remained in possession of the dwelling, received him with demonstrations of joy and welcome as if he had just returned under ordinary circ.u.mstances from a long journey. Truly, then, he was blessed by the protection of Heaven. And--more wondrous still--on entering his favorite room he beheld all his pictures in their proper places, as if none of them had ever been removed--as if the confiscation of several by the criminal tribunal had never taken place. Over the one which had proclaimed the secret of his doom to the judges and the audience on the occasion of his trial, still hung the black cloth; and an undefinable curiosity--no, not a sentiment of curiosity, but one of hope--impelled him to remove the covering. And how exquisite was his joy, how great his amazement, how sincere his thanksgivings, when he beheld but a blank piece of canvas. The horrible picture of the Wehr-Wolf, a picture which he had painted when in a strangely morbid state of mind--had disappeared. Here was another sign of Heaven's goodness--a further proof of celestial mercy.

On inst.i.tuting inquiries, Fernand had learnt that Donna Nisida had not yet come back to Florence: but he employed trusty persons to watch and give him notice of her arrival the instant it should occur. Thus Nisida had not been half an hour at the Riverola mansion when Fernand was made acquainted with her return. From the conversation which had taken place between them at various times on the island, and as the reader is well aware, Wagner felt convinced that Nisida would again simulate deafness and dumbness; and he was therefore desirous to avoid giving her any surprise by appearing abruptly before her--a proceeding which might evoke a sudden e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n, and thus betray her secret. Moreover, he knew not whether circ.u.mstances would render his visits, made in a public manner, agreeable to her: and, perhaps--pardon him, gentle reader--perhaps he was also curious to learn whether she still thought of him, or whether the excitement of her return had absorbed all tender feelings of that nature.