It was at the moment when thetown was agitated by
the rumour of the immediate execution ofFabrizio. The being you see before you is
not a doll of the court, heis a man!
Take as an intimate adviser a madman known to
bemad, and under sentence of death! I swear to obey the Duchessa and to make my
escape on the day shewishes and as she wishes.
The police would have hard work to catch him,
shethought; he must be mad, after all. He does reallylove, the Duchessa said to
herself.
But he begged her to keep this secret even from the
Conte,which seemed to her odd.
She signed the document, ante-dated it by a year
andfolded the sheet.
If you perish, I shall not outlive you a day; Great
God! I have taken thissequin because it comes from you and I love you.
If I found a man worthy of the name to whom to
commend mypoor Fabrizio.
But, Sir, think of the dangers that surround you,
you will bearrested in this town! The man spoke with an accentof
sincerity.
The police would have hard work to catch him,
shethought; he must be mad, after all.
Forconsiderations which I do not wish to explain to
you, I insist uponyour lifes being saved. And it is love that has led me to all
these crimes! And he took to hisheels with a prodigious swiftness which astonished
the Duchessa andreassured her.
May God preserve you, and the Blessed Madonna! And
a man of your talent, Sir, is obliged to steal in order to live? From what onehears,
it would not be his first attempt.
His death at thepresent moment, for instance, would
be lamentable to me instead ofbeing useful. From what onehears, it would not be his
first attempt.
I may wish his death to-morrow, the Duchessa
continued, still withthe same air of authority.
That is perhaps the calling for which I have some
talent.
The intonation of this very simple speech was
perfect. Noone must ever know that I have had a hand in this affair.
Have you made up your mind to marry the Marchese
Crescenzi assoon as I am no longer here?
I swear to obey the Duchessa and to make my escape
on the day shewishes and as she wishes. And besides,have I been bled, that slander
itself dare speak of apoplexy? Her remorse scarcely allowed her the strength to
speak; she said toLudovico.
The Generalcame to himself a little as day began to
dawn.
He returned, as though impatient at being detained:
his face at thatmoment was superb. Forconsiderations which I do not wish to explain
to you, I insist uponyour lifes being saved. May God preserve you, and the Blessed
Madonna! And besides,have I been bled, that slander itself dare speak of apoplexy?
And it is love that has led me to all these crimes!
There are circumstances, replied the Duchessa, in
which I couldaccept the sacrifice of your life.
And what is to become of me once I am partedfrom
you?
The being you see before you is not a doll of the
court, heis a man!
But I will make you a loan of those six hundred
francs, said theDuchessa, genuinely moved.