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- float: left; - margin-right: 1em } - -.align-right { clear: right; - float: right; - margin-left: 1em } - -.align-center { margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto } - -div.shrinkwrap { display: table; } - -/* SECTIONS */ - -body { margin: 5% 10% 5% 10% } - -/* compact list items containing just one p */ -li p.pfirst { margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0 } - -.first { margin-top: 0 !important; - text-indent: 0 !important } -.last { margin-bottom: 0 !important } - -span.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.1em 0 0; line-height: 1 } -img.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.5em 0 0; max-width: 25% } -span.dropspan { font-variant: small-caps } - -.no-page-break { page-break-before: avoid !important } - -/* PAGINATION */ - -@media screen { - .coverpage, .frontispiece, .titlepage, .verso, .dedication, .plainpage - { margin: 10% 0; } - - div.clearpage, div.cleardoublepage - { margin: 10% 0; border: none; border-top: 1px solid gray; } - - .vfill { margin: 5% 10% } -} - -@media print { - div.clearpage { page-break-before: always; padding-top: 10% } - div.cleardoublepage { page-break-before: right; padding-top: 10% } - - .vfill { margin-top: 20% } - h2.title { margin-top: 20% } -} - -</style> -<title>THE SPANISH BROTHERS</title> -<meta name="PG.Rights" content="Public Domain" /> -<meta name="PG.Title" content="The Spanish Brothers" /> -<meta name="PG.Producer" content="Al Haines" /> -<link rel="coverpage" href="images/img-cover.jpg" /> -<meta name="DC.Creator" content="Deborah Alcock" /> -<meta name="DC.Created" content="1888" /> -<meta name="PG.Id" content="40346" /> -<meta name="PG.Released" content="2012-07-26" /> -<meta name="DC.Language" content="en" /> -<meta name="DC.Title" content="The Spanish Brothers" /> - -<link href="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" rel="schema.DCTERMS" /> -<link href="http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators" rel="schema.MARCREL" /> -<meta content="The Spanish Brothers" name="DCTERMS.title" /> -<meta content="spanish.rst" name="DCTERMS.source" /> -<meta content="en" scheme="DCTERMS.RFC4646" name="DCTERMS.language" /> -<meta content="2012-07-27T03:25:18.995273+00:00" scheme="DCTERMS.W3CDTF" name="DCTERMS.modified" /> -<meta content="Project Gutenberg" name="DCTERMS.publisher" /> -<meta content="Public Domain in the USA." name="DCTERMS.rights" /> -<link href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/40346" rel="DCTERMS.isFormatOf" /> -<meta content="Deborah Alcock" name="DCTERMS.creator" /> -<meta content="2012-07-26" scheme="DCTERMS.W3CDTF" name="DCTERMS.created" /> -<meta content="width=device-width" name="viewport" /> -<meta content="EpubMaker 0.3.19b4 by Marcello Perathoner <webmaster@gutenberg.org>" name="generator" /> -<style type="text/css"> -.pageno { position: absolute; right: 95%; font: medium sans-serif; text-indent: 0 } -.pageno:after { color: gray; content: '[' attr(title) ']' } -.lineno { position: absolute; left: 95%; font: medium sans-serif; text-indent: 0 } -.lineno:after { color: gray; content: '[' attr(title) ']' } -.toc-pageref { float: right } -pre { font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.9em; white-space: pre-wrap } -</style> -</head> -<body> -<div class="document" id="the-spanish-brothers"> -<h1 class="document-title level-1 pfirst title">THE SPANISH BROTHERS</h1> - -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="clearpage"> -</div> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="align-None container language-en noindent pgheader" id="pg-header" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<p class="noindent pfirst">This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the <a class="reference internal" href="#project-gutenberg-license">Project Gutenberg License</a> -included with this eBook or online at -<a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license">http://www.gutenberg.org/license</a>.</p> -<p class="noindent pnext"></p> -<div class="noindent vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<div class="align-None container noindent white-space-pre-line" id="pg-machine-header"> -<p class="noindent pfirst white-space-pre-line"><span class="white-space-pre-line">Title: The Spanish Brothers<br /> -<br /> -Author: Deborah Alcock<br /> -<br /> -Release Date: July 26, 2012 [EBook #40346]<br /> -<br /> -Language: English<br /> -<br /> -Character set encoding: UTF-8</span></p> -</div> -<div class="noindent vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst" id="pg-start-line">*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK <span>THE SPANISH BROTHERS</span> ***</p> -<div class="noindent vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst" id="pg-produced-by"><span>Produced by Al Haines.</span></p> -<div class="noindent vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span></span></p> -</div> -<div class="align-None container coverpage"> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<div class="align-center auto-scaled figure" style="width: 53%" id="figure-11"> -<img class="align-center" style="display: block; width: 100%" alt=" " src="images/img-cover.jpg" /> -<div class="caption figure"> -Cover</div> -</div> -</div> -<div class="align-None container frontispiece"> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<div class="align-center auto-scaled figure" style="width: 44%" id="figure-12"> -<img class="align-center" style="display: block; width: 100%" alt=" " src="images/img-front.jpg" /> -<div class="caption figure"> -THE ALGUAZILS PRODUCING THEIR WARRANT FOR ARREST.</div> -</div> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<div class="align-None center container titlepage white-space-pre-line"> -<p class="pfirst white-space-pre-line x-large">THE<br /> -SPANISH BROTHERS.</p> -<p class="large pnext white-space-pre-line">A Tale of the Sixteenth Century.</p> -<div class="vspace white-space-pre-line" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst small white-space-pre-line"><em class="italics white-space-pre-line">By the Author of</em><br /> -"<em class="italics white-space-pre-line">THE CZAR: A TALE OF THE FIRST NAPOLEON.</em>"<br /> -&c. &c.</p> -<p class="pnext small white-space-pre-line">[Transcriber's note: Author was Deborah Alcock]</p> -<div class="vspace white-space-pre-line" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst small white-space-pre-line">"Thy loving-kindness is better than life."</p> -<div class="vspace white-space-pre-line" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center medium pfirst white-space-pre-line">London<br /> -T. NELSON AND SONS, PATERNOSTER ROW.<br /> -EDINBURGH; AND NEW YORK.<br /> -1888.</p> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst">CONTENTS.</p> -<ol class="left medium upperroman simple"> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#boyhood">BOYHOOD</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-monk-s-letter">THE MONK'S LETTER</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#sword-and-cassock">SWORD AND CASSOCK</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#alcala-de-henarez">ALCALA DE HENAREZ</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#don-carlos-forgets-himself">DON CARLOS FORGETS HIMSELF</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#don-carlos-forgets-himself-still-further">DON CARLOS FORGETS HIMSELF STILL FURTHER</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-desengano">THE DESENGANO</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-muleteer">THE MULETEER</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#el-dorado-found">EL DORADO FOUND</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#dolores">DOLORES</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-light-enjoyed">THE LIGHT ENJOYED</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-light-divided-from-the-darkness">THE LIGHT DIVIDED FROM THE DARKNESS</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#seville">SEVILLE</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-monks-of-san-isodro">THE MONKS OF SAN ISODRO</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-great-sanbenito">THE GREAT SANBENITO</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#welcome-home">WELCOME HOME</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#disclosures">DISCLOSURES</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-aged-monk">THE AGED MONK</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#truth-and-freedom">TRUTH AND FREEDOM</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-first-drop-of-a-thunder-shower">THE FIRST DROP OF A THUNDER SHOWER</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#by-the-guadalquivir">BY THE GUADALQUIVIR</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-flood-gates-opened">THE FLOOD-GATES OPENED</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-reign-of-terror">THE REIGN OF TERROR</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#a-gleam-of-light">A GLEAM OF LIGHT</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#waiting">WAITING</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#don-gonsalvo-s-revenge">DON GONSALVO'S REVENGE</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#my-brother-s-keeper">MY BROTHER'S KEEPER</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#reaping-the-whirlwind">REAPING THE WHIRLWIND</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#a-friend-at-court">A FRIEND AT COURT</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-captive">THE CAPTIVE</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#ministering-angels">MINISTERING ANGELS</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-valley-of-the-shadow-of-death">THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#on-the-other-side">ON THE OTHER SIDE</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#fray-sebastian-s-trouble">FRAY SEBASTIAN'S TROUBLE</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-eve-of-the-auto">THE EVE OF THE AUTO</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-horrible-and-tremendous-spectacle">"THE HORRIBLE AND TREMENDOUS SPECTACLE"</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#something-ended-and-something-begun">SOMETHING ENDED AND SOMETHING BEGUN</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#nuera-again">NUERA AGAIN</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#left-behind">LEFT BEHIND</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#a-satisfactory-penitent">"A SATISFACTORY PENITENT"</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#more-about-the-penitent">MORE ABOUT THE PENITENT</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#quiet-days">QUIET DAYS</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#el-dorado-found-again">EL DORADO FOUND AGAIN</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#one-prisoner-set-free">ONE PRISONER SET FREE</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#triumphant">TRIUMPHANT</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#is-it-too-late">IS IT TOO LATE?</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-dominican-prior">THE DOMINICAN PRIOR</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#san-isodro-once-more">SAN ISODRO ONCE MORE</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#farewell">FAREWELL</a></p> -</li> -</ol> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst x-large" id="boyhood">THE SPANISH BROTHERS.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst">I.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Boyhood.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"A boy's will is the wind's will,</div> -<div class="line">And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts."--Longfellow.</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">On one of the green slopes of the Sierra Morena, shaded -by a few cork-trees, and with wild craggy heights and -bare brown wastes stretching far above, there stood, -about the middle of the sixteenth century, a castle even then -old and rather dilapidated. It had once been a strong place, -but was not very spacious; and certainly, according to our -modern ideas of comfort, the interior could not have been a -particularly comfortable dwelling-place. A large proportion of -it was occupied by the great hall, which was hung with faded, -well-repaired tapestry, and furnished with oaken tables, settles, -and benches, very elaborately carved, but bearing evident -marks of age. Narrow unglazed slits in the thick wall admitted -the light and air; and beside one of these, on a gloomy autumn -morning, two boys stood together, watching the rain that poured -down without intermission.</p> -<p class="pnext">They were dressed exactly alike, in loose jackets of blue -cloth, homespun, indeed, but so fresh and neatly-fashioned as -to look more becoming than many a costlier dress. Their long -stockings were of silk, and their cuffs and wide shirt-frills of -fine Holland, carefully starched and plaited. The elder--a -very handsome lad, who looked fourteen at least, but was -really a year younger--had raven hair, black sparkling eager -eyes, good but strongly-marked features, and a complexion -originally dark, and well-tanned by exposure to sun and wind. -A broader forehead, wider nostrils, and a weaker mouth, -distinguished the more delicate-looking younger brother, whose -hair was also less dark, and his complexion fairer.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Rain--rain! Will it rain for ever?" cried, in a tone of -impatience, the elder, whose name was Juan; or rather, his proper -style and title (and very angry would he have felt had any part -been curtailed or omitted) was Don Juan Rodrigo Alvarez de -Santillanos y Menaya. He was of the purest blood in Spain; -by the father's side, of noblest Castilian lineage; by the -mother's, of an ancient Asturian family. Well he knew it, and -proudly he held up his young head in consequence, in spite of -poverty, and of what was still worse, the mysterious blight that -had fallen on the name and fortunes of his house, bringing -poverty in its train, as the least of its attendant evils.</p> -<p class="pnext">"'Rising early will not make the daylight come sooner,' nor -watching bring the sunshine," said the quick-witted Carlos, who, -apt in learning whatever he heard, was already an adept in the -proverbial philosophy which was then, and is now, the inheritance -of his race.</p> -<p class="pnext">"True enough. So let us fetch the canes, and have a merry -play. Or, better still, the foils for a fencing match."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos acquiesced readily, though apparently without pleasure. -In all outward things, such as the choice of pursuits and -games, Juan was the unquestioned leader, Carlos never -dreamed of disputing his fiat. Yet in other, and really more -important matters, it was Carlos who, quite unconsciously to -himself, performed the part of guide to his stronger-willed but -less thoughtful brother.</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan now fetched the carefully guarded foils with which the -boys were accustomed to practise fencing; either, as now, -simply for their own amusement, or under the instructions of -the gray-haired Diego, who had served with their father in the -Emperor's wars, and was now mayor-domo, butler, and seneschal, -all in one. He it was, moreover, from whom Carlos had -learned his store of proverbs.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Now stand up. Oh, you are too low; wait a moment." Juan -left the hall again, but quickly returned with a large heavy -volume, which he threw on the floor, directing his brother to -take his stand upon it.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos hesitated. "But what if the Fray should catch us -using our great Horace after such a fashion!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I just wish he might," answered Juan, with a mischievous -sparkle in his black eyes.</p> -<p class="pnext">The matter of height being thus satisfactorily adjusted, the -game began, and for some time went merrily forward. To do -the elder brother justice, he gave every advantage to his less -active and less skilful companion; often shouting (with very -unnecessary exertion of his lungs) words of direction or -warning about fore-thrust, side-thrust, back-hand strokes, hitting, -and parrying. At last, however, in an unlucky moment, Carlos, -through some awkward movement of his own in violation of -the rules of the game, received a blow on the cheek from his -brother's foil, severe enough to make the blood flow. Juan -instantly sprang forward, full of vexation, with an "Ay de mi!" -on his lips. But Carlos turned away from him, covering his -face with both hands; and Juan, much to his disgust, soon -heard the sound of a heavy sob.</p> -<p class="pnext">"You little coward!" he exclaimed, "to weep for a blow. -Shame--shame upon you."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Coward yourself, to call me ill names when I cannot fight -you," retorted Carlos, as soon as he could speak for weeping.</p> -<p class="pnext">"That is ever your way, little tearful. <em class="italics">You</em> to talk of going -to find our father! A brave man you would make to sail to -the Indies and fight the savages. Better sit at home and spin, -with Mother Dolores."</p> -<p class="pnext">Far too deeply stung to find a proverb suited to the occasion, -or indeed to make any answer whatever, Carlos, still in tears, -left the hall with hasty footsteps, and took refuge in a smaller -apartment that opened into it.</p> -<p class="pnext">The hangings of this room were comparatively new and very -beautiful, being tastefully wrought with the needle; and the -furniture was much more costly than that in the hall. There -was also a glazed window, and near this Carlos took his stand, -looking moodily out on the falling rain, and thinking hard -thoughts of his brother, who had first hurt him so sorely, then -called him coward, and last, and far worst of all, had taunted -him with his unfitness for the task which, child as he was, his -whole heart and soul were bent on attempting.</p> -<p class="pnext">But he could not quarrel very seriously with Juan, nor indeed -could he for any considerable time do without him. Before -long his anger began to give way to utter loneliness and -discomfort, and a great longing to "be friends" again.</p> -<p class="pnext">Nor was Juan much more comfortable, though he told himself -he was quite right to reprove his brother sharply for his -lack of manliness; and that he would be ready to die for shame -if Carlos, when he went to Seville, should disgrace himself -before his cousins by crying when he was hurt, like a baby or -a girl. It is true that in his heart he rather wished he himself -had held his peace, or at least had spoken more gently; but -he braved it out, and stamped up and down the hall, singing, -in as cheery a voice as he could command,--</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"The Cid rode through the horse-shoe gate, Omega like it stood,</div> -<div class="line">A symbol of the moon that waned before the Christian rood.</div> -<div class="line">He was all sheathed in golden mail, his cloak was white as shroud:</div> -<div class="line">His vizor down, his sword unsheathed, corpse still he rode, and proud."</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">"Ruy!" Carlos called at last, just a little timidly, from the -next room--"Ruy!"</p> -<p class="pnext">Ruy is the Spanish diminutive of Rodrigo, Juan's second -name, and the one by which, for reasons of his own, it pleased -him best to be called; so the very use of it by Carlos was a -kind of overture for peace. Juan came right gladly at the call; -and having convinced himself, by a moment's inspection, that -his brother's hurt signified nothing, he completed the -reconciliation by putting his arm, in familiar boyish fashion, round -his neck. Thus, without a word spoken, the brief quarrel was -at an end. It happened that the rain was over also, and the -sun just beginning to shine out again. It was, indeed, an -effect of the sunlight which had given Carlos a pretext for -calling Juan again to his side.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Look, Ruy," he said, "the sun shines on our father's words!"</p> -<p class="pnext">These children had a secret of their own, carefully guarded, -with the strange reticence of childhood, even from Dolores, who -had been the faithful nurse of their infancy, and who still cast -upon their young lives the only shadow of motherly love they -had ever known--a shadow, it is true, pale and faint, yet the -best thing that had fallen to their lot: for even Juan could -remember neither parent; while Carlos had never seen his -father's face, and his mother had died at his birth.</p> -<p class="pnext">Yet it happened that in the imaginary world which the -children had created around them, and where they chiefly -lived, their unknown father was by far the most important -personage. All great nations in their childhood have their -legends, their epics, written or unwritten, and their hero, one -or many of them, upon whose exploits Fancy rings its changes -at will during the ages when national language, literature, and -character are in process of development. So it is with -individuals. Children of imagination--especially if they are -brought up in seclusion, and guarded from coarse and worldly -companionship--are sure to have their legends, perhaps their -unwritten epic, certainly their hero. Nor are these dreams of -childhood idle fancies. In their time they are good and -beautiful gifts of God--healthful for the present, helpful for -after-years. There is deep truth in the poet's words, "When -thou art a man, reverence the dreams of thy youth."</p> -<p class="pnext">The Cid Campeador, the Charlemagne, and the King Arthur -of our youthful Spanish brothers, was no other than Don Juan -Alvarez de Menaya, second and last Conde de Nuera. And -as the historical foundation of national romance is apt to be of -the slightest--nay, the testimony of credible history is often -ruthlessly set at defiance--so it is with the romances of children; -nor did the present instance form any exception. All the -world said that their father's bones lay bleaching on a wild -Araucanian battle-field; but this went for nothing in the eyes -of Juan and Carlos Alvarez. Quite enough to build their -childish faith upon was a confidential whisper of Dolores--when -she thought them sleeping--to the village barber-surgeon, who -was helping her to tend them through some childish malady: -"Dead? Would to all the Saints, and the blessed Queen of -Heaven, that we only had assurance of it!"</p> -<p class="pnext">They had, however, more than this. Almost every day they -read and re-read those mysterious words, traced with a diamond -by their father's hand--as it never entered their heads to -doubt--on the window of the room which had once been his favourite -place of retirement:--</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">"El Dorado</div> -<div class="line">Yo hé trovado."</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -<div class="line">"I have found El Dorado."</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">No eyes but their own had ever noticed this inscription; and -marvellous indeed was the superstructure their fancy contrived -to raise on the slight and airy foundation of its enigmatical five -words. They had heard from the lips of Diego many of the -fables current at the period about the "golden country" of -which Spanish adventurers dreamed so wildly, and which they -sought so vainly in the New World. They were aware that -their father in his early days had actually made a voyage to the -Indies: and they had thoroughly persuaded themselves, therefore, -of nothing less than that he was the fortunate discoverer -of El Dorado; that he had returned thither, and was reigning -there as a king, rich and happy--only, perhaps, longing for his -brave boys to come and join him. And join him one day they -surely would, even though unheard of dangers (of which giants -twelve feet high and fiery dragons--things in which they quite -believed--were among the least) might lie in their way, thick -as the leaves of the cork-trees when the autumn winds swept -down through the mountain gorges.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Look, Ruy," said Carlos, "the light is on our father's words!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"So it is! What good fortune is coming now? Something -always comes to us when they look like that."</p> -<p class="pnext">"What do you wish for most?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"A new bow, and a set of real arrows tipped with steel. -And you?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Well--the 'Chronicles of the Cid,' I think."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I should like that too. But I should like better still--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"What!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"That Fray Sebastian would fall ill of the rheum, and find -the mountain air too cold for his health; or get some kind of -good place at his beloved Complutum."</p> -<p class="pnext">"We might go farther and fare worse, like those that go to -look for better bread than wheaten," returned Carlos, laughing. -"Wish again, Juan; and truly this time--your wish of wishes."</p> -<p class="pnext">"What else but to find my father?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I mean, next to that."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Well, truly, to go once more to Seville, to see the shops, -and the bull-fights, and the great Church; to tilt with our -cousins, and dance the cachuca with Doña Beatriz."</p> -<p class="pnext">"That would not I. There be folk that go out for wool, -and come home shorn. Though I like Doña Beatriz as well as -any one."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Hush! here comes Dolores."</p> -<p class="pnext">A tall, slender woman, robed in black serge, relieved by a -neat white head-dress, entered the room. Dark hair, threaded -with silver, and pale, sunken, care-worn features, made her look -older than she really was. She had once been beautiful; and -it seemed as though her beauty had been burned up in the -glare of some fierce agony, rather than had faded gradually -beneath the suns of passing years. With the silent strength of -a deep, passionate heart, that had nothing else left to cling to, -Dolores loved the children of her idolized mistress and foster-sister. -It was chiefly her talent and energy that kept together -the poor remains of their fortune. She surrounded them with -as many inexpensive comforts as possible; still, like a true -Spaniard, she would at any moment have sacrificed their -comfort to the maintenance of their rank, or the due upholding of -their dignity. On this occasion she held an open letter in her -hand.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Young gentlemen," she said, using the formal style of -address no familiarity ever induced her to drop, "I bring your -worships good tidings. Your noble uncle, Don Manuel, is about -to honour your castle with his presence."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Good tidings indeed! I am as glad as if you had given me -a satin doublet. He may take us back with him to Seville," -cried Juan.</p> -<p class="pnext">"He might have stayed at home, with good luck and my -blessing," murmured Carlos.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Whether you go to Seville or no, Señor Don Juan," said -Dolores, gravely, "may very probably depend on the contentment -you give your noble uncle respecting your progress in -your Latin, your grammar, and your other humanities."</p> -<p class="pnext">"A green fig for my noble uncle's contentment!" said Juan, -irreverently. "I know already as much as any gentleman need, -and ten times more than he does himself."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ay, truly," struck in Carlos, coming forward from the -embrasure of the window; "my uncle thinks a man of learning--except -he be a fellow of college, perchance--not worth his ears -full of water. I heard him say such only trouble the world, -and bring sorrow on themselves and all their kin. So, Juan, it -is you who are likely to find favour in his sight, after all."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Señor Don Carlos, what ails your face?" asked Dolores, -noticing now for the first time the marks of the hurt he had -received.</p> -<p class="pnext">Both the boys spoke together.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Only a blow caught in fencing; all through my own -awkwardness. It is nothing," said Carlos, eagerly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I hurt him with my foil. It was a mischance. I am very -sorry," said Juan, putting his hand on his brother's shoulder.</p> -<p class="pnext">Dolores wisely abstained from exhorting them to greater -carefulness. She only said,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"Young gentlemen who mean to be knights and captains -must learn to give hard blows and take them." Adding -mentally--"Bless the lads! May they stand by each other as -loyally ten or twenty years hence as they do now."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="the-monk-s-letter">II.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">The Monk's Letter</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">"Quoth the good fat friar,</div> -</div> -<div class="line">Wiping his own mouth--'twas refection time."--R. Browning.</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">"Fray Sebastian Gomez, to the Honourable -Señor Felipe de Santa Maria, Licentiate of -Theology, residing at Alcala de Henarez, commonly -called Complutum.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">"Most Illustrious and Reverend Señor,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"In my place of banishment, amidst these gloomy and -inhospitable mountains, I frequently solace my mind by reflections -upon the friends of my youth, and the happy period spent -in those ancient halls of learning, where in the morning of our -days you and I together attended the erudite prelections of -those noble and most orthodox Grecians, Demetrius Ducas and -Nicetus Phaustus, or sat at the feet of that venerable patriarch -of science, Don Fernando Nuñez. Fortunate are you, O friend, -in being able to pass your days amidst scenes so pleasant and -occupations so congenial; while I, unhappy, am compelled by -fate, and by the neglect of friends and patrons, to take what I -may have, in place of having what I might wish. I am, alas! under -the necessity of wearing out my days in the ungrateful -occupation of instilling the rudiments of humane learning into -the dull and careless minds of children, whom to instruct is truly -to write upon sand or water. But not to weary your excellent -and illustrious friendship with undue prolixity, I shall briefly -relate the circumstances which led to my sojourn here."</p> -<p class="pnext">(The good friar proceeds with his personal narrative, but by -no means briefly; and as it has, moreover, little or nothing to -do with our story, it may be omitted with advantage.)</p> -<p class="pnext">"In this desert, as I may truly style it" (he continues), -"nutriment for the corporeal frame is as poor and bare as -nutriment for the intellectual part is altogether lacking. -Alas! for the golden wine of Xerez, that ambery nectar wherewith we -were wont to refresh our jaded spirits! I may not mention now -our temperate banquets: the crisp red mullet, the succulent -pasties, the delicious ham of Estremadura, the savoury olla -podrida. Here beef is rarely seen, veal never. Our olla is of -lean mutton (if it be not rather of the flesh of goats), washed -down with bad vinegar, called wine by courtesy, and supplemented -by a few naughty figs or roasted chestnuts, with cheese -of goat's milk, hard as the heads of the rustics who make it. -Certainly I am experiencing the truth of the proverb, 'A bad -cook is an inconvenient relation.' And marvellously would a -cask of Xerez wine, if, through the kindness of my generous -friends, it could find its way to these remote mountains, mend -my fare, and in all probability prolong my days. The provider -here is an antiquated, sour-faced duenna, who rules everything -in this old ruin of a castle, where poverty and pride are the only -things to be found in plenty. She is an Asturian, and came -hither in the train of the late unfortunate countess. Like all of -that race, where the very shepherds style themselves nobles, she -is proud; but it is just to add that she is also active, industrious, -and thrifty to a miracle.</p> -<p class="pnext">"But to pass on to affairs of greater importance. I have -presumed, on the part of my illustrious friend, some -acquaintance with the sorrowful history of my young pupils' family. -You will remember the sudden shadow that fell, like the eclipse -of one of the bright orbs of heaven, upon the fame and fortunes -of the Conde de Nuera, known, some fifteen years ago or more, -as a brilliant soldier and courtier, and personal favourite of his -Imperial Majesty. There was a rumour of some black treason, -I know not what, but men said it even struck at the life of the -great Emperor, his friend and patron. It is supposed that the -Emperor (whom God preserve!), in his just wrath remembered -mercy, and generously saved the honour, while he punished the -crime, of his ungrateful servant. At all events, the world was -told that the Count had accepted a command in the Indies, -and that he sailed thither from some port in the Low Countries -to which the Emperor had summoned him, without returning to -Spain. It is believed that, to save his neck from the axe and -his name from dire disgrace, he signed away, by his own act, -his large property to the Emperor and to Holy Church, reserving -only a pittance for his children. One year afterwards, his -death, in battle with the Araucanian savages, was announced, -and, if I am not mistaken, His Majesty was gracious enough to -have masses said for his soul. But, at the time, the tongue of -rumour whispered a far more dreadful ending to the tale. Men -hinted that, upon the discovery of his treason, he despaired -alike of human and divine compassion, and perished miserably -by his own hand. But all possible pains were taken, for the -sake of the family, to hush up the affair; and nothing certain -has ever, or probably will ever, transpire. I am doubtful whether -I am not a transgressor in having committed to paper what is -written above. Still, as it is written, it shall stand. With -you, most illustrious and honourable friend, all things are safe.</p> -<p class="pnext">"The youths whom it is my task to instruct are not deficient -in parts. But the elder, Don Juan, is idle and insolent; and -withal, of so fiery a temper, that he will brook no manner of -correction. The younger, Don Carlos is more toward in -disposition, and really apt at his humanities, were it not that his -good-for-nothing brother is for ever leading him into mischief. -Don Manuel Alvarez, their uncle and guardian, who is a shrewd -man of the world, will certainly cause him to enter the Church. -But I pray, as I am bound in Christian charity, that it may not -occur to him to make the lad a Minorite friar, since, as I can -testify from sorrowful experience, such go barely enough through -this wicked and miserable world.</p> -<p class="pnext">"In conclusion, I entreat of you, most illustrious friend, with -the utmost despatch and carefulness, to commit this writing to -the flames; and so I pray our Lady and the blessed St. Luke, -upon whose vigil I write, to have you in their good -keeping.--Your unworthy brother, "SEBASTIAN."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">Thus, with averted face, or head shaken doubtfully, or -murmured "Ay de mi," the world spoke of him, of whom his own -children, happy at least in this, knew scarce anything, save -words that seemed like a cry of joy.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="sword-and-cassock">III.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Sword and Cassock.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"The helmet and the cap make houses strong"--Spanish Proverb</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Don Manual Alvarez stayed for several days at -Nuera, as the half-ruined castle in the Sierra Morena -was styled. Grievous, during this period, were the -sufferings of Dolores, and unceasing her efforts to provide -suitable accommodation, not merely for the stately and fastidious -guest himself, but also for the troop of retainers he saw fit to -bring with him, comprising three or four personal attendants, -and half a score of men-at-arms--the last perhaps really -necessary for a journey through that wild district. Don Manuel -scarcely enjoyed the situation more than did his entertainers -but he esteemed it his duty to pay an occasional visit to the -estate of his orphan nephews, to see that it was properly taken -care of. Perhaps the only member of the party quite at his -ease was the worthy Fray Sebastian, a good-natured, -self-indulgent friar, with a better education and more refined -tastes than the average of his order; fond of eating and drinking, -fond of gossip, fond of a little superficial literature, and -not fond of troubling himself about anything. He was -comforted by the improved fare Don Manuel's visit introduced; -and was, moreover, soon relieved from his very natural -apprehensions that the guardian of his pupils might express -discontent at the slowness of their progress. He speedily -discovered that Don Manuel did not care to have his nephews -made good scholars: he only cared to have them ready, in two -or three years, to go to the University of Complutum, or to that -of Salamanca, where they might remain until they were -satisfactorily provided for--one in the Army, the other in the -Church.</p> -<p class="pnext">As for Juan and Carlos, they felt, with the sure instinct of -children, in this respect something like that of animals, that their -uncle had little love for them. Juan dreaded, more than under -the circumstances he need have done, too careful inquiries into -his progress; and Carlos, while he stood in great outward awe -of his uncle, all the time contrived to despise him in his heart, -because he neither knew Latin, nor could repeat any of the -ballads of the Cid.</p> -<p class="pnext">On the third day of his visit, after dinner, which was at noon, -Don Manuel solemnly seated himself in the great carved -armchair that stood on the estrada at one end of the hall, and -summoned his nephews to his side. He was a tall, wiry-looking -man, with a narrow forehead, thin lips, and a pointed beard. -His dress was of the finest mulberry-coloured cloth, turned back -with velvet; everything about him was rich, handsome, and in -good keeping, but without extravagance. His manner was -dignified, perhaps a little pompous, like that of a man bent -upon making the most of himself, as he had unquestionably -made the most of his fortune.</p> -<p class="pnext">He first addressed Juan, whom he gravely reminded that his -father's <em class="italics">imprudence</em> had left him nothing save that poor ruin of a -castle, and a few barren acres of rocky ground, at which the -boy's eyes flashed, and he shrugged his shoulders and bit his lip. -Don Manuel then proceeded, at some length, to extol the noble -profession of arms as the road to fame and fortune. This kind -of language proved much more acceptable to his nephew, and -looking up, he said promptly, "Yes, señor my uncle, I will -gladly be a soldier, as all my fathers were."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Well spoken. And when thou art old enough, I promise -to use my influence to obtain for thee a good appointment in -His Imperial Majesty's army. I trust thou wilt honour thine -ancient name."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You may trust me," said Juan, in slow, earnest tones. Then -raising his head, he went on more rapidly: "Beside his own -name, Juan, my father gave me that of Rodrigo, borne by the -Cid Ruy Diaz, the Campeador, meaning no doubt to show--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Peace, boy!" Don Manuel interrupted, cutting short the -only words that his nephew had ever spoken really from his -heart in his presence, with as much unconsciousness as a -countryman might set his foot on a glow-worm. "Thou wert -never named Rodrigo after thy Cid and his idle romances. -Thy father called thee so after some madcap friend of his own, -of whom the less spoken the better."</p> -<p class="pnext">"My father's friend must have been good and noble, like -himself," said Juan proudly, almost defiantly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Young man," returned Don Manuel severely, and lifting his -eyebrows as if in surprise at his audacity, "learn that a humbler -tone and more courteous manners would become thee in the -presence of thy superiors." Then turning haughtily away from -him, he addressed himself to Carlos: "As for thee, nephew -Carlos, I hear with pleasure of thy progress in learning. Fray -Sebastian reports of thee that thou hast a good ready wit and a -retentive memory. Moreover, if I mistake not, sword cuts are -less in thy way than in thy brother's. The service of Holy -Mother Church will fit thee like a glove; and let me tell thee, -boy, for thou art old enough to understand me, 'tis a right good -service. Churchmen eat well and drink well--churchmen sleep -soft--churchmen spend their days fingering the gold other folk -toil and bleed for. For those who have fair interest in high -places, and shuffle their own cards deftly, there be good fat -benefices, comfortable canonries, and perhaps--who knows?--a -rich bishopric at the end of all; with a matter of ten thousand -hard ducats, at the least, coming in every year to save or -spend, or lend, if you like it better."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ten thousand ducats!" said Carlos, who had been gazing -in his uncle's face, his large blue eyes full of half-incredulous, -half-uncomprehending wonder.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ay, my son, that is about the least. The Archbishop of -Seville has sixty thousand every year, and more."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ten thousand ducats!" Carlos repeated again in a kind of -awe-struck whisper. "That would buy a ship."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes," said Don Manuel, highly pleased with what he considered -an indication of precocious intelligence in money matters. -"And an excellent thought that is of thine, my son. A good -ship chartered for the Indies, and properly freighted, would -bring thee back thy ducats <em class="italics">well perfumed</em>.[#] For a ship is -sailing while you are sleeping. As the saying is, Let the idle -man buy a ship or marry a wife. I perceive thou art a youth of -much ingenuity. What thinkest thou, then, of the Church?"</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] With good interest.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">Carlos was still too much the child to say anything in answer -except, "If it please you, señor my uncle, I should like it well."</p> -<p class="pnext">And thus, with rather more than less consideration of their -tastes and capacities than was usual at the time, the future of -Juan and Carlos Alvarez was decided.</p> -<p class="pnext">When the brothers were alone together, Juan said, "Dolores -must have been praying Our Lady for us, Carlos. An appointment -in the army is the very thing for me. I shall perform -some great feat of arms, like Alphonso Vives, for instance, who -took the Duke of Saxony prisoner; I shall win fame and -promotion, and then come back and ask my uncle for the hand of -his ward, Doña Beatriz."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ah, and I--if I enter the Church, I can never marry," said -Carlos rather ruefully, and with a vague perception that his -brother was to have some good thing from which he must be -shut out for ever.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Of course not; but you will not care."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Never a whit," said the boy of twelve, very confidently. -"I shall ever have thee, Juan. And all the gold my uncle says -churchmen win so easily, I will save to buy our ship."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I will also save, so that one day we may sail together. I -will be the captain, and thou shall be the mass-priest, Carlos."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But I marvel if it be true that churchmen grow rich so fast. -The cura in the village must be very poor, for Diego told me -he took old Pedro's cloak because he could not pay the dues -for his wife's burial."</p> -<p class="pnext">"More shame for him, the greedy vulture. Carlos, you and -I have each half a ducat; let us buy it back."</p> -<p class="pnext">"With all my heart. It will be worth something to see the -old man's face."</p> -<p class="pnext">"The cura is covetous rather than poor," said Juan. "But -poor or no, no one dreams of <em class="italics">your</em> being a beggarly cura like -that. It is only vulgar fellows of whom they make parish -priests in the country. You will get some fine preferment, my -uncle says. And he ought to know, for he has feathered his -own nest well."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Why is he rich when we are poor, Juan? Where does he -get all his money?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"The saints know best. He has places under Government. -Something about the taxes, I think, that he buys and sells -again."</p> -<p class="pnext">"In truth, he's not one to measure oil without getting some -on his fingers. How different from him our father must have -been."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes," said Juan. "<em class="italics">His</em> riches, won by his own sword and -battle-axe, and his good right hand, will be worth having. Ay, -and even worth seeing; will they not?"</p> -<p class="pnext">So these children dreamed of the future--that future of which -nothing was certain, except its unlikeness to their dreams. No -thing was certain; but what was only too probable? That the -brave, free-hearted boy, who had never willingly injured any -one, and who was ready to share his last coin with the poor -man, would be hardened and brutalized into a soldier of fortune, -like those who massacred tribes of trusting, unoffending Indians, -or burned Flemish cities to the ground, amidst atrocities that -even now make hearts quail and ears tingle. And yet worse, -that the fair child beside him, whose life still shone with that -child-like innocence which is truly the dew of youth, as bright -and as fleeting, would be turned over, soul and spirit, to a -system of training too surely calculated to obliterate the sense -of truth, to deprave the moral taste, to make natural and healthful -joys impossible, and unlawful and degrading ones fearfully -easy and attainable; to teach the strong nature the love of -power, the mean the love of money, and all alike falsehood, -cowardice, and cruelty.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="alcala-de-henarez">IV.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Alcala de Henarez</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Give me back, give me back the wild freshness of morning,</div> -<div class="line">Her tears and her smiles are worth evening's best light."--Moore</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Few are the lives in which seven years come and go with -out witnessing any great event. But whether they are -eventful or no, the years that change children into men -must necessarily be important. Three years of these important -seven, Juan and Carlos Alvarez spent in their mountain home, -the remaining four at the University of Alcala, or Complutum. -The university training was of course needful for the younger -brother, who was intended for the Church. That the elder was -allowed to share the privilege, although destined for the -profession of arms, was the result of circumstances. His guardian, -Don Manuel Alvarez, although worldly and selfish, still retained -a lingering regard for the memory of that lost brother whose -latest message to him had been, "Have my boy carefully -educated." And, moreover, he could scarcely have left the -high-spirited youth to wear out the years that must elapse before he -could obtain his commission in the dreary solitude of his -mountain home, with Diego and Dolores for companions, and for -sole amusement, a horse and a few greyhounds. Better that he -should take his chance at Alcala, and enjoy himself there as -best he might, with no obligation to severe study, and but one -duty strongly impressed on him--that of keeping out of debt.</p> -<p class="pnext">He derived real benefit from the university training, though -no academic laurels rested on his brow, nor did he take a -degree. Fray Sebastian had taught him to read and write, and -had even contrived to pass him through the Latin grammar, of -which he afterwards remembered scarcely anything. To have -urged him to learn more would have required severity only too -popular at the time; but this Fray Sebastian was too timid, -perhaps too prudent, to employ; while of interesting him in his -studies he never thought. At Alcala, however, he was -interested. He did not care, indeed, for the ordinary scholastic -course; but he found in the college library all the books yet -written in his native language, and it was then the palmy age of -Spanish literature. Beginning with the poems and romances -relating to the history of his country, he read through everything; -poetry, romance, history, science, nothing came amiss to -him, except perhaps theology. He studied with especial care -all that had reference to the story of the New World, whither -he hoped one day to go. He attended lectures; he even -acquired Latin enough to learn anything he really wanted to -know, and could not find except in that language.</p> -<p class="pnext">Thus, at the end of his four years' residence, he had acquired -a good deal of useful though somewhat desultory information; -and he had gained the art of expressing himself in the purest -Castilian, by tongue or pen, with energy, vigour, and precision.</p> -<p class="pnext">The sixteenth century gives us many specimens of such men--and -not a few of them were Spaniards--men of intelligence -and general cultivation, whose profession was that of arms, but -who can handle the pen with as much ease and dexterity as the -sword; men who could not only do valiant deeds, but also describe -them when done, and that often with singular effectiveness.</p> -<p class="pnext">With his contemporaries Juan was popular, for his pride was -inaggressive, and his fiery temper was counterbalanced by -great generosity of disposition. During his residence at Alcala -he fought three duels; one to chastise a fellow-student who had -called his brother "Doña Carlotta," the other two on being -provoked by the far more serious offence of covert sneers at his -father's memory. He also caned severely a youth whom he -did not think of sufficient rank to honour with his sword, -merely for observing, when Carlos won a prize from him, "Don -Carlos Alvarez unites genius and industry, as he would need to do, -who is <em class="italics">the son of his own good works</em>." But afterwards, when -the same student was in danger, through poverty, of having to -give up his career and return home, Juan stole into his chamber -during his absence, and furtively deposited four gold ducats -(which he could ill spare) between the leaves of his breviary.</p> -<p class="pnext">Far more outwardly successful, but more really disastrous, -was the academic career of Carlos. As student of theology, -most of his days, and even some of his nights, were spent over -the musty tomes of the Schoolmen. Like living water on the -desert, his young bright intellect was poured out on the dreary -sands of scholastic divinity (little else, in truth, than "bad -metaphysics"), to no appreciable result, except its own utter -waste. The kindred study of casuistry was even worse than -waste of intellect; it was positive defilement and degradation. -It was bad enough to tread with painful steps through roads -that led nowhere; but it became worse when the roads were -miry, and the mud at every step clung to the traveller's feet. -Though here the parallel must cease; for the moral defilement, -alas! is most deadly and dangerous when least felt or heeded.</p> -<p class="pnext">Fortunately, or unfortunately, according as we look on the -things seen or the things not seen, Carlos offered to his -instructors admirable raw material out of which to fashion a -successful, even a great Churchman. He came to them a stripling of -fifteen, innocent, truthful, affectionate. He had "parts," as -they styled them, and singularly good ones. He had just the -acute perception, the fine and ready wit, which enabled him to -cut his way through scholastic subtleties and conceits with ease -and credit. And, to do his teachers justice, they sharpened his -intellectual weapon well, until its temper grew as exquisite as -that of the scimitar of Saladin, which could divide a gauze -kerchief by the thread at a single blow. But how would it fare -with such a weapon, and with him who, having proved no -other, could wield only that, in the great conflict with the -Dragon that guarded the golden apples of truth? The question -is idle, for truth was a luxury of which Carlos was not taught to -dream. To find truth, to think truth, to speak truth, to act -truth, was not placed before him as an object worth his attainment. -Not the <em class="italics">True</em>, but the <em class="italics">Best</em>, was always held up to him -as the mark to be aimed at: the best for the Church, the best -for his family, the best for himself.</p> -<p class="pnext">He had much imagination, he was quick in invention and -ready in expedients; good gifts in themselves, but very perilous -where the sense of truth is lacking, or blunted. He was timid, -as sensitive and reflective natures are apt to be, perhaps also -from physical causes. And in those rough ages, the Church -offered almost the only path in which the timid man could not -only escape infamy, but actually attain to honour. In her -service a strong head could more than atone for weak nerves. -Power, fame, wealth, might be gained in abundance by the -Churchman without stirring from his cell or chapel, or facing a -single drawn sword or loaded musket. Always provided that -his subtle, cultivated intellect could guide the rough hands that -wielded the swords, or, better still, the crowned head that -commanded them.</p> -<p class="pnext">There may have been even then at that very university -(there certainly were a few years earlier), a little band of -students who had quite other aims, and who followed other studies -than those from which Carlos hoped to reap worldly success -and fame. These youths really desired to find the truth and to -keep it; and therefore they turned from the pages of the -Fathers and the Schoolmen to the Scriptures in the original -languages. But the "Biblists," as they were called, were few -and obscure. Carlos did not, during his whole term of -residence, come in contact with any of them. The study of -Hebrew, and even of Greek, was by this time discouraged; the -breath of calumny had blown upon it, linking it with all that -was horrible in the eyes of Spanish Catholics, summed up in -the one word, heresy. Carlos never even dreamed of any -excursion out of the beaten path marked out for him, and which he -was travelling so successfully as to distance nearly all his -competitors.</p> -<p class="pnext">Both Juan and Carlos still clung fondly to their early dream; -though their wider knowledge had necessarily modified some of -its details. Carlos, at least, was not quite so confident as he -had once been about the existence of El Dorado; but he was -as fully determined as Juan to search out the mystery of their -father's fate, and either to clasp his living hand, or to stand -beside his grave. The love of the brothers, and their trust -in each other, had only strengthened with their years, and was -beautiful to witness.</p> -<p class="pnext">Occasional journeys to Seville, and brief intervals of making -holiday there, varied the monotony of their college life, and -were not without important results.</p> -<p class="pnext">It was the summer of 1556. The great Carlos, so lately -King and Kaiser, had laid down the heavy burden of -sovereignty, and would soon be on his way to pleasant San Yuste, -to mortify the flesh, and prepare for his approaching end, as -the world believed; but in reality to eat, drink, and enjoy -himself as well as his worn-out body and mind would allow him. -Just then our young Juan, healthy, hearty, hopeful, and with -the world before him, received the long wished-for appointment -in the army of the new King of all the Spains, Don Felipe Segunde.</p> -<p class="pnext">The brothers have eaten their last temperate meal together, -in their handsome, though not very comfortable, lodging at -Alcala. Juan pushes away the wine-cup that Carlos would fain -have refilled, and toys absently with the rind of a melon. -"Carlos," he says, without looking his brother in the face, -"remember that thing of which we spoke;" adding in lower and -more earnest tones, "and so may God remember thee."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Surely, brother. You have, however, little to fear."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Little to fear!" and there was the old quick flash in the -dark eyes. "Because, forsooth, to spare my aunt's selfishness -and my cousin's vanity, she must not be seen at dance, or -theatre, or bull-feast? It is enough for her to show her face on -the Alameda or at mass to raise me up a host of rivals."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Still, my uncle favours you; and Doña Beatriz herself will -not be found of a different mind when you come home with -your promotion and your glory, as you will, my Ruy!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then, brother, watch thou in my absence, and fail not to -speak the right word at the right moment, as thou canst so well. -So shall I hold myself at ease, and give my whole mind to the -noble task of breaking the heads of all the enemies of my liege -lord the king."</p> -<p class="pnext">Then, rising from the table, he girt on his new Toledo sword -with its embroidered belt, threw over his shoulders his short -scarlet cloak, and flung a gay velvet montero over his rich -black curls. Don Carlos went out with him, and mounting the -horses a lad from their country-home held in readiness, they -rode together down the street and through the gate of Alcala -Don Juan followed by many an admiring gaze, and many a -hearty "Vaya con Dios,"[#] from his late companions.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] Go with God.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="don-carlos-forgets-himself">V.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Don Carlos forgets Himself</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">"A fair face and a tender voice had made me mad and -blind."--E. B. Browning</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">Don Carlos Alvarez found Alcala, after his -brother's departure, insupportably dull; moreover, -he had now almost finished his brilliant university -career. As soon, therefore, as he could, he took his degree as -Licentiate of Theology. He then wrote to inform his uncle of -the fact; adding that he would be glad to spend part of the -interval that must elapse before his ordination at Seville, where he -might attend the lectures of the celebrated Fray Constantino -Ponce de la Fuente, Professor of Divinity in the College of -Doctrine in that city. But, in fact, a desire to fulfil his brother's -last charge weighed more with him than an eagerness for further -instruction; especially as rumours that his watchfulness was not -unnecessary had reached his ears at Alcala.</p> -<p class="pnext">He received a prompt and kind invitation from his uncle to -make his house his home for as long a period as he might -desire. Now, although Don Manuel was highly pleased with the -genius and industry of his younger nephew, the hospitality he -extended to him was not altogether disinterested. He thought -Carlos capable of rendering what he deemed an essential service -to a member of his own family.</p> -<p class="pnext">That family consisted of a beautiful, gay, frivolous wife, three -sons, two daughters, and his wife's orphan niece, Doña Beatriz -de Lavella. The two elder sons were cast in their father's -mould; which, to speak truth, was rather that of a merchant -than of a cavalier. Had he been born of simple parents in the -flats of Holland or the back streets of London, a vulgar Hans -or Thomas, his tastes and capabilities might have brought him -honest wealth. But since he had the misfortune to be Don -Manuel Alvarez, of the bluest blood in Spain, he was taught to -look on industry as ineffably degrading, and trade and -commerce scarcely less so. Only one species of trade, one kind of -commerce, was open to the needy and avaricious, but proud -grandee. Unhappily it was almost the only kind that is really -degrading--the traffic in public money, in places, and in taxes. -"A sweeping rain leaving no food," such traffic was, in truth. -The Government was defrauded; the people, especially the poorer -classes, were cruelly oppressed. No one was enriched except -the greedy jobber, whose birth rendered him infinitely too -proud to work, but by no means too proud to cheat and steal.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Manuel the younger, and Don Balthazar Alvarez, were -ready and longing to tread in their father's footsteps. Of the -two pale-faced dark-eyed sisters, Doña Inez and Doña Sancha, -one was already married, and the other had also plans -satisfactory to her parents. But the person in the family who was -not of it was the youngest son, Don Gonsalvo. He was the -representative, not of his father, but of his grandfather; as we -so often see types of character reproduced in the third -generation. The first Conde de Nuera had been a wild soldier of -fortune in the Moorish wars, fierce and fiery, with strong -unbridled passions. At eighteen, Gonsalvo was his image; and -there was scarcely any mischief possible to a youth of fortune -in a great city, into which he had not already found his way. -For two years he continued to scandalize his family, and to vex -the soul of his prudent and decorous father.</p> -<p class="pnext">Suddenly, however, a change came over him. He reformed, -became quiet and regular in his conduct; gave himself up to -study, making extraordinary progress in a very short time; and -even showed what those around him called "a pious -disposition." But these hopeful appearances passed as suddenly and -as unaccountably as they came. After an interval of less than -a year, he returned to his former habits, and plunged even more -madly than ever into all kinds of vice and dissipation.</p> -<p class="pnext">His father resolved to procure him a commission, and send -him away to the wars. But an accident frustrated his intentions. -In those days, cavaliers of rank frequently sought the dangerous -triumphs of the bull-ring. The part of matador was performed, -not, as now, by hired bravos of the lowest class, but often by -scions of the most honourable houses. Gonsalvo had more -than once distinguished himself in the bloody arena by courage -and coolness. But he tempted his fate too often. Upon one -occasion he was flung violently from his horse, and then gored -by the furious bull, whose rage had been excited to the utmost -pitch by the cruel arts usually practised. He escaped with life, -but remained a crippled invalid, apparently condemned for the -rest of his days to inaction, weakness, and suffering.</p> -<p class="pnext">His father thought a good canonry would be a decent and -comfortable provision for him, and pressed him accordingly to -enter the Church. But the invalided youth manifested an -intense repugnance to the step; and Don Manuel hoped that -the influence of Carlos would help to overcome this feeling; -believing that he would gladly endeavour to persuade his cousin -that no way of life was so pleasant or so easy as that which he -himself was about to adopt.</p> -<p class="pnext">The good nature of Carlos led him to fall heartily into his -uncle's plans. He really pitied his cousin, moreover, and -gladly gave himself to the task of trying in every possible way -to console and amuse him. But Gonsalvo rudely repelled all -his efforts. In his eyes the destined priest was half a woman, -with no knowledge of a man's aims or a man's passions, and -consequently no right to speak of them.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Turn priest!" he said to him one day; "I have as good a -mind to turn Turk. Nay, cousin, I am not pious--you may -present my orisons to Our Lady with your own, if it so please -you. Perhaps she may attend to them better than to those I -offered before entering the bull-ring on that unlucky day of -St. Thomas."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos, though not particularly devout, was shocked by this -language.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Take care, cousin," he said; "your words sound rather -like blasphemy."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And yours sound like the words of what you are, half a -priest already," retorted Gonsalvo. "It is ever the priest's cry, -if you displease him, 'Open heresy!' 'Rank blasphemy!' -And next, 'the Holy Office, and a yellow Sanbenito.' I marvel -it did not occur to your sanctity to menace me with that."</p> -<p class="pnext">The gentle-tempered Carlos did not answer; a forbearance -which further exasperated Gonsalvo, who hated nothing so much -as being, on account of his infirmities, borne with like a woman -or a child. "But the saints help the Churchmen," he went on -ironically. "Good simple souls, they do not know even their -own business! Else they would smell heresy close enough at -hand. What doctrine does your Fray Constantino preach in -the great Church every feast-day, since they made him -canon-magistral?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"The most orthodox and Catholic doctrine, and no other," -said Carlos, roused, in his turn, by the attack upon his teacher; -though he did not greatly care for his instructions, which turned -principally upon subjects about which he had learned little or -nothing in the schools. "But to hear thee discuss doctrine is -to hear a blind man talking of colours."</p> -<p class="pnext">"If I be the blind man talking of colours, thou art the deaf -prating of music," retorted his cousin. "Come and tell me, if -thou canst, what are these doctrines of thy Fray Constantino; -and wherein they differ from the Lutheran heresy? I wager -my gold chain and medal against thy new velvet cloak, that -thou wouldst fall thyself into as many heresies by the way as -there are nuts in Barcelona."</p> -<p class="pnext">Allowing for Gonsalvo's angry exaggeration, there was some -truth in his assertion. Once out of the region of dialectic -subtleties, the champion of the schools would have become -weak as another man. And he could not have expounded -Fray Constantino's preaching;--because he did not -understand it.</p> -<p class="pnext">"What, cousin!" he exclaimed, affronted in his tenderest -part, his reputation as a theological scholar. "Dost thou take -me for a barefooted friar or a village cura? Me, who only two -months ago was crowned victor in a debate upon the doctrines -taught by Raymondus Lullius!"</p> -<p class="pnext">But whatever chagrin Carlos may have felt at finding himself -utterly unable to influence Gonsalvo, was soon effectually -banished by the delight with which he watched the success of -his diplomacy with Doña Beatriz.</p> -<p class="pnext">Beatriz was almost a child in years, and entirely a child in -mind and character. Hitherto, she had been studiously kept -in the background, lest her brilliant beauty should throw her -cousins into the shade. Indeed, she would probably have been -consigned to a convent, had not her portion been too small to -furnish the donative usually bestowed by the friends of a novice -upon any really aristocratic establishment. "And pity would -it have been," thought Carlos, "that so fair a flower should -wither in a convent garden."</p> -<p class="pnext">He made the most of the limited opportunities of intercourse -which the ceremonious manners of the time and country -afforded, even to inmates of the same house. He would stand -beside her chair, and watch the quick flush mount to her olive, -delicately-rounded cheek, as he talked eloquently of the absent -Juan. He was never tired of relating stories of Juan's prowess, -Juan's generosity. In the last duel he fought, for instance, the -ball had passed through his cap and grazed his head. But he -only smiled, and re-arranged his locks, remarking, while he did -so, that with the addition of a gold chain and medal, the spoiled -cap would be as good, or better than ever. Then he would -dilate on his kindness to the vanquished; rejoicing in the effect -produced, as a tribute as well to his own eloquence as to his -brother's merit. The occupation was too fascinating not to be -resorted to once and again, even had he not persuaded himself -that he was fulfilling a sacred duty.</p> -<p class="pnext">Moreover, he soon discovered that the bright dark eyes which -were beginning to visit him nightly in his dreams, were pining -all day for a sight of that gay world from which their owner was -jealously and selfishly excluded. So he managed to procure -for Doña Beatriz many a pleasure of the kind she most valued. -He prevailed upon his aunt and cousins to bring her with them -to places of public resort; and then he was always at hand, -with the reverence of a loyal cavalier, and the freedom of a -destined priest, to render her every quiet unobtrusive service in -his power. At the theatre, at the dance, at the numerous -Church ceremonies, on the promenade, Doña Beatriz was his -especial charge.</p> -<p class="pnext">Amidst such occupations, pleasant weeks and months glided -by almost unnoticed by him. Never before had he been so -happy. "Alcala was well enough," he thought; "but Seville -is a thousand times better. All my life heretofore seems to me -only like a dream, now I am awake."</p> -<p class="pnext">Alas! he was not awake, but wrapped in a deep sleep, and -cradling a bright delusive vision. As yet he was not even "as -those that dream, and know the while they dream." His -slumber was too profound even for this dim half-consciousness.</p> -<p class="pnext">No one suspected, any more than he suspected himself, the -enchantment that was stealing over him. But every one -remarked his frank, genial manners, his cheerfulness, his good -looks. Naturally, the name of Juan dropped gradually more -and more out of his conversation; as at the same time the -thought of Juan faded from his mind. His studies, too, were -neglected; his attendance upon the lectures of Fray Constantino -became little more than a formality; while "receiving Orders" -seemed a remote if not an uncertain contingency. In fact, he -lived in the present, not caring to look either at the past or the -future.</p> -<p class="pnext">In the very midst of his intoxication, a slight incident affected -him for a moment with such a chill as we feel when, on a warm -spring day, the sun passes suddenly behind a cloud.</p> -<p class="pnext">His cousin, Doña Inez, had been married more than a year to -a wealthy gentleman of Seville, Don Garçia Ramirez. Carlos, -calling one morning at the lady's house with some unimportant -message from Doña Beatriz, found her in great trouble on -account of the sudden illness of her babe.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Shall I go and fetch a physician?" he asked, knowing well -that Spanish servants can never be depended upon to make -haste, however great the emergency may be.</p> -<p class="pnext">"You will do a great kindness, amigo mio," said the anxious -young mother.</p> -<p class="pnext">"But which shall I summon?" asked Carlos. "Our family -physician, or Don Garçia's?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Don Garçia's, by all means,--Dr. Cristobal Losada. I -would not give a green fig for any other in Seville. Do you -know his dwelling?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes. But should he be absent or engaged?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I must have him. Him, and no other. Once before he -saved my darling's life. And if my poor brother would but -consult him, it might fare better with him. Go quickly, cousin, -and fetch him, in Heaven's name."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos lost no time in complying; but on reaching the -dwelling of the physician, found that though the hour was early -he had already gone forth. After leaving a message, he went -to visit a friend in the Triana suburb. He passed close by the -Cathedral, with its hundred pinnacles, and that wonder of -beauty, the old Moorish Giralda, soaring far up above it into -the clear southern sky. It occurred to him that a few Aves said -within for the infant's recovery would be both a benefit to the -child and a comfort to the mother. So he entered, and was -making his way to a gaudy tinselled Virgin and Babe, when, -happening to glance towards a different part of the building, -his eyes rested on the physician, with whose person he was -well acquainted, as he had often noticed him amongst Fray -Constantino's hearers. Losada was now pacing up and down -one of the side aisles, in company with a gentleman of very -distinguished appearance.</p> -<p class="pnext">As Carlos drew nearer, it occurred to him that he had never -seen this personage in any place of public resort, and for this -reason, as well as from certain slight indications in his dress of -fashions current in the north of Spain, he gathered that he was -a stranger in Seville, who might be visiting the Cathedral from -motives of curiosity. Before he came up the two men paused -in their walk, and turning their backs to him, stood gazing -thoughtfully at the hideous row of red and yellow Sanbenitos, -or penitential garments, that hung above them.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Surely," thought Carlos, "they might find better objects of -attention than these ugly memorials of sin and shame, which -bear witness that their late miserable wearers--Jews, Moors, -blasphemers, or sorcerers,--have ended their dreary lives of -penance, if not of penitence."</p> -<p class="pnext">The attention of the stranger seemed to be particularly -attracted by one of them, the largest of all. Indeed, Carlos -himself had been struck by its unusual size; and upon one -occasion he had even had the curiosity to read the inscription, -which he remembered because it contained Juan's favourite -name. Rodrigo. It was this: "Rodrigo Valer, a citizen of -Lebrixa and Seville; an apostate and false apostle, who -pretended to be sent from God." And now, as he approached -with light though hasty footsteps, he distinctly heard -Dr. Cristobal Losada, still looking at the Sanbenito, say to his -companion, "Yes, señor; and also the Conde de Nuera, Don Juan -Alvarez."</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan Alvarez! What possible tie could link his father's -name with the hideous thing they were gazing at? And what -could the physician know about him of whom his own children -knew so little? Carlos stood amazed, and pale with sudden -emotion.</p> -<p class="pnext">And thus the physician saw him, happening to turn at that -moment. Had he not exerted all his presence of mind (and -he possessed a great deal), he would himself have started -visibly. The unexpected appearance of the person of whom -we speak is in itself disconcerting; but it deserves another -name when we are saying that of him or his which, if overheard, -might endanger life, or what is more precious still than life. -Losada was equal to the occasion, however. The usual greetings -having been exchanged, he asked quietly whether Señor -Don Carlos had come in search of him, and hoped that he did -not owe the honour to any indisposition in his worship's noble -family.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos felt it rather a relief, under the circumstances, to have -to say that his cousin's babe was alarmingly ill. "You will do -us a great favour," he added, "by coming immediately. Doña -Inez is very anxious."</p> -<p class="pnext">The physician promised compliance; and turning to his -companion, respectfully apologized for leaving him abruptly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"A sick child's claim must not be postponed," said the -stranger in reply. "Go, señor doctor, and God's blessing rest -on your skill."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos was struck by the noble bearing and courteous manner -of the stranger, who, in his turn, was interested by the young -man's anxiety about a sick babe. But with only a passing -glance at the other, each went his different way, not dreaming -that once again at least their paths were destined to cross.</p> -<p class="pnext">The strange mention of his father's name that he had overheard -filled the heart of Carlos with undefined uneasiness. He -knew enough by that time to feel his childish belief in his father's -stainless virtue a little shaken. What if a dreadful unexplained -something, linking his fate with that of a convicted heretic, were -yet to be learned? After all, the accursed arts of magic and -sorcery were not so far removed from the alchemist's more -legitimate labours, that a rash or presumptuous student might -not very easily slide from one into the other. He had reason -to believe that his father had played with alchemy, if he had -not seriously devoted himself to its study. Nay, the thought -had sometimes flashed unbidden across his mind that the "El -Dorado" found might after all have been no other than the -philosopher's stone. For he who has attained the power of -producing gold at will may surely be said, without any stretch of -metaphor, to have discovered a golden country. But at this -period of his life the personal feelings of Carlos were so keen -and absorbing that almost everything, consciously or -unconsciously, was referred to them. And thus it was that an intense -wish sprang up in his heart, that his father's secret might have -descended to <em class="italics">him</em>.</p> -<p class="pnext">Vain wish! The gold he needed or desired must be -procured from a less inaccessible region than El Dorado, and -without the aid of the philosopher's stone.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="don-carlos-forgets-himself-still-further">VI.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Don Carlos forgets Himself still further</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"The not so very false, as falsehood goes,--</div> -<div class="line">The spinning out and drawing fine, you know;</div> -<div class="line">Really mere novel-writing, of a sort,</div> -<div class="line">Acting, improvising, make-believe,--</div> -<div class="line">Surely not downright cheatery!"--R. Browning.</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">It cost Carlos some time and trouble to drive away -the haunting thoughts which Losada's words had -awakened. But he succeeded at length; or perhaps -it would be more truthful to say the bright eyes and witching -smiles of Doña Beatrix accomplished the work for him.</p> -<p class="pnext">Every dream, however, must have a waking. Sometimes a -slight sound, ludicrously trivial in its cause, dispels a slumber -fraught with wondrous visions, in which we have been playing -the part of kings and emperors.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nephew Don Carlos," said Don Manuel one day, "is it -not time you thought of shaving your head? You are learned -enough for your Orders long ago, and 'in a plentiful house -supper is soon dressed.'"</p> -<p class="pnext">"True, señor my uncle," murmured Carlos, looking suddenly -aghast. "But I am under the canonical age."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But you can get a dispensation."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Why such haste? There is time yet and to spare."</p> -<p class="pnext">"That is not so sure. I hear the cura of San Lucar has one -foot in the grave. The living is a good one, and I think I -know where to go for it. So take care you lose not a heifer -for want of a halter to hold it by."</p> -<p class="pnext">With these words on his lips, Don Manuel went out. At the -same moment Gonsalvo, who lay listlessly on a sofa at one end -of the room, or rather court, reading "Lazarillo de Tormes," -the first Spanish novel, burst into a loud paroxysm of laughter.</p> -<p class="pnext">"What may be the theme of your merriment?" asked Carlos, -turning his large dreamy eyes languidly towards him.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yourself, amigo mio. You would make the stone saints of -the Cathedral laugh on their pedestals. There you stand, pale -as marble, a living image of despair. Come, rouse yourself! -What do you mean to do? Will you take what you wish, or -let your chance slip by, and then sit and weep because you -have it not? Will you be a <em class="italics">priest</em> or a <em class="italics">man</em>? Make your -choice this hour, for one you must be, and both you cannot be."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos answered him not; in truth, he dared not answer him. -Every word was the voice of his own heart; perhaps it was -also, though he knew it not, the voice of the great tempter. He -withdrew to his chamber, and barred and bolted himself in it. -This was the first time in his life that solitude was a necessity -to him. His uncle's words had brought with them a terrible -revelation. He knew himself now too well; he knew what he -loved, what he desired, or rather what he hungered and thirsted -for with agonizing intensity. No; never the priest's frock for -him. He must call Doña Beatriz de Lavella his--his before -God's altar--or die.</p> -<p class="pnext">Then came a thought, stinging him with sharp, sudden pain. -It was a thought that should have come to him long -ago,--"Juan!" And with the name, affection, memory, conscience, -rose up together within him to combat the mad resolve of his -passion.</p> -<p class="pnext">Fiery passions slumbered in the heart of Carlos. Such art -sometimes found united with a gentle temper, a weak will, and -sensitive nerves. Woe to their possessor when they are aroused -in their strength!</p> -<p class="pnext">Had Carlos been a plain soldier, like the brother he was -tempted to betray, it is possible he might have come forth -from this terrible conflict still holding fast his honour and his -brotherly affection. It was his priestly training that turned the -scale. He had been taught that simple truth between man and -man was a thing of little consequence. He had been taught -the art of making a hundred clever, plausible excuses for -whatever he saw best to do. He had been taught, in short, -every species of sophistry by which, to the eyes of others, and -to his own also, wrong might be made to seem right, and black -to appear the purest white.</p> -<p class="pnext">His subtle imagination forged in the fire of his kindled -passions chains of reasoning in which no skill could detect a -flaw. Juan had never loved as he did; Juan would not care; -probably by this time he had forgotten Doña Beatriz. "Besides," -the tempter whispered furtively within him, "he might never -return at all; he might die in battle." But Carlos was not yet -sunk so low as to give ear for a single instant to this wicked -whisper; though certainly he could not henceforth look for his -brother's return with the joy with which he had been wont to -anticipate that event. But, in any case, Beatriz herself should -be the judge between them. And he told himself that he -knew (how did he know it?) that Beatriz preferred <em class="italics">him</em>. Then -it would be only right and kind to prepare Juan for an inevitable -disappointment. This he could easily do. Letters, carefully -written, might gradually suggest to his brother that Beatriz had -other views; and he knew Juan's pride and his fiery temper -well enough to calculate that if his jealousy were once aroused, -these would soon accomplish the rest.</p> -<p class="pnext">Ere we, who have been taught from our cradles to "speak the -truth from the heart," turn with loathing from the wiles of -Carlos Alvarez, we ought to remember that he was a Spaniard--one -of a nation whose genius and passion is for intrigue. -He was also a Spaniard of the sixteenth century; but, above -all, he was a Spanish Catholic, educated for the priesthood.</p> -<p class="pnext">The ability with which he laid his plans, and the enjoyment -which its exercise gave him, served in itself to blind him to the -treachery and ingratitude upon which those plans were founded.</p> -<p class="pnext">He sought an interview with Fray Constantino, and implored -from him a letter of recommendation to the imperial recluse at -San Yuste, whose chaplain and personal favourite the -canon-magistral had been. But that eloquent preacher, though -warm-hearted and generous to a fault, hesitated to grant the request. -He represented to Carlos that His Imperial Majesty did not -choose his retreat to be invaded by applicants for favours, and -that the journey to San Yuste would therefore be, in all -probability, worse than useless. Carlos answered that he had fully -weighed the difficulties of the case; but that if the line of -conduct he adopted seemed peculiar, his circumstances were so -also. He believed that his father (who died before his birth) -had enjoyed the special regard of His Imperial Majesty, and he -hoped that, for his sake, he might now be willing to show him -some kindness. At all events, he was sure of an introduction -to his presence through his mayor-domo, Don Luis Quixada, -lord of Villagarçia, who was a friend of their house. What he -desired to obtain, through the kindness of His Imperial Majesty, -was a Latin secretaryship, or some similar office, at the court of -the new king, where his knowledge of Latin, and the talents he -hoped he possessed, might stand him in good stead, and enable -him to support, though with modesty, the station to which his -birth entitled him. For, although already a licentiate of -theology, and with good prospects in the Church, he did not -wish to take orders, as he had thoughts of marrying.</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Constantino felt a sympathy with the young man; and -perhaps the rather because, if report speaks true, he had once -been himself in a somewhat similar position. So he compromised -matters by giving him a general letter of recommendation, -in which he spoke of his talents and his blameless manners -as warmly as he could, from the experience of the nine or ten -months during which he had been acquainted with him. And -although the attention paid by Carlos to his instructions had -been slight, and of late almost perfunctory, his great natural -intelligence had enabled him to stand his ground more -creditably than many far more diligent students. The Fray's letter -Carlos thankfully added to the numerous laudatory epistles from -the doctors and professors of Alcala that he already had in his -possession.</p> -<p class="pnext">All these he enclosed in a cedar box, which he carefully -locked, and consigned in its turn to a travelling portmanteau, -along with a fair stock of wearing apparel, sufficiently rich in -material to suit his rank, but modest in colour and fashion. He -then informed his uncle that before he took Orders it would be -necessary for him, in his brother's absence, to take a journey -to their little estate, and set its concerns in order.</p> -<p class="pnext">His uncle, suspecting nothing, approved his plan, and -insisted on providing him with the attendance of an armed -guard to Nuera, whither he really intended to go in the first -instance.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="the-desengano">VII.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">The Desengãno</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"And I should evermore be vexed with thee</div> -<div class="line">In vacant robe, or hanging ornament,</div> -<div class="line">Or ghostly foot-fall lingering on the stair."--Tennyson</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">The journey from the city of oranges to the green slopes -of the Sierra Morena ought to have been a delightful -one to Don Carlos Alvarez. It was certainly bright -with hope. He scarcely harboured a doubt of the ultimate -success of his plans, and the consequent attainment of all his -wishes. Already he seemed to feel the soft hand of Doña -Beatriz in his, and to stand by her side before the high altar of -the great Cathedral.</p> -<p class="pnext">And yet, as days passed on, the brightness within grew -fainter, and an acknowledged shadow, ever deepening, began -to take its place. At last he drew near his home, and rode -through the little grove of cork-trees where he and Juan had -played as children. When last they were there together the -autumn winds were strewing the leaves, all dim and discoloured, -about their paths. Now he looked through the fresh green -foliage at the deep intense blue of the summer sky. But, -though scarcely more than twenty, he felt at that moment old -and worn, and wished back the time of his boyish sports with -his brother. Never again could he feel quite happy with Juan.</p> -<p class="pnext">Soon, however, his sorrowful fancies were put to flight by the -joyous greeting of the hounds, who rushed with much clamour -from the castle-yard to welcome him. There they were, all of -them--Pedro, Zina, Pepe, Grullo, Butron--it was Juan who -had named them, every one. And there, at the gate, stood -Diego and Dolores, ready to give him joyful welcome. Throwing -himself from his horse, he shook hands with these faithful -old retainers, and answered their kindly but respectful inquiries -both for himself and Señor Don Juan. Then, having caressed -the dogs, inquired for each of the under-servants by name, and -given orders for the due entertainment of his guard, he passed -on slowly into the great deserted hall.</p> -<p class="pnext">His arrival being unexpected, he merely surrendered his -travelling cloak into the hands of Diego, and sat down to wait -patiently while the servants, always dilatory, prepared for him -suitable accommodation. Dolores soon appeared with a flask -of wine and some bread and grapes; but this was only a -<em class="italics">merienda</em>, or slight afternoon luncheon, which she laid before -her young master until she could make ready a supper fit for -him to partake of. Carlos spent half an hour listening to her -tidings of the household and the village, and felt sorry when -she quitted the room and left him to his own reflections.</p> -<p class="pnext">Every object on which his eyes rested reminded him of his -brother. There hung the cross-bow with which, in old days, -Juan had made such vigorous war on the rooks and the -sparrows. There lay the foils and the canes with which they -had so often fenced and played; Juan, in his unquestioned -superiority, usually so patient with the younger brother's -timidity and awkwardness. And upon that bench he had -carved, with a hunting-knife, his name in full, adding the title -that had expired with his father, "Conde de Nuera."</p> -<p class="pnext">The memories these things recalled were becoming intrusive: -he would fain shake them off. Gladly would he have had -recourse to his favourite pastime of reading, but there was not -a book in the castle, to his knowledge, except the breviary he -had brought with him. For lack of more congenial occupation, -he went out at last to the stable to look at the horses, -and to talk to those who were grooming and feeding them.</p> -<p class="pnext">Later in the evening Dolores told him that supper was ready, -adding that she had laid it in the small inner room, which -she thought Señor Don Carlos would find more comfortable -than the great hall.</p> -<p class="pnext">That inner room was, even more than the hall, haunted by -the shadowy presence of Juan. But it was usually daylight -when the brothers were there together. Now, a tapestry curtain -shaded the window, and a silver lamp shed its light on the -well-spread table with its snowy drapery, and cover laid for one.</p> -<p class="pnext">A lonely meal, however luxurious, is always apt to be somewhat -dreary; it seems a provision for the lowest wants of our -nature, and nothing more. Carlos sought to escape from the -depressing influence by giving wings to his imagination, and -dreaming of the time when wealth enough to repair and -refurnish that half-ruinous old homestead might be his. He -pleased himself with pictures of the long tables in the great -hall, groaning beneath the weight of a bountiful provision for a -merry company of guests, upon whom the sweet face of Doña -Beatriz might beam a welcome. But how idle such fancies! -The castle, after all, was Juan's, not his. Unless, indeed, more -difficulties than one should be solved by Juan's death upon -some French or Flemish battle-field. This thought he could -not bear to entertain. Grown suddenly sick at heart, he pushed -aside his plate of stewed pigeon, and, regardless of the feelings -of Dolores, sent away untasted her dessert of sweet butter-cakes -dipped in honey. He was weary, he said, and he would go to -rest at once.</p> -<p class="pnext">It was long before sleep would visit his eyelids; and when -at last it came, his brother's dark reproachful eyes haunted him -still. At daybreak he awoke with a start from a feverish dream -that Juan, all pale and ghostlike, had come to his bedside, and -laying his hand on his arm, said solemnly, "I claim the jewel -I left thee in trust."</p> -<p class="pnext">Further sleep was impossible. He rose, and wandered out -into the fresh air. As yet no one was astir. Fair and sweet -was all that met his gaze: the faint pearly light, the first blush -of dawn in the quiet sky, the silvery dew that bathed his -footsteps. But the storm within raged more fiercely for the calm -without. There was first an agonizing struggle to repress the -rising thought, "Better, after all, <em class="italics">not</em> to do this thing." But, -in spite of his passionate efforts, the thought gained a hearing, -it seemed to cry aloud within him, "Better, after all, not to -betray Juan!" "And give up Beatriz forever? <em class="italics">For ever!</em>" -he repeated over and over again, beating it</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">"In upon his weary brain,</div> -</div> -<div class="line">As though it were the burden of a song."</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">He had climbed, almost unawares, to the top of a rocky hill; -and now he stood, looking around him at the prospect, just as -if he saw it. In truth, he saw nothing, felt nothing outward, -until at last a misty mountain rain swept in his face, refreshing -his burning brow with a touch as of cool fingers.</p> -<p class="pnext">Then he descended mechanically. Exchanging salutations -(as if nothing were amiss with him) with the milk-maid and the -wood-boy, he crossed the open courtyard and re-entered the -hall. There Dolores, and a girl who worked under her, were -already busy, so he passed by them into the inner room.</p> -<p class="pnext">Its darkness seemed to stifle him; with hasty hand he drew -aside the heavy tapestry curtain. As he did so something -caught his eye. For the hundredth time he re-read the mystic -inscription on the glass:</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"El Dorado</div> -<div class="line">Yo hé trovado."</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">And, as an infant's touch may open a sluice that lets in the -mighty ocean, those simple words broke up the fountains of the -great deep within. He gave full course to the emotions they -awakened. Again he heard Juan's voice repeat them; again -he saw Juan's deep earnest eyes look into his; not now -reproachfully, but with full unshaken trust, as in the old days -when first he said, "We will go forth together and find our -father."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Juan--brother!" he cried aloud, "I will never wrong thee, -so help me God!" At that moment the morning sun, having -scattered the mists with the glory of its rising, sent one of its -early beams to kiss the handwriting on the window-pane. -"Old token for good," thought Carlos, whose imaginative -nature could play with fancies even in the hours of supreme -emotion. "And true still even yet. Only the good is all for -Juan; for me--nothing but despair."</p> -<p class="pnext">And so Don Carlos found his "desengãno," or disenchantment, -and it was a very thorough one.</p> -<p class="pnext">Body and mind were well-nigh exhausted with the violence -of the struggle. Perhaps this was fortunate, in so far that it -won for the decision of his better nature a more rapid and -easy acceptance. In a sense and for a season any decision -was welcome to the weary, tempest-tossed soul.</p> -<p class="pnext">It was afterwards that he asked himself how were long years -to be dragged on without the face that was the joy of his heart -and the life of his life? How was he to bear the never-ending -pain, the aching loneliness, of such a lot? Better to die at -once than to endure this slow, living death. He knew well -that it was not in his nature to point the pistol or the dagger -at his own breast. But he might pine away and die silently--as -many thousands die--of blighted hopes and a ruined life. -Or--and this was more likely, perhaps--as time passed on he -might grow dead and hard in soul; until at last he would -become a dry, cold, mechanical mass-priest, mumbling the -Church's Latin with thin, bloodless lips, a keen eye to his -dues, and a heart that might serve for a Church relic, so much -faith would it require to believe that it had been warm and -living once.</p> -<p class="pnext">Still, laudably anxious to provide against possible future -waverings of the decision so painfully attained, he wrote -informing his uncle of his safe arrival; adding that he had fully -made up his mind to take Orders at Christmas, but that he -found it advisable to remain in his present quarters for a month -or two. He at once dispatched two of the men-at-arms with -the letter; and much was the thrifty Don Manuel surprised -that his nephew should spend a handful of silver reals in order -to inform him of what he knew already.</p> -<p class="pnext">Gloomily the day wore on. The instinctive reserve of a -sensitive nature made Carlos talk to the servants, receive the -accounts, inspect the kine and sheep--do everything, in short, -except eat and drink--as he would have done if a great sorrow -had not all the time been crushing his heart. It is true that -Dolores, who loved him as her own son, was not deceived. It -was for no trivial cause that the young master was pale as a -corpse, restless and irritable, talking hurriedly by fitful snatches, -and then relapsing into moody silence. But Dolores was a -prudent woman, as well as a loving and faithful one; therefore -she held her peace, and bided her time.</p> -<p class="pnext">But Carlos noticed one effort she made to console him. -Coming in towards evening from a consultation with Diego -about some cork-trees which a Morisco merchantman wished -to purchase and cut down, he saw upon his table a carefully -sealed wine-flask, with a cup beside it. He knew whence it -came. His father had left in the cellar a small quantity of -choice wine of Xeres; and this relic of more prosperous times -being, like most of their other possessions, in the care of -Dolores, was only produced very sparingly, and on rare -occasions. But she evidently thought "Señor Don Carlos" needed -it now. Touched by her watchful, unobtrusive affection, he -would have gratified her by drinking; but he had a peculiar -dislike to drinking alone, while he knew he would only render -his sanity doubtful by inviting either her or Diego to share the -luxurious beverage. So he put it aside for the present, and -drew towards him a sheet of figures, an inkhorn, and a pen. -He could not work, however. With the silence and solitude, -his great grief came back upon him again. But nature all this -time had been silently working for him. His despair was -giving way to a more violent but less bitter sorrow. Tears -came now: a long, passionate fit of weeping relieved his aching -heart. Since his early childhood he had not wept thus.</p> -<p class="pnext">An approaching footstep recalled him to himself. He rose -with haste and shame, and stood beside the window, hoping -that his position and the waning light might together shield him -from observation. It was only Dolores.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Señor," she said, entering somewhat hastily, "will it please -you to see to those men of Seville that came with your -Excellency? They are insulting a poor little muleteer, and -threatening to rob his packages."</p> -<p class="pnext">Yanguesian carriers and other muleteers, bringing goods -across the Sierra Morena from the towns of La Mancha to -those of Andalusia, often passed by the castle, and sometimes -received hospitality there. Carlos rose at once at the summons, -saying to Dolores--</p> -<p class="pnext">"Where is the boy?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"He is not a boy, señor, he is a man; a very little man, -but with a greater spirit, if I mistake not, than some twice his -size."</p> -<p class="pnext">It was true enough. On the green plot at the back of the -castle, beside which the mountain pathway led, there were -gathered the ten or twelve rough Seville pikemen, taken from -the lowest of the population, and most of them of Moorish -blood. In their midst, beside the foremost of his three mules, -with one arm thrown round her neck and the other raised to -give effect by animated gestures to his eager oratory, stood the -muleteer. He was a very short, spare, active-looking man, -clad from head to foot in chestnut-coloured leather. His mules -were well laden; each with three large alforjas, one at each -side and one laid across the neck. But they were evidently -well fed and cared for also; and they presented a gay appearance, -with their adornments of bright-coloured worsted tassels -and tiny bells.</p> -<p class="pnext">"You know, my friends," the muleteer was saying, as Carlos -came within hearing, "an arriero's alforjas[#] are like a soldier's -colours,--it stands him upon his honour to guard them inviolate. -No, no! Ask him for aught else--his purse, his blood--they -are at your service; but never touch his colours, if you care for -a long life."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] <em class="italics">Arriero</em>, muleteer; <em class="italics">alforjas</em>, bags.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">"My honest friend, your colours, as you call them, shall be -safe here," said Carlos, kindly.</p> -<p class="pnext">The muleteer turned towards him a good-humoured, -intelligent face, and, bowing low, thanked him heartily.</p> -<p class="pnext">"What is your name?" asked Carlos; "and whence do you -come?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am Juliano; Juliano el Chico (Julian the Little) men -generally call me--since, as your Excellency sees, I am not -very great. And I come last from Toledo."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Indeed! And what wares do you carry?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Some matters, small in bulk, yet costly, which I am bringing -for a Seville merchant--Medel de Espinosa by name, if your -worship has heard of him? I have mirrors, for example, of a -new kind; excellent in workmanship, and true as steel, as well -they may be."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I know the shop of Espinosa well. I have been much in -Seville," said Carlos, with a sudden pang, caused by the -recollection of the many pretty trifles that he had purchased there -for Doña Beatrix. "But follow me, my friend, and a good -supper shall make you amends for the rudeness of these -fellows.--Andres, take the best care thou canst of his mules; 'twill -be only fair penance for thy sin in molesting their owner."</p> -<p class="pnext">"A hundred thousand thanks, señor. Still, with your worship's -good leave, and no offence to friend Andres, I had rather -look to the beasts myself. We are old companions; they know -my ways, and I know theirs."</p> -<p class="pnext">"As you please, my good fellow. Andres will show you the -stable, and I shall tell my mayor-domo to see that you lack -nothing."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Again I render to your Excellency my poor but hearty -thanks."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos went in, gave the necessary directions to Diego, and -then returned to his solitary chamber.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="the-muleteer">VIII.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">The Muleteer</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Are ye resigned that they be spent</div> -<div class="line">In such world's help? The spirits bent</div> -<div class="line">Their awful brows, and said, 'Content!'</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -<div class="line">"Content! It sounded like Amen</div> -<div class="line">Said by a choir of mourning men;</div> -<div class="line">An affirmation full of pain</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -<div class="line">"And patience,--ay, of glorying.</div> -<div class="line">And adoration, as a king</div> -<div class="line">Might seal an oath for governing."--E. B. Browning</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">When Carlos stood once more face to face with his -sorrow--as he did as soon as he had closed the -door--he found that it had somewhat changed its -aspect. A trouble often does this when some interruption -from the outer world makes us part company with it for a little -while. We find on our return that it has developed quite a -new phase, and seldom a more hopeful one.</p> -<p class="pnext">It now entered the mind of Carlos, for the first time, that he -had been acting very basely towards his brother. Not only -had he planned and intended a treason, but by endeavouring -to engage the affections of Doña Beatriz, he had actually -committed one. Heaven grant it might not prove irreparable! -Though the time that had passed since his better self gained -the victory was only measured by hours, it represented to him -a much longer period. Already it enabled him to look upon -what had gone before from the vantage-ground that some -degree of distance gives. He now beheld in true, perhaps even -in exaggerated colours, the meanness and the treachery of his -conduct. He, who prided himself upon the nobility of his -nature matching that of his birth--he, Don Carlos Alvarez de -Santillanos y Meñaya, the gentleman of stainless manners, of -reputation untarnished by a single blot--he, who had never yet -been ashamed of anything,--in his solitude he blushed and -covered his face in shame, as the villany he had planned rose -up before his mind. It would have broken his heart to be -scorned by any man; and was it not worse a thousand-fold -to be thus scorned by himself! He thought even more of the -meanness of his plan than of its treachery. Of its sin he did -not think at all. Sin was a theological term which he had been -wont to handle in the schools, and to toss to and fro with the -other materials upon which he showed off his dialectic skill; -but it no more occurred to him to take it out of the scholastic -world and to bring it into that in which he really lived and -acted, than it did to talk Latin to Diego, or softly to whisper -quotations from Thomas Aquinas into the ear of Doña Beatriz -between the pauses of the dance.</p> -<p class="pnext">Scarcely any consideration, however, could have made him -more miserable than he was. Past and future--all alike seemed -dreary. Not a happy memory, not a cheering anticipation -could he find to comfort him. He was as one who goes forth -to face the driving storm of a wintry night: not strong in hope -and courage--a warm hearth behind him, and before him the -pleasant starry glimmer that tells of another soon to be -reached--but chilled, weary, forlorn, the wind whistling through thin -garments, and nothing to meet his eye but the bare, bleak, -shelterless moor stretching far out into the distance.</p> -<p class="pnext">He sat long, too crushed in heart even to finish his slight, -unimportant task. Sometimes he drew towards him the sheet -of figures, and for a moment or two tried to fix his attention -upon it; but soon he would push it away again, or make -aimless dots and circles on its margin. While thus engaged, he -heard a cheery and not unmelodious voice chanting a fragment -of song in some foreign tongue. Listening more attentively, -he believed the words were French, and supposed the singer -must be his humble guest, the muleteer, on his way to the -stable to take a last look at the beloved companions of his -toils before he lay down to rest. The man had probably -exercised his vocation at some former period in the passes -of the Pyrenees, and had thus acquired some knowledge of -French.</p> -<p class="pnext">Half an hour's talk with any one seemed to Carlos at that -moment a most desirable diversion from the gloom of his own -thoughts. He might converse with this stranger when he dared -not summon to his presence Diego or Dolores, because they -knew and loved him well enough to discover in two minutes -that something was seriously wrong with him. He waited until -he heard the voice once more close beneath his window; then -softly opening it, he called the muleteer. Juliano responded -with ready alertness; and Carlos, going round to the door, -admitted him, and led him into his sanctum.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I believe," he said, "that was a French song I heard you -sing. You have been in France, then?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ay, señor; I have crossed the Pyrenees more than once. -I have also been in Switzerland."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You must, then, have visited many places worthy of note; -and not with your eyes shut, I think. I wish you would tell -me, for pastime, the story of your travels."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Willingly, señor," said the muleteer, who, though perfectly -respectful, had an ease and independence of manner that made -Carlos suspect it was not the first time he had conversed with -his superiors. "Where shall I begin?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Have you ever crossed the Santillanos, or visited the -Asturias?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"No, señor. A man cannot be everywhere; 'he that rings -the bells does not walk in the procession.' I am only master -of the route from Lyons here; knowing a little also, as I have -said, of Switzerland."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Tell me first of Lyons, then. And be seated, my friend."</p> -<p class="pnext">The muleteer sat down, and began his story, telling of the -places he had seen with an intelligence that more and more -engaged the attention of Carlos, who failed not to draw out his -information by many pertinent questions. As they conversed, -each observed the other with gradually increasing interest. -Carlos admired the muleteer's courage and energy in the -prosecution of his calling, and enjoyed his quaint and shrewd -observations. Moreover, he was struck by certain indications -of a degree of education and even of refinement not usual in -his class. Especially he noticed the small, finely-formed hand, -which was sometimes in the warmth of conversation laid on the -table, and which looked as if it had been accustomed to wield -some implement far more delicate than a riding-whip. Another -thing he took note of. Though Juliano's language abounded -in proverbs, in provincialisms, in quaint and racy expressions, -not a single oath escaped his lips. "I never saw an arriero -before," thought Carlos, "who could get through two sentences -without half a dozen of them."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juliano, on the other hand, was observing his host, and with -a far shrewder and deeper insight than Carlos could have -imagined. During supper he had gathered from the servants that -their young master was kind-hearted, gentle, easy-tempered, and -had never injured any one in his life; and knowing all this, he -was touched with genuine sympathy for the young noble, whose -haggard face and sorrowful looks told but too plainly that some -great grief was pressing on his heart.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Your Excellency must be weary of my stories," he said at -length. "It is time I left you to your repose."</p> -<p class="pnext">And so indeed it was, for the hour was late.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ere you go," said Carlos kindly, "you shall drink a cup of -wine with me."</p> -<p class="pnext">He had no wine at hand but the costly beverage Dolores had -produced for his own especial use. Wondering a little what Juliano -would think of such a luxurious beverage, he sought a second cup, -for the proud Castilian gentleman was too "finely courteous" not -to drink with his guest, although that guest was only a muleteer.</p> -<p class="pnext">Juliano, evidently a temperate man, remonstrated: "But I -have already tasted your Excellency's hospitality."</p> -<p class="pnext">"That should not hinder your drinking to my good health," -said Carlos, producing a small hunting-cup, forgotten until now, -from the pocket of his doublet.</p> -<p class="pnext">Then filling the larger cup, he handed it to Juliano. It was -a very little thing, a trifling act of kindness. But to the last -hour of his life, Carlos Alvarez thanked God that he had put -it into his heart to offer that cup of wine.</p> -<p class="pnext">The muleteer raised it to his lips, saying earnestly, "God -grant you health and happiness, noble señor."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos drank also, glad to relieve a painful feeling of -exhaustion. As he set down the cup, a sudden impulse prompted -him to say, with a bitter smile, "Happiness is not likely to -come my way at present."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nay, señor, and wherefore not? With your good leave be -it spoken, you are young, noble, amiable, with much learning -and excellent parts, as they tell me."</p> -<p class="pnext">"All these things may not prevent a man being very -miserable," said Carlos frankly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"God comfort you, señor."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Thanks for the good wish," said Carlos, rather lightly, and -conscious of having already said too much. "All men have -their troubles, I suppose, but most men contrive to live through -them. So shall I, no doubt."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But God can comfort you," Juliano repeated with a kind of -wistful earnestness.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos, surprised at his manner, looked at him dreamily, but -with some curiosity.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Señor," said Juliano, leaning forward and speaking in a low -tone full of meaning. "Let your worship excuse a plain man's -plain question--Señor, <em class="italics">do you know God</em>?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos started visibly. Was the man mad? Certainly not; -as all his previous conversation bore witness. He was evidently -a very clever, half-educated man, who spoke with just the -simplicity and unconsciousness of an intelligent child. And -now he had asked a true child's question; one which it would -exhaust a wise man's wisdom to answer. Thoroughly perplexed, -Carlos at last determined to take it in its easiest sense. -He said, "Yes; I have studied theology, and taken out my -licentiate's degree at the University of Alcala."</p> -<p class="pnext">"If it please your worship, what may that fine word theology -mean?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"You have said so many wise things, that I marvel you know -not Science about God."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then, señor, your Excellency knows <em class="italics">about God</em>. But is it -not another thing <em class="italics">to know God</em>? I know much about the -Emperor Carlos, now at San Yuste; I could tell you the story -of all his campaigns. But I never saw him, still less spoke -with him. And far indeed am I from knowing him to be my -friend; and so trusting him that if my mules died, or the -Alguazils seized me at Cordova for bringing over something -contraband, or other mishap befell me, I should go or send to -him, certain that he would help and save me."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I begin to understand you," said Carlos; and a suspicion -crossed his mind that the muleteer was a friar in disguise. But -that could scarcely be, since his black abundant hair showed -no marks of the tonsure. "After the manner you speak of, -only great saints know God."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Indeed, señor! Can that be true? For I have heard that -our Lord Christ"--(at the mention of the name Carlos crossed -himself, a ceremony which the muleteer was so engrossed by -his argument as to forget)--"that our Lord Christ came into -the world to make men know the Father; and that, to all that -believe on him, he truly reveals him."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Where did you get this strange learning?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is simple learning; and yet very blessed, señor," returned -Juliano, evading the question. "For those who know God are -happy. Whatever sorrows they have without, within they have -joy and peace."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You are advising me to seek peace in religion?"</p> -<p class="pnext">It was singular certainly that a muleteer should advise <em class="italics">him</em>; -but then this was a very uncommon muleteer. "And so I -ought," he added, "since I am destined for the Church."</p> -<p class="pnext">"No, señor; not to seek peace in religion, but to seek peace -from God, and in Christ who reveals him."</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is only the words that differ, the things are the same."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Again I say, with all submission to your Excellency, not so. -It is Christ Jesus himself--Christ Jesus, God and man--who -alone can give the peace and happiness for which the heart -aches. Are we oppressed with sin? He says, 'Thy sins are -forgiven thee!' Are we hungry? He is bread. Thirsty? -He is living water. Weary? He says, 'Come unto me, all ye -that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest!'"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Man! who or what are you? You are quoting the Holy -Scriptures to me. Do you then read Latin?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"No, señor," said the muleteer humbly, casting his eyes down -to the ground.</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">No?</em>"</p> -<p class="pnext">"No, señor; in very truth. But--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Well? Go on!"</p> -<p class="pnext">Juliano looked up again, a steady light in his eyes. "Will -you promise, on the faith of a gentleman, not to betray me?" -he asked.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Most assuredly I will not betray you."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I trust you, señor. I do not believe it would be possible -for <em class="italics">you</em> to betray one who trusted you."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos winced, and rather shrank from the muleteer's look of -hearty, honest confidence.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Though I cannot guess your reason for such precautions," -he said, "I am willing, if you wish it, to swear secrecy upon the -holy crucifix."</p> -<p class="pnext">"It needs not, señor; your word of honour is as much as -your oath. Though I am putting my life in your hands when I -tell you that I have dared to read the words of my Lord Christ -in my own tongue."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Are you then a heretic?" Carlos exclaimed, recoiling -involuntarily, as one who suddenly sees the plague spot on the -forehead of a friend whose hand he has been grasping.</p> -<p class="pnext">"That depends upon your notion of a heretic, señor. Many -a better man than I has been branded with the name. Even -the great preacher Don Fray Constantino, whom all the fine -lords and ladies in Seville flock to hear, has often been called -heretic by his enemies."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have resided in Seville, and attended Fray Constantino's -theological lectures," said Carlos.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then your worship knows there is not a better Christian in -all the Spains. And yet men say that he narrowly escaped a -prosecution for heresy. But enough of what men say. Let us -hear what God says for once. His words cannot lead us -astray."</p> -<p class="pnext">"No; not the Holy Scriptures, properly expounded by -learned and orthodox doctors. But heretics put their own -construction upon the sacred text, which, moreover, they corrupt -and interpolate."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Señor, you are a scholar; you can consult the original, and -judge for yourself how far that charge is true."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But I do not want to read heretic writings."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nor I, señor. Yet I confess that I have read the words of -my Saviour in my own tongue, which some misinformed or -ignorant persons call heresy; and through them, to my soul's -joy, I have learned to know Him and the Father. I am bold -enough to wish the same knowledge yours, señor, that the same -joy may be yours also." The poor man's eye kindled, and his -features, otherwise homely enough, glowed with an enthusiasm -that lent them true spiritual beauty.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos was not unmoved. After a moment's pause he said, -"If I could procure what you style God's Word in my own -tongue, I do not say that I would refuse to read it. Should I -discover any heretical mistranslation or interpolation, I could -blot out the passage; or, if necessary, burn the book."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I can place in your hands this very hour the New Testament -of our Saviour Christ, lately translated into Castilian by -Juan Perez, a learned man, well acquainted with the Greek."</p> -<p class="pnext">"What! have you got it with you? In God's name bring it -then; and at least I will look at it."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Be it truly in God's name, señor," said Juliano, as he left -the room.</p> -<p class="pnext">During his absence Carlos pondered upon this singular -adventure. Throughout his lengthened conversation with him, he -had discerned no marks of heresy in the muleteer, except his -possession of the Spanish New Testament. And being very -proud of his dialectic acuteness, he thought he should certainly -have discovered such had they existed. "He had need to be -a clever heretic that would circumvent <em class="italics">me</em>," he said, with the -vanity of a young and successful scholar. Moreover, his ten -months' attendance on the lectures of Fray Constantino had, -unconsciously to himself, somewhat imbued his mind with -liberal ideas. He could have read the Vulgate at Alcala if he -had cared to do so (only he never had); where then could be -the harm of glancing, out of mere curiosity, at a Spanish -translation from the same original?</p> -<p class="pnext">He regarded the New Testament in the light of some very -dangerous, though effective, weapon of the explosive kind; -likely to overwhelm with terrible destruction the careless or -ignorant meddler with its intricacies, and therefore wisely -forbidden by the authorities; though in able and scientific hands, -such as his own, it might be harmless and even useful.</p> -<p class="pnext">But it was a very different matter for the poor man who -brought it to him. Was he, after all, a madman? Or was he -a heretic? Or was he a great saint or holy hermit in disguise? -But whatever his spiritual peril might or might not be, it was only -too evident that he was incurring temporal dangers of a very -awful kind. And perhaps he was doing so in the simplicity of -ignorance. Carlos could not do less than warn him of them.</p> -<p class="pnext">He soon returned; and drawing a small brown volume from -beneath his leathern jerkin, handed it to the young nobleman.</p> -<p class="pnext">"My friend," said Carlos kindly, as he took it from him, "do -you know what you dare by offering this to me, or even by -keeping it yourself?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I know it well, señor," was the calm reply; and the -muleteer's dark eye met his undauntedly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"You are playing a dangerous game. This time you are -safe. But take care. You may try it once too often."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I shall not, señor. I shall witness for my Lord just so -often as he permits. When he has no more need of me, he -will call me home."</p> -<p class="pnext">"God help you. I fear you are throwing yourself into the -fire. And for what?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"For the joy of bringing food to the perishing, water to the -thirsty, light to those that sit in darkness, rest to the weary and -heavy-laden. Señor, I have counted the cost, and I shall pay -the price right willingly."</p> -<p class="pnext">After a moment's silence he continued: "I leave within -your hands the treasure brought at such cost. But God alone, -by his Divine Spirit, can reveal to you its true worth. Señor, -seek that Spirit. Nay, be not offended. You are very noble -and very learned; and it is a poor and ignorant man who -speaks to you. But that poor man is risking his life for your -soul's salvation; and thus he proves, at least, how true his -desire to see you one day at the right hand of Christ, his King -and Master. Adiõs, señor."</p> -<p class="pnext">He bowed low; and before Carlos had sufficiently recovered -from his astonishment to say a word in answer, he had left the -room and closed the door behind him.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Strange being!" thought Carlos; "but I shall talk with -him again to-morrow." And ere he was aware, his eyelids were -wet; for the courage and self-sacrifice of the poor muleteer had -stirred some answering chord of emotion in his heart. Probably, -in spite of all appearances to the contrary, he was a madman; -or else he was a heretical fanatic. But he was a man willing to -brave numberless sufferings (of which a death of torture was the -last and least), to bring his fellow-men something which he -imagined would make them happy. "The Church has no -more orthodox son than I," said Don Carlos Alvarez; "but I -shall read his book for all that."</p> -<p class="pnext">Then, the hour being late, he retired to rest, and slept -soundly.</p> -<p class="pnext">He did not rise exactly with the sun, and when he came -forth from his chamber breakfast was already in preparation.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Where is the muleteer who was here last night?" he asked -Dolores.</p> -<p class="pnext">"He was up and away at sunrise," she answered. "Fortunately, -it is not my custom to stop in bed and see the sunshine; -so I just caught him loading his mules, and gave him a -piece of bread and cheese and a draught of wine. A smart -little man he is, and one who knows his business."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I wish I had seen him ere he left," said Carlos aloud. -"Shall I ever look upon his face again?" he added mentally.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos Alvarez saw that face again, not by the ray of sun or -moon, nor yet by the gleam of the student's lamp, but clear and -distinct in a lurid awful light more terrible than Egyptian -darkness, yet fraught with strange blessing, since it showed the way -to the city of God, where the sun no more goes down, neither -doth the moon withdraw herself.</p> -<p class="pnext">Juliano el Chico, otherwise Julian Hernandez, is no fancy -sketch, no "character of fiction." It is matter of history that, -cunningly stowed away in his alforjas, amongst the ribbons, -laces, and other trifles that formed their ostensible freight, there -was a large supply of Spanish New Testaments, of the translation -of Juan Perez. And that, in spite of all the difficulties and -dangers of his self-imposed task, he succeeded in conveying his -precious charge safely to Seville.</p> -<p class="pnext">Our cheeks grow pale, our hearts shudder, at the thought of -what he and others dared, that they might bring to the lips of -their countrymen that living water which was truly "the blood -of the men that went for it in jeopardy of their lives." More -than jeopardy. Not alone did Juliano brave danger, he -encountered certain death. Sooner or later, it was impossible -that he should not fall into the pitiless grasp of that hideous -engine of royal and priestly tyranny, called the Holy Inquisition.</p> -<p class="pnext">We have no words in which to praise such heroism as his. -We leave that--and we may be content to leave it--to Him -whose lips shall one day pronounce the sublime award, "Well -done, good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy -Lord." But in the view of such things done and suffered for -his name's sake, there is another thought that presses on the -mind. How real and great, nay, how unutterably precious, -must be that treasure which men were found willing, at such cost, -not only to secure for themselves, but even to impart to others.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="el-dorado-found">IX.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">El Dorado found</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"So, the All-Great were the all-loving too--</div> -<div class="line">So, through the thunder comes a human voice,</div> -<div class="line">Saying, O heart I made, a heart beats here!</div> -<div class="line">Face my hands fashioned, see it in myself!</div> -<div class="line">Thou hast no power, nor mayest conceive of mine;</div> -<div class="line">But love I gave thee with myself to love,</div> -<div class="line">And thou must love me who have died for thee!"--R. Browning</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Three silent months stole away in the old castle of -Nuera. No outward event affecting the fortunes of -its inmates marked their progress. And yet they -were by far the most important months Don Carlos had ever -seen, or perhaps would ever see. They witnessed a change in -him, mysterious in its progress but momentous in its results. -An influence passed over him, mighty as the wind in its azure -pathway, but, like it, visible only by its effects; no man could -tell "whence it cometh or whither it goeth."</p> -<p class="pnext">Again it was early morning, a bright Sunday morning in -September. Already Carlos stood prepared to go forth. He -had quite discarded his student's habit, and was dressed like -any other young nobleman, in a doublet and short cloak of -Genoa velvet, with a sword by his side. His Breviary was in -his hand, however, and he was on the point of taking up his -hat when Dolores entered the room, bearing a cup of wine and -a manchet of bread.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos shook his head, saying, "I intend to communicate. -And you, Dolores," he added, "are you not also going to hear -mass?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Surely, señor; we will all attend our duty. But there is -still time to spare; your worship sets us an example in the -matter of early rising."</p> -<p class="pnext">"It were shame to lose such fair hours as these. Prithee, -Dolores, and lest I forget, hast thou something savoury in the -house for dinner!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Glad I am to hear you ask, señor. Hitherto it has seemed -alike to jour Excellency whether they served you with a -pottage of lentils or a stew of partridges. But since Diego had -the good fortune to kill that buck on Wednesday, we are better -than well provided. Your worship shall dine on roast venison -to-day."</p> -<p class="pnext">"That will do. And if thou wouldst add some of the batter -ware, in which thou art so skilful, it would be better still; for I -intend to bring home a guest."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Now, the Saints help me, that is news! Without meaning -offence, your worship might have told me before. Any noble -caballero coming to these parts to visit you must needs have -bed as well as board found him. And how can I, in three -hours, more or less--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nay, be not alarmed, Dolores; no stranger is coming here. -Only I wish to bring the cura home to dinner."</p> -<p class="pnext">Even the self-restrained Dolores could not repress an -exclamation of surprise. For both the brothers had been -accustomed to regard the ignorant vulgar cura of the neighbouring -village with unmitigated dislike and contempt. In old times -Dolores herself had sometimes tried to induce them to show -him some trifling courtesies, "for their soul's health." They -were willing enough to send "that beggar"--as Don Juan used -to call him--presents of meat or game when they could, but -these they would not have grudged to their worst enemy. To -converse with him, or to seat him at their table, was a very -different matter. He was "no fit associate for noblemen," said -the boys; and Dolores, in her heart, agreed with them. She -looked at her young master to see whether he were jesting.</p> -<p class="pnext">"He likes a good dinner," Carlos added quietly. "Let us -for once give him one."</p> -<p class="pnext">"In good faith, Señor Don Carlos, I cannot tell what has -come to you. You must be about doing penance for your sins, -though I will say no young gentleman of your years has fewer -to answer for. Still, to please your whim, the cura shall eat the -best we have, though beans and bacon would be more fitting -fare for him."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Thank you, mother Dolores," said Carlos kindly. "In -truth, neither Don Juan nor I had ever whim yet you did not -strive to gratify."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And who would not do more than that for so pleasant -and kind a young master?" thought Dolores, as she withdrew to -superintend the cooking operations. "God's blessing and Our -Lady's rest on him, and in sooth I think they do. Three -months ago he came here looking like a corpse out of the -grave, and fitter, as it seemed to me, to don his shroud than -his priest's frock. But the free mountain air wherein he was -born is bringing back the red to his cheek and the light to his -eye, thank the holy Saints. Ah, if his lady mother could only -see her gallant sons now!"</p> -<p class="pnext">Meanwhile Don Carlos leisurely took his way down the hill. -Having abundance of time to spare, he chose a solitary, -devious path through the cork-trees and the pasture land -belonging to the castle. His heart was alive to every pleasant -sight and sound that met his eye and ear; although, or rather -because, a low, sweet song of thankfulness was all the while -chanting itself within him.</p> -<p class="pnext">During his solitary walk he distinctly realized for the first -time the stupendous change that had passed over him. For -such changes cannot be understood or measured until afterwards, -perhaps not always then. Drawing from his pocket -Juliano's little book, he clasped it in both hands. "<em class="italics">This</em>, God -be thanked, has done it all, under him. And yet, at first, it -added to my misery a hundred-fold." Then his mind ran back -to the dreary days of helpless, almost hopeless wretchedness, -when he first began its perusal. Much of it had then been -quite unintelligible to him; but what he understood had only -made his darkness darker still. He who had but just learned -from that stern teacher, Life, the meaning of sorrow, learned -from the pages of his book the awful significance of that other -word, Sin. Bitter hours, never to be remembered without a -shudder, were those that followed. Already prostrate on the -ground beneath the weight of his selfish sorrow for the love -that might never be his, cruel blows seemed rained upon him -by the very hand to which he turned to lift him up. "All was -his own fault," said conscience. But had conscience, -enlightened by his book, said no more, he could have borne it. It -was a different thing to recognize that all was his own sin--to -feel more keenly every day that the whole current of his -thoughts and affections was set in opposition to the will of God -as revealed in that book, and illustrated in the life of him of -whom it told.</p> -<p class="pnext">But this sickness of heart, deadly though it seemed, was not -unto death. The Word had indeed proved a mirror, in which -he saw his own face reflected with the lines and colours of -truth. But it had a farther use for him. As he did not fling it -away in despair, but still gazed on, at length he saw in its clear -depths another Face--a Face radiant with divine majesty, yet -beaming with tender love and pity. He whom the mirror thus -gave back to him had been "not far" from him all his life; had -been standing over against him, watching and waiting for the -moment in which to reveal himself. At last that moment -came. He looked up from the mirror to the real Face; from -the Word to him whom the Word revealed. He turned himself -and said unto him, "Rabboni, which is to say. My Master." He -laid his soul at his feet in love, in trust, in gratitude. And -he knew then, not until then, that this was the "coming" to him, -the "believing" on him, the receiving him, of which He spoke -as the condition of life, of pardon, and of happiness.</p> -<p class="pnext">From that hour he possessed life, he knew himself forgiven, -he was happy. This was no theory, but a fact--a fact which -changed all his present and was destined to change all his -future.</p> -<p class="pnext">He longed to impart the wonderful secret he had found. -This longing overcame his contempt for the cura, and made -him seek to win him by kindness to listen to words which -perhaps might open for him also the same wonderful fountain -of joy.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Now I am going to worship my Lord, afterwards I shall -speak of him," he said, as he crossed the threshold of the little -village church.</p> -<p class="pnext">In due season the service was over. Its ceremonies did not -pain or offend Carlos in any way; he took part in them with -much real devotion, as acts of homage paid to his Lord. Still, -if he had analyzed his feelings (which he did not), he would -have found them like those of a king's child, who is obliged, -on days of courtly ceremonial, to pay his father the same -distant homage as the other peers of the realm, and yet knows -that all this for him is but an idle show, and longs to throw -aside its cumbrous pomp, and to rejoice once more in the free -familiar intercourse which is his habit and his privilege. But -that the ceremonial itself could be otherwise than pleasing to -his King, he had not the most distant suspicion.</p> -<p class="pnext">He spoke kindly to the priest, and inquired by name after -all the sick folk in the village, though in fact he knew more -about them himself by this time than did Father Tomas.</p> -<p class="pnext">The cura's heart was glad when the catechism came to a -termination so satisfactory as an invitation to dine at the castle. -Whatever the fare might be--and his expectations were not -extravagantly high--it could scarce fail to be an improvement on -the olla of which he had intended to make his Sunday repast. -Moreover, one favour from the castle might be the earnest of -others; and favours from the castle, poor though its lords might -be, were not to be despised. Nor was he ill at ease in the -society of an accomplished gentleman, as a man just a little -better bred would probably have been. A wealthy peasant's -son, and with but scanty education, Father Tomas was so -hopelessly vulgar that he never once imagined he was vulgar at all.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos bore as patiently as he could with his coarse manners, -and conversation something worse than commonplace. Not -until the repast was concluded did he find an opportunity of -bringing forward the topic upon which he longed to speak. -Then, with more tact than his guest could appreciate, he began -by inquiring--as one himself intended for the priesthood might -naturally do--whether he could always keep his thoughts from -wandering while he was celebrating the holy mysteries of the -faith.</p> -<p class="pnext">Father Tomas crossed himself, and answered that he was a -sinner like other men, but that he tried to do his duty to our -holy Mother Church to the best of his ability.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos remarked, that unless we ourselves know the love of -God by experience we cannot love him, and that without love -there is no acceptable service.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Most true, señor," said the priest, turning his eyes upwards. -"As the holy St. Augustine saith. Your worship quotes from -him, I believe."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have quoted nothing," said Carlos, beginning to feel that -he was speaking to the deaf; "but I know the words of Christ." And -then he spoke, out of a full heart, of Christ's work for us, -of his love to us, and of the pardon and peace which those -receive that trust him.</p> -<p class="pnext">But his listener's stolid face betrayed no interest, only a -vague uneasiness, which increased as Carlos proceeded. The -poor parish cura began to suspect that the clever young -collegian meant to astonish and bewilder him by the exhibition of -his learning and his "new ideas." Indeed, he was not quite -sure whether his host was eloquently enlarging all the time -upon Catholic truths, or now and then mischievously throwing -out a few heretical propositions, in order to try whether he -would have skill enough to detect them. Naturally, he did not -greatly relish this style of entertainment. Nothing could be -got from him save a cautious, "That is true, señor," or, "Very -good, your worship;" and as soon as his notions of politeness -would permit, he took his leave.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos marvelled greatly at his dulness; but soon dismissed -him from his mind, and took his Testament out to read under -the shade of the cork-trees. Ere long the light began to fade, -but he sat there still in the fast deepening twilight. Thoughts -and fancies thronged upon his mind; and dreams of the past -sought, as even yet they often did, to reassert their supremacy -over his heart. One of those apparently unaccountable freaks -of memory, which we all know by experience, brought back to -him suddenly the luscious perfume of the orange-blossoms, -called by the Spaniards the azahar. Such fragrance had filled -the air, and such flowers had been strewed upon his pathway, -when last he walked with Donna Beatrix in the fairy gardens of -the Alcazar of Seville.</p> -<p class="pnext">Keen was the pang that shot through his heart at the -remembrance. But it was conquered soon. As he went in-doors -he repeated the words he had just been reading, "'He that -cometh unto me shall never hunger; he that believeth on -me shall never thirst.' And <em class="italics">this</em> hunger of the soul, as well -is every other, He can stay. Having him, I have all things.</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"El Dorado</div> -<div class="line">Yo hé trovado."</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Father, dear, unknown father, I have round the golden country. -Not in the sense thou didst fondly seek, and I as fondly dream -to find it. Yet the only true land of gold I have found indeed--the -treasure unfailing, the inheritance incorruptible, undented -and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for me."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="dolores">X.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Dolores</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Oh, hearts that break and give no sign,</div> -<div class="line">Save whitening lip and fading tresses;</div> -<div class="line">Till death pours out his cordial wine,</div> -<div class="line">Slow dropped from misery's crushing presses</div> -<div class="line">If singing breath or echoing chord</div> -<div class="line">To every hidden pang were given,</div> -<div class="line">What endless melodies were poured,</div> -<div class="line">As sad as earth, as sweet as heaven."--O. W. Holmes</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">A great modern poet has compared the soul of man -to a pilgrim who passes through the world staff in -hand, never resting, ever pressing onwards to some -point as yet unattained, ever sighing wearily, "Alas! that <em class="italics">there</em> -is never <em class="italics">here</em>." And with deep significance adds his Christian -commentator, "In Christ <em class="italics">there</em> is <em class="italics">here</em>."</p> -<p class="pnext">He who has found Christ "is already at the goal." "For -he stills our innermost fears, and fulfils our utmost longings." "In -him the dry land, the mirage of the desert, becomes living -water." "He who knows him knows the reason of all things." Passing -all along the ages, we might gather from the silent lips -of the dead such words as these, bearing emphatic witness to -what human hearts have found in him. Yet, after all, we -would come back to his own grand and simple words, as best -expressing the truth: "I am the bread of life;" "I will give -you rest;" "In me ye shall have peace."</p> -<p class="pnext">With the peace which he gave there came to Carlos a -strange new knowledge also. The Testament, from its first -page to its last, became intelligible to him. From a mere -sketch, partly dim and partly blurred and blotted, it grew into -a transparency through which light shone upon his soul, every -word being itself a star.</p> -<p class="pnext">He often read his book to Dolores, though he allowed her -to suppose it was Latin, and that he was improvising a translation -for her benefit. She would listen attentively, though with -a deeper shade of sadness on her melancholy face. Never did -she volunteer an observation, but she always thanked him at -the end in her usual respectful manner.</p> -<p class="pnext">These readings were, in fact, a trouble to Dolores. They -gave her pain, like the sharp throbs that accompany the first -return of consciousness to a frozen member, for they awakened -feelings that had long been dormant, and that she thought were -dead for ever. But, on the other hand, she was gratified by the -condescension of her young master in reading aloud for her -edification. She had gone through the world giving very -largely out of her own large loving heart, and expecting little -or nothing in return. She would most gladly have laid down -her life for Don Juan or Don Carlos; yet she did not imagine -that the old servant of the house could be to them much more -than one of the oak tables or the carved chairs. That "Señor -Don Carlos" should take thought for her, and trouble himself -to do her good, thrilled her with a sensation more like joy than -any she had known for years. Little do those whose cups are -so full of human love that they carry them carelessly, spilling -many a precious drop as they pass along, dream how others -cherish the few poor lees and remnants left to them.</p> -<p class="pnext">Moreover Carlos, in the eyes of Dolores, was half a priest -already, and this lent additional weight, and even sacredness, -to all that he said and did.</p> -<p class="pnext">One evening he had been reading to her, in the inner room, -by the light of the little silver lamp. He had just finished the -story of Lazarus, and he made some remark on the grateful -love of Mary, and the costly sacrifice by which she proved it. -Tears gathered in the dark wistful eyes of Dolores, and she -said with sudden and, for her, most unusual energy, "That was -small wonder. Any one would do as much for him that -brought the dear dead back from the grave."</p> -<p class="pnext">"He has done a greater thing than even that for each of us," -said Carlos.</p> -<p class="pnext">But Dolores withdrew into her ordinary self again, as some -timid creature might shrink into its shell from a touch. "I -thank your Excellency," she said, rising to withdraw, "and I -also make my acknowledgments to Our Lady, who has inspired -you with such true piety, suitable to your holy calling."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Stay a little, Dolores," said Carlos, as a sudden thought -occurred to him; "I marvel it has so seldom come into my -mind to ask you about my mother."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ay, señor. When you were both children, I used to -wonder that you and Don Juan, while you talked often together -of my lord your father, had scarce a thought at all of your lady -mother. Yet if she had lived <em class="italics">you</em> would have been her favourite, -señor."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And Juan my father's," said Carlos, not without a slight -pang of jealousy. "Was my noble father, then, more like -what my brother is?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes, señor; he was bold and brave. No offence to your -Excellency, for one you love I warrant me <em class="italics">you</em> could be brave -enough. But he loved his sword and his lance and his good -steed. Moreover, he loved travel and adventure greatly, and -never could bear to abide long in the same place."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Did he not make a voyage to the Indies in his youth?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"He did; and then he fought under the Emperor, both in -Italy, and in Africa against the Moors. Once His Imperial -Majesty sent him on some errand to Leon, and there he first -met my lady. Afterwards he crossed the mountains to our -home, and wooed and won her. He brought her, the fairest -young bride eyes could rest on, to Seville, where he had a -stately palace on the Alameda."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You must have grieved to leave your mountains for the -southern city."</p> -<p class="pnext">"No, señor, I did not grieve. Wherever your lady mother -dwelt was home to me. Besides, 'a great grief kills all the -rest.'"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then you had known sorrow before. I thought you lived -with our house from your childhood."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Not altogether; though my mother nursed yours, and we -slept in the same cradle, and as we grew older shared each -other's plays. At seven years old I went home to my father -and mother, who were honest, well-to-do people, like all my -forbears--good 'old Christians,' and noble--they could wear -their caps in the presence of His Catholic Majesty. They had -no girl but me, so they would fain have me ever in their sight. -For ten years and more I was the light of their eyes; and no -blither lass ever led the goats to the mountain in summer, or -spun wool and roasted chestnuts at the winter fire. But, the -year of the bad fever, both were stricken. Christmas morning, -with the bells for early mass ringing in my ears, I closed my -father's eyes; and three days afterwards, set the last kiss on my -mother's cold lips. Nigh upon five-and-twenty years ago,--but -it seems like yesterday. Folks say there are many good -things in the world, but I have known none so good as the -love of father and mother. Ay de mi, señor, <em class="italics">you</em> never knew -either."</p> -<p class="pnext">"When your parents died, did you return to my mother?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"For half a year I stayed with my brother. Though no -daughter ever shed truer tears over the grave of better parents, -I was not then quite broken-hearted. There was another love -to whisper hope, and to keep me from desolation. -He--Alphonso ('tis years and years since I uttered the name save in -my prayers) had gone to the war, telling me he would come -back and claim me for his bride. So I watched for him hour by -hour, and toiled and spun, and spun and toiled, that I might -not go home to him empty-handed. But at last a lad from our -parish, who had been a comrade of his, returned and told me -all. <em class="italics">He</em> was lying on the bloody field of Marignano, with a -French bullet in his heart. Señor, the sisters you read of could -'go to the grave and weep there.' And yet the Lord pitied -them."</p> -<p class="pnext">"He pities all who weep," said Carlos.</p> -<p class="pnext">"All good Christians, he may. But though an old Christian, -I was not a good one. For I thought it bitter hard that my -candle should be quenched in a moment, like a wax taper when -the procession is done. And it came often into my mind how -the Almighty, or Our Lady, or the Saints, could have helped -me if they would. May they forgive me; it is hard to be -religious."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I do not think so."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I suppose it is not hard to learned gentlemen who have -been at the colleges. But how can simple men and women tell -whether they are keeping all the commandments of God and -Holy Church? It well may be that I had done something, or -left something undone, whereby Our Lady was displeased."</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is not Our Lady, but our Lord himself, who holds the -keys of hell and of death," said Carlos, gaining at the moment -a new truth for his own heart. "None enter the gates of death, -as none shall come forth through them, save at his command. -But go on, Dolores, and tell me how did comfort come to you?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Comfort never came to me, señor. But after a time there -came a kind of numbness and hardness that helped me to live -my life as if I cared for it. And your lady mother (God rest -her soul!) showed me wondrous kindness in my sorrow. It -was then she took me to be her own maiden. She had me -taught many things, such as reading and various cunning kinds -of embroidery, that I might serve her with them, she said; but -I well knew they were meant to turn my heart away from its -own aching. I went with her to Seville. I could be glad for -her, señor, that God had given her the good thing he had denied -to me. At last it came to be almost like joy to me to see the -great deep love there was between your father and her."</p> -<p class="pnext">This was a degree of unselfishness beyond the comprehension -of Carlos just then. He felt his own wound throb painfully, -and was not sorry to turn the conversation. "Did my parents -reside long in Seville?" he asked.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Not long, señor. Their life there was a gay one, as became -their rank and wealth (for, as your worship knows, your father had -a noble estate then). But soon they both grew tired of the gay -world. My lady ever loved the free mountains, and my lord--I -scarce can tell what change passed over him. He lost his -care for the tourney and the dance, and betook himself instead -to study. Both were glad to withdraw to this quiet spot. Here -your brother Don Juan was born; and for nigh a year after -wards no lord and lady could have led a happier and, at the same -time, more pious and orderly life, than did your noble parents."</p> -<p class="pnext">The thoughtful eye of Carlos turned to the inscription on -the window, and kindled with a strange light. "Was not this -room my father's favourite place of study?" he asked.</p> -<p class="pnext">"It was, señor. Of course, the house was not then as it now -is. Though simple enough, after the Seville palace with its -fountains and marble statues, and doors grated with golden net -work, it was still a seemly dwelling-place for a noble lord and -lady. There was glass in all the windows then, though through -neglect and carelessness it has been broken (even your worship -nay remember how Don Juan sent an arrow through a quarrel -pane in the west window one day), so we thought it best to -remove the traces."</p> -<p class="pnext">"My parents led a pious life, you say?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Truly they did, señor. They were good and charitable to -the poor; and they spent much of their time reading holy books, -as you do now. Ay de mi! what was wrong with them I know -not, save that perhaps they were scarce careful enough to give -Holy Church all her dues. And I used sometimes to wish that -my lady would show more devotion to the blessed Mother of -God. But she <em class="italics">felt</em> it all, no doubt; only it was not her way, nor -my lord's either, to be for ever running about on pilgrimage or -offering wax candles, nor yet to keep the father confessor every -instant with his ear to their lips."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos started, and turned an earnest inquiring gaze upon -her. "Did my mother ever read to you as I have done?" he -asked.</p> -<p class="pnext">"She sometimes read me good words out of the Breviary, -señor. All thing went on thus, until one day when a letter came -from the Emperor himself (as I believe), desiring your father to -go to him, to Antwerp. The matter was to be kept very private, -but my lady used to tell me everything. My lord thought he -was to be sent on some secret mission where skill was needed, -and perchance peril was to be met. For it was well known -that he loved such affairs, and was dexterous in the management -of them. So he parted cheerily from my lady, she standing -at the gate yonder, and making little Don Juan kiss hands -to him as he rode down the path. Woe for the poor babe, that -never saw his father's face again! And worse woe for the -mother! But death heals all things, except sin.</p> -<p class="pnext">"After three weeks or a month, more or less, two monks of -St. Dominic rode to the gates one day. The younger stayed -without in the hall with us; while the elder, a man of stern and -stately presence, had private audience of my lady in this -chamber where we sit now--a place of death it has seemed to -me ever since. For the audience had not lasted long until I -heard a cry--such a cry!--it rings in nay ears even now. I -hastened to my lady. She had swooned--and long, long was -it before sense returned again. Do not keep looking at me, -señor, with eyes so like hers, or I cannot tell you more."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Did she speak? Did she reveal anything to you?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">Nothing</em>, señor. During the days that followed, only things -without meaning or connection, such as those in fever speak, -or broken words of prayer, were on her lips. Until the very -last, and then she was worn and weak, and could but receive -the rites of the Church, and whisper a few directions about the -poor babes. She bade us give you the name you bear, since -he had said that his next boy should be called for the great -Emperor. Then she prayed very earnestly, 'Lord, take him -Thyself--take him Thyself!' Doctor Marco, who was present, -thought she meant the poor little new-born babe--supposing, -and no wonder, that it would be better tended in heaven by -Our Lady and the angels, than here on earth. But I know it -was not you she thought of."</p> -<p class="pnext">"My poor mother--God rest her soul! Nay, I doubt not -that now she rests in God," Carlos added, softly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"And so the curse fell on your house, señor; and in such -sorrow were you born. Yet you grew up merry lads, you and -Don Juan."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Thanks to thy care and kindness, well-beloved and faithful -nurse. But, Dolores, tell me truly--have you never heard -anything further of, or from, my father?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"From him, never. Of him, that I believed, <em class="italics">never</em>."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And what do you believe?" Carlos asked, eagerly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I know nothing, señor. I have heard all that your worship -has heard, and no more."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Do you think it is true--what we have all been told--of his -death in the Indies?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I know nothing, señor," Dolores repeated, with the air of a -person determined to <em class="italics">say</em> nothing.</p> -<p class="pnext">But Carlos would not allow her to escape thus. Both had -gone too far to leave the subject without probing it to its -depths. And both felt instinctively that it was not likely again -to be discussed between them. Laying his hand on her arm, -and looking steadily in her face, he asked,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"Dolores, are you sure my father is dead?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Seemingly relieved by the form the question had taken, she -met his gaze without flinching, and answered in tones of evident -sincerity, "Sure as that I sit here--so help me God." After a -long pause she added, as she rose to go, "Señor Don Carlos, -be not offended if I counsel you this once, since I held you a -babe in my arms, and you will find none that loves you -better--if a poor old woman may say so to a young and noble -caballero."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Say all you think to me, my dear and kind nurse."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then, señor, I say, leave vain thoughts and questions -about your father's fate. 'There are no birds in last year's -nests;' and 'Water that has run by will turn no mill.' And I -entreat of you to repeat the same to your noble brother when -you find opportunity. Look before you, señor, and not behind; -and God's best blessings rest on you!"</p> -<p class="pnext">Dolores turned to go, but turning back again, stood -irresolute.</p> -<p class="pnext">"What is it, Dolores?" Carlos asked; hoping, perhaps, for -some further glimmer of light upon that dark past, from which -she implored him to turn his thoughts.</p> -<p class="pnext">"If it please you, Señor Don Carlos--" and she paused and -hesitated.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Can I do anything for you?" said Carlos, in a kind, -encouraging tone.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ay, señor, that you can. With your learning and your -good Book, surely you can tell me whether the soul of my poor -Alphonso, dead on the battle-field without shrift or sacrament, -has yet found rest with God?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Thus the tree woman's heart, though so full of sympathy for -others, still turned back to its own sorrow, which lay deepest -of all.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos felt himself unexpectedly involved in a difficulty. "My -book tells me nothing on the subject," he said, after some -thought. "But I am sure you may be comforted, after all these -years, during which you have diligently prayed, and sought the -Church's prayers for him."</p> -<p class="pnext">The long eager gaze of her wistful eyes asked mournfully, -"Is this <em class="italics">all</em> you can tell me?" But her lips only said, "I thank -your Excellency," as she withdrew.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="the-light-enjoyed">XI.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">The Light Enjoyed.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Doubt is slow to clear and sorrow is hard to bear,</div> -<div class="line">And each sufferer has his say, his scheme of the weal and the woe;</div> -<div class="line">But God has a few of us whom he whispers in the ear;</div> -<div class="line">The rest may reason and welcome, 'tis we musicians <em class="italics">know</em>."--R. Browning</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Bewildering were the trains of thought which the -conversation just narrated awakened in the mind of -Carlos. On the one hand, a gleam of light was shed -upon his father's career, suggesting a possible interpretation of -the inscription on the window, that thrilled his heart with joy. -On the other, the termination of that career was involved in -even deeper obscurity than before; and he was made to feel, -more keenly than ever, how childish and unreal were the dreams -which he and his brother had been wont to cherish upon the -subject.</p> -<p class="pnext">Moreover, Dolores, just before she left him, had drawn a bow -at a venture, and most unintentionally sent a sharp arrow -through a joint in his harness. Why could he find no answer -to a question so simple and natural as the one she had asked -him? Why did the Book, which had solved so many mysteries -for him, shed not a ray of light upon this one? Whence this -ominous silence of the apostles and evangelists upon so many -things that the Church most loudly proclaimed? Where, in his -Book, was purgatory to be found at all? Where was the -adoration of the Virgin and the saints? Where were works of -supererogation? But here he started in horror, as one who suddenly -saw himself on the brink of a precipice. Or rather, as one -dwelling secure and contented within a little circle of light and -warmth, to whom such questions came as intimations of a chaos -surrounding it on every side, into which a chance step might -at any moment plunge him.</p> -<p class="pnext">Most earnestly he entreated that the Lord of his life, the -Guide of his spirit, would not let him go forth to wander there. -He prayed, expressly and repeatedly, that the doubts which -began to trouble him might be laid and silenced. His prayer -was answered, as all true prayer is sure to be, but it was not -granted. He whose love is strong and deep enough to work -out its good purpose in us even against the pleadings of -our own hearts, saw that his child must needs pass through -"a land of darkness" to reach the clearer light beyond. -Conflicts fierce and terrible must be his portion, if indeed he were -to take his place amongst those "called and chosen and -faithful" ones who, having stood beside the Lamb in his contest -with Antichrist, shall stand beside him on the sea of glass -mingled with fire.</p> -<p class="pnext">Already Carlos was in training for that contest--though as -yet he knew not that there was any contest before him, save the -general "striving against sin" in which all Christians have to -take part. For the joy of the Lord is the Christian's strength -in the day of battle. And he usually prepares those faithful -soldiers whom he means to set in the forefront of the hottest -battle, by previously bestowing that joy upon them in very full -measure. He who is willing to "sell all that he hath," must -first have found a treasure, and what "the joy thereof" is none -else may declare.</p> -<p class="pnext">In this joy Carlos lived now; and it was as yet too fresh and -new to be greatly disturbed by haunting doubts or perplexing -questions. These, for the present, came and passed like a -breath upon a surface of molten gold, scarcely dimming its -lustre for a moment.</p> -<p class="pnext">It had become his great wish to receive Orders as soon as -possible, that he might consecrate himself more entirely to the -service of his Lord, and spread abroad the knowledge of his -love more widely. With this view, he determined on returning -to Seville early in October.</p> -<p class="pnext">He left Nuera with regret, especially on account of Dolores, -who had taken a new place in his consideration, and even in -his affections, since he had begun to read to her from his Book. -And, though usually very calm and impassive in manner, she -could scarcely refrain from tears at the parting. She entreated -him, with almost passionate earnestness, to be very prudent and -careful of himself in the great city.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos, who saw no special danger likely to menace him, save -such as might arise from his own heart, felt tempted to smile -at her foreboding tone, and asked her what she feared for him.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Oh, Señor Don Carlos," she pleaded, with clasped hands, -"for the love of God, take care; and do not be reading and -telling your good words to every one you meet. For the world -is an ill place, your worship, where good is ofttimes evil-spoken -of."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Never fear for me," returned Carlos, with his frank, -pleasant smile. "I have found nothing in my Book but the most -Catholic verities, which will be useful to all and hurtful to none. -But of course I shall be prudent, and take due care of my -words, lest by any extraordinary chance they might be -misinterpreted. So that you may keep your mind at peace, dear -Mother Dolores."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">b.. <span class="target" id="the-light-divided-from-the-darkness">The Light Divided from the Darkness</span>:</p> -<p class="center large pnext">XII.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">The Light Divided from the Darkness.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"I felt and feel, whate'er befalls,</div> -<div class="line">The footsteps of thy life in mine."--Tennyson</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">In the glorious autumn weather, Don Carlos rode -joyfully through cork and chestnut groves, across bare -brown plains, and amidst gardens of pale olives and -golden orange globes shining through dark glossy leaves. He -had long ago sent back to Seville the guard with which his -uncle had furnished him, so that his only companion was a -country youth, trained by Diego to act as his servant. But -although he passed through the very district afterwards -immortalized by the adventures of the renowned Don Quixote, -no adventure fell to his lot. Unless it may count for an -adventure that near the termination of his journey the weather -suddenly changed, and torrents of rain, accompanied by -unusual cold, drove him to seek shelter.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ride on quickly, Jorge," he said to his attendant, "for I -remember there is a venta[#] by the roadside not far off. A -poor place truly, where we are little likely to find a supper. -But we shall find a roof to shelter us and fire to warm us, and -these at present are our most pressing needs."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] An inn.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">Arrived at the venta, they were surprised to see the lazy -landlord so far stirred out of his usual apathy as to busy -himself in trying to secure the fastening of the outer door, that -it might not swing backwards and forwards in the wind, to -the great discomfort of all within the house. The proud -indifferent Spaniard looked calmly up from his task, and -remarked that he would do all in his power to accommodate -his worship. "But unfortunately, señor and your Excellency, -a <em class="italics">very</em> great and principal nobleman has just arrived here, with -a most distinguished train of fine caballeros--his lordship's -gentlemen and servants; and kitchen, hall, and chamber are as -full of them as a hive is full of bees."</p> -<p class="pnext">This was evil news to Carlos. Proud, sensitive, and shy, -there could be nothing more foreign to his character than to -throw himself into the society of a person who, though really -only his equal in rank, was so much his superior in all that -lends rank its charm in the eyes of the vulgar. "We had -better push on to Ecija," said he to his reluctant attendant, -bravely turning his face to the storm, and making up his mind -to ten miles more in drenching rain.</p> -<p class="pnext">At that moment, however, a tall figure emerged from the -inner door, opening into the long room behind the stable and -kitchen, that formed the only tolerable accommodation the -one-storied venta afforded.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Surely, señor, you do not intend to go further in this -storm," said the nobleman, whose fine thoughtful countenance -Carlos could not but fancy that he had seen before.</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is not far to Ecija, señor," returned Carlos, bowing. -"And 'First come first served,' is an excellent proverb."</p> -<p class="pnext">"The first-comer has certainly one privilege which I am not -disposed to waive--that of hospitably welcoming the second. -Do me the favour to come in, señor. You will find an -excellent fire."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos could not decline an invitation so courteously given. -He was soon seated by the wood fire that blazed on the hearth -of the inner room, exchanging compliments, in true Spanish -fashion, with the nobleman who had welcomed him so kindly.</p> -<p class="pnext">Though no one could doubt for an instant the stranger's -possession of the pure "sangre azul,"[#] yet his manners were -more frank and easy and less ceremonious than those to which -Carlos had been accustomed in the exclusive and privileged -class of Seville society---a fact accounted for by the discovery, -afterwards made, that he was born and educated in Italy.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] "Blue blood"</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">"I have the pleasure of recognizing Don Carlos Alvarez de -Santillanos y Meñaya," said he. "I hope the babe about whom -his worship showed such amiable anxiety recovered from its -indisposition?"</p> -<p class="pnext">This then was the personage whom Carlos had seen in such -close conversation with the physician Losada. The -association of ideas immediately brought back the mysterious -remark about his father he had overheard on that occasion. -Putting that aside, however, for the present, he answered, -"Perfectly, I thank your grace. We attribute the recovery -mainly to the skill and care of the excellent Dr. Cristobal -Losada."</p> -<p class="pnext">"A gentleman whose medical skill cannot be praised too -highly, except, indeed, it were exalted at the expense of his other -excellent qualities, and particularly his charity to the poor."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos heartily acquiesced, and added some instances of the -physician's kindness to those who could not recompense him -again. They were new to his companion, who listened with -interest.</p> -<p class="pnext">During this conversation supper was laid. As the principal -guest had brought his own provisions with him, it was a -comfortable and plentiful repast. Carlos, ere he sat down, left the -room to re-arrange his dress, and found opportunity to ask the -innkeeper if he knew the noble stranger's name.</p> -<p class="pnext">"His Excellency is a great noble from Castile," returned -mine host, with an air of much importance. "His name, as I -am informed, is Don Carlos de Seso; and his illustrious lady, -Doña Isabella, is of the blood royal."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Where does he reside?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"His gentlemen tell me, principally at one of his fine estates -in the north, Villamediana they call it. He is also corregidor[#] -of Toro. He has been visiting Seville upon business of -importance, and is now returning home."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] Mayor</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">Pleased to be the guest of such a man (for in fact he was his -guest), Carlos took his seat at the table, and thoroughly -enjoyed the meal. An hour's intercourse with a man who had -read and travelled much, but had thought much more, was a -rare treat to him. Moreover, De Seso showed him all that -fine courtesy which a youth so highly appreciates from a senior, -giving careful attention to every observation he hazarded, and -manifestly bringing the best of his powers to bear on his own -share of the conversation.</p> -<p class="pnext">He spoke of Fray Constantino's preaching, with an enthusiasm -that made Carlos regret that he had been hitherto such an -inattentive hearer. "Have you seen a little treatise by the Fray, -entitled 'The Confession of a Sinner'?" he asked.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos having answered in the negative, his new friend drew -a tract from the pocket of his doublet, and gave it to him to -read while he wrote a letter.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos, after the manner of eager, rapid readers, plunged at -once into the heart of the matter, disdaining beginnings.</p> -<p class="pnext">Almost the first words upon which his eyes fell arrested his -attention and drew him irresistibly onwards. "Such has been -the pride of man," he read, "that he aimed at being God; but -so great was thy compassion towards him in his fallen state, -that thou abasedst thyself to become not only of the rank of -men, but a true man, and the least of men, taking upon thee -the form of a servant, that thou mightest set me at liberty, and -that by means of thy grace, wisdom, and righteousness, man -might obtain more than he had lost by his ignorance and -pride.... Wast thou not chastised for the iniquity of others? -Has not thy blood sufficient virtue to wash out the sins of all -the human race? Are not thy treasures more able to enrich -me than all the debt of Adam to impoverish me? Lord, -although I had been the only person alive, or the only sinner -in the world, thou wouldst not have failed to die for me. O -my Saviour, I would say, and say it with truth, that I individually -stand in need of those blessings which thou hast given to -all. What though the guilt of all had been mine? thy death is -all mine. Even though I had committed all the sins of all, yet -would I continue to trust thee, and to assure myself that thy -sacrifice and pardon is all mine, though it belong to all."</p> -<p class="pnext">So far he read in silence, then the tract fell from his hand, -and an involuntary exclamation broke from his lips--"Passing -strange!"</p> -<p class="pnext">De Seso paused, pen in hand, and looked up surprised. -"What find you 'passing strange,' señor?" he asked.</p> -<p class="pnext">"That he--that Fray Constantino should have felt precisely -what--what he describes here."</p> -<p class="pnext">"That such a holy man should feel so deeply his own utter -sinfulness? But you are doubtless aware that the holiest saints -in all ages have shared this experience. St. Augustine, for -instance, with whose writings so ripe a theological scholar is -doubtless well acquainted."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Such," returned Carlos, "are not worse than others; but -they know what they are as others do not."</p> -<p class="pnext">"True. Tried by the standard of God's perfect law, the -purest life must appear a miserable failure. We may call the -marble of our churches and dwellings white, until we see God's -snow, pure and fresh from heaven, upon it."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ay, señor," said Carlos, wild joyful eagerness; "but the -Hand that points out the stains can cleanse them. No snow -is half so pure as the linen clean and white which is the -righteousness of saints."</p> -<p class="pnext">It was De Seso's turn to be astonished now. In the look -that, half leaning over the table, he bent upon the eager face of -Carlos, surprise and emotion blended. For a moment their -eyes met with a flash, like that which flint strikes from steel, of -mutual intelligence and sympathy. But it passed again as -quickly. De Seso said, "I suspect that I see in you, Señor Don -Carlos, one of those admirable scholars who have devoted their -talents to the study of that sacred language in which the words -of the holy apostles are handed down to us. You are a Grecian?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos shook his head. "Greek is but little studied at -Complutum now," he said, "and I confined myself to the usual -theological course."</p> -<p class="pnext">"In which, I have heard, your success has been brilliant. -But it is a sore disgrace to us, and a heavy loss to the youth of -our nation, that the language of St. John and St. Paul should -be deemed unworthy of their attention."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Your Excellency is aware that it was otherwise in former -years," returned Carlos. "Perhaps the present neglect is owing -to the suspicion of heresy which, truly or falsely, has attached -itself to most of the accomplished Greek scholars of our time."</p> -<p class="pnext">"A miserable misapprehension; the growth of monkish -ignorance and envy, and popular superstition. Heresy is a -convenient stigma with which men ofttimes brand as evil the good -they are incapable of comprehending."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Most true, señor. Even Fray Constantino has not escaped."</p> -<p class="pnext">"His crime has been, that he has sought to turn the minds -of men from outward acts and ceremonies to the great spiritual -truths of which these are the symbols. To the vulgar, Religion -is nothing but a series of shows and postures."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes," answered Carlos; "but the heart that loves God, -and truly believes in our Lord and Saviour, is taught to put -such in their proper place. 'These ought ye to have done, -and not to leave the other undone.'"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Señor Don Carlos," said De Seso, with surprise he could -no longer suppress, "you are evidently a devout and earnest -student of the Scriptures."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I search the Scriptures; in them I think I have eternal life. -And they testify of Christ," promptly responded the less cautious -youth.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I perceive that you do not quote the Vulgate."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos smiled. "No, señor. To a man of your enlightened -views I am not afraid to acknowledge the truth. I have seen--nay, -why should I hesitate?--I possess a rare treasure--the -New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in our -own noble Castilian tongue."</p> -<p class="pnext">Even through the calm and dignified deportment of his -companion Carlos could perceive the thrill that this communication -caused. There was a pause; then he said softly, "And your -treasure is also mine." The low quiet words came from even -greater depths of feeling than the eager tremulous tones of Carlos. -For <em class="italics">his</em> convictions, slowly reached and dearly purchased, were -"built below" the region of the soul that passions agitate,--</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Based on the crystalline sea</div> -<div class="line">Of thought and its eternity."</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">The heart of Carlos glowed with sudden ardent love towards -the man who shared his treasure, and, he doubted not, his faith -also. He could joyfully have embraced him on the spot. But -the force of habit and the sensitive reserve of his character -checked this impetuous demonstrativeness. He only said, -with a look that was worth an embrace, "I knew it. Your -Excellency spoke as one who held our Lord and his truth in -honour."</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">Ella es pues honor a vosotros que creeis.</em>"[#]</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] "Unto you who believes he is precious," or "an honour."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">It would have been hard to begin a verse that Carlos could -not at this time have instantly completed. He went on: "<em class="italics">Mas -para los que no creen, la piedra que los edificatores reprobaron</em>."[#]</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] "But unto them that believe not, the stone that the builders reject."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">"A sorrowful truth," said De Seso, "which my young friend -must needs bear in mind. His Word, like himself, is rejected -by the many. Its very mention may expose to obloquy and -danger."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Only another instance, señor, of those lamentable prejudices -about heresy about which we spoke anon. I am aware that -there are those that would brand me (<em class="italics">me</em>, a scholar too!) with -the odious name of heretic, merely for reading God's Word in -my own tongue. But how utterly absurd the charge! The -blessed Book has but confirmed my faith in all the doctrines of -our holy Mother Church."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Has it?" said De Seso, quietly, perhaps a little drily.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Most assuredly, señor," Carlos rejoined, with warmth. "In -fact I never understood, or, I may say, truly believed those holy -verities until now. Beginning with the Credo itself, and the -orthodox Catholic faith in our Lord's divinity and atonement."</p> -<p class="pnext">Here their conversation was interrupted by the entrance of the -attendants, who removed supper, replenished the lamp, and -heaped fresh chestnut logs on the fire. But as soon as the -room was cleared they returned eagerly to subjects so -interesting to both.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Our salvation rests," said De Seso, "upon the great cardinal -truths you have named. By the faith which receives into your -heart the atonement of Christ as a work done for you, you are -justified."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am forgiven, and I shall be justified."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Pardon me, señor; Scripture teaches that your justification -is already complete. Therefore, <em class="italics">being justified by faith</em>, we have -peace with God."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But that cannot surely be the apostle's meaning," said -Carlos. "Ay de mi! I know too well that I am not yet -completely justified. Far from it; evil thoughts throng my heart; -and not with heart alone, but with lips, eyes, hands, I transgress -daily."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yet, you see, peace can only be consequent on justification. -And peace you have."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos looked perplexed. Misled by the teaching of his -Church, he confused justification with sanctification; -consequently he could not legitimately enjoy the peace that ought -to flow from the one as a complete and finished work, because -the other necessarily remained imperfect.</p> -<p class="pnext">De Seso explained that the word justify is never used in -Scripture in its derivative sense, to <em class="italics">make</em> righteous; but always -in its common and universally accepted sense, to <em class="italics">account</em> or -<em class="italics">declare</em> righteous. Quite easily and naturally he glided into the -teacher's place, whilst Carlos gladly took that of the learner; -not, indeed, without astonishment at the layman's skill in -divinity, but with too intense an interest in what he said to -waste much thought upon his manner of saying it.</p> -<p class="pnext">Hitherto he had been like an unlearned man, who, without -guide or companion, explores the trackless shores of a -newly-discovered land. Should such an one meet in his course a -scientific explorer, who has mapped and named every mountain, -rock, and bay, who has traced out the coast-line, and can -tell what lies beyond the white hills in the distance, it is easy -to understand the eagerness with which he would listen to his -narrative, and the intentness with which he would bend over the -chart in which the scene of his own journeyings lies portrayed.</p> -<p class="pnext">Thus De Seso not only taught Carlos the true meaning of -Scripture terms, and the connection of Scripture truths with -each other; he also made clear to him the facts of his own -experience, and gave names to them for him.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I think I understand now," said Carlos after a lengthened -conversation, in which, moving from point to point, he had -suggested many doubts and not a few objections, and these in turn -had been taken up and answered by his friend. "God be -thanked, there is no more condemnation, no more punishment -for us. Nothing, either in act or suffering, can be added to the -work of Christ, which is complete."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ay, now you have grasped the truth which is the source of -our joy and strength."</p> -<p class="pnext">"It must then be our sanctification which suffering promotes, -both in this life and in purgatory."</p> -<p class="pnext">"All God's dealings with us in this life are meant to promote -our sanctification. Joy may do it, by his grace, as well as sorrow. -It is written, not alone, 'He humbled thee and suffered thee to -hunger,' but also, 'He fed thee with manna, to teach the secret -of life in him, from him, and by him.'"</p> -<p class="pnext">"But suffering is purifying--like fire."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Not in itself. Criminals released from the galleys usually -come forth hardened in their crimes by the lash and the oar."</p> -<p class="pnext">Having said this, De Seso rose and extinguished the expiring -lamp, while Carlos remained thoughtfully gazing into the fire. -"Señor," he said, after a long pause, during which the stream -of thought ran continuously underground, to reappear -consequently in an unexpected place--"Señor, do you think God's -Word, which solves so many mysteries, can answer every -question for us?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Scarcely. Some questions we may ask, of which the -answers, in our present state, would be beyond our -comprehension. And others may indeed be answered there, but we -may miss the answers, because through weakness of faith we -are not yet able to receive them."</p> -<p class="pnext">"For instance?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I had rather not name an instance--at present," said De -Seso, and Carlos thought his face had a sorrowful look as he -gazed at it in the firelight.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I would not willingly miss anything my Lord meant to -teach. I desire to know all his will, and to follow it," Carlos -rejoined earnestly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"It may be that you know not what you desire. Still, name -any question you wish; and I will tell you freely whether in my -judgment God's Word contains an answer."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos stated the difficulty suggested by the inquiry of -Dolores. Who can tell the exact moment when his bark -leaves the gently-flowing river for the great deep ocean? That -of Carlos, on the instant when he put this question, was met by -the first wave of the mighty sea upon which he was to be tossed -by many a storm. But he did not know it.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I agree with you as to the silence of God's Word about -purgatory," returned his friend; and for some time both gazed -into the fire without speaking.</p> -<p class="pnext">"This and similar discoveries have sometimes given me, -I own, a feeling of blank disappointment, and even of terror," -said Carlos at length. For with him it was one of those rare -hours in which a man can bear to translate into words the -"dark misgivings" of the soul, usually unacknowledged even -to himself.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I cannot say," was the answer, "that the thought of passing -through the gate of death into the immediate presence of -my glorified Lord affects me with 'blank disappointment' or -'terror.'"</p> -<p class="pnext">"How?--What do you say?" cried Carlos, starting visibly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"'Absent from the body, present with the Lord.' 'To depart -and to be with Christ is far better.'"</p> -<p class="pnext">"But it was San Pablo, the great apostle and martyr, who -said that. For us,--we have the Church's teaching," Carlos -rejoined in quick, anxious tones.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nevertheless, I venture to think that, in the face of all you -have learned from God's Word, you will find it a task -somewhat of the hardest to prove purgatory."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Not at all," said Carlos; and immediately he bounded into -the arena of controversy, laid his lance in rest, and began an -animated tilting-match with his new friend, who was willing (of -course, thought Carlos, for argument's sake alone, and as an -intellectual exercise) to personate a Lutheran antagonist.</p> -<p class="pnext">But not a few doughty champions have met the stern reality -of a bloody death in the mimic warfare of the tilting-field. At -every turn Carlos found himself answered, baffled, confounded. -Yet, how could he, how dared he, acknowledge defeat, even to -himself, when with the imperilled doctrine so much else must -fall? What would become of private masses, indulgences, -prayers for the dead? Nay, what would become of the -infallibility of Mother Church herself?</p> -<p class="pnext">So he fought desperately. Fear, ever increasing, quickened -his preceptions, baptized his lips with eloquence, made his sense -acute and his memory retentive. Driven at last from the -ground of Scripture and reason, he took his stand upon that of -scholastic divinity. Using the weapons with which he had -been taught to play so deftly for once in terrible earnest, he spun -clever syllogisms, in which he hoped to entangle his adversary. -But De Seso caught the flimsy webs in the naked hand of his -strong sense, and crushed them to atoms.</p> -<p class="pnext">Then Carlos knew that the battle was lost. "I can say no -more," he acknowledged, sorrowfully bowing his head.</p> -<p class="pnext">"And what I have said--is it not in accordance with the -Word of God?"</p> -<p class="pnext">With a cry of dismay on his lips, Carlos turned and looked -at him--"God help us! Are we then Lutherans?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"It may be Christ is asking another question--Are we -amongst those who follow him <em class="italics">whithersoever</em> he goeth?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Oh, not <em class="italics">there</em>--not to <em class="italics">that</em>!" cried Carlos, rising in his -agitation and beginning to pace the room. "I abhor heresy--I -eschew the thought. From my cradle I have done so. -Anywhere but that!"</p> -<p class="pnext">Pausing at last in his walk before the place where De Seso -sat, he asked, "And you, señor, have you considered whither -this would lead?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have. I do not ask thee to follow. But this I say: if -Christ bids any man leave the ship and come to him upon these -dark and stormy waters, he will stretch out his own right hand -to uphold and sustain him."</p> -<p class="pnext">"To leave the ship--his Church? That would be leaving -him. And leaving him, I am lost, soul and body--lost--lost!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Fear not. At his feet, clinging to him, soul of man was -never lost yet."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I will cleave to him, and to the Church too."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Still, if one must be forsaken, let not that one be Christ."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Never, never--so help me God!" After a pause he added, -as if speaking to himself, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou -hast the words of eternal life."</p> -<p class="pnext">He stood motionless, wrapt in thought; while De Seso rose -softly, and going to the window, put aside the rude shutter that -had been fastened across it.</p> -<p class="pnext">"The night is bright," said Carlos dreamily. "The moon -must have risen."</p> -<p class="pnext">"That is daylight you see," returned his companion with a -smile. "Time for wayfarers to seek rest in sleep."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Prayer is better than sleep."</p> -<p class="pnext">"True, and we who own the same precious faith can well -unite in prayer."</p> -<p class="pnext">With the willing consent of Carlos, his new friend laid their -common desires and perplexities before God. The prayer was -in itself a revelation to him; he forgot even to wonder that it -came from the lips of a layman. For De Seso spoke as one -accustomed to converse with the Unseen, and to enter by faith -to the inner sanctuary, the very presence of God himself. -And Carlos found that it was good thus to draw nigh to God. -He felt his troubled soul returning to its rest, to its quiet -confidence in Him who, he knew, would guide him by his counsel, -and afterwards receive him into glory.</p> -<p class="pnext">When they rose, instinctively their right hands sought each -other, and were locked in that strong grasp which is sometimes -worth more than an embrace.</p> -<p class="pnext">"We have confidence each in the other," said De Seso, "so -that we need exchange no pledge of faithfulness or secrecy."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos bowed his head. "Pray for me, señor," he said. -"Pray that God, who sent you here to teach me, may in his -own time complete the work he has begun."</p> -<p class="pnext">Then both lay down in their cloaks; one to sleep, the other -to ponder and pray.</p> -<p class="pnext">In the morning each went his several way. And never was -it given to Carlos, in this world, to look upon that face or to -grasp that hand again.</p> -<p class="pnext">He who had thus crossed his path, as it were for a moment, -was perhaps the noblest of all the heroic band of Spanish -martyrs, that forlorn hope of Christ's army, who fought and fell -"where Satan's seat was." His high birth and lofty station, -his distinguished abilities, even those more superficial graces of -person and manner which are not without their strong fascination, -were all--like the precious ointment with the odour of which -the house was filled--consecrated to the service of the Lord for -whom he lived and died. The eye of imagination lingers with -special and reverential love upon that grand calm figure. But -our simple story leads us far away amongst other scenes and other -characters. We must now turn to a different part of the wide -missionary harvest-field, in which the lowly muleteer Juliano -Hernandez, and the great noble Don Carlos de Seso, were both -labouring. Was their labour in vain?</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="seville">XIII.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Seville</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"There is a multitude around,</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">Responsive to my prayer;</div> -</div> -<div class="line">I hear the voice of my desire</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">Resounding everywhere."--A. L. Waring</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Don Carlos felt surprised, on returning to Seville, to -find the circle in which he had been wont to move -exactly as he left it. His absence appeared to him -a great deal longer than it really was. Moreover, there lurked -in his mind an undefined idea that a period so fraught with -momentous change to him could not have passed without -change over the heads of others. But the worldly only seemed -more worldly, the frivolous more frivolous, the vain more vain -than ever.</p> -<p class="pnext">Around the presence of Doña Beatriz there still hung a -sweet dangerous fascination, against which he struggled, and, in -the strength of his new and mighty principle of action, struggled -successfully. Still, for the sake of his own peace, he longed to -find some fair pretext for making his home elsewhere than -beneath his uncle's roof.</p> -<p class="pnext">One great pleasure awaited his return--a letter from Juan. -It was the second he had received; the first having merely told -of his brother's safe arrival at the headquarters of the royal army -at Cambray. Don Juan had obtained his commission just in -time for active service in the brief war between France and -Spain that immediately followed the accession of Philip II. -And now, though he said not much of his own exploits, it was -evident that he had already begun to distinguish himself by the -prompt and energetic courage which was a part of his character. -Moreover, a signal piece of good fortune had fallen to his lot. -The Spaniards were then engaged in the siege of St. Quentin. -Before the works were quite completed, the French General--the -celebrated Admiral Coligny--managed to throw himself into -the town by a brilliant and desperate <em class="italics">coup-de-main</em>. Many of -his heroic band were killed or taken prisoners, however; and -amongst the latter was a gentleman of rank and fortune, a -member of the admiral's suite, who surrendered his sword into -the hands of young Don Juan Alvarez.</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan was delighted with his prize, as he well might be. Not -only was the distinction an honourable one for so young a -soldier; but the ransom he might hope to receive would serve -very materially to smooth his pathway to the attainment of his -dearest wishes.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos was now able to share his brother's joy with -unselfish sympathy. With a peculiar kind of pleasure, not quite -unmixed with superstition, he recalled Juan's boyish words, -more than once repeated, "When I go to the wars, I shall -make some great prince or duke my prisoner." They had -found a fair, if not exactly literal, fulfilment, and that so early -in his career. And a belief that had grown up with him from -childhood was strengthened thereby. Juan would surely -accomplish everything upon which his heart was set. Certainly -he would find his father--if that father should prove to be after -all in the land of the living.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos was warmly welcomed back by his relatives--at least -by all of them save one. To a mild temper and amiable -disposition he united the great advantage of rivalling no man, -and interfering with no man's career. At the same time, he -had a well-defined and honourable career of his own, in which -he bid fair to be successful; so that he was not despised, but -regarded as a credit to the family. The solitary exception to -the favourable sentiments he inspired was found in the bitter -disdain which Gonsalvo, with scarcely any attempt at disguise, -exhibited towards him.</p> -<p class="pnext">This was painful to him, both because he was sensitively -alive to the opinions of others; and also because he actually -preferred Gonsalvo, notwithstanding his great and glaring faults, -to his more calculating and worldly-minded brothers. Force of -any kind possesses a real fascination for an intellectual and -sympathetic, but rather weak character; and this fascination -grows in intensity when the weaker has a reason to pity and a -desire to help the stronger.</p> -<p class="pnext">It was not altogether grace, therefore, which checked the -proud words that often rose to the lips of Carlos in answer to -his cousin's sneers or sarcasms. He was not ignorant of the -cause of Gonsalvo's contempt for him. It was Gonsalvo's creed -that a man who deserved the name always got what he wanted, -or died in the attempt; unless, of course, absolutely insuperable -physical obstacles interfered, as they did in his own case. As -he knew well enough what Carlos wanted before his departure -from Seville, the fact of his quietly resigning the prize, without -even an effort to secure it, was final with him.</p> -<p class="pnext">One day, when Carlos had returned a forbearing answer to -some taunt, Doña Inez, who was present, took occasion to -apologize for her brother, as soon as he had quitted the room. -Carlos liked Doña Inez much better than her still unmarried -sister, because she was more generous and considerate to -Beatriz. "You are very good, amigo mio," she said, "to show -so great forbearance to my poor brother. And I cannot think -wherefore he should treat you so uncourteously. But he is -often rude to his brothers, sometimes even to his father."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I fear it is because he suffers. Though rather less helpless -than he was six months ago, he seems really more frail and -sickly."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ay de mi, that is too true. And have you heard his last -whim? He tells us he has given up physicians for ever. He -has almost as ill an opinion of them as--forgive me, -cousin--of priests."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Could you not persuade him to consult your friend, Doctor -Cristobal?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have tried, but in vain. To speak the truth, cousin," she -added, drawing nearer to Carlos, and lowering her voice, "there -is another cause that has helped to make him what he is. No -one knows or even guesses aught of it but myself; I was ever his -favourite sister. If I tell you, will you promise the strictest -secrecy?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos did so; wondering a little what his cousin would -think could she surmise the weightier secrets which were -burdening his own heart.</p> -<p class="pnext">"You have heard of the marriage of Doña Juana de Xeres -y Bohorques with Don Francisco de Vargas?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes; and I account Don Francisco a very fortunate man."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Are you acquainted with the young lady's sister Doña -Maria de Bohorques?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have met her. A fair, pale, queenly girl. She is not fond -of gaiety, but very learned and very pious, as I have been told."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You will scarce believe me, Don Carlos, when I tell you -that pale, quiet girl is Gonsalvo's choice, his dream, his -idol. How she contrived to gain that fierce, eager young -heart, I know not--but hers it is, and hers alone. Of course, -he had passing fancies before; but she was his first serious -passion, and she will be his last."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos smiled. "Red fire and white marble," he said. -"But, after all, the fiercest fire could not feed on marble. It -must die out, in time."</p> -<p class="pnext">"From the first, Gonsalvo had not the shadow of a chance," -Doña Inez replied, with an expressive flutter of her fan. "I -have not the least idea whether the young lady even knows he -loves her. But it matters not. We are Alvarez de Meñaya; -still we could not expect a grandee of the first order to give -his daughter to a younger son of our house. Even before that -unlucky bull-feast. Now, of course, he himself would be the -first to say, 'Pine-apple kernels are not for monkeys,' nor fair -ladies for crippled caballeros. And yet--you understand?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I do," said Carlos; and in truth he <em class="italics">did</em> understand, far -better than Doña Inez imagined.</p> -<p class="pnext">She turned to leave the room, but turned back again to say -kindly, "I trust, my cousin, your own health has not suffered -from your residence among those bleak inhospitable mountains? -Don Garçia tells me he has seen you twice, since your return, -coming forth late in the evening from the dwelling of our good -Señor Doctor."</p> -<p class="pnext">There was a sufficient reason for these visits. Before they -parted, De Seso had asked Carlos if he would like an introduction -to a person in Seville who could give him further instruction -upon the subjects they had discussed together. The offer -having been thankfully accepted, he was furnished with a note -addressed, much to his surprise, to the physician Losada; and -the connection thus begun was already proving a priceless boon -to Carlos.</p> -<p class="pnext">But nature had not designed him for a keeper of secrets. The -colour mounted rapidly to his cheek, as he answered,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am flattered by my lady cousin's solicitude for me. But, -I thank God, my health is as good as ever. In truth, Doctor -Cristobal is a man of learning and a pleasant companion, and -I enjoy an hour's conversation with him. Moreover, he has some -rare and valuable books, which he is kind enough to lend me."</p> -<p class="pnext">"He is certainly very well-bred, for a man of his station," -said Doña Inez, condescendingly.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos did not resume his attendance upon the lectures of -Fray Constantino at the College of Doctrine; but when the -voice of the eloquent preacher was heard in the cathedral, he -was never absent. He had no difficulty now in recognizing -the truths that he loved so well, covered with a thin veil of -conventional phraseology. All mention, not absolutely -necessary, of dogmas peculiarly Romish was avoided, unless when -the congregation were warned earnestly, though in terms -well-studied and jealously guarded, against "risking their salvation" -upon indulgences or ecclesiastical pardons. The vanity of -trusting to their own works was shown also; and in every -sermon Christ was faithfully held up before the sinner as the -one all-sufficient Saviour.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos listened always with rapt attention, usually with keen -delight. Often would he look around him upon the sea of -earnest upturned faces, saying within himself, "Many of these -my brethren and sisters have found Christ--many more are -seeking him;" and at the thought his heart would thrill with -thankfulness. But even at that moment some word from the -preacher's lips might change his joy into a chill of -apprehension. It frequently happened that Fray Constantino, borne -onward by the torrent of his own eloquence, was betrayed into -uttering some sentiment so very nearly heretical as to make his -hearer tingle with the peculiar sense of pain that is caused by -seeing one rush heedlessly to the verge of a precipice.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I often thank God for the stupidity of evil men and the -simplicity of good ones," Carlos said to his new friend Losada, -after one of these dangerous discourses.</p> -<p class="pnext">For by this time, what De Seso had first led him to -suspect, had become a certainty with him. He knew himself <em class="italics">a -heretic</em>--a terrible consciousness to sink into the heart of any -man in those days, especially in Catholic Spain. Fortunately -the revelation had come to him gradually; and still more -gradually came the knowledge of all that it involved. Yet -those were sorrowful hours in which he first felt himself cut off -from every hallowed association of his childhood and youth; -from the long chain of revered tradition, which was all he knew -of the past; from the vast brotherhood of the Church visible--that -mighty organization, pervading all society, leavening all -thought, controlling all custom, ruling everything in this world, -even if not in the next. His own past life was shattered: the -ambitions he had cherished were gone--the studies he had -excelled and delighted in were proved for the most part worse -than vain. It is true that he believed, even still, that he might -accept priestly ordination from the hands of Rome (for the -idolatry of the mass was amongst the things not yet revealed to -him); but he could no longer hope for honour or preferment, -or what men call a career, in the Church. Joy enough would -it be if he were permitted, in some obscure corner of the land, -to tell his countrymen of a Saviour's love; and perpetual -watchfulness, extreme caution, and the most judicious management -would be necessary to preserve him--as hitherto they had -preserved Fray Constantino--from the grasp of the Holy Inquisition.</p> -<p class="pnext">To us, who read that word in the lurid light that martyr fires -kindled after this period have flung upon it, it may seem -strange that Carlos was not more a prey to fear of the perils -entailed by his heresy. But so slowly did he pass out of the -stage in which he believed himself still a sincere Catholic into -that in which he shudderingly acknowledged that he was in -very truth a Lutheran, that the shock of the discovery was -wonderfully broken to him. Nor did he think the danger that -menaced him either near or pressing, so long as he conducted -himself with reserve and prudence.</p> -<p class="pnext">It is true that this reserve involved a degree of secrecy, if -not of dissimulation, that was fast becoming very irksome. -Formerly the kind of fencing, feinting, and doubling into which -he was often forced, would rather have pleased him, as affording -for the exercise of ingenuity. But his moral nature was -growing so much more sensitive, that he began to recoil from -slight departures from truth, in which heretofore he would only -have seen a proper exercise of the advantage which a keen and -quick intellect possesses over dull ones. Moreover, he longed -to be able to speak freely to others of the things which he -himself found so precious.</p> -<p class="pnext">Though quite sufficiently afraid of pain and danger, the -thought of disgrace was still more intolerable to him. Keener -than any suffering he had yet known--except the pang of -renouncing Beatrix--was the consciousness that all those -amongst whom he lived, and who now respected and loved -him, would, if they guessed the truth, turn away from him with -unutterable scorn and loathing.</p> -<p class="pnext">One day, when walking in the city with his aunt and Doña -Sancha, they turned down a side-street to avoid meeting the -death procession of a murderer on his way to the scaffold. The -crime for which he suffered had been notorious; and with the -voluble exclamations of horror and congratulations at getting -safely out of the way to which the ladies gave expression, were -mingled prayers for the soul of the miserable man. "If they -knew all," thought Carlos, as the slight, closely-veiled forms -clung trustingly to him for protection, "they would think <em class="italics">me</em> -worse, more degraded, than yon wretched being. They pity -<em class="italics">him</em>, they pray for <em class="italics">him</em>; <em class="italics">me</em> they would only loathe and execrate. -And Juan, my beloved, my honoured brother--what will he -think?" This last thought was the one that haunted him most -frequently and troubled him most deeply.</p> -<p class="pnext">But had he nothing to counterbalance these pangs of fear -and shame, these manifold dark misgivings? He had much. -First and best, he had the peace that passeth all understanding -shed abroad in his heart. Its light did not grow pale and faint -with time; on the other hand, it increased in brightness and -steadiness, as new truths arose like stars upon his soul, every -new truth being in itself "a new joy" to him.</p> -<p class="pnext">Moreover, he found keen enjoyment in the communion of -saints. Great was his surprise when, after sufficiently instructing -him in private, and satisfactorily testing his sincerity, -Losada cautiously revealed to him the existence of a -regularly-organized Lutheran Church in Seville, of which he himself was -actually the pastor. He invited Carlos to attend its meetings, -which were held, with due precaution, and usually after -nightfall, in the house of a lady of rank--Doña Isabella de -Baena.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos readily accepted the perilous invitation, and with -deep emotion took his place amongst the band of "called, -chosen, and faithful" men and women, every one of whom, as -he believed, shared the same joys and hopes that he did. They -were not at all such a "little band" as he expected to find -them. Nor were they, with very few exceptions, of the poor -of this world. If that bright southern land, so rich in all that -kindles the imagination, eventually to her own ruin rejected the -truth of God, at least she offered upon his altar some of her -choicest and fairest flowers. Many of those who met in Doña -Isabella's upper room were "chief men" and "devout and -honourable women." Talent, learning, excellence of every kind -was largely represented there; so also was the <em class="italics">sangre azul</em>, the -boast of the proud Spanish grandees. One of the first faces -that Carlos recognized was the sweet, thoughtful one of the -young Doña Maria de Bohorques, whose precocious learning -and accomplishments had often been praised in his hearing, -and in whom he had now a new and peculiar interest.</p> -<p class="pnext">There were two noblemen of the first order--Don Domingo -de Guzman, son of the Duke of Medina Sidonia, and Don -Juan Ponce de Leon, son of the Count of Baylen. Carlos had -often heard of the munificent charities of the latter, who had -actually embarrassed his estates by his unbounded liberality to -the poor. But while Ponce de Leon was thus labouring to -relieve the sorrows of others, a deep sadness brooded over his -own spirit. He was wont to go forth by night, and pace up and -down the great stone platform in the Prado San Sebastian, that -bore the ghastly name of the Quemadero, or <em class="italics">Burning-place</em>, while -in his heart the shadow of death--the darkest shadow of the -dreadest death--was struggling with the light of immortality.</p> -<p class="pnext">Did the rest of that devoted band share the agony of -apprehension that filled those lonely midnight hours with -passionate prayer? Some amongst them did, no doubt. But -with most, the circumstances and occupations of daily life wove, -with their multitudinous slender threads, a veil dense enough -to hide, or at least to soften, the perils of their situation. The -Protestants of Seville contrived to pass their lives and to do -their work side by side with other men; they moved amongst -their fellow-citizens and were not recognized; they even married -and were given in marriage; though all the time there fell -upon their daily paths the shadow of the grim old fortress where -the Holy Inquisition held its awful secret court.</p> -<p class="pnext">But then, at this period the Holy Inquisition was by no -means exhibiting its usual terrible activity. The -Inquisitor-General, Fernando de Valdez, Archbishop of Seville, was an -old man of seventy-four, relentless when roused, but not -particularly enterprising. Moreover, he was chiefly occupied in -amassing enormous wealth from his rich and numerous Church -preferments. Hitherto, the fires of St. Dominic had been -kindled for Jews and Moors; only one Protestant had suffered -death in Spain, and Valladolid, not Seville, had been the scene -of his martyrdom. Seville, indeed, had witnessed two notable -prosecutions for Lutheranism--that of Rodrigo de Valer and that -of Juan Gil, commonly called Dr. Egidius. But Valer had -been only sent to a monastery to die, while, by a disgraceful -artifice, retractation had been obtained from Egidius.</p> -<p class="pnext">During the years that had passed since then, the Holy Office -had appeared to slumber. Victims who refused to eat pork, or -kept Sabbath on Saturday, were growing scarce for obvious -reasons. And not yet had the wild beast "exceeding dreadful, -whose teeth were of iron and his nails of brass," begun to -devour a nobler prey. Did the monster, gorged with human -blood, really slumber in his den; or did he only assume the -attitude and appearance of slumber, as some wild beasts are -said to do, to lure his unwary victims within the reach of his -terrible crouch and spring?</p> -<p class="pnext">No one can certainly tell; but however it may have been, -we doubt not the Master used the breathing-time thus afforded -his Church to prepare and polish many a precious gem, destined -to shine through all ages in his crown of glory.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="the-monks-of-san-isodro">XIV.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">The Monks of San Isodro</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"The earnest of eternal joy</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">In every prayer I trace;</div> -</div> -<div class="line">I see the likeness of the Lord</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">In every patient face.</div> -</div> -<div class="line">How oft, in still communion known,</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">Those spirits have been sent</div> -</div> -<div class="line">To share the travail of my soul,</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">Or show me what it meant."--A. L. Waring</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">It is amongst the perplexing conditions of our earthly -life, that we cannot first reflect, then act; first form -our opinions, then, and not till then, begin to carry -them out into practice. Thought and action have usually to -run beside each other in parallel lines; a terrible necessity, and -never more terrible than during the progress of momentous -inward changes.</p> -<p class="pnext">A man becomes convinced that the star by which he has -hitherto been steering is not the true pole-star, and that if -he perseveres in his present course his barque will inevitably -be lost. At his peril, he must find out the one unerring -guide; yet, while he seeks it, his hand must not for an instant -quit his hold on the helm, for the winds of circumstance fill -his sails, and he cannot choose whether he will go, he can -only choose where. This lies at the root of much of the -apparent inconsistency which has often been made a reproach to -reformers.</p> -<p class="pnext">Though Carlos did not feel this difficulty as keenly as some -of his brethren in the faith, he yet felt it. His uncle was -continually pressing him to take Orders, and to seek for this or -that tempting preferment; whilst every day he had stronger -doubts as to the possibility of his accepting any preferment in -the Church, and was even beginning to entertain scruples about -taking Orders at all.</p> -<p class="pnext">During this period of deliberation and uncertainty, one of -his new friends, Fray Cassiodoro, an eloquent Jeromite friar, -who assisted Losada in his ministrations, said to him, "If you -intend embracing a religious life, Señor Don Carlos, you will -find the white tunic and brown mantle of St. Jerome more to -your taste than any other habit."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos pondered the hint; and shortly afterwards announced -to his relatives that he intended to "go into retreat" for a -season, at the Jeromite Convent of San Isodro del Campo, -which was about two miles from Seville.</p> -<p class="pnext">His uncle approved this resolution; and none the less, -because he thought it was probably intended as a preparation -for taking the cowl. "After all, nephew, it may turn out that -you have the longest head amongst us," he said. "In the race -for wealth and honours, no man can doubt that the Regulars -beat the Seculars now-a-days. And there is not a saint in all -the Spains so popular as St. Jerome. You know the proverb,--</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"'He who is a count, and to be a duke aspires.</div> -<div class="line">Let him straight to Guadaloupe, and sing among the friars.'"</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Gonsalvo, who was present, here looked up from his book -and observed sharply,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"No man will ever be a duke who changes his mind three -times within three months."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But I only changed my mind once," returned Carlos.</p> -<p class="pnext">"You have never changed it at all, that I wot of," said Don -Manuel. "And I would that thine were turned in the same -profitable direction, son Gonsalvo."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Oh yes! By all means. Offer the blind and the lame in -sacrifice. Put Heaven off with the wreck of a man that the -world will not condescend to take into her service."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Hold thy peace, son born to cross me!" said the father, -losing his temper at by no means the worst of the many -provocations he had recently received. "Is it not enough to look -at thee lying there a useless log, and to suffer thy vile temper; -but thou must set thyself against me, when I point out to thee -the only path in which a cripple such as thou could earn green -figs to eat with his bread, not to speak of supporting the rank -of Alvarez de Meñaya as he ought."</p> -<p class="pnext">Here Carlos, out of consideration for the feelings of Gonsalvo, -left the room; but the angry altercation between the father and -son lasted long after his departure.</p> -<p class="pnext">The next day Don Carlos rode out, by a lonely path amidst -the gray ruins of old Italica, to the stately castellated convent -of San Isodro. Amidst all his new interests, the young -Castilian noble still remembered with due enthusiasm how the -building had been reared, more than two hundred years ago, -by the devotion of the heroic Alonzo Guzman the Good, who -gave up his own son to death, under the walls of Tarifa, rather -than surrender the city to the Moors.</p> -<p class="pnext">Before he left Seville, he placed a copy of Fray Constantino's -"Sum of Christian Doctrine" between two volumes of Gonsalvo's -favourite "Lope de Vega." He had previously introduced to -the notice of the ladies several of the Fray's little treatises, -which contained a large amount of Scripture truth, so cautiously -expressed as to have not only escaped the censure, but -actually obtained the express approbation of the Holy Office. -He had also induced them occasionally to accompany him -to the preachings at the Cathedral. Further than this he -dared not go; nor did he on other accounts think it advisable, -as yet, to permit himself much communication with Doña -Beatriz.</p> -<p class="pnext">The monks of San Isodro welcomed him with that strong, -peculiar love which springs up between the disciples of the -same Lord, more especially when they are a little flock -surrounded by enemies. They knew that he was already one of -the initiated, a regular member of Losada's congregation. Both -this fact, and the warm recommendations of Fray Cassiodoro, -led them to trust him implicitly; and very quickly they made -him a sharer in their secrets, their difficulties, and their -perplexities.</p> -<p class="pnext">To his astonishment, he found himself in the midst of a -community, Protestant in heart almost to a man, and as far as -possible acting out their convictions; while at the same time -they retained (how could they discard them?) the outward -ceremonies of their Church and their Order.</p> -<p class="pnext">He soon fraternized with a gentle, pious young monk named -Fray Fernando, and asked him to explain this extraordinary -state of things.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am but just out of my novitiate, having been here little -more than a year," said the young man, who was about his own -age; "and already, when I came, the fathers carefully instructed -the novices out of the Scriptures, exhorting us to lay no stress -upon outward ceremonies, penances, crosses, holy water, and -the like. But I have often heard them speak of the manner in -which they were led to adopt these views."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Who was their teacher? Fray Cassiodoro?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Latterly; not at first. It was Dr. Blanco who sowed the -first seed of truth here."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Whom do you mean? We in the city give the name of -Dr. Blanco (the white doctor), from his silver hairs, to a man of -your holy order, certainly, but one most zealous for the old -faith. He is a friend and confidant of the Inquisitors, if indeed -he is not himself a Qualificator of Heresy:[#] I speak of -Dr. Garçias Ariâs."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] One of the learned men who were appointed -to assist the Inquisition, and whose -duty it was to decide whether doubtful propositions -were, or were not, heretical.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">"The same man. You are astonished, señor; nevertheless -it is true. The elder brethren say that when he came to the -convent all were sunk in ignorance and superstition. The -monks cared for nothing but vain repetitions of unfelt prayers, -and showy mummeries of idle ceremonial But the white -doctor told them all these would avail them nothing, unless -their hearts were given to God, and they worshipped him in -spirit and in truth. They listened, were convinced, began to -study the Holy Scriptures as he recommended them, and truly -to seek Him who is revealed therein."</p> -<p class="pnext">"'Out of the eater came forth meat,'" said Carlos. "I am -truly amazed to hear of such teaching from the lips of Garçias -Ariâs."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Not more amazed than the brethren were by his after -conduct," returned Fray Fernando. "Just when they had received -the truth with joy, and were beginning heartily to follow it, -their teacher suddenly changed his tone, and addressed himself -diligently to the task of building up the things that he once -destroyed. When Lent came round, the burden of his preaching -was nothing but penance and mortification of the flesh. -No less would content him than that the poor brethren should -sleep on the bare ground, or standing; and wear sackcloth and -iron girdles. They could not tell what to make of these -bewildering instructions. Some followed them, others clung to -the simpler faith they had learned to love, many tried to unite -both. In fact, the convent was filled with confusion, and -several of the brethren were driven half distracted. But -at last God put it into their hearts to consult Dr. Egidius. -Your Excellency is well acquainted with his history, doubtless!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Not so well as I should like to be. Still, for the present, -let us keep to the brethren. Did Dr. Egidius confirm their -faith?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"That he did, señor; and in many ways he led them into a -further acquaintance with the truth."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And that enigma, Dr. Blanco?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Fernando shook his head. "Whether his mind was -really changed, or whether he concealed his true opinions through -fear, or through love of the present world, I know not I -should not judge him."</p> -<p class="pnext">"No," said Carlos, softly. "It is not for us, who have -never been tried, to judge those who have failed in the -day of trial. But it must be a terrible thing to fail, Fray -Fernando."</p> -<p class="pnext">"As good Dr. Egidius did himself. Ah, señor, if you had -but seen him when he came forth from his prison! His head -was bowed, his hair was white; they who spoke with him say -his heart was well-nigh broken. Still he was comforted, and -thanked God, when he saw the progress the truth had made -during his imprisonment, both in Valladolid and in Seville, -especially amongst the brethren here. His visit was of great -use to us. But the most precious boon we ever received was a -supply of God's Word in our own tongue, which was brought to -us some months ago."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos looked at him eagerly. "I think I know whose hand -brought it," he said.</p> -<p class="pnext">"You cannot fail to know, señor. You have doubtless heard -of Juliano El Chico?"</p> -<p class="pnext">The colour rose to the cheek of Carlos as he answered, "I -shall thank God all my life, and beyond it, that I have not -heard of him alone, but met him. He it was who put this book -into my hand," and he drew out his own Testament.</p> -<p class="pnext">"We also have good cause to thank him. And we mean -that others shall have it through us. For the books he brought -we not only use ourselves, but diligently circulate far and wide, -according to our ability."</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is strange to know so little of a man, and yet to owe him -so much. Can you tell me anything more than the name, -Juliano Hernandez, which I repeat every day when I ask God -in my prayers to bless and reward him?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I only know he is a poor, unlearned man, a native of -Villaverda, in Campos. He went to Germany, and entered the -service of Juan Peres, who, as you are aware, translated the -Testament, and printed it, Juliano aiding in the work as -compositor. He then undertook, of his own free will, the task of -bringing a supply into this country; you well know how perilous -a task, both the sea-ports and the passes of the Pyrenees being -so closely watched by the emissaries of the Holy Office. Juliano -chose the overland journey, since, knowing the mountains well, -he thought he could manage to make his way unchallenged by -some of their hazardous, unfrequented paths. God be thanked, -he arrived in safety with his precious freight early last summer."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Do you know where he is now?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"No. Doubtless he is wandering somewhere, perhaps not -far distant, carrying on, in darkness and silence, his noble -missionary work."</p> -<p class="pnext">"What would I give--rather, what would I not give--to see -him once more, to take his hand in mine, and to thank him for -what he has done for me!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ah, there is the vesper bell. You know, señor, that Fray -Cristobal is to lecture this evening on the Epistle to the -Hebrews. That is why I love Tuesday best of all days in the -week."</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Cristobal D'Arellano was a monk of San Isodro, -remarkable for his great learning, which was consecrated to the -task of explaining and spreading the Reformed doctrines. -Carlos put himself under the tuition of this man, to perfect his -knowledge of Greek, a language of which he had learned very -little, and that little very imperfectly, at Alcala. He profited -exceedingly by the teaching he received, and partially repaid -the obligation by instructing the novices in Latin, a task which -was very congenial to him, and which he performed with much -success.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="the-great-sanbenito">XV.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">The Great Sanbenito.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"The thousands that, uncheered by praise,</div> -<div class="line">Have made one offering of their days;</div> -<div class="line">For Truth's, for Heaven's, for Freedom's sake.</div> -<div class="line">Resigned the bitter cup to take."--Hemans</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Young as was the Protestant Church in Seville, she -already had her history. There was one name that -Carlos had heard mentioned in connection with her -first origin, round which there gathered in his thoughts a -peculiar interest, or rather fascination. He knew now that the -monks of San Isodro had been largely indebted to the instructions -of Doctor Juan Gil, or Egidius. And he had been told -previously that Egidius himself had learned the truth from an -earlier and bolder witness, Rodrigo de Valer. This was the -name that Losada once coupled in his hearing with that of his -own father.</p> -<p class="pnext">Why then had he not sought information, which might have -proved so deeply interesting to him, directly from Losada -himself, his friend and teacher? Several causes contributed to his -reluctance to broach the subject. But by far the greatest was -a kind of chivalrous, half romantic tenderness for that absent -brother, whom he could now truly say that he loved best on -earth. It is very difficult for us to put ourselves in the position -of Spaniards of the sixteenth century, so far as at all to -understand the way in which they were accustomed to look upon -heresy. In their eyes it was not only a crime, infinitely more -dreadful than that of murder; it was also a horrible disgrace, -branding a man's whole lineage up and down for generations, -and extending its baleful influence to his remotest kindred. -Carlos asked himself, day by day, how would the high-hearted -Don Juan Alvarez, whose idol was glory, and his dearest pride -a noble and venerated name, endure to hear that his beloved -and only brother was stained with that surpassing infamy? But -at least it would be anguish enough to stab Juan once, as it -were, with his own hand, without arming the dead hand of the -father whose memory they both revered, and then driving home -the weapon into his brother's heart. Rather would he let the -matter remain in obscurity, even if (which was extremely -doubtful) he could by any effort of his own shed a ray of light -upon it.</p> -<p class="pnext">Still he took occasion one day to inquire of his friend Fray -Fernando, who had received full information on these subjects -from the older monks, "Was not that Rodrigo de Valer, whose -sanbenito hangs in the Cathedral, the first teacher of the pure -faith in Seville?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"True, señor, he taught many. While he himself, as I have -heard, received the faith from none save God only."</p> -<p class="pnext">"He must have been a remarkable man. Tell me all you -know of him."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Our Fray Cassiodoro has often heard Dr. Egidius speak of -him; so that, though his lips were silenced long before your -time or mine, señor, he seems still one of our company."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes, already some of our number have joined the Church -triumphant, but they are still one with us in Christ."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Don Rodrigo de Valer," continued the young monk, "was -of a noble family, and very wealthy. He was born at Lebrixa, -but came to reside in Seville, a gay, light-hearted, brilliant -young caballero, who was soon a leader in all the folly and -fashion of the great city. But suddenly these things lost their -charm for him. Much to the astonishment of the gay world, to -which he had been such an ornament, he disappeared from the -scenes of amusement and festivity he had been wont to love. -His companions could not understand the change that came -over him--but we can understand it well. God's arrows of -conviction were sharp in his heart. And he led him to turn -for comfort, not to penance and self-mortification, but to his -own Word. Only in one form was that Word accessible to -him. He gathered up the fragments of his old school studies--little -cared for at the time, and well-nigh forgotten afterwards--to -enable him to read the Vulgate. There he found justification -by faith, and, through it, peace to his troubled conscience. -But he did not find, as I need scarcely say to you, Don Carlos, -purgatory, the worship of Our Lady and the saints, and certain -other things our fathers taught us."</p> -<p class="pnext">"How long since was all this?" asked Carlos, who was -listening with much interest, and at the same time comparing -the narrative with that other story he had heard from Dolores.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Long enough, señor. Twenty years ago or more. When -God had thus enlightened him, he returned to the world. But -he returned to it a new man, determined henceforth to know -nothing save Christ and him crucified. He addressed himself in -the first instance to the priests and monks, whom, with a -boldness truly amazing, he accosted wherever he met them, were it -even in the most public places of the city, proving to them from -Scripture that their doctrines were not the truth of God."</p> -<p class="pnext">"It was no hopeful soil in which to sow the Word."</p> -<p class="pnext">"No, truly; but it seemed laid upon him as a burden from -God to speak what he felt and knew, whether men would hear -or whether they would forbear. He very soon aroused the -bitter enmity of those who hate the light because their deeds -are evil. Had he been a poor man, he would have been -burned at the stake, as that brave, honest-hearted young -convert, Francisco de San Romano, was burned at Valladolid not -so long ago, saying to those who offered him mercy at the last, -'Did you envy me my happiness?' But Don Rodrigo's rank -and connections saved him from that fate. I have heard, too, -that there were those in high places who shared, or at least -favoured his opinions in secret. Such interceded for him."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then his words were received by some?" Carlos asked -anxiously. "Have you ever heard the names of any of those -who were his friends or patrons?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Fernando shook his head. "Even amongst ourselves, -señor," he said, "names are not mentioned oftener than is -needful. For 'a bird of the air will carry the matter;' and -when life depends on our silence, it is no wonder if at last we -become a trifle over-silent. In the lapse of years, some names -that ought to be remembered amongst us may well chance to -be forgotten, from this dread of breathing them, even in a -whisper. Always excepting Dr. Egidius, Don Rodrigo's friends -or converts are unknown to me. But I was about to say, the -Inquisitors were prevailed upon, by those who interceded for -him, to regard him as insane. They dismissed him, therefore, -with no more severe penalty than the loss of his property, and -with many cautions as to his future behaviour."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I hold it scarce likely that he observed them."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Very far otherwise, señor. For a short time, indeed, his -friends prevailed on him to express his sentiments more -privately; and Fray Cassiodoro says that during this interval he -confirmed them in the faith by expounding the Epistle to the -Romans. But he could not long hide the light he held. To -all remonstrances he answered, that he was a soldier sent on a -forlorn hope, and must needs press forward to the breach. If -he fell, it mattered not; in his place God would raise up others, -whose would be the glory and the joy of victory. So, once -again, the Holy Office laid its grasp upon him. It was resolved -that his voice should be heard no more on earth; and he was -therefore consigned to the living death of perpetual imprisonment. -And yet, in spite of all their care and all their malice, -one more testimony for God and his truth was heard from his -lips."</p> -<p class="pnext">"How was that?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"They led him, robed in that great sanbenito you have often -seen, to the Church of San Salvador, to sit and listen, with the -other weeping penitents, while some ignorant priest denounced -their heresies and blasphemies. But he was not afraid after the -sermon to stand up in his place, and warn the people against -the preacher's erroneous doctrine, showing them where and how -it differed from the Word of God. It is marvellous they did -not burn him; but God restrained the remainder of their wrath. -They sent him at last to the monastery of San Lucar, where he -remained in solitary confinement until his death."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos mused a little. Then he said, "What a blessed -change, from solitary confinement to the company of just men -made perfect; from the gloom of a convent prison to the glory -of God's house, eternal in the heavens!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Some of the elder brethren say <em class="italics">we</em> may be called upon to -pass through trials even more severe," remarked Fray Fernando. -"I know not. Being amongst the youngest here, I should -speak my mind with humility; still I cannot help looking -around me, and seeing that everywhere men are receiving the -Word of God with joy. Think of the learned and noble men -and women in the city who have joined our band already, and -are eager to gain others! New converts are won for us every -day; not to speak of that great multitude among Fray -Constantino's hearers who are really on our side, without dreaming -it themselves. Moreover, your noble friend, Don Carlos de -Seso, told us last summer that the signs in the north are equally -encouraging. He thinks the Lutherans of Valladolid are more -numerous than those of Seville. In Toro and Logrono also -the light is spreading rapidly. And throughout the districts -near the Pyrenees the Word has free course, thanks to the -Huguenot traders from Béarn."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have heard these things in Seville, and truly my heart -rejoices at them. But yet--" here Carlos broke off suddenly, -and remained silent, gazing mournfully into the fire, near which, -as it was now winter, they had seated themselves.</p> -<p class="pnext">At last Fray Fernando asked, "What do <em class="italics">you</em> think, señor?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos raised his dark blue eyes and fixed them on the -questioner's face.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Of the future," he said slowly, "I think---nothing. I dare -not think of it. It is in God's hand, and he thinks for us. -Still, one thing I cannot choose but see. Where we are we -cannot remain. We are bound to a great wheel that is -turning--turning--and turn with it, even in spite of ourselves, we must -and do. But it is the wheel, not of chance, but of God's -mighty purposes; that is all our comfort."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And those purposes, are they not mercy and truth unto our -beloved land?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"They may be; but I know not. They are not revealed. -'Mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant,' that indeed -is written."</p> -<p class="pnext">"We are they that keep his covenant."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos sighed, and resumed the thread of his own thought,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"The wheel turns round, and we with it. Even since I came -here it has turned perceptibly. And how it is to turn one step -further without bringing us into contact with the solid frame of -things as they are, and so crushing us, truly I see not. I see -not; but I trust God."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You allude to these discussions about the sacrifice of the -mass now going on so continually amongst us?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I do. Hitherto we have been able to work underground; -but if doubt must be thrown upon <em class="italics">that</em>, the thin shell of earth -that has concealed and protected us, will break and fall in upon -our heads. And then?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Already we are all asking, 'And then?'" said Fray -Fernando. "There will be nothing before us but flight to some -foreign land."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And how, in God's name, is that to be accomplished? But -God forgive me these words; and God keep me, and all of us, -from the subtle snare of mixing with the question, 'What is his -will?' that other question, 'What will be our fate if we try to -do it?' As the noble De Seso said to me, all that matters to -us is to be found amongst those who 'follow the Lamb -whithersoever he goeth.' <em class="italics">But he went to Calvary</em>."</p> -<p class="pnext">The last words were spoken in so low a tone that Fray -Fernando heard them not.</p> -<p class="pnext">"What did you say?" he asked.</p> -<p class="pnext">"No matter. Time enough to hear if God himself speaks it -in our ears."</p> -<p class="pnext">Their conversation was interrupted by the entrance of a lay -brother, who informed Carlos that a visitor awaited him in the -convent parlour. As it was one of the hours during which the -rules of the house (which were quite liberal enough, without -being lax) permitted the entertainment of visitors, Carlos went -to receive his without much delay.</p> -<p class="pnext">He knew that if the guest had been one of "their own," their -loved brethren in the faith, even the attendant would have been -well acquainted with his person, and would naturally have -named him. He entered the room, therefore, with no very -lively anticipations; expecting, at most, to see one of his -cousins, who might have paid him the compliment of riding out -from the city to visit him.</p> -<p class="pnext">A tall, handsome, sunburnt man, who had his left arm in a sling, -was standing with his back to the window. But in one moment -more the other arm was flung round the neck of Carlos, and heart -pressed to heart, and lip to lip--the brothers stood together.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="welcome-home">XVI.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Welcome Home.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"We are so unlike each other,</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">Thou and I, that none would guess</div> -</div> -<div class="line">We were children of one mother,</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">But for mutual tenderness."--E. B. Browning</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">After the first tumult of greeting, in which affection -was expressed rather by look and gesture than by -word, the brothers sat down and talked. Eager -questions rose to the lips of both, but especially to those of -Carlos, whose surprise at Juan's unexpected appearance only -equalled his delight.</p> -<p class="pnext">"But you are wounded, my brother," he said. "Not -seriously, I hope?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Oh no! Only a bullet through my arm. A piece of my -usual good luck. I got it in The Battle."</p> -<p class="pnext">No adjective was needed to specify the glorious day of -St. Quentin, when Flemish Egmont's chivalrous courage, seconded -by Castilian bravery, gained for King Philip such a brilliant -victory over the arms of France. Carlos knew the story already -from public sources. And it did not occur to Juan, nor indeed -to Carlos either, that there had ever been, or would ever be -again, a battle so worthy of being held in everlasting -remembrance.</p> -<p class="pnext">"But do you count the wound part of your good luck!" -asked Carlos.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ay, truly, and well I may. It has brought me home; as -you ought to have known ere this."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I received but two letters from you--that written on your -first arrival, and dated from Cambray; and that which told of -your notable prize, the French prisoner."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But I wrote two others: one, I entrusted to a soldier who -was coming home invalided--I suppose the fellow lost it; the -other (written just after the great St. Laurence's day) arrived in -Seville the night before I made my own appearance there. His -Majesty will need to look to his posts; certes, they are the -slowest carriers to be found in any Christian country." And -Juan's merry laugh rang through the convent parlour, little -enough used to echo such sounds.</p> -<p class="pnext">"So I have heard almost nothing of you, brother; save what -could be gathered from the public accounts," Carlos continued.</p> -<p class="pnext">"All the better now. I have only such news as is pleasant -for me to tell; and will not be ill, I think, for thee to hear. -First, then, and in due order--I am promised my company!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Good news, indeed! My brother must have honoured our -name by some special deed of valour. Was it at St. Quentin?" -asked Carlos, looking at him with honest, brotherly pride. He -was not much changed by his campaign, except that his dark -cheek wore a deeper bronze, and his face was adorned with a -formidable pair of <em class="italics">bigotes</em>.</p> -<p class="pnext">"That story must wait," returned Juan. "I have so much -else to tell thee. Dost thou remember how I said, as a boy, -that I should take a noble prisoner, like Alphonso Vives, and -enrich myself by his ransom? And thou seest I have done it."</p> -<p class="pnext">"In a good day! Still, he was not the Duke of Saxony."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Like him, at least, in being a heretic, or Huguenot, if that -be a less unsavoury word to utter in these holy precincts. -Moreover, he is a tried and trusted officer of Admiral Coligny's -suite. It was that day when the admiral so gallantly threw -himself into the besieged town. And, for my part, I am heartily -obliged to him. But for his presence, there would have been -no defence of St. Quentin, to speak of, at all; but for the -defence, no battle; but for the battle, no grand victory for the -Spains and King Philip. We cut off half of the admiral's -troops, however, and it fell to my lot to save the life of a brave -French officer whom I saw fighting alone amongst a crowd. -He gave me his sword; and I led him to my tent, and provided -him with all the solace and succour I could, for he was sorely -wounded. He was the Sieur de Ramenais; a gentleman of -Provence, and an honest, merry-hearted, valiant man, as it was -ever my lot to meet withal. He shared my bed and board, a -pleasant guest rather than a prisoner, until we took the town, -making the admiral himself our captive, as you know already. -By that time, his brother had raised the sum for his ransom, -and sent it honourably to me. But, in any case, I should have -dismissed him on parole, as soon as his wounds were healed. -He was pleased to give me, beside the good gold pistoles, this -diamond ring you see on my finger, in token of friendship."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos took the costly trinket in his hand, and duly admired -it. He did not fail to gather from Juan's simple narrative -many things that he told not, and was little likely to tell. In -the time of action, chivalrous daring; when the conflict was -over, gentleness and generosity no less chivalrous, endearing -him to all--even to the vanquished enemy. No wonder Carlos -was proud of his brother! But beneath all the pride and joy -there was, even already, a secret whisper of fear. How could -he bear to see that noble brow clouded with anger--those -bright confiding eyes averted from him in disdain? Turning -from his own thoughts as if they had been guilty things, he -asked quickly,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"But how did you obtain leave of absence?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Through the kindness of his Highness."</p> -<p class="pnext">"The Duke of Savoy?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Of course. And a braver general I would never ask to -serve."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I thought it might have been from the King himself, when -he came to the camp after the battle."</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan's cheek glowed with modest triumph. "His -Highness was good enough to point me out to His Catholic -Majesty," he said. "And the King spoke to me himself!"</p> -<p class="pnext">It is difficult for us to understand how a few formal words of -praise from the lips of one of the meanest and vilest of men -could be looked upon by the really noble-hearted Don Juan -Alvarez as almost the crowning joy of his life. With the -enthusiastic loyalty of his age and country he honoured Philip the -king; Philip the man being all the time a personage as utterly -unknown to him as the Sultan of Turkey. But not choosing to -expatiate upon a theme so flattering to himself, he continued,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"The Duke contrived to send me home with despatches, -saying kindly that he thought my wound required a little rest -and care. Though I had affairs of importance" (and here the -colour mounted to his brow) "to settle in Seville, I would not -have quitted the camp, with my good-will, had we been about -any enterprise likely to give us fair fighting. But in truth, -Carlos, things have been abundantly dull since the fall of -St. Quentin. Though we have our King with us, and Henry of -France and the Duke of Guise have both joined the enemy, all -are standing at gaze as if they were frozen, and doomed to stay -there motionless till the day of judgment. I have no mind for -that kind of sport, not I! I became a soldier to fight His -Catholic Majesty's battles, not to stare at his enemies as if they -were puppets paid to make a show for my amusement. So I -was not sorry to take leave of absence."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And your important business in Seville. May a brother -ask what that means?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"A brother may ask what he pleases, and be answered. -Wish me joy, Carlos; I have arranged that little matter with -Doña Beatriz." And his light words half hid, half revealed the -great deep joy of his own strong heart. "My uncle," he -continued, "is favourable to my views; indeed, I have never known -him so friendly. We are to have our betrothal feast at -Christmas, when your time of retreat here is over."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos "wished him joy" most sincerely. Fervently did he -thank God that it was in his power to do it; that the snare that -had once wound itself so subtly around his footsteps was broken, -and his soul escaped. He could now meet his brother's eye -without self-reproach. Still, this seemed sudden. He said, -"Certainly you did not lose time."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Why should I?" asked Juan with simplicity. "'By-and-by -is always too late,' as thou wert wont to say; and I would they -learned that proverb at the camp. In truth," he added more -gravely, "I often feared, during my stay there, that I might -have lost all through my tardiness. But thou wert a good -brother to me, Carlos."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Mayest thou ever think so, brother mine," said Carlos, not -without a pang, as his conscience told him how little he -deserved the praise.</p> -<p class="pnext">"But what in the world," asked Juan hastily, "has induced -thee to bury thyself here, amongst these drowsy monks?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"The brethren are excellent men, learned and pious. And -I am not buried," Carlos returned with a smile.</p> -<p class="pnext">"And if thou wert buried ten fathoms deep, thou shouldst -come up out of the grave when I need thee to stand beside me."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Do not fear for that. Now thou art come, I will not prolong -my stay here, as otherwise I might have done. But I have -been very happy here, Juan."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am glad to hear it," said the merry-hearted, unsuspecting -Juan. "I am glad also that you are not in too great haste -to tie yourself down to the Church's service; though our -honoured uncle seems to wish you had a keener eye to your -own interest, and a better look-out for fat benefices. But I -believe his own sons have appropriated all the stock of worldly -prudence meant for the whole family, leaving none over for -thee and me, Carlos."</p> -<p class="pnext">"That is true of Don Manuel and Don Balthazar, not of -Gonsalvo."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Gonsalvo! he is far the worst of the three," Juan exclaimed, -with something like anger in his open, sunny face.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos laughed. "I suppose he has been favouring you with -his opinion of me," he said.</p> -<p class="pnext">"If he were not a poor miserable weakling and cripple, I -should answer him with the point of my good sword. However, -this is idle talk. Little brother" (Carlos being nearly as -tall as himself, the diminutive was only a term of affection, -recalling the days of their childhood, and more suited to masculine -lips than its equivalent, dear)--"little brother, you look -grave and pale, and ten years older than when we parted at -Alcala."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Do I? Much has happened with me since. I have been -very sorrowful and very happy."</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan laid his available hand on his brother's shoulder, -and looked him earnestly in the face. "No secrets from me, -little brother," he said. "If thou dost not like the service of -Holy Church after all, speak out, and thou shall go back with -me to France, or to anywhere else in the known world that -thou wilt. There may be some fair lady in the case," he added, -with a keen and searching glance.</p> -<p class="pnext">"No, brother--not that I have indeed much to tell thee, -but not now--not to-day."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Choose thine own time; only remember, no secrets. That -were the one unbrotherly act I could never forgive."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But I am not yet satisfied about your wound," said Carlos, -with perhaps a little moral cowardice, turning the conversation. -"Was the bone broken?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"No, fortunately; only grazed. It would not have signified, -but for the treatment of the blundering barber-surgeon. I was -advised to show it to some man of skill; and already my -cousins have recommended to me one who is both physician -and surgeon, and very able, they say."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Dr. Cristobal Losada?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"The same. Your favourite, Don Gonsalvo, has just been -prevailed upon to make trial of his skill."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am heartily glad of it," returned Carlos. "There is a -change of mind on his part, equal to any wherewith he can -reproach me; and a change for the better, I have little doubt."</p> -<p class="pnext">Thus the conversation wandered on; touching many -subjects, exhausting none; and never again drawing dangerously -near those deep places which one of the brothers knew must be -thoroughly explored, and that at no distant day. For Juan's -sake, for the sake of One whom he loved even more than Juan, -he dared not--nay, he would not--avoid the task. But he -needed, or thought he needed, consideration and prayer, that -he might speak the truth wisely, as well as bravely, to that -beloved brother.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="disclosures">XVII.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Disclosures.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"No distance breaks the tie of blood;</div> -<div class="line">Brothers are brothers evermore;</div> -<div class="line">Nor wrong, nor wrath of deadliest mood,</div> -<div class="line">That magic may o'erpower."--Keble</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">The opportunity for free converse with his brother which -Carlos desired, yet dreaded, was unexpectedly -postponed. It would have been in accordance neither -with the ideas of the time nor with his own feelings to have -shortened his period of retreat in the monastery, though he -would not now prolong it. And though Don Juan did not fail -to make his appearance upon every day when visitors were -admitted, he was always accompanied by either of his cousins -Don Manuel or Don Balthazar, or by both. These shallow, -worldly-minded young men were little likely to allow for the -many things, in which strangers might not intermeddle, that -brothers long parted might find to say to each other; they -only thought that they were conferring a high honour on their -poorer relatives by their favour and notice. In their presence -the conversation was necessarily confined to the incidents of -Juan's campaign, and to family matters. Whether Don -Balthazar would obtain a post he was seeking under Government; -whether Doña Sancha would eventually bestow the inestimable -favour of her hand upon Don Beltran Vivarez or Don Alonso -de Giron; and whether the disappointed suitor would stab -himself or his successful rival;--these were questions of which -Carlos soon grew heartily weary. But in all that concerned -Beatrix he was deeply interested. Whatever he may once have -allowed himself to fancy about the sentiments of a very young -and childish girl, he never dreamed that she would make, or -even desire to make, any opposition to the expressed wish of -her guardian, who destined her for Juan. He was sure that -she would learn quickly enough to love his brother as he -deserved, even if she did not already do so. And it gave him -keen pleasure that his sacrifice had not been in vain; that the -wine-cup of joy which he had just tasted, then put steadily -aside, was being drained to the dregs by the lips he loved best. -It is true this pleasure was not yet unmixed with pain, but the -pain was less than a few months ago he would have believed -possible. The wound which he once thought deadly, was in -process of being healed; nay, it was nearly healed already. -But the scar would always remain.</p> -<p class="pnext">Grand and mighty, but perplexing and mournful thoughts -were filling his heart every day more and more. Amongst the -subjects eagerly and continually discussed with the brethren of -San Isodro, the most prominent just now was the sole priesthood -of Christ, with the impossibility of his one perfect and -sufficient sacrifice being ever repeated.</p> -<p class="pnext">But these truths, in themselves so glorious, had for those who -dared to admit them one terrible consequence. Their full -acknowledgment would transform "the main altar's consummation," -the sacrifice of the mass, from the highest act of Christian -worship into a hideous lie, dishonouring to God, and ruinous to -man.</p> -<p class="pnext">To this conclusion the monks of San Isodro were drawing -nearer slowly but surely every day. And Carlos was side by -side with the most advanced of them in the path of progress. -Though timid in action, he was bold in speculation. To his -keen, quick intellect to think and to reason was a necessity; he -could not rest content with surface truths, nor leave any matter -in which he was interested without probing it to its depths.</p> -<p class="pnext">But as far at least as the monks were concerned, the -conclusion now imminent was practically a most momentous one. -It must transform the light that illuminated them into a fire -that would burn and torture the hands that held and tried to -conceal it. They could only guard themselves from loss and -injury, perhaps from destruction, by setting it on the -candlestick of a true and faithful profession.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Better," said the brethren to each other, "leave behind us -the rich lands and possessions of our order; what are these -things in comparison to a conscience void of offence towards -God and towards man? Let us go forth and seek shelter in -some foreign land, destitute exiles but faithful witnesses for -Christ, having purchased to ourselves the liberty of confessing -his name before men." This plan was the most popular with -the community; though there were some that objected to it, -not because of the loss of worldly wealth it would entail, but -because of its extreme difficulty, and the peril in which it would -involve others.</p> -<p class="pnext">That the question might be fully discussed and some course -of action resolved upon, the monks of San Isodro convened -a solemn chapter. Carlos had not, of course, the right to be -present, though his friends would certainly inform him -immediately afterwards of all that passed. So he whiled away part -of the anxious hours by a walk in the orange grove belonging -to the monastery. It was now December, and there had been -a frost--not very usual in that mild climate. Every blade of -grass was gemmed with tiny jewels, which were crushed by his -footsteps as he passed along. He fancied them like the fair -and sparkling, but unreal dreams of the creed in which he had -been nurtured. They must perish; even should he weakly -turn aside to spare them, God's sun would not fail ere long to -dissolve them with the warmth of its beams. But wherefore -mourn them? Would not the sun shine on still, and the blue -sky, the emblem of eternal truth and love, still stretch above -his head? Therefore he would look up--up, and not down. -Forgetting the things that were behind, and reaching forth unto -those that were before, he would fain press forward towards the -mark for the prize. And then his heart went up in fervent -prayer that not only he himself, but also all those who shared -his faith, might be enabled so to do.</p> -<p class="pnext">Turning into a path leading back through the grove to the -monastery, he saw his brother coming towards him.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I was seeking thee," said Don Juan.</p> -<p class="pnext">"And always welcome. But why so early? On a Friday too?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Wherein is Friday worse than Thursday?" asked Juan with -a laugh. "You are not a monk, or even a novice, to be bound -by rules so strict that you may not say, 'Vaya con Dios' to -your brother without asking leave of my lord Abbot."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos had often noticed, not with displeasure, the freedom -which Juan since his return assumed in speaking of Churchmen -and Church ordinances. He answered, "I am only bound by -the general rules of the house, to which it is seemly that visitors -should conform. To-day the brethren are holding a Chapter to -confer upon matters pertaining to their discipline. I cannot -well bring you in-doors; but we do not need a better parlour -than this."</p> -<p class="pnext">"True. I care for no roof save God's sky; and as for glazed -and grated windows, I abhor them. Were I thrown into prison, -I should die in a week. I made an early start for San Isodro, -on an unusual day, to get rid of the company of my excellent -but tiresome cousins; for in truth I am sick unto death of their -talk and their courtesies. Moreover, I have ten thousand -things to tell you, brother."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have a few for your ear also."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Let us sit down. Here is a pleasant seat which some of -your brethren contrived to rest their weary limbs and enjoy the -prospect. They know how to be comfortable, these monks."</p> -<p class="pnext">They sat down accordingly. For more than an hour Don -Juan was the chief speaker; and as he spoke out of the -abundance of his heart, it was no wonder that the name oftenest on -his lips was that of Doña Beatriz. Of the long and -circumstantial story that he poured into the sympathizing ear of -Carlos no more than this is necessary to repeat--that Beatriz -not only did not reject him (no well-bred Spanish girl would -behave in such a singular manner to a suitor recommended by -her guardian), but actually looked kindly, nay, even smiled -upon him. His exhilaration was in consequence extreme; and -its expression might have proved tedious to any listener not -deeply interested in his welfare.</p> -<p class="pnext">At last, however, the subject was dismissed. "So my path -lies clear and plain before me," said Juan, his fine determined -face glowing with resolution and hope. "A soldier's life, with -its toils and prizes; and a happy home at Nuera, with a sweet -face to welcome me when I return. And, sooner or later, <em class="italics">that</em> -voyage to the Indies. But you, Carlos--speak out, for I -confess you perplex me--what do <em class="italics">you</em> wish and intend?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Had you asked me that question a few months, I might -almost say a few weeks, ago, I should not have hesitated, as -now I do, for an answer."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You were ever willing, more than willing, for Holy Church's -service. I know but one cause which could alter your mind; -and to the tender accusation you have already pleaded not -guilty."</p> -<p class="pnext">"The plea is a true one."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Certes; it cannot be that you have been seized with a -sudden passion for a soldier's life," laughed Juan. "That was -never your taste, little brother; and with all respect for you, I -scarce think your achievements with sword and arquebus would -be specially brilliant. But there is something wrong with you," -he said in an altered tone, as he gazed in his brother's anxious -face.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Not <em class="italics">wrong</em>, but--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have it!" said Juan, joyously interrupting him. "You -are in debt. That is soon mended, brother. In fact, it is my -fault. I have had far too large a share already of what should -have been for both of us alike. In future--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Hush, brother. I have always had enough, more than I -needed. And thou hast many expenses, and wilt have more -henceforward, whilst I shall only want a doublet and hosen, and -a pair of shoes."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And a cassock and gown?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos was silent.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I vow it is a harder task to comprehend you than to chase -Coligny's guard with my single arm! And you so pious, so -good a Christian! If you were a dull rough soldier like me, -and if you had had a Huguenot prisoner (and a very fine fellow, -too) to share your bed and board for months, one could -comprehend your not liking certain things over well, or even"--and -Juan averted his face and lowered his voice--"your having -certain evil thoughts you would scarcely care to breathe in the -ears of your father confessor."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Brother, I too have had thoughts," said Carlos eagerly.</p> -<p class="pnext">But Juan suddenly tossed off his montero, and ran his fingers -through his black glossy hair. In old times this gesture used -to be a sign that he was going to speak seriously. After a -moment he began, but with a little hesitation, for in fact he -held the <em class="italics">mind</em> of Carlos in as true and unfeigned reverence as -Carlos held his <em class="italics">character</em>. And that is enough to say, without -mentioning the additional respect with which he regarded him, -as almost a priest. "Brother Carlos, you are good and pious. -You were thus from childhood; and therefore it is that you are fit -for the service of Holy Church. You rise and go to rest, you -read your books, and tell your beads, and say your prayers, all -just as you are ordered. It is the best life for you, and for -any man who can live it, and be content with it. You do not -sin, you do not doubt; therefore you will never come into any -grief or trouble. But let me tell you, little brother, you have a -scant notion what men meet with who go forth into the -great world and fight their way in it; seeing on every side of -them things that, take them as they may, will <em class="italics">not</em> always square -with the faith they have learned in childhood."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Brother, I also have struggled and suffered. I also have -doubted."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Oh yes, a Churchman's doubts! You had only to tell -yourself doubt was a sin, to make the sign of the cross, to say -an Ave or two, then there was an end of your doubts. 'Twere -a different matter if you had the evil one in the shape of an -angel of light--at least in that of a courteous, well-bred -Huguenot gentleman, with as nice a sense of honour as any -Catholic Christian--at your side continually, to whisper that -the priests are no better than they ought to be, that the Church -needs reform; and Heaven knows what more, and worse, -beside.--Now, my pious brother, if thou art going to curse me -with bell, book, and candle, begin at once. I am ready, and -prepared to be duly penitent. Let me first put on my cap -though, for it is cold," and he suited the action to the word.</p> -<p class="pnext">The voice in which Carlos answered him was low and -tremulous with emotion. "Instead of cursing thee, brother -beloved, I bless thee from my heart for words which give me -courage to speak. I have doubted--nay, why should I shrink -from the truth! I have learned, as I believe, from God -himself, that some things which the Church teaches as her -doctrines are only the commandments of men."</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan started, and his colour changed. His vaguely -liberal ideas were far from having prepared him for this. -"What do you mean?" he cried, staring at his brother in -amazement.</p> -<p class="pnext">"That I am now, in very truth, what I think you would -call--<em class="italics">a Huguenot</em>."</p> -<p class="pnext">The die was cast. The avowal was made. Carlos waited -its effects in breathless silence, as one who has fired a powder -magazine might await the explosion.</p> -<p class="pnext">"May all the holy saints have mercy upon us!" cried Juan, -in a voice that echoed through the grove. But after that one -involuntary cry he was silent. The eyes of Carlos sought his -face, but he turned away from him. At last he muttered, -striking with his sword at the trunk of a tree that was near -him, "Huguenot--Protestant--<em class="italics">heretic</em>!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Brother," said Carlos, rising and standing before -him--"brother, say what thou wilt, only speak to me. Reproach -me, curse me, strike me, if it please thee, only speak to me."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan turned, gazed full in his imploring face, and slowly, -very slowly, allowed the sword to fall from his hand. There -was a moment of doubt, of hesitation. Then he stretched out -that hand to his brother. "They who list may curse thee, but -not I," he said.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos strained the offered hand in so close a grasp that his -own was cut by his brother's diamond ring, and the blood -flowed.</p> -<p class="pnext">For a long time both were silent, Juan in amazement, -perhaps in consternation; Carlos in deep thankfulness. His -confession was made, and his brother loved him still.</p> -<p class="pnext">At last Juan spoke, slowly and as if half bewildered. "The -Sieur de Ramenais believes in God, and in our Lord and his -passion. And you?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos repeated the Apostles' Creed in the vulgar tongue.</p> -<p class="pnext">"And in Our Lady, Mary, Mother of God?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I believe that she was the most blessed among women, the -holiest among the holy saints. Yet I ask her intercession no -more. I am too well assured of His love who says to me; -and to all who keep his word, 'My brother, my sister, my -mother.'"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I thought devotion to Our Lady was the surest mark of -piety," said Juan, in utter perplexity. "Then, I am only a man -of the world. But oh, my brother, this is frightful!" He -paused a moment, then added more calmly, "Still, I have -learned that Huguenots are not beasts with horns and hoofs; but, -possibly, brave and honourable men enough, as good, for this -world, as their neighbours. And yet--the disgrace!" His dark -cheek flushed, then grew pale, as there rose before his mind's -eye an appalling vision--his brother robed in a hideous -sanbenito, bearing a torch in the ghastly procession of an -<em class="italics">auto-da-fé</em>! "You have kept your secret as your life? My uncle -and his family suspect nothing?" he asked anxiously.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nothing, thank God."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And who taught you this accursed--these doctrines?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos briefly told the story of his first acquaintance with the -Spanish New Testament; suppressing, however, all mention of -the personal sorrow that had made its teaching so precious to -him; nor did he think it expedient to give the name of Juliano -Hernandez.</p> -<p class="pnext">"The Church may need reform. I am sure she does," Juan -candidly admitted. "But Carlos, my brother," he added, -while the expression of his face softened gradually into mournful, -pitying tenderness, "little brother, in old times so gentle, so -timid, hast thou dreamed--of the peril? I speak not now of -the disgrace--God wot that is hard enough to think of--hard -enough," he repeated bitterly. "But the peril?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos was silent; his hands were clasped, his eyes raised -upwards, full of thought, perhaps of prayer.</p> -<p class="pnext">"What is that on thy hand?" asked Juan, with a sudden -change of tone. "Blood? The Sieur de Ramenais' diamond -ring has hurt thee."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos glanced at the little wound, and smiled. "I never -felt it," he said, "so glad was my heart, Ruy, for that brave grasp -of faithful brotherhood." And there was a strange light in his -eye as he added, "Perchance it may be thus with me, if Christ -indeed should call me to suffer. Weak as I am, he can give, -even to me, such blessed assurance of his love, that in the joy -of it pain and fear shall be unfelt, or vanish."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan could not understand him, but he was awed and -impressed. He had no heart for many words. He rose and -walked towards the gate of the monastery grounds, slowly and -in silence, Carlos accompanying him. When they had nearly -reached the spot where they were to part, Carlos said, "You -have heard Fray Constantino, as I asked you?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes, and I greatly admire him."</p> -<p class="pnext">"He teaches God's truth."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Why can you not rest content with his teaching, then, -instead of going to look for better bread than wheaten, Heaven -knows where?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"When I return to the city next week I will explain all to -thee."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I hope so. In the meantime, adios." He strode on a -pace or two, then turned back to say, "Thou and I, Carlos, -we will stand together against the world."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="the-aged-monk">XVIII.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">The Aged Monk.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"I will not boast a martyr's might</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">To leave my home without a sigh--</div> -</div> -<div class="line">The dwelling of my past delight,</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">The shelter where I hoped to die."--Anon.</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Much was Carlos strengthened by the result of his -interview with Don Juan. The thing that he greatly -feared, his beloved brother's wrath and scorn, had -not come upon him. Juan had shown, instead, a moderation, -a candour, and a willingness to listen, which, while it really -amazed him, inspired him with the happiest hopes. With a -glad heart he repeated the Psalmist's exulting words: "The -Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart hath trusted in -him and I am helped; therefore my heart danceth for joy, and -in my song will I praise him."</p> -<p class="pnext">He soon perceived that the Chapter was over; for figures, -robed in white and brown, were moving here and there amongst -the trees. He entered the house, and without happening to -meet any one, made his way to the deserted Chapter-room. Its -sole remaining occupant was a very aged monk, the oldest -member of the community. He was seated at the table, his -face buried in his hands, and his frail, worn frame quivering as -if with sobs.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos went up to him and asked gently, "Father, what ails -you?"</p> -<p class="pnext">The old man slowly raised his head, and gazed at him -with sad, tired eyes, which had watched the course of more -than eighty years. "My son," he said, "if I weep, it is for -joy."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos wondered; for he saw no joy on the wrinkled brow or -in the tearful face. But he merely asked, "What have the -brethren resolved?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"To await God's providence here. Praised be his holy name -for that." And the old man bowed his silver head, and wept -once more.</p> -<p class="pnext">To Carlos also the determination was a cause for deep -gratitude. He had all along regarded the proposed flight of the -brethren with extreme dread, as an almost certain means of -awakening the suspicions of the Holy Office, and thus exposing -all who shared their faith to destruction. It was no light matter -that the danger was now at least postponed, always provided -that the respite was purchased by no sacrifice of principle.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Thank God!" reiterated the old monk. "For here I have -lived; and here I will die and be buried, beside the holy -brethren of other days, in the chapel of Don Alonzo the Good. -My son, I came hither a stripling as thou art--no, younger, -younger--I know not how many years ago; one year is so like -another, there is no telling. I could tell by looking at the -great book, only my eyes are too dim to read it. They have -grown dim very fast of late; when Doctor Egidius used to -visit us, I could read my Breviary with the youngest of them -all. But no matter how many years. They were many -enough to change a blooming, black-haired boy into an old -man tottering on the grave's brink. And I to go forth now -into that great, wicked world beyond the gate! I to look upon -strange faces, and to live amongst strange men! Or to die -amongst them, for to that it would come full soon! No, no, Señor -Don Carlos. Here I took the cowl; here I lived; and here I -will die and be buried, God and the saints helping me!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yet for the Truth's sake, my father, would you not be willing -to make even this sacrifice, and to go forth in your old age -into exile?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"If the brethren must needs go, so, I suppose, must I. -But they are <em class="italics">not</em> going, St. Jerome be praised," the old man -repeated.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Going or staying, the presence of Him whom they serve and -for whom they witness will be with them."</p> -<p class="pnext">"It may be, it may be, for aught I know. But in my young -days so many fine words were not in use. We sang our matins, -our complines, our vespers; we said the holy mass and all our -offices, and God and St. Jerome took care of the rest."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But you would not have those days back again, would you, -my father? You did not then know the glorious gospel of the -grace of God."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Gospel, gospel? We always read the gospel for the day. -I know my Breviary, young sir, just as well as another. And -on festival days, some one always preached from the gospel. -When Fray Domingo preached, plenty of great folks used to -come out from the city to hear him. For he was very eloquent, -and as much thought of, in his time, as Fray Cristobal is now. -But they are forgotten in a little while, all of them. So will we, -in a few years to come."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos reproached himself for having named the gospel, -instead of Him whose words and works are the burden of the -gospel story. For even to that dull ear, heavy with age, the -name of Jesus was sweet. And that dull mind, drowsy with -the slumber of a long lifetime, had half awaked at least to the -consciousness of his love.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Dear father," he said gently, "I know you are well -acquainted with the gospels. You remember what our blessed -Lord saith of those who confess him before men, how he will -not be ashamed to confess them before his Father in heaven? -And, moreover, is it not a joy for us to show, in any way he -points out to us, our love to him who loved us and gave -himself for us?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes, yes, we love him. And he knows I only wish to do -what is right, and what is pleasing in his sight."</p> -<p class="pnext">Afterwards, Carlos talked over the events of the day with -the younger and more intelligent brethren; especially with his -teacher, Fray Cristobal, and his particular friend, Fray Fernando. -He could but admire the spirit that had guided their -deliberations, and feel increased thankfulness for the decision -at which they had arrived. The peace which the whole -community of Spanish Protestants then enjoyed, perilous and -unstable as it was, stood at the mercy of every individual -belonging to that community. The unexplained flight of any -obscure member of Losada's congregation would have been -sufficient to give the alarm, and let loose the bloodhounds of -persecution upon the Church; how much more the abandonment -of a wealthy and honourable religious house by the greater -part of its inmates?</p> -<p class="pnext">The sword hung over their heads, suspended by a single hair, -which a hasty or incautious movement, a word, a breath even, -might suffice to break.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="truth-and-freedom">XIX.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Truth and Freedom</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">"Man is greater than you thought him;</div> -</div> -<div class="line">The bondage of long slumber he will break.</div> -<div class="line">His just and ancient rights he will reclaim,</div> -<div class="line">With Nero and Busiris he will rank</div> -<div class="line">The name of Philip."--Schiller</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Never before had it fallen to the lot of Don Juan -Alvarez to experience such bewilderment as that -which his brother's disclosure occasioned him. That -brother, whom he had always regarded as the embodiment of -goodness and piety, who was rendered illustrious in his eyes by -all sorts of academic honours, and sanctified by the shadow of -the coming priesthood, had actually confessed himself to -be--what he had been taught to hold in deepest, deadliest -abomination--a Lutheran heretic. But, on the other hand, from the -wise, pious, and in every way unexceptionable manner in which -Carlos had spoken, Juan could not help hoping that what, -probably through some unaccountable aberration of mind, he -himself persisted in styling Lutheranism, might prove in the end -some very harmless and orthodox kind of devotion. Perhaps, -eventually, his brother might found some new and holy order of -monks and friars. Or even (he was so clever) he might take -the lead in a Reformation of the Church, which, there was no use -in an honest man's denying, was sorely needed. Still, he could -not help admitting that the Sieur de Ramenais had sometimes -expressed himself with nearly as much apparent orthodoxy; and -he was undoubtedly a confirmed heretic--a Huguenot.</p> -<p class="pnext">But if the recollection of this man, who for months had been -his guest rather than his prisoner, served, from one point of -view, to increase his difficulties, from another, it helped to clear -away the most formidable of them. Don Juan had never been -religious; but he had always been hotly orthodox, as became -a Castilian gentleman of purest blood, and heir to all the -traditions of an ancient house, foremost for generations in the -great conflict with the infidel. He had been wont to look -upon the Catholic faith as a thing bound up irrevocably with -the knightly honour, the stainless fame, the noble pride of his -race, and, consequently, with all that was dearest to his heart. -Heresy he regarded as something unspeakably mean and degrading. -It was associated in his mind with Jews and Moors, -"caitiffs," "beggarly fellows;" all of them vulgar and unclean, -some of them the hereditary enemies of his race. Heretics were -Moslems, infidels, such as "my Cid" delighted in hewing down -with his good sword Tizona, "for God and Our Lady's -honour." Heretics kept the passover with mysterious, unhallowed rites, -into which it would be best not to inquire; heretics killed (and -perhaps ate) Christian children; they spat upon the cross; -they had to wear ugly yellow sanbenitos at <em class="italics">autos-da-fé</em>; and, to -sum up all in one word, they "smelled of the fire." To give -full weight to the last allusion, it must be remembered that in -the eyes of Don Juan and his cotemporaries, death by fire -had no hallowed or ennobling associations to veil its horrors. -The burning pile was to him what the cross was to our forefathers, -and what the gibbet is to us, only far more disgraceful. -Thus it was not so much his conscience as his honour and his -pride that were arrayed against the new faith.</p> -<p class="pnext">But, unconsciously to himself, opposition had been silently -undermined by his intercourse with the Sieur de Ramenais. It -would probably have been fatal to Protestantism with Don -Juan, had his first specimen of a Protestant been an humble -muleteer. Fortunately, the new opinions had come to him -represented by a noble and gallant knight, who</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"In open battle or in tilting field</div> -<div class="line">Forbore his own advantage;"</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">who was as careful of his "pundonor"[#] as any Castilian gentleman, -and scarcely yielded even to himself in all those marks of -good breeding, which, to say the truth, Don Juan Alvarez de -Santillanos y Meñaya valued far more than any abstract dogmas -of faith.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] Point of honour.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">This circumstance produced a willingness on his part to give -fair play to his brother's convictions. When Carlos returned to -Seville, which he did about a week after the meeting of the -Chapter, he was overjoyed to find Juan ready to hear all he -had to say with patience and candour. Moreover, the young -soldier was greatly attracted by the preaching of Fray -Constantino, whom he pronounced, in language borrowed from the -camp, "a right good camerado." Using these favourable -dispositions to the best advantage, Carlos repeated to him -passages from the New Testament; and with deep and prayerful -earnestness explained and enforced the truths they taught, -taking care, of course, not unnecessarily to shock his -prejudices.</p> -<p class="pnext">And, as time passed on, it became every day more and more -apparent that Don Juan was receiving "the new ideas;" and -that with far less difficulty and conflict than Carlos himself -had done. For with him the Reformed faith had only -prejudices, not convictions, to contend against. These once broken -down, the rest was easy. And then it came to him so naturally -to follow the guidance of Carlos in all that pertained to <em class="italics">thinking</em>.</p> -<p class="pnext">Unmeasured was the joy of the affectionate brother when at -last he found that he might safely venture to introduce him -privately to Losada as a promising inquirer.</p> -<p class="pnext">In the meantime their outward life passed on smoothly and -happily. With much feasting and rejoicing, Juan was betrothed -to Doña Beatriz. He had loved her devotedly since boyhood; -he loved her now more than ever. But his love was a deep, -life-long passion--no sudden delirium of the fancy--so that it -did not render him oblivious of every other tie, and callous to -every other impression; it rather stimulated, and at the same -time softened his whole nature. It made him not less, but -more, sensitive to all the exciting and ennobling influences -which were being brought to bear upon him.</p> -<p class="pnext">In Doña Beatriz Carlos perceived a change that surprised -him, while, at the same time, it made more evident than -ever how great would have been his own mistake, had he -accepted the passive gratitude of a child towards one who -noticed and flattered her for the true deep love of a woman's -heart. Doña Beatriz was a passive child no longer now. On -the betrothal day, a proud and beautiful woman leaned on the -arm of his handsome brother, and looked around her upon the -assembled family, queen-like in air and mien, her cheek rivalling -the crimson of the damask rose, her large dark eye beaming -with passionate, exulting joy. Carlos compared her in thought -to the fair, carved alabaster lamp that stood on the inlaid centre -table of his aunt's state receiving-room. Love had wrought in -her the change which light within always did in that, revealing -its hidden transparency, and glorifying its pale, cold whiteness -with tints so warmly beautiful, that the clouds of evening might -have envied them.</p> -<p class="pnext">The betrothal of Doña Sancha to Don Beltran Vivarez -quickly followed. Don Balthazar also succeeded in obtaining -the desired Government appointment, and henceforth enjoyed, -much to his satisfaction, the honours and emoluments of an -"<em class="italics">empleado</em>." To crown the family good fortune, Doña Inez -rejoiced in the birth of a son and heir; while even Don -Gonsalvo, not to be left out, acknowledged some improvement in -his health, which he attributed to the judicious treatment of -Losada. The mind of an intelligent man can scarcely be -deeply exercised upon one great subject, without the result -making itself felt throughout the whole range of his occupations. -Losada's patients could not fail to benefit by his habits -of independent thought and searching investigation, and his -freedom from vulgar prejudices. This freedom, so rare in -his nation, led him occasionally, though very cautiously, even -to hazard the adoption of a few remedies which were not -altogether "<em class="italics">cosas de Espana</em>."[#]</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] Things of Spain.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">The physician deserved less credit for his treatment of Juan's -wounded arm, which nature healed, almost as soon as her -beneficent operations ceased to be retarded by ignorant and -blundering leech-craft.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan was occasionally heard to utter aspirations for the -full restoration of his cousin Gonsalvo's health, more hearty in -their expression than charitable in their motive. "I would -give one of my fingers he could ride a horse and handle a sword, -or at least a good foil with the button off, and I would soon -make him repent his bearing and language to thee, Carlos. But -what can a man do with a thing like that, save let him alone -for very shame? Yet he is dastard enough to presume on such -toleration, and to strike those whom his own infirmities hinder -from returning the blow."</p> -<p class="pnext">"If he could ride a horse or handle a sword, brother, I think -you would find a marvellous change for the better in his bearing -and language. That bitterness, what is it, after all, but the -fruit of pain? Or of what is even worse than pain, repressed -force and energy. He would be in the great world doing and -daring; and behold, he is chained to a narrow room, or at best -toils with difficulty a few hundred paces. No wonder that the -strong winds, bound in their caverns, moan and shriek piteously -at times. When I hear them I feel far too much compassion -to think of anger. And I would give one of my fingers--nay, I -would give my right hand," he added with a smile, "that he -shared our blessed hope, Juan, my brother."</p> -<p class="pnext">"The most unlikely person of all our acquaintance to become -a convert."</p> -<p class="pnext">"So say not I. Do you know that he has given money--he -that has so little--more than once to Señor Cristobal for the -poor?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"That is nothing," said Juan. "He was ever free-handed. -Do you not remember, in our childhood, how he would strike -us upon the least provocation, yet insist on our sharing his -sweetmeats and his toys, and even sometimes fight us for -refusing them? While the others knew the value of a ducat -before they knew their Angelus, and would sell and barter their -small possessions like Dutch merchants."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Which you spared not to call them, bearing yourself in the -quarrels that naturally ensued with undaunted prowess; while I -too often disgraced you by tearful entreaties for peace at all -costs," returned Carlos, laughing. "But, my brother," he -resumed more gravely, "I often ask myself, are we doing all that -is possible in our present circumstances to share with others -the treasure we have found?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I trust it will soon be open to them all," said Juan, who -had now come just far enough to grasp strongly his right to -think and judge for himself, and with it the idea of emancipation -from the control of a proud and domineering priesthood. -"Great is truth, and shall prevail."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Certainly, in the end. But much that to mortal eyes looks -like defeat may come first."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I think my learned brother, so much wiser than I upon -many subjects, fails to read well the signs of the times. Whose -Word saith, 'When ye see the fig-tree put forth her buds, -know ye that summer is nigh, even at the door'? Everywhere -the fig-trees are budding now."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Still the frosts may return."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Hold thy peace, too desponding brother. Thou shouldst -have learned another lesson yesterday, when thou and I watched -the eager thousands as they hung breathless on the lips of our -Fray Constantino. Are not those thousands really for us, and -for truth and freedom?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"No doubt Christ has his own amongst them."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You always think of individuals, Carlos, rather than of our -country. You forget we are sons of Spain, Castilian nobles. -Of course we rejoice when even one man here and there is won -for the truth. But our Spain! our glorious land, first and -fairest of all the earth! our land of conquerors, whose arms -reach to the ends of the world--one hand taming the infidel in -his African stronghold, while the other crowns her with the gold -and jewels of the far West! She who has led the nations in -the path of discovery--whose fleets gem the ocean--whose -armies rule the land,--shall she not also lead the way to the -great city of God, and bring in the good coming time when all -shall know him from the least to the greatest--when they shall -know the truth, and the truth shall make them free? Carlos, -my brother, I do not dare to doubt it."</p> -<p class="pnext">It was not often that Don Juan expressed himself in such a -lengthened and energetic, not to say grandiloquent manner. -But his love for Spain was a passion, and to extol her or to -plead her cause words were never lacking with him. In reply -to this outburst of enthusiasm, Carlos only said gently, "Amen, -and the Lord establish it in his time."</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan looked keenly at him. "I thought you had faith, -Carlos?" he said.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Faith?" Carlos repeated inquiringly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Such faith," said Juan, "as I have. Faith in truth and -freedom?" And he rang out the sonorous words, "<em class="italics">Verdad y -libertad</em>," as if he thought, as indeed he did, that they had but -to go forth through a submissive, rejoicing world, "conquering -and to conquer."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have faith <em class="italics">in Christ</em>," Carlos answered quietly.</p> -<p class="pnext">And in those two brief phrases each unconsciously revealed -to the other the very depths of his soul, and told the secret of -his history.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="the-first-drop-of-a-thunder-shower">XX</p> -<p class="center large pnext">The First Drop of a Thunder Shower.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Closed doorways that are folded</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">And prayed against in vain"--E. B. Browning</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Meanwhile the happy weeks glided on noiselessly -and rapidly. They brought full occupation for head -and heart, as well as varied and intense enjoyment. -Don Juan's constant intercourse with Doña Beatriz was not -the less delightful because already he sought to imbue her -mind with the truths which he himself was learning every day -to love better. He thought her an apt and hopeful pupil, but, -under the circumstances, he was scarcely the best possible -judge.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos was not so well satisfied with her attainments; he -advised reserve and caution in imparting their secrets to her, -lest through inadvertence she might betray them to her aunt -and cousins. Juan considered this a mark of his constitutional -timidity; yet he so far attended to his warnings, that Doña -Beatriz was strongly impressed with the necessity of keeping -their religious conversations a profound secret, whilst her -sensibilities were not shocked by any mention of words so -odious as heresy or Lutheranism.</p> -<p class="pnext">Put there could be no doubt as to Juan's own progress under -the instructions of his brother, and of Losada and Fray Cassiodoro. -He began, ere long, to accompany Carlos to the meetings -of the Protestants, who welcomed the new acquisition to their -ranks with affectionate enthusiasm. All were attracted by Don -Juan's warmth and candour of disposition, and by his free, -joyous, hopeful temperament; though he was not beloved by -any as intensely as Carlos was by the few who really knew him, -such as Losada, Don Juan Ponce de Leon, and the young -monk, Fray Fernando.</p> -<p class="pnext">Partly through the influence of his religious friends, and -partly through the brilliant reputation he had brought from -Alcala, Carlos now obtained a lectureship at the College of -Doctrine, of which the provost, Fernando de San Juan, was a -decided and zealous Lutheran. This appointment was an -honourable one, considered in no way derogatory to his social -position, and useful as tending to convince his uncle that he -was "doing something," not idly dreaming his time away.</p> -<p class="pnext">Occupations of another kind opened out before him also. -Amongst the many sincere and anxious inquirers who were -troubled with perplexities concerning the relations of the old -faith and the new, were some who turned to him, with an -instinctive feeling that he could help them. This was just the -work that best suited his abilities and his temperament. To -sympathize, to counsel, to aid in conflict as only that man can do -who has known conflict himself, was God's special gift to him. -And he who goes through the world speaking, whenever he can, -a word in season to the weary, will seldom be without some -weary one ready to listen to him.</p> -<p class="pnext">Upon one subject, and only one, the brothers still differed. -Juan saw the future robed in the glowing hues borrowed from -his own ardent, hopeful spirit. In his eyes the Spains were -already won "for truth and freedom," as he loved to say. He -anticipated nothing less than a glorious regeneration of -Christendom, in which his beloved country would lead the van. -And there were many amongst Losada's congregation who -shared these bright and beautiful, if delusive dreams, and the -enthusiasm which had given them birth, and in its turn was -nourished by them.</p> -<p class="pnext">Again, there were others who rejoiced with much trembling -over the good tidings that often reached them of the spread of -the faith in distant parts of the country, and who welcomed -each neophyte to their ranks as if they were adorning a victim -for the sacrifice. They could not forget that name of terror, -the Holy Inquisition. And from certain ominous indications -they thought the sleeping monster was beginning to stir in his -den. Else why had new and severe decrees against heresy -been recently obtained from Rome? And above all, why had -the Bishop of Terragona, Gonzales de Munebrãga, already -known as a relentless persecutor of Jews and Moors, been -appointed Vice-Inquisitor General at Seville?</p> -<p class="pnext">Still, on the whole, hope and confidence predominated; and -strange, nay, incredible as it may appear to us, beneath the very -shadow of the Triana the Lutherans continued to hold their -meetings "almost with open doors."</p> -<p class="pnext">One evening Don Juan escorted Doña Beatriz to some -festivity from which he could not very well excuse himself, -whilst Carlos attended a re-union for prayer and mutual -edification at the usual place--the house of Doña Isabella de -Baena.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan returned at a late hour, but in high spirits. Going -at once to the room where his brother sat awaiting him, he -threw off his cloak, and stood before him, a gay, handsome -figure, in his doublet of crimson satin, his gold chain, and -well-used sword, now worn for ornament, with its embossed scabbard -and embroidered belt.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I never saw Doña Beatriz look so charming," he began -eagerly. "Don Miguel de Santa Cruz was there, but he could -not get no much as a single dance with her, and looked ready -to die for envy. But save me from the impertinence of Luis -Rotelo! I shall have to cane him one of these days, if no -milder measures will teach him his place and station. <em class="italics">He</em>, the -son of a simple hidalgo, to dare lift his eyes to Doña Beatriz de -Lavella? The caitiff's presumption!--But thou art not listening, -brother. What is wrong with thee?"</p> -<p class="pnext">No wonder he asked. The face of Carlos was pale; and -the deep mournful eyes looked as if tears had been lately there. -"A great sorrow, brother mine," he answered in a low voice.</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">My</em> sorrow too, then. Tell me, what is it?" asked Juan, -his tone and manner changed in a moment.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Juliano is taken."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Juliano! The muleteer who brought the books, and gave -you that Testament?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"The man who put into my hands this precious Book, to -which I owe my joy now and my hope for eternity," said Carlos, -his lip trembling.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ay de mi!--But perhaps it is not true."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Too true. A smith, to whom he showed a copy of the -Book, betrayed him. God forgive him--if there be forgiveness -for such. It may have been a month ago, but we only heard -it now. And he lies there--<em class="italics">there</em>."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Who told you?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"All were talking of it at the meeting when I entered. It is -the sorrow of all; but I doubt if any have such cause to sorrow -as I. For he is my father in the faith, Juan. And now," he -added, after a long, sad pause, "I shall <em class="italics">never</em> tell him what he -has done for me--at least on this side of the grave."</p> -<p class="pnext">"There is no hope for him," said Juan mournfully, as one -that mused.</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">Hope</em>! Only in the great mercy of God. Even those -dreadful dungeon walls cannot shut Him out."</p> -<p class="pnext">"No; thank God."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But the prolonged, the bitter, the horrible suffering! I -have been trying to contemplate, to picture it--but I cannot, -I dare not. And what I dare not think of, he must endure."</p> -<p class="pnext">"He is a peasant, you are a noble--that makes some difference," -said Don Juan, with whom the tie of brotherhood in -Christ had not yet effaced all earthly distinctions. "But -Carlos," he questioned suddenly, and with a look of alarm, -"does not he know everything?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">Everything</em>," Carlos answered quietly. "One word from his -lips, and the pile is kindled for us all. But that word will never -be spoken. To-night not one heart amongst us trembled for -ourselves, we only wept for him."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You trust him, then, so completely? It is much to say. -They in whose hands he is are cruel as fiends. No doubt they -will--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Hush!" interrupted Carlos, with a look of such exceeding -pain, that Juan was effectually silenced. "There are things we -cannot speak of, save to God in prayer. Oh, my brother, pray -for him, that He for whom he has risked so much may sustain -him, and, if it may be, shorten his agony."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Surely more than two or three will join in that prayer. -But, my brother," he added, after a pause, "be not so -downcast. Do you not know that every great cause must have its -martyr? When was a victory won, and no brave man left -dead on the field; a city stormed, and none fallen in the -breach? Perhaps to that poor peasant may be given the -glory--the great glory--of being honoured throughout all time -as the sainted martyr whose death has consecrated our holy -cause to victory. A grand lot truly? Worth suffering for!" And -Juan's dark eye kindled, and his cheek glowed with -enthusiasm.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos was silent.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Dost thou not think so, my brother?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I think that Christ is worth suffering; for," said Carlos at -last. "And that nothing short of his personal presence, -realized by faith, can avail to bring any man victorious -through such fearful trials. May that--may he be with his -faithful servant now, when all human help and comfort are -far away."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="by-the-guadalquivir">XXI.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">By the Guadalquivir</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"There dwells my father, sinless and at rest,</div> -<div class="line">Where the fierce murderer can no more pursue."--Schiller</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Next Sunday evening the brothers attended the quiet -service in Doña Isabella's upper room. It was -more solemn than usual, because of the deep shadow -that rested on the hearts of all the band assembled there. But -Losada's calm voice spoke wise and loving words about life -and death, and about Him who, being the Lord of life, has -conquered death for all who trust him. Then came prayer--true -incense offered on the golden altar standing "before the -mercy-seat," which only "the veil," still dropped between, hides -from the eyes of the worshippers.[#] But in such hours many a -ray from the glory within shines through that veil.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] See Exodus xxx 6.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">"Do not let us return home yet, brother," said Carlos, when -they had parted with their friends. "The night is fine."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Whither shall we bend our steps?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos named a favourite walk through some olive-yards on -the banks of the river, and Juan set his face towards one of the -city gates.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Why take such a circuit?" said Carlos, showing a disposition -to turn in an opposite direction. "This is far the shorter -way."</p> -<p class="pnext">"True; but it is less pleasant."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos looked at him gratefully. "My brother would spare -my weakness," he said. "But it needs not. Twice of late, -when you were engaged with Doña Beatriz, I went alone thither, -and--to the Prado San Sebastian."</p> -<p class="pnext">So they passed through the Puerta de Triana, and having -crossed the bridge of boats, leisurely took their way beneath -the walls of the grim old castle. As they did so, both prayed -in silence for one who was pining in its dungeons. Don Juan, -whose interest in the fate of Juliano was naturally far less -intense than his brother's, was the first to break that silence. -He remarked that the Dominican convent adjoining the -Triana looked nearly as gloomy as the inquisitorial prison -itself.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I think it looks like all other convents," returned Carlos, -with indifference.</p> -<p class="pnext">They were soon in the shadow of the dark, ghost-like olive-trees. -The moon was young, and gave but little light; but the -large clear stars looked down through the southern air like -lamps of fire, hanging not so much in the sky as from it. Were -those bright watchers charged with a message from the land -very far off, which seemed so near to them in the high places -whence they ruled the night? Carlos drank in the spirit of the -scene in silence. But this did not please his less meditative -brother. "What art thou pondering?" he asked.</p> -<p class="pnext">"'They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the -firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the -stars for ever and ever.'"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Art thinking still of the prisoner in the Triana?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Of him, and also of another very dear to both of us, of -whom I have for some time been purposing to speak to thee. -What if thou and I have been, like children, seeking for a star -on earth while all the time it was shining above us in God's -glorious heaven?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Knowest thou not of old, little brother, that when thy -parables begin I am left behind at once? I pray thee, let the -stars alone, and speak the language of earth."</p> -<p class="pnext">"What was the task to which thou and I vowed ourselves in -childhood, brother?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan looked at him keenly through the dim light. "I sometimes -feared thou hadst forgotten," he said.</p> -<p class="pnext">"No danger of that. But I had a reason--I think a good -and sufficient one--for not speaking to thee until well and fully -assured of thy sympathy."</p> -<p class="pnext">"My sympathy? In aught that concerned the dream, the -passion of my life!--of both our young lives! Carlos, how -couldst thou even doubt of this?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I had reason to doubt at first whether a gleam of light -which has been shed upon our father's fate would be regarded -by his son as a blessing or a curse."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Do not keep a man in suspense, brother. Speak at once, -in Heaven's name."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I doubt no longer now. It will be to thee, Juan, as to me, -a joy exceeding great to think that our venerated father read -God's Word for himself, and knew his truth and honoured it, -as we have learned to do."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Now, God be thanked!" cried Juan, pausing in his walk -and clasping his hands together. "This indeed is joyful news. -But speak, brother; how do you know it? Are you certain, or -is it only dream, hope, conjecture?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos told him in detail, first the hint dropped by Losada to -De Seso; then the story of Dolores; lastly, what he had heard -at San Isodro about Don Rodrigo de Valer. And as he -proceeded with his narrative, he welded the scattered links into a -connected chain of evidence.</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan, all eagerness, could hardly wait till he came to the end. -"Why did you not speak to Losada?" he interrupted at last.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Stay, brother, and hear me out; the best is to come. I -have done so lately. But until assured how thou wouldst -regard the matter, I cared not to ask questions, the answers to -which might wound thy heart."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You are in no doubt now. What heard you from Señor -Cristobal?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I heard that Dr. Egidius named the Conde de Nuera as -one of those who befriended Don Rodrigo. And that he had -been present when that brave and faithful teacher privately -expounded the Epistle to the Romans."</p> -<p class="pnext">"There!" Juan exclaimed with a start. "There is the origin -of my second and favourite name, Rodrigo. Brother, brother, -these are the best tidings I have heard for years." And -uncovering his head, he uttered fervent and solemn words of -thanksgiving.</p> -<p class="pnext">To which Carlos added a heartfelt "Amen," and resumed,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then, brother, you think we are justified in taking this joy -to our hearts?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Without doubt," cried the sanguine Don Juan.</p> -<p class="pnext">"And it follows that his crime--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Was what in our eyes constitutes the truest glory, the -profession of a pure faith," said Juan with decision, leaping at once -to the conclusion Carlos had reached by a far slower path.</p> -<p class="pnext">"And those mystic words inscribed upon the window, the -delight and wonder of our childhood--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ah!" repeated Juan--</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"El Dorado</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">Yo hé trovado."</div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">But what they have to do with the matter I see not yet."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You see not? Surely the knowledge of God in Christ, the -kingdom of heaven opened up to us, is the true El Dorado, the -golden country, which enriches those who find it for ever more."</p> -<p class="pnext">"That is all very good," said Juan, with the air of a man not -quite satisfied.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I doubt not that was our father's meaning," Carlos -continued.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I doubt it, though. Up to that point I follow you, Carlos; -but there we part. <em class="italics">Something</em> in the New World, I think, my -father must have found."</p> -<p class="pnext">A lengthened debate followed, in which Carlos discovered, -rather to his surprise, that Juan still clung to his early faith in a -literal land of gold. The more thoughtful and speculative -brother sought in vain to reason him out of that belief. Nor -was he much more successful when he came to state his own -settled conviction that they should never see their father's face -on earth. Not the slightest doubt remained on his own mind -that, on account of his attachment to the Reformed faith, the -Conde de Nuera had been, in the phraseology of the time, -quietly "put out of the way." But whether this had been done -during the voyage, or on the wild unknown shores of the New -World, he believed his children would never know.</p> -<p class="pnext">On this point, however, no argument availed with Juan. He -seemed determined <em class="italics">not</em> to believe in his father's death. He -confessed, indeed, that his heart bounded at the thought that he -had been a sufferer "in the cause of truth and freedom." "He -has suffered exile," he said, "and the loss of all things. But -I see not wherefore he may not after all be living still, -somewhere in that vast wonderful New World."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am content to think," Carlos replied, "that all these -years he has been at rest with the dead in Christ. And that -we shall see his face first with Christ when he appears in glory."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But I am not content. We must learn something more."</p> -<p class="pnext">"We shall never learn more. How can we?" asked Carlos.</p> -<p class="pnext">"That is so like thee, little brother. Ever desponding, ever -turned easily from thy purpose."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Well; be it so," said Carlos meekly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"But what <em class="italics">I</em> determine, that I do," said Juan. "At least I -will make my uncle speak out," he continued. "I have ever -suspected that he knows something."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But how is that to be done?" asked Carlos. "Nevertheless, -do all thou canst, and God prosper thee. Only," he added -with great earnestness, "remember the necessities of our present -position; and for the sake of our friends, as well as of our own -lives, use due prudence and caution."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Fear not, my too prudent brother.--The best and dearest -brother in the world," he added kindly, "if he had but a little -more courage."</p> -<p class="pnext">Thus conversing they hastily retraced their steps to the city, -the hour being already late.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">Quiet weeks passed on after this unmarked by any event of -importance. Winter had now given place to spring; the -time of the singing of birds was come. In spite of numerous -and heavy anxieties, and of <em class="italics">one</em> sorrow that pressed more or -less upon all, it was still spring-time in many a brave and -hopeful heart amongst the adherents of the new faith in Seville. -Certainly it was spring-time with Don Juan Alvarez.</p> -<p class="pnext">One Sunday a letter arrived by special messenger from Nuera, -containing the unwelcome tidings that the old and faithful -servant of the house, Diego Montes, was dying. It was his -last wish to resign his stewardship into the hands of his young -master, Señor Don Juan. Juan could not hesitate. "I will -go to-morrow morning," he said to Carlos; "but rest assured -I will return hither as soon as possible; the days are too -precious to be lost."</p> -<p class="pnext">Together they repaired once more to Doña Isabella's house. -Don Juan told the friends they met there of his intended -departure, and ere they separated many a hand warmly grasped -his, and many a voice spoke kindly the "Vaya con Dios" for -his journey.</p> -<p class="pnext">"It needs not formal leave-takings, señores and my brethren," -said Juan; "my absence will be very short; not next Sunday -indeed, but possibly in a fortnight, and certainly this day month -I shall meet you all here again."</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">God willing</em>," said Losada gravely. And so they parted.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="the-flood-gates-opened">XXII.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">The Flood-Gates Opened.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"And they feared as they entered into the cloud."</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">For the first stage of Don Juan's journey Carlos -accompanied him. They spent the time in animated -talk, chiefly about Nuera, Carlos sending kind -messages to the dying man, to Dolores, and indeed to all the -household. "Remember, brother," he said, "to give Dolores -the little books I put into the alforjas, specially the 'Confession -of a Sinner.'"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I shall remember everything, even to bringing thee back -tidings of all the sick folk in the village. Now, Carlos, here we -agreed to part;--no, not one step further."</p> -<p class="pnext">They clasped each other's hands. "It is not like a long -parting," said Juan.</p> -<p class="pnext">"No. Vaya con Dios, my Ruy."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Quede con Dios,[#] brother;" and he rode off, followed by -his servant.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] Remain with God.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">Carlos watched him wistfully; would he turn for a last look? -He <em class="italics">did</em> turn. Taking off his velvet montero, he gaily bowed -farewell; thus allowing Carlos to gaze once more upon his -dark, handsome, resolute features, keen, sparkling eyes and -curling black hair.</p> -<p class="pnext">Whilst Juan saw a scholar's face, thoughtful, refined, sensitive; -a broad pale forehead, from which the breeze had blown the -waving fair hair (fair to a southern eye, though really a bright -soft brown), and lips that kept the old sweetness of expression, -though, whether from the manly fringe that graced them or -from some actual change, the weakness which marred them -once had ceased to be apparent now.</p> -<p class="pnext">Another moment, and both had turned their horses' heads. -Carlos, when he reached the city, made a circuit to avoid one -of the very frequent processions of the Host; since, as time -passed on, he felt ever more and more disinclined to the -absolutely necessary prostration. Afterwards he called upon -Losada, to inquire the exact address of a person whom he had -asked him to visit. He found him engaged in his character of -physician, and sat down in the patio to await his leisure.</p> -<p class="pnext">Ere long Dr. Cristobal passed through, politely accompanying -to the gate a canon of the cathedral, for whose ailments he -had just been prescribing. The Churchman, who was evidently -on the best terms with his physician, was showing his -good-nature and affability by giving him the current news of the -city; to which Losada listened courteously, with a grave, quiet -smile, and, when necessary, an appropriate question or comment. -Only one item made any impression upon Carlos: it related to -a pleasant estate by the sea-side which Munebrãga had just -purchased, disappointing thereby a relative of the canon's who -desired to possess it, but could not command the very large -price readily offered by the Inquisitor.</p> -<p class="pnext">At last the visitor was gone. In a moment the smile had -faded from the physician's care-worn face. Turning to Carlos -with a strangely altered look, he said, "The monks of San Isodro -have fled."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Fled?" Carlos repeated, in blank dismay.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes; no fewer than twelve of them have abandoned the -monastery."</p> -<p class="pnext">"How did you hear it?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"One of the lay brethren came in this morning to inform me. -They held another solemn Chapter, in which it was determined -that each one should follow the guidance of his own conscience, -those, therefore, to whom it seemed best to go have gone, the rest -remain."</p> -<p class="pnext">For some moments they looked at each other in silence. So -fearful was the peril in which this rash act involved them all, -that it almost seemed as if they had heard a sentence of death.</p> -<p class="pnext">The voice of Carlos faltered as he asked at last,--"Have -Fray Cristobal or Fray Fernando gone?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"No; they are both amongst those, more generous if not -more wise, who have chosen to remain and take what God will -send them here. Stay, here is a letter from Fray Cristobal -which the lay brother brought me; it will tell you as much as I -know myself."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos read it carefully. "It seems," he said, when he had -finished, "that the consciences of those who fled would not -allow them any longer to conform, even outwardly, to the rules -of their order. Moreover, from the signs of the times, they -believe that a storm is about to burst upon the company of the -faithful."</p> -<p class="pnext">"God grant it may prove that they have saved <em class="italics">themselves</em> -from its violence," Losada answered, with a slight emphasis on -"themselves."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And for us?--God help us!" Carlos almost moaned, the -paper falling from his trembling hand. "What shall we do?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might," -returned Losada bravely. "No other strength remains for us. -But God grant none of us in the city may be so unadvised as to -follow the example of the brethren. The flight of one might -be the ruin of all."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And those noble, devoted men who remain at San Isodro?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Are in God's hands, as we are."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I will ride out and visit them, especially Fray Fernando."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Excuse me, Señor Don Carlos, but you will do nothing of -the kind; that were to court suspicion. I will bear any message -you choose to send."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And you?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Losada smiled, though sadly. "The physician has occasion -to go," he said; "he is a very useful personage, who often -covers with his ample cloak the <em class="italics">dogmatizing heretic</em>."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos recognized the official phraseology of the Holy Office. -He repressed a shudder, but could not hide the look of terror -that dilated his large blue eyes.</p> -<p class="pnext">The older man, the more experienced Christian, could -compassionate the youth. Losada, himself standing "face to -face with death," spoke kind words of counsel and comfort to -Carlos. He cautioned him strongly against losing his -self-possession, and thereby running needlessly into danger. -"Especially would I urge upon you, Señor Don Carlos," he -said, "the duty of avoiding unnecessary risk, for already you are -useful to us; and should God spare your life, you will be still -more so. If I fall--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Do not speak of it, my beloved friend."</p> -<p class="pnext">"It will be as God pleases," said the pastor calmly. "But -I need not remind you, others stand in like peril with me. -Especially Fray Cassiodoro, and Don Juan Ponce de Leon."</p> -<p class="pnext">"The noblest heads, the likeliest to fall," Carlos murmured.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then must younger soldiers step forth from the ranks, and -take up the standards dropped from their hands. Don Carlos -Alvarez, we have high hopes of you. Your quiet words reach -the heart; for you speak that which you know, and testify that -which you have seen. And the good gifts of mind that God -has given you enable you to speak with the greater acceptance. -He may have much work for you in his harvest-field. But -whether he should call you to work or to suffer, shrink not, but -'be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou -dismayed; for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever -thou goest.'"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I will try to trust him; and may he make his strength -perfect in my weakness," said Carlos. "But for the present," -he added, "give me any lowly work to do, whereby I may aid -you or lighten your cares, my loved friend and teacher."</p> -<p class="pnext">Losada gladly gave him, as indeed he had done several times -before, instructions to visit certain secret inquirers, and persons -in distress and perplexity of mind.</p> -<p class="pnext">He passed the next two or three days in these ministrations, -and in constant prayer, especially for the remaining monks of -San Isodro, whose sore peril pressed heavily on his heart. He -sought, as much as possible, to shut out other thoughts; or, -when they would force an entrance, to cast their burden, which -otherwise would have been intolerable, upon Him who would -surely care for his own Church, his few sheep in the wilderness.</p> -<p class="pnext">One morning he remained late in his chamber, writing a -letter to his brother; and then went forth, intending to visit -Losada. As it was a fast-day, and he kept the Church fasts -rigorously, it happened that he had not previously met any of -his uncle's family.</p> -<p class="pnext">The entrance to the physician's house did not present its -usual cheerful appearance. The gate was shut and bolted, and -there was no sign of patients passing in or out Carlos -became alarmed. It was long before he obtained an answer to -his repeated calls. At last, however, some one inside cried, -"<em class="italics">Quien es?</em>"[#]</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] Who is there?</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">Carlos gave his name, well known to all the household.</p> -<p class="pnext">Then the door was half opened, and a mulatto serving-lad -showed a terrified face behind it.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Where is Señor Cristobal?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Gone, señor."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Gone!--whither?"</p> -<p class="pnext">The answer was a furtive, frightened whisper. "Last night--the -Alguazils of the Holy Office." And the door was shut and -bolted in his face.</p> -<p class="pnext">He stood rooted to the spot, speechless and motionless, in a -trance of horror. At last he was startled by feeling some one -grasp his arm without ceremony, indeed rather roughly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Are you moonstruck, Cousin Don Carlos?" asked the -voice of Gonsalvo. "At least you might have had the courtesy -to offer me the aid of your arm, without putting me to the -shame of requesting it, miserable cripple that I am!" and he -gave vent to a torrent of curses upon his own infirmities, using -expressions profane and blasphemous enough to make Carlos -shiver with pain.</p> -<p class="pnext">Yet that very pain did him real service. It roused him from -his stupor, as sharp anguish sometimes brings back a patient -from a swoon. He said, "Pardon me, my cousin, I did not -see you; but I hear you now--with sorrow."</p> -<p class="pnext">Gonsalvo deigned no answer, except his usual short, bitter -laugh.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Whither do you wish to go?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Home. I am tired."</p> -<p class="pnext">They walked along in silence; at last Gonsalvo asked, -abruptly,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"Have you heard the news?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"What news?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"The news that is in every one's mouth to-day. Indeed, -the city has well nigh run mad with holy horror. And no -wonder! Their reverences, the Lords Inquisitors, have just -discovered a community of abominable Lutherans, a very -viper's nest, in our midst. It is said the wretches have actually -dared to carry on their worship somewhere in the town. Ah, -no marvel you look horror-stricken, my pious cousin. You -could never have dreamed that such a thing was possible, could -you?" After one quick, keen glance, he did not look again in -his cousin's face; but he might have felt the beating of his -cousin's heart against his arm.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am told," he continued, "that nearly two hundred persons -have been arrested already."</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">Two hundred!</em>" gasped Carlos.</p> -<p class="pnext">"And the arrests are going on still."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Who is taken?" Carlos forced his trembling lips to ask.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Losada; more's the pity. A good physician, though a bad -Christian."</p> -<p class="pnext">"A good physician, and a good Christian too," said Carlos in -the voice of one who tries to speak calmly in terrible bodily -pain.</p> -<p class="pnext">"An opinion you would do more wisely to keep to yourself, -if a reprobate such as I may presume to counsel so learned and -pious a personage."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Who else?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"One you would never guess. Don Juan Ponce de Leon, of -all men. Think of the Count of Baylen's son being thus -degraded! Also the master of the College of Doctrine, San -Juan; and a number of Jeromite friars from San Isodro. Those -are all I know worth a gentleman's taking account of. There -are some beggarly tradesfolk, such as Medel d'Espinosa, the -embroiderer; and Luis d'Abrego, from whom your brother -bought that beautiful book of the Gospels he gave Doña -Beatriz. But if only such cattle were concerned in it, no one -would care."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Some fools there be," Don Gonsalvo continued after a pause, -"who have run to the Triana, and informed against themselves, -thinking thereby to get off more easily. <em class="italics">Fools</em>, again I say, for -their pains." And he emphasized his words by a pressure of -the arm on which he was leaning.</p> -<p class="pnext">At length they reached the door of Don Manuel's house. -"Thanks for your aid," said Gonsalvo. "Now that I remember -it, Don Carlos, I hear also that we are to have a grand -procession on Tuesday with banners and crosses, in honour of Our -Lady, and of our holy patronesses Justina and Rufina, to beg -pardon for the sin and scandal so long permitted in the midst -of our most Catholic city. You, my pious cousin, licentiate of -theology and all but consecrated priest--you will carry a taper, -no doubt?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos would fain have left the question unanswered; but -Gonsalvo meant to have an answer. "You will?" he repeated, -laying his hand on his arm, and looking him in the face, though -with a smile. "It would be very creditable to the family for -one of us to appear. Seriously; I advise you to do it."</p> -<p class="pnext">Then Carlos said quietly, "<em class="italics">No</em>;" and crossed the patio to -the staircase which led to his own apartment.</p> -<p class="pnext">Gonsalvo stood watching him, and mentally retracting, at his -last word, the verdict formerly pronounced against him as "a -coward," "not half a man."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="the-reign-of-terror">XXIII.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">The Reign of Terror</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Though shining millions around thee stand,</div> -<div class="line">For the sake of him at thy right hand</div> -<div class="line">Think of the souls he died for here,</div> -<div class="line">Thus wandering in darkness, in doubt and fear.</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -<div class="line">"The powers of darkness are all abroad--</div> -<div class="line">They own no Saviour, and they fear no God;</div> -<div class="line">And we are trembling in dumb dismay;</div> -<div class="line">Oh, turn not thou thy face away."--Hogg</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">It was late in the evening when Carlos emerged from -his chamber. How the intervening hours had been -passed he never told any one. But this much is -certain,--he contended with and overcame a wild, almost -uncontrollable impulse to seek refuge in flight. His reason -told him that this would be to rush upon certain destruction: -so sedulously guarded were all the ways of egress, and so -watchful and complete, in every city and village of the land, -was the inquisitorial organization; not to speak of the -"Hermandad," or Brotherhood--a kind of civil police, always -ready to co-operate with the ecclesiastical authorities.</p> -<p class="pnext">Still, if he could not be saved, Juan might and should. This -thought was growing gradually clearer and stronger in his -bewildered brain and aching heart while he knelt in his -chamber, finding a relief in the attitude of prayer, though -few and broken were the words of prayer that passed his -trembling lips. Indeed, the burden of his cry was this: "Lord, -have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Thou that -carest for us, forsake us not in our bitter need. For thine is -the kingdom; even yet thou reignest."</p> -<p class="pnext">This was all he could find to plead, either on his own behalf -or on that of his imprisoned brethren; though for them his -heart was wrung with unutterable anguish. Once and again -did he repeat--"<em class="italics">Thine</em> is the kingdom and the power. Thine, -O Father; thine, O Lord and Saviour. Thou canst deliver us."</p> -<p class="pnext">It was well for him that he had Juan to save. He rose at -last; and added to the letter previously written to his brother -a few lines of most earnest entreaty that he would on no account -return to Seville. But then, recollecting his own position, he -marvelled greatly at his simplicity in purposing to send such -a letter by the King's post--an institution which, strange to -say, Spain possessed at an earlier period than any other country -in Europe. If he should fall under suspicion, his letter would -be liable to detention and examination, and might thus be the -means of involving Juan in the very peril from which he sought -to deliver him.</p> -<p class="pnext">A better plan soon occurred to him. That he might carry it -out, he descended late in the evening to the cool, marble-paved -court, or <em class="italics">patio</em>, in the centre of which the fountain ever -murmured and glistened, surrounded by tropical plants, some -of them in gorgeous bloom.</p> -<p class="pnext">As he had hoped, one solitary lamp burned like a star in a -remote corner; and its light illumined the form of a young girl -seated on a low chair, before an inlaid ebony table, writing -busily. Doña Beatriz had excused herself from accompanying -the family on an evening visit, that she might devote herself in -undisturbed solitude to the composition of her first love-letter--indeed, -her first letter of any kind: for short as he intended -his absence to be, Juan had stipulated for this consolation, and -induced her to premise it; and she knew that the King's post -went northwards the next day, passing by Nuera on his way to -the towns of La Mancha.</p> -<p class="pnext">So engrossing was her occupation that she did not hear the -step of Carlos. He drew near, and stood behind her. Pearls, -golden Agni, and a scarlet flower or two, were twined with her -glossy raven hair; and the lamp shed a subdued radiance over -her fine features, which glowed through their delicate olive with -the rosy light of joy. An exquisite though not very costly -perfume, that Carlos in other days always associated with her -presence, still continued a favourite with her, and filled the -place around with fragrance. It brought back his memory to -the past--to that wild, vain, yet enchanting dream; the brief -romance of his life. But there was no time now even for "a -dream within a dream." There was only time to thank God, -from the depths of his soul, that in all the wide world there was -no heart that would break for <em class="italics">him</em>.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Doña Beatriz," he said gently.</p> -<p class="pnext">She started, and half turned, a bright flush mounting to her -cheek.</p> -<p class="pnext">"You are writing to my brother."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And how know you that, Señor Don Carlos?" asked the -young lady, with a little innocent affectation.</p> -<p class="pnext">But Carlos, standing face to face with terrible realities, -pushed aside her pretty arts, as one hastening to succour a -dying man might push aside a branch of wild roses that -impeded his path.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I most earnestly request of you, señora, to convey to him a -message from me."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And wherefore can you not write to him yourself, Señor -Licentiate?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Is it possible, señora, that you know not what has -happened?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Vaya, vaya, Don Carlos! how you startle one.--Do you -mean these horrible arrests?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos found that a few strong, plain words were absolutely -necessary in order to make Beatrix understand his brother's -peril. She had listened hitherto to Don Juan's extracts from -Scripture, and the arguments and exhortations founded thereon, -conscious, indeed, that these were secrets which should be -jealously guarded, yet unconscious that they were what the -Church and the world branded as heresy. Consequently, -although she heard of the arrest of Losada and his friends -with vague regret and apprehension, she was far from -distinctly associating the crime for which they suffered with the -name dearest to her heart. She was still very young; and she -had not thought much--she had only loved. And she blindly -followed him she loved, without caring to ask whither he was -going himself, or whither he was leading her. When at last -Carlos made her comprehend that it was for reading the -Scriptures, and talking of justification by faith alone, that Losada -was thrown into the dungeons of the Triana, a thrilling cry of -anguish broke from her lips.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Hush, señora!" said Carlos; and for once his voice was -stern. "If even your little black foot-page heard that cry, it -might ruin all."</p> -<p class="pnext">But Beatrix was unused to self-control. Another cry -followed, and there were symptoms of hysterical tears and -laughter. Carlos tried a more potent spell.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Hush, señora!" he repeated. "We must be strong and -silent, if we are to save Don Juan."</p> -<p class="pnext">She looked piteously up at him, repeating, "Save Don -Juan?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes, señora. Listen to me. <em class="italics">You</em>, at least, are a good -Catholic. You have not compromised yourself in any way: -you say your angelus; you make your vows; you bring flowers -to Our Lady's shrine. <em class="italics">You</em> are safe."</p> -<p class="pnext">She turned round and faced him--her cheek dyed crimson, -and her eyes flashing,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am safe! Is that all you have to say? Who cares for -that? What is <em class="italics">my</em> life worth?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Patience, dear señora! Your safety aids in securing his. -Listen.--You are writing to him. Tell him of the arrests; -for hear of them he must. Use the language about heresy -which will occur to you, but which--God help me!--I could -not use. Then pass from the subject. Write aught else that -comes to your mind; but before closing your letter, say that I -am well in mind and body, and would be heartily recommended -to him. Add that I most earnestly request of him, for our -common good and the better arrangement of our affairs, not to -return to Seville, but to remain at Nuera. He will understand -that. Lay your own commands upon him--your <em class="italics">commands</em>, -remember, señora--to the same effect."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I will do all that.--But here come my aunt and cousins."</p> -<p class="pnext">It was true. Already the porter had opened for them the -gloomy outer gate; and now the gilt and filagreed inner door -was thrown open also, and the returning family party filled the -court. They were talking together; not quite so gaily as -usual, but still eagerly enough. Doña Sancha soon drew near -to Beatrix, and began to rally her upon her occupation, -threatening playfully to carry away and read the unfinished -letter. No one addressed a word to Carlos; but that might -have been mere accident.</p> -<p class="pnext">It was, however, scarcely accidental that his aunt, as she -passed him on her way to an inner room, drew her mantilla -closer round her, lest its deep lace fringe might touch his -clothing. Shortly afterwards Doña Sancha dropped her fan. -According to custom, Carlos stooped for it, and handed it to -her with a bow. The young lady took it mechanically, but -almost immediately dropped it again with a look of scorn, as if -polluted by its touch. Its delicate carved ivory, the work of -Moorish hands, lay in fragments on the marble floor; and from -that moment Carlos knew that he was under the ban, that he -stood alone amidst his uncle's household--a suspected and -degraded man.</p> -<p class="pnext">It was not wonderful. His intimacy with the monks of San -Isodro, his friendship with Don Juan Ponce de Leon, and with -the physician Losada, were all well-known facts. Moreover, -had he not taught at the College of Doctrine, under the direct -patronage of Fernando de San Juan, another of the victims. -And there were other indications of his tendencies which could -scarcely escape notice, once the suspicions of those who lived -under the same roof with him were awakened.</p> -<p class="pnext">For a time he stood silent, watching his uncle's countenance, -and marking the frown that contracted his brow -whenever his eye turned towards him. But when Don Manuel -passed into a smaller saloon that opened upon the court, -Carlos followed him boldly.</p> -<p class="pnext">They stood face to face, but could hardly see each other. -The room was darkness, save for a few struggling moonbeams.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Señor my uncle," said Carlos, "I fear my presence here is -displeasing to you."</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Manuel paused before replying.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nephew," he said at length, "you have been lamentably -imprudent. The saints grant you have been no worse."</p> -<p class="pnext">A moment of strong emotion will sometimes bring out in a -man's face characteristic lineaments of his family, in calmer -seasons not traceable there. Thus it is with features of the soul. -It was not the gentle timid Don Carlos who spoke now, it was -Alvarez de Santillanos y Meñaya. There was both pride and -courage in his tone.</p> -<p class="pnext">"If it has been my misfortune to offend my honoured uncle, -to whom I owe so many benefits, I am sorry, though I cannot -charge myself with any fault. But I should be faulty indeed -were I to prolong my stay in a house where I am no longer -what, thanks to your kindness, señor my uncle, I have ever -been hitherto, a welcome guest." Having spoken thus, he -turned to go.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Stay, young fool!" cried Don Manuel, who thought the -better of him for his proud words. They raised him, in his -estimation, from a mark for his scorn to a legitimate object for -his indignation. "There spoke your father's voice. But I -tell you, for all that, you shall not quit the shelter of my -roof."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I thank you."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You may spare the pains. I ask you not, for I prefer to -remain in ignorance, to what perilous and fool-hardy lengths -your intimacy with heretics may have gone. Without being a -Qualificator of heresy myself, I can tell that you smell of the -fire. And indeed, young man, were you anything less than -Alvarez de Meñaya, I would hardly scorch my own fingers to -hold you out of it. The Devil--to whom, in spite of all your -fair appearances, I fear you belong--might take care of his own. -But since truth is the daughter of God, you shall have it from -my lips. And the plain truth is, that I have no desire to hear -every cur dog in Seville barking at me and mine; nor to see -our ancient and honourable name dragged through the mire -and filth of the streets."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have never disgraced that name."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Have I not said that I desire no protestations from you? -Whatever my private opinion may be, it stands upon our family -honour to hold that yours is still unstained. Therefore, not from -love, as I tell you plainly, but from motives that may -perchance prove stronger in the end, I and mine extend to you -our protection. I am a good Catholic, a faithful son of Mother -Church; but I freely confess I am no hero of the Faith, to -offer up upon its shrine those that bear my own name. I -pretend not to such heights of sanctity, not I." And Don -Manuel shrugged his shoulders.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I entreat of you, señor my uncle, to allow me to -explain--"</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Manuel waved his hand with a forbidding gesture. -"None of thy explanations for me," he said. "I am no silly -cock, to scratch till I find the knife. Dangerous secrets had -best be let alone. This I will say, however, that of all the -contemptible follies of these evil times, this last one of heresy is -the worst. If a man <em class="italics">will</em> lose his soul, in the name of common -sense let him lose it for fine houses, broad lands, a duke's title, -an archbishop's coffers, or something else good at least in this -world. But to give all up, and to gain nothing, save fire here -and fire again hereafter! It is sheer, blank idiocy."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I <em class="italics">have</em> gained something," said Carlos firmly. "I have -gained a treasure worth more than all I risk, more than life -itself."</p> -<p class="pnext">"What! Is there really a meaning in this madness? Have -you and your friends a secret?" Don Manuel asked in a gentler -voice, and not without curiosity. For he was the child of his -age; and had Carlos told him that the heretics had made the -discovery of the philosopher's stone, he would have seen -nothing worthy of disbelief in the statement; he would only -have asked him for proofs.</p> -<p class="pnext">"The knowledge of God in Christ," began Carlos eagerly, -"gives me joy and peace--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">Is that all?</em>" cried Don Manuel with an oath. "Fool that -I was, to imagine, for half an idle minute, that there might be -some grain of common sense still left in your crazy brain! But -since it is only a question of words and names, and mystical -doctrines, I have the honour to wish you good evening, Señor -Don Carlos. Only I command you, as you value your life, -and prefer a residence beneath my roof to a dungeon in the -Triana, to keep your insanity within bounds, and to conduct -yourself so as to avert suspicion. On these conditions we will -shelter you. Eventually, if it can be done with safety, we may -even ship you out of the Spains to some foreign country, where -heretics, rogues, and thieves are permitted to go at large." So -saying, he left the room.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos was stung to the quick by his contempt; but -remembered at last that it was a fragment of the true cross -(really the first that had fallen to his lot) given him to wear in -honour of his Master.</p> -<p class="pnext">Sleep would not visit his eyes that night. The next day was -the Sabbath, a day he had been wont to welcome and enjoy. -But never again should the Reformed Church of Seville meet -in the upper room which had been the scene of so much -happy intercourse. The next reunion was appointed for -another place, a house not made with hands, eternal in the -heavens. Doña Isabella de Baena and Losada were in the -dungeons of the Triana. Fray Cassiodoro de Reyna, singularly -fortunate, had succeeded in making his escape. Fray -Constantino, on the other hand, had been amongst the first -arrested; but Carlos went as usual to the Cathedral, where -that eloquent voice would never again be heard. A heavy -silent gloom, like that which precedes a thunderstorm, seemed -to fill the crowded aisles.</p> -<p class="pnext">Yet it was there that the first gleam of comfort reached the -breaking heart of Carlos. It came to him through the familiar -words of the Latin service, loved from childhood.</p> -<p class="pnext">He said afterwards to the trembling children of one of the -victims, whose desolated home he dared to visit, "For myself, -horror took hold of me. I dared not to think. I scarce dared -to pray, save in broken words that were only like cries of pain. -The first thing that helped me was that grand verse in the Te -Deum, chanted by the sweet childish voices of the Cathedral -choir--'Tu, devicto mortis aculeo, aperuesti credentibus regna -coelorum.' Think, dear friends, not death alone, but its sting, -its sharpness,--for us and our beloved,--He has overcome, and -they and we in him. The gates of the kingdom of heaven -stand open; opened by his hands, and neither men nor fiends -can shut them again."</p> -<p class="pnext">Such words as these did Carlos find opportunity to speak to -many bereaved ones, from whom the desire of their eyes had -been taken by a stroke far more bitter than death. This -ministry of love did not greatly increase his own peril, since the -less he deviated from his ordinary habits of life the less -suspicion he was likely to awaken. But had it been otherwise, -he was not now in a position to calculate. Perhaps he was too -near heaven; at all events, he had already ventured too much -for Christ's sake not to be willing, at his call, to venture a -little more.</p> -<p class="pnext">Meanwhile, the isolation of his position in his uncle's house -grew overpowering. No one reproached him, no one taunted -him, not even Gonsalvo. He often longed for some bitter -word, ay, though it were a curse, to break the oppressive -silence. Every eye looked upon him with hatred and scorn; -every hand shrank from the slightest, most accidental contact -with his. Almost he came to consider himself what all others -considered him,--polluted, degraded--under the ban.</p> -<p class="pnext">Once and again would he have sought escape by flight from -an atmosphere in which it seemed more and more impossible -to breathe. But flight meant arrest; and arrest, besides its -overwhelming terrors for himself, meant the danger of betraying -Juan. His uncle and his uncle's family, though they seemed -now to scorn and hate him, had promised to save him if they -could, and so far he trusted them.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="a-gleam-of-light">XXIV.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">A Gleam of Light</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"It is a weary task to school the heart,</div> -<div class="line">Ere years or griefs have tamed its fiery throbbings,</div> -<div class="line">Into that still and passive fortitude</div> -<div class="line">Which is but learned from suffering."--Hemans</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Shortly afterwards, the son and heir of Doña Inez -was baptized, with the usual amount of ceremony -and rejoicing. After the event, the family and -friends partook of a merienda of fruit, confectionery, and wine, -in the patio of Don Garçia's house. Much against his inclination, -Carlos was obliged to be present, as his absence would -have occasioned remark and inquiry.</p> -<p class="pnext">When the guests were beginning to disperse, the hostess drew -near the spot where he stood, near to the fountain, admiring, -or seeming to admire, a pure white azalia in glorious bloom.</p> -<p class="pnext">"In good sooth, cousin Don Carlos," she said, "you forget -old friends very easily. But I suppose it is because you are -going so soon to take Orders. Every one knows how learned -and pious you are. And no doubt you are right to wean -yourself in good time from the concerns and amusements of -this unprofitable world."</p> -<p class="pnext">No word of this little speech was lost upon one of the -neatest gossips in Seville, a lady of rank, who stood near, -leaning on the arm of Losada's former patient, the wealthy -Canon. And this was what the speaker, in her good nature, -probably intended.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos raised to her face eyes beaming with gratitude for the -friendly notice.</p> -<p class="pnext">"No change of state, señora, can ever make me forget the -kindness of my fair cousin," he responded with a bow.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Your cousin's little daughter," said the lady, "had once a -place in your affections. But with you, as with all the rest, I -presume the boy is everything. As for my poor little Inez, -her small person is of small account in the world now. It is -well she has her mother."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to renew my -acquaintance with Doña Inez, if I may be permitted so to do."</p> -<p class="pnext">This was evidently what the mother desired. "Go to the -right then, amigo mio," she said promptly, indicating the place -intended by a quick movement of her fan, "and I will send -the child to you."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos obeyed, and for a considerable time paced up and -down a cool spacious apartment, only separated from the court -by marble pillars, between which costly hangings were -suspended. Being a Spaniard, and dwelling among Spaniards, he -was neither surprised nor disconcerted by the long delay.</p> -<p class="pnext">At last, however, he began to suspect that his cousin had -forgotten him. But this was not the case. First a painted -ivory ball rolled in over the smooth floor; then one of the -hangings was hastily pushed aside, and the little Doña Inez -bounded gaily into the room in search of her toy. She was a -merry, healthy child, about two years old, and really very pretty, -though her infantine charms were not set off to advantage by the -miniature nun's habit in which she was dressed, on account of a -vow made by her mother to "Our Lady of Carmel," during the -serious illness for which Carlos had summoned Losada to her aid.</p> -<p class="pnext">She was followed almost immediately, not by the grave -elderly nurse who usually waited on her, but by a girl of about -sixteen, rather a beauty, whose quick dark eyes bestowed, from -beneath their long lashes, bashful but evidently admiring glances -on the handsome young nobleman.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos, ever fond of children, and enjoying the momentary -relief from the painful tension of his daily life, stooped for the -ball and held it, just allowing its bright red to appear through -his fingers. As the child was not in the least shy, he was soon -engaged in a game with her.</p> -<p class="pnext">Looking up in the midst of it, he saw that the mother had -come in silently, and was watching him with searching anxious -eyes that brought back in a moment all his troubles. He -allowed the ball to slide to the ground, and then, with a touch -of his foot, sent it rolling into one of the farthest corners of the -spacious hall. The child ran gleefully after it; while the -mother and the attendant exchanged glances. "You may take -the noble child away, Juanita," said the former.</p> -<p class="pnext">Juanita led off her charge without again allowing her to -approach Carlos, thus rendering unnecessary the ceremony of -a farewell. Was this the mother's contrivance, lest by spell of -word or gesture, or even by a kiss, the heretic might pollute or -endanger the innocent babe?</p> -<p class="pnext">When they were alone together, Doña Inez was the first to -speak. "I do not think you can be so wicked after all; since -you love children, and play with them still," she said in a low, -half-frightened tone.</p> -<p class="pnext">"God bless you for those words, señora," answered Carlos -with a trembling lip. He was learning to steel himself to scorn; -but kindness tested his self-control more severely.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Amigo mio," she resumed, drawing nearer and speaking -more rapidly, "I cannot quite forget the past. It is very -wrong, I know, and I am weak. Ay de mi! If it be true you -really are that dreadful thing I do not care to name, I ought to -have the courage to stand by and see you perish."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But my kinsfolk," said Carlos, "do not intend me to -perish. And for the protection they afford me I am grateful. -More I could not have expected from them; less they might -well have done for me. But I would to God I could show -them and you that I am not the foul dishonoured thing they -deem me."</p> -<p class="pnext">"If it had only been something <em class="italics">respectable</em>," said Doña -Inez, with a sort of writhe, "such as some youthful -irregularity, or stabbing or slaying somebody!--but what use in -words? I would say, I counsel you to look to your own safety. -Do you not know my brothers?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I think I do, señora. That an Alvarez de Meñaya should -be defamed of heresy would be more than a disgrace--it would -be a serious injury to them."</p> -<p class="pnext">"There be more ways than one of avoiding the misfortune."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos looked inquiringly at her. Something in her -half-averted face and the quick shrug of her shoulders prompted -him to ask, "Do you think they mean me mischief?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Daggers are sharp to cut knots," said the lady, playing with -her fan and avoiding his eye.</p> -<p class="pnext">With so many ghastlier terrors had the mind of Carlos grown -familiar, that this one came to him in the guise of a relief. So -"the sharpness of death" for him might mean no more than -a dagger's thrust, after all! One moment here, the next in -his Saviour's presence. Who that knew aught of the tender -mercies of the Holy Office could do less than thank God on -his bended knees for the prospect of such a fate!</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is not <em class="italics">death</em> that I fear," he answered, looking at her -steadily.</p> -<p class="pnext">"But you may as well live; nay, you had better live. For you -may repent, may save your unhappy soul. I shall pray for you."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I thank you, dear and kind señora; but, through the grace -of God, my soul is saved already. I believe in Jesus -Christ--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Hush! for Heaven's sake!" Doña Inez interrupted, -dropping her fan and putting her fingers in her ears. "Hush! or -ere I am aware I shall have listened to some dreadful heresy. -The saints help me! How should I know just where the good -Catholic words end, and the wicked ones begin? I might be -caught in the web of the evil one; and then neither saint nor -angel, no, nor even Our Lady herself, could deliver me. But -listen to me, Don Carlos, for at all events I would save your -life."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I will listen gratefully to aught from your lips."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I know that you dare not attempt flight from the city at -present. But if you could lie concealed in some safe and quiet -place within it till this storm has blown over, you might then -steal away unobserved. Don Garçia says that now there is -such a keen search made after the Lutherans, that every man -who cannot give a good account of himself is like to be taken -for one of the accursed sect. But that cannot last for ever; -in six months or so the panic will be past. And those six -months you may spend in safety, hidden away in the lodging -of my <em class="italics">lavandera</em>."[#]</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] Washerwoman.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">"You are kind--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Peace, and listen. I have arranged the whole matter. -And once you are there, I will see that you lack nothing. It -is in the Morrero;[#] a house hidden in a very labyrinth of lanes, -a chamber in the house which a man would need to look for -very particularly ere he found it."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] Moorish quarter of the city.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">"How shall <em class="italics">I</em> succeed in finding it?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"You noticed the pretty girl who led in my little Inez? -Pepe, the lavandera's son, is ready to die for the love of her. -She will describe you to him, and engage his assistance in the -adventure, telling him the story I have told her, that you wish -to conceal yourself for a season, having stabbed your rival in -a love affair."</p> -<p class="pnext">"O Doña Inez! <em class="italics">I?</em>--almost a priest!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Well, well; do not look so horror-stricken, amigo mia. -What could I do? I dared not give them a hint of the truth, -or both my hands full of double ducats would not have tempted -them to stir in the affair. So I thought no shame of inventing -a crime for you that would win their interest and sympathy, -and dispose them to aid you."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Passing strange," said Carlos. "Had I only sinned against -the law of God and the life of my neighbour, they would gladly -help me to escape; did they dream that I read his words in -my own tongue, they would give me up to death."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Juanita is a good little Christian," remarked Doña Inez; -"and Pepe also is a very honest lad. But perhaps you may -find some sympathy with the old crone of a lavandera, who is -of Moorish blood, and, it is whispered, knows more of -Mohammed than she does of her Breviary."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos disclaimed all connection with the followers of the -false prophet.</p> -<p class="pnext">"How should I know the difference?" said Doña Inez. "I -thought it was all the same, heresy and heresy. But I was about -to say, Pepe is a gallant lad, a regular <em class="italics">majo</em>; his hand knows -its way either amongst the strings of a guitar, or on the hilt of a -dagger. He has often served caballeros who were out of nights -serenading their ladies; and he will go equipped as if for such -an adventure. You, also, bind a guitar on your shoulder (you -could use one in old times, and to good purpose too, if you -have not forgotten all Christian accomplishments together); -bribe old Sancho to leave the gates open, and sally forth -to-morrow night when the clock strikes the midnight hour. Pepe -will wait for you in the Calle del Candilejo until one."</p> -<p class="pnext">"To-morrow night?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I would have named to-night, but Pepe has a dance to -attend. Moreover, I knew not whether I could arrange this -interview in sufficient time to prepare you. Now, cousin," -she added anxiously, "you understand your part, and you will -not fail in it."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I understand everything, señora my cousin. From my -heart I thank you for the noble effort to save me. Whether in -its result it shall prove successful or no, already it is successful -in giving me hope and strength, and renewing my faith in old -familiar kindness."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Hush! that step is Don Garçia's. It is best you -should go."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Only one word more, señora. Will my generous cousin -add to her goodness by giving my brother, when it can be done -with safety, a hint of how it has fared with me?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes; that shall be cared for. Now, adios."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I kiss your feet, señora,"</p> -<p class="pnext">She hastily extended her hand, upon which he pressed a kiss -of friendship and gratitude. "God bless you, my cousin," he -said.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Vaya con Dios," she responded. "For it is our last -meeting," she added mentally.</p> -<p class="pnext">She stood and watched the retreating figure with tears in her -bright eyes, and in her heart a memory that went back to old -times, when she used to intercede with her rough brothers for -the delicate shrinking child, who was younger, as well as frailer, -than all the rest. "He was ever gentle and good, and fit to be -a holy priest," she thought. "Ay de mi, for the strange, sad -change! Yet, after all, I cannot see that he is so greatly -changed. Playing with the child, talking with me, he is just -the same Carlos as of old. But the devil is very cunning. -God and Our Lady keep us from his wiles!"</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="waiting">XXV.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Waiting.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Our night is dreary, and dim our day,</div> -<div class="line">And if thou turn thy face away,</div> -<div class="line">We are sinful, feeble, and helpless dust,</div> -<div class="line">And have none to look to and none to trust."--Hogg</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Thus was Carlos roused from the dull apathy of forced -inaction. With the courage and energy that are born -of hope, he made the few and simple preparations for -his flight that were in his power. He also visited as many as he -could of his afflicted friends, feeling that his ministry among -them was now drawing to a close.</p> -<p class="pnext">He rejoined his uncle's family as usual at the evening meal. -Don Balthazar, the empleado, was not present at its commencement, -but soon came in, looking so much disturbed that his -father asked, "What is amiss?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"There is nothing amiss, señor and my father," answered the -young man, as he raised a large cup of Manzanilla to his lips.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Is there any news in the city?" asked his brother Don -Manuel.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Balthazar set down the empty cup. "No great news," -he answered. "A curse upon those Lutheran dogs that are -setting the place in an uproar."</p> -<p class="pnext">"What! more arrests," said Don Manuel the elder. "It is -awful. The number reached eight hundred yesterday. Who -is taken now?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"A priest from the country, Doctor Juan Gonzalez, and a -friar named Olmedo. But that is nothing. They might take -all the Churchmen in all the Spains, and fling them into the -lowest dungeons of the Triana for me. It is a different matter -when we come to speak of ladies--ladies, too, of the first -families and highest consideration."</p> -<p class="pnext">A slight shudder, and a kind of forward movement, as if to -catch what was coming, passed round the table. But Don -Balthazar seemed reluctant to say more.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Is it any of our acquaintances?" asked the sharp, -high-pitched voice of Doña Sancha at last.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Every one is acquainted with Don Pedro Garçia de Xeres -y Bohorques. It is--I tremble to tell you--his daughter."</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">Which?</em>" cried Gonsalvo, in tones that turned the gaze of -all on his livid face and fierce eager eyes.</p> -<p class="pnext">"St. Iago, brother! You need not look thus at me. Is it -my fault?--It is the learned one, of course, Doña Maria. -Poor lady, she may well wish now that she had never meddled -with anything beyond her Breviary."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Our Lady and all the saints defend us! Doña Maria in -prison for heresy--horrible! Who will be safe now?" the -ladies exclaimed, crossing themselves shudderingly.</p> -<p class="pnext">But the men used stronger language. Fierce and bitter were -the anathemas they heaped upon heresy and heretics. Yet it -is only just to say that, had they dared, they might have spoken -differently. Probably in their secret hearts they meant the -curses less for the victims than for their oppressors; and had -Spain been a land in which men might speak what they -thought, Gonzales de Munebrãga would have been devoted to -a lower place in hell than Luther or Calvin.</p> -<p class="pnext">Only two were silent. Before the eye of Carlos rose the -sweet thoughtful face of the young girl, as he had seen it last, -radiant with the faith and hope kindled by the sublime words -of heavenly promise spoken by Losada. But the sight of -another face--still, rigid, death-like--drove that vision away. -Gonsalvo sat opposite to him at the table. And had he never -heard the strange story Doña Inez told him, that look would -have revealed it all.</p> -<p class="pnext">Neither curse nor prayer passed the white lips of Gonsalvo. -Not one of all the bitter words, found so readily on slighter -occasions, came now to his aid. The fiercest outburst of -passion would have seemed less terrible to Carlos than this -unnatural silence.</p> -<p class="pnext">Yet none of the others, after the first moment, appeared to -notice it. Or if they did observe anything strange in the look -and manner of Gonsalvo, it was imputed to physical pain, from -which he often suffered, but for which he rejected, and even -resented, sympathy, until at last it ceased to be offered him. -Having given what expression they dared to their outraged -feelings, they once more turned their attention to the -unfinished repast. It was not at all a cheerful meal, yet it was -duly partaken of, except by Gonsalvo and Carlos, both of -whom left the table as soon as they could without attracting -attention.</p> -<p class="pnext">Willingly would Carlos have endeavoured to console his -cousin; but he did not dare to speak to him, or even to allow -him to guess that he saw the anguish of his soul.</p> -<p class="pnext">One day still remained to him before his flight. In the -morning, though not very early, he set out to finish his farewell -visits to his friends. He had not gone many paces from the -house, when he observed a gentleman in plain black clothing, -with sword and cloak, look at him regardfully as he passed. A -moment afterwards the same person, having apparently changed -his mind as to the direction in which he wished to go, hurried -by him at a rapid pace; and with a murmured "Pardon, -señor," thrust a billet into his hand.</p> -<p class="pnext">Not doubting that one of his friends had sent an emissary to -warn him of some danger, Carlos turned into one of the narrow -winding lanes with which the semi-oriental city abounds, and -finding himself safe from observation, cast a hasty glance at the -billet.</p> -<p class="pnext">His eye just caught the words, "His reverence the Lord -Inquisitor--Don Gonsalvo--after midnight--revelations of -importance--strict secrecy." What did it all mean? Did the -writer wish to inform him that his cousin intended betraying -him to the Inquisition? He did not believe it. But the sound -of approaching footsteps made him thrust the paper hastily -away; and in another moment his sleeve was grasped by -Gonsalvo.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Give it to me," said his cousin in a breathless whisper.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Give you what?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"The paper that born idiot and marplot put into thy hands, -mistaking thee for me. Curse the fool! Did he not know I -was lame?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos showed the note, still holding it. "Is this what you -mean?" he asked.</p> -<p class="pnext">"You have read it! <em class="italics">Honourable</em>!" cried Gonsalvo, with a -bitter sneer.</p> -<p class="pnext">"You are unjust to me. It bears no address; and I could -not suppose otherwise than that it was intended for myself. -However, I only read the few disconnected words upon which -my eye first chanced to fall."</p> -<p class="pnext">The cousins stood gazing in each other's faces; as those -might do that meet in mortal combat, ere they close hand to -hand. Each was pondering whether the other was capable of -doing him a deadly injury. Yet, after all, each held, at the -bottom of his heart, a conviction that the other might be trusted.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos, though he had the greater cause for apprehension, -was the first to come to a conclusion. Almost with a smile -he handed the note to Gonsalvo. "Whatever yon mysterious -billet may mean to Don Gonsalvo," he said, "I am convinced -that he means no harm to any one bearing the name of Alvarez -de Meñaya."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You will never repent that word. And it is true--in the -sense you speak it," returned Gonsalvo, taking the paper from -his hand. At that moment he was irresolute whether to -confide in Carlos or no. But the touch of his cousin's hand -decided him. It was cold and trembling. One so weak in heart -and nerve was obviously unfit to share the burden of a brave -man's desperate resolve.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos went his way, firmly believing that Gonsalvo intended -no ill to him. But what then did he intend? Had he solicited -the Inquisitor for a private midnight interview merely to throw -himself at his feet, and with impassioned eloquence to plead -the cause of Doña Maria? Were "important revelations" only -a blind to procure his admission?</p> -<p class="pnext">Impossible! who, past the age of infancy, would kneel to -the storm to implore it to be still, or to the fire to ask it to -subdue its rage? Perhaps some dreamy enthusiast, -unacquainted with the world and its ways, might still be found -sanguine enough for such a project, but certainly not Don -Gonsalvo Alvarez de Meñaya.</p> -<p class="pnext">Or had he a bribe to offer? Inquisitors, like other Churchmen, -were known to be subject to human frailties; of course -they would not touch gold, but, according to a well-known -Spanish proverb, you were invited to throw it into their cowls. -And Munebrãga could scarcely have fed his numerous train of -insolent retainers, decked his splendid barge with gold and -purple, and brought rare plants and flowers from every known -country to his magnificent gardens, without very large additions -to the acknowledged income of the Inquisitor-General's deputy. -But, again, not all the wealth of the Indies would avail to open -the gates of the Triana to an obstinate heretic, however it might -modify the views of "his Reverence" upon the merits of a <em class="italics">doubtful</em> -case. And even to procure a few slight alleviations in the -treatment of the accused, would have required a much deeper -purse than Gonsalvo's.</p> -<p class="pnext">Moreover, Carlos saw that the young man was "bitter of -soul;" ready for any desperate deed. What if he meant to -accuse <em class="italics">himself</em>. Amidst the careless profanity in which he had -been too wont to indulge, many a word had fallen from his lips -that might be contrary to sound doctrine in the estimation of -Inquisitors, comparatively lenient as they were to <em class="italics">blasphemers</em>. -But what possible benefit to Doña Maria would be gained by -his throwing himself into the jaws of death? And if it were -really his resolve to commit suicide, by way of ending his -own miseries, he could surely accomplish the act in a more -direct and far less painful manner.</p> -<p class="pnext">Thus Carlos pondered; but in whatever way he regarded the -matter, he could not escape from the idea that his cousin -intended some dangerous or fatal step. Gonsalvo was too still, -too silent. This was an evil sign. Carlos would have felt -comparatively easy about him had he made him shrink and shudder -by an outburst of the fiercest, most indignant curses. For the -less emotion is wasted in expression, the more remains, like -pent-up steam, to drive the engine forward in its course. -Moreover, there was an evil light in Gonsalvo's eye; a gleam -like that of hope, but hope that was certainly not kindled from -above.</p> -<p class="pnext">Although the very crisis of his own fate was now approaching, -and every faculty might have had full occupation nearer -home, Carlos was haunted perpetually by the thought of his -cousin. It continued to occupy him not only during his visits -to his friends, but afterwards in the solitude and silence of his -own apartment. We all know the strange perversity with which, -in times of suspense and sorrow, the mind will sometimes run -riot upon matters irrelevant, and even apparently trivial.</p> -<p class="pnext">With slow footsteps the hours stole on; miserable hours to -Carlos, except in so far as he could spend them in prayer, now -his only resource and refuge. After pleading for himself, for -Juan, for his dear imprisoned brethren and sisters, he named -Gonsalvo; and was led most earnestly to implore God's mercy -for his unhappy cousin. As he thought of his misery, so much -greater than his own; his loneliness, without God in the world; -his sorrow, without hope,--his pleading grew impassioned. And -when at last he rose from his knees, it was with that sweet sense -that God would hear--nay, that he <em class="italics">had</em> heard--which is one -of the mysteries of the new life, the precious things that no man -knoweth save he that receiveth them.</p> -<p class="pnext">Then, believing it was nearly midnight, he quickly finished -his simple preparations, took his guitar (which had now lain -unused for a long time), and sallied forth from his chamber.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="don-gonsalvo-s-revenge">XXVI.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Don Gonsalvo's Revenge</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Our God, the all just,</div> -<div class="line">Unto himself reserves this royalty,</div> -<div class="line">The secret chastening of the guilty heart;</div> -<div class="line">The fiery touch, the scourge that purifies--</div> -<div class="line">Leave it with him. Yet make not that thy trust;</div> -<div class="line">For that strong heart of thine--oh, listen yet!--</div> -<div class="line">Must in its depths o'ercome the very wish</div> -<div class="line">Of death or torture to the guilty one,</div> -<div class="line">Ere it can sleep again."--Hemans</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Don Manuel's house had once belonged to a Moorish -Cid, or lord. It had been assigned to the first Conde -de Nuera, as one of the original <em class="italics">conquistadors</em> of -Seville; and he had bequeathed it to his second son. It had a -turret, after the Moorish fashion, and the upper chamber of -this had been given to Carlos on his first arrival in the city; -from an idea that the theological student would require a -solitary place for study and devotion, or, at least, that it would be -decorous to suppose so. The room beneath had been occupied -by Don Juan, but since his departure it was appropriated -by Gonsalvo, who liked solitude, and took advantage of his -improved health to escape from the ground-floor, to which his -infirmities had long confined him.</p> -<p class="pnext">As Carlos stole noiselessly down the narrow winding stair, he -noticed a light in his cousin's room. This in itself did not -surprise him. But he certainly felt a little disconcerted when, just -as he passed the door, Don Gonsalvo opened it, and met him -face to face. He also was fully equipped in sword and cloak, -and carried a torch in his hand.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Vaya, vaya, Don Carlos," he said reproachfully; "after all, -thou couldst not trust me."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nay, I did trust you."</p> -<p class="pnext">From fear of being overheard, both entered the nearest -room--Don Gonsalvo's--and its owner closed the door softly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"You are stealing away from fear of me, and thereby throwing -yourself into the fire. Do it not, Don Carlos; be advised, -and do it not." He spoke earnestly, and without a shadow of -the old bitterness and sarcasm.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nay, it is not thus. My flight was planned ere yesterday; -and in concert with one who both can and will provide me with -the means of safety. It is best I should go."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Enough said then," returned Gonsalvo, more coldly. -"Farewell; I seek not to detain you. Farewell; for though -we may go forth together, our paths divide, and for ever, at -the door."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Your path is perhaps less safe than mine, Don Gonsalvo."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Talk of what you understand, cousin. My path is safety -itself. And now that I think of it (if you could be trusted), you -might aid me perhaps. Did you know all, I dare not doubt -that you would rejoice to do it."</p> -<p class="pnext">"God knows how joyfully I would aid you if I could, Don -Gonsalvo. But I fear you are bound on a useless, and worse -than useless, errand."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You know not my errand."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But I know to whom you go this night. Oh, my cousin, is -it possible you can dream that prayer of yours will soften hearts -harder than the nether millstone?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I know the way to one heart; and though it be the hardest -of all, I shall reach it."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Were you to pour the wealth of El Dorado at the feet of -Gonzales de Munebrãga, he neither would nor could unloose -one bolt of that prison."</p> -<p class="pnext">Gonsalvo's wild look changed suddenly into one of wistful -earnestness, almost of tenderness. He said, lowering his -voice,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"Near as death, the revealer of secrets, may be to me, there -are still some questions worth the asking. Perchance <em class="italics">you</em> can -throw a gleam of light upon this horrible darkness. We are -speaking frankly now, and as in God's presence. Tell me, <em class="italics">it -that charge true</em>?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Frankly, and in the sense in which you ask--it is."</p> -<p class="pnext">The last fatal words Carlos only whispered. Gonsalvo made -no answer; but a kind of momentary spasm passed across his -face.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos at length went on in a low voice: "She knew the -Evangel long before I did, though she is so young--not yet -one-and-twenty. She was the pupil of Dr. Egidius; but he was -wont to say he learned more from her than she did from him. -Her keen, bright intellect cut through sophistries, and reached -truth so quickly. And God gave her abundantly of his grace; -making her willing, for that truth, to endure all things. Oft -have I seen her sweet face kindle and glow whilst he who -taught us spoke of the joy and strength given to those that -suffer for the name of Christ. I am persuaded He is with her -now, and will be with her even to the end. Could you gain -access to her where she is, I think she would tell you she -possesses a treasure of peace of which neither death nor suffering, -neither cruelty of fiends nor worse cruelty of fiend-like men, -can avail to rob her."</p> -<p class="pnext">"She is a saint--she will be a blessed saint in heaven, let -them say what they may," murmured Gonsalvo hoarsely. Then -the fierce look returned to his face again. "But I think the -old Christians of Castile, the men whose good swords made the -infidels bite the dust, and planted the cross on their painted -towers, are no better than curs and dastards."</p> -<p class="pnext">"In that they suffer these things?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes; a thousand times, yes. In the name of man's honour -and woman's loveliness, are there, in our good city of Seville, -neither fathers, nor brothers, nor lovers left alive? No man who -thinks the sweetest eyes ever seen worth six inches of steel in -five skilful fingers? No one man, save the poor forgotten -cripple, Don Gonsalvo Alvarez. But he thanks God this night -that he has spared his life, and left strength enough in his feeble -limbs to bear him into a murderer's presence."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Don Gonsalvo! what do you mean?" cried Carlos, shrinking -from him.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Lower thy voice, an' it please thee. But why should I fear -to tell thee--<em class="italics">thee</em>, who hast good cause to be the death-foe of -Inquisitors? If thou art not cur and dastard too, thou wilt -applaud and pray for me. For I suppose heretics pray, at least -as well as Inquisitors. I said I would reach the heart of -Gonzales de Munebrãga this night. Not with gold. There is -another metal of keener temper, which enters in where even -gold cannot come."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then you mean--<em class="italics">murder</em>?" said Carlos, again drawing -near him, and laying his hand on his arm. Gonsalvo sank into -a seat, half mechanically, half from an instinct that led him to -spare the strength he would need so sorely by-and-by.</p> -<p class="pnext">In the momentary pause that followed, the clock of San -Vicente tolled the midnight hour.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes," replied Gonsalvo steadily; "I mean murder--as the -shepherd does who strangles the wolf with his paw on the -lamb."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Oh, think--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have thought of everything. And mark me, Don Carlos, -I have but one regret. It is that my weapon deals an -instantaneous death. Such revenge is poor and flavourless after all. -I have heard of poisons whose least drop, mingling with the -blood, ensures a slow agonizing death--time to learn what -torture means, and to drain to the dregs the cup filled for -others--to curse God and man ere he dies. For a phial of -such, wherewith to anoint my blade, I would sell my soul -to-night."</p> -<p class="pnext">"O Gonsalvo, this is horrible! They are wild, wicked -words you speak. Pray God to pardon you!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I adjure him by his justice to prosper me," said Gonsalvo, -raising his head defiantly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"He will not prosper you. And do you dream that such a -mad achievement (suppose you even succeed in it) will open -prison-doors and set captives free? Alas! alas! that we are -not at the mercy of a tyrant's <em class="italics">will</em>. For tyrants, the worst of -them, sometimes relent; and--they are mortal. That which is -crushing us is not a living being, an organism with nerves, and -brain, and blood. It is a system, a THING, a terrible engine, -that moves on in its resistless way, cold and lifeless, without -will or feeling. Strong as adamant, it kills, tortures, destroys; -obeying laws far away out of our sight. Were Valdez and -Munebrãga, and all the Board of Inquisitors, dead corpses by -the morning light, not a single dungeon in the Triana would -open its pitiless gate."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I do not believe <em class="italics">that</em>," replied Gonsalvo, rather more quietly. -"Surely there must be some confusion, of which advantage may -be taken by friends of the prisoners. This, indeed, is the -motive which now induces me to confide in you. You may -know those who, if they had the chance, could strike a shrewd -blow to save their dearest on earth from torture and death."</p> -<p class="pnext">But Gonsalvo read no answer in the sorrowful face of Carlos -to the searching look of inquiry with which he said this. After -a silence he went on,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"Suppose the worst, however. The Holy Office sorely needs -a little blood-letting, and will be much the better for it. -Whoever succeeds, Munebrãga will have my dagger flashing in his -eyes, and will take care how he deals with his prisoners, and -whom he arrests."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I implore you to think of yourself," said Carlos.</p> -<p class="pnext">Gonsalvo smiled. "I know I shall pay the forfeit," he said, -"even as those who slew the Inquisitor Pedro Arbues before -the high altar in Saragossa, But"--here the smile faded, and -the stern set look returned to his face--"I shall not pay more, -for a man's triumphant vengeance, than those fiends will dare to -inflict upon a tender, delicately nurtured girl for the crime of a -mystic meditation, or a few words of prayer not properly -rounded off with an Ave."</p> -<p class="pnext">"True. But then you will suffer alone. She has God with her."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I <em class="italics">can</em> suffer alone."</p> -<p class="pnext">For that word Carlos envied him. <em class="italics">He</em> shrank in terror from -loneliness, from suffering, shuddering at the very thought of the -dungeon and the torture-room. And just then the first quarter -of his hour of grace chimed from the clock of San Vicente. -What if he and Pepe should fail to meet? He would not think -of that now. Whatever happened, Gonsalvo <em class="italics">must</em> be saved. -He went on,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"Here you can suffer alone and be strong. But how will -you endure the loneliness of the long hereafter, away from God's -presence, from light and life and hope? Are you content that -you, and she for whom you give your life, should be sundered -throughout eternity?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nay; I am casting my lot in with hers. If the Church -curses her (pure and holy as she ever was), its anathema shall -fall on me too. If only the Church's key opens heaven, she -and I will both stand without."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yet you know she will enter heaven. Shall <em class="italics">you</em>?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Gonsalvo hesitated. "It will not be the blood of a villain -that will bar my way," he said.</p> -<p class="pnext">"God says, 'Thou shall not kill.'"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then what will he do with Gonzales de Munebrãga?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"He will do that with him of which, if you but dreamed, it -would change your fiercest hate into saddest, deepest pity. -Have you realized what a span is our life here compared with the -countless ages of eternity? Think! For God's chosen a few -weeks, or months at most, of solitude and fear and pain, ended -perhaps by--but that is as he pleases; <em class="italics">ended</em>, at all events. -Then add up the million years, fill them with the joy of victory, -and the presence and love of Christ himself. Can they not, -and we for them, be content with this?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Are you content with it yourself?" Gonsalvo suddenly -interrupted. "You seek flight."</p> -<p class="pnext">The glow faded from the face of Carlos, and his eyes sank -to the ground. "Christ has not called me yet," he answered -in a lower tone. There was a silence; then he resumed: -"Turn now to the other side. Would you change, even this -hour, with Gonzales de Munebrãga? But take him from his -wealth, and his pomp, and his sinful luxuries, all defiled with -blood, and what remains for him? Everlasting fire, prepared -for the devil and his angels."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Everlasting fire!" Gonsalvo repeated, as if the thought -pleased him.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Leave him in God's hand. It is a stronger hand than -yours, Don Gonsalvo."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Everlasting fire! I would send him there to-night."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And whither would you send your own sinful soul?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"God might pardon, though the Church cursed."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Possibly. But to enter God's heaven you need something -besides pardon."</p> -<p class="pnext">"What?" asked Gonsalvo, half wearily, half incredulously.</p> -<p class="pnext">"'Holiness; without which no man can see the Lord.'"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Holiness?" Gonsalvo questioned, as if the word was strange -to him, and he attached no meaning to it.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes," Carlos went on, with intense and ever increasing -earnestness; "unless, even from that passionate heart of yours, -revenge and hatred are banished, you can never see God, never -come where--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Hold thy peace, trifler!" Gonsalvo interrupted with angry -impatience. "Too long have I tarried, listening to thine idle -talk. Priests and women are content with words; brave men -<em class="italics">act</em>. Farewell to thee!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"One word more, only one." Carlos drew near and laid -his hand on his cousin's arm. "Nay, you <em class="italics">shall</em> listen to me. -Seemeth it to you a thing incredible that that heart of yours -can be changed and softened to a love like His who prayed on -the cross for his murderers? Yet it can be. <em class="italics">He</em> can do it. -He gives pardon, holiness, peace. Peace of which you dream -not now, but which <em class="italics">she</em> knows full well. O Don Gonsalvo, -better join her where she is going, than wildly, rashly, and most -uselessly peril your soul to avenge her!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Uselessly! Were that true indeed--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ay de mi! who can doubt it?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Would I had time for thought!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Take it, in God's name, and pray him to keep you from a -great crime."</p> -<p class="pnext">For a few moments he sat still--still as the dead. Then he -started suddenly. "Already the hour is passing," he exclaimed; -"I shall be too late. Fool that I was, to be almost moved -from my purpose by the idle words of a--The weakness is -past now. Still, ere we part, give me thy hand, Don Carlos, -for, on my faith, I never liked thee half so well."</p> -<p class="pnext">Very sorrowfully Carlos extended it, rather wondering as he -did so that the energetic Gonsalvo failed to spring from his seat -and prepare to be gone.</p> -<p class="pnext">Gonsalvo stirred not, even to take the offered hand. A -deathlike paleness overspread his face, and a cry of terror had -well nigh broken from his lips. But he choked it back.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Something is strangely wrong with me," he faltered. "I -cannot move. I feel dead--<em class="italics">dead</em>--from the waist down."</p> -<p class="pnext">"God has spoken to you from heaven," said Carlos solemnly. -He felt as if a miracle had been wrought in his presence. His -Protestantism had not freed him from the superstitions of -his age. Had he lived three centuries later, he would have -seen nothing miraculous in the disease with which Gonsalvo -was stricken, but rather have called it the natural result of -intense agitation and excitement, acting upon a frame already -weakened.</p> -<p class="pnext">Yet the reckless Gonsalvo was the more superstitious of the -two. He was at war with the creed in which he had been -nurtured; but that older and deeper kind of superstition which -has its root in human nature had, for this very reason, a -stronger hold upon him.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Dead--dead!" he repeated, the words falling from his -lips in broken, awe-struck whispers. "The limbs I misused! -The feet that led me into sin! God--God have mercy upon -me! It is thy hand!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is his hand; a sign he has not forsaken thee; that he -means to bring thee back to himself. Oh, my cousin, do not -despair. Hope yet in his mercy, for it is great."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos knelt down beside him, took his passive hand in his, -and spoke earnest, loving words of hope and comfort. The -last quarter, ere the single stroke that should announce that -the hour appointed for his own flight was past, chimed from -the clock on the church tower. Yet he did not move--he had -forgotten self. At last, however, he said, "But it may be -something can be done to relieve you. You ought to have -medical aid without delay. I should have thought of this -before. I will rouse the household."</p> -<p class="pnext">"No; that would endanger you. Go on your way, and bid -the porter do it when you are gone."</p> -<p class="pnext">It was too late, the household <em class="italics">was</em> roused. A loud -authoritative knocking at the outer gate sent the blood back from -the hearts of both with sudden and horrible fear.</p> -<p class="pnext">There was a sound of opening gates, followed by -footsteps--voices--cries.</p> -<p class="pnext">Gonsalvo was the first to understand all. "The Alguazils of -the Holy Office!" he exclaimed.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am lost!" cried Carlos, large drops gathering on his -brow.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Conceal yourself," said Gonsalvo; but he knew his words -were vain. Already his quick ear had caught the sound of his -cousin's name; and already footsteps were on the stairs.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos glanced round the room. For a moment his eye -rested on the window, eighty feet above the ground. Better -spring from it and perish! No, that would be self-murder. In -God's name he would await them manfully.</p> -<p class="pnext">"You will be searched," Gonsalvo whispered hurriedly; -"have you aught about your person that may add to your -danger?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos drew from its place of concealment the heroic Juliano's -treasured gift.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I will hide it," said his cousin; and taking it hastily, he -slipped it beneath his inner vest, where it lay in strange -neighbourhood with a small, exquisitely tempered poniard, -destined never to be used.</p> -<p class="pnext">The torch-light within, perhaps the voices, guided the -Alguazils to that room. A hand was placed on the door. -"They are coming, Don Carlos," cried Gonsalvo; "I am thy -murderer."</p> -<p class="pnext">"No--no fault of thine. Always remember that," said -Carlos, in his sharpest anguish generous still. Then for one -brief moment, that seemed an age, he was deaf to all outward -things. Afterwards he was himself again.</p> -<p class="pnext">And something more than himself perhaps. Now, as in other -moments of intense excitement, the spirit of his race descended -on him. When the Alguazils entered, it was Don Carlos -Alvarez de Santillanos y Meñaya who met them, with folded -arms, with steadfast eye, and pale but dauntless forehead.</p> -<p class="pnext">All was quiet, regular, and most orderly. Don Manuel, -roused from his slumbers, appeared with the Alguazils, and -respectfully requested a sight of the warrant upon which they -proceeded.</p> -<p class="pnext">It was produced; and all could see that it was duly signed, -and sealed with the famous seal--the sword and olive branch, -the dog with the flaming brand, the sorely outraged, "Justitia -et misericordia."</p> -<p class="pnext">Had Don Manuel Alvarez been king of all the Spains, and -Carlos his heir-apparent, he dared not have offered the least -resistance then. He had no wish to resist, however; he bowed -obsequiously, and protested his own and his family's devotion -to the Faith and the Holy Office. But he added (perhaps -merely as a matter of form), that he could bring many witnesses -of unimpeachable character to testify to his nephew's orthodoxy, -and hoped to succeed in clearing him from whatever odious -imputation had induced their Reverences to order his arrest.</p> -<p class="pnext">Meanwhile Gonsalvo gnashed his teeth in impotent rage and -despair. He would have bartered his life for two minutes of -health and strength in which to rush suddenly on the Alguazils, -and give Carlos time to escape, let the consequences of such -frantic audacity be what they might. But the bands of disease, -stronger than iron, made the body a prison for the indignant, -tortured spirit.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos spoke for the first time. "I am ready to go with -you," he said to the chief of the Alguazils. "Do you wish to -examine my apartment? You are welcome. It is the chamber -over this."</p> -<p class="pnext">Having gone over every detail of such a scene a thousand -times in imagination, he knew that the examination of papers -and personal effects usually formed a part of it. And he had -no fears for the result, as, in preparation for his flight, he had -carefully destroyed everything that he thought could implicate -himself or any one else.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Don Carlos--cousin!" cried Gonsalvo suddenly, as surrounded -by the officers he was about to leave the room. "Vaya -con Dios! A braver man than you have I never seen."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos turned on him one long, sorrowful gaze. "<em class="italics">Tell -Ruy</em>," he said. That was all.</p> -<p class="pnext">Then there was trampling of footsteps overhead, and the -sound of voices, not excited or angry, but cool, business-like, -even courteous.</p> -<p class="pnext">Then the footsteps descended, passed the door of Gonsalvo's -room, sounded along the corridor, grew fainter on the great -staircase, died away in the court.</p> -<p class="pnext">Less than an hour afterwards, the great gate of the Triana -opened to receive a new victim. The grave familiar held it, -bowing low, until the prisoner and his guard had passed through. -Then it was swung to again, and barred and bolted, shutting -out from Don Carlos Alvarez all help and hope, all charity and -all mercy--save only the mercy of God.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="my-brother-s-keeper">XXVII.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">My Brother's Keeper</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Since she loved him, he went carefully,</div> -<div class="line">Bearing a thing so precious in his hand."--George Eliot</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">About a week afterwards, Don Juan Alvarez -dismounted at the door of his uncle's mansion. His -shout soon brought the porter, a "pure and ancient -Christian," who had spent nearly all his life in the service of -the family.</p> -<p class="pnext">"God save you, father," said Juan. "Is my brother in the -house!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"No, señor and your worship,"--the old man hesitated, and -looked confused.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Where shall I find him, then?" cried Juan; "speak at -once, if you know."</p> -<p class="pnext">"May it please your noble Excellency, I--I know nothing. -At least--the Saints have mercy on us!" and he trembled from -head to foot.</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan thrust him aside, nearly knocking him down in his -haste, and dashed breathless into his uncle's private room, on -the right hand side of the patio.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Manuel was there, seated at a table, looking over some -papers.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Where is my brother?" asked Juan sternly and abruptly, -searching his face with his keen dark eyes.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Holy Saints defend us!" cried Don Manuel, nearly startled -out of his ordinary decorum. "And what madness brings you -here?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Where is my brother?" Juan repeated, in the same tone, -and without moving a muscle.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Be quiet--be reasonable, nephew Don Juan. Do not -make a disturbance; it will be worse for all of us. We did all -we could--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"For Heaven's sake, señor, will you answer me?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Have patience. We did all we could for him, I was about -to say; and more than we ought. The fault was his own, if he -was suspected and taken--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">Taken</em>! Then I come too late." Sinking into the nearest -seat, he covered his face with both hands, and groaned aloud.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Manuel Alvarez had never learned to reverence the -sacredness of a great sorrow. "Rushing in" where such as -he might well fear to tread, he presumed to offer consolation. -"Come, then, nephew Don Juan," he said, "you know as well -as I do that 'water that has run by will turn no mill,' and that -'there is no good in throwing the rope after the bucket.' No -man can alter that which is past. All we can do is to avoid -worse mischief in future."</p> -<p class="pnext">"When was it?" asked Juan, without looking up.</p> -<p class="pnext">"A week agone."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Seven days and nights!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Thereabouts. But <em class="italics">you</em>--are you in love with destruction -yourself, that, when you were safe and well at Nuera, you must -needs come hither again?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I came to save him."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Unheard of folly! If <em class="italics">you</em> have been meddling with these -matters--and it is but too likely, seeing you were always with -him (though, the Saints forbid I should suspect an honourable -soldier like you of anything worse than imprudence)--do you -not know they will wring the whole truth out of <em class="italics">him</em> with very -little trouble, and your life is not worth a brass maravedì?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan started to his feet, and glared scorn and defiance in his -uncle's face. "Whoever dares to hint so vile a slander," he -cried, "by my faith he shall repent it, were he my uncle ten -times over. Don Carlos Alvarez never did, and never will, -betray a trust, let those wretches deal with him as they may. -But I know him; he will die, or worse,--they will make him -mad." Here Juan's voice failed, and he stood in silent horror, -gazing on the dread vision that rose before his mind.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Manuel was daunted by his vehemence. "You are -the best judge yourself of what amount of danger you may be -incurring," he said. "But let me tell you, Señor Don Juan, -that I hold you rather a dangerous guest to harbour under -the circumstances. To have the Alguazils of the Holy Office -twice in my house would be enough to cost me all my places, -not to mention the disgrace of it."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You shall not lose a real by me or mine," returned Juan -proudly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I did not mean, however, to refuse you hospitality," said -Don Manuel, relieved, yet a little uneasy, perhaps even -remorseful.</p> -<p class="pnext">"But I mean to decline it, señor. I have only two favours -to ask of you," he continued: "one, to allow me free -intercourse with my betrothed; the other, to permit me"--his voice -faltered, stopped. With a great effort he resumed--"to permit -me to examine my brother's room, and whatever effects he may -have left there."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Now you speak more rationally," said his uncle, mistaking -the self-control of indignant pride for genuine calmness. "But -as to your brother's effects, you may spare your pains; for the -Alguazils set the seal of the Holy Office upon them on the night -of his arrest, and they have since carried them away. As to -the other matter, what Doña Beatriz may think of the connection, -after the infamy in which your branch of the family is -involved, I cannot tell."</p> -<p class="pnext">A burning flush mounted to Juan's cheek as he answered, "I -trust my betrothed; even as I trust my brother."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You can see the lady herself. She may be better able than -I to persuade you to consult for your own safety. For if you -are not a madman, you will return at once to Nuera, which you -ought never to have quitted; or you will take the earliest -opportunity of rejoining the army."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I shall not stir from Seville till I obtain my brother's -deliverance; or--" Juan did not name the other alternative. -Involuntarily he placed his hand on his belt, in which he had concealed -certain old family jewels, which he believed would produce a -considerable sum of money; for his last faint hope for Carlos -lay in a judicious appeal to the all-powerful "Don Dinero."[#]</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] The Lord Dollar.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">"You will <em class="italics">never</em> leave it, then," said Don Manuel. "And -you must hold me excused from aiding and abetting your folly. -Your brother's business has cost me and mine more than -enough already. I had rather ten thousand times that a man -had died of the plague in my house, were it for the scandal's -sake alone! Nor, bad as it is, is the scandal all. Since that -miserable night, my unhappy son Gonsalvo, in whose apartment -the arrest took place, has been sick unto death, and out -of his mind."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Don Gonsalvo! What brought my brother to his room?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"The devil, whose servant he is, may know; I do not. He -was found there, in his sword and cloak, as if ready to go forth, -when the officers came."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Did he leave no message--no word for me?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Not one word. I know not if he spoke at all, save to offer -to show the Alguazils his personal effects. To do him justice, -nothing suspicious was found amongst them. But the less said -on the subject the better. I wash my hands of it, and of him. -I thought he would have done honour to the family; but he -has proved its sorest disgrace."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Señor, what you say of him you say of me also," said Juan, -glowing white with anger. "And already I have heard quite -enough."</p> -<p class="pnext">"That is as you please, Señor Don Juan."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I shall only trespass upon you for the favour you have -promised me--permission to wait upon Doña Beatriz."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I shall apprise her of your presence, and give her leave to -act as she sees fit." And glad to put an end to the interview, -Don Manuel left the room.</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan sank into a seat once more, and gave himself up to an -agony of grief for his brother.</p> -<p class="pnext">So absorbed was he in his sorrow, that a light footstep -entered and approached unheard by him. At last a small hand -touched his arm. He started and looked up. Whatever his -anguish of heart might be, he was still the loyal lover of Doña -Beatriz. So the next moment found him on his knees saluting -that hand with his lips. And then followed certain ceremonies -abundantly interesting to those who enact them, but apt to -prove tedious when described.</p> -<p class="pnext">"My lady's devoted slave," said Don Juan, using the ordinary -language of the time, "bears a breaking heart to-day. We -knew neither father nor mother; there were but the two of us."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Did you not receive my letter, praying you to remain at -Nuera?" asked the lady.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Pardon me, queen of my heart, in that I dared to disregard -a wish of yours. But I knew <em class="italics">his</em> danger, and I came to save -him. Alas! too late."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am not sure that I do pardon you, Don Juan."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then, I presume so far as to say, that I know Doña Beatriz -better than she knows herself. Indeed, had I acted otherwise, -she would scarce have pardoned me. How would it have been -possible for me to consult for my own safety, leaving him alone -and unaided, in such fearful peril?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"You acknowledge there is peril--<em class="italics">to you</em>?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"There may be, señora."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ay de mi! Why, in Heaven's name, have you thus -involved yourself? O Don Juan, you have dealt very cruelly -with me!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Light of my eyes, life of my life, what mean you by these -words?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Was it not cruel to allow your brother, with his gentle, -winning ways, and his soft specious words, to lead you step by -step from the faith of our fathers, until he had you entangled -in I know not what horrible heresies, and made you put in -peril your honour, your liberty, your life--everything?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"We only sought Truth."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Truth!" echoed the lady, with a contemptuous stamp of -her small foot and twirl of her fan. "What is Truth? What -good will Truth do me if those cruel men drag you from your -bed at midnight, take you to that dreadful place, stretch you on -the rack?" But that last horror was too much to bear; Doña -Beatrix hid her face in her hands, and wept and sobbed -passionately.</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan soothed her with every tender, lover-like art. "I will -be very prudent, dearest lady," he said at last; adding, as he -gazed on her beautiful face, "I have too much to live for not to -hold life very precious."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Will you promise to fly--to leave the city now, before -suspicions are awakened which may make flight impossible?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"My first and my only love, I would die to fulfil your -slightest wish. But this thing I cannot do."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And wherefore not, Señor Don Juan?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Can you ask? I must hazard everything, spend everything, -in the chance--if there be a chance--of saving him, or, -at least, of softening his fate."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then God help us both," said Doña Beatriz.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Amen! Pray to him day and night, señora. Perhaps he -may have pity on us."</p> -<p class="pnext">"There is no chance of saving Don Carlos. Know you not -that of all the prisoners the Holy House receives, scarce one in -a thousand goes forth again to take his place in the world?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan shook his head. He knew well that his task was -almost hopeless; yet, even by Doña Beatriz, he was not to be -moved from his determination.</p> -<p class="pnext">But he thanked her in strong, passionate words for her faith -in him and her truth to him. "No sorrow can divide us, my -beloved," he said, "nor even what they call shame, falsely as -they speak therein. You are my star, that shines on me -throughout the darkness."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have promised."</p> -<p class="pnext">"My uncle's family may seek to divide us, and I think they -will. But the lady of my heart will not heed their idle -words?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Doña Beatriz smiled. "I am a Lavella," she said. "Do -you not know our motto?--'True unto death.'"</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is a glorious motto. May it be mine too."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Take heed what you do, Don Juan. If you love me, you -will look well to your footsteps, since, wherever they lead, mine -are bound to follow." Saying this, she rose, and stood gazing -in his face with flushed cheek and kindling eyes.</p> -<p class="pnext">The words were such as might thrill any lover's heart with -joy and gratitude. Yet there was something in the look which -accompanied them that changed joy and gratitude into vague -fear and apprehension. The light in that dark eye seemed -borrowed from the fire of some sublime but terrible resolve -within. Juan's heart quailed, though he knew not why, as he -said, "My queen should never tread except through flowery -paths."</p> -<p class="pnext">Doña Beatriz took up a little golden crucifiz that, attached -to a rosary of coral beads, hung from her girdle. "You see -this cross, Don Juan?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes, señora mia."</p> -<p class="pnext">"On that horrible night when they dragged your brother to -prison, I swore a sacred oath upon it. You esteemed me a -child, Don Juan, when you read me chapters from your book, -and talked freely to me about God, and faith, and the soul's -salvation. Perchance I was a child in some things. For I -supposed them good words; how could they be otherwise, -since you spoke them? I listened and believed, after a fashion; -half thinking all the time of the pretty fans and trinkets you -brought me, or of the pattern of such and such an one's mantilla -that I had seen at mass. But your brother tore the veil from -my eyes at last, and made me understand that those specious -words, with which a child played childishly, were the crime that -finds no pardon here or hereafter. Of the hereafter I know -not; of the here I know too much, God help me! There be -fair ladies, not more deeply involved than I, who have changed -their gilded saloons for the dungeons of the Triana. But then -it matters not so much about me. For I am not like other -girls, who have fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers to care -for them. Saving Don Carlos (who was good to me for your -sake), no one ever gave me more than the half-sorrowful, -half-pitying kindness one might give a pet parrot from the Indies. -Therefore, thinking over all things, and knowing well your -reckless nature, Señor Don Juan, I swore that night upon this holy -cross, that if by evil hap <em class="italics">you</em> were attainted for heresy, <em class="italics">I</em> would -go next day to the Triana and accuse myself of the same crime."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan did not for a moment doubt that she would do it; and -thus a chain, light as silk but strong as adamant, was flung -around him.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Doña Beatriz, for my sake--" he began to plead.</p> -<p class="pnext">"For <em class="italics">my</em> sake, Don Juan will take care of his life and -liberty," she interrupted, with a smile that, if it had a little -sadness, had very far more of triumph in it. She knew the power -her resolve gave her over him: she had bought it dearly, and -she meant to use it. "Is it <em class="italics">still</em> your wish to remain here," she -continued; "or will you go abroad, and wait for better times?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan paused for a moment.</p> -<p class="pnext">"No choice is left me while Carlos pines uncomforted in a -dungeon," he said at last, firmly, though very sorrowfully.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then you know what you risk, that is all," answered the -lady, whose will was a match for his.</p> -<p class="pnext">In a marvellously short time had love and sorrow transformed -the young and childish girl into a passionate, determined -woman, with all the fire of her own southern skies in her -heart.</p> -<p class="pnext">Ere he departed, Juan pleaded for permission to visit her -frequently. But here again she showed a keen-sighted -apprehensiveness for <em class="italics">him</em>, which astonished him. She cautioned him -against their cousins, Manuel and Balthazar; who, if they thought -him in danger of arrest, were quite capable of informing against -him themselves, to secure a share of his patrimony. Or they -might gain the same end, without the disgrace of such a -baseness, by putting him quietly out of the way with their daggers. -On all accounts, his frequent presence at the house would be -undesirable, and might be dangerous; but she agreed to inform -him, by means of certain signals (which they arranged together), -when he might pay a visit to her with safety. Then, having -bidden her farewell, Don Juan turned his back on his uncle's -house with a heavy heart.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="reaping-the-whirlwind">XXVIII.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Reaping the Whirlwind</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"All is lost, except a little life."--Byron</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Nearly a fortnight passed away before a tiny lace -kerchief, fluttering at nightfall through the jealous -grating of one of the few windows of Don Manuel's -house that looked towards the street, told Juan that he was at -liberty to seek admission the next day. He was permitted to -enter; but he explored the patio and all the adjacent corridors -and rooms without seeing the face of which he was in search. -He did not, indeed, meet any one, not even a domestic; for it -was the eve of the Feast of the Ascension, and nearly all the -household had gone to see the great tabernacle carried in state -to the Cathedral and set up there, in preparation for the -solemnities of the following day.</p> -<p class="pnext">He thought this a good opportunity for satisfying his longing -to visit the apartment his brother had been wont to occupy. In -spite of what his uncle had said to the contrary, and indeed of -the dictates of his own reason, he could not relinquish the hope -that something which belonged to him--perhaps even some -word or line traced by his hand--might reward his careful -search.</p> -<p class="pnext">He ascended the stairs; not stealthily, or as if ashamed of -his errand, for no one had the right to forbid him. He reached -the turret without meeting any one, but had hardly placed his -foot upon the stair that led to its upper apartment, when a -voice called out, not very loudly,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"Chien va?"</p> -<p class="pnext">It was Gonsalvo's. Juan answered,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is I--Don Juan."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Come to me, for Heaven's sake!"</p> -<p class="pnext">A private interview with a madman is not generally thought -particularly desirable. But Juan was a stranger to fear. He -entered the room immediately, and was horror-stricken at the -change in his cousin's appearance. A tangled mass of black -hair mingled with his beard, and fell neglected over the pillow; -while large, wild, melancholy eyes lit up the pallor of his wasted -face. He lay, or rather reclined, on a couch, half covered by -an embroidered quilt, but wearing a loose doublet, very -carelessly thrown on.</p> -<p class="pnext">Of late the cousins had been far from friendly. Still Juan -from compassion stretched out his hand. But Gonsalvo would -not touch it.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Did you know all," he said, "you would stab me where I -lie, and thus make an end at once of the most miserable life -under God's heaven."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I fear you are very ill, my cousin," said Juan, kindly; for he -thought Gonsalvo's words the offspring of his wandering fancy.</p> -<p class="pnext">"From the waist downwards I am dead. It is God's hand: -and he is just."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Does your physician give hope of your recovery from this -seizure?"</p> -<p class="pnext">With something like his old short, bitter laugh, Gonsalvo -answered--"I have no physician."</p> -<p class="pnext">"This must be one of his delusions," thought Juan; "or -else, since he cannot have Losada, he has refused, with his -usual obstinacy, to see any one else."</p> -<p class="pnext">He said aloud,--"That is not right, cousin Don Gonsalvo. -You ought not to neglect lawful means of cure. Señor Sylvester -Areto is a very skilful physician; you might safely place -yourself in his hands."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Only there is one slight objection--my father and my -brothers would not permit me to see him."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan was in no doubt how to regard this statement; but -hoping to extract from him some additional information -respecting his brother, he turned the conversation.</p> -<p class="pnext">"When did this malady seize you?" he asked.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Close the door gently, and I will tell you all. And oh! tread -softly, lest my mother, who lies asleep in the room beneath, -worn out with watching, should wake and separate us. Then -must I bear my guilt and my anguish unconfessed to the -grave."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan obeyed, and took a seat beside his cousin's couch.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Sit where I can see your face," said Gonsalvo; "I will -not shrink even from <em class="italics">that</em>. Don Juan, I am your brother's -murderer."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan started, and his colour changed rapidly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"If I did not think you were mad--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am no more mad than you are," Gonsalvo interrupted. -"I <em class="italics">was</em> mad, indeed; but that horrible night, when God smote -my body, I regained my reason. I see all things clearly -now--too late."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Am I to understand, then," said Juan, rising from his seat, -and speaking in measured tones, though his eye was like a -tiger's--"am I to understand that you--<em class="italics">you</em>--denounced my -brother? If so, thank God that you are lying helpless -there."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am not quite so vile a thing as that. I did not intend to -harm a hair of his head; but I detained him here to his ruin. -He had the means of escape provided, and but for me would -have been in safety ere the Alguazils came."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Well for both of us your guilt was not greater. Still, you -cannot expect me--just yet--to forgive you."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I expect no forgiveness from man," said Gonsalvo, who -perhaps disdained to plead in his own exculpation the generous -words of Carlos.</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan had by this time changed his tone towards his cousin, -and assumed his perfect sanity; though, engrossed by the -thought of his brother, he was quite unconscious of the mental -process by which he had arrived at this conclusion. He asked,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"But why did you detain him? How did you come to know -at all of his intended flight?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"He had a safe asylum provided for him by some friend--I -know not whom," said Gonsalvo, in reply. "He was going -forth at midnight to seek it. At the same hour I also"--(for -a moment he hesitated, but quickly went on)--"was going -forth--to plunge a dagger in my enemy's heart. We met face to -face; and each confided his errand to the other. He sought, -by argument and entreaty, to move me from a purpose which -seemed to him a great crime. But ere our debate was ended, -God laid his hand in judgment upon me; and whilst Don -Carlos lingered, speaking words of comfort--brave and kind, -though vain--the Alguazils came, and he was taken."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan listened in gloomy silence.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Did he leave no message, not one word, for me?" he asked -at last, in a low voice.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes; one word. Filled with wonder at the calmness with -which he met his terrible fate, I cried out, as they led him from -the room, 'Vaya con Dios, Don Carlos, a braver man than you -have I never seen!' With one long mournful look, that haunts -me still, he said, '<em class="italics">Tell Ruy!</em>'"</p> -<p class="pnext">Strong man as he was, Don Juan Alvarez bowed his head -and wept. They were the first tears the great sorrow had -wrung from him--almost the first that he ever remembered -shedding. Gonsalvo saw no shame in them.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Weep on," he said--"weep on; and thank God that thy -tears are for sorrow only, not for remorse."</p> -<p class="pnext">Hoarse and heavy sobs shook the strong frame. For some -time they were the only sounds that broke the stillness. At -length Gonsalvo said, slowly,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"He gave me something to keep, which in right should -belong to thee."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan looked up. Gonsalvo half raised himself, and drew a -cushion from beneath his head. First he took off its outer -cover of fine holland; then he inserted his hand into an -opening that seemed like an accidental rip, and, not without some -trouble, drew out a small volume. Juan seized it eagerly: well -did he know his brother's Spanish Testament.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Take it," said Gonsalvo; "but remember it is a dangerous -treasure."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Perhaps you are not sorry to part with it?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I deserve that you should say so," answered Gonsalvo, with -unwonted gentleness. "But the truth is," he added, with a -wan, sickly smile, "nothing can part me from it now, for I have -learned almost every word of it by heart."</p> -<p class="pnext">"How could you, in so short a time, accomplish such a -task?" asked Juan, in surprise.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Easily enough. I was alone long hours of the day, when I -could read; and in the silent, sleepless nights I could recall -and repeat what I read during the day. But for that I should -be in truth what they call me--mad."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then you love its words?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I <em class="italics">fear</em> them," cried Gonsalvo, with strange energy, flinging -out his wasted arm over the counterpane. "They are words of -life--words of fire. They are, to the Church's words, the -priest's threatenings, the priest's pardons, what your limbs, -throbbing with healthy vigorous life, are to mine--cold, dead, -impotent; or what the living champion--steel from head to -heel, the Toledo blade in his strong right hand--is to the -painted San Cristofro on the Cathedral door. Because I dare -to say so much, my father pretends to think me mad; lest, -wrecked as I am in mind and body, I should still find one -terrible consolation,--that of flinging the truth for once in the -face of the scribes and Pharisees, and then suffering for it--like -Don Carlos."</p> -<p class="pnext">He was silent from exhaustion, and lay with closed eyes and -deathlike countenance. After a long pause, he resumed, in a -low, weak voice,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"Some words are good--perhaps. There was San Pablo, -who was a blasphemer, and injurious."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Don Gonsalvo, my brother once said he would give his -right hand that you shared his faith."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Oh, did he?" A quick flush overspread the wan face. -"But hark! a step on the stairs! My mother's."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am neither afraid nor ashamed to be found here," said -Don Juan.</p> -<p class="pnext">"My poor mother! She has shown me more tenderness of -late than I deserved at her hands. Do not let us involve her -in trouble."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan greeted his aunt with due courtesy, and even attempted -some words of condolence upon his cousin's illness. But he -saw that the poor lady was terribly disconcerted, and indeed -frightened, by his presence there. And not without cause, since -mischief, even to bloodshed, might have followed had Don -Manuel or either of his sons found Juan in communication with -Gonsalvo. She conjured him to go, adding, by way of -inducement,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"Doña Beatriz is taking the air in the garden."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Availing myself of your gracious permission, señora my -aunt, I shall offer her my homage there; and so I kiss your -feet--Adiõs, Don Gonsalvo."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Adiõs, my cousin."</p> -<p class="pnext">Doña Katarina followed him out of the room.</p> -<p class="pnext">"He is not sane," she whispered anxiously, laying her hand -on his arm; "he is out of his mind. You perceive it clearly, -Don Juan?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Certainly I shall not dispute it, señora," Juan answered, -prudently.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="a-friend-at-court">XXIX.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">A Friend at Court</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"I have a soul and body that exact</div> -<div class="line">A comfortable care in many ways."--R. Browning</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Don Juan's peril was extreme. Well known as he -was to many of the imprisoned Lutherans, it seemed -a desperate chance that, amongst the numerous -confessions wrung from them, no mention of his name should -occur. He knew himself deeply implicated in the crime -for which they were suffering--the one unpardonable crime in -the eyes of Rome. Moreover, unlike his brother, whose -temperament would have led him to avoid danger by every -lawful means, he was by nature brave even to rashness, and -bold even to recklessness. It was his custom to wear his heart -on his lips; and though of late stern necessity had taught him -to conceal what he thought, it was neither his inclination nor -his habit to disguise what he felt. Probably, not even his -desire to aid Carlos would have prevented his compromising -himself by some rash word or deed, had not the soft hand of -Doña Beatriz, strong in its weakness, held him back from -destruction. Not for one instant could he forget her terrible -vow. With this for ever before his eyes, it is little marvel if -he was willing to do anything, to bear anything--ay, almost -to feign anything--rather than involve her he loved in a fate -inconceivably horrible.</p> -<p class="pnext">And--alas for the brave, honest-hearted, truthful Don Juan -Alvarez!--it was often necessary to feign. If he meant to -remain in Seville, and to avoid the dungeons of the Inquisition, -he must obviate--or remove--suspicion by protesting, both by -word and action, his devotion to the Catholic Church, and his -hatred of heresy.</p> -<p class="pnext">Could he stoop to this? Gradually, and more and more, as -each day's emergency made it more and more necessary, he did -stoop to it. He told himself it was all for his brother's sake. -And though such a line of conduct was intensely repugnant to -his character, it was not contrary to his principles. To conceal -an opinion is one thing, to deny a friend quite another. And -while Carlos had found a Friend, Juan had only embraced an -opinion.</p> -<p class="pnext">He himself would have said that he had found Truth--had -devoted himself to the cause of Freedom. But where were -truth and freedom now, with all the bright anticipations of their -ultimate triumph which he had been wont to indulge? As far -as his native land was concerned (and it must be owned that -his mental eye scarcely reached beyond "the Spains"), a -single day had blotted out his glowing visions for ever. Almost -at the same moment, and as if by some secret preconcerted -signal, the leading Protestants in Seville, in Valladolid, all over -the kingdom, had been arrested and thrown into prison. -Swiftly, silently, with the utmost order and regularity, had the -whole thing been accomplished. Every name that Juan had -heard Carlos mention with admiration and sympathy was now -the name of a helpless captive. The Reformed Church of -Spain existed no longer, or existed only in dungeons.</p> -<p class="pnext">In what quarter the storm had first arisen, that burst so -suddenly upon the community of the faithful, Don Juan never -knew. It is probable the Holy Office had long been silently -watching its prey, waiting for the moment of action to arrive. -In Seville, it is said, a spy had been set upon some of Losada's -congregation, who revealed their meeting to the Inquisitors. -While in Valladolid, the foul treachery of the wife of one of -the Protestants furnished the Holy Office with the means of -bringing her husband and his friends to the stake.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan, whose young heart had lately beat so high with -hope, now bowed his head in despair. And despairing of -freedom, he lost his confidence in truth also. In opinion he -was still a decided Lutheran. He accepted every doctrine of -the Reformed as against the Roman Catholic creed. But the -hold he once had upon these doctrines as living realities was -slackened. He did not doubt that justification by faith was a -scriptural dogma, but he did not think it necessary to die for -it. Compared with the tremendous interest of the fate of -Carlos and the peril of Beatriz, and amidst his desperate -struggles to aid the one and shield the other, doctrinal -questions grew pale and faint to him.</p> -<p class="pnext">Nor had he yet learned to throw himself, in utter weakness, -upon a strength greater than his own, and a love that knows -no limits. He did not feel his weakness: he felt strong, in -the strength of a brave heart struggling against cruel wrong; -strong to resist, and, if it might be, to conquer his fate.</p> -<p class="pnext">At first he cherished a hope that his brother was not actually -in the secret dungeons of the Inquisition. For so great was -the number of the captives, that the public gaols of the city and -the convent prisons were full of them; and some had to be -lodged even in private houses. As Carlos had been one of the -last arrested, there seemed reason to suppose that he might be -amongst those thus accommodated; in which case it would be -much easier both to communicate with him, and to alleviate -his fate, than if he were within the gloomy walls of the Triana; -there might be, moreover, the possibility of forming some plan -for his deliverance.</p> -<p class="pnext">But Juan's diligent and persevering search resulted at last in -the conviction that his brother was in the "Santa Casa" itself. -This conviction sent a chill to his heart. He shuddered to -think of his present suffering, whilst he feared the worst for the -future, supposing that the Inquisitors would take care to lodge -in their own especial fortress those whom they esteemed the -most heinous transgressors.</p> -<p class="pnext">He engaged a lodging in the Triana suburb, which the river, -spanned by a bridge of boats, separated from the city. There -were several reasons for this choice of residence; but by far -the greatest was, that those who lingered beneath the walls of -the grim old castle could sometimes see, behind its grated -windows, spectral faces raised to catch the few scanty gleams -of daylight which fell to their lot. Long weary hours did Juan -watch there, hoping to recognize the face he loved. But always -in vain.</p> -<p class="pnext">When he went into the city, it was sometimes for other -purposes than to visit Doña Beatriz. It was as often to seek -the precincts of the magnificent Cathedral, and to pace up and -down that terrace whose massive truncated pillars, raised -when the Romans founded a heathen temple on the spot, -had stood throughout the long ages of Moslem domination. -Now the place was consecrated to Christian worship, and yet it -was put to no hallowed use. Rich merchants, in many a -varying garb, that told of different nations, trod the stately -colonnade, and bought and sold and made bargains there. For -in those days (strange as seems to us the irreverence of the -so-called "ages of faith") that terrace was the royal exchange of -Seville, then a mercantile city of great importance. Don Juan -Alvarez diligently resorted thither, and held many a close and -earnest conversation with a keen-eyed, hawk-nosed Jew, whom -he met there.</p> -<p class="pnext">Isaac Osorio, or more properly, Isaac ben Osorio, was a -notorious money-lender, who had often "obliged" Don -Manuel's sons, not unfairly requiring heavy interest to -counter-balance the hazardous nature of his investments. Callings -branded as unlawful are apt to prove particularly gainful. The -Jew was willing to "oblige" Don Juan also, upon certain -conditions. He was not by any means ignorant of the purpose -for which his money was needed. Of course he was himself a -Christian in name, for none other would have been permitted -to live upon Spanish ground. But by what wrongs, tortures, -agonies worse than death, he and those like him had been -forced to accept Christian baptism, will never be known until -Christ comes again to judge the false Church that has slandered -him. Will it be nothing in his sight that millions of the souls -for whom he died have been driven to hate his Name--that -Name so unutterably precious?</p> -<p class="pnext">Osorio derived grim satisfaction from the thought that the -Christians were now imprisoning, torturing, burning each other. -It reminded him of the grand old days in his people's history, -when the Lord of hosts was wont to stretch forth his mighty -arm and trouble the armies of the aliens, turning every man's -hand against his brother. Let the Gentiles bite and devour -one another, the child of Abraham could look upon their -quarrels with calm indifference. But if he had any sympathy, -it was for the weaker side. He was rather disposed to help a -Christian youth who was trying to save his brother from the -same cruel fangs in which so many sons of Israel had writhed -and struggled. Don Juan, therefore, found him accommodating, -and even lenient. From time to time he advanced to him -considerable sums, first upon the jewels he brought with him -from Nuera, and then, alas! upon his patrimony itself.</p> -<p class="pnext">Not without a keen pang did Juan thus mortgage the -inheritance of his fathers. But he began to realize the bitter -truth that a flight from Spain, and a new career in some foreign -land, would eventually be the only course open to him--if -indeed he escaped with life.</p> -<p class="pnext">Nor would the armies of Spain henceforth be more free to -him than her soil. Fortunately, the necessity for rejoining his -regiment had not arisen. For the brief war in which he served -was over now; and as the promised captaincy had not yet been -assigned to him, he was at liberty for the present to remain at -home.</p> -<p class="pnext">He largely bribed the head-gaoler of the inquisitorial prison, -besides supplying him liberally with necessaries and comforts -for his brother's use. Caspar Benevidio bore the worst of -characters, both for cruelty and avarice; still, Juan had no -resource but to trust implicitly to his honour, in the hope that -at least some portion of what he gave would be allowed to -reach the prisoner. But not a single gleam of information -about him could be gained from Benevidio, who, like all other -servants of the Inquisition, was bound by a solemn oath to -reveal nothing that passed within its walls.</p> -<p class="pnext">He also bribed some of the attendants and satellites of the -all-powerful Inquisitor, Munebrãga. It was his desire to obtain -a personal interview with the great man himself, that he might -have the opportunity of trying the intercession of Don Dinero, -to whose advances he was known to be not altogether obdurate.</p> -<p class="pnext">For the purpose of soliciting an audience, he repaired one -evening to the splendid gardens belonging to the Triana, to -await the Inquisitor, who was expected shortly to return from a -sail for pleasure on the Guadalquivir. He was sick at heart of -the gorgeous tropical plants that surrounded him, of the -myrtle-blossoms that were showered on his path; of all that told of -the hateful pomp and luxury in which the persecutor lived, -while his victims pined unpitied in loathsome dungeons. Yet -neither by word, look, nor sign dared he betray the rage that -was gnawing his heart.</p> -<p class="pnext">At length the shouts of the populace, who thronged the -river's side, announced the approach of their idol; for such -Munebrãga was for the time. Clad in costly silks and jewels, -and surrounded by a brilliant little court, composed both of -churchmen and laymen, the "Lord Inquisitor" stepped from -his splendid purple-decked barge. Don Juan threw himself -in his way, and modestly requested an audience. His bearing, -though perfectly respectful, was certainly less obsequious than -that to which Munebrãga had been accustomed of late. So -the minister of the Holy Office turned from him haughtily, -though, as Juan bitterly thought, "his father would have been -proud to hold the stirrup for mine." "This is no fitting time -to talk of business, señor," he said. "We are weary to-night, -and need repose."</p> -<p class="pnext">At that moment a Franciscan friar advanced from the group, -and with his lowest bow and most reverent manner approached -the Inquisitor. "With the gracious permission of my very good -lord, I shall address myself to the caballero, and report his -errand to your sanctity. I have the honour of some -acquaintance with his Excellency's noble family."</p> -<p class="pnext">"As you please, Fray," said the voice accustomed to speak -the terrible words that doomed to the rack and the pulley, -though no one would have suspected this from the bland, -careless good-nature of its tones. "But see that you tarry -not so as to lose your supper. Howbeit, there is little need to -caution you, or any other son of St. Francis, against undue -neglecting of the body."</p> -<p class="pnext">The son of St. Francis made no answer, either because it was -not worth while, or because those who take the crumbs from -the rich man's table must ofttimes take his taunts therewith. -He disengaged himself from the group, and turned towards -Juan a broad, good-humoured, not unintelligent face, which his -former pupil recognized immediately.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Fray Sebastian Gomez!" he exclaimed in astonishment</p> -<p class="pnext">"And very much at the service of my noble Señor Don Juan. -Will your Excellency deign to bear me company for a little -time? In yonder walk there are some rare flowers of rich -colouring, which it were worth your while to observe."</p> -<p class="pnext">They turned into the path he indicated, while the Lord -Inquisitor's silken train swept towards that half of the Triana -where godless luxury bore sway; the other half being -consecrated to the twin demon, cruelty.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Will it please your worship to look at these Indian pinks?" -said the friar. "You will not see that flower elsewhere in all -the Spains, save in the royal gardens. His Imperial Majesty -brought it first from Tunis."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan all but cursed the innocent flowers; but recollected in -time that God made them, though they belonged to Gonzales -de Munebrãga. "In Heaven's name, what brings you here, -Fray Sebastian?" he interrupted impatiently. "I thought to -see only the black cowls of St. Dominic about the--the -minister of the Holy Office."</p> -<p class="pnext">"A little more softly, may I implore of your Excellency? -Yonder casement is open.--Pues,[#] señor, I am here in the -capacity of a guest. Nothing more."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] Well, or well thou.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">"Every man to his taste," said Juan, drily, as with a heedless -foot he kicked off the beautiful scarlet flower of a rare -cactus.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Have a care, señor and your Excellency; my lord is very -proud of his cactus flowers."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then come with me to some spot of God's free earth where -we can talk together, out of sight of him and his possessions."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nay, rest content, señor; and untire yourself in this fair -arbour overlooking the river."</p> -<p class="pnext">"At least, God made the river," said Juan, flinging himself, -with a sigh of irritation and impatience, on the cushioned seat -of the summer-house.</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Sebastian seated himself also. "My lord," he began -to explain, "has received me with all courtesy, and is good -enough to desire my continual attendance. The fact is, señor, -his reverence is a man of literary taste."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan allowed himself the solace of a quiet sneer. "Oh, is -he? Very creditable to him, no doubt."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Especially he is a great lover of the divine art of poesy."</p> -<p class="pnext">No <em class="italics">genuine</em> love of the gentle art, whose great lesson is -sympathy, did or could soften the Inquisitor's hard heart. Nor, -had his wealth been doubled, could he have hired one real -poet to sing his praise in strains worthy the ear of posterity. -In an atmosphere so cold, the most ethereal spirit would have -frozen. But it was in his power to buy flattery in rhyme, and -it suited his inclination so to do. He liked the trick of rhyme, -at once so easy and so charming in the sonorous Castilian -tongue--it was a pleasure of the ear which he keenly -appreciated, as he did also those of the eye and the palate.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I addressed to him," Fray Sebastian continued with becoming -modesty, "a little effort of my Muse--really a mere trifle--on -the suppression of heresy, comparing the Lord Inquisitor -to Michael the archangel, with the dragon beneath his feet. -You understand, señor?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan understood so well that it was with difficulty he refrained -from flinging the unlucky rhymester into the river. But of late -he had learned many a lesson in prudence. Still, his words -sounded almost fierce in their angry scorn. "I suppose he -gave you in return--a good dinner."</p> -<p class="pnext">But Fray Sebastian would not take offence. He answered -mildly, "He was pleased to express his approval of my humble -effort, and to admit me into his noble household; where, except -my poor exertions to amuse and untire him by my conversation -may be accounted a service, I am of no service to him whatever."</p> -<p class="pnext">"So you are clad in purple and fine linen, and fare sumptuously -every day," said Juan, with contempt that he cared not to -conceal.</p> -<p class="pnext">"As to purple and fine linen, señor, I am an unworthy son -of St. Francis; and it is well known to your Excellency that by -the rules of our Order not even one scrap of holland---- But -you are laughing at me, as you used in old times, Señor -Don Juan."</p> -<p class="pnext">"God knows, I have little heart to laugh. In those old -times you speak of, Fray, there was no great love between you -and me; and no marvel, for I was a wild and idle lad. But I -think you loved my gentle brother, Don Carlos!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"That I did, señor, as did every one. Has any evil come -upon him? St. Francis forbid!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Worse evil than I care to name. He lies in yonder tower."</p> -<p class="pnext">"The blessed Virgin have pity on us!" cried Fray Sebastian, -crossing himself.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I thought you would have heard of his arrest," Juan -continued, sadly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I, señor! Never a breath. Holy Saints defend us! How -could I, or any one, dream that a young gentleman of noblest -race, well learned, and of truly pious disposition, would have -had the ill luck to fall under so foul a suspicion? Doubtless it -is the work of some personal enemy. And--ah, woe is me! 'the -clattering horse-shoe ever wants a nail'--here have I -been naming heresy, 'talking of halters in the house of the -hanged?'"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Hold thy tongue about hanging," said Juan, testily, "and -listen to me, if thou canst."</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Sebastian indicated, by a respectful gesture, his -profound attention.</p> -<p class="pnext">"It has been whispered to me that the door of his reverence's -heart may be unlocked by a golden key."</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Sebastian assured him this was a foul slander; concluding -a panegyric on the purity of the Inquisitor's administration -with the words, "You would forfeit his favour for ever by -presuming so far as to offer a bribe."</p> -<p class="pnext">"No doubt," answered Juan with a sneer, and a hard, worldly -look in his face that of late was often seen there. "I should -deserve to pay that penalty were I the fool to approach him -with a bow, and, 'Here is a purse of gold for your sanctity.' But -'one take is worth two I give you's,' and there is a way of -saying 'take' to every man. And I ask you, for old kindness, -to show me how to say it to his lordship."</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Sebastian pondered. After an interval he said, with -some hesitation, "May I venture to inquire, señor, what means -you possess of clearing the character of your noble brother?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan only answered by a sorrowful shake of the head.</p> -<p class="pnext">Darker and darker grew the friar's sensual but good-natured -face.</p> -<p class="pnext">"His excellent reputation, his brilliant success at college, -his blameless life should tell in his favour," Juan said at length.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Have you nothing more direct? If not, I fear it is a bad -business. But 'silence is called holy,' so I hold my peace. -Still, if indeed (which the Saints forbid) he has fallen -inadvertently into error, it is a comfort to reflect that there will -be little difficulty in reclaiming him."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan made no reply. Did he expect his brother to retract? -Did he <em class="italics">wish</em> him to do it? These were questions he scarcely -dared to ask himself. From any reply he could give to them -he shrank in shuddering dread.</p> -<p class="pnext">"He was ever gentle and tractable," Fray Sebastian -continued, "and ofttimes but too easy to persuade."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan rose, took up a stone, and threw it into the river. -When the circles it made in the water had died away, he turned -back to the friar. "But what can <em class="italics">I</em> do for him?" he asked, -with an undertone of helpless sadness, touching from the lips -of one so strong.</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Sebastian put his hand to his forehead, and looked as if -he were composing another poem. "Let me see, your Excellency. -There is my lord's nephew and pet page, Don Alonzo -(where he has got the 'Don' I know not, but Don Dinero -makes many a noble); I dare say it would not hurt the -Donzelo's soft white hand to finger a purse of gold ducats, and -those same ducats might help your brother's cause not a little."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Manage the matter for me, and I will thank you heartily. -Gold, to any extent that will serve <em class="italics">him</em>, shall be forthcoming; -and, my good friend, see that you spare it not."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ah, Señor Don Juan, you were always generous."</p> -<p class="pnext">"My brother's life is at stake," said Juan, softening a little. -But the hard look returned as he added, "Those who live in -great men's houses have many expenses, Fray. Always -remember that I am your friend, and that my ducats are very -much at your service also."</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Sebastian thanked him with his lowest bow. Juan's -look changed again; this time more rapidly. "If it were -possible," he added, in low, hurried tones--"if you could only -bring me the least word of tidings from him--even one word -to say if he lives, if he is well, how he is entreated. Three -months it is now since he was taken, and I have heard no -more than if they had carried him to his grave."</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is a difficult matter, a <em class="italics">very</em> difficult matter that you ask -of me. Were I a son of St. Dominic, I might indeed -accomplish somewhat. For the black cowls are everything now. -Still, I will do all I can, señor."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I trust you, Fray. If under cover of seeking his -conversion, of anything, you could but see him."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Impossible, señor--utterly impossible."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Why? They sometimes send friars to reason with the--the -prisoners."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Always Dominicans or Jesuits--men well-known and trusted -by the Board of the Inquisition. However, señor, nothing that -a man may do shall be wanting on my part. Will not that -content your Excellency?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">Content</em> me? Well, as far as you are concerned, yes. But, -in truth, I am haunted day and night by one horrible dread. -What if--if they should <em class="italics">torture</em> him? My gentle brother, frail -in mind and body, tender and sensitive as a woman! Terror -and pain would drive him mad." The last words were a quick -broken whisper. But outward expressions of emotion with Don -Juan were always speedily repressed. Recovering apparent -calmness, he stretched out his hand to Fray Sebastian, saying, -with a faint smile, "I have kept you too long from my lord's -supper-table--pardon me."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Your Excellency's condescension in conversing with me -deserves my profound gratitude," replied the monk, in true -Castilian fashion. His residence at the Inquisitor's Court had -certainly improved his manners.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan gave him his address, and it was agreed that he -should call on him in a few days. Fray Sebastian then offered -to bring him on his way through the garden and court of that -part of the Triana which formed the Inquisitor's residence. -But Juan declined the favour. He could not answer for -himself when brought face to face with the impious pomp and -luxury of the persecutor of the saints. He feared that, by some -wild word or deed, he might imperil the cause he had at heart. -So he hailed a waterman who was guiding his little boat down -the tranquil stream in the waning light. The boat was soon -brought to the place where the Inquisitor had landed from his -barge; and Juan, after shaking the dust from his feet, both -literally and metaphorically, sprang into it.</p> -<p class="pnext">The popular ideal of a persecutor is very far from the truth. -At the word there rises before most minds the vision of a lean, -pale-faced, fierce-eyed monk, whose frame is worn with fasting, -and his scourge red with his own blood. He is a fanatic--pitiless, -passionate, narrow-minded, perhaps half insane--but -penetrated to the very core of his being with intense zeal for -his Church's interest, and prepared in her service both to inflict -and to endure all things.</p> -<p class="pnext">Very unlike this ideal were <em class="italics">most</em> of the great persecutors who -carried out the behests of Antichrist. They were generally able -men. But they were pre-eminently men wise in their generation, -men <em class="italics">of</em> their generation, men who "loved this present world." They -gave the Church the service of strong hand and skilful brain -that she needed; and she gave <em class="italics">them</em>, in return, "gold, and silver, -and precious stones, and pearls; and fine linen, and purple, -and silk, and scarlet; and all sweet wood; and all manner of -vessels of ivory, and all manner of vessels of most precious -wood, and of brass, and of iron, and marble; and cinnamon, -and odours, and ointment, and frankincense; and wine, and oil, -and fine flour, and wheat; and beasts, and sheep, and horses -and chariots, and slaves and souls of men." It was for these -things, not for abstract ideas, not for high places in heaven, -that they tortured and murdered the saints of God. Whilst the -cry of the oppressed reached the ears of the Most High, those -who were "wearing them out" lived in unhallowed luxury, in -degrading sensuality. Gonzales de Munebrãga was a good -specimen of the class to which he belonged--he was no -exceptional case.</p> -<p class="pnext">Nor was Fray Sebastian anything but an ordinary character. -He was amiable, good-natured, free from gross vices--what is -usually called "well disposed." But he "loved wine and oil," -and to obtain what he loved he was willing to become the -servant and the flatterer of worse men than himself, at the -terrible risk of sinking to their level.</p> -<p class="pnext">With all the force of his strong nature, Don Juan Alvarez -loathed Munebrãga, and scorned Fray Sebastian. Gradually a -strange alteration appeared to come over the little book he -constantly studied--his brother's Spanish Testament. The -words of promise, and hope, and comfort, in which he used to -delight, seemed to be blotted from its pages; while ever more -and more those pages were filled with fearful threatenings and -denunciations of doom--against hypocritical scribes and -Pharisees, false teachers and wicked high priests--against great -Babylon, the mother of abominations. The peace-breathing, -"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," grew -fainter and more faint, until at last it faded completely from his -memory; while there stood out before him night and day, in -characters of fire, "Serpents, generation of vipers, how can ye -escape the damnation of hell!"</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="the-captive">XXX.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">The Captive.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Ay, but for <em class="italics">me</em>--my name called---drawn</div> -<div class="line">Like a conscript's lot from the lap's black yawn</div> -<div class="line">He has dipped into on the battle dawn.</div> -<div class="line">Bid out of life by a nod, a glance,</div> -<div class="line">Stumbling, mute mazed, at Nature's chance</div> -<div class="line">With a rapid finger circling round,</div> -<div class="line">Fixed to the first poor inch of ground</div> -<div class="line">To fight from, where his foot was found,</div> -<div class="line">Whose ear but a moment since was free</div> -<div class="line">To the wide camp's hum and gossipry--</div> -<div class="line">Summoned, a solitary man,</div> -<div class="line">To end his life where his life began,</div> -<div class="line">From the safe glad rear to the awful van."--R. Browning</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">On the night of his arrest, when Don Carlos Alvarez was -left alone in his dungeon, he stood motionless as one -in a dream. At length he raised his head, and began -to look around him. A lamp had been left with him; and its -light illumined a cell ten feet square, with a vaulted roof. -Through a narrow grating, too high for him to reach, one or two -stars were shining; but these he saw not. He only saw the -inner door sheathed with iron; the mat of rushes on which he -was to sleep; the stool that was to be his seat; the two earthen -pitchers of water that completed his scanty furniture. From -the first moment these things looked strangely familiar to him. -He threw himself on the mat to think and pray. He -comprehended his situation perfectly. It seemed as if he had been -all his life expecting this hour; as if he had been born for it, -and led up to it gradually through all his previous experience. -As yet he did not think that his fate was terrible; he only -thought that it was inevitable--something that was to come -upon him, and that in due course had come at last. It was his -impression that he should always remain there, and never more -see anything beyond that grated window and that iron door.</p> -<p class="pnext">There was a degree of unreality about this mood. For the -past fortnight, or more, his mind had been strained to its utmost -tension. Suspense, more wearing even than sorrow, had held -him on the rack. Sleep had seldom visited his eyes; and -when it came, it had been broken and fitful.</p> -<p class="pnext">Now the worst had befallen him. Suspense was over; -certainty had come. This brought at first a kind of rest to the -overtaxed mind and frame. He was as one who hears a -sentence of death, but who is taken off the rack. No dread -of the future could quite overpower the present unreasoning -sense of relief.</p> -<p class="pnext">Thus it happened that an hour afterwards he was sleeping -the dreamless sleep of exhaustion. Well for him if, instead of -"death's twin-brother," the angel of death himself had been -sent to open the prison doors and set the captive free! And -yet, after all, <em class="italics">would</em> it have been well for him?</p> -<p class="pnext">So utter was his exhaustion, that when food was placed in -his cell the next morning, he only awaked for a moment, then -slept again as soundly as before. Not till some hours later did -he finally shake off his slumber. He lay still for some time, -examining with a strange kind of curiosity the little bolted -aperture which was near the top of his door, and watching a -solitary broken sunbeam which had struggled through the -grating that served him for a window, and threw a gleam of -light on the opposite wall.</p> -<p class="pnext">Then, with a start, he asked himself, "<em class="italics">Where am I?</em>" The -answer brought an agony of fear, of horror, of bitter pain. -"Lost! lost! God have mercy on me! I am lost!" As one -in intense bodily anguish, he writhed, moaned--ay, even cried -aloud.</p> -<p class="pnext">No wonder. Hope, love, life--alike in its noblest aims and -its commonest joys--all were behind him. Before him were -the dreary dungeon days and nights--it might be months or -years; the death of agony and shame; and, worst of all, the -unutterable horrors of the torture-room, from which he shrank -as any one of us would shrink to-day.</p> -<p class="pnext">Slowly and at last came the large burning tears. But very -few of them fell; for his anguish was as yet too fierce for many -tears. All that day the storm raged on. When the alcayde -brought his evening meal, he lay still, his face covered with his -cloak. But as night drew on he rose, and paced his narrow -cell with hasty, irregular steps, like those of a caged wild -animal.</p> -<p class="pnext">How should he endure the horrible loneliness of the present, -the maddening terror of all that was to come? And this life -was to <em class="italics">last</em>. To last, until it should be succeeded by worse -horrors and fiercer anguish. Words of prayer died on his lips. -Or, even when he uttered them, it seemed as if God heard -not--as if those thick walls and grated doors shut him out too.</p> -<p class="pnext">Yet one thing was clear to him from the beginning. Deeper -than all other fears within him lay the fear of denying his Lord. -Again and again did he repeat, "When called in question, I -will at once confess all." For he knew that, according to a -law recently enacted by the Holy Office, and sanctioned by the -Pope, no subsequent retractation could save a prisoner who had -once confessed--he must die. And he desired finally and for -ever to put it out of his own power to save his life and lose it.</p> -<p class="pnext">As every dreary morning dawned upon him, he thought that -ere its sun set he might be called to confess his Master's name -before the solemn tribunal. At first he awaited the summons -with a trembling heart. But as time passed on, the delay -became more dreadful than the anticipated examination. At -last he began to long for <em class="italics">any</em> change that might break the -monotony of his prison-life.</p> -<p class="pnext">The only person, with the exception of his gaoler, that ever -entered his cell, was a member of the Board of Inquisitors, who -was obliged by their rules to make a fortnightly inspection of -the prisons. But the Dominican monk to whom this duty was -relegated merely asked the prisoner a few formal questions: -such as, whether he was well, whether he received his appointed -provision, whether his warder used him with civility. To these -Carlos always answered prudently that he had no complaint to -make. At first he was wont to inquire, in his turn, when his -case might be expected to come on. To this it would be -answered, that there was no hurry about the matter. The -Lords Inquisitors had much business on hand, and many more -important cases than his to attend to; he must await their -leisure and their pleasure.</p> -<p class="pnext">At length a kind of lethargy stole over him; though it was -broken frequently by sharp bursts of anguish. He ceased to -take note of time, ceased to make fruitless inquiries of his -gaoler, who would never tell him anything. Upon one occasion -he asked this man for a Breviary, since he sometimes found it -difficult to recall even the gospel words that he knew so well. -But he was answered in the set terms the Inquisitors taught -their officials, that the book he ought now to study was the -book of his own heart, which he should examine diligently, in -order to the confession and repentance of his sins.</p> -<p class="pnext">During the morning hours the outer door of his cell (there -were two) was usually left open, in order to admit a little fresh -air. At such times he often heard footsteps in the corridors, -and doors opening and shutting. With a kind of sick yearning, -not unmixed with hope, he longed that some visitant would enter -his cell. But none ever came. Some of the Inquisitors were -keen observers and good students of character. They had -watched Carlos narrowly before his arrest, and they had arrived -at the conclusion that utter and prolonged solitude was the -best remedy for his disease.</p> -<p class="pnext">Such solitude has driven many a weary tortured soul to -insanity. But that divine compassion which no dungeon walls -or prison bars avail to shut out, saved Carlos from such a -fate.</p> -<p class="pnext">One morning he knew from the stir outside that some of his -fellow-captives had received a visit. But the deep stillness that -followed the dying away of footsteps in the corridor was broken -by a most unwonted sound. A loud, clear, and even cheerful -voice sang out,--</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Vençidos van los frailes; vençidos van!</div> -<div class="line">Corridas van los lobos; corridos van!"</div> -</div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">[There go the friars; there they run!</div> -<div class="line">There go the wolves, the wolves are done!][#]</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] Everything related of Juliano Hernandez is strictly true.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">Every nerve and fibre of the lonely captive's heart thrilled -responsive to that strain. Evidently the song was one of -triumph. But from whose lips? Who could dare to triumph -in the abode of misery, the very seat of Satan?</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos Alvarez had heard that voice before. A striking -peculiarity in the dialect rivetted this fact upon his mind. The -words were neither the pure sonorous Castilian that he spoke -himself, nor the soft gliding sibilant Andaluz that he heard in -Seville, nor yet the patois of the Manchegan peasants around -his mountain home. In such accents one, and one alone, had -ever spoken in his hearing. And that was the man who said, -"For the joy of bringing food to the perishing, water to the -thirsty, light to those that sit in darkness, rest to the weary and -heavy-laden, I have counted the cost, and I shall pay the -price right willingly."</p> -<p class="pnext">Whatever men had done to the body, it was evident that -Juliano Hernandez was still unbroken in heart, strong in hope -and courage. A fettered, tortured captive, he was yet enabled, -not only to hold his own faith fast, but actually to minister to -that of others. His rough rhyme intimated to his -fellow-captives that "the wolves" of Rome were leaving his cell, -vanquished by the sword of the Spirit. And that, as he -overcame, so might they also.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos heard, understood, and felt from that hour that he -was not alone. Moreover, the grace and strength so richly -given to his fellow-sufferer seemed to bring Christ nearer to -himself. "Surely God is in this place--even here," he said, -"and I knew it not." And then, bowing his head, he wept--wept -such tears as bring help and healing with them.</p> -<p class="pnext">Up to this time he had held Christ's hand indeed, else had -he "utterly fainted." But he held it in the dark. He clung -to him desperately, as if for mere life and reason. Now the -light began to dawn upon him. He began to see the face of -Him to whom he had been clinging. His good and gracious -words--such words as, "Let not your heart be troubled," "My -peace I give unto you"--became again, as in old times, full of -meaning, instinct with life. He "remembered the years of the -right hand of the Most High;" he thought of those days that -now seemed so long ago, when, with such thrilling joy, he -received the truth from Juliano's book. And he knew that the -same joy might be his even in that dreary prison, because the -same God was above him, and the same Lord was "rich unto -all that call upon him."</p> -<p class="pnext">On the next occasion when Juliano raised his brave song of -victory, Carlos had the courage to respond, by chanting in the -vulgar tongue, "The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the -name of the God of Jacob defend thee. Send thee help from -the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion."</p> -<p class="pnext">But this brought him a visit from the alcayde, who -commanded him to "forbear that noise."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I only chanted a versicle from one of the Psalms," he -explained.</p> -<p class="pnext">"No matter. Prisoners are not permitted to disturb the -Santa Casa," said Gasper Benevidio, as he quitted the cell.</p> -<p class="pnext">The "Santa Casa," or Holy House, was the proper style and -title of the prison of the Holy Inquisition. At first sight the -name appears a hideous mockery. We seem to catch in it an -echo of the laughter of fiends, as in that other kindred name, -"The Society of Jesus." Yet, just then, the Triana was truly -a holy house. Precious in the sight of the Lord were those -who crowded its dismal cells. Many a lonely captive wept -and prayed and agonized there, who, though now forgotten on -earth, shall one day shine with a brightness eclipsing kings -and conquerors--"a star for ever and ever."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="ministering-angels">XXXI.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Ministering Angels.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Thou wilt be near, and not forsake,</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">To turn the bitter pool</div> -</div> -<div class="line">Into a bright and breezy lake,</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">The throbbing brow to cool;</div> -</div> -<div class="line">Till, left awhile with Thee alone,</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">The wilful heart be fain to own</div> -</div> -<div class="line">That he, by whom our bright hours shone,</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">Our darkness best may rule."--Keble</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">The overpowering heat of an Andalusian summer -aggravated the physical sufferings of the captives. And so -did the scanty and unwholesome provisions, which -were all that reached them through the hands of the avaricious -Benevidio.</p> -<p class="pnext">But this last hardship was little felt by Carlos. Small as -were the rations he received, they usually proved more than -enough for him; indeed, the coarse food sometimes lay almost -untasted in his cell.</p> -<p class="pnext">One morning, however, to his extreme surprise, something -was pushed through the grating in the lower part of his inner -door, the outer door being open, as was usual at that hour. -The mysterious gift consisted of white bread and good meat, -of which he partook with mingled astonishment and thankfulness. -But the relief to the unvaried monotony of his life, and -the occupation the little circumstance gave his thoughts, was -much more to him than the welcome novelty of a wholesome -meal.</p> -<p class="pnext">The act of charity was repeated often, indeed almost daily. -Sometimes bread and meat, sometimes fruit--the large luscious -grapes or purple figs of that southern climate--were thus -conveyed to him. Endless were the speculations these gifts -awakened in his mind. He longed to discover his benefactor, -not only to express his gratitude, but to supplicate that the same -favours might be extended to his fellow-sufferers, especially to -Juliano. Moreover, would not one so kindly disposed be -willing to give him what he longed for far more than meat or -drink--some word of tidings from the world without, or from -his dear imprisoned brethren?</p> -<p class="pnext">At first he suspected the under-gaoler, whose name was -Herrera. This man was far more gentle and compassionate -than Benevidio. Carlos often thought he would have shown -him some kindness, or at least have spoken to him, if he dared. -But dire would have been the penalty even the slightest -transgression of the prison rules would have entailed. Carlos -naturally feared to broach the matter, lest, if Herrera really had -nothing to do with it, the unknown benefactor might be -betrayed.</p> -<p class="pnext">The same motive prevented his hazarding a question or -exclamation at the time the little gifts were thrust in. How could -he tell who might be within hearing? If it were safe to speak, -surely the person outside would try the experiment.</p> -<p class="pnext">It was generally very early in the morning, at the hour when -the outer door was first opened, that the gifts came. Or, it -delayed a little later, he would often notice something timid -and even awkward in the way they were pushed through the -grating, and the approaching and retreating footsteps, for which -he used to listen so eagerly, would be quick and light, like -those of a child.</p> -<p class="pnext">At last a day came, marked indeed with white in the dark -chronicle of prison life. Bread and meat were conveyed to him -as usual; then there was a low knock upon the door. Carlos, -who was standing close to it, responded by an eager "<em class="italics">Chien es?</em>"</p> -<p class="pnext">"A friend. Kneel down, señor, and put your ear to the -grating."</p> -<p class="pnext">The captive obeyed, and a woman's voice whispered, "Do -not lose heart, your worship. Friends outside are thinking of -you."</p> -<p class="pnext">"One friend is with me, even here," Carlos answered. -"But," he added, "I entreat of you to tell me your name, that -I may know whom to thank for the daily kindnesses which -lighten my captivity."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am only a poor woman, señor, the alcayde's servant. -And what I have brought you is your own, and but a small -part of it."</p> -<p class="pnext">"My own! How?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Robbed from you by my master, who defrauds and spoils -the poor prisoners even of their necessary food. And if any -one dares to complain to the Lords Inquisitors, he throws him -into the Masmurra."</p> -<p class="pnext">"The--what?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"A deep, horrible cistern which he hath in his house." This -was spoken in a still lower voice.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos was not yet sufficiently naturalized to horrors to -repress a shudder. He said, "Then I fear it is at great risk -to yourself that you show kindness to me."</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is for the dear Lord's sake, señor."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then <em class="italics">you</em>--you too--love his Name!" said Carlos, tears of -joy starting to his eyes.</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">Chiton</em>,[#] señor! <em class="italics">chiton</em>! But as far as a poor woman may, -I do love him," she added in a frightened whisper. "What I -want now to tell you is, that the noble lord, your brother--"</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] Hush.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">"My brother!" cried Carlos; "what of him? On, tell me, -for Christ's dear sake!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Let your Excellency speak lower. We may be overheard. -I know he has seen my master once and again, and has given -him much money to provide your worship with good food and -other conveniences, which he, however, not having the fear of -God before his eyes--" The rest of the sentence did not reach -the ear of Carlos; but he could easily guess its import.</p> -<p class="pnext">"That is little matter," he said. "But oh, kind friend, if I -could send him a message, were it only one word."</p> -<p class="pnext">Perhaps the wistful earnestness of his tone awakened latent -mother instincts in the poor woman's heart. She knew that he -was very young; that he had lain there for dreary months -alone, away from the bright world into which he was just -entering, and which was now shut to him for ever.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I will do all I can for your Excellency," she said, in a tone -that betrayed some emotion.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then," said Carlos, "tell him it is well with me. 'The -Lord is my shepherd'--all that psalm, bid him read it. But, -above all things, say unto him to leave this place--to fly to -Germany or England. For I fear, I fear--no, do not tell him -what I fear. Only implore of him to go. You promise?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I promise, young sir, to do all I can. God comfort him -and you."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And God reward you, brave and kind friend. But one -word more, if it may be without risk to you. Tell me of my -dear fellow-prisoners. Especially of Dr. Cristobal Losada, Don -Juan Ponce de Leon, Fray Constantino, and Juliano Hernandez, -called Juliano El Chico."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I do not know anything of Fray Constantino. I think he -is not here. The others you name have--<em class="italics">suffered</em>."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Not death!--surely not death!" said Carlos, in terror.</p> -<p class="pnext">"There be worse things than death, señor," the poor woman -answered. "Even my master, whose heart is iron, is astonished -at the fortitude of Señor Juliano. He fears nothing--seems to -feel nothing. No tortures have wrung from him a word that -could harm any one."</p> -<p class="pnext">"God sustain him! Oh, my friend," Carlos went on with -passionate earnestness, "if by any deed of kindness, such as -you have shown me, you could bring God's dear suffering -servant so much comfort as a cup of cold water, truly your -reward would be rich in heaven. For the day will come when -that poor man will take his station in the court of the King -of kings, and at the right hand of Christ, in great glory and -majesty."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I know it, señor. I have tried--"</p> -<p class="pnext">Just then an approaching footstep made Carlos start; but the -poor woman said, "It is only the child, God bless her. But I -must go, señor; for she comes to tell me her father has arisen, -and is making ready to begin his daily rounds."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Her father! Does Benevidio's own child help you to -comfort his prisoners?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Even so, thank the good God. I am her nurse. But I -must not linger another moment. Adiõs, señor."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Vaya con Dios, good mother. And God repay your -kindness, as he surely will."</p> -<p class="pnext">And surely he did repay it; but not on earth, unless the -honour of being accounted worthy to suffer shame and stripes -and cruel imprisonment for his sake be called a reward.[#]</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] The story of the gaoler's servant and his little -daughter is historical.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="the-valley-of-the-shadow-of-death">XXXII.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">The Valley of the Shadow of Death.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"And shall I fear the coward fear of standing all alone</div> -<div class="line">To testify of Zion's King and the glory of his throne?</div> -<div class="line">My Father, O my Father, I am poor and frail and weak,</div> -<div class="line">Let me not utter of my own, for idle words I speak;</div> -<div class="line">But give me grace to wrestle now, and prompt my faltering tongue.</div> -<div class="line">And name thy name upon my soul, and so shall I be</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">strong."--Mrs. Stuart Menteith</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Many a weary hour did Carlos shorten by chanting the -psalms and hymns of the Church in a low voice for -himself. At first he sang them loudly enough for -his fellow-prisoners to hear; but the commands of Benevidio, -which were accompanied even by threats of personal violence, -soon made him forbear. Not a few kindly deeds and words of -comfort came to him through the ministrations of the poor -servant Maria Gonsalez, aided by the gaoler's little daughter. -On the whole, he was growing accustomed to his prison life. -It seemed as though it would last for ever; as though every -other kind of life lay far away from him in the dim distance. -There were slow and weary hours, more than he could count; -there were bitter hours--of passionate regret, of dark -foreboding, of unutterable fear. But there were also quiet hours, -burdened by no special pain or sorrow; there were sometimes -even happy hours, when Christ seemed very near, and his -consolations were not small with his prisoner.</p> -<p class="pnext">It was one of the quiet hours, when thoughts of the past, not -full of the anguish of vain yearning, as they often were, but -calm and even pleasant, were occupying his mind. He had -been singing the Te Deum for himself; and thinking how -sweetly the village choristers used to chant it at Nuera; not -in the time of Father Tomas, but in that of his predecessor, a -gentle old man with a special taste for music, whom he and his -brother, then little children, loved, but used to tease. He was -so deeply engaged in feeling over again his poignant distress -upon one particular occasion when Juan had offended the aged -priest, that all his present sorrows were forgotten for the -moment, when he heard the large key grate harshly in the strong -outer door of his cell.</p> -<p class="pnext">Benevidio entered, bearing some articles of dress, which he -ordered the prisoner to put on immediately.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos obeyed in silence, though not without surprise, perhaps -even a passing feeling of indignation. For the very form and -fashion of the garments he was thus obliged to assume (a kind -of jacket without sleeves, and long loose trowsers), meant to the -Castilian noble keen insult and degradation.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Take off your shoes," said the alcayde. "Prisoners always -come before their reverences with uncovered head and feet. -Now follow me."</p> -<p class="pnext">It was, then, the summons to stand before his judges. A -thrilling dread took possession of his soul. Heedless of the -alcayde's presence, he threw himself for one brief moment -on his knees. Then, though his cheek was pale, he could -speak calmly. "I am ready," he said.</p> -<p class="pnext">He followed his conductor through several long and gloomy -corridors. At length he ventured to ask, "Whither are you -leading me?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">Chiton!</em>" said Benevidio, placing his finger on his lips. -Speech was not permitted there.</p> -<p class="pnext">At last they drew near an open door. The alcayde quickened -his pace, entered first, made a very low reverence, then drew -back again, and motioned Carlos to go forward alone.</p> -<p class="pnext">He did so; and found himself in the presence of his judges--the -Board, or "Table of the Inquisition." He bowed, though -rather from the habit of courtesy, than from any special respect -to the tribunal, and stood silent.</p> -<p class="pnext">Before any one addressed him, he had ample leisure for -observation. The room was large, lofty, and surrounded by -pillars, between which there were handsome hangings of gilt -leather. At one end, the furthest from him, stood a great -crucifix, larger than life. Around the long table on the estrada -six or seven persons were seated. Of these, one alone was -covered, he who sat nearest the door by which Carlos had -entered, and facing the crucifix. He knew that this was -Gonzales de Munebrãga, and the thought that he had once -pleaded earnestly for that man's life, helped to give him -boldness in his presence.</p> -<p class="pnext">At Munebrãga's right hand sat a stern and stately man, whom -Carlos, though he had never seen him before, knew, from his -dress and the position he occupied, to be the prior of the -Dominican convent adjoining the Triana. One or two of the -subordinate members of the Board he had met occasionally in -other days, and he had then considered them very far his own -inferiors, both in education and in social position.</p> -<p class="pnext">At length Munebrãga, half turning, motioned him to approach -the table. He did so, and a person who sat at the opposite -end, and appeared by his dress to be a notary, made him lay -his hand on a missal, and administered an oath to him.</p> -<p class="pnext">It bound him to speak the truth, and to keep everything -secret which he might see or hear; and he took it without -hesitation. A bench at the Inquisitor's left hand was then -pointed out to him, and he was desired to be seated.</p> -<p class="pnext">A member of the Board, who bore the title of the Promoter-fiscal, -conducted the examination. After some merely formal -questions, he asked him whether he knew the cause of his -present imprisonment? Carlos answered immediately, "I do."</p> -<p class="pnext">This was not the course usually taken by prisoners of the -Holy Office. They commonly denied all knowledge of any -offence that could have induced "their reverences" to order -their arrest With a slight elevation of the eyebrows, perhaps -expressive of surprise, his examiner continued, gently enough, -"Are you then aware of having erred from the faith, and by -word or deed offended your own soul, and the consciences of -good Christians? Speak boldly, my son; for to those who -acknowledge their faults the Holy Office is full of tenderness -and mercy."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have not erred, consciously, from the true faith, since I -knew it."</p> -<p class="pnext">Here the Dominican prior interposed. "You can ask for an -advocate," he said; "and as you are under twenty-five years of -age, you can also claim the assistance of a curator.[#] Furthermore, -you can request a copy of the deposition against you, in -order to prepare your defence."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] Guardian.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">"Always supposing," said Munebrãga himself, "that he -formally denies the crime laid to his charge.--Do you?" he -asked, turning to the prisoner.</p> -<p class="pnext">"We understand you so to do," said the prior, looking -earnestly at Carlos. "You plead not guilty?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos rose from his seat, and advanced a step or two nearer -to the table where sat the men who held his life in their hands. -Addressing himself chiefly to the prior, he said, "I know that -by taking the course your reverence recommends to me, as I -believe out of kindness, I may defer my fate for a little while. -I may beat the air, fighting in the dark with witnesses whom -you would refuse to name to me, still more to confront with -me. Or, I may make you wring out the truth from me slowly, -drop by drop. But what would that avail me? Neither for -the truth, nor yet for any falsehood I might be base enough to -utter, would you loose your hand from your prey. I prefer that -straight road which is ever the shortest way. I stand before -your reverences this day a professed Lutheran, despairing of -mercy from man, but full of confidence in the mercy of God."</p> -<p class="pnext">A movement of surprise ran around the Board at these daring -words. The prior turned away from the prisoner with a pained, -disconcerted look; but only to meet a half-triumphant, -half-reproachful glance from his superior, Munebrãga. But -Munebrãga was not displeased; far from it. It did not grieve him -that the prisoner, a mere youth, "was throwing himself into -the fire." That was his own concern. He was saving "their -reverences" a great deal of trouble. Thanks to his hardihood, -his folly, or his despair, a good piece of work was quickly and -easily accomplished. For it was the business of the Inquisitors -first to convict; retractations were an after consideration.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Thou art a bold heretic, and fit for the fire," he said. "We -know how to deal with such." And he placed his hand on the -bell that was to signal the termination of the interview.</p> -<p class="pnext">But the prior, recovering from his astonishment, once more -interposed. "My lord and your reverence, be pleased to allow -me a few minutes, in which I may set plainly before the prisoner -both the wonted mercy and lenity of the Holy Office to the -repentant, and the fatal consequences of obstinacy."</p> -<p class="pnext">Munebrãga acquiesced by a nod, then leant back carelessly -in his seat; this was not a part of the proceedings in which he -felt much interest.</p> -<p class="pnext">No one could doubt the sincerity with which the prior warned -Carlos of the doom that awaited the impenitent heretic. The -horrors of the death of fire, the deeper, darker horror of the fire -that never dies, these were the theme of his discourse. If not -actually eloquent, it had at least the earnestness of intense -conviction. "But to the penitent," he added, and the hard face -softened a little, "God is ever merciful, and his Church is -merciful too."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos listened in silence, his eyes bent on the ground. But -when the Dominican concluded, he looked up again, glanced -first at the great crucifix, then fixed his eyes steadily on the -prior's face. "I cannot deny my Lord," he said. "I am in -your hands, and you can do with me as you will. But God is -mightier than you."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Enough!" said Munebrãga, and he rang the hand-bell. -After a very short delay, the alcayde reappeared, and led -Carlos back to his cell.</p> -<p class="pnext">As soon as he was gone, Munebrãga turned to the prior. -"My lord," he said, "your wonted penetration is at fault for -once. Is this the youth whom you assured us a few months of -solitary confinement would render pliant as a reed and plastic -as wax? Whereas we find him as bold a heretic as Losada, or -D'Arellano, or that imp of darkness, little Juliano."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nay, my lord, I do not despair of him. Far from it. -He is much less firm than he seems. Give him time, with -a due mixture of kindness and severity, and, I trust in our -Lord and St. Dominic, we will see him a hopeful penitent."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am of your mind, reverend father," said the Promoter-fiscal. -"It is probable he confessed only to avoid the Question. -Many of them fear it more than death."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You are right," answered Munebrãga quickly.</p> -<p class="pnext">The notary looked up from his papers. "Please your -lordships," he said, "I think it is the <em class="italics">sangre azul</em> that makes -him so bold. He is Alvarez de Meñaya."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Keep to thy quires and thine ink-horn, man of law," -interposed Munebrãga angrily. "Thy part is to write down -what wiser men say, not to prate thyself." It was well known -that the Inquisitor, far from boasting the <em class="italics">sangre azul</em> himself, -had not even what the Spaniards call "good red blood" -flowing in his veins; hence his irritation at the notary's speech.</p> -<p class="pnext">There is often a great apparent similarity in the effects of -quite opposite causes. That which results from a degree of -weakness of character may sometimes wear the aspect of -transcendent courage. A bolder man than Don Carlos Alvarez -might, in his circumstances, have made a struggle for life. -He might have fought over every point as it arose; have -availed himself of every loophole for escape; have thrown -upon his persecutors the onus of proving his crime. But such -a course would not have been possible to Carlos. As a -running leap is far more easy than a standing one, so to sensitive -temperaments it is easier to rush forward to meet pain or danger -than to stand still and fight it off, knowing all the time that it -must come at last.</p> -<p class="pnext">He would have been astonished had he guessed the impression -made upon his examiners. To himself it seemed that he -had confessed his Lord in much weakness. Still, he had -confessed him. And shut out as he was from all ordinary "means -of grace," the act of confession became a kind of sacrament to -him. It was a token and an evidence of Christ's presence with -him, and Christ's power working in him. He could say now, -"In the day that I called upon thee thou answeredst me -and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul." And from -that hour he seemed to live in greater nearness to Christ, and -more intimate communion with him, than he had ever done -before.</p> -<p class="pnext">It was well that he had strong consolation, for his need was -great. Two other examinations followed after a short interval; -and in both of these Munebrãga took a far more active part -than he had done in the first. The Inquisitors were at that -time extremely anxious to procure evidence upon which to -condemn Fray Constantino, who up to this point had steadily -resisted every effort they had made to induce him to criminate -himself. They thought it probable that Don Carlos Alvarez -could assist them if he would, especially since there had been -found amongst his papers a highly laudatory letter of -recommendation from the late Canon Magistral.</p> -<p class="pnext">Still, his assistance was needed even more in other matters. -It is scarcely necessary to say that Munebrãga, who forgot -nothing, had not forgotten the mysterious appointment made with -him, but never kept, by a cousin of the prisoner's, who was now -stated to be hopelessly insane. What did that mean? Was the -story true; or were the family keeping back evidence which -might compromise one or more of its remaining members?</p> -<p class="pnext">But Carlos was expected to resolve a yet graver question; -or, at least, one that touched him more nearly. His own -arrest had been decreed in consequence of two depositions -against him. First, a member of Losada's congregation had -named him as one of the habitual attendants; then a monk of -San Isodro had fatally compromised him under the torture. -The monk's testimony was clear and explicit, and was afterwards -confirmed by others. But the first witness had deposed -that two gentlemen of the name of Meñaya had been wont to -attend the conventicle. Who was the second? Hitherto this -problem had baffled the Inquisitors. Don Manuel Alvarez and -his sons were noted for orthodoxy; and the only other Meñaya -known to them was the prisoner's brother. But in his favour -there was every presumption, both from his character as a -gallant officer in the army of the most Catholic king, and from -the fact of his voluntary return to Seville; where, instead of -shunning, he seemed to court observation, by throwing himself -continually in the Inquisitor's way, and soliciting audience of him.</p> -<p class="pnext">Still, of course, his guilt was possible. But, in the absence -of anything suspicious in his conduct, some clearer evidence -than the vague deposition alluded to was absolutely necessary, -in order to warrant proceedings against him. According to the -inquisitorial laws, what they styled "full half proof" of a crime -must be obtained before ordering the arrest of the supposed -criminal.</p> -<p class="pnext">And the key to all these perplexities had now to be wrung -from the unwilling hands of Carlos. This needed "half proof" -could, and must, be furnished by him. "He must speak out," -said those stern, pitiless men, who held him in their hands.</p> -<p class="pnext">But here he was stronger than they. Neither arts, persuasions, -threats, nor promises, availed to unseal those pale, silent -lips. Would torture do it? He was told plainly, that unless -he would answer every question put to him freely and distinctly, -he must undergo its worst horrors.</p> -<p class="pnext">His heart throbbed wildly, then grew sick and faint. A -dread far keener than the dread of death prompted one short -sharp struggle against the inevitable. He said, "It is against -your own law to torture a confessed criminal for information -concerning others. For the law presumes that a man loves -himself better than his neighbour; and, therefore, that he who -has informed against himself would more readily inform against -other heretics if he knew them."</p> -<p class="pnext">He was right. His early studies had enabled him to quote -correctly one of the rules laid down by the highest authority -for the regulation of the inquisitorial proceedings. But what -mattered rules and canons to the members of a secret and -irresponsible tribunal?</p> -<p class="pnext">Munebrãga covered his momentary embarrassment with a -sneer. "That rule was framed for delinquents of another sort," -he said. "You Lutheran heretics have the command, 'Thou -shall love thy neighbour as thyself,' so deeply rooted in your -hearts, that the very flesh must needs be torn from your bones -ere you will inform against your brethren.[#] I overrule your -objection as frivolous."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] Words actually used by this monster.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">And then a sentence, more dreaded than the terrible -death-sentence itself, received the formal sanction of the Board.</p> -<p class="pnext">Once more alone in his cell, Carlos flung himself on his -knees, and pressing his burning brow against the cold damp -stone, cried aloud in his anguish, "Let this cup--only -this--pass from me!"</p> -<p class="pnext">His was just the nature to which the thought of physical -suffering is most appalling. Keenly sensitive in mind and -body, he shrank in unspeakable dread from what stronger -characters might brave or defy. His vivid imagination intensified -every pang he felt or feared. His mind was like a room -hung round with mirrors, in which every terrible thing, reflected -a hundred times, became a hundred terrors instead of one. -What another would have endured once, he endured over and -over again in agonized anticipation.</p> -<p class="pnext">At times the nervous horror grew absolutely insupportable. -Tearfulness and trembling took hold upon him. He felt ready -to pray that God in his great mercy would take away his life, -and let the bearer of the dreaded summons find him beyond -all their malice.</p> -<p class="pnext">One thought haunted him like a demon, whispering words -of despair. It had begun to haunt him from the hour when -poor Maria Gonsalez told him she had seen his brother. What -if they dragged that loved name from his lips! What if, in his -weakness, he became Juan's betrayer! Once it had been in -his heart to betray him from selfish love; perhaps in judgment -for that sin he was now to betray him through sharp bodily -anguish. Even if his will were kept firm all through (which -he scarcely dared to hope), would not reason give way, and -wild words be wrung from his lips that would too surely ruin -all!</p> -<p class="pnext">He tried to think of his Saviour's death and passion; tried -to pray for strength and patience to drink of <em class="italics">his</em> cup. -Sometimes he prayed that prayer with strong crying and tears; -sometimes with cold mute lips, too weary to cry any longer. If -he was heard and answered, he knew it not then.</p> -<p class="pnext">Days of suspense wore on. They were only less dreary than -the nights, when sleep fled from his eyes, and horrible visions -(which yet he knew were less horrible than the truth) rose in -quick succession before his mind.</p> -<p class="pnext">One evening, seated on his bench in the twilight, he fell into -an uneasy slumber. The dark dread that never left him, -mingling with the sunny gleam of old memories, wove a vivid -dream of Nuera, and of that summer morning when the first -great conflict of his life found an ending in the strong resolve, -"Juan, brother! I will never wrong thee, so help me God!"</p> -<p class="pnext">The grating of the key in the door and the sudden flash of -the lamp aroused him. He started to his feet at the alcayde's -entrance. This time no change of dress was prescribed him. -He knew his doom. He cried, but to no human ear. From -the very depths of his being the prayer arose, "Father, -save--sustain me; <em class="italics">I am thine</em>!"</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="on-the-other-side">XXXIII.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">On the Other Side.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Happy are they who learn at last,--</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">Though silent suffering teach</div> -</div> -<div class="line">The secret of enduring strength,</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">And praise too deep for speech,--</div> -</div> -<div class="line">Peace that no pressure from without,</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">No storm within can reach.</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -<div class="line">"There is no death for me to fear,</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">For Christ my Lord hath died;</div> -</div> -<div class="line">There is no curse in all my pain,</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">For he was crucified;</div> -</div> -<div class="line">And it is fellowship with him</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">That keeps me near his side."--A. L. Waring</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">When the light of the next morning streamed in through -the narrow grating of his cell, Carlos was there once -more, lying on his bed of rushes. But was it indeed -the next morning, or was it ten years, twenty years afterwards? -Without a painful effort of thought and memory, he himself -could scarcely have told. That last night was like a great gulf, -fixed between his present and all his past. The moment when -he entered that torch-lit subterranean room seemed a sharp, -black dividing line, sundering his life into two halves. And -the latter half seemed longer than that which had gone before.</p> -<p class="pnext">Nor could years of suffering have left a sadder impress on -the young face, out of which the look of youth had passed, -apparently for ever. Brow and lips were pale; but two crimson -spots, still telling of feverish pain, burned on the hollow cheeks, -while the large lustrous eyes beamed with even unnatural -brilliance.</p> -<p class="pnext">The poor woman, who was doing the work of God's bright -angels in that dismal prison, came softly in. How she obtained -entrance there Carlos did not know, and was far too weak to -ask, or even to wonder. But probably she was sent by -Benevidio, who knew that, in his present condition, some -human help was indispensable to the prisoner.</p> -<p class="pnext">Maria Gonsalez was too well accustomed to scenes of horror -to be over-much surprised or shocked by what she saw. -Silently, though with a heart full of compassion, she rendered -the few little services in her power. She placed the broken -frame in as easy a position as she could, and once and again -she raised to the parched lips the "cup of cold water" so -eagerly desired.</p> -<p class="pnext">He roused himself to murmur a word of thanks; then, as -she prepared to leave him, his eyes followed her wistfully.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Can I do anything more for you, señor?" she asked.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes, mother. Tell me--have you spoken to my brother?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ay de mi! no, señor," said the poor woman, whose ability -was not equal to her good-will. "I have tried, God wot; but -I could not get from my master the name of the place where -he lives without making him suspect something, and never -since have I had the good fortune to see his face."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I know you have done--what you could. My message -does not matter now. Not so much. Still, best he should go. -Tell him so, when you find him. But, remember, tell him -nought of this. You promise, mother! He must never know -it--<em class="italics">never</em>!"</p> -<p class="pnext">She spoke a few words of pity and condolence.</p> -<p class="pnext">"It <em class="italics">was</em> horrible!" he faltered, in faint, broken tones. -"Worst of all--the return to life. For I thought all was over, -and that I should awake face to face with Christ. But--I -cannot speak of it."</p> -<p class="pnext">There was a long silence; then his eye kindled, and a look -of joy--ay, even of triumph--flashed across the wasted, -suffering face. "But <em class="italics">I have overcome</em>! No; not I. Christ has -overcome in me, the weakest of his members. Now I am -beyond it--on the other side."</p> -<p class="pnext">To the poor tortured captive there had been given a -foretaste, strange and sweet, of what they feel who stand on the -sea of glass, having the harps of God in their hands. Men had -done their worst--their very worst. He knew now all "the -dread mystery of pain;" all that flesh could accomplish in its -fiercest conflict with spirit. Yet not one word that could injure -any one he loved had been wrung from his lips.</p> -<p class="pnext"><em class="italics">All</em> was over now. In that there was mercy--far more -mercy than was shown to others. He had been permitted to -drain the cup at a single draught. <em class="italics">Now</em> he could feel grateful -to the physicians, who with truly kind cruelty (and not without -some risk to themselves) had prevented, in his case, that -fiendish device, "the suspension of the torture." Even -according to the execrable laws of the Inquisition, he had won -his right to die in peace.</p> -<p class="pnext">As time passed on, a blessed sense that he was now out of -the hands of man, and in those of God alone, sank like balm -upon his weary spirit. Fear was gone; grief had passed away; -even memory had almost ceased to give him a pang. For how -could he long for the loved faces of former days, when day and -night Christ himself was near him? So strangely near, so -intimately present, that he sometimes thought that if, through -some wonderful relenting of his persecutors, Juan were permitted -to come and stand beside him, that loved brother would still -seem further away, less real, than the unseen Friend who was -keeping watch by his couch. And even the bodily pain, that -so seldom left him, was not hard to bear, for it was only the -touch of His finger.</p> -<p class="pnext">He had passed into the clear air upon the mountain top, -where the sun shines ever, and the storm winds cannot come. -Nothing hurt him; nothing disturbed him now. He had -visitors; for what had really placed him beyond the reach of -his enemies was, not unnaturally, supposed by them to have -brought him into a fitting state to receive their exhortations. -So Inquisitors, monks, and friars--"persons of good learning -and honest repute"--came in due course to his lonely cell, -armed with persuasions and arguments, which were always -weighted with threats and promises.</p> -<p class="pnext">Their voices seemed to reach him faintly, from a great -distance. Into "the secret place of the Lord," where he dwelt -now, they could not enter. Threats and promises fell -powerless on his ear. What more could they do to him? As far as -the mere facts of the case were concerned, this security may -have been misplaced--nay, it <em class="italics">was</em> misplaced; but it saved him -from much suffering. And as for promises, had they thrown -open the door of his dungeon and bid him go forth free, only -that one intense longing to see his brother's face would have -nerved him to make the effort.</p> -<p class="pnext">Arguments he was glad to answer when permitted. It was a -joy to speak for his Lord, who had done, and was doing, such -great things for him. As far as he could, he made use of those -Scripture words with which his memory was so richly stored. -But more than once it happened that he was forced to take -up the weapons which he had learned in the schools to use so -skilfully. He tore sophisms to pieces with the dexterity of one -who knew how they were constructed, and astonished the -students of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas by vanquishing them -on their own ground.</p> -<p class="pnext">Reproach and insult he met with a fearless meekness that -nothing could ruffle. Why should he feel anger? Rather did -he pity those who stood without in the darkness, not seeing -the Face he saw, not hearing the Voice he heard. Usually, -however, those who visited him yielded to the spell of his own -sweet and perfect courtesy, and were kinder than they intended -to be to the "professed impenitent heretic."</p> -<p class="pnext">His heart, now "at leisure from itself," was filled with -sympathy for his imprisoned brethren and sisters. But, except -to Maria Gonsalez, he dared not speak of them, lest the -simplest remark or question might give rise to some new -suspicion, or supply some link, hitherto missing, in the chain of -evidence against them. But those who came to visit him -sometimes gave him unasked intelligence about them. He -could not, however, rely upon the truth of what reached him -in this way. He was told that Losada had retracted; he did -not believe it. Equally did he disbelieve a similar story of -Don Juan Ponce de Leon, in which, unhappily, there was some -truth. The constancy of that gentle, generous-hearted -nobleman had yielded under torture and cruel imprisonment, and -concessions had been wrung from him that dimmed the brightness -of his martyr crown. On the other hand, the waverer, -Garçias Ariâs, known as the "White Doctor," had come forward -with a hardihood truly marvellous, and not only confessed his -own faith, but mocked and defied the Inquisitors.</p> -<p class="pnext">Of Fray Constantino, the most contradictory stories were -told him. At one time he was assured that the great preacher -had not only admitted his own guilt, but also, on the rack, had -informed against his brethren. Again he was told, and this -time with truth, that the Emperor's former chaplain and favourite -had been spared the horrors of the Question, but that the -eagerly desired evidence against him had been obtained by -accident. A lady of rank, one of his chief friends, was amongst -the prisoners; and the Inquisitors sent an Alguazil to her house -to demand possession of her jewels. Her son, without waiting -to ascertain the precise object of the officer's visit, surrendered -to him in a panic some books which Fray Constantino had -given his mother to conceal. Amongst them was a volume in -his own handwriting, containing the most explicit avowal of -the principles of the Reformation. On this being shown to -the prisoner, he struggled no longer. "You have there a full -and candid confession of my belief," he said. And he was now -in one of the dark and loathsome subterranean cells of the -Triana.</p> -<p class="pnext">Amongst those who most frequently visited Carlos was the -prior of the Dominican convent. This man seemed to take a -peculiar interest in the young heretic's fate. He was a good -specimen of a character oftener talked about than met with in -real life,--the genuine fanatic. When he threatened Carlos, as -he spared not to do, with the fire that is never quenched, at -least he believed with all his heart that he was in danger of it. -Carlos soon perceived this, and accepting his honest intention -to benefit him, came to regard him with a kind of friendliness. -Besides, the prior listened to what he said with more attention -than did most of the others, and even in the prison of the -Inquisition a man likes to be listened to, especially when his -opportunities of speaking are few and brief.</p> -<p class="pnext">Many weeks passed by, and still Carlos lay on his mat, in -weakness and suffering of body, though in calm gladness of -spirit. Surgical and medical aid had been afforded him in due -course. And it was not the fault of either surgeon or physician -that he did not recover. They could stanch wounds and set -dislocated joints, but when the springs of life were sapped, how -could they renew them? How could they quicken the feeble -pulse, or send back life and energy into the broken, exhausted -frame? At this time Carlos himself felt certain--even more -certain than did his physician--that never again would his -footsteps pass the limits of that narrow cell.</p> -<p class="pnext">Once, indeed, there came to him a brief and fleeting pang of -regret. It was in the spring-time; everywhere else so bright -and fair, but making little change in those gloomy cells. Maria -Gonsalez now sometimes obtained access to him, partly through -Benevidio's increased inattention to all his duties, partly -because, any attempt at escape on the part of the captive being -obviously out of the question, he was somewhat less jealously -watched. And more than once the gaoler's little daughter stole -in timidly beside her nurse, bearing some trifling gift for the -sick prisoner. To Carlos these visits came like sunbeams; and -in a very short time he succeeded in establishing quite an -intimate friendship with the child.</p> -<p class="pnext">One morning she entered his cell with Maria, carrying a -basket, from which she produced, with shy pleasure, a few -golden oranges. "Look, señor," she said, "they are good to -eat now, for the blossoms are out.[#] I gathered some to show -you;" and filling both her hands with the luscious wealth of -the orange flowers, she flung them carelessly down on the mat -beside him. In her eyes they were of no value compared with -the fruit.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] The people of Seville do not think the oranges fit -to eat until the new blossoms come out in spring.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">With Carlos it was far otherwise. The rich perfume that -filled the cell filled his heart also with sweet sad dreams, which -lasted long after his kindly visitors had left him. The -orange-trees had just been in flower last spring when all God's free -earth and sky were shut out from his sight for ever. Only a -year ago! What a long, long year it seemed! And only one -year further back he was walking in the orange gardens with -Doña Beatriz, in all the delicious intoxication of his first and -last dream of youthful love. "Better here than there, better -now than then," he murmured, though the tears gathered in his -eyes. "But oh, for one hour of the old free life, one look at -orange-trees in flower, or blue skies, or the grassy slopes and -cork-trees of Nuera! Or"--and more painfully intense the -yearning grew--"one familiar face, belonging to the past, to -show me it was not all a dream, as I am sometimes tempted to -think it. Thine, Ruy, if it might be.--O Ruy, Ruy!--But, -thank God, I have not betrayed thee!"</p> -<p class="pnext">In the afternoon of that day visitors were announced. Carlos -was not surprised to see the stern narrow face and white hair of -the Dominican prior. But he was a little surprised to observe -that the person who followed him wore the gray cowl of -St. Francis. The prior merely bestowed the customary -salutation upon him, and then, stepping aside, allowed his -companion to approach.</p> -<p class="pnext">But as soon as Carlos saw his face, he raised himself eagerly, -and stretching out both his hands, grasped those of the -Franciscan. "Dear Fray Sebastian!" he cried; "my good, kind -tutor!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"My lord the prior has been graciously pleased to allow me -to visit your Excellency."</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is truly kind of you, my lord. I thank you heartily," -said Carlos, frankly and promptly turning towards the Dominican, -who looked at him with somewhat the air of one who is -trying to be stern with a child.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have ventured to allow you this indulgence," he said, "in -the hope that the counsels of one whom you hold in honour -may lead you to repentance."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos turned once more to Fray Sebastian, whose hand he -still held. "It is a great joy to see you," he said. "Only -to-day I had been longing for a familiar face. And you are -changed never a whit since you used to teach me my -humanities. How have you come hither? Where have you been -all these years?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Poor Fray Sebastian vainly tried to frame an answer to these -simple questions. He had come to that prison straight from -Munebrãga's splendid patio, where, amidst the gleam of azulejos -and of many-coloured marbles, the scent of rare exotics and the -music of rippling fountains, he had partaken of a sumptuous -mid-day repast. In this dark foul dungeon there was nothing -to please the senses, not even God's free air and light. -Everything on which his eye rested was coarse, painful, loathsome. -By the prisoner's side lay the remains of a meal, in great -contrast to his. And the sleeve, fallen back from the hand that -held his own, showed deep scars on the wrist. He knew -whence they were. Yet the face that was looking in his, with -kindling eyes, and a smile on the parted lips, might have been -the face of the boy Carlos, when he praised him for a successful -task, only for the pain in it, and, far deeper than pain, a look -of assured peace that boyhood could scarcely know.</p> -<p class="pnext">Repressing a choking sensation, he faltered, "Señor Don -Carlos, it grieves me to the heart to see you here."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Do not grieve for me, dear Fray Sebastian; for I tell you -truly, I have never known such happy hours as since I came -here. At first, indeed, I suffered; there was storm and -darkness. But then"--here for a moment his voice failed, and his -flushed cheek and quivering lip betrayed the anguish a too -hasty movement cost the broken frame. But, recovering -himself quickly, he went on: "Then He arose and rebuked the -wind and the sea; and there was a great calm. That calm lasts -still. And oftentimes this narrow room seems to me the house -of God, the very gate of heaven. Moreover," he added, with -a smile of strange brightness, "there is heaven itself beyond."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But, señor and your Excellency, consider the disgrace and -sorrow of your noble family--that is, I mean"--here the speaker -paused in perplexity, and met the keen eye of the prior, fixed -somewhat scornfully, as he thought, upon him. He was quite -conscious that the Dominican was thinking him incapable, and -incompetent to the task he had so earnestly solicited. He -had sedulously prepared himself for this important interview, -had gone through it in imagination beforehand, laying up in his -memory several convincing and most pertinent exhortations, -which could not fail to benefit his old pupil. But these were -of no avail now; in fact, they all vanished from his recollection. -He had just begun something rather vague and incoherent -about Holy Church, when the prior broke in.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Honoured brother," he said, addressing with scrupulous -politeness the member of a rival fraternity, "the prisoner may -be more willing to listen to your pious exhortations, and you -may have more freedom in addressing him, if you are left for a -brief space alone together. Therefore, though it is scarcely -regular, I will visit a prisoner in a neighbouring apartment, and -return hither for you in due time."</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Sebastian thanked him, and he withdrew, saying as he -did so, "It is not necessary for me to remind my reverend -brother that conversation upon worldly matters is strictly -forbidden in the Holy House."</p> -<p class="pnext">Whether the prior visited the other prisoner or no, it is not -for us to inquire; but if he did, his visit was a short one; for it -is certain that for some time he paced the gloomy corridor with -troubled footsteps. He was thinking of a woman's face, a fair -young face, to which that of Don Carlos Alvarez wore a -startling likeness. "Too harsh, needlessly harsh," he murmured; -"for, after all, <em class="italics">she</em> was no heretic. But which of us is always -in the right? Ave Maria Sanctissima, ora pro me! But if I -can, I would fain make some reparation--to <em class="italics">him</em>. If ever there -was a true and sincere penitent, he is one."</p> -<p class="pnext">After a little further delay, he summoned Fray Sebastian by -a peremptory knock at the inner door, the outer one of course -remaining open. The Franciscan came, his broad, -good-humoured face bathed in tears, which he scarcely made an -effort to conceal.</p> -<p class="pnext">The prior glanced at him for a moment, then signed to -Herrera, who was waiting in the gallery, to come and make the -door fast. They walked on together in silence, until at length -Fray Sebastian said, in a trembling voice, "My lord, you are -very powerful here; can <em class="italics">you</em> do nothing for him?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I <em class="italics">have</em> done much. At my intercession he had nine -months of solitude, in which to recollect himself and ponder his -situation, ere he was called on to make answer at all. Judge -my amazement when, instead of entering upon his defence, or -calling witnesses to his character, he at once confessed all. -Judge my greater amazement at his continued obstinacy since. -When a man has broken a giant oak in two, he may feel some -surprise at being baffled by a sapling."</p> -<p class="pnext">"He will not relent," said Fray Sebastian, hardly restraining -his sobs. "He will die."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I see one chance to save him," returned the prior; "but it -is a hazardous experiment. The consent of the Supreme Council -is necessary, as well as that of my Lord Vice-Inquisitor, and -neither may be very easy to obtain."</p> -<p class="pnext">"To save his body or his soul?" Fray Sebastian asked -anxiously.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Both, if it succeeds. But I can say no more," he added -rather haughtily; "for my plan is bound up with a secret, of -which few living men, save myself, are in possession."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="fray-sebastian-s-trouble">XXXIV.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Fray Sebastian's Trouble.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">"Now, with fainting frame,</div> -</div> -<div class="line">With soul just lingering on the flight begun,</div> -<div class="line">To bind for thee its last dim thoughts in one,</div> -<div class="line">I bless thee. Peace be on thy noble head.</div> -<div class="line">Years of bright fame, when I am with the dead!</div> -<div class="line">I bid this prayer survive me, and retain</div> -<div class="line">Its power again to bless thee, and again.</div> -<div class="line">Thou hast been gathered into my dark fate</div> -<div class="line">Too much; too long for my sake desolate</div> -<div class="line">Hath been thine exiled youth; but now take back</div> -<div class="line">From dying hands thy freedom."--Hemans</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">It was late in August. All day long the sky had been -molten fire, and the earth brass. Every one had -dozed away the sultry noontide hours in the coolest -recesses of dwellings made to exclude heat, as ours to exclude -cold. But when at last the sun sank in flame beneath the -horizon, people began to creep out languidly to woo the -refreshment of the evening breeze.</p> -<p class="pnext">The beautiful gardens of the Triana were still deserted, save -by two persons. One of these, a young lad--we beg pardon, a -young gentleman--of fifteen or sixteen, sat, or rather reclined, -by the river-side, eating slices from an enormous melon, which -he cut with a small silver-hilted dagger. A plumed cap, and -a gay velvet jerkin lined with satin, had been thrown aside for -coolness' sake, and lay near him on the ground; so that his -present dress consisted merely of a mass of the finest white -holland, delicately starched and frilled, velvet hosen, long silk -stockings, and fashionable square-toed shoes. Curls of scented -hair were thrown back from a face beautiful as that of a girl, -but bold and insolent in its expression as that of a spoiled and -mischievous boy.</p> -<p class="pnext">The other person was seated in the arbour mentioned once -before, with a book in his hand, of which, however, he did not -in the course of an hour turn over a single leaf. A look of -chronic discontent and dejection had replaced the -good-humoured smiles of Fray Sebastian Gomez. Everything was -wrong with the poor Franciscan now. Even the delicacies of -his patron's table ceased to please him; and he, in his turn, -was fast ceasing to please his patron. How could it be -otherwise, when he had lost not only his happy art of indirect -ingenious flattery, but his power to be commonly agreeable or -amusing? No more poems--not so much as the briefest -sonnet--on the suppression of heresy were to be had from him; -and he was fast becoming incapable of turning a jest or telling -a story.</p> -<p class="pnext">It is said that idiots often manifest peculiar pain and terror -at the sound of music, because it awakens within them faint -stirrings of that higher life from which God's mysterious dispensation -has shut them out. And it is true that the first stirrings -of higher life usually come to all of us with pain and terror. -Moreover, if we do not crush them out, but cherish and foster -them, they are very apt to take away the brightness and -pleasantness of the old lower life altogether, and to make it seem -worthless and distasteful.</p> -<p class="pnext">A new and higher life had begun for Fray Sebastian. It was -not his conscience that was quickened, only his heart. -Hitherto he had chiefly cared for himself. He was a good-natured -man, in the ordinary acceptation of the term; yet no sympathy -for others had ever spoiled his appetite or hindered his -digestion. But for the past three months he had been feeling as he -had not felt since he clung weeping to the mother who left him -in the parlour of the Franciscan convent--a child of eight years -old. The patient suffering face of the young prisoner in -the Triana had laid upon him a spell that he could not break.</p> -<p class="pnext">To say that he would have done anything in his power to -save Don Carlos, is to say little. Willingly would he have lived -for a month on black bread and brackish water, if that could -have even mitigated his fate. But the very intensity of his -desire to help him was fast making him incapable of rendering -him the smallest service. Munebrãga's flatterer and favourite -might possibly, by dint of the utmost self-possession and the -most adroit management, have accomplished some little good. -But Fray Sebastian was now consciously forfeiting even the -miserable fragment of power that had once been his. He -thought himself like the salt that had lost its savour, and was -fit neither for the land nor yet for the dunghill.</p> -<p class="pnext">Absorbed in his mournful reflections, he continued unconscious -of the presence of such an important personage as Don -Alonzo de Munebrãga, the Lord Vice-Inquisitor's favourite -page. At length, however, he was made aware of the fact by a -loud angry shout, "Off with you, varlets, scum of the people! -How dare you put your accursed fishing-smack to shore in my -lord's garden, and under his very eyes?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Sebastian looked up, and saw no fishing-boat, but a -decent covered barge, from which, in spite of the page's -remonstrance, two persons were landing: an elderly female clad -in deep mourning, and her attendant, apparently a tradesman's -apprentice, or serving-man.</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Sebastian knew well how many distracted petitioners -daily sought access to Munebrãga, to plead (alas, how vainly!) -for the lives of parents, husbands, sons, or daughters. This -was doubtless one of them. He heard her plead, "For the -love of Heaven, dear young gentleman, hinder me not. Have -you a mother? My only son lies--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Out upon thee, woman!" interrupted the page; "and the -foul fiend take thee and thy only son together."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Hush, Don Alonzo!" Fray Sebastian interposed, coming -forward towards the spot; and perhaps for the first time in his -life there was something like dignity in his tone and manner. -"You must be aware, señora," he said, turning to the woman, -"that the right of using this landing-place is restricted to my -lord's household. You will be admitted at the gate of the -Triana, if you present yourself at a proper hour."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Alas! good father, once and again have I sought admission -to my lord's presence. I am the unhappy mother of Luis -D'Abrego, he who used to paint and illuminate the church -missals so beautifully. More than a year agone they tore him -from me, and carried him away to yonder tower, and since then, -so help me the good God, never a word of him have I heard. -Whether he is living or dead, this day I know not."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Oh, a Lutheran dog! Serve him right," cried the page. -"I hope they have put him on the pulley."</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Sebastian turned suddenly, and dealt the lad a stinging -blow on the side of his face. To the latest hour of his life this -act of passion remained incomprehensible to himself. He -could only ascribe it to the direct agency of the evil one. "I -was tempted by the Devil," he would say with a sigh. "Vade -retro me, Satana."</p> -<p class="pnext">Crimson to the roots of his perfumed hair, the boy sought his -dagger. "Vile caitiff! beggarly trencher-scraping Franciscan!" -he cried, "you shall repent of this."</p> -<p class="pnext">But apparently changing his mind the next moment, he -allowed the dagger to drop from his hand, and snatching up -his jerkin, ran at full speed towards the house.</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Sebastian crossed himself, and gazed after him -bewildered; his unwonted passion dying as suddenly as it had -flamed up, and giving place to fear.</p> -<p class="pnext">Meanwhile the mother of Abrego, to whom it did not occur -that the buffet bestowed on the page could have any serious -consequences, resumed her pleadings. "Your reverence seems -to have a heart that can feel for the unhappy," she said. "For -Heaven's sake refuse not the prayer of the most unhappy -woman in the world. Only let me see his lordship--let me -throw myself at his feet and tell him the whole truth. My -poor lad had nothing at all to do with the Lutherans; he was -a good, true Christian, and an old one, like all his family."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nay, nay, my good woman; I fear I can do nothing to -help you. And I entreat of you to leave this place, else some -of my lord's household are sure to come and compel you. Ay, -there they are."</p> -<p class="pnext">It was true enough. Don Alonzo, as he ran through the -porch, shouted to the numerous idle attendants who were -lounging about, and some of them immediately rushed out into -the garden.</p> -<p class="pnext">In justice to Fray Sebastian, it must be recorded, that before -he consulted for his personal safety, he led the poor woman back -to the barge, and saw her depart in it. Then he made good his -own retreat, going straight to the lodging of Don Juan Alvarez.</p> -<p class="pnext">He found Juan lying asleep on a settle. The day was hot; -he had nothing to do; and, moreover, the fiery energy of his -southern blood was dashed by the southern taint of occasional -torpor. Starting up suddenly, and seeing Fray Sebastian -standing before him with a look of terror, he asked in alarm, "Any -tidings, Fray? Speak--tell me quickly."</p> -<p class="pnext">"None, Señor Don Juan. But I must leave this place at -once." And the friar briefly narrated the scene that had just taken -place, adding mournfully, "Ay de mi! I cannot tell what came -over me--<em class="italics">me</em>, the mildest-tempered man in all the Spains!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"And what of all that?" asked Juan rather contemptuously. -"I see nothing to regret, save that you did not give the insolent -lad what he deserved, a sound beating."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But, Señor Don Juan, you don't understand," gasped the -poor friar. "I must fly immediately. If I stay here over -to-night I shall find myself before the morning--<em class="italics">there</em>." And with -a significant gesture he pointed to the grim fortress that loomed -above them.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nonsense. They cannot suspect a man of heresy, even <em class="italics">de -levi</em>,[#] for boxing the ear of an impudent serving-lad."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] Lightly.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">"Ay, and can they not, your worship? Do you not know -that the gardener of the Triana has lain for many a weary month -in one of those dismal cells; and all for the grave offence of -snatching a reed out of the hand of one of my lord's lackeys so -roughly as to make it bleed?"[#]</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] A fact.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">"Truly! Now are things come to a strange pass in our free -and royal land of Spain! A beggarly upstart, such as this -Munebrãga, who could not, to save himself from the rack, tell -you the name of his own great-grandfather, drags the sons and -brothers--ay, and God help us! the wives and daughters--of -our knights and nobles to the dungeon and the stake before -our eyes. And it is not enough for him to set his own heel on -our necks. His minions--his very grooms and pages--must -lord it over us, and woe to him who dares to chastise their -insolence. Nathless, I would feel it a comfort to make every -bone in that urchin's body ache soundly. I have a mind--but -this is folly. I believe you are right, Fray. You should go."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Moreover," said the friar mournfully, "I am doing no good -here."</p> -<p class="pnext">"No one can do good now," returned Juan, in a tone of deep -dejection. "And to-day the last blow has fallen. The poor -woman who showed him kindness, and sometimes told us how -he fared, is herself a prisoner."</p> -<p class="pnext">"What! she has been discovered?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Even so: and with those fiends mercy is the greatest of all -crimes. The child met me to-day (whether by accident or -design, I know not), and told me, weeping bitterly."</p> -<p class="pnext">"God help her!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Some would gladly endure her punishment if they might -commit her crime," said Don Juan. There was a pause; then -he resumed, "I had been about to ask you to apply once more -to the prior."</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Sebastian shook his head. "That were of no use," he -said; "for it is certain that my lord the Vice-Inquisitor and the -prior have had a misunderstanding about the matter. And the -prior, so far from obtaining permission to deal with him as he -desired, is not even allowed to see him now."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And yourself?--whither do you mean to go?" asked Juan, -rather abruptly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"In sooth, I know not, señor. I have had no time to think. -But go I must."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I will tell you what to do. Go to Nuera. There for the -present you will be safe. And if any man inquire your business, -you have a fair and ready answer. <em class="italics">I</em> send you to look after my -affairs. Stay; I will write by you to Dolores. Poor, -true-hearted Dolores!" Don Juan seemed to fall into a reverie, so -long did he sit motionless, his face shaded by his hand.</p> -<p class="pnext">His mournful air, his unwonted listlessness, his attenuated -frame--all struck Fray Sebastian painfully. After musing a while -in silence, he said at last, very suddenly, "Señor Don Juan!"</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan looked up.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Have you ever thought since on the message <em class="italics">he</em> sent you -by me?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan looked as though that question were worse than -needless. Was not every word of his brother's message burned -into his heart? This it was: "My Ruy, thou hast done all -for me that the best of brothers could. Leave me now to -God, unto whom I am going quickly, and in peace. Quit the -country as soon as thou canst; and God's best blessings -surround thy path and guard thee evermore."</p> -<p class="pnext">One fact Carlos had most earnestly entreated Fray Sebastian -to withhold from his brother. Juan must never know that he -had endured the horrors of the Question. The monk would -have promised almost anything that could bring a glow of -pleasure to that pale, patient face. And he had kept his -promise, though at the expense of a few falsehoods, that did -not greatly embarrass his conscience. He had conveyed the -impression to Don Juan that it was merely from the effects of -his long and cruel imprisonment that his brother was sinking -into the only refuge that remained to him--a quiet grave.</p> -<p class="pnext">After a pause, he resumed, looking earnestly at Juan--"<em class="italics">He</em> -wished you to go."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Do you not know that next month they say there will -be--<em class="italics">an Auto</em>?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes; but it is not likely--"</p> -<p class="pnext">They gazed at each other in silence, neither saying what was -not likely.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Any horror is <em class="italics">possible</em>," said Juan at last. "But no more -of this. Until after the Auto, with its chances of <em class="italics">some</em> termination -to this dreadful suspense, I stir not from Seville. Now, -we must think for you. I know where to find a boat, the -owner of which will take you some miles on your way up the -river to-night. Then you can hire a horse."</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Sebastian groaned. Neither the journey itself, its cause, -nor its manner were anything but disagreeable to the poor friar. -But there was no help for him. Juan gave him some further -directions about his way; then set food and wine before him.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Eat and drink," he said. "Meanwhile I will secure the -boat. When I return, I can write to Dolores."</p> -<p class="pnext">All was done as he planned; and ere the morning broke, -Fray Sebastian was far on his way to Nuera, with the letter to -Dolores stitched into the lining of his doublet.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="the-eve-of-the-auto">XXXV.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">The Eve of the Auto.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth</div> -<div class="line">He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.</div> -<div class="line">He putteth his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">hope."--Lamentations iii, 27-29</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">On the 21st of September 1559, all Seville wore a festive -appearance. The shops were closed, and the streets -were filled with idle loiterers in their gay holiday -apparel. For it was the eve of the great Auto, and the -preliminary ceremonies were going forward amidst the admiration -of gazing thousands. Two stately scaffolds, in the form of an -amphitheatre, had been erected in the great square of the city, -then called the Square of St. Francis; and thither, when the -work was completed, flags and crosses were borne in solemn -procession, with music and singing.</p> -<p class="pnext">But a still more significant ceremonial was enacted in another -place. Outside the walls, on the Prado San Sebastian, stood -the ghastly Quemadero--the great altar upon which, for -generations, men had offered human sacrifices to the God of peace -and love. Thither came long files of barefooted friars, carrying -bushes and faggots, which they laid in order on the place of -death, while, in sweet yet solemn tones, they chanted the -"Miserere" and "De Profundis."</p> -<p class="pnext">Very close together on those festive days were "strong light -and deep shadow." But our way leads us, for the present, into -the light. Turning away from the Square of St. Francis, and -the Prado San Sebastian, we enter a cool upper room in the -stately mansion of Don Garçia Ramirez. There, in the midst -of gold and gems, and of silk and lace, Doña Inez is standing, -busily engaged in the task of selecting the fairest treasures of -her wardrobe to grace the grand festival of the following day. -Doña Beatriz de Lavella, and the young waiting-woman who -had been employed in the vain though generous effort to save -Don Carlos, are both aiding her in the choice.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Please your ladyship," said the girl, "I should recommend -rose colour for the basquina. Then, with those beautiful pearls, -my lord's late gift, my lady will be as fine as a duchess; of -whom, I hear, many will be there.--But what will Señora Doña -Beatriz please to wear?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I do not intend to go, Juanita," said Doña Beatriz, with a -little embarrassment.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Not intend to go!" cried the girl, crossing herself in -surprise. "Not go to see the grandest sight there has been in -Seville for many a year! Worth a hundred bull-feasts! Ay -de mi! what a pity!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Juanita," interposed her mistress, "I think I hear the -señorita's voice in the garden. It is far too hot for her to be -out of doors. Oblige me by bringing her in at once."</p> -<p class="pnext">As soon as the attendant was gone, Doña Inez turned to her -cousin. "It is really most unreasonable of Don Juan," she -said, "to keep you shut up here, whilst all Seville is making -holiday."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am glad--I have no heart to go forth," said Doña Beatriz, -with a quivering lip.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nor have I too much, for that matter. My poor brother is -so weak and ill to-day, it grieves me to the heart. Moreover, -he is still so thoughtless about his poor soul. That is the worst -of all. I never cease praying Our Lady to bring him to a better -mind. If he would only consent to see a priest; but he was -ever obstinate. And if I urge the point too strongly, he will -think I suppose him dying."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I thought his health had improved since you had him -brought over here."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Certainly he is happier here than he was in his father's -house. But of late he seems to me to be sinking, and that -quickly. And now, the Auto--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"What of that?" asked Doña Beatriz, with a quick look, -half suspicious and half frightened.</p> -<p class="pnext">Doña Inez closed the door carefully, and drew nearer to her -cousin. "They say <em class="italics">she</em> will be amongst the relaxed,"[#] she -whispered.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] Those delivered over to the secular arm--that is, to death.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">"Does he know it?" asked Beatriz.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I fear he suspects something; and what to tell him, or not -to tell him, I know not--Our Lady help me! Ay de mi! 'Tis -a horrible business from beginning to end. And the last -thing--the arrest of the sister, Doña Juana! A duke's -daughter--a noble's bride. But--best be silent.</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">'Con el re e la Inquisition,</div> -<div class="line">Chiton! Chiton!'"[#]</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small white-space-pre-line">[#]| "With the King or the Inquisition,<br /> - Hush! Hush!"--<em class="italics white-space-pre-line">A Spanish proverb.</em></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">Thus, only in a few hurried words, spoken with 'bated breath, -did Doña Inez venture to allude to the darkest and saddest of -the horrible tragedies in that time of horrors. Nor shall we do -more.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Still, you know, amiga mia," she continued, "one must -do like one's neighbours. It would be so ridiculous to look -gloomy on a festival day. Besides, every one would talk."</p> -<p class="pnext">"That is why I say I am glad Don Juan made it his prayer -to me that I would not go. For not to look sorrowful, when -thy father, Don Manuel, and my aunt, Doña Katarina, are -both doing their utmost to drive me out of my senses, would -be past my power."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Have they been urging the suit of Señor Luis upon thee -again? My poor Beatriz, I am truly sorrow for thee," said -Doña Inez, with genuine sympathy.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Urging it again!" Beatriz repeated with flashing eyes. -"Nay; but they have never ceased to urge it. And they spare -not to say such wicked, cruel words. They tell me Don Juan -is dishonoured by his brother's crime. Dishonoured, forsooth! -Think of dishonour touching him! After the day of -St. Quentin, the Duke of Savoy was not of that mind, nor our -Catholic King himself. And they have the audacity to say -that I can easily get absolved of my troth to him. Absolved -of a solemn promise made in the sight of God and of Our -Lady, and all the holy Saints! If <em class="italics">that</em> be not heresy, as bad -as--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Hush!" interrupted Doña Inez. "These are dangerous -subjects. Moreover, I hear some one knocking at the door."</p> -<p class="pnext">It proved to be a page bearing a message.</p> -<p class="pnext">"If it please Doña Beatriz de Lavella, Don Juan Alvarez de -Santillanos y Meñaya kisses the señora's feet, and most humbly -desires the favour of an audience."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I go," said Beatriz.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Request Señor Don Juan to have the goodness to untire -himself a little, and bring his Excellency fruit and wine," added -Doña Inez. "My cousin," she said, turning to Beatriz as soon -as the page left the room, "do you not know your cheeks are -all aflame? Don Juan will think we have quarrelled. Rest -you here a minute, and let me bathe them for you with this -water of orange-flowers."</p> -<p class="pnext">Beatriz submitted, though reluctantly, to her cousin's good -offices. While she performed them she whispered, "And be -not so downcast, amiga mia. There is a remedy for most -troubles. And as for yours, I see not why Don Juan himself -should not save you out of them once for all." She added, in -a whisper, two or three words that more than undid all the -benefit which the cheeks of Beatriz might otherwise have -derived from the application of the fragrant water.</p> -<p class="pnext">"No use," was the agitated reply. "Even were it possible, -<em class="italics">they</em> would not permit it."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You can come to visit me. Then trust me to manage the -rest. The truth is, amiga mia," Doña Inez continued hurriedly, -as she smoothed her cousin's dark glossy hair, "what between -sickness, and quarrelling, and the Faith, and heresy, and prisons, -there is so much trouble in the world that no one can help, -it seems a pity not to help all one can. So you may tell Don -Juan that if Doña Inez can do him a good turn she will not be -found wanting. There, I despair of your cheeks. Yet I must -allow that their crimson becomes you well. But you would -rather hear that from Don Juan's lips than from mine. Go to -him, my cousin." And with a parting kiss Beatriz was -dismissed.</p> -<p class="pnext">But if she expected any flattery that day from the lips of -Don Juan, she was disappointed. His heart was far too -sorrowful. He had merely come to tell his betrothed what he -intended to do on the morrow--that dreadful morrow! "I -have secured a station," he said, "from whence I can watch -the whole procession, as it issues from the gate of the Triana. -If <em class="italics">he</em> is there, I shall dare everything for a last look and word. -And a desperate man is seldom baffled. If even his dust is -there, I shall stand beside it till all is over. If not--" Here -he broke off, leaving his sentence unfinished, as if in that case -it did not matter what he did.</p> -<p class="pnext">Just then Doña Inez entered. After customary salutations, -she said, "I have a request to make of you, my cousin, on the -part of my brother, Don Gonsalvo. He desires to see you for -a few moments."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Señora my cousin, I am very much at your service, and -at his."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan was accordingly conducted to the upper room where -Gonsalvo lay. And at the special request of the sick man, they -were left alone together.</p> -<p class="pnext">He stretched out a wasted hand to his cousin, who took it in -silence, but with a look of compassion. For it needed only a -glance at his face to show that death was there.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I should be glad to think you forgave me," he said.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I do forgive you," Juan answered. "You intended no evil."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Will you, then, do me a great kindness? It is the last I -shall ask. Tell me the names of any of the--the <em class="italics">victims</em> that -have come to your knowledge."</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is only through rumour one can hear these things. Not -yet have I succeeded in discovering whether the name dearest -to me is amongst them."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Tell me--has rumour named in your hearing--Doña Maria -de Xeres y Bohorques?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan was still ignorant of the secret which Doña Inez had -but recently confided to his betrothed. He therefore answered, -without hesitation, though in a low, sad tone, "Yes; they say -she is to die to-morrow."</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Gonsalvo flung his hand across his face, and there was -a great silence.</p> -<p class="pnext">Which the awed and wondering Juan broke at last. Guessing -at the truth, he said, "It may be I have done wrong to -tell you."</p> -<p class="pnext">"No; you have done right. I knew it ere you told me. It -is well--for her."</p> -<p class="pnext">"A brave word, bravely spoken."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nigh upon eighteen months--long slow months of grief -and pain. All ended now. To-morrow night she will see the -glory of God."</p> -<p class="pnext">There was another long pause. At last Juan said,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"Perhaps, if you could, you would gladly share her fate?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Gonsalvo half raised himself, and a flush overspread the wan -face that already wore the ashy hue of approaching death. -"Share <em class="italics">that</em> fate!" he cried, with an eagerness contrasting -strangely with his former slow and measured utterance. -"Change with <em class="italics">them</em>? Ask the beggar, who sits all day at the -King's gate, waiting for his dole of crumbs, would he gladly -change with the King's children, when he sees the golden gate -flung open before them, and watches them pass in robed and -crowned, to the presence-chamber of the King himself."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Your faith is greater than mine," said Juan in surprise.</p> -<p class="pnext">"In one way, yes," replied Gonsalvo, sinking back, and -resuming his low, quiet tone. "For the beggar dares to hope -that the King has looked with pity even on <em class="italics">him</em>."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You do well to hope in the mercy of God."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Cousin, do you know what my life has been?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I think I do."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am past disguise now. Standing on the brink of the -grave, I dare speak the truth, though it be to my own shame. -There was no evil, no sin--stay, I will sum up all in one word. -<em class="italics">One</em> pure, blameless life--a man's life, too--I have watched -from day to day, from childhood to manhood. All that your -brother Don Carlos was, I was not; all he was not, I was."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yet you once thought that life incomplete, unmanly," said -Juan, remembering the taunts that in past days had so often -aroused his wrath.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I was a fool. It is just retribution that I--I who called -him coward--should see him march in there triumphant, with -the palm of victory in his hand. But let me end; for I think -it is the last time I shall speak of myself in any human ear. -I sowed to the flesh, and of the flesh I have reaped--<em class="italics">corruption</em>. -It is an awful word, Don Juan. All the life in me turned to -death; all the good in me (what God meant for good, such as -force, fire, passion) turned to evil. What availed it me that I -loved a star in heaven--a bright, lonely, distant star--while I -was earthy, of the earth? Because I could not (and thank -God for that!) pluck down my star from the sky and hold it in -my hand, even that love became corruption too. I fulfilled my -course, the earthly grew sensual, the sensual grew devilish. -And then God smote me, though not then for the first time. -The stroke of his hand was heavy. My heart was crushed, my -frame left powerless." He paused for a while, then slowly -resumed. "The stroke of his hand, your brother's words, -your brother's book--by these he taught me. There is -deliverance even from the bondage of corruption, through him who -came to call not the righteous, but sinners. One day--and -that soon--I, even I, shall kneel at his feet, and thank him for -saving the lost. And then I shall see my star, shining far above -me in his glorious heaven, and be content and glad."</p> -<p class="pnext">"God has been very gracious to you, my cousin," said Juan -in a tone of emotion. "And what he has cleansed I dare not -call common. Were my brother here to-day, I think he would -stretch out to you the right hand, not of forgiveness, but of -fellowship. I have told you how he longed for your soul."</p> -<p class="pnext">"God can fulfil more desires of his than that, Don Juan, and -I doubt not he will. What know we of his dealings? we who -all these dreary months have been mourning for and pitying -his prisoners, to-morrow to be his crowned and sainted martyrs? -It were a small thing with him to flood the dungeon's gloom -with light, and give--even here, even now--all their hearts -long for to those who suffer for him."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan was silent. Truly the last was first, and the first last -now. Gonsalvo had reached some truths which were still far -beyond <em class="italics">his</em> ken. He did not know how their seed had been -sown in his heart by his own brother's hand. At length he -answered, in a low and faltering voice, "There is much in what -you say. Fray Sebastian told me--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ay," cried Gonsalvo eagerly, "what did Fray Sebastian tell -you of <em class="italics">him</em>?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"That he found him in perfect peace, though ill and -weak in body. It is my hope that God himself has delivered -him ere now out of their cruel hands. And I ought to tell you -that he spoke of all his relatives with affection, and made special -inquiry after your health."</p> -<p class="pnext">Gonsalvo said quietly, "It is likely I shall see him before -you."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan sighed. "To-morrow will reveal something," he said.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Many things, perhaps," Gonsalvo returned. "Well--Doña -Beatriz waits you now. There is no poison in that wine, -though it be of an earthly vintage; and God himself puts the -cup in your hand; so take it, and be comforted. Yet stay, -have you patience for one word more?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"For a thousand, if you will, my cousin."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I know that in heart you share his--<em class="italics">our</em> faith."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan shrank a little from his gaze.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Of course," he replied, "I have been obliged to conceal -my opinions; and, indeed, of late all things have seemed to -grow dim and uncertain with me. Sometimes, in my heart of -hearts, I cannot tell what truth is."</p> -<p class="pnext">"'He came not to call the righteous, but sinners,'" said -Gonsalvo. "And the sinner who has heard his call must -believe, let others doubt as they may. Thank God, the sinner -may not only believe, but love. Yes; in that the beggar at the -gate may take his stand beside the king's children unreproved. -Even I dare to say, 'Lord, thou knowest all things; thou -knowest that I love thee.' Only to them it is given to prove it; -while I--ay, there was the bitter thought. Long it haunted me. -At last I prayed that if indeed he deigned to accept me, all -sinful as I was, he would give me for a sign something to do, -to suffer, or to give up, whereby I might prove my love."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And did he hear you?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes. He showed me one thing harder to give up than -life; one thing harder to do than to brave the torture and the -death of fire."</p> -<p class="pnext">"What is that?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Once more Gonsalvo veiled his face. Then he murmured--"Harder -to give up--vengeance, hatred; harder to do--to -pray for <em class="italics">their</em> murderers."</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">I</em> could never do it," said Juan, starting.</p> -<p class="pnext">"And if at last--at last--<em class="italics">I</em> can,--I, whose anger was fierce, -and whose wrath was cruel, even unto death,--is not that His -own work in me?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan half turned away, and did not answer immediately. In -his heart many thoughts were struggling. Far, indeed, was he -from praying for his brother's murderers; almost as far from -wishing to do it. Rather would he invoke God's vengeance -upon them. Had Gonsalvo, in the depths of his misery, -remorse, and penitence, actually found something which Don -Juan Alvarez still lacked? He said at last, with a humility -new and strange to him,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"My cousin, you are nearer heaven than I."</p> -<p class="pnext">"As to time--yes," said Gonsalvo, with a faint smile. "Now -farewell, cousin; and thank you."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Can I do nothing more for you?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes; tell my sister that I know all. Now, God bless you, -and deliver you from the evils that beset your path, and bring -you and yours to some land where you may worship him in -peace and safety."</p> -<p class="pnext">And so the cousins parted, never to meet again upon earth.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="the-horrible-and-tremendous-spectacle">XXXVI.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">"The Horrible and Tremendous Spectacle."[#]</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">"All have passed:</div> -</div> -<div class="line">The fearful, and the desperate, and the strong.</div> -<div class="line">Some like the barque that rushes with the blast;</div> -<div class="line">Some like the leaf borne tremblingly along;</div> -<div class="line">And some like men who have but one more field</div> -<div class="line">To fight, and then may slumber on their shield--</div> -<div class="line">Therefore they arm in hope."--Hemans.</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] So called by the Inquisitor, De Pegna.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">At earliest dawn next morning, Juan established himself -in an upper room of one of the high houses which -overlooked the gate of the Triana. He had hired it -from the owners for the purpose, stipulating for sole possession -and perfect loneliness.</p> -<p class="pnext">At sunrise the great Cathedral bell tolled out solemnly, and -all the bells in the city responded. Through the crowd, which -had already gathered in the street, richly dressed citizens were -threading their way on foot. He knew they were those who, -out of zeal for the faith, had volunteered to act as <em class="italics">patrinos</em>, or -god-fathers, to the prisoners, walking beside them in the -procession. Amongst them he recognized his cousins, Don Manuel -and Don Balthazar. They were all admitted into the castle -by a private door.</p> -<p class="pnext">Ere long the great gate was flung open. Juan's eyes were -rivetted to the spot. There was a sound of singing, sweet and -low, as of childish voices; for the first to issue from those -gloomy portals were the boys of the College of Doctrine, -dressed in white surplices, and chanting litanies to the saints. -Clear and full at intervals rose from their lips the "Ora pro -nobis" of the response; and tears gathered unconsciously in -the eyes of Juan at the old familiar words.</p> -<p class="pnext">In great contrast with the white-robed children came the -next in order. Juan drew his breath hard, for here were the -penitents: pale, melancholy faces, "ghastly and disconsolate -beyond what can be imagined;"[#] forms clothed in black, -without sleeves, and barefooted--hands carrying extinguished -tapers.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] Report of De Pegna.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">Those who walked foremost in the procession had only been -convicted of such <em class="italics">minor</em> offences as blasphemy, sorcery, or -polygamy. But by-and-by there came others, wearing ugly -sanbenitos--yellow, with red crosses--and conical paper -mitres on their heads. Juan's eye kindled with intenser -interest; for he knew that these were Lutherans. Not without a -wild dream--hope, perhaps--that the near approach of death -might have subdued his brother's fortitude, did he scan in turn -every mournful face. There was Luis D'Abrego, the illuminator -of church books; there, walking long afterwards, as far more -guilty, was Medel D'Espinosa, the dealer in embroidery, who -had received the Testaments brought by Juliano. There were -many others of much higher rank, with whom he was well -acquainted. Altogether more than eighty in number, the long -and melancholy train swept by, every man or woman attended -by two monks and a patrino. But Carlos was not amongst -them.</p> -<p class="pnext">Then came the great Cross of the Inquisition; the face turned -towards the penitent, the back to the <em class="italics">impenitent</em>--those devoted -to the death of fire. And now Juan's breath came and -went--his lips trembled; all his soul was in his eager, straining eyes -Now first he saw the hideous zamarra--a black robe, painted -all over with saffron-coloured flames, into which devils and -serpents, rudely represented, were thrusting the impenitent -heretic. A paper crown, or carroza, similarly adorned, covered -the victim's head. But the face of the wearer was unknown to -Juan. He was a poor artizan--Juan de Leon by name--who -had made his escape by flight, but had been afterwards -apprehended in the Low Countries. Torture and cruel imprisonment -had almost killed him already; but his heart was strong to -suffer for the Lord he loved, and though the pallor of death -was on his cheek, there was no fear there.</p> -<p class="pnext">But the countenances of those that followed Juan knew too -well. Never afterwards could he exactly recall the order in -which they walked; yet every individual face stamped itself -indelibly on his memory. He would carry those looks in his -heart until his dying hour.</p> -<p class="pnext">No less than four of the victims wore the white tunic and -brown mantle of St. Jerome. One of these was an old man--leaning -on his staff for very age, but with joy and confidence -beaming in his countenance. The white locks, from which -Garçias Ariâs had gained the name of Doctor Blanco, had been -shorn away; but Juan easily recognized the waverer of past -days, now strengthened with all might, according to the glorious -power of Him whom at last he had learned to trust. The -accomplished Cristobal D'Arellano, and Fernando de San Juan, -Master of the College of Doctrine, followed calm and dauntless. -Steadfast, too, though not without a little natural shrinking -from the doom of fire, was a mere youth--Juan Crisostomo.</p> -<p class="pnext">Then came one clad in a doctor's robe, with the step of a -conqueror and the mien of a king. As he issued from the -Triana he chanted, in a clear and steady voice, the words of -the Hundred and ninth Psalm: "Hold not thy peace, O God -of my praise; for the mouth of the ungodly, yea, the mouth of -the deceitful, is opened upon me: and they have spoken -against me with false tongues. They compassed me about also -with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause.... -Help me, O Lord my God: O save me according to thy -mercy; and they shall know how that this is thine hand, and -that thou, Lord, hast done it. Though they curse, yet bless -thou." So died away the voice of Juan Gonsalez, one of the -noblest of Christ's noble band of witnesses in Spain.</p> -<p class="pnext">All these were arrayed in the garments of their ecclesiastical -orders, to be solemnly degraded on the scaffold in the Square -of St. Francis. But there followed one already in the full -infamy, or glory, of the zamarra and carroza, with painted -flames and demons;--with a thrill of emotion, Juan recognized -his friend and teacher, Cristobal Losada--looking calm and -fearless--a hero marching to his last battle, conquering and to -conquer.</p> -<p class="pnext">Yet even that face soon faded from Juan's thoughts. For -there walked in that gloomy death procession six females--persons -of rank; nearly all of them young and beautiful, but -worn by imprisonment, and more than one amongst them -maimed by torture. Yet if man was cruel, Christ, for whom -they suffered, was pitiful. Their countenances, calm and even -radiant, revealed the hidden power by which they were -sustained. Their names--which deserve a place beside those of -the women of old who were last at his cross and first beside -his open sepulchre--were, Doña Isabella de Baena, in whose -house the church was wont to meet; the two sisters of Juan -Gonsalez; Doña Maria de Virves; Doña Maria de Cornel; -and, last of all, Doña Maria de Bohorques, whose face shone -as the first martyr's, looking up into heaven. She alone, of all -the female martyr band, appeared wearing the gag, an honour -due to her heroic efforts to console and sustain her companions -in the court of the Triana.</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan's brave heart well-nigh burst with impotent, indignant -anguish. "Ay de mi, my Spain!" he cried; "thou seest these -things, and endurest them. Lucifer, son of the morning, thou -art fallen--fallen from thy high place amongst the nations."</p> -<p class="pnext">It was true. From the man, or nation, "that hath not," -shall be taken "even that which he seemeth to have." Had -the spirit of chivalry, Spain's boast and pride, been faithful to -its own dim light, it might even then have saved Spain. But its -light became darkness; its trust was betrayed into the hand of -superstition. Therefore, in the just judgment of God, its own -degradation quickly followed. Spain's chivalry lost gradually -all that was genuine, all that was noble in it; until it became -only a faint and ghastly mockery, a sign of corruption, like the -phosphoric light that flickers above the grave.</p> -<p class="pnext">Absorbed in his bitter thoughts, Juan well-nigh missed the -last of the doomed ones--last because highest in worldly rank. -Sad and slow, with eyes bent down, Don Juan Ponce de Leon -walked along. The flames on his zamarra were reversed; poor -symbol of the poor mercy for which he sold his joy and triumph -and dimmed the brightness of his martyr crown. Yet surely he -did not lose the glad welcome that awaited him at the close of -that terrible day; nor the right to say, with the erring restored -apostle, "Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I -love thee."</p> -<p class="pnext">All the living victims had passed now. And Don Carlos -Alvarez was not amongst them. Juan breathed a sigh of relief; -but not yet did his straining eyes relax their gaze. For -Rome's vengeance reached even to the grave. Next, there -were borne along the statues of those who had died in heresy, -robed in the hideous zamarra, and followed by black chests -containing their bones to be burned.</p> -<p class="pnext">Not there!--No--not there! At last Juan's trembling hands -let go the framework of the window to which they had been -clinging; and, the intense strain over, he fell back exhausted.</p> -<p class="pnext">The stately pageant swept by, unwatched by him. He never -saw, what all Seville was gazing on with admiration, the grand -procession of the judges and counsellors of the city, in their -robes of office; the chapter of the Cathedral; the long slow -train of priests and monks that followed. And then, in a space -left empty out of reverence, the great green standard of the -Inquisition was borne aloft, and over it a gilded crucifix. -Then came the Inquisitors themselves, in their splendid official -dresses. And lastly, on horseback and in gorgeous apparel, -the familiars of the Inquisition.</p> -<p class="pnext">It was well that Juan's eyes were turned from that sight. -What avails it for lips white with passion to heap wild curses -on the heads of those for whom God's curse already "waits in -calm shadow," until the day of reckoning be fully come? -Curses, after all, are weapons dangerous to use, and apt to -pierce the hand that wields them.</p> -<p class="pnext">His first feeling was one of intense relief, almost of joy. He -had escaped the maddening torture of seeing his brother -dragged before his eyes to the death of anguish and shame. -But to that succeeded the bitter thought, growing soon into -full, mournful conviction, "I shall see his face no more on -earth. He is dead--or dying."</p> -<p class="pnext">Yet that day the deep, strong current of his brotherly love -was crossed by another tide of emotion. Those heroic men -and women, whom he watched as they passed along so calmly -to their doom, had he no bond of sympathy with them? Was -it so long since he had pressed Losada's hand in grateful -friendship, and thanked Doña Isabella de Baena for the teaching -received beneath her roof? With a thrill of keen and sudden -shame the gallant soldier saw himself a recreant, who had -flaunted his gay uniform on the parade and at the field-day, but -when the hour of conflict came, had stepped aside, and let the -sword and the bullet find out braver and truer hearts.</p> -<p class="pnext"><em class="italics">He</em> could not die thus for his faith. On the contrary, it cost -him but little to conceal it, to live in every respect like an -orthodox Catholic. What, then, had they which he had not? -Something that enabled his young brother--the boy who used -to weep for a blow--to stand and look fearless in the face of a -horrible death. Something that enabled even poor, wild, -passionate Gonsalvo to forgive and pray for the murderers of the -woman he loved. What was it?</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="something-ended-and-something-begun">XXXVII.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Something Ended and Something Begun.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"O sweet and strange it is to think that ere this day is done.</div> -<div class="line">The voice that now is speaking may be beyond the sun:</div> -<div class="line">For ever and for ever with those just souls and true--</div> -<div class="line">And what is life that we should mourn, why make we such ado?"--Tennyson</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Late in the afternoon of that day, Doña Inez entered -her sick brother's room. A glitter of silk, -rose-coloured and black, of costly lace and of gems and -gold, seemed to surround her. But as she threw aside the -mantilla that partially shaded her face, and almost sank on a -seat beside the bed, it was easy to see that she was very faint -and weary, if not also very sick at heart.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Santa Maria! I am tired to death," she murmured. "The -heat was killing; and the whole business interminably long."</p> -<p class="pnext">Gonsalvo gazed at her with eager eyes, as a man dying of -thirst might gaze on one who holds a cup of water; but for a -while he did not speak. At last he said, pointing to some wine -that lay near, beside an untasted meal,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"Drink, then."</p> -<p class="pnext">"What, my brother!" said Doña Inez, reproachfully, "you -have not touched food to-day! You--so ill and weak?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am a man--even still," said Gonsalvo with a little -bitterness in his tone.</p> -<p class="pnext">Doña Inez drank, and for a few moments fanned herself in -silence, distress and embarrassment in her face.</p> -<p class="pnext">At last Gonsalvo, who had never withdrawn his eager gaze, -said in a low voice,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"Sister, remember your promise."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am afraid--for you."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You need not," he gasped. "Only tell me <em class="italics">all</em>."</p> -<p class="pnext">Doña Inez passed her hand wearily across her brow.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Everything floats before me," she said. "What with the -music, and the mass, and the incense; and the crosses, and -banners, and gorgeous robes; and then the taking of the oaths, -and the sermon of the faith."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Still--you kept my charge?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I did, brother." She lowered her voice. "Hard as it was, -I looked at <em class="italics">her</em>. If it comforts you to know that, all through -that long day, her face was as calm as ever I have seen it -listening to Fray Constantino's sermons, you may take that -comfort to your heart When her sentence had been read, she was -asked to recant; and I heard her answer rise clear and distinct, -'I neither can nor will recant.' Ave Maria Sanctissima! it is -all a great mystery."</p> -<p class="pnext">There was a silence, then she resumed,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"And Señor Cristobal Losada--" but the thought of the kind -and skilful physician who had watched beside her own sick-bed, -and brought back her babe from the gates of the grave, almost -overcame her. Turning quickly to other victims, she went on--</p> -<p class="pnext">"There were four monks of St. Jerome. Think of the White -Doctor, that every one believed so good a man, so pious and -orthodox! Another of them, Fray Cristobal D'Arellano, was -accused in his sentence of some wicked words against Our Lady -which, it would seem, he never said. He cried out boldly, -before them all, 'It is false! I never advanced such a -blasphemy; and I am ready to prove the contrary with the Bible -in my hand.' Every one seemed too much amazed even to -think of ordering him to be gagged: and, for my part, I am -glad the poor wretch had his word for the last time. I cannot -help wishing they had equally forgotten to silence Doctor Juan -Gonzales; for it does not appear that he was speaking any -blasphemy, but merely a word of comfort to a poor pale girl, -his sister, as they told me. Two of them are to die with -him--God help them!--Holy Saints forgive me; I forgot we were -told not to pray for them," and she crossed herself.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Does my sister really believe that compassionate word a -sin in God's sight?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"How am I to know? I believe whatever the Church says, -of course. And surely there is enough in these days to inspire -us with a pious horror of heresy. <em class="italics">Pues</em>," she resumed, "there -was that long and terrible ceremony of degrading from the -priesthood. And yet that Gonsalez passed through it all as calm -and unmoved as though he were but putting on his robes to say -mass. His mother and his two brothers are still in prison, -it is said, awaiting their doom. Of all the relaxed, I am told -that only Don Juan Ponce de Leon showed any sign of penitence. -For the sake of his noble house, one is glad to think -he is not so hardened as the rest. Ay de mi! Whether it be -right or wrong, I cannot help pitying their unhappy souls."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Pity your own soul, not theirs," said Gonsalvo. "For I -tell you Christ himself, in all his glory and majesty, at the right -hand of the Father, will <em class="italics">stand up</em> to receive them this night, as -he did to welcome St. Stephen long ago."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Oh, my poor brother, what dreadful words you speak! It -is a mortal sin even to listen to you. Take thought, I implore -you, of your own situation."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I <em class="italics">have</em> taken thought," interrupted Gonsalvo, faintly. "But -I can bear no more--just now. Leave me, I pray you, alone -with God."</p> -<p class="pnext">"If you would even try to say an Ave!--But I fear you are -ill--suffering. I do not like to leave you thus."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Do not heed me; I shall be better soon. And a vow is -upon me that I must keep to-day." Once more he flung the -wasted hand across his face to conceal it.</p> -<p class="pnext">Irresolute whether to go or stay, she stood for some minutes -watching him silently. At length she caught a low murmur, -and hoping that he prayed, she bent over him to hear. Only -three words reached her ear. They were these--"Father, -forgive them."</p> -<p class="pnext">After an interval, Gonsalvo looked up again. "I thought -you were gone," he said. "Go now, I entreat of you. But so -soon as you know <em class="italics">the end</em>, spare not to come and tell me. For -I wait for that."</p> -<p class="pnext">Thus entreated, Doña Inez had no choice but to leave him -alone, which she did.</p> -<p class="pnext">Evening had worn to night, and night was beginning to wear -towards daybreak, when at last Don Garçia Ramirez, and those -of his servants who had accompanied him to the Prado San -Sebastian to see the end, returned home.</p> -<p class="pnext">Doña Inez sat awaiting her husband in the patio. She -looked pale and languid; apparently the great holiday of -Seville had been anything but a joyful day to her.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Garçia divested himself of his cloak and sword, and -dismissed the servants to their beds. But when his wife invited -him to partake of the supper she had prepared, he turned upon -her with very unusual ill-humour. "It is little like thy wonted -wit, señora mia, to bid a man to his breakfast at midnight," he -said. Yet he drank deeply of the Xeres wine that stood on -the board beside the venison pasty and the manchet bread.</p> -<p class="pnext">At last, after long patience, Doña Inez won from his lips -what she desired to hear. "Oh yes; all is over. Our Lady -defend us! I have never seen such obstinacy; nor could I have -believed it possible unless I had seen it. The criminals -encouraged each other to the very last. Those girls, the sisters -of Gonsalez, repeated their Credo at the stake; whereupon the -attendant Brethren entreated them to have so much pity on -their own souls as to say, 'I believe in the <em class="italics">Roman</em> Catholic -Church.' They answered, 'We will do as our brother does.' So -the gag was removed, and Doctor Juan cried aloud, 'Add -nothing to the good confession you have made already.' But -for all that, order was given to strangle them; and one of the -friars told us they died in the true faith. I suppose it is not -a sin to hope they did."</p> -<p class="pnext">After a pause, he continued, in a deeper tone, "Señor -Cristobal amazed me as much as any of them. At the very stake, -some of the Brethren undertook to argue with him. But seeing -that we were all listening, and might hear somewhat to the -hurt of our souls, they began to speak in the Latin tongue. -Our physician immediately did the same. I am no scholar -myself; but there were learned men there who marked every -word, and one of them told me afterwards that the doomed -man spoke with as much elegance and propriety as if he had -been contending for an academic prize, instead of waiting for -the lighting of the fire which was to consume him. This -unheard-of calmness and composure, whence is it? The devil's -own work, or"----he broke off suddenly and resumed in a -different tone, "Señora mia, have you thought of the hour? In -Heaven's name, let us to our beds!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I cannot go to rest until you tell me one thing more. Doña -Maria de Bohorques?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Vaya, vaya! have we not had enough of it all?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nay; I have made a promise. I must entreat you to tell -me how Doña Maria de Bohorques met her doom."</p> -<p class="pnext">"With unflinching hardihood. Don Juan Ponce tried to -urge her to yield somewhat. But she refused, saying it was -not now a time for reasoning, and that they ought rather to -meditate on the Lord's death and passion. (They believe in -<em class="italics">that</em>, it seems.) When she was bound to the stake, the monks -and friars crowded round her, and pressed her only to repeat -the Credo. She did so; but began to add some explanations, -which, I suppose, were heretical. Then immediately the -command was given to strangle her; and so, in one moment, while -she was yet speaking, death came to her."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then she did not suffer? She escaped the fire! Thank God!"</p> -<p class="pnext">Five minutes afterwards, Doña Inez stood by her brother's bed. -He lay in the same posture, his face still shaded by his hand.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Brother," she said gently--"brother, all is over. She did -not suffer. It was done in one moment."</p> -<p class="pnext">There was no answer.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Brother, are you not glad she did not feel the fire? Can -you not thank God for it? Speak to me."</p> -<p class="pnext">Still no answer.</p> -<p class="pnext">He could not be asleep! Impossible!--"Speak to me, -Gonsalvo!--<em class="italics">Brother!</em>"</p> -<p class="pnext">She drew close to him; she touched his hand to remove it -from his face. The next moment a cry of horror rang through -the house. It brought the servants and Don Garçia himself to -the room.</p> -<p class="pnext">"He is dead! God and Our Lady have mercy on his soul!" -said Don Garçia, after a brief examination.</p> -<p class="pnext">"If only he had had the Holy Sacrament, I could have -borne it!" said Doña Inez; and then, kneeling down beside -the couch, she wept bitterly.</p> -<p class="pnext">So passed the beggar with the King's sons, through the -golden gate into the King's own presence-chamber. His -wrecked and troublous life over, his passionate heart at rest for -ever, the erring, repentant Gonsalvo found entrance into the -same heaven as D'Arellano, and Gonsalez, and Losada, with -their radiant martyr-crowns. In the many mansions there was -a place for him, as for those heroic and triumphant ones. He -wore the same robe as they--a robe washed and made white, -not in the blood of martyrs, but in the blood of the Lamb.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="nuera-again">XXXVIII.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Nuera Again.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Happy places have grown holy;</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">If ye went where once ye went,</div> -</div> -<div class="line">Only tears would fall down slowly.</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">As at solemn Sacrament</div> -</div> -<div class="line">Household names, that used to flutter</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">Through your laughter unawares,</div> -</div> -<div class="line">God's divine one ye can utter</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">With less trembling in your prayers."--E. B. Browning</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">A chill and dreary torpor stole over Juan's fiery spirit -after the Auto. The settled conviction that his -brother was dead took possession of his mind. -Moreover, his soul had lost its hold upon the faith which he -once embraced so warmly. He had consciously ceased to be -true to his best convictions, and those convictions, in turn, had -ceased to support him. His confidence in himself, his trust in -his own heart, had been shaken to its foundations. And he -was very far from having gained in its stead that strong -confidence in God which would have infinitely more than -counter-balanced its loss.</p> -<p class="pnext">Thus two or three slow and melancholy months wore away. -Then, fortunately for him, events happened that forced him, -in spite of himself, to the exertion that saves from the deadly -slumber of despair. It became evident, that if he did not wish -to see the last earthly treasure that remained to him swept out -of his reach for ever, he must rouse himself from his lethargy so -far as to grasp and hold it; for now Don Manuel <em class="italics">commanded</em> -his ward to bestow her hand upon his rival, Señor Luis Rotelo.</p> -<p class="pnext">In her anguish and dismay, Beatriz fled for refuge to her -kind-hearted cousin, Doña Inez.</p> -<p class="pnext">Doña Inez received her into her house, where she soothed -and comforted her; and soon found means to despatch an -"esquelita," or billet, to Don Juan, to the following -effect:--"Doña Beatriz is here. Remember, my cousin, 'that a leap -over a ditch is better than another man's prayer.'"</p> -<p class="pnext">To which Juan replied immediately:--</p> -<p class="pnext">"Señora and my cousin, I kiss your feet. Lend me a helping -hand, and I take the leap."</p> -<p class="pnext">Doña Inez desired nothing better. Being a Spanish lady, she -loved an intrigue for its own sake; being a very kindly disposed -lady, she loved an intrigue for a benevolent object. With her -active co-operation and assistance, and her husband's -connivance, it was quickly arranged that Don Juan should carry off -Doña Beatriz from their house to a little country chapel in the -neighbourhood, where a priest would be in readiness to perform -the solemn rite which should unite them for ever. Thence they -were to proceed at once to Nuera, Don Juan disguising himself -for the journey as the lady's attendant. Doña Inez did not -anticipate that her father and brothers would take any hostile -steps after the conclusion of the affair--glad though they might -have been to prevent it--since there was nothing which they -hated and dreaded so much as a public scandal.</p> -<p class="pnext">All Juan's latent fire and energy woke up again to meet the -peril and to secure the prize. He was successful in everything; -the plan had been well laid, and was well and promptly carried -out. And thus it happened, that amidst December-snows he -bore his beautiful bride home to Nuera in triumph. If triumph -it could be called, overcast by the ever-present memory of the -one who "was not," which rested like a deep shadow upon all -joy, and subdued and chastened it. Few things in life are sadder -than a great, long-expected blessing coming thus;--like a friend -from a foreign land whose return has been eagerly anticipated, -but who, after years of absence, meets us changed in countenance -and in heart, unrecognizing and unrecognized.</p> -<p class="pnext">Dolores welcomed her young master and his bride with affection -and thankfulness. But he noticed that the dark hair, at the -time of his last visit still only threaded with silver, had grown -white as the mountain snows. In former days Dolores, could -not have told which of the noble youths, her lady's gallant sons, -had been the dearer to her. But now she knew full well. Her -heart was in the grave with the boy she had taken a helpless -babe from his dying mother's arms. But, after all, was he in -the grave? This was the question which she asked herself day -by day, and many times a day. She was not quite so sure of -the answer as Señor Don Juan seemed to be. Since the day of -the Auto, he had assumed all the outward signs of mourning -for his brother.</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Sebastian was also at Nuera, and proved a real help and -comfort to its inmates. His very presence served to shield the -household from any suspicions that might have been awakened -with regard to their faith. For who could doubt the orthodoxy -of Don Juan Alvarez, while he not only contributed liberally to -the support of his parish church, but also kept a pious Franciscan -in his family, in the capacity of private chaplain? Though -it must be confessed that the Fray's duties were anything but -onerous; now, as in former days, he showed himself a man fond -of quiet, who for the most part held his peace, and let every -one do what was right in his own eyes.</p> -<p class="pnext">He was now on far more cordial terms with Dolores than he -had ever been before. This was partly because he had learned -that worse physical evils than ollas of lean mutton, or cheese of -goat's milk, <em class="italics">might</em> be borne with patience, even with -thankfulness. But partly also because Dolores now really tried to con -suit his tastes and to promote his comfort. Many a savoury -dish "which the Fray used to like" did she trouble herself to -prepare; many a flask of wine from their diminishing store did -she gladly produce, "for the kind words that he spake to him -in his sorrow and loneliness."</p> -<p class="pnext">In spite of the depressing influences around her, Doña Beatriz -could not but be very happy. For was not Don Juan hers, all -her own, her own for ever? And with the zeal love inspires, -and the skill love imparts, she applied herself to the task of -brightening his darkened life. Not quite without effect. Even -from that stern and gloomy brow the shadows at length began -to roll away.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan could not speak of his sorrow. For weeks indeed -after his return to Nuera his brother's name did not pass his -lips. Better had it been otherwise, both for himself and for -Dolores. Her heart, aching with its own lonely anguish and its -vague, dark surmisings, often longed to know her young master's -true innermost thought about his brother's fate. But she did -not dare to ask him.</p> -<p class="pnext">At last, however, this painful silence was partially broken -through. One morning the old servant accosted her master -with an air of some displeasure. It was in the inner room -within the hall. Holding in her hand a little book, she -said,--"May it please your Excellency to pardon my freedom, but it is -not well done of you to leave this lying open on your table. -I am a simple woman; still I am at no loss to know what and -whence it is. If you will not destroy it, and cannot keep it -safe and secret, I implore of your worship to give it to me."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan held out his hand for it. "It is dearer to me than any -earthly possession," he said briefly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"It had need to be dearer than your life, señor, if you mean -to leave it about in that fashion."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have lost the right to say so much," Juan answered. -"And yet, Dolores--tell me, would it break your heart if I sold -this place--you know it is mortgaged heavily already--and -quitted the country?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan expected a start, if not a cry of surprise and dismay. -That Alvarez de Meñaya should sell the inheritance of his -fathers seemed indeed a monstrous proposal. In the eyes of the -world it would be an act of insanity, if not a crime. What then -would it appear to one who loved the name of Santillanos y -Meñaya far better than her life?</p> -<p class="pnext">But the still face of Dolores never changed. "Nothing would -break my heart <em class="italics">now</em>," she said calmly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"You would come with us?"</p> -<p class="pnext">She did not even ask <em class="italics">whither</em>. She did not care: all her -thoughts were in the past.</p> -<p class="pnext">"That is of course, señor," she answered. "If I had but first -assurance of <em class="italics">one</em> thing."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Name it; and if I can assure you, I will."</p> -<p class="pnext">Instead of naming it she turned silently away. But presently -turning again, she asked, "Will your Excellency please to tell -me, is it that book that is driving you into exile?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is. I am bound to confess the truth before men; and -that is impossible here."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But are you sure then that it is the truth?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Sure. I have read God's message both in the darkness -and in the light I have seen it traced in characters of -blood--and fire."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But--forgive the question, señor--does it make you happy?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Why do you ask?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Because, Señor Don Juan"--she spoke with an effort, but -firmly, and fixing her eyes on his face--"he who gave you yon -book found therein that which made him happy. I know it; -he was here, and I watched him. When he came first, he was -ill, or else very sorrowful, I know not why. But he learned from -that book that God Almighty loved him, and that the Lord and -Saviour Christ was his friend; and then his sorrow passed away, -and his heart grew full of joy, so full that he must needs be -telling me--ay, and even that poor dolt of a cura down there -in the village--about the good news. And I think"--but here -she stopped, frightened at her own boldness.</p> -<p class="pnext">"What think you?" asked Juan, with difficulty restraining -his emotion.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Well, Señor Don Juan, I think that if that good news be -true, it would not be so hard to suffer for it. Blessed Virgin! -Could it be aught but joy to me, for instance, to lie in a dark -dungeon, or even to be hanged or burned, if that could work -out <em class="italics">his</em> deliverance? There be worse things in the world than -pain or prisons. For where there's love, señor---- Moreover, -it comes upon me sometimes that the Lords Inquisitors may -have mistaken his case. Wise and learned they may be, and -good and holy they are, of course--'twere sin to doubt it--yet -they <em class="italics">may</em> mistake sometimes. 'Twas but the other day, my old -eyes growing dim apace, that I took a blessed gleam of sunlight -that had fallen on yon oak table for a stain, and set to work to -rub it off; the Lord forgive me for meddling with one of the -best of his works! And, for aught we know, just so may they -be doing, mistaking God's light upon the soul for the devil's -stain of heresy. But the sunlight is stronger than they, after all."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Dolores, you are half a Lutheran already yourself," answered -Juan in surprise.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I, señor! The Lord forbid! I am an old Christian, and -a good Catholic, and so I hope to die. But if you must hear -all the truth, I would walk in a yellow sanbenito, with a taper -in my hand, before I would acknowledge that <em class="italics">he</em> ever said one -word or thought one thought that was not Catholic and -Christian too. All his crime was to find out that the good Lord -loved him, and to be happy on account of it. If that be your -religion also, Señor Don Juan, I have nothing to say against it. -And, as I have said, God granting me, in his great mercy, one -assurance first, I am ready to follow you and your lady to the -world's end."</p> -<p class="pnext">With these words on her lips she left the room. For a time -Juan sat silent in deep thought. Then he opened the Testament, -and turned over its leaves until he found the parable of -the sower. "'Some fell upon stony places,'" he read, "'where -they had not much earth; and forthwith they sprung up, because -they had no deepness of earth: and when the sun was up, they -were scorched; and, because they had no root, they withered -away.' There," he said within himself, "in those words is -written the history of my life, from the day my brother confessed -his faith to me in the garden of San Isodro. God help me, and -forgive my backsliding! But at least it is not too late to go -humbly back to the beginning, and to ask him who alone can -do it to break up the fallow ground."</p> -<p class="pnext">He closed the book, walked to the window and looked out. -Presently his eye was attracted to those dear mystic words on -the pane, which both the brothers had loved and dreamed over -from their childhood,--</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"El Dorado</div> -<div class="line">Yo hé trovado."</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">And at that moment the sun was shining on them as brightly as -it used to do in those old days gone by for ever.</p> -<p class="pnext">No vague dream of any good, foreshadowed by the omen to -him or to his house, crossed the mind of the practical Don -Juan. But he seemed to hear once more the voice of his young -brother saying close beside him, "Look, Ruy, the light is on -our father's words." And memory bore him back to a morning -long ago, when some slight boyish quarrel had been ended -thus.</p> -<p class="pnext">Over his stern, handsome face there passed a look that shaded -and softened it, and his eyes grew dim--dim with tears.</p> -<p class="pnext">But just then Doña Beatriz, radiant from a morning walk, and -with her hands full of early spring flowers, tripped in, singing a -Spanish ballad,--</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Ye men that row the galleys,</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">I see my lady fair;</div> -</div> -<div class="line">She gazes at the fountain</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">That leaps for pleasure there."</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Beatrix was a child of the city; and, moreover, her life hitherto -had been an unloved and unloving one. Now her nature was -expanding under the wholesome influences of home life and -home love, and of simple healthful pleasures. "Look, Don -Juan, what pretty things grow in your fields here! I have -never seen the like," she said, breaking off in her song to exhibit -her treasures.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan looked carelessly at them, lovingly at her. "I would -fain hear a morning hymn from those sweet, tuneful lips," he -pleaded.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Most willingly, amigo mio,--</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">'Sanctissima--'"</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">"Hush, my beloved; hush, I entreat of you." And laying -his hand lightly on her shoulder, he gazed in her face with a -mixture of fond and tender admiration and of gentle reproach -difficult to describe. "<em class="italics">Not that</em>. For the sake of all that lies -between us and the old faith, not that. Rather let us sing -together,--</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">'Vexill Regis prodeunt.'</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">For you know that between us and our King there stands, and -there needs to stand, no human mediator. Do you not, my -beloved?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I know that <em class="italics">you</em> are right," answered Beatrix, still reading -her faith in Don Juan's eyes. "But we can sing afterwards, -whatever you like, and as much as you will. I pray you let -us come forth now into the sunshine together. Look, what a -glorious morning it is!"</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="left-behind">XXXIX.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Left Behind.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"They are all gone into a world of light.</div> -<div class="line">And I alone am lingering here."--Henry Vaughan.</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">The change of seasons brought little change to those -dark cells in the Triana, where neither the glory of -summer nor the breath of spring could come. While -the world, with its living interests, its hopes and fears, its joys -and sorrows, kept surging round them, not even an echo of its -many voices reached the doomed ones within, who lay so near, -yet so far from all, "fast bound in misery and iron."</p> -<p class="pnext">Not yet had the Deliverer come to Carlos. More than once -he had seemed very near. During the summer heats, so terrible -in that prison, fever had wasted the captive's already enfeebled -frame; but this was the means of prolonging his life, for the -eve of the Auto found him unable to walk across his cell. -Still he heard without very keen sorrow the fate of his beloved -friends, so soon did he hope to follow them.</p> -<p class="pnext">And yet, month after month, life lingered on. In his circumstances -restoration to health was simply impossible. Not that -he endured more than others, or even as much as some. He -was not loaded with fetters, or buried in one of the frightful -subterranean cells where daylight never entered. Still, when to -the many physical sufferings his position entailed was added -the weight of sickness, weakness, and utter loneliness, they -formed together a burden heavy enough to have crushed even a -strong heart to despair.</p> -<p class="pnext">Long ago the last gleam of human sympathy and kindness -had faded from him. Maria Gonsalez was herself a prisoner, -receiving such payment as men had to give her for her brave -deeds of charity. God's payment, however, was yet to come, -and would be of another sort. Herrera, the under-gaoler, was -humane, but very timid; moreover, his duties seldom led him -to that part of the prison where Carlos lay. So that he was -left dependent upon the tender mercies of Caspar Benevidio, -which were indeed cruel.</p> -<p class="pnext">And yet, in spite of all, he was not crushed, not despairing. -The lamp of patient endurance burned on steadily, because it -was continually fed with oil by an unseen Hand.</p> -<p class="pnext">It has been beautifully said, "The personal love of Christ to -you, felt, delighted in, returned, is actually, truly, simply, without -exaggeration, the deepest joy and the deepest feeling that the -heart of man or woman can know. It will absolutely satisfy -your heart. It would satisfy your heart if it were his will that -you should spend the rest of your life alone in a dungeon."</p> -<p class="pnext">Just this, nothing else, nothing less, sustained Carlos -throughout those long slow months of suffering, which had now -come to "add themselves and make the years." It proved -sufficient for him. It has proved sufficient for thousands--God's -unknown saints and martyrs, whose names we shall learn -first in heaven.</p> -<p class="pnext">Those who still occasionally sought access to him, in the -hope of transforming the obstinate heretic into a penitent, -marvelled greatly at the cheerful calm with which he was wont -to receive them and to answer their arguments.</p> -<p class="pnext">Sometimes he would even brave all the wrath of Benevidio, -and raising his voice as loud as he could, he would make the -gloomy vaults re-echo to such words as these: "The Lord is -my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is -the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Or these: -"Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon -earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth; -but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever."</p> -<p class="pnext">But still it was not in Christ's promise, nor was it to be -expected, that his prisoner should never know hours of sorrow, -weariness, and heart-sinking. Such hours came sometimes. -And on the very morning when Don Juan and Doña Beatriz -were going forth together into the spring sunshine through the -castle gate of Nuera, Carlos, in his dungeon, was passing -through one of the darkest of these. He lay on his mat, his -face covered with his wasted hands, through which tears were -slowly falling. It was but very seldom that he wept now; tears -had grown rare and scarce with him.</p> -<p class="pnext">The evening before, he had received a visit from two Jesuits, -bound on the only errand which would have procured their -admission there. Irritated by his bold and ready answers to -the usual arguments, they had recourse to declamation. And -one of them bethought himself of mentioning the fate of the -Lutherans who suffered at the two great Autos of Valladolid. -"Most of the heretics," said the Jesuit, "though when they -were in prison they were as obstinate as thou art now, yet had -their eyes opened in the end to the error of their ways, and -accepted reconciliation at the stake. At the last great Act of -Faith, held in the presence of King Philip, only Don Carlos de -Seso--" Here he stopped, surprised at the agitation of the -prisoner, who had heard their threatenings against himself so -calmly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"De Seso! De Seso! Have they murdered him too!" -moaned Carlos, and for a few brief moments he gave way to -natural emotion. But quickly recovering himself, he said, "I -shall only see him the sooner."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Were you acquainted with him?" asked the Jesuit.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I loved and honoured him. My avowing that cannot hurt -him now," answered Carlos, who had grown used to the bitter -thought that any name would be disgraced, and its owner -imperilled, by his mentioning it with affection.</p> -<p class="pnext">"But if you will do me so much kindness," he added, "I pray -you to tell me anything you know of his last hours. Any word -he spoke."</p> -<p class="pnext">"He could speak nothing," said the younger of his two -visitors. "Before he left the prison he had uttered so many -horrible blasphemies against Holy Church and Our Lady that -he was obliged to wear the gag during the whole ceremony, -'lest he should offend the little ones.'"[#]</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] A genuine Inquisitorial expression.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">This last cruel wrong--the refusal of leave to the dying to -speak one word in defence of the truths he died for--stung -Carlos to the quick. It wrung from lips so patient hitherto -words of indignant threatening. "God will judge your cruelty," -he said. "Go on, fill up the measure of your guilt, for your -time is short. One day, and that soon, there will be a grand -spectacle, grander than your Autos. Then shall you, torturers -of God's saints, call upon the mountains and rocks to cover -you, and to hide you from the wrath of the Lamb."</p> -<p class="pnext">Once more alone, his passionate anger died away. And it -was well. Surrounded as he was on every side by strong, cold, -relentless wrong and cruelty, if his spirit had beaten its wings -against those bars of iron, it would soon have fallen to the -ground faint and helpless, with crushed pinions. It was not in -such vain strivings that he could find, or keep, the deep calm -peace with which his heart was filled; it was in the quiet place -at his Saviour's feet, from whence, if he looked at his enemies -at all, it was only to pity and forgive them.</p> -<p class="pnext">But though anger was gone, a heavy burden of sorrow -remained. De Seso's noble form, shrouded in the hideous -zamarra, his head crowned with the carroza, his face disfigured -by the gag,--these were ever before his eyes. He well-nigh -forgot that all this was over now--that for him the conflict was -ended and the triumph begun.</p> -<p class="pnext">Could he have known even as much as we know now of the -close of that heroic life, it might have comforted him.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Carlos de Seso met his doom at the second of the two -great Autos celebrated at Valladolid during the year 1559. At -the first, the most steadfast sufferers were Francisco de Vibero -Cazalla, one of a family of confessors; and Antonio Herezuelo, -whose pathetic story--the most thrilling episode of Spanish -martyrology--would need an abler pen than ours.</p> -<p class="pnext">During his lingering imprisonment of a year and a half, De -Seso never varied in his own clear testimony to the truth, never -compromised any of his brethren. Informed at last that he -was to die the next day, he requested writing materials. These -being furnished him, he placed on record a confession of his -faith, which Llorente, the historian of the Inquisition, thus -describes:--"It would be difficult to convey an idea of the -uncommon vigour of sentiment with which he filled two sheets -of paper, though he was then in the presence of death. He -handed what he had written to the Alguazil, with these words: -'This is the true faith of the gospel, as opposed to that of the -Church of Rome, which has been corrupted for ages. In this -faith I wish to die, and in the remembrance and lively belief of -the passion of Jesus Christ, to offer to God my body, now -reduced so low.'"</p> -<p class="pnext">All that night and the next morning were spent by the friars -in vain endeavours to induce him to recant. During the Auto, -though he could not speak, his countenance showed the steadfastness -of his soul--a steadfastness which even the sight of his -beloved wife amongst those condemned to perpetual imprisonment -failed to disturb. When at last, as he was bound to the -stake, the gag was removed, he said to those who stood around -him, still urging him to yield, "I could show you that you ruin -yourselves by not following my example; but there is no time. -Executioners, light the fire that is to consume me."</p> -<p class="pnext">Even in the act of death it was given him, though unconsciously, -to strengthen the faith of another. In the martyr band -was a poor man, Juan Sanchez, who had been a servant of the -Cazallas, and was apprehended in Flanders with Juan de Leon. -He had borne himself bravely throughout; but when the fire -was kindled, the ropes that bound him to the stake having -given way, the instinct of self-preservation made him rush from -the flames, and, not knowing what he did, spring upon the -scaffold where those who yielded at the last were wont to -receive absolution. The attendant monks at once surrounded -him, offering him the alternative of the milder death. Recovering -self-possession, he looked around him. At one side knelt -the penitents, at the other, motionless amidst the flames, -De Seso stood,</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"As standing in his own high hall."</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">His choice was made. "I will die like De Seso," he said -calmly; and then walked deliberately back to the stake, where -he met his doom with joy.</p> -<p class="pnext">Another brave sufferer at this Auto, Don Domingo de Roxas, -ventured to make appeal to the justice of the King, only to -receive the memorable reply, never to be read without a -shudder,--"I would carry wood to burn my son, if he were -such a wretch as thou!"</p> -<p class="pnext">All these circumstances Carlos never heard on this side of -the grave. But in the quiet Sabbath-keeping that remaineth for -the people of God, there will surely be leisure enough to talk -over past trials and triumphs. At present, however, he only -saw the dark side--only knew the bare and bitter facts of -suffering and death. He had not merely loved De Seso as -his instructor; he had admired him with the generous -enthusiasm of a young man for a senior in whom he recognizes -his ideal--all that he himself would fain become. If the Spains -had but known the day of their visitation, he doubted not that -man would have been their leader in the path of reform. But -they knew it not; and so, instead, the chariot of fire had come -for him. For him, and for nearly all the men and women -whose hands Carlos had been wont to clasp in loving brotherhood. -Losada, D'Arellano, Ponce de Leon, Doña Isabella de -Baena, Doña Maria de Bohorques,--all these honoured names, -and many more, did he repeat, adding after each one of them, -"At rest with Christ." Somewhere in the depths of those -dreary dungeons it might be that the heroic Juliano, his father -in the faith, was lingering still; and also Fray Constantino, and -the young monk of San Isodro, Fray Fernando. But the prison -walls sundered them quite as hopelessly from him as the River -of Death itself.</p> -<p class="pnext">Earlier ties sometimes seemed to him only like things he had -read or dreamed of. During his fever, indeed, old familiar -faces had often flitted round him. Dolores sat beside him, -laying her hand on his burning brow; Fray Sebastian taught him -disjointed, meaningless fragments from the schoolmen; Juan -himself either spoke cheerful words of hope and trust, or else -talked idly of long-forgotten trifles.</p> -<p class="pnext">But all this was over now: neither dream nor fancy came to -break his utter, terrible loneliness. He knew that he was never -to see Juan again, nor Dolores, nor even Fray Sebastian. The -world was dead to him, and he to it. And as for his brethren -in the faith, they had gone "to the light beyond the clouds, and -the rest beyond the storms," where he would so gladly be. -Why, then, was he left so long, like one standing without in the -cold? Why did not the golden gate open for him as well as -for them? What was he doing in this place?--what <em class="italics">could</em> he -do for his Master's cause or his Master's honour? He did not -murmur. By this time his Saviour's prayer, "Not my will, but -thine be done," had been wrought into the texture of his -being with the scarlet, purple, and golden threads of pain, of -patience, and of faith. But it is well for His tried ones that He -knows longing is not murmuring. Very full of longing were -the words--words rather of pleading than of prayer--that rose -continually from the lips of Carlos that day,--"And now, Lord, -<em class="italics">what wait I for?</em>"</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="a-satisfactory-penitent">XL.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">"A Satisfactory Penitent."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"How long in thralldom's grasp I lay</div> -<div class="line">I knew not; for my soul was black,</div> -<div class="line">And knew no change of night or day."--Campbell.</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Carlos was sleeping tranquilly in his dungeon on the -following night, when the opening of the door aroused -him. He started with sickening dread, the horrors -of the torture-room rising in an instant before his imagination. -Benevidio entered, followed by Herrera, and commanded him -to rise and dress immediately. Long experience of the Santa -Casa had taught him that he might as well make an inquiry of -its doors and walls as of any of its officials. So he obeyed in -silence, and slowly and painfully enough. But he was soon -relieved from his worst fear by seeing Herrera fold together the -few articles of clothing he had been allowed to have with him, -preparatory to carrying them away. "It is only, then, a change -of prison," he thought; "and wherever they bring me, heaven -will be equally near."</p> -<p class="pnext">His limbs, enfeebled by two years of close confinement, and -lame from the effects of one terrible night, were sorely tried by -what he thought an almost interminable walk through corridors -and down narrow winding stairs. But at last he was conducted -to a small postern door, which, greatly to his surprise, Benevidio -proceeded to unlock. The kind-hearted Herrera took -advantage of the moment when Benevidio was thus occupied to -whisper,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"We are bringing you to the Dominican prison, señor; you -will be better used there."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos thanked him by a grateful look and a pressure of the -hand. But an instant afterwards he had forgotten his words. -He had forgotten everything save that he stood once more in -God's free air, and that God's own boundless heaven, spangled -with ten thousand stars, was over him, no dungeon roof between. -For one rapturous moment he gazed upwards, thanking God in -his heart. But the fresh air he breathed seemed to intoxicate -him like strong wine. He grew faint, and leaned for support -on Herrera.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Courage, señor; it is not far--only a few paces," said the -under-gaoler, kindly.</p> -<p class="pnext">Weak as he was, Carlos wished the distance a hundred times -greater. But it proved quite long enough for his strength. By -the time he was delivered over into the keeping of a couple of -lay brothers, and locked by them into a cell in the Dominican -monastery, he was scarcely conscious of anything save excessive -fatigue.</p> -<p class="pnext">The next morning was pretty far advanced before any one -came to him; but at last he was honoured with a visit from the -prior himself. He said frankly, and with perfect truth,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am glad to find myself in your hands, my lord."</p> -<p class="pnext">To one accustomed to feel himself an object of terror, it is a -new and pleasant sensation to be trusted. Even a wild beast -will sometimes spare the weak but fearless creature that -ventures to play with it: and Don Fray Ricardo was not a wild -beast; he was only a stern, narrow, conscientious man, the -willing and efficient agent of a terrible system. His brow -relaxed visibly as he said,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have always sought your true good, my son."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am well aware of it, father."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And you must acknowledge," the prior resumed, "that -great forbearance and lenity have been shown towards you. But -your infatuation has been such that you have deliberately and -persistently sought your own ruin. You have resisted the -wisest arguments, the gentlest persuasions, and that with an -obstinacy which time and discipline seem only to increase. -And now at last, as another Auto-da-fé may not be celebrated -for some time, my Lord Vice-Inquisitor-General, justly incensed -at your contumacy, would fain have thrown you into one of the -underground dungeons, where, believe me, you would not live -a month. But I have interceded for you."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I thank your kindness, my lord. But I cannot see that it -matters much how you deal with me now. Sooner or later, -in one form or other, it must be death; and I thank God it -can be no more."</p> -<p class="pnext">While a man might count twenty, the prior looked silently in -that steadfast sorrowful young face. Then he said,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"My son, do not yield to despair; for I come to thee this -day with a message of hope. I have also made intercession -for thee with the Supreme Council of the Holy Office; and I -have succeeded in obtaining from that august tribunal a great -and unusual grace."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos looked up, a sudden flush on his cheek. He hoped -this unusual grace might be permission to see some familiar -face ere he died; but the prior's next words disappointed him. -Alas! it was only the offer of escape from death on terms that -he might not accept. And yet such an offer really deserved -the name the prior gave it--a great and unusual grace. For, -as has been already intimated, by the laws of the Inquisition at -that time in force, the man who had <em class="italics">once</em> professed heretical -doctrines, however sincerely he might have retracted them, was -doomed to die. His penitence would procure him the favour -of absolution--the mercy of the garotte instead of the stake; -that was all.</p> -<p class="pnext">The prior went on to explain to Carlos, that upon the ground -of his youth, and the supposition that he had been led into -error by others, his judges had consented to show him singular -favour. "Moreover," he added, "there are other reasons for -this course of action, upon which it would be needless, and -might be inexpedient, to enter at present; but they have their -weight, especially with me. For the preservation, therefore, both -of your soul and your body--upon which I take more compassion -than you do yourself--I have, in the first place, obtained -permission to remove you to a more easy and more healthful -confinement, where, besides other favours, you will enjoy the -great privilege of a companion, constant intercourse with whom -can scarcely fail to benefit you."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos thought this last a doubtful boon; but as it was kindly -intended, he was bound to be grateful. He thanked the prior -accordingly; adding, "May I be permitted to ask the name of -this companion?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"You will probably find out ere long, if you conduct yourself -so as to deserve it,"--an answer Carlos found so enigmatical, -that after several vain endeavours to comprehend it, he gave up -the task in despair, and not without some apprehension that -his long imprisonment had dulled his perceptions. "Amongst -us he is called Don Juan," the prior continued. "And this -much I will tell you. He is a very honourable person, who -had many years ago the great misfortune to be led astray by -the same errors to which you cling with such obstinacy. God -was pleased, however, to make use of my poor instrumentality -to lead him back to the bosom of the Church. He is now a -true and sincere penitent, diligent in prayer and penance, and -heartily detesting his former evil ways. It is my last hope for -you that his wise and faithful counsels may bring you to the -same mind."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos did not particularly like the prospect. He feared that -this vaunted penitent would prove a noisy apostate, who would -seek to obtain the favour of the monks by vilifying his former -associates. Nor, on the other hand, did he think it honest to -accept without protest kindnesses offered him on the supposition -that he might even yet be induced to recant. He said,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"I ought to tell you, señor, that my mind will never change, -God helping me. Rather than lead you to imagine otherwise, -I would go at once to the darkest cell in the Triana. My faith -is based on the Word of God, which can never be overthrown."</p> -<p class="pnext">"The penitent of whom I speak used such words as these, -until God and Our Lady opened his eyes. Now he sees all -things differently. So will you, if God is pleased to give you -the inestimable benefit of his divine grace; for it is not of him -that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth -mercy," said the Dominican, who, like others of his order, -ingeniously managed to combine strong predestinarian theories -with the creed of Rome.</p> -<p class="pnext">"That is most true, señor," Carlos responded.</p> -<p class="pnext">"But to resume," said the prior; "for I have yet more to -say. Should you be favoured with the grace of repentance, -I am authorized to hold out to you a well-grounded hope, -that, in consideration of your youth, your life may even yet be -spared."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And then, if I were strong enough, I might live out ten or -twenty years--like the last two," Carlos answered, not without a -touch of bitterness.</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is not so, my son," returned the prior mildly. "I cannot -promise, indeed, under any circumstances, to restore you to the -world. For that would be to promise what could not be -performed; and the laws of the Holy Office expressly forbid us to -delude prisoners with false hopes.[#] But this much I will say, -your restraint shall be rendered so light and easy, that your -position will be preferable to that of many a monk, who has -taken the vows of his own free will. And if you like the society -of the penitent of whom I spoke anon, you shall continue to -enjoy it."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] But these laws were often broken or evaded.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">Carlos began to feel a somewhat unreasonable antipathy to -this penitent, whose face he had never seen. But what -mattered the antipathies of a prisoner of the Holy Office? He -only said, "Permit me again to thank you, my lord, for the -kindness you have shown me. Though my fellow-men cast -out my name as evil, and deny me my share of God's free air -and sky, and my right to live in his world, I still take thankfully -every word or deed of pity and gentleness they give me by -the way. For they know not what they do."</p> -<p class="pnext">The prior turned away, but turned back again a moment -afterwards, to ask--what for the credit of his humanity he ought -to have asked a year before--"Do you stand in need of any -thing? or have you any request you wish to make?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos hesitated a moment. Then he said, "Of things with -in your power to grant, my lord, there is but one that I care -to ask. Two brethren of the Society of Jesus visited me the -day before yesterday. I spoke hastily to one of them, who -was named Fray Isodor, I think. Had I the opportunity, I -should be glad to offer him my hand."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Now, of all mysterious things in heaven or earth," said the -prior, "a heretic's conscience is the most difficult to -comprehend. Truly you strain at a gnat and swallow a camel. But -as for Fray Isodor, you may rest content. For good and sufficient -reasons, he cannot visit you here. But I will repeat to -him what you have said. And I know well that his own tongue -is a sharp weapon enough when used in the defence of the -faith."</p> -<p class="pnext">The prior withdrew; and shortly afterwards one of the -monks appeared, and silently conducted Carlos to a cell, or -chamber, in the highest story of the building. Like the cells -in the Triana, it had two doors--the outer one secured by -strong bolts and bars, the inner one furnished with an -aperture through which food or other things could be passed.</p> -<p class="pnext">But here the resemblance ceased. Carlos found himself, on -entering, in what seemed to him more like a hall than a cell; -though, indeed, it must be remembered that his eye was -accustomed to ten feet square. It was furnished as comfortably as -any room needed to be in that warm climate; and it was -tolerably clean, a small mercy which he noted with no small -gratitude. Best perhaps of all, it had a good window, looking -down on the courtyard, but strongly barred, of course. Near -the window was a table, upon which stood an ivory crucifix, and -a picture of the Madonna and child.</p> -<p class="pnext">But even before his eye took in all these objects, it turned to -the penitent, whose companionship had been granted him as so -great a boon. He was utterly unlike all that he had expected. -Instead of a fussy, noisy pervert, he saw a serene and stately -old man, with long white hair and beard, and still, clearly -chiselled, handsome features. He was dressed in a kind of -mantle, of a nondescript colour, made like a monk's cowl -without the hood, and bearing two large St. Andrew's crosses, one -on the breast and the other on the back; in fact, it was a -compromised sanbenito.</p> -<p class="pnext">As Carlos entered, he rose (showing a tall, spare figure, -slightly stooped), and greeted his new companion with a -courteous and elaborate bow, but did not speak.</p> -<p class="pnext">Shortly afterwards, food was handed through the aperture in -the door; and the half-starved prisoner from the Triana sat -down with his fellow-captive to what he esteemed a really -luxurious repast. He had intended to be silent until obliged -to speak, but the aspect and bearing of the penitent quite -disarranged his preconceived ideas. During the meal, he -tried once and again to open a conversation by some slight -courteous observation.</p> -<p class="pnext">All in vain. The penitent did the honours of the table like -a prince in disguise, and never failed to bow and answer, "Yes, -señor," or "No, señor," to everything Carlos said. But he -seemed either unable or unwilling to do more.</p> -<p class="pnext">As the day wore on, this silence grew oppressive to Carlos; -and he marvelled increasingly at his companion's want of -ordinary interest in him, or curiosity about him. Until at -length a probable solution of the mystery dawned upon his -mind. As he considered the penitent an agent of the monks -deputed to convert him, very likely the penitent, on his side, -regarded him in the light of a spy commissioned to watch his -proceedings.</p> -<p class="pnext">But this, if it was true at all, was only a small part of the -truth. Carlos failed to take into account the terrible effect of -long years of solitude, crushing down all the faculties of the -mind and heart. It is told of some monastery, where the rules -were so severe that the brethren were only allowed to converse -with each other during one hour in the week, that they usually -sat for that hour in perfect silence: they had nothing to say. -So it was with the penitent of the Dominican convent. He -had nothing to say, nothing to ask; curiosity and interest were -dead within him--dead long ago, of absolute starvation.</p> -<p class="pnext">Yet Carlos could not help observing him with a strange kind -of fascination. His face was too still, too coldly calm, like a -white marble statue; and yet it was a noble face. It was, -although not a thoughtful face, the face of a thoughtful man -asleep. It did not lack expressiveness, though it lacked -expression. Moreover, there was in it a look that awakened -dim, undefined memories--shadowy things, that fled away like -ghosts whenever he tried to grasp them, yet persistently rose -again, and mingled with all his thoughts.</p> -<p class="pnext">He told himself many times that he had never seen the man -before. Was it, then, an accidental likeness to some -familiar face that so fixed and haunted him? Certainly there -was something which belonged to his past, and which, even -while it perplexed and baffled, strangely soothed and pleased -him.</p> -<p class="pnext">At each of the canonical hours (which were announced to -them by the tolling of the convent bells), the penitent did not -fail to kneel before the crucifix, and, with the aid of a book -and a rosary, to read or repeat long Latin prayers, in a half -audible voice. He retired to rest early, leaving his -fellow-prisoner supremely happy in the enjoyment of his lamp and -his Book of Hours. For it was two years since the eyes of the -once enthusiastic young scholar had rested on a printed page, -or since the kindly gleam of lamp or fire had cheered his -solitude. The privilege of refreshing his memory with the -passages of Scripture contained in the Romish book of -devotion now appeared an unspeakable boon to him. And -although, accustomed as he was to a life of unbroken -monotony, the varied impressions of the day had produced extreme -weariness of mind and body, it was near midnight before he -could prevail upon himself to close the volume, and lie down -to rest on the comfortable pallet prepared for him.</p> -<p class="pnext">He was just falling asleep, when the midnight bell tolled out -heavily. He saw his companion rise, throw his mantle over -his shoulders, and betake himself to his devotions. How long -these lasted he could not tell, for the stately kneeling figure -soon mingled with his dreams--strange dreams of Juan as a -penitent, dressed in a sanbenito, and with white hair and an -old man's face, kneeling devoutly before the altar in the church -at Nuera, but reciting one of the songs of the Cid instead of <em class="italics">De -Profundis</em>.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="more-about-the-penitent">XLI.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">More about the Penitent.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Ay, thus thy mother looked,</div> -<div class="line">With such a sad, yet half-triumphant smile.</div> -<div class="line">All radiant with deep meaning."--Hemans</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">A slight incident, that occurred the following -morning, partially broke down the barrier of reserve -between the two prisoners. After his early devotions, -the penitent laid aside his mantle, took up a besom -made of long slips of cane, and proceeded, with great deliberation -and gravity, to sweep out the room. The contrast that his -stately figure, his noble air, and the dignity of all his -movements, offered to the menial occupation in which he was -engaged, was far too pathetic to be ludicrous. Carlos could -not but think that he wielded the lowly implement as if it -were a chamberlain's staff of office, or a grand marshal's baton. -He himself was well accustomed to such tasks; for every -prisoner of the Santa Casa, no matter what his rank might be, -was his own servant. And it spoke much for the revolution -that had taken place in his ideas and feelings, that though -taught to look on all servile occupations as ineffably degrading, -he had never associated a thought of degradation with anything -laid upon him to do or to suffer as the prisoner of Christ.</p> -<p class="pnext">And yet he could not endure to see his aged and stately -fellow-prisoner thus occupied. He rose immediately, and -earnestly entreated to be allowed to relieve him of the task, -pleading that all such duties ought to devolve on him as the -younger. At first the penitent resisted, saying that it was part -of his penance. But when Carlos continued to urge the point, -he yielded; perhaps the more readily because his will, like his -other faculties, was weakened for want of exercise. Then, -with more apparent interest than he had shown in any of his -previous proceedings, he watched the rather slow and difficult -movements of his young companion.</p> -<p class="pnext">"You are lame, señor," he said, a little abruptly, when -Carlos, having finished his work, sat down to rest.</p> -<p class="pnext">"From the pulley," Carlos answered quietly; and then his -face beamed with a sudden smile, for the secret of the Lord -was with him, and he tasted the sweet, strange joy that springs -out of suffering borne for Him.</p> -<p class="pnext">That look was the wire that drew an electric flash of memory -from the clouds that veiled the old man's soul. What that -sudden flash revealed was a castle gate, at which stood a -stately yet slender form robed in silk. In the fair young face -tears and smiles were contending; but a smile won the victory, -as a little child was held up, and made to kiss a baby-hand in -farewell to its father.</p> -<p class="pnext">In a moment all was gone; only a vague trouble and -uneasiness remained, accompanied by that strange sense of -having seen or felt just the same thing before, with which we -are most of us familiar. Accustomed to solitude, the penitent -spoke aloud, perchance unconsciously.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Why did they bring you here?" he said, in a half fretful -tone. "You hurt me. I have done very well alone all these -years."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am sorry to incommode you, señor," returned Carlos. -"But I did not come here of my own will; neither, unhappily, -can I go. I am a prisoner, like yourself; but, unlike you, I -am a prisoner under sentence of death."</p> -<p class="pnext">For several minutes the penitent did not answer. Then he -rose, and taking a step or two towards the place where Carlos -sat, gravely extended his hand. "I fear I have spoken -uncourteously," he said. "So many years have passed since I -have conversed with my fellows, that I have well-nigh -forgotten how I ought to address them. Do me the favour, señor -and my brother, to grant me your pardon."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos warmly assured him no offence had been given; and -taking the offered hand, he pressed it reverently to his lips. -From that moment he loved his fellow-prisoner in his heart.</p> -<p class="pnext">There was an interval of silence, then the penitent of his own -accord resumed the conversation. "Did I hear you say you are -under sentence of death?" he asked.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am so actually, though not formally," Carlos replied. -"In the language of the Holy Office, I am a professed -impenitent heretic."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And you so young!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"To be a heretic?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"No; I meant so young to die.'</p> -<p class="pnext">"Do I look young--even yet? I should not have thought -it. To me the last two years seem like a long life-time."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Have you been two years, then, in prison? Poor boy! -Yet I have been here ten, fifteen, twenty years--I cannot tell -how many. I have lost the account of them."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos sighed. And such a life was before him, should he -be weak enough to surrender his hope. He said, "Do you -really think, señor, that these long years of lonely suffering are -less hard to bear than a speedy though violent death?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I do not think it matters, as to that," was the penitent's not -very apposite reply. In fact, his mind was not capable, at the -time, of dealing with such a question; so he turned from it -instinctively. But in the meantime he was remembering, every -moment more and more clearly, that a duty had been laid -upon him by the authority to which his soul held itself in -absolute subjection. And that duty had reference to his -fellow-prisoner.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am commanded," he said at last, "to counsel you to -seek the salvation of your soul, by returning to the bosom of -the one true Catholic and Apostolic Church, out of which -there is no peace and no salvation."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos saw that he spoke by rote; that his words echoed -the thought of another, not his own. It seemed to him, -under the circumstances, scarcely generous to argue. He -spared to put forth his mental powers against the aged and -broken man, as Juan in like case would have spared to use -his strong right arm.</p> -<p class="pnext">After a moment's thought, he replied,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"May I ask of your courtesy, señor and my father, to bear -with me for a little while, that I may frankly disclose to you -my real belief?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Appeal could never be made in vain to that penitent's -courtesy. No heresy, that could have been proposed, would -have shocked him half so much as the supposition that one -Castilian gentleman could be uncourteous to another, upon -any account. "Do me the favour to state your opinions, -señor," he responded, with a bow, "and I will honour myself -by giving them my best attention."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos was little used to language such as this. It induced -him to speak his mind more freely than he had been able to -do for the last two years. But, mindful of his experience -with old Father Bernardo at San Isodro, he did not speak -of doctrines, he spoke of a Person. In words simple enough -for a child to understand, but with a heart glowing with faith -and love, he told of what He was when he walked on earth, -of what He is at the right hand of the Father, of what He -has done and is doing still for every soul that trusts him.</p> -<p class="pnext">Certainly the faded eye brightened; and something like a -look of interest began to dawn in the mournfully still and -passive countenance. For a time Carlos was aware that his -listener followed every word, and he spoke slowly, on purpose -to allow him so to do. But then there came a change. The -listening look passed out of the eyes; and yet they did not -wander once from the speaker's face. The expression of the -whole countenance was gradually altered, from one of rather -painful attention to the dreamy look of a man who hears -sweet music, and gives free course to the emotions it is -calculated to awaken. In truth, the voice of Carlos was sweet -music in his fellow-captive's ear; and he would willingly have -sat thus for ever, gazing at him and enjoying it.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos thought that if this was their reverences' idea of "a -satisfactory penitent," they were not difficult to satisfy. And -he marvelled increasingly that so astute a man as the Dominican -prior should have put the task of his conversion into such -hands. For the piety so lauded in the penitent appeared to -him mere passiveness--the submission of a soul out of which all -resisting forces had been crushed. "It is only life that resists," -he thought; "the dead they can move whithersoever they will."</p> -<p class="pnext">Intolerance always sets a premium on mental stagnation. -Nay, it actually produces it; it "makes a desert, and calls it -peace." And what the Inquisition did for the penitent, that it -has done also for the penitent's fair fatherland. Was the -resurrection of dead and buried faculties possible for <em class="italics">him</em>? Is -such a resurrection possible for <em class="italics">it</em>?</p> -<p class="pnext">And yet, in spite of the deadness of heart and brain, which -he doubted not was the result of cruel suffering, Carlos loved his -fellow-prisoner every hour more and more. He could not tell -why; he only knew that "his soul was knit" to his.</p> -<p class="pnext">When Carlos, for fear of fatiguing him, brought his explanations -to a close, both relapsed into silence; and the remainder -of the day passed without much further conversation, but with -a constant interchange of little kindnesses and courtesies. The -first sight that greeted the eyes of Carlos when he awoke the -next morning, was that of the penitent kneeling before the -pictured Madonna, his lips motionless, his hands crossed on his -breast, and his face far more earnest with feeling--it might be -thought with devotion--than he had ever seen it yet.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos was moved, but saddened. It grieved him sore that -his aged fellow-prisoner should pour out the last costly libation -of love and trust left in his desolated heart before the shrine of -that which was no god. And a great longing awoke within him -to lead back this weary and heavy-laden one to the only Being -who could give him true rest.</p> -<p class="pnext">"If, indeed, he is one of God's chosen, of his loved and -redeemed ones, he will be led back," thought Carlos, who had -spent the past two years in thinking out many things for -himself. Certain aspects of truth, which may be either strong -cordials or rank poisons, as they are used, had grown gradually -clear to him. Opposed to the Dominican prior upon most -subjects, he was at one with him upon that of predestination. -For he had need to be assured, when the great water floods -prevailed, that the chain which kept him from drifting away -with them was a strong one. And therefore he had followed it -up, link by link, until he came at last to that eternal purpose of -God in which it was fast anchored. Since the day that he first -learned it, he had lived in the light of that great centre truth, -"I have loved thee"--<em class="italics">thee</em> individually. But as he lay in the -gloomy prison, sentenced to die, something more was revealed -to him. "I have loved thee <em class="italics">with an everlasting love, therefore</em> -with loving-kindness have I drawn thee." The value of this -truth, to him as to others, lay in the double aspect of that -word "everlasting;" its look forward to the boundless future, -as well as backward on the mysterious past. The one was a -pledge and assurance of the other. And now he was taking to -his heart the comfort it gave, for the penitent as well as for -himself. But it made him, not less, but more anxious to be -God's fellow-worker in bringing him back to the truth.</p> -<p class="pnext">In the meantime, however, he was quite mistaken as to the -feelings with which the old man knelt before the pictured Virgin -and Child. His heart was stirred by no mystic devotion to the -Queen of Heaven, but by some very human feelings, which had -long lain dormant, but which were now being gradually -awakened there. He was thinking not of heaven, but of earth, -and of "earth's warm beating joy and dole." And what attracted -him to that spot was only the representation of womanhood and -childhood, recalling, though far off and faintly, the fair young -wife and babe from whom he had been cruelly torn years and -years ago.</p> -<p class="pnext">A little later, as the two prisoners sat over the bread and -fruit that formed their morning meal, the penitent began to -speak more frankly than he had done before. "I was quite -afraid of you, señor, when you first came," he said.</p> -<p class="pnext">"And perhaps I was not guiltless of the same feeling towards -you," Carlos answered. "It is no marvel. Companions in -sorrow, such as we are, have great power either to help or to -hurt one another."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You may truly say that," returned the penitent. "In fact, -I once suffered so cruelly from the treachery of a -fellow-prisoner, that it is not unnatural I should be suspicious."</p> -<p class="pnext">"How was that, señor?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"It was very long ago, soon after my arrest. And yet, not -soon. For weary months of darkness and solitude, I cannot -tell how many, I held out--I mean to say, I continued -impenitent."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Did you?" asked Carlos with interest. "I thought as much."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Do not think ill of me, I entreat of you, señor," said the -penitent anxiously. "I am <em class="italics">reconciled</em>. I have returned to the -bosom of the true Church, and I belong to her. I have -confessed and received absolution. I have even had the Holy -Sacrament; and if ill, or in danger of death, it is promised I -shall receive 'su majestad'[#] at any time. And I have abjured -and detested all the heresies I learned from De Valero."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] "His Majesty," the ordinary term applied by Spaniards -to the Host.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">"From De Valero? Did you learn from him?" The pale -cheek of Carlos crimsoned for a moment, then grew paler than -before. "Tell me, señor, if I may ask it, how long have you -been here?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"That is just what I cannot tell. The first year stands out -clearly; but all the after years are like a dream to me. It was -in that first year that the caitiff I spoke of anon, who was -imprisoned with me--you observe, señor, I had already asked for -reconciliation. It was promised me. I was to perform -penance; to be forgiven; to have my freedom. <em class="italics">Pues</em>, señor, I -spoke to that man as I might to you, freely and from my heart. -For I supposed him a gentleman. I dared to say that their -reverences had dealt somewhat hardly with me, and the like. -Idle words, no doubt--idle and wicked. God knows, I have -had time enough to repent them since. For that man, my -fellow-prisoner, he who knew what prison was, went forth -straightway and delated me to the Lords Inquisitors for those -idle words--God in heaven forgive him! And thus the door -was shut upon me--shut--shut for ever. Ay de mi! Ay de mi!"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos heard but little of this speech. He was gazing at him -with eager, kindling eyes. "Were there left behind in the -world any that it wrung your heart to part from?" he asked, in -a trembling voice.</p> -<p class="pnext">"There were. And since you came, their looks have never -ceased to haunt me. Why, I know not. My wife, my child!" And -the old man shaded his face, while in his eyes, long unused -to tears, there rose a mist, like the cloud in form as a man's -hand, that foretold the approach of the beneficent rain, which -should refresh and soften the thirsty soil, making all things -young again.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Señor," said Carlos, trying to speak calmly, and to keep -down the wild tumultuous throbbing of his heart--"señor, a -boon, I entreat of you. Tell me the name you bore amongst -men. It was a noble one, I know."</p> -<p class="pnext">"True. They promised to save it from disgrace. But it -was part of my penance not to utter it; if possible, to forget it."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yet, this once. I do not ask idly--this once--have pity on -me, and speak it," pleaded Carlos, with intense tremulous -earnestness.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Your face and your voice move me strangely; it seems to -me that I could not deny you anything. I am--I ought to say, -I <em class="italics">was</em>--Don Juan Alvarez de Santillanos y Meñaya."</p> -<p class="pnext">Before the sentence was concluded, Carlos lay senseless at -his feet.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="quiet-days">XLII.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Quiet Days.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"I think that by-and-by all things</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">Which were perplexed a while ago</div> -</div> -<div class="line">And life's long, vain conjecturings,</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">Will simple, calm, and quiet grow,</div> -</div> -<div class="line">Already round about me, some</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">August and solemn sunset seems</div> -</div> -<div class="line">Deep sleeping in a dewy dome,</div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">And bending o'er a world of dreams."--Owen Meredith.</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">The penitent laid Carlos gently on his pallet (he still -possessed a measure of physical strength, and the -worn frame was easy to lift); then he knocked loudly -on the door for help, as he had been instructed to do in any -case of need. But no one heard, or at least no one heeded -him, which was not remarkable, since during more than twenty -years he had not, on a single occasion, thus summoned his -gaolers. Then, in utter ignorance what next to do, and in very -great distress, he bent over his young companion, helplessly -wringing his hands.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos stirred at last, and murmured, "Where am I? What -is it?" But even before full consciousness returned, there came -the sense, taught by the bitter, experience of the last two years, -that he must look within for aid--he could expect none from -any fellow-creature. He tried to recollect himself. Some -bewildering, awful joy had fallen upon him, striking him to the -earth. Was he free? Was he permitted to see Juan?</p> -<p class="pnext">Slowly, very slowly, all grew clear to him. He half raised -himself, grasped the penitent's hand, and cried aloud, "<em class="italics">My -father?</em>"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Are you better, señor?" asked the old man with solicitude. -"Do me the favour to drink this wine."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Father, my father! I am your son. I am Carlos Alvarez -de Santillanos y Meñaya. Do you not understand me, -father?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I do not understand you, señor," said the penitent, moving -a little away from him, with a mixture of dignified courtesy and -utter amazement in his manner strange to behold. "Who is -it that I have the honour to address?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"O my father, I am your son--your very son Carlos!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have never seen you till--ere yesterday."</p> -<p class="pnext">"That is quite true; and yet--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nay, nay," interrupted the old man; "you are speaking -wild words to me. I had but one boy--Juan--Juan Rodrigo. -The heir of the house of Alvarez de Meñaya was always called -Juan."</p> -<p class="pnext">"He lives. He is Captain Don Juan now, the bravest -soldier, and the best, truest-hearted man on earth. How you -would love him! Would you could see him face to face! -Yet no; thank God you cannot."</p> -<p class="pnext">"My babe a captain in His Imperial Majesty's army!" said -Don Juan, in whose thoughts the great Emperor was reigning -still.</p> -<p class="pnext">"And I," Carlos continued, in a broken, agitated voice--"I, -born when they thought you dead--I, who opened my young -eyes on this sad world the day God took my mother home from -all its sin and sorrow--I am brought here, in his mysterious -providence, to comfort you, after your long dreary years of -suffering."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Your mother! Did you say your mother? My wife, -<em class="italics">Costanza mia</em>. Oh, let me see your face!"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos raised himself to a kneeling attitude, and the old man -laid his hand on his shoulder, and gazed at him long and -earnestly. At length Carlos removed the hand, and drawing -it gently upwards, placed it on his head. "Father," he said, -"you will love your son? you will bless him, will you not? -He has dwelt long amongst those who hated him, and never -spoke to him save in wrath and scorn, and his heart pines for -human love and tenderness."</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan did not answer for a while; but he ran his fingers -through the soft fine hair. "So like hers," he murmured -dreamily. "Thine eyes are hers too--<em class="italics">zarca</em>.[#] Yes, yes; I -do bless thee--But who am I to bless? God bless thee, my -son!"</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] Blue; a word applied by the Spaniards only to blue eyes.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">In the long, long silence that followed, the great convent bell -rang out. It was noon. For the first time for twenty years -the penitent did not hear that sound.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos heard it, however. Agitated as he was, he yet feared -the consequences that might follow should the penitent omit any -part of the penance he was bound by oath to perform. So he -gently reminded him of it. "Father--" (how strangely sweet the -name sounded!)--"father, at this hour you always recite the -penitential psalms. When you have finished, we will talk -together. I have ten thousand things to tell you."</p> -<p class="pnext">With the silent, unreasoning submission that had become a -part of his nature, the penitent obeyed; and, going to his usual -station before the crucifix, began his monotonous task. The -fresh life newly awakened in his heart and brain was far from -being strong enough, as yet, to burst the bonds of habit. And -this was well. Those bonds were his safeguard; but for their -wholesome restraint, mind or body, or both, might have been -shattered by the tumultuous rush of new thoughts and feelings.</p> -<p class="pnext">But the familiar Latin words, repeated without thought, almost -without consciousness, soothed the weary brain like a slumber.</p> -<p class="pnext">Meanwhile, Carlos thanked God with a full heart. Here, -then--<em class="italics">here</em>, in the dark prison, the very abode of misery--had -God given him the desire of his heart, fulfilled the longing of -his early years. Now the wilderness and the solitary place -were glad; the desert rejoiced and blossomed as the rose. -Now his life seemed complete, its end answering its beginning; -all its meaning lying clear and plain before him. He was -satisfied.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ruy, Ruy, I have found our father!--Oh, that I could but -tell thee, my Ruy!"--was the cry of his heart, though he forced -his lips to silence. Nor could the tears of joy, that sprang -unbidden to his eyes, be permitted to overflow, since they might -perplex and trouble his fellow-captive--<em class="italics">his father</em>.</p> -<p class="pnext">He had still a task to perform; and to that task his mind -soon bent itself; perhaps instinctively taking refuge in -practical detail from emotions that might otherwise have proved too -strong for his weakened frame. He set himself to consider how -best he could revive the past, and make the present -comprehensible to the aged and broken man, without overpowering -or bewildering him.</p> -<p class="pnext">He planned to tell him, in the first instance, all that he -could about Nuera. And this he accomplished gradually, as -he was able to bear the strain of conversation. He talked of -Dolores and Diego; described both the exterior and interior -of the castle; in fact, made him see again the scenes to which -his eye had been accustomed in past days. With special -minuteness did he picture the little room within the hall, -both because it was less changed since his father's time than -the others, and because it had been his favourite apartment -"And on the window," he said, "there were some words, -written with a diamond, doubtless by your hand, my father. -My brother and I used to read them in our childhood; we -loved them, and dreamed many a wondrous dream about them. -Do you not remember them?"</p> -<p class="pnext">But the old man shook his head.</p> -<p class="pnext">Then Carlos began,--</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"'El Dorado--'"</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -<div class="line">"'Yo hé trovado.'</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Yes, I remember now," said Don Juan promptly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"And the golden country you had discovered--was it not -the truth as revealed in Scripture?" asked Carlos, perhaps a -little too eagerly.</p> -<p class="pnext">The penitent mused a space; grew bewildered; said at last -sorrowfully, "I know not. I cannot now recall what moved -me to write those lines, or even when I wrote them."</p> -<p class="pnext">In the next place, Carlos ventured to tell all he had heard -from Dolores about his mother. The fact of his wife's death -had been communicated to the prisoner; but this was the -only fragment of intelligence about his family that had reached -him during all these years. When she was spoken of, he -showed emotion, slight in the beginning, but increasing at -every succeeding mention of her name, until Carlos, who had -at first been glad to find that the slumbering chords of feeling -responded to his touch, came at last to dread laying his hands -upon them, they were apt to moan so piteously. And once -and again did his father say, gazing at him with ever-increasing -fondness, "Thy face is hers, risen anew before me."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos tried hard to awaken Don Juan's interest in his first-born. -It is true that he cherished an almost passionate love -for Juanito the babe, but it was such a love as we feel for -children whom God has taken to himself in infancy. Juan -the youth, Juan the man, seemed to him a stranger, difficult -to conceive of or to care about. Yet, in time, Carlos did -succeed in establishing a bond between the long-imprisoned -father and the brave, noble, free-hearted son, who was so -like what that father had been in his early manhood. He -was never weary of telling of Juan's courage, Juan's truthfulness, -Juan's generosity; often concluding with the words, -"<em class="italics">He</em> would have been your favourite son, had you known him, -my father."</p> -<p class="pnext">As time wore on, he won from his father's lips the principal -facts of his own story. His past was like a picture from which -the colouring, once bright and varied, has faded away, leaving -only the bare outlines of fact, and here and there the shadows -of pain still faintly visible. What he remembered, that he -told his son; but gradually, and often in very disjointed -fragments, which Carlos carefully pieced together in his thoughts, -until he formed out of them a tolerably connected whole.</p> -<p class="pnext">Just three-and-twenty years before, on his arrival in Seville, -in obedience to what he believed to be a summons from the -Emperor, the Conde de Nuera had been arrested and thrown -into the secret dungeons of the Inquisition. He well knew his -offence: he had been the friend and associate of De Valero; -he had read and studied the Scriptures; he had even advocated, -in the presence of several witnesses, the doctrine of justification -by faith alone. Nor was he unprepared to pay the terrible -penalty. Had he, at the time of his arrest, been led at once to -the rack or the stake, it is probable he would have suffered with -a constancy that might have placed his name beside that of the -most heroic martyrs.</p> -<p class="pnext">But he was allowed to wear out long months in suspense -and solitude, and in what his eager spirit found even harder to -bear, absolute inaction. Excitement, motion, stirring occupation -for mind and body, had all his life been a necessity to him. -In the absence of these he pined--grew melancholy, listless, -morbid. His faith was genuine, and would have been strong -enough to enable him for anything <em class="italics">in the line of his character</em>; -but it failed under trials purposely and sedulously contrived to -assail that character through its weak points.</p> -<p class="pnext">When already worn out with dreary imprisonment, he was -beset by arguments, clever, ingenious, sophistical, framed by -men who made argument the business of their lives. Thus -attacked, he was like a brave but unskilful man fencing with -adepts in the noble science. He <em class="italics">knew</em> he was right; and with -the Vulgate in his hand, he thought he could have proved it. -But they assured him they proved the contrary; nor could -he detect a flaw in their syllogisms when he came to examine -them. If not convinced, then surely he ought to have been. -They conjured him not to let pride and vain-glory seduce him -into self-opinionated obstinacy, but to submit his private -judgment to that of the Holy Catholic Church. And they promised -that he should go forth free, only chastised by a suitable and -not disgraceful penance, and by a pecuniary fine.</p> -<p class="pnext">The hope of freedom burned in his heart like fire; and by -this time there was sufficient confusion in his brain for his will -to find arguments there against the voice of his conscience. So -he yielded, though not without conflict, fierce and bitter. His -retractation was drawn up in as mild a form as possible by the -Inquisitors, and duly signed by him. No public act of penance -was required, as strict secrecy was to be observed in the whole -transaction.</p> -<p class="pnext">But the Inquisitor-General, Valdez, felt a well-grounded -distrust of the penitent's sincerity, which was quickened perhaps -by a desire to appropriate to the use of the Holy Office a larger -share of his possessions than the moderate fine alluded to. -Probably, too, he dreaded the disclosures that might have -followed had the Count been restored to the world. He had -recourse, therefore, to an artifice often employed by the -Inquisitors, and seriously recommended by their standard authorities. -The "fly" (for such traitors were common enough to have a -technical name as well as a recognized existence) reported that -the Conde de Nuera railed at the Holy Office, blasphemed the -Catholic faith, and still adhered in his heart to all his -abominable heresies. The result was a sentence of perpetual -imprisonment.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan's condition was truly pitiable then. Like Samson, -he was shorn of the locks in which his strength lay, bound hand -and foot, and delivered over to his enemies. Because he could -not bear perpetual imprisonment he had renounced his faith, -and denied his Lord. And now, without the faith he had -renounced, without the Lord he had denied, he must bear it. -It told upon him as it would have told on nine men out of ten, -perhaps on ninety-nine out of a hundred. His mind lost its -activity, its vigour, its tone. It became, in time, almost a -passive instrument in the hands of others.</p> -<p class="pnext">And then the Dominican monk, Fray Ricardo, brought his -powerful intellect and his strong will to bear upon him. He -had been sent by his superiors (he was not prior until long -afterwards) to impart the terrible story of her husband's arrest -to the Lady of Nuera, with secret instructions to ascertain -whether her own faith had been tampered with. In his -fanatical zeal he performed a cruel task cruelly. But he had -a conscience, and its fault was not insensibility. When he -heard the tale of the lady's death, a few days after his visit, he -was profoundly affected. Accustomed, however, to a religion of -weights and balances, it came naturally to him to set one thing -against another, by way of making the scales even. If he could -be the means of saving the husband's soul, he would feel, to say -the least, much more comfortable about his conduct to the wife.</p> -<p class="pnext">He spared no pains upon the task he had set himself; -and a measure of success crowned his efforts. Having first -reduced the mind of the penitent to a cold, blank calm, -agitated by no wave of restless thought or feeling, he had at -length the delight of seeing his own image reflected there, as -in a mirror. He mistook that spectral reflection for a reality, -and great was his triumph when, day by day, he saw it move -responsive to every motion of his own.</p> -<p class="pnext">But the arrest of his penitent's son broke in upon his -self-satisfaction. It seemed as though a dark doom hung over the -family, which even the father's repentance was powerless to -avert. He wished to save the youth, and he had tried to do it -after his fashion; but his efforts only resulted in bringing up -before him the pale accusing face of the Lady of Nuera, and -in interesting him more than he cared to acknowledge in the -impenitent heretic, who seemed to him such a strange mixture -of gentleness and obstinacy. Surely the father's influence would -prevail with the son, originally a much less courageous and -determined character, and now already wrought upon by a long -period of loneliness and suffering.</p> -<p class="pnext">Perhaps also--monk, fanatic, and inquisitor though he was--the -pleasantness of trying the experiment, and cheering thereby -the last days of the pious and docile penitent, his own especial -convert, weighed a little with him; for he was still a man. -Moreover, like many hard men, he was capable of great -kindness towards those whom he liked. And, with the full -approbation of his conscience, he liked his penitent; whilst, rather -in spite of his conscience, he liked his penitent's son.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos did not trouble himself overmuch about the prior's -motives. He was too content in his new-found joy, too -engrossed in his absorbing task--the concern and occupation of -his every hour, almost of his every moment. He was as one -who toils patiently to clear away the moss and lichen that has -grown over a memorial stone; that he may bring out once -more, in all their freshness, the precious words engraven upon -it. The inscription was there, and there it had been always -(so he told himself); all that he had to do was to remove that -which covered and obscured it.</p> -<p class="pnext">He had his reward. Life returned, first through love for -him, to the heart; then, through the heart, to the brain. Not -rapidly and with tingling pain, as it returns to a frozen limb, but -gradually and insensibly, as it comes to the dry trees in spring.</p> -<p class="pnext">But, in the trees, life shows itself first in the extremities; it -is slowest in appearing in those parts which are really nearest -the sources of all life. So the penitent's interest in other -subjects, and his care for them, revived; yet in one thing, the -greatest of all, these seemed lacking still. There did <em class="italics">not</em> return -the spiritual light and life, which Carlos could not doubt he -had enjoyed in past days. Sometimes, it is true, he would -startle his son by unexpected reminiscences, disjointed -fragments of the truth for which he had suffered so much. He -would occasionally interrupt Carlos, when he was repeating to -him passages from the Testament, to tell him "something Don -Rodrigo said about that, when he expounded the Epistle to the -Romans." But these were only like the rich flowers that -surprise the explorer amidst the tangled weeds of a waste -ground, showing that a carefully tended garden has flourished -there once--very long ago.</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is not that I desire him above all things to hold this -doctrine or that," thought Carlos; "I desire him to find Christ -again, and to rejoice in his love, as doubtless he did in the -old days. And surely he will, since Christ found him--chose -him for his own even before the foundation of the world."</p> -<p class="pnext">But in order to bring this about, perhaps it was necessary -that the faded colours of his soul should be steeped in the -strong and bitter waters of a great agony, that they might -regain thereby their full freshness.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="el-dorado-found-again">XLIII.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">El Dorado Found Again.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"And every power was used, and every art,</div> -<div class="line">To bend to falsehood one determined heart,</div> -<div class="line">Assailed, in patience it received the shock,</div> -<div class="line">Soft as the wave, unbroken as the rock."--Crabbe</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">"What are you doing, my father?" Carlos asked one -morning.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan had produced from some private receptacle -a small ink-horn, and was moistening its long-dried -contents with water.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I was thinking that I should like to write down somewhat," -he said.</p> -<p class="pnext">"But whereto will ink serve us without pen and paper?"</p> -<p class="pnext">The penitent smiled; and presently pulled out from within -his pallet a little faded writing-book, and a pen that -looked--what it was--more than twenty years old.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Long ago," he said, "I used to be weary, weary of sitting -idle all the day; so I bribed one of the lay brothers with my -last ducat to bring me this, only that I might set down therein -whatever happened, for pastime."</p> -<p class="pnext">"May I read it, my father?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"And welcome, if thou wilt;" and he gave the book into the -hand of his son. "At first, as you see, there be many things -written therein. I cannot tell what they are now; I have -forgotten them all;--but I suppose I thought them, or felt -them--once. Or sometimes the brethren would come to visit me, and -talk, and afterwards I would write what they said. But by -degrees I set down less and less in it. Many days passed in -which I wrote nothing, because nothing was to write. Nothing -ever happened."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos was soon absorbed in the perusal of the little book. -The records of his father's earlier prison life he scanned with -great interest and with deep emotion; but coming rather -suddenly upon the last entry, he could not forbear a smile. He -read aloud:</p> -<p class="pnext">"'A feast day. Had a capon for dinner, and a measure of -red wine.'"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Did I not judge well," asked the father, "that it was time -to give over writing, when I could stoop low enough to record -such trifles? Yes; I think I can recall the bitterness of heart -with which I laid the book aside. I despised myself for what -I wrote therein; and yet I had nothing else to write--would -never have anything else, I thought. But now God has given -me my son. I will write that down."</p> -<p class="pnext">Looking up, after a little while, from his self-imposed task, -he asked, with an air of perplexity,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"But when was it? How long is it since you came here, -Carlos?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos in his turn was perplexed. The quiet days had glided -on swiftly and noiselessly, leaving no trace behind.</p> -<p class="pnext">"To me it seems to have been all one long Sabbath," he -said. "But let me think. The summer heats had not come; -I suppose it must have been March or April--April, perhaps. -I remember thinking I had been just two years in prison."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And now it is growing cool again. I suppose it may have -been four months--six months ago. What think you?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos thought it nearer the latter period than the former.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I believe we have been visited six times by the brethren," -he said. "No; only five times."</p> -<p class="pnext">These visits of inspection had been made by command of -the prior--himself absent from Seville on important business -during most of the time--and the result had been duly reported -to him. The monks to whom the duty had been deputed were -aged and respectable members of the community; in fact, the -only persons in the monastery who were acquainted with Don -Juan's real name and history. It was their opinion that -matters were progressing favourably with the prisoners. They -found the penitent as usual--docile, obedient, submissive, only -more inclined to converse than formerly; and they thought the -young man very gentle and courteous, grateful for the smallest -kindness, and ready to listen attentively, and with apparent -interest, to everything that was said.</p> -<p class="pnext">For more definite results the prior was content to wait: he -had great faith in waiting. Still, even to him six months seemed -long enough for the experiment he was trying. At the end of -that time--which happened to be the day after the conversation -just related--he himself made a visit to the prisoners.</p> -<p class="pnext">Both most warmly expressed their gratitude for the singular -grace he had shown them. Carlos, whose health had greatly -improved, said that he had not dreamed so much earthly -happiness could remain for him still.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then, my son," said the prior, "give evidence of thy -gratitude in the only way possible to thee, or acceptable to me. -Do not reject the mercy still offered thee by Holy Church. -Ask for reconciliation."</p> -<p class="pnext">"My lord," replied Carlos, firmly, "I can but repeat what I -told you six months agone--that is impossible."</p> -<p class="pnext">The prior argued, expostulated, threatened--in vain. At -length he reminded Carlos that he was already condemned to -death--the death of fire; and that he was now putting from -him his last chance of mercy. But when he still remained -steadfast, he turned away from him with an air of deep -disappointment, though more in sorrow than in anger, as one pained -by keen and unexpected ingratitude.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I speak to thee no more," he said. "I believe there is in -thy father's heart some little spark, not only of natural feeling -but of the grace of God. I address myself to him."</p> -<p class="pnext">Whether Don Juan had never fully comprehended the statement -of Carlos that he was under sentence of death, or whether the -tide of emotion caused by finding in him his own son had swept -the terrible fact from his remembrance, it is impossible to say; -but it certainly came to him, from the lips of the prior, as a -dreadful, unexpected blow. So keen was his anguish that Fray -Ricardo himself was moved; and the rather, because it was -impossible to the aged and broken man to maintain the -outward self-restraint a younger and stronger person might have -done.</p> -<p class="pnext">More touched, at the moment, by his father's condition than -by all the horrors that menaced himself, Carlos came to his side, -and gently tried to soothe him.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Cease!" said the prior, sternly. "It is but mockery to -pretend sympathy with the sorrow thine own obstinacy has -caused. If in truth thou lovest him, save him this cruel pain. -For three days still," he added, "the door of grace shall stand -open to thee. After that term has expired, I dare not promise -thy life." Then turning to the agitated father--"If <em class="italics">you</em> can -make this unhappy youth hear the voice of divine and human -compassion," he said, "you will save both his body and his -soul alive. You know how to send me a message. God -comfort you, and incline his heart to repentance." And with these -words he departed, leaving Carlos to undergo the sharpest trial -that had come upon him since his imprisonment.</p> -<p class="pnext">All that day, and the greater part of the night that followed -it, the two wills strove together. Prayers, tears, entreaties, -seemed to the agonized father to fall on the strong heart of his -son like drops of rain on the rock. He did not know that all -the time they were falling on that heart like sparks of living -fire; for Carlos, once so weak, had learned now to endure pain, -both of mind and body, with brow and lip that "gave no -sign." Passing tender was the love that had sprung up between those -two, so strangely brought together. And now Carlos, by his -own act, must sever that sweet bond--must leave his newly-found -father in a solitude doubly terrible, where the feeble lamp -of his life would soon go out in obscure darkness. Was not -this bitterness enough, without the anguish of seeing that father -bow his white head before him, and teach his aged lips words -of broken, passionate entreaty that his son--his one earthly -treasure--would not forsake him thus?</p> -<p class="pnext">"My father," Carlos said at last, as they sat together in the -moonlight, for their light had gone out unheeded--"my father, -you have often told me that my face is like my mother's."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ay de mi!" moaned the penitent--"and truly it is. Is -that why it must leave me as hers did? Ay de mi, Costanza -mia! Ay de mi, my son!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Father, tell me, I pray you, to escape what anguish of mind -or body would you set your seal to a falsehood told to her -dishonour?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Boy, how can you ask? Never!--nothing could force me -to that." And from the faded eye there shot a gleam almost -like the fire of old days.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Father, there is One I love better than ever you loved -her. Not to save myself, not even to save you, from this bitter -pain, can I deny him or dishonour his name. Father, I -cannot!--Though this is worse than the torture," he added.</p> -<p class="pnext">The anguish of the last words pierced to the very core of the -old man's heart. He said no more; but he covered his face, -and wept long and passionately, as a man weeps whose -heart is broken, and who has no longer any power left him to -struggle against his doom.</p> -<p class="pnext">Their last meal lay untasted. Some wine had formed part -of it; and this Carlos now brought, and, with a few gentle, -loving words, offered to his father. Don Juan put it aside, but -drew his son closer, and looked at him in the moonlight long -and earnestly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"How can I give thee up?" he murmured.</p> -<p class="pnext">As Carlos tried to return his gaze, it flashed for the first -time across his mind that his father was changed. He looked -older, feebler, more wan than he had done at his coming. Was -the newly-awakened spirit wearing out the body? He said,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"It may be, my father, that God will not call you to the trial. -Perhaps months may elapse before they arrange another Auto."</p> -<p class="pnext">How calmly he could speak of it;--for he had forgotten himself. -Courage, with him, always had its root in self-forgetting love.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan caught at the gleam of hope, though not exactly -as Carlos intended. "Ay, truly," he said, "many things may -happen before then."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And nothing <em class="italics">can</em> happen save at the will of Him who loves -and cares for us. Let us trust him, my beloved father. He -will not allow us to be tempted above that we are able to bear. -For he is good--oh, how good!--to the soul that seeketh him. -Long ago I believed that; but since he has honoured me to -suffer for him, once and again have I proved it true, true as -life or death. Father, I once thought the strongest thing on -earth--that which reached deepest into our nature--was pain. -But I have lived to learn that his love is stronger, his peace is -deeper, than all pain."</p> -<p class="pnext">With many such words--words of faith, and hope, and -tenderness--did he soothe his weary, broken-hearted father. And -at last, though not till towards morning, he succeeded in -inducing him to lie down and seek the rest he so sorely needed.</p> -<p class="pnext">Then came his own hour; the hour of bitter, lonely conflict. -He had grown accustomed to the thought, to the <em class="italics">expectation</em>, of -a silent, peaceful death within the prison walls. He had hoped, -nay, certainly believed, that in the slow hours of some quiet -day or night, undistinguished from other days and nights, God's -messenger would steal noiselessly to his gloomy cell, and heart -and brain would thrill with rapture at the summons, "The -Master calleth thee."</p> -<p class="pnext">Now, indeed, it was true that the Master called him. But -he called him to go to Him through the scornful gaze of ten -thousand eyes; through reproach, and shame, and mockery; -the hideous zamarra and carroza; the long agony of the Auto, -spun out from daybreak till midnight; and, last of all, through -the torture of the doom of fire. How could he bear it? Sharp -were the pangs of fear that wrung his heart, and dread was the -struggle that followed.</p> -<p class="pnext">It was over at last. Raising to the cold moonlight a steadfast -though sorrowful face, Carlos murmured audibly, "What -time I am afraid I will put my trust in thee. Lord, I am ready -to go with thee, whithersoever thou wilt; only--with thee."</p> -<p class="pnext">He woke, late the following morning, from the sleep of exhaustion -to the painful consciousness of something terrible to come -upon him. But he was soon roused from thoughts of self by seeing -his father kneel before the crucifix, not quietly reciting his -appointed penance, but uttering broken words of prayer and -lamentation, accompanied by bitter weeping. As far as he -could gather, the burden of the cry was this, "God help me! -God forgive me! <em class="italics">I have lost it</em>!" Over and over again did -he moan those piteous words, "I have lost it!" as if they were -the burden of some dreary song. They seemed to contain the -sum of all his sorrow.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos, yearning to comfort him, still did not feel that he -could interrupt him then. He waited quietly until they were -both ready for their usual reading or repetition of Scripture; for -Carlos, every morning, either read from the Book of Hours to -his father, or recited passages from memory, as suited his -inclination at the time.</p> -<p class="pnext">He knew all the Gospel of John by heart. And this day he -began with those blessed words, dear in all ages to the tried -and sorrowing, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in -God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many -mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to -prepare a place for you." He continued without pause to the -close of the sixteenth chapter, "These things I have spoken -unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye -shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome -the world."</p> -<p class="pnext">Then once more Don Juan uttered that cry of bitter pain, -"Ay de mi! I have lost it!"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos thought he understood him now. "Lost that peace, -my father?" he questioned gently.</p> -<p class="pnext">The old man bowed his head sorrowfully.</p> -<p class="pnext">"But it is in Him. 'In me ye might have peace.' And Him -you have," said Carlos.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan drew his hand across his brow, was silent for a few -moments, then said slowly, "I will try to tell you how it is -with me. There is one thing I could do, even yet; one path -left open to my footsteps in which none could part us.--What -hinders my refusing to perform my penance, and boldly taking -my stand beside thee, Carlos?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos started, flushed, grew pale again with emotion. He -had not dreamed of this, and his heart shrank from it in terror. -"My beloved father!" he exclaimed in a trembling voice. -"But no--God has not called you. Each one of us must wait -to see his guiding hand."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Once I could have done it bravely, nay, joyfully," said the -penitent. "<em class="italics">Not now</em>." And there was a silence.</p> -<p class="pnext">At last Don Juan resumed, "My boy, thy courage shames -my weakness. What hast thou seen, what dost thou see, that -makes this thing possible to thee?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"My father knows. I see Him who died for me, who rose -again for me, who lives at the right hand of God to intercede -for me."</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">For me?</em>"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes; it is this thought that gives strength and peace."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Peace--which I have lost for ever."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Not for ever, my honoured father. No; you are his, and -of such it is written, 'Neither shall any man pluck them out of -my hand.' Though your tired hand has relaxed its grasp of -him, his has never ceased to hold you, and never can cease."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I was at peace and happy long ago, when I believed, as -Don Rodrigo said, that I was justified by faith in him."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Once justified, justified for ever," said Carlos.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Don Rodrigo used to say so too, but--I cannot understand -it now," and a look of perplexity passed over his face.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos spoke more simply. "No! Then come to him -now, my father, just as if you had never come before. You -may not know that you are justified; you know well that you -are weary and heavy laden. And to such he says, 'Come.' He -says it with outstretched arms, with a heart full of love and -tenderness. He is as willing to save you from sin and sorrow -as you are this hour to save me from pain and death. Only, -you cannot, and he can."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Come--that is--believe?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is believe, and more. Come, as your heart came out to -me, and mine to you, when we knew the great bond between -us. But with far stronger trust and deeper love; for he is more -than son or father. He fulfils all relationships, satisfies all -wants."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But then, what of those long years in which I forgot him!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"They were but adding to the sum of sin; sin that he has -pardoned, has washed away for ever in his blood."</p> -<p class="pnext">At that point the conversation dropped, and days passed ere -it was renewed. Don Juan was unusually silent; very tender -to his son, making no complaint, but often weeping quietly. -Carlos thought it best to leave God to deal with him directly, -so he only prayed for him and with him, repeated precious -Scripture words, and sometimes sang to him the psalms and -hymns of the Church.</p> -<p class="pnext">But one evening, to the affectionate "Good-night" always -exchanged by the son and father with the sense that many more -might not be left to them, Don Juan added, "Rejoice with me, -my son; for I think that I have found again the thing that I -lost--</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">'El Dorado</div> -<div class="line">Yo hé trovada.'"</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="one-prisoner-set-free">XLIV.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">One Prisoner Set Free.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"All was ended now, the hope and the fear, and the sorrow;</div> -<div class="line">All the aching of heart, the restless unsatisfied longing,</div> -<div class="line">All the dull deep pain, and constant anguish of patience."--Longfellow.</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">The winter rain was pouring down in a steady continuous -torrent It was long since a gleam of sunshine -had come through the windows of the prison-room. -But Don Juan Alvarez did not miss the sunlight. For he lay -on his pallet, weak and ill, and the only sight he greatly cared -to look upon was the loving face that was ever beside him.</p> -<p class="pnext">It is possible, by means of the embalmer's art, to enable -buried forms to retain for ages a ghastly outward similitude to -life. Tombs have been opened, and kings found therein -clothed in their royal robes, stern and stately, the sceptre in -their cold hands, and no trace of the grave and its corruption -visible upon them. But no sooner did the breath of the upper -air and the finger of light touch them than they crumbled away, -silently and rapidly, and dust returned to dust again. Thus, -buried in the chill dark tomb of his seclusion, Don Juan might -have lived for years--if life it could be called--or, at least, he -might have lingered on in the outward similitude of life. But -Carlos brought in light and air upon him. His mind and -heart revived; and, just in proportion, his physical nature sank. -It proved too weak to bear these powerful influences. He was -dying.</p> -<p class="pnext">Tender and thoughtful as a woman, Carlos, who himself -knew so well all the bitterness of unpitied pain and sickness, -ministered to his father's wants. But he did not request their -gaolers to afford him any medical aid, though, had he done so, -it would have been readily granted.</p> -<p class="pnext">He had good reason for seeking no help from man. The -daily penance was neglected now; the rosary lay untold; and -never again would "Ave Maria Sanctissima" pass the lips of -Don Juan Alvarez. Therefore it was that Carlos, after much -thought and prayer, said quietly to him one day, "My father, -are you afraid to lie here, in God's hands, and in his alone, and -to take whatever he pleases to send us?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am not afraid."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Do you desire <em class="italics">any</em> help they can give, either for your soul -or for your body?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">No,</em>" said the Conde de Nuera, with something like the -spirit of other days. "I would not confess to them; for Christ -is my only priest now. And they should not anoint me while -I retained my consciousness."</p> -<p class="pnext">A look of resolution, strange to see, passed over the gentle -face of Carlos. "It is well said, my father," he responded. -"And, God helping me, I will let no man trouble you."</p> -<p class="pnext">"My son," said Don Juan one evening, as Carlos sat beside him -in the twilight, "I pray you, tell me a little more of those who -learned to love the truth since I walked amongst men. For I -would fain be able to recognize them when we meet in heaven."</p> -<p class="pnext">Then Carlos told him, not indeed for the first time, but -more fully than ever before, the story of the Reformed Church -in Spain. Almost every name that he mentioned has come -down to us surrounded by the mournful halo of martyr glory. -With special reverential love, he told of Don Carlos de Seso, -of Losada, of D'Arellano, and of the heroic Juliano Hernandez, -who, as he believed, was still waiting for his crown. "For -him," he said, "I pray even yet; for the others I can only -thank God, Surely," he added, after a pause, "God will -remember the land for which these, his faithful martyrs, prayed -and toiled and suffered! Surely he will hear their voices, that -cry under the altar, not for vengeance, but for forgiveness and -mercy; and one day he will return and repent, and leave a -blessing behind him?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I know not," said the dying man despondingly. "The -Spains have had their offer of God's truth, and have rejected -it. What is there that is said, somewhere in the Scriptures, -about Noah, Daniel, and Job?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos repeated the solemn words, "'Though Noah, Daniel, -and Job were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall -deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their -own souls by their righteousness.' Do you fear that such a -terrible doom has gone forth over our land, my father? I dare -to hope otherwise. For it is not the Spains that have rejected -the truth. It is the Inquisition that is crushing it out."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But the Spains must answer for its deeds, since they -consent to them. They heed not. There are brave men enough, -with weapons in their hands," said the soldier of former days, -with a momentary return to old habits of thought and feeling.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yet God may give our land another trial," Carlos continued. -"His truth is sometimes offered twice to individuals, why not -to nations?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"True; it was offered twice to me, praised be his name." After -an interval of silence, he resumed, "My son always -speaks of others, never of himself. Not yet have I learned -how it was that you came to receive the Word of God so -readily from Juliano."</p> -<p class="pnext">Then in the dark, with his father's hand in his, Carlos told, -for the first and last time, the true story of his life.</p> -<p class="pnext">Before he had gone far, Don Juan started, half-raised him -self, and exclaimed in surprise, "What, and you!--<em class="italics">you</em> -too--once loved?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ay, and bitter as the pain has been, I am glad now of all -except the sin. I am glad that I have tasted earth's very best -and sweetest; that I know how the wine is red and gives its -colour in the cup of life he honours me to put aside for him." His -voice was low and full of feeling as he said this. Presently -he resumed. "But the sin, my father! Especially my treachery -in heart to Juan; that rankled long and stung deeply. Juan, -my brave, generous brother, who would have struck down any -man who dared to hint that I could do, or think, aught -dishonourable! He never knew it; and had he known it, he -would have forgiven me; but I could not forgive myself. I -do not think the self-scorn passed away until--<em class="italics">that</em> which -happened after I had been nigh a year in prison. O my father, -if God had not interposed to save me by withholding me from -that crime, I shudder to think what my life might have been. -I am persuaded I should have sunk lower, lower, and ever -lower. Perhaps, even, I might have ended in the purple and -fine linen, and the awful pomp and luxury of the oppressors -and persecutors of the saints."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nay," said Don Juan, "that would never have been possible -to thee, Carlos. But there is a question I have often -longed to ask thee. Does Juan, my Juan Rodrigo, know and -love the Word of God?"</p> -<p class="pnext">He had asked that question before; but Carlos had contrived, -with tact and gentleness, to evade the answer. Up to -this hour he had not dared to tell his father the truth upon this -important subject. Besides the terrible risk that in some -moment of fear or forgetfulness the prior or his agents might -draw an incautious word from the old man's lips, there was a -haunting dread of listeners at key-holes, or secret apertures, -quite natural in one who knew the customs of the Holy Office. -But now he bent down close to the dying man, and spoke to -him in a long earnest whisper.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Thank God," murmured Don Juan. "I would have no -earthly wish unsatisfied now--if only you were safe. But -still," he added, "it seemeth somewhat hard to me that Juan -should have <em class="italics">all</em>, and you nothing."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I <em class="italics">nothing</em>!" Carlos exclaimed; and had not the room been -in darkness his father would have seen that his eye kindled, and -his whole countenance lighted up. "My father, mine has been -the best lot, even for earth. Were it to do again, I would not -change the last two years for the deepest love, the brightest -hope, the fairest joy life has to offer. For the Lord himself has -been the portion of my cup, my inheritance in the land of the -living."</p> -<p class="pnext">After a silence, he continued, "Moreover, and beside -all, I have thee, my father. Therefore to me it is a joy to -think that my beloved brother has also something precious. -How he loved her! But the strangest thing of all, as I ponder -over it now, is the fulfilment of our childhood's dream. And -in me, the weak one who deserved nothing, not in Juan the -hero who deserved everything. It is the lame who has taken -the prey. It is the weak and timid Carlos who has found our -father."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Weak--timid?" said Don Juan, with an incredulous smile. -"I marvel who ever joined such words with the name of my -heroic son. Carlos, have we any wine?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Abundance, my father," answered Carlos, who carefully -treasured for his father's use all that was furnished for both of -them. Having given him a little, he asked, "Do you feel pain -to-night!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"No--no pain. Only weary; always weary."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I think my beloved father will soon be where the weary are -at rest"--"and where the wicked cease from troubling," he -added mentally, not aloud.</p> -<p class="pnext">He would fain have dropped the conversation then, fearing -to exhaust his father's strength. But the sick man's restlessness -was soothed by his talk. Ere long he questioned, "Is it not -near Christmas now?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Well did Carlos know that it was; and keenly did he dread -the return of the season which ought to bring "peace upon -earth." For it would certainly bring the prisoners a visit; and -almost certainly there would be the offer of special privileges -to the penitent, perhaps sacramental consolation, perhaps -permission to hear mass. He shuddered to think what a refusal -to avail himself of these indulgences might entail. And once -and again did he breathe the fervent prayer, that whatever came -upon <em class="italics">him</em>, neither violence, insult, nor reproach might be -allowed to touch his father.</p> -<p class="pnext">Moreover, amongst the great festivities of the season, it was -more than likely that a solemn Auto-da-fé might find place. -But this was a secret inner thought, not often put into words, -even to himself. Only, if it were God's will to call his father -first!</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is December," he said, in answer to Don Juan's question; -"but I have lost account of the day. It may be perhaps -the twelfth or fourteenth. Shall I recite the evening psalms for -the twelfth, 'Te dicet hymnus'?"</p> -<p class="pnext">As he did so, the old man fell asleep, which was what he -desired. Half in the sleep of exhaustion, half in weary -restlessness, the next day and the next night wore on. Once only did -Don Juan speak connectedly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I think you will see my mother soon," said Carlos, as he -bore to his lips wine mingled with water.</p> -<p class="pnext">"True," breathed the dying man; "but I am not thinking -of that now. Far better--I shall see Christ."</p> -<p class="pnext">"My father, are you still in peace, resting on him?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"In perfect peace."</p> -<p class="pnext">And Carlos said no more. He was content; nay, he was -exceeding glad. He who in all things will have the -pre-eminence, had indeed taken his rightful place in the heart of -the dying, when even the strong earthly love that was "twisted -with the strings of life" had paled before the love of him.</p> -<p class="pnext">And in the last watch of the night, when the day was breaking, -he sent his angel to loose the captive's bonds. So gentle -was the touch that freed him, that he who sat holding his -hand in his, and watching his face as we watch the last -conscious looks of our beloved, yet knew not the exact moment -when the Deliverer came. Carlos never said "He is going!" -he only said "He is gone!" And then he kissed the pale lips -and closed the sightless eyes--in peace.</p> -<p class="pnext">None ever thanked God for bringing back their beloved -from the gates of the grave more fervently than Carlos thanked -him that hour for so gently opening unto his those gates that -"no man can shut." "My father, thy rest is won!" he said, -as he gazed on the calm and noble countenance. "They -cannot touch thee now. Not all the malice of men or of fiends -can give one pang. A moment since so fearfully in their -power; now so completely beyond it! Thank God! thank God!"</p> -<p class="pnext">The rain was over, and ere long the sun arose, in his royal -robes of crimson and purple and gold--to the prisoner from -the dungeon of the Triana an ever fresh wonder and joy. Yet -not even that sight could win his eyes to-day from the deeper -beauty of the still and solemn face before him. And as the soft -crimson light fell on the pallid cheek and brow, the watcher -murmured, with calm thankfulness,--"'To him sun and daylight -are as nothing, for he sees the glory of God.'"</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="triumphant">XLV.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Triumphant.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"For ever with the Lord!</div> -<div class="line">Amen! to let it be!"--Montgomery.</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Carlos was still sitting beside that couch, with scarcely -more sense of time than if he had been already where -time exists no longer, when the door of his cell was -opened to admit two distinguished visitors. First came the -prior; then another member of the Table of the Inquisition.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos rose up from beside his dead, and said calmly, -addressing the prior, "My father is free!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"How? what is this?" cried Fray Ricardo, his brow -contracting with surprise.</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos stood aside, allowing him to approach and look. -With real concern in his stern countenance, he stooped for a -few moments over the motionless form. Then he asked,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"But why was I not summoned? Who was with him when -he departed?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I,--his son," said Carlos.</p> -<p class="pnext">"But who besides thee?" Then, in a higher key, and with -more hurried intonation,--"Who gave him the last rites of the -Church?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"He did not receive them, my lord, for he did not desire -them. He said that Christ was his priest; that he would not -confess; and that they should not anoint him while he retained -consciousness."</p> -<p class="pnext">The Dominican's face grew white with anger, even to the lips.</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">Liar!</em>" he cried, in a voice of thunder. "How darest -thou tell me that he for whom I watched, and prayed, and -toiled, after years and years of faithful penance, has gone down -at last, unanointed and unassoiled, to hell with Luther and -Calvin?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I tell thee that he has gone home in peace to his Father's -house."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Blasphemer! liar, like thy father the devil! But I understand -all now. Thou, in thy hatred of the Faith, didst refuse -to summon help--didst let his spirit pass without the aid and -consolations of the Church. Murderer of his soul--thy father's -soul! Not content even with that, thou canst stand there and -slander his memory, bidding us believe that he died in heresy! -But that, at least, is false--false as thine own accursed creed!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is true; and you believe it," said Carlos, in calm, clear, -quiet tones, that contrasted strangely with the Dominican's -outburst of unwonted rage.</p> -<p class="pnext">And the prior did believe it--there was the sharpest sting. He -knew perfectly well that the condemned heretic was incapable -of falsehood: on a matter of fact he would have received his -testimony more readily than that of the stately "Lord Inquisitor" -now standing by his side. In the momentary pause that -followed, that personage came forward and looked upon the -face of the dead.</p> -<p class="pnext">"If there be really any proof that he died in heresy," he -said, "he ought to be proceeded against according to the laws -of the Holy Office provided for such cases."</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos smiled--smiled in calm triumph.</p> -<p class="pnext">"You cannot hurt him now," he said. "Look there, señor. -The King immortal, invisible, has set his own signet upon that -brow, that the decree may not be reversed nor the purpose -changed concerning him."</p> -<p class="pnext">And the peace of the dead face seemed to have passed into -the living face that had gazed on it so long. Carlos was as -really beyond the power of his enemies as his father was that -hour. They felt it; or at least one of them did. As for the -other, his strong heart was torn with rage and sorrow: sorrow -for the penitent, whom he truly loved, and whom he now -believed, after all his prayers and efforts, a lost soul; rage -against the obstinate heretic, whom he had sought to befriend, -and who had repaid his kindness by snatching his convert from -his grasp at the very gate of heaven, and plunging him into hell.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I will <em class="italics">not</em> believe it," he reiterated, with pale lips, and eyes -that gleamed beneath his cowl like coals of fire. Then, softening -a little as he turned to the dead--"Would that those silent -lips could utter, were it only one word, to say that death found -thee true to the Catholic faith!--Not one word! So end the -hopes of years. But at least thy betrayer shall be with thee -amongst the dead to-morrow.--Heretic!" he said, turning -fiercely to Carlos, "we are here to announce thy doom. I -came, with a heart full of pity and relenting, to offer counsel -and comfort, and such mercy as Holy Church still keeps for -those who return to her bosom at the eleventh hour. But now, -I despair of thee. Professed, impenitent, dogmatizing heretic, -go thine own way to everlasting fire!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"To-morrow! Did you say to-morrow?" asked Carlos, -standing motionless, as one lost in thought.</p> -<p class="pnext">The other Inquisitor took up the word.</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is true," he said. "To-morrow the Church offers to -God the acceptable sacrifice of a solemn Act of Faith. And we -come to announce to thee thy sentence, well merited and long -delayed--to be relaxed to the secular arm as an obstinate -heretic. But if even yet thou wilt repent, and, confessing and -deploring thy sins, supplicate restoration to the bosom of the -Church, she will so effectually intercede for thee with the civil -magistrate that the doom of fire will be exchanged for the -milder punishment of death by strangling."</p> -<p class="pnext">Something like a faint smile played round the lips of Carlos; -but he only repeated, "To-morrow!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes, my son," said the Inquisitor, promptly; for he was -a man who knew his business well. He had come there to -improve the occasion; and he meant to do it. "No doubt it -seems to thee a sudden blow, and but a brief space left thee -for preparation. But, at the best, our life here is only a span; -'Man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live, -and is full of misery.'"</p> -<p class="pnext">Carlos did not look as if he heard; he still stood lost in -thought, his head sunk upon his breast. But in another moment -he raised it suddenly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"To-morrow I shall be with Christ in glory!" he exclaimed, -with a countenance as radiant as if that glory were already -reflected there.</p> -<p class="pnext">Some faint feeling of awe and wonder touched the Inquisitor's -heart, and silenced him for an instant. Then, recovering himself, -and falling back for help upon wonted words of course, he -said,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"I entreat of you to think of your soul."</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have thought of it long ago. I have given it into the -safe keeping of Christ my Lord. Therefore I think no more of -it; I only think of him."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But have you no fear of the anguish--the doom of fire?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have no fear," Carlos answered. And this was a great -mystery, even to himself. "Christ's hand will either lift me -over it or sustain me through it; which, I know not yet. And -I am not careful; he will care."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Men of noble lineage, such as you are--of high honour -and stainless name, such as you <em class="italics">were</em>," said the -Inquisitor--"ofttimes dread shame more than agony. You, who were -called Alvarez de Meñaya, what think you of the infamy, the -loathing of all men, the scorn and mockery of the lowest -rabble--the zamarra, the carroza?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I shall joyfully go forth with Him without the camp, -bearing his reproach."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And stand at the stake beside a vile caitiff, a miserable -muleteer, convicted of the same crimes?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"A muleteer? Juliano Hernandez?" Carlos questioned eagerly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"The same."</p> -<p class="pnext">A softer light played over the features of Carlos. Then he -should see that face once more--perhaps even grasp that hand! -Truly God was giving him everything he desired of him. He -said,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"I am glad to stand, here to the last, at the side of that -faithful soldier and servant of Christ. For when we go in there -together, I dare not hope to be so highly honoured as to take -a place beside him."</p> -<p class="pnext">At this point the prior broke in. "Señor and my brother, -your words are wasted. He is given over to the power of the -evil one. Let us leave him." And drawing his mantle round -him, he turned to go, without looking again towards Carlos.</p> -<p class="pnext">But Carlos came forward. "Pardon me, my lord; I have a -few words yet to say to you;" and, stretching out his hand to -detain him, he unconsciously touched his arm with it.</p> -<p class="pnext">The prior flung it off with a gesture of angry scorn. There -was contamination in that touch. "I have heard too many -words from your lips already," he said.</p> -<p class="pnext">"To-morrow night my lips will be dust, my voice silent for -ever. So you may well bear with me for a little while to-day."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Speak then; but be brief."</p> -<p class="pnext">"It gives me the last pang I think to know on earth, to part -thus from you; for you have shown me true kindness. I owe -you, not forgiveness as an enemy, but gratitude as a sincere -though mistaken friend. I shall pray for you--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"An impenitent heretic's prayers--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Will do my lord the prior no harm; and there may come a -day when he will not be sorry he had them."</p> -<p class="pnext">There was a short pause. "Have you anything else to say?" -asked the prior rather more gently.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Only one word, señor." He turned and looked at the -dead. "I know you loved him well. You will deal gently -with his dust, will you not? A grave is not much to ask for -him. You will give it; I trust you."</p> -<p class="pnext">The stern set face relaxed a little before that pleading look. -"It is you who have sought to rob him of a grave," said the -prior--"you who have defamed him of heresy. But your -testimony is invalid; and, as I have said, I believe you not."</p> -<p class="pnext">With this declaration of purely official disbelief, he left the -room.</p> -<p class="pnext">His colleague lingered a moment. "You plead for the -senseless dust that can neither feel nor suffer," he said; "you -can pity that. How is it you cannot pity yourself?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"That which you destroy to-morrow is not myself. It is -only my garment, my tent. Yet even over that Christ watches. -He can raise it glorious from the ashes of the Quemadero as -easily as from the church where the bones of my fathers sleep. -For I am his, soul and body--the purchase of his blood. And -why should it be a marvel in your eyes that I rejoice to give my -life for him who gave his own for me?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"God grant thee even yet to die in his grace!" answered -the Inquisitor, somewhat moved. "I do not despair of thee. -I will pray for thee, and visit thee again to-night." So saying, -he hastened after the prior.</p> -<p class="pnext">For a season Carlos sat motionless, his soul filled to -overflowing with a calm, deep tide of awed and wondering joy. No -room was there for any thought save one--"I shall see His -face; I shall be with Him for ever." Over the Thing that lay -between he could spring as joyously as a child might leap -across a brook to reach his father's outstretched hand.</p> -<p class="pnext">At length his eye fell, perhaps by accident, on the little -writing-book which lay near. He drew it towards him, and -having found out the place where the last entry was made, -wrote rapidly beneath it,--</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">"To depart and to be with Christ is far better. My beloved -father is gone to him in peace to-day. I too go in peace, -though by a rougher path, to-morrow. Surely goodness and -mercy have followed me all the days of my life, and I shall -dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.</p> -<p class="pnext">"CARLOS ALVAREZ DE SANTILLANOS Y MENAYA."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">And with a strange consciousness that he had now signed his -name for the last time, he carefully affixed to it his own -especial "rubrica," or sign-manual.</p> -<p class="pnext">Then came one thought of earth--only one--the last. "God, -in his great mercy, grant that my brother may be far away! I -would not that he saw my face to-morrow. For the pain and -the shame can be seen of all; while that which changes them -to glory no man knoweth, save he that receiveth it. But, -wherever thou art, God bless thee, my Ruy!" And drawing -the book towards him again, he added, as if by a sudden -impulse, to what he had already written, "God bless thee, my -Ruy!"</p> -<p class="pnext">Soon afterwards the Alguazils arrived to conduct him back -to the Triana. Then, turning to his dead once more, he kissed -the pale forehead, saying, "Farewell, for a little while. Thou -didst never taste death; nor shall I. Instead of thee and me, -Christ drank that cup."</p> -<p class="pnext">And then, for the second time, the gate of the Triana opened -to receive Don Carlos Alvarez. At sunrise next morning its -gloomy portals were unlocked, and he, with others, passed -forth from beneath their shadow. Not to return again to that -dark prison, there to linger out the slow and solitary hours of -grief and pain. His warfare was accomplished, his victory was -won. Long before the sun had arisen again upon the weary -blood-stained earth, a brighter sun arose for him who had done -with earth. All his desire was granted, all his longings were -fulfilled. He saw the face of Christ, and he was with Him for -ever.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="is-it-too-late">XLVI.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Is it too Late?</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Death upon his face</div> -<div class="line">Is rather shine than shade;</div> -<div class="line">A tender shine by looks beloved made:</div> -<div class="line">He seemeth dying in a quiet place."--E. B. Browning.</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">The mountain-snow lay white around the old castle of -Nuera; but within there was light and warmth. Joy -and gladness were there also, "thanksgiving and the -voice of melody;" for Doña Beatrix, graver and paler than of -old, and with the brilliant lustre of her dark eyes subdued to a -kind of dewy softness, was singing a cradle-song beside the cot -where her first-born slept.</p> -<p class="pnext">The babe had just been baptized by Fray Sebastian. With -a pleading, wistful look had Dolores asked her lord, the day -before, what name he wished his son to bear. But he only -answered, "The heir of our house always bears the name of -Juan." Another name was far dearer to memory; but not yet -could he accustom his lips to utter it, or his ear to bear the -sound.</p> -<p class="pnext">Now he came slowly into the room, holding in his hand an -unsealed letter. Doña Beatriz looked up. "He sleeps," she -said.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then let him sleep on, señora mia."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But will you not look? See, how pretty he is! How he -smiles in his sleep! And those dear small hands--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Have their share in dragging me further than you wot of, -my Beatriz."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nay; what dost thou mean? Do not be grave and sad -to-day--not to-day, Don Juan."</p> -<p class="pnext">"My beloved, God knows I would not cloud thy brow with -a single care if I could help it. Nor am I sad. Only we must -think. Here is a letter from the Duke of Savoy (and very -gracious and condescending too), inviting me to take my place -once more in His Catholic Majesty's army."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But you will not go? We are so happy together here."</p> -<p class="pnext">"My Beatriz, I <em class="italics">dare</em> not go. I would have to fight"--(here -he broke off, and cast a hasty glance round the room, from the -habit of dreading listeners)--"I would have to fight against -those whose cause is just the cause I hold dearest upon earth, -I would have to deny my faith by the deeds of every day. But -yet, how to refuse and not stand dishonoured in the eyes of the -world, a traitor and a coward, I know not."</p> -<p class="pnext">"No dishonour could ever touch thee, my brave and noble Juan."</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan's brow relaxed a little. "But that men should -even <em class="italics">think</em> it did, is what I could not bear," he said. -"Besides"--and he drew nearer the cradle, and looked fondly down at -the little sleeper--"it does not seem to me, my Beatriz, that I -dare bring up this child God has given me to the bitter heritage -of a slave."</p> -<p class="pnext">"A slave!" repeated Doña Beatriz, almost with a cry. -"Now Heaven help us, Don Juan; are you mad? You, of -noblest lineage--you, Alvarez de Meñaya--to call your own -first-born a slave!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I call any one a slave who dares not speak out what he -thinks, and act out what he believes," returned Don Juan -sadly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"And what is it that you would do then?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Would to God that I knew! But the future is all dark to -me. I see not a single step before me."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Then, amigo mio, do not look before you. Let the future -alone, and enjoy the present, as I do."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Truly that baby face would charm many a care away," said -Juan, with another fond glance at the sleeping child. "But a -man <em class="italics">must</em> look before him, and a Christian man must ask -what God would have him to do. Moreover, this letter of -the duke demands an answer, Yea or Nay."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Señor Don Juan, I desire to speak with your Excellency," -said the voice of Dolores at the door.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Come in, Dolores."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nay, señor, I want you here." This peremptory sharpness -was very unlike the wonted manner of Dolores.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan came forth immediately. Dolores signed to him -to shut the door. Then, not till then, she began,--"Señor Don -Juan, two brethren of the Society of Jesus have come from -Seville, and are now in the village."</p> -<p class="pnext">"What then? Surely you do not fear that they suspect -anything with regard to us?" asked Juan, in some alarm.</p> -<p class="pnext">"No; but they have brought tidings."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You tremble, Dolores. You are ill. Speak--what is it?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"They have brought tidings of a great Act of Faith, to be -held at Seville, upon a day not yet fixed when they left the -city, but towards the end of this month."</p> -<p class="pnext">For a moment the two stood silent, gazing in each other's -faces. Then Dolores said, in an eager breathless whisper, -"You will go, señor?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan shook his head. "What you are thinking of, Dolores, -is a dream--a vain, wild dream. Long since, I doubt not, he -rests with God."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But if we had the proof of it, rest might come to us," said -Dolores, large tears gathering slowly in her eyes.</p> -<p class="pnext">"It is true," Juan mused; "they may wreak their vengeance -on the dust."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And for the assurance that would give that nothing more -was left them, I, a poor woman, would joyfully walk barefoot -from this to Seville and back again."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan hesitated no longer. "<em class="italics">I go</em>," he said. "Dolores, seek -Fray Sebastian, and send him to me at once. Bid Jorge be -ready with the horses to start to-morrow at daybreak. -Meanwhile, I will prepare Doña Beatriz for my sudden departure."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">Of that hurried winter journey, Don Juan was never afterwards -heard to speak. No one of its incidents seemed to have -made the slightest impression on his mind, or even to have -been remembered by him.</p> -<p class="pnext">But at last he drew near Seville. It was late in the evening, -however, and he had told his attendant they should spend the -night at a village eight or nine miles from their destination.</p> -<p class="pnext">Suddenly Jorge cried out. "Look there, señor, the city is -on fire."</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan looked. A lurid crimson glow paled the stars in -the southern sky. With a shudder he bowed his head, and -veiled his face from the awful sight.</p> -<p class="pnext">"That fire is <em class="italics">without the gate</em>," he said at last. "Pray for -the souls that are passing in anguish now."</p> -<p class="pnext">Noble, heroic souls! Probably Juliano Hernandez, possibly -Fray Constantino, was amongst them. These were the only -names that occurred to Don Juan's mind, or were breathed in -his fervent, agitated prayer.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yonder is the posada, señor," said the attendant presently.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nay, Jorge, we will ride on. There will be no sleepers in -Seville to-night."</p> -<p class="pnext">"But, señor," remonstrated the servant, "the horses are -weary. We have travelled far to-day already."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Let them rest afterwards," said Juan briefly. Motion, just -then, was an absolute necessity to him. He could not have -rested anywhere, within sight of that awful glare.</p> -<p class="pnext">Two hours afterwards he drew the rein of his weary steed -before the house of his cousin Doña Inez. He had no scruple -in asking for admission in the middle of the night, as he knew -that, under the circumstances, the household would not fail to -be astir. His summons was speedily answered, and he was -conducted to a hall opening on the patio.</p> -<p class="pnext">Thither, after a brief interval, came Juanita, bearing a lamp -in her hand, which she set down on the table. "My lady -will see your Excellency presently," said the girl, with a shy, -frightened air, which was very unlike her, but which Juan was -too preoccupied to notice. "But she is much indisposed. -My lord was obliged to accompany her home from the Act of -Faith before it was half over."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan expressed the concern he felt, and desired that she -would not incommode herself upon his account. Perhaps Don -Garçia, if he had not yet retired to rest, would converse with -him for a few moments.</p> -<p class="pnext">"My lady said she must speak with you herself," answered -Juanita, as she left the room.</p> -<p class="pnext">After a considerable time Doña Inez appeared. In that -southern climate youth and beauty fade quickly; and yet Juan -was by no means prepared for the changed, worn, haggard face -that gazed on him now. There was no pomp of apparel to -carry off the impression. Doña Inez wore a loose dark -dressing-robe; and a hasty careless hand seemed to have untwined the -usual ornaments from her black hair. Her eyes were like those -of one who has wept for hours, and then only ceased for very -weariness.</p> -<p class="pnext">She stretched out both her hands to Juan--"O Don Juan, -I never meant it! I never meant it!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Señora and my cousin, I have but just arrived here. I do -not understand you," said Juan, rising to greet her.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Santa Maria! Then you know not!--Horrible!"</p> -<p class="pnext">She sank into a seat Juan stood gazing at her eagerly, -almost wildly. "Yes; I understand all now," he said at last. -"I suspected it."</p> -<p class="pnext"><em class="italics">He</em> saw in imagination a black chest, with a little lifeless -dust within it; a rude shapeless figure, robed in the hideous -zamarra, and bearing in large letters the venerated name, -"Alvarez de Santillanos y Meñaya." While she saw a living -face, that would never cease to haunt her memory until death -shadowed all things.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Let me speak," she gasped; "and I will try to be calm. -I did not wish to go. It was the day of the last Auto, you -remember, that my poor brother died, and altogether---- But -Don Garçia insisted. He said everybody would talk, and -especially when the taint had touched our own house. Besides, -Doña Juana de Bohorques, who died in prison, was to be -publicly declared innocent, and her property restored to her -heirs. Out of regard to the family, it was thought we ought -to be present. O Don Juan, if I had but known! I would -rather have put on a sanbenito myself than have gone there. -God grant it did not hurt him!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"How could it possibly hurt him, my tender-hearted cousin?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Hush! Let me go on now, while I can speak of it; or I -shall never, never tell you. And I must. <em class="italics">He</em> would have -wished---- Well, we were seated in what they called good -places; very near the condemned; in fact, the scaffold opposite -was plain to us as you are to me now. But that last time, and -Doña Maria's look, and Dr. Cristobal's, haunted me, so that I -did not dare to raise my eyes to where <em class="italics">they</em> sat;--not until -long after the mass had begun. And I knew besides there -were so many women there--eight on that dreadful top bench, -doomed to die. But at last a lady who sat near me bade me -look at one of the relaxed, a little man, who was pointing -upwards and making signs to his companions to encourage -them. 'Do not look, señora,' said Don Garçia, quickly--but -too late. O Don Juan, I saw his face!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"His LIVING face? Not his living face?" cried Juan, with a -shudder that convulsed his strong frame from head to foot -And the Name--the one awful Name that rises to all human -lips in moments of supreme emotion--broke from his in a wail -of anguish.</p> -<p class="pnext">Doña Inez tried to speak; but in vain. Thoroughly broken -down, she wept and sobbed aloud. But the sight of the rigid, -tearless face before her checked her tears at last. She gained -power to go on. "I saw him. Worn and pale, of course; -yet not changed so greatly, after all. The same dear, kind, -familiar face I had seen last in this room, when he caressed -and played with my child. Not sad, not as though he suffered. -Rather as though he had suffered long ago; but was beyond it all, -even then. A still, patient, fearless look, eyes that saw -everything; and yet nothing seemed to trouble him. I bore it until -they were reading the sentences, and came to his. But when -I saw the Alguazil strike him--the blow that relaxed to the -secular arm--I could endure no more. I believe I cried aloud. -But in fact I know not what I did. I know nothing more till -Don Garçia and my brother Don Manuel were carrying me -through the crowd."</p> -<p class="pnext">"No word! Was there no word spoken?" asked Juan wildly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">No</em>; but I heard some one near me say that he talked with -that muleteer in the court of the Triana, and spoke words of -comfort to a poor woman amongst the penitents, whom they -called Maria Gonsalez."</p> -<p class="pnext">All was told now. Maddened with rage and anguish, Juan -rushed from the room, from the house; and, without being -conscious of any settled purpose, in five minutes found himself -far on his way to the Dominican convent adjoining the -Triana.</p> -<p class="pnext">His servant, who was still waiting at the gate, followed him -to ask for orders, and with difficulty overtook him, and arrested -his steps.</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan sternly silenced his faltering, agitated question as to -what was wrong with his lord. "Go to rest," he said, "and -meet me in the morning by the great gate of San Isodro." Nothing -was clear to him; but that he must shake off as soon -as possible the dust of the wicked, cruel city from his feet. -And San Isodro was the only trysting-place without its walls -that happened at the moment to occur to his bewildered brain.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="the-dominican-prior">XLVII.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">The Dominican Prior.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"Oh, deep is a wounded heart, and strong</div> -<div class="line">A voice that cries against mighty wrong!</div> -<div class="line">And full of death as a hot wind's blight.</div> -<div class="line">Doth the ire of a crushed affection light."--Hemans.</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">"Tell the prior Don Juan Alvarez de Santillanos y -Meñaya desires to speak with him, and that -instantly," said Juan to the drowsy lay brother who -at last answered his impatient summons, lantern in hand.</p> -<p class="pnext">"My lord has but just retired to rest, and cannot now be -disturbed," answered the attendant, looking with some curiosity, -not to say surprise, at the visitor, who seemed to think three -o'clock of a winter morning a proper and suitable hour to -demand instant audience of a great man.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I will wait," said Juan, walking into the court.</p> -<p class="pnext">The attendant led him to a parlour; then, holding the door -ajar, he said, "Let his Excellency pardon me, I did not hear -distinctly his worship's honourable name."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Don Juan Alvarez de Santillanos y Meñaya. The prior -knows it--too well."</p> -<p class="pnext">It was evident from his face that the poor lay brother knew -it also. And so that night did every man, woman, and child -in Seville. It had become a name of infamy.</p> -<p class="pnext">With a hasty "Yes, yes, señor," the door was closed, and -Juan was left alone.</p> -<p class="pnext">What had brought him there? Did he mean to accuse the -Dominican of his brother's murder, or did he only intend to -reproach him--him who had once shown some pity to the -captive--for not saving him from that horrible doom? He himself -scarcely knew. He had been driven thither by a wild, unreasoning -impulse, an instinct of passionate rage, prompting him to -grasp at the only shadow of revenge that lay within his reach. -If he could not execute God's awful judgments against the -persecutors, at least he could denounce them. A poor substitute, -but all that remained to him. Without it his heart must break.</p> -<p class="pnext">Yet that unreasoning impulse had a kind of unconscious reason -in it, since it led him to seek the presence of the Dominican -prior, and not that of the far more guilty Munebrãga. For who -would accuse a tiger, reproach a wolf? Words would be wasted -upon such. For them there is no argument but the spear and -the bullet. A man can only speak to men.</p> -<p class="pnext">To do Fray Ricardo justice, he was so much of a man that -sleep did not visit his eyes that night. When at length his -attendants thought fit to inform him that Don Juan desired to see -him, he was still kneeling, as he had knelt for hours, before the -crucifix in his private oratory. "Saviour of the world, so much -didst thou suffer," this was the key-note of his thoughts; "and -shall I weakly pity thine enemies, or shrink from seeing them -suffer what they have deserved at thy hands and those of thy -holy Church?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Alvarez de Santillanos y Meñaya waits below!" Just then -Don Fray Ricardo would rather have held his right hand in the -fire than have gone forth to face one bearing that name. But, -for that very reason, no sooner did he hear that Don Juan -awaited him than he robed himself in his cowl and mantle, -took a lamp in his hand (for it was still dark), and went down -to meet the visitor. For that morning he was in the mood to -welcome any form of self-torture that came in his way, and to -find a strange but real relief in it.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Peace be with thee, my son," was his grave but courteous -salutation, as he entered the parlour. He looked upon Juan -with mournful compassion, as the last of a race over which there -hung a terrible doom.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Let your peace be with murderers like yourselves, or with -slaves like those that work your will; I fling it back to you in -scorn," was the fierce reply.</p> -<p class="pnext">The Dominican recoiled a step--only a step, for he was a -brave man, and his face, pale with conflict and watching, grew -a shade paler.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Do you think I mean to harm you?" cried Juan in yet -fiercer scorn. "Not a hair of your tonsured head. See there!" He -unbuckled his sword, and threw it from him, and it fell with -a clang on the floor.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Young man, you would consult your own safety as well as -your own honour by adopting a different tone," said the prior, -not without dignity.</p> -<p class="pnext">"My safety is little worth consulting. I am a bold, rough -soldier, used to peril and violence. Would it were such, and -such alone, that you menaced. But, fiends that you are, would -no one serve you for a victim save my young, gentle, unoffending -brother; he who never harmed you nor any one? Would -nothing satisfy your malice but to immure him in your hideous -dungeons for two-and-thirty long slow months, in what suffering -of mind and body God alone can tell; and then, at last, to bring -him forth to that horrible death? I curse you! I curse you! -Nay, that is nothing; who am I to curse? I invoke God's curse -upon you! I give you up into God's hands this hour! When -He maketh inquisition for blood--another inquisition than -yours--I pray him to exact from you, murderers of the innocent, -torturers of the just, every drop of blood, every tear, every pang -of which he has been the witness, as he shall be the avenger."</p> -<p class="pnext">At last the prior found a voice. Hitherto he had listened -spell-bound, as one oppressed by nightmare, powerless to free -himself from the hideous burden. "Man!" he cried, "you are -raving; the Holy Office--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Is the arch-fiend's own contrivance, and its ministers his -favourite servants," interrupted Juan, reckless in his rage, and -defying all consequences.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Blasphemy! This may not be borne," and Fray Ricardo -stretched out his hand towards a bell that lay on the table.</p> -<p class="pnext">But Juan's strong grasp prevented his touching it. He could -not shake off that as easily as he had shaken off a pale thin -hand two days before. "I shall speak forth my mind this -once," he said. "After that, what you please.--Go on. Fill -your cup full to the brim. Immure, plunder, burn, destroy. -Pile up, high as heaven, your hecatomb of victims, offered to -the God of love. At least there is one thing that may be said -in your favour. In your cruelties there is a horrible impartiality. -It can never be spoken of you that you have gone out into the -highways and hedges, taken the blind and the lame, and made -of them your burnt sacrifice. No. You go into the closest -guarded homes; you take thence the gentlest, the tenderest, -the fairest, the best, and of such you make your burnt-offering. -And you--are your hearts human, or are they not? If they are, -stifle them, crush them down into silence while you can; for -a day will come when you can stifle them no longer. That will -begin your punishment. You will feel remorse."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Man, let me go!" interrupted the indignant yet half-frightened -prior, struggling vainly to free himself from his grasp. -"Cease your blasphemies. Men only feel remorse when they -have sinned; and I serve God and the Church."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yet, servant of the Church (for God's servant I am not -profane enough to call you), speak to me this once as man to -man, and tell me, did a victim's pale face never haunt you, a -victim's agonized cry never ring in your ears?"</p> -<p class="pnext">For just an instant the prior winced, as one who feels a sharp -sudden pain, but determines to conceal it.</p> -<p class="pnext">"There!" cried Juan--and at last he released his arm and -flung it from him--"I read an answer in your look. You, at -least, are capable of remorse."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You are false there," the prior broke in. "Remorse is not -for me."</p> -<p class="pnext">"No? Then all the worse for you--infinitely the worse. -Yet it may be. You may sleep and rise, and go to your rest -again untroubled by an accusing conscience. You may sit down -to eat and drink with the wail of your brother's anguish ringing -in your ears, like Munebrãga, who sits feasting yonder in his -marble hall, with the ashes yet hot on the Quemadero. Until -you go down quick into hell, and the pit shuts her mouth upon -you. Then, THEN shall you drink of the wine of the wrath of -God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his -indignation; and you shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in -the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Thou art beside thyself," cried the prior; "and I, scarce -less mad than thou, to listen to thy ravings. Yet hear me a -moment, Don Juan Alvarez. I have not merited these insane -reproaches. To you and yours I have been more a friend than -you wot of."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Noble friendship! I thank you for it, as it deserves."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You have given me, this hour, more than cause enough to -order your instant arrest."</p> -<p class="pnext">"You are welcome. It were shame indeed if I could not -bear at your hands what my gentle brother bore."</p> -<p class="pnext">The last of his race! The father dead in prison; the mother -dead long ago (Fray Ricardo himself best knew why); the -brother burned to ashes. "I think you have a wife, perhaps a -child?" asked the prior hurriedly.</p> -<p class="pnext">"A young wife, and an infant son," said Juan, softening a -little at the thought.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Wild as your words have been, I am yet willing, for their -sakes, to show you forbearance. According to the lenity which -ministers of the Holy Office--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Have learned from their father the devil," interrupted Juan, -the flame of his wrath blazing up again. "After what the stars -looked down on last night, dare to mock me with thy talk of -lenity!"</p> -<p class="pnext">"You are in love with destruction," said the prior. "But I -have heard you long enough. Now hear me. You have been, -ere this, under grave suspicion. Indeed, you would have been -arrested, only that your brother endured the Question without -revealing anything to your disadvantage. That saved you."</p> -<p class="pnext">But here he stopped, struck with astonishment at the sudden -change his words had wrought.</p> -<p class="pnext">A man stabbed to the heart makes no outcry, he does not -even moan or writhe. Nor did Juan. Mutely he sank on the -nearest seat, all his rage and defiance gone now. A moment -before he stood over the shrinking Inquisitor like a prophet of -doom or an avenging angel; now he cowered crushed and -silent, stricken to the soul. There was a long silence. Then -he raised a changed, sad look to the prior's face. "He bore -<em class="italics">that</em> for me," he said, "and I never knew it."</p> -<p class="pnext">In the cold gray morning light, now filling the room, he -looked utterly forlorn and broken. The prior could even afford -to pity him. He questioned, mildly enough, "How was it -you did not know it? Fray Sebastian Gomez, who visited him -in prison, was well aware of the fact."</p> -<p class="pnext">In Juan's present mood every faculty was stimulated to -unnatural activity. This perhaps enabled him to divine a truth -which in calmer moments might have escaped him. "My -brother," he said, in a low tone of deep emotion, "my heroic, -tender-hearted brother must have bidden him conceal it from me."</p> -<p class="pnext">"It was strange," said the prior, and his thoughts ran back -to other things which were strange also--to the uniform patience -and gentleness of Carlos; to the fortitude with which, whilst -acknowledging his own faith, he had steadily refused to -compromise any one else; to the self-forgetfulness with which he -had shielded his father's last hours from disturbance. Granted -that the heretic was a wild beast, "made to be taken and -destroyed," even the hunter may admire unblamed the grace and -beauty of the creature who has just fallen beneath his relentless -weapon. Something like a mist rose to the eyes of Fray Ricardo, -taking him by surprise.</p> -<p class="pnext">Still, the interests of the Faith were paramount with him. -All that had been done had been well done; he would not, if -he could, undo any part of it. But did his duty to the Faith -and to Holy Church require that he should hunt the remaining -brother to death, and thus "quench the coal that was left"? -He hoped not; he thought not. And, although he would not -have allowed it to himself, the words that followed were really -a peace-offering to the shade of Carlos.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Young man, I am willing, for my own part, to overlook the -wild words you have uttered, regarding them as the outpourings -of insanity, and making moreover due allowance for your -natural fraternal sorrow. Still you must be aware that you have -laid yourself open, and not for the first time, to grave suspicion -of heresy. I should not only sin against my own conscience, -but also expose myself to the penalties of a grievous irregularity, -did I take no steps for the vindication of the Faith and your -just and well-merited punishment. Therefore give ear to -what I say. <em class="italics">This day week</em> I bring the matter before the Table -of the Holy Office, of which I have the honour to be an -unworthy member. And God grant you the grace of repentance, -and his forgiveness."</p> -<p class="pnext">Having said this, Fray Ricardo left the room. He disappears -also from our pages, where he occupied a place as a type of the -less numerous and less guilty class of persecutors--those who -not only thought they were doing God service (Munebrãga may -have thought that, but he was only willing to do God such -service as cost him nothing), but who were honestly anxious to -serve him to the best of their ability. His future is hidden -from our sight. We cannot even undertake to say whether, -when death drew near,--if the name of Alvarez de Meñaya -occurred to him at all,--he reproached himself for his sternness -to the brother whom he had consigned to the flames, or for his -weakness to the brother to whom he had generously given a -chance of life and liberty.</p> -<p class="pnext">It is not usually the most guilty who hear the warning voice -that denounces their crimes and threatens their doom. Such -words as Don Juan spoke to Fray Ricardo could not, by any -conceivable possibility, have been uttered in the presence of -Gonzales de Munebrãga.</p> -<p class="pnext">Soon afterwards a lay brother, the same who had admitted -Don Juan, entered the room and placed wine on the table -before him. "My lord the prior bade me say your Excellency -seemed exhausted, and should refresh yourself ere you depart," -he explained.</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan motioned it away. He could not trust himself to speak. -But did Fray Ricardo imagine he would either eat bread or -drink water beneath the roof that sheltered <em class="italics">him</em>?</p> -<p class="pnext">Still the poor man lingered, standing before him with the air -of one who had something to say which he did not exactly -know how to bring out.</p> -<p class="pnext">"You may tell your lord that I am going," said Juan, rising -wearily, and with a look that certainly told of exhaustion.</p> -<p class="pnext">"If it please your noble Excellency--" and the lay brother -stopped and hesitated.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Well?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Let his Excellency pardon me. Could his worship have -the misfortune to be related, very distantly no doubt, to one of -the heretics who--"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Don Carlos Alvarez was my brother," said Juan proudly.</p> -<p class="pnext">The poor lay brother drew nearer to him, and lowered his -voice to a mysterious whisper. "Señor and your Excellency, -he was here in prison for a long time. It was thought that my -lord the prior had a kindness for him, and wished him better -used than they use the criminals in the Santa Casa. It -happened that the prisoner whose cell he shared died the day before -his--<em class="italics">removal</em>. So that the cell was empty, and it fell to my -lot to cleanse it. Whilst I was doing it I found this; I think -it belonged to him."</p> -<p class="pnext">He drew from beneath his serge gown a little book, and -handed it to Juan, who seized it as a starving man might seize -a piece of bread. Hastily taking out his purse, he flung it in -exchange to the lay brother; and then, just as the matin bells -began to ring, he buckled on his sword and went forth.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="san-isodro-once-more">XLVIII.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">San Isodro Once More.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"And if with milder anguish now I bear</div> -<div class="line">To think of thee in thy forsaken rest;</div> -<div class="line">If from my heart be lifted the despair,</div> -<div class="line">The sharp remorse with healing influence pressed.</div> -<div class="line">It is that Thou the sacrifice hast blessed,</div> -<div class="line">And filled my spirit, in its inmost cell,</div> -<div class="line">With a deep chastened sense that all at last is well."--Hemans</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">The cloudless sky above him, the fresh morning air on -his cheek, the dew-drops on his feet, Don Juan -walked along. The river--his own bright Guadalquivir--glistened -in the early sunshine; and soon his pathway -led him amidst the gray ruins of old Italica, while among the -brambles that half hid them, glittering lizards, startled by his -footsteps, ran in and out. But he saw nothing, felt nothing, -save the passionate pain that burned in his heart. During his -interview with Fray Ricardo he had been, practically and for -the time, what the prior called him, insane--mad with rage and -hate. But now rage was dying out for the present, and giving -place to anguish.</p> -<p class="pnext">Is the worst pang earth has to give that of witnessing the -sufferings of our beloved? Or is there yet one keener, more -thrilling? That they should suffer alone; no hand near to -help, no voice to speak sympathy, no eye to look "ancient -kindness" on their pain. That they should die--die in -anguish--and still alone,--</p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line">"With eyes turned away,</div> -<div class="line">And no last word to say."</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">Don Juan was now drinking that bitter cup to its very dregs. -What the young brother, his one earthly tie, had been to him, -need not here be told; and assuredly he could not have told it. -He had been all his life a thing to protect and shield--as the -strong protect the weak, as manhood shields womanhood and -childhood. Had God but taken him with his own right hand, -Juan would have thought it a light matter, a sorrow easily -borne. But, instead, He stood afar off--He did not help; -whilst men, cruel as fiends from the bottomless pit, did their -worst, their very worst, upon him. And with refined -self-torture he went through all the horrible details, as far as he -knew or could guess them. Nor did he spare to stab his own -heart with that keenest weapon of all--"It was <em class="italics">for me</em>; for me -he endured the Question." The cry of his brother's -anguish--anguish borne for him--seemed to sound in his ears and to -haunt him: he felt that it would haunt him evermore.</p> -<p class="pnext">Of course, there was a well of comfort near, which a child's -hand might have pointed out to him: "All is over now; he suffers -no longer--he is at rest." But who ever stoops to drink from -that well in the parching thirst of the first hour of such a grief -as his? In truth, all was over for Carlos; but all was not over -for Juan. He had to pass through his dark hour as really as -Carlos had passed through his.</p> -<p class="pnext">Again the agony almost maddened him; again wild hatred -and rage against his brother's torturers rose and surged like a -flood within him. And with these were mingled thoughts, too -nearly rebellious, of Him whom that brother trusted so firmly -and served so faithfully; as if he had used his servant hardly, -and forsaken him in his hour of sorest need.</p> -<p class="pnext">He shrank with horror from every wayfarer he chanced to -meet, imagining that his eyes might have looked on his brother's -suffering. But at last he came unawares upon the gate of San -Isodro. Left unbarred by some accident, it yielded to his -touch, and he entered the monastery grounds. At that very -spot, three years ago, the brothers parted, on the day that Carlos -avowed his change of faith. Yet not even that remembrance -could bring a tear to the hot and angry eyes of Juan. But just -then he happened to recollect the book he had received from -the lay brother. He took it from its place of concealment, and -eagerly began to examine it. It was almost filled with writing; -but not, alas! from that beloved hand. So he flung it aside in -bitter disappointment. Then becoming suddenly conscious of -bodily weakness, he half sat down, half threw himself on the -ground. His vigorous frame and his strong nerves saved him -from swooning outright: he only lay sick and faint, the blue -sky looking black above him, and a strange, indistinct sound, -as of many voices, murmuring in his ears.</p> -<p class="pnext">By-and-by he became conscious that some one was holding -water to his lips, and trying, though with an awkward, trembling -hand, to loose his doublet at the throat. He drank, shook off -his weakness, and looked about him. A very old man, in a -white tunic and brown mantle, was bending over him -compassionately. In another moment he was on his feet; and -having briefly thanked the aged monk for his kindness, he -turned his face to the gate.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nay, my son," the old man interposed; "San Isodro is -changed--changed! Still the sick and weary never left its -gates unaided; and they shall not begin now--not now. I -pray you come with me to the house, and refresh and rest -yourself there."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan was not reckless enough to refuse what in truth he sorely -needed. He entered the monastery under the guidance of poor -old Fray Bernardo, who had been passed by, perhaps in scorn, -by the persecutors: and so, after all, he had his wish--he -should die and be buried in peace where he had passed his life -from boyhood to extreme old age. Yet there was something -sad in the thought that the storm that swept by had left -untouched the poor, useless, half-withered tree, while it tore -down the young and strong and noble oaks, the pride of the -now desolated forest.</p> -<p class="pnext">The few cowed and terrified monks who had been allowed -to remain in the convent received Don Juan with great -kindness. They set food and wine before him: food he could not -touch, but wine he accepted with thankfulness. And they -almost insisted on his endeavouring to take some rest; assuring -him that when his servant and horses should arrive, they would -see them properly cared for, until such time as he might be able -to resume his journey.</p> -<p class="pnext">His journey would not brook delay, as he knew full well. -That his young wife might not be a widow and his babe an -orphan, he "charged his soul to hold his body strengthened" -for the work that both had to do. Back to Nuera for these -dear ones as swiftly as the fleetest horses would bear him, then -to Seville again, and on board the first ship he could meet with -bound for any foreign port,--would the term of grace assigned -him by the Inquisitor suffice for all this? Certainly not a -moment should be lost.</p> -<p class="pnext">"I will rest for an hour," he said. "But I pray you, my -fathers, do me one kindness first. Is there a man here who -witnessed--what was done yesterday?"</p> -<p class="pnext">A young monk came forward. Juan led him into the cell -which had been prepared for him to rest in, and leaning against -its little window, with his face turned away, he murmured one -agitated question. Three words comprised the answer,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"<em class="italics">Calmly, silently, quickly.</em>"</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan's breast heaved and his strong frame trembled. After -a long interval he said, still without looking,--</p> -<p class="pnext">"Now tell me of the others. Name him no more."</p> -<p class="pnext">"No less than <em class="italics">eight</em> ladies died the martyr's death," said the -monk, who cared not, before <em class="italics">this</em> auditor, to conceal his own -sentiments. "One of them was Señora Maria Gomez; your -Excellency probably knows her story. Her three daughters -and her sister died with her. When their sentences were read, -they embraced on the scaffold, and bade each other farewell -with tears. Then they comforted each other with holy words -about our Lord and his passion, and the home he was preparing -for them above."</p> -<p class="pnext">Here the young monk paused for a few moments; then went -on, his voice still trembling: "There were, moreover, two -Englishmen and a Frenchman, who all died bravely. Lastly, -there was Juliano Hernandez."</p> -<p class="pnext">"Ah! tell me of him."</p> -<p class="pnext">"He died as he had lived. In the morning, when brought -out into the court of the Triana, he cried aloud to his -fellow-sufferers,--'Courage, comrades! Now must we show ourselves -valiant soldiers of Jesus Christ. Let us bear faithful testimony -to his truth before men, and in a few hours we shall receive the -testimony of his approbation before angels, and triumph with -him in heaven.' Though silenced, he continued throughout -the day to encourage his companions by his gestures. On the -Quemadero, he knelt down and kissed the stone upon which -the stake was erected; then thrust his head among the fagots -to show his willingness to suffer. But at the end, having raised -his hands in prayer, one of the attendant -priests--Dr. Rodriguez--mistook the -attitude for a sign that he would recant, -and made intercession with the Alguazils to give him a last -opportunity of speaking. He confessed his faith in a few strong, -brief words; and knowing the character of Rodriguez, told him -he thought the same himself, but hid his true belief out of fear. -The angry priest bade them light the pile at once. It was -done; but the guards, with kind cruelty, thrust the martyr through -with their lances, so that he passed, without much pain, into the -presence of the Lord whom he served as few have been -honoured to do."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And--Fray Constantino?" Juan questioned.</p> -<p class="pnext">"He was not, for God took him. They had only his dust to -burn. They have sought to slander his memory, saying he -raised his hand against his own life. But we knew the -contrary. It has reached our ears--I dare not tell you how--that -he died in the arms of one of our dear brethren from this -place--poor young Fray Fernando, who closed his eyes in -peace. It was from one of the dark underground cells of the -Triana that he passed straight to the glory of God."[#]</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] At the Auto they produced his effigy, -of the size of life, clad in his canon's robe, and -with the arms stretched out in the gesture -he had been wont to use in preaching; but it -caused such a demonstration of feeling among the people, -that they were obliged hastily -to withdraw it.</p> -<p class="left pnext small">It was at this Auto that Maria Gonsalez -was sentenced to receive two hundred lashes, -and to be imprisoned for ten years, for the -kindnesses she had shown the prisoners. An -equally severe punishment was awarded to the -under-gaoler Herrera for the offence of -having allowed a mother and three daughters, -who were imprisoned in separate cells, an -interview of half an hour; while the many cruelties -and peculations of the infamous -Benevidio were only chastised by the loss -of his situation and lit advantages, and banishment from Seville.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">"I thank you for your tidings," said Juan, slowly and faintly. -"And now I pray of you to leave me."</p> -<p class="pnext">After a considerable time, one of the monks softly opened -the door of their visitor's cell. He sat on the pallet prepared -for him, his head buried in his hands.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Señor," said the monk, "your servant has arrived, and -begs you to excuse his delay. It may be there are some -instructions you wish him to receive."</p> -<p class="pnext">Juan roused himself with an effort.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Yes," he said; "and I thank you. Will you add to your -kindness by bidding him immediately procure for us fresh -horses, the best and fleetest that can be had?" He sought his -purse; but, remembering in a moment what had become of it, -drew a ring from his finger to supply its loss. It was the -diamond ring that the Sieur de Ramenais had given him. A keen -pang shot through his heart. "No, not that; I cannot part -with it." He took two others instead--old family jewels. "Bid -him bring these," he said, "to Isaac Ozorio, who dwells in La -Juderia[#]--any man there will show him the house; take for -them whatever he will give him, and therewith hire fresh -horses--the best he can--from the posada where he rested, leaving -our own in pledge. Let him also buy provisions for the way; -for my business requires haste. I will explain all to you anon."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="left pfirst small">[#] The Jewish Quarter of Seville.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">While the monk did the errand, Don Juan sat still, gazing at -the diamond ring. Slowly there came back upon his memory -the words spoken by Carlos on the day when the sharp facets -cut his hand, unfelt by him: "If He calls me to suffer for him, -he may give me such blessed assurance of his love, that in the -joy of it pain and fear will vanish."</p> -<p class="pnext">Could it be possible He <em class="italics">had</em> done this? Oh, for some token, -to relieve his breaking heart by the assurance that thus it had -been! And yet, wherefore seek a sign? Was not the heroic -courage, the calm patience, given to that young brother, once -so frail and timid, as plain a token of the sunlight of God's -peace and presence as is the bow in the cloud of the sun -shining in the heavens? True; but not the less was his soul -filled with passionate longing for one word--only one -word--from the lips that were dust and ashes now. "If God would -give me <em class="italics">that</em>," he moaned, "I think I could weep for him."</p> -<p class="pnext">It occurred to him then that he might examine the book more -carefully than he had done before. Don Juan, of late, had -been no great reader, except of the Spanish Testament. Instead -of glancing rapidly through the volume with a practised eye, he -carefully began at the beginning and perused several pages -with diligence, and with a kind of compelled and painful attention.</p> -<p class="pnext">The writer of the diary with which the book seemed filled -had not prefixed his name. Consequently Juan, who was without -a clue to the authorship, saw in it merely the effusions of a -penitent, with whose feelings he had but little sympathy. Still, -he reflected that if the writer had been his brother's fellow -prisoner, some mention of his brother would probably reward -his persevering search. So he read on; but he was not greatly -interested, until at length he came to one passage which ran -thus:--</p> -<p class="pnext">"Christ and Our Lady forgive me, if it be a sin. Ofttimes, even -by prayer and fasting, I cannot prevent my thoughts from -wandering to the past. Not to the life I lived, and the part I acted -in the great world, for that is dead to me and I to it; but to -the dear faces my eyes shall never see again. -My Costanza!"--("Costanza!" thought Juan with a start, "that was my -mother's name!")--"my wife! my babe! O God, in thy great -mercy, still this hungering and thirsting of the heart!"</p> -<p class="pnext">Immediately beneath this entry was another. "<em class="italics">May</em> 21. My -Costanza, my beloved wife, is in heaven. It is more than a -year ago, but they did not tell me till to-day. Does death -only visit the free?"</p> -<p class="pnext">Yet another entry caught the eye of Juan. "Burning heat -to-day. It would be cool enough in the halls of Nuera, on the -breezy slope of the Sierra Morena. What does my orphaned -Juan Rodrigo there, I wonder?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Nuera! Sierra Morena! Juan Rodrigo!" reiterated the -astonished reader. What did it all mean? He was stunned -and bewildered, so that he had scarcely power left even to form -a conjecture. At last it occurred to him to turn to the other -end of the book, if perchance some name, affording a clue to -the mystery, might be inscribed there.</p> -<p class="pnext">And then he read, in another, well-known hand, a few calm -words, breathing peace and joy, "quietness and assurance for -ever."</p> -<p class="pnext">He pressed the loved handwriting to his lips, to his heart. -He sobbed over it and wept; blistering it with such burning -tears as scarcely come from a strong man's eyes more than once -in a lifetime. Then, flinging himself on his knees, he thanked -God--God whom he had doubted, murmured against, almost -blasphemed, and who yet had been true to his promise--true -to his tried and suffering servant in the hour of need.</p> -<p class="pnext">When he rose, he took up the book again, and read and -reread those precious words. All but the first he thought he -could comprehend. "My beloved father is gone to Him in -peace." Would the preceding entries throw any light upon <em class="italics">that</em> -saying!</p> -<p class="pnext">Once more, with changed feelings and quickened perceptions, -he turned back to the records of the penitent's long -captivity. Slowly and gradually the secret they revealed -unfolded itself before him. The history of the last nine months -of his brother's life lay clearly traced; and the light it shed -illumined another life also, longer, sadder, less glorious than -his.</p> -<p class="pnext">One entry, almost the last, and traced with a trembling hand, -he read over and over, till his eyes grew too dim to see the -words.</p> -<p class="pnext">"He entreats of me to pray for my absent Juan, and to bless -him. My son, my first-born, whose face I know not, but whom -he has taught me to love, I do bless thee. All blessings rest -upon thee--blessings of heaven above, blessings of the earth -beneath, blessings of the deep that lieth under! But for <em class="italics">thee</em>, -Carlos, what shall I say? I have no blessing fit for thee--no -word of love deep and strong enough to join with that name -of thine. Doth not He say, of whose tenderness thou tellest -me ours is but the shadow, 'He will <em class="italics">be silent</em> in his love'? -But may he read my heart in its silence, and bless thee, and repay -thee when thou comest to thy home, where already thy heart is."</p> -<p class="pnext">It might have been two hours afterwards, when the same -friendly monk who had narrated to Don Juan the circumstances -of the Auto-da-fé, came to apprise him that his servant had -fulfilled his errand, and was waiting with the horses.</p> -<p class="pnext">Don Juan rose and met him. His face was sad; it would -be a sad face always; but there was in it a look as of one who -saw the end, and who knew that, however dark the way might -be, the end was light everlasting. "Look here, my friend," -he said, for no concealment was necessary there; truth could -hurt no one. "See how wondrously God has dealt with me -and mine. Here is the record of the life and death of my -honoured father. For three-and-twenty years he lay in the -Dominican monastery, a prisoner for Christ's sake. And to my -heroic martyr brother God has given the honour and the joy of -unravelling the mystery of his fate, and thus fulfilling our -youthful dream. Carlos has found our father!"</p> -<p class="pnext">He went forth into the hall, and bade the other monks a -grateful farewell. Old Fray Bernardo embraced and blessed -him with tears, moved by the likeness, now discerned for the -first time, between the stately soldier and the noble and gentle -youth, whose kindness to him, during his residence at the -monastery three years before, he well remembered.</p> -<p class="pnext">Then Don Juan set his face towards Nuera, with patient -endurance, rather sad than stern, upon his brow, and in his -heart "a grief as deep as life or thought," but no rebellion, and -no despair. Something like resignation had come to him; -already he could say, or at least try to say, "Thy will be done." And -he foresaw, as in the distance, far off and faintly, a time -when he might even be able to share in spirit the joy of the -crowned and victorious one, to whom, in the dark prison, face -to face with death, God had so wondrously given the desire of -his heart, and not denied him the request of his lips.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center large pfirst" id="farewell">XLIX.</p> -<p class="center large pnext">Farewell.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<!-- --> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line">"My country is there;</div> -</div> -<div class="line">Beyond the star pricked with the last peak of snow."--E. B. Browning.</div> -<div class="line"> </div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst">About a fortnight afterwards, a closely veiled lady, -dressed in deep mourning, leaned over the side of -a merchant vessel, and gazed into the sapphire depths -of the Bay of Cadiz. A respectable elderly woman was standing -near her, holding her pretty dark-eyed babe. They seemed -to be under the protection of a Franciscan friar; and of a -stately, handsome serving-man, whose bearing and appearance -were rather out of keeping with his supposed rank. It was said -amongst the crew that the lady was the widow of a rich -Sevillian merchant, who during a residence in London some years -before had married an Englishwoman. She was now going to -join her kindred in the heretical country, and much compassion -was expended on her, as she was said to be very Catholic and -very pious. It was a signal proof of these dispositions that she -ventured to bring with her, as private chaplain, the Franciscan -friar, who, the sailors thought, would probably soon fall a -martyr to his attachment to the Faith.</p> -<p class="pnext">But a few illusions might have been dispelled, if the -conversation of the party, when for a brief space they had the deck to -themselves, could have been overheard.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Dost thou mourn that the shores of our Spain are fading -from us?" said the lady to the supposed servant.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Not as I should once have done, my Beatriz; though it is -still my fatherland, dearest and best of all lands to me. And -you, my beloved?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Where thou art is my country, Don Juan. Besides," she -added softly, "God is everywhere. And think what it will be -to worship him in peace, none making us afraid."</p> -<p class="pnext">"And you, my brave, true-hearted Dolores?" asked Don Juan.</p> -<p class="pnext">"Señor Don Juan, my country is <em class="italics">there</em>, with those that I love -best," said Dolores, with an upward glance of the large wistful -eyes, which had yet, in their sorrowful depths, a look of peace -unknown in past days. "What is Spain to me--Spain, that -would not give to the noblest of them all a few feet of her earth -for a grave?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"Do not let us stain with one bitter thought our last look at -those shores," said Don Juan, with the gentleness that was -growing upon him of late. "Remember that they who denied -a grave to our beloved, are powerless to rob us of one precious -memory of him. His grave is in our hearts; his memorial is -the faith which every one of us now standing here has learned -from him."</p> -<p class="pnext">"That is true," said Doña Beatriz. "I think that not all -thy teaching, Don Juan, made me understand what 'precious -faith' is, until I learned it by his death."</p> -<p class="pnext">"He gave up all for Christ, freely and joyfully," Juan -continued. "While I gave up nothing, save as it was wrenched -from my unwilling hand. Therefore for him there is the -'abundant entrance,' the 'crown of glory.' For me, at the best, -'Seekest thou great things for thyself, seek them not. But thy -life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou -goest.'"</p> -<p class="pnext">Fray Sebastian drew near at the moment, and happening to -overhear the last words, he asked, "Have you any plan, señor, -as to whither you will go?"</p> -<p class="pnext">"I have no plan," Don Juan answered. "But I think God -will guide us. I have indeed a dream," he added, after a pause, -"which may, or may not, come true eventually. My thoughts -often turn to that great New World, where, at least, there should -be room for truth and liberty. It was our childhood's dream, -to go forth to the New World and to find our father. And the -lesser half of it, comparatively worthless as it is, may fitly fall to -my lot to fulfil, another worthier than I having done the -rest." His voice grew gentler, his whole countenance softened as he -continued,--"That the prize was his, not mine, I rejoice. It -is but an earnest of the nobler victory, the grander triumph, -he enjoys now, amongst those who stand evermore before the -King of kings--CALLED, CHOSEN, AND FAITHFUL."</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center medium pfirst">Historical Note.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst">It may be asked by some thoughtful reader who has followed -the narrative of the foregoing pages, How much is fact, how -much fiction? As the writer's sole object is to reveal, to -enforce, and to illustrate Truth, an answer to the question is -gladly supplied. All is fact, except what concerns the -personal history of the Brothers and their family. Whatever -relates to the rise, progress, and downfall of the Protestant -Church in Spain, is strictly historical. Especially may be -mentioned the story of the two great Autos at Seville. But much -of interest on the subject remains untold, as nothing was taken -up but what would naturally amalgamate with the narrative -and it was not designed to supersede history, only to stimulate -to its study. Except in the instance of a conversation with -Juliano Hernandez, another with Don Carlos de Seso, and a -few words required by the exigencies of the tale from Losada, -the glorious martyr names have been left untouched by the -hand of fiction. It was a sense of their sacredness which led -the writer to choose for hero a character not historical, but -typical and illustrative. But nothing is told of him which did -not occur over and over again, if we except the act of mercy -which is supposed to have shed a brightness over his last days. -He is merely a given example, a specimen of the ordinary fate -of such prisoners of the Inquisition as were enabled to remain -faithful to the end; and, thank God, these were numerous. He -is even a favourable specimen; for the conditions of art require -that in a work of fiction a veil should be thrown over some of -the worst horrors of persecution. Those who accuse Protestant -writers of exaggeration in these matters, little know -what they say. Easily could we show greater abominations -than these; but we forbear.</p> -<p class="pnext">As for the joy and triumph ascribed to the steadfast martyr -at the close of his career, we have a thousand well-authenticated -instances that such has been really given. These -embrace all classes and ages, and all varieties of character, -and range throughout all time, from the day that Stephen saw -Christ sitting on the right hand of God, until the martyrs of -Madagascar sang hymns in the fire, and "prayed as long as -they had any life; and then they died, softly, gently."</p> -<p class="pnext">It is not fiction, but truest truth, that He repays his faithful -servants an hundred-fold, even in this life, for anything they do -or suffer for his name's sake.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst small">PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN.</p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 6em"> -</div> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="backmatter"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst" id="pg-end-line">*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK <span>THE SPANISH BROTHERS</span> ***</p> -<div class="cleardoublepage"> -</div> -<div class="language-en level-2 pgfooter section" id="a-word-from-project-gutenberg" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<span id="pg-footer"></span><h2 class="level-2 pfirst section-title title">A Word from Project Gutenberg</h2> -<p class="pfirst">We will update this book if we find any errors.</p> -<p class="pnext">This book can be found under: <a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/40346"><span>http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/40346</span></a></p> -<p class="pnext">Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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