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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/9762-0.txt b/9762-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..70ef65f --- /dev/null +++ b/9762-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2673 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Calderon The Courtier, by Edward Bulwer-Lytton + +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 Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Calderon The Courtier + A Tale + +Author: Edward Bulwer-Lytton + +Release Date: March 17, 2009 [EBook #9762] +Last Updated: August 28, 2016 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CALDERON THE COURTIER *** + + + + +Produced by David Widger + + + + + + + + +CALDERON, THE COURTIER + +BY + +EDWARD BULWER LYTTON + + + + +CONTENTS: + +CHAPTER I. The Antechamber + +CHAPTER II. The Lover and the Confidant + +CHAPTER III. A Rival + +CHAPTER IV. Civil Ambition, and Ecclesiastical + +CHAPTER V. The true Fate of Morgana + +CHAPTER VI. Web upon Web + +CHAPTER VII. The open Countenance, the concealed Thoughts + +CHAPTER VIII. The Escape + +CHAPTER IX. The Counterplot + +CHAPTER X. We reap what we sow + +CHAPTER XI. Howsoever the Rivers wind, the Ocean receives them All + + + + +CALDERON, THE COURTIER. + +A TALE. + + + + +CHAPTER I. THE ANTE-CHAMBER. + +The Tragi-Comedy of Court Intrigue, which had ever found its principal +theatre in Spain since the accession of the House of Austria to the +throne, was represented with singular complication of incident and +brilliancy of performance during the reign of Philip the Third. That +monarch, weak, indolent, and superstitious, left the reins of government +in the hands of the Duke of Lerma. The Duke of Lerma, in his turn, mild, +easy, ostentatious, and shamefully corrupt, resigned the authority he +had thus received to Roderigo Calderon, an able and resolute upstart, +whom nature and fortune seemed equally to favour and endow. But, not +more to his talents, which were great, than to the policy of religious +persecution which he had supported and enforced, Roderigo Calderon owed +his promotion. The King and the Inquisition had, some years before our +story opens, resolved upon the general expulsion of the Moriscos +the wealthiest, the most active, the most industrious portion of the +population. + +“I would sooner,” said the bigoted king--and his words were hallowed by +the enthusiasm of the Church--“depopulate my kingdom than suffer it to +harbour a single infidel.” The Duke de Lerma entered into the scheme +that lost to Spain many of her most valuable subjects, with the zeal of +a pious Catholic expectant of the Cardinal’s hat, which he afterwards +obtained. But to this scheme Calderon brought an energy, a decision, +a vehemence, and sagacity of hatred, that savoured more of personal +vengeance than religious persecution. His perseverance in this good +work established him firmly in the king’s favour; and in this he was +supported by the friendship not only of Lerma, but of Fray Louis de +Aliaga, a renowned Jesuit, and confessor to the king. The disasters +and distresses occasioned by this barbarous crusade, which crippled +the royal revenues, and seriously injured the estates of the principal +barons, from whose lands the industrious and intelligent Moriscos were +expelled, ultimately concentred a deep and general hatred upon Calderon. +But his extraordinary address and vigorous energies, his perfect +mastery of the science of intrigue, not only sustained, but continued to +augment, his power. Though the king was yet in the prime of middle age, +his health was infirm and his life precarious. Calderon had contrived, +while preserving the favour of the reigning monarch, to establish +himself as the friend and companion of the heir apparent. In this, +indeed, he had affected to yield to the policy of the king himself; for +Philip the Third had a wholesome terror of the possible ambition of his +son, who early evinced talents which might have been formidable, but for +passions which urged him into the most vicious pleasures and the most +extravagant excesses. The craft of the king was satisfied by the device +of placing about the person of the Infant one devoted to himself; nor +did his conscience, pious as he was, revolt at the profligacy which his +favourite was said to participate, and, perhaps, to encourage; since the +less popular the prince, the more powerful the king. + +But all this while there was formed a powerful cabal against both the +Duke of Lerma and Don Roderigo Calderon in a quarter where it might +least have been anticipated. The cardinal-duke, naturally anxious +to cement and perpetuate his authority, had placed his son, the Duke +d’Uzeda, in a post that gave him constant access to the monarch. +The prospect of power made Uzeda eager to seize at once upon all its +advantages; and it became the object of his life to supplant his father. +This would have been easy enough but for the genius and vigilance of +Calderon, whom he hated as a rival, disdained as an upstart, and dreaded +as a foe. Philip was soon aware of the contest between the two factions, +but, in the true spirit of Spanish kingcraft he took care to play one +against the other. Nor could Calderon, powerful as he was, dare openly +to seek the ruin of Uzeda; while Uzeda, more rash, and, perhaps, more +ingenuous, entered into a thousand plots for the downfall of the prime +favourite. + +The frequent missions, principally into Portugal, in which of late +Calderon had been employed, had allowed Uzeda to encroach more and more +upon the royal confidence; while the very means which Don Roderigo had +adopted to perpetuate his influence, by attaching himself to the prince, +necessarily distracted his attention from the intrigues of his rival. +Perhaps, indeed, the greatness of Calderon’s abilities made him too +arrogantly despise the machinations of the duke, who, though not without +some capacities as a courtier, was wholly incompetent to those duties of +a minister on which he had set his ambition and his grasp. + +Such was the state of parties in the Court of Philip the Third at the +time in which we commence our narrative in the ante-chamber of Don +Roderigo Calderon. + +“It is not to be endured,” said Don Felix de Castro, an old noble, whose +sharp features and diminutive stature proclaimed the purity of his blood +and the antiquity of his descent. + +“Just three-quarters of an hour and five minutes have I waited for +audience to a fellow who would once have thought himself honoured if I +had ordered him to call my coach,” said Don Diego Sarmiento de Mendo. + +“Then, if it chafe you so much, gentlemen, why come you here at all? I +dare say Don Roderigo can dispense with your attendance.” + +This was said bluntly by a young noble of good mien, whose impetuous and +irritable temperament betrayed itself by an impatience of gesture and +motion unusual amongst his countrymen. Sometimes he walked, with uneven +strides, to and fro the apartments, unheeding the stately groups whom he +jostled, or the reproving looks that he attracted; sometimes he paused +abruptly, raised his eyes, muttered, twitched his cloak, or played with +his sword-knot; or, turning abruptly round upon his solemn neighbours, +as some remark on his strange bearing struck his ear, brought the blood +to many a haughty cheek by his stern gaze of defiance and disdain. It +was easy to perceive that this personage belonged to the tribe--rash, +vain, and young--who are eager to take offence, and to provoke quarrel. +Nevertheless, the cavalier had noble and great qualities. A stranger to +courts, in the camp he was renowned for a chivalrous generosity and an +extravagant valour, that emulated the ancient heroes of Spanish romaunt +and song. His was a dawn that promised a hot noon and a glorious eve. +The name of this brave soldier was Martin Fonseca. He was of an ancient +but impoverished house, and related in a remote degree to the Duke de +Lerma. In his earliest youth he had had cause to consider himself +the heir to a wealthy uncle on his mother’s side; and with those +expectations, while still but a boy, he had been invited to court by +the cardinal-duke. Here, however, the rude and blunt sincerity of his +bearing had so greatly shocked the formal hypocrisies of the court, and +had more than once so seriously offended the minister, that his powerful +kinsman gave up all thought of pushing Fonseca’s fortunes at Madrid, and +meditated some plausible excuse for banishing him from court. At this +time the rich uncle, hitherto childless, married a second time, and was +blessed with an heir. It was no longer necessary to keep terms with +Don Martin; and he suddenly received an order to join the army on the +frontiers. Here his courage soon distinguished him; but his honest +nature still stood in the way of his promotion. Several years elapsed, +and his rise had been infinitely slower than that of men not less +inferior to him in birth than merit. Some months since, he had repaired +to Madrid to enforce his claims upon the government; but instead of +advancing his suit, he had contrived to effect a serious breach with +the cardinal, and been abruptly ordered back to the camp. Once more he +appeared at Madrid; but this time it was not to plead desert and demand +honours. + +In any country but Spain under the reign of Philip the Third, Martin +Fonseca would have risen early to high fortunes. But, as we have said, +his talents were not those of the flatterer or the hypocrite; and it was +a matter of astonishment to the calculators round him to see Don Martin +Fonseca in the ante-room of Roderigo Calderon, Count Oliva, Marquis de +Siete Iglesias, secretary to the King, and parasite and favourite of the +Infant of Spain. + +“Why come you here at all?” repeated the young soldier. + +“Senor,” answered Don Felix de Castro, with great gravity, “we have +business with Don Roderigo. Men of our station must attend to the +affairs of the state, no matter by whom transacted.” + +“That is, you must crawl on your knees to ask for pensions and +governorships, and transact the affairs of the state by putting your +hands into its coffers.” + +“Senor!” growled Don Felix, angrily, as his hand played with his +sword-belt. + +“Tush!” said the young man, scornfully turning on his heel. + +The folding-doors were thrown open, and all conversation ceased at the +entrance of Don Roderigo Calderon. + +This remarkable personage had risen from the situation of a confidential +scribe to the Duke of Lerma to the nominal rank of secretary to the +King--to the real station of autocrat of Spain. The birth of the +favourite of fortune was exceedingly obscure. He had long affected +to conceal it; but when he found curiosity had proceeded into serious +investigation of his origin, he had suddenly appeared to make a virtue +of necessity; proclaimed of his own accord that his father was a common +soldier of Valladolid, and even invited to Madrid, and lodged in his +own palace, his low-born progenitor. This prudent frankness disarmed +malevolence on the score of birth. But when the old soldier died, +rumours went abroad that he had confessed on his death-bed that he +was not in any way related to Calderon; that he had submitted to an +imposture which secured to his old age so respectable and luxurious an +asylum; and that he knew not for what end Calderon had forced upon him +the honours of spurious parentship. This tale, which, ridiculed by most, +was yet believed by some, gave rise to darker reports concerning one on +whom the eyes of all Spain were fixed. It was supposed that he had +some motive beyond that of shame at their meanness, to conceal his +real origin and name. What could be that motive, if not the dread of +discovery for some black and criminal offence connected with his earlier +youth, and for which he feared the prosecution of the law? They who +affected most to watch his exterior averred that often, in his gayest +revels and proudest triumphs, his brow would lower--his countenance +change--and it was only by a visible and painful effort that he could +restore his mind to its self-possession. His career, which evinced +an utter contempt for the ordinary rules and scruples that curb even +adventurers into a seeming of honesty and virtue, appeared in some way +to justify these reports. But, at times, flashes of sudden and brilliant +magnanimity broke forth to bewilder the curious, to puzzle the examiners +of human character, and to contrast the general tenor of his ambitions +and remorseless ascent to power. His genius was confessed by all; but +it was a genius that in no way promoted the interests of his country. +It served only to prop, defend, and advance himself--to battle +difficulties--to defeat foes--to convert every accident, every chance, +into new stepping stones in his course. Whatever his birth, it was +evident that he had received every advantage of education; and scholars +extolled his learning and boasted of his patronage. While, more +recently, if the daring and wild excesses of the profligate prince were, +on the one hand, popularly imputed to the guidance of Calderon, and +increased the hatred generally conceived against him, so, on the other +hand, his influence over the future monarch seemed to promise a new +lease to his authority, and struck fear into the councils of his foes. +In fact, the power of the upstart marquis appeared so firmly rooted, +the career before him so splendid, that there were not wanted whisperers +who, in addition to his other crimes, ascribed to Roderigo Calderon +the assistance of the black art. But the black art in which that subtle +courtier was a proficient is one that dispenses with necromancy. It +was the art of devoting the highest intellect to the most selfish +purposes--an art that thrives tolerably well for a time in the great +world! + +He had been for several weeks absent from Madrid on a secret mission; +and to this, his first public levee, on his return, thronged all the +rank and chivalry of Spain. + +The crowd gave way, as, with haughty air, in the maturity of manhood, +the Marquis de Siete Iglesias moved along. He disdained all accessories +of dress to enhance the effect of his singularly striking exterior. +His mantle and vest of black cloth, made in the simplest fashion, were +unadorned with the jewels that then constituted the ordinary insignia of +rank. His hair, bright and glossy as the raven’s plume, curled back from +the lofty and commanding brow, which, save by one deep wrinkle between +the eyes, was not only as white but as smooth as marble. His features +were aquiline and regular; and the deep olive of his complexion seemed +pale and clear when contrasted by the rich jet of the moustache and +pointed beard. The lightness of his tall and slender but muscular +form made him appear younger than he was; and had it not been for the +supercilious and scornful arrogance of air which so seldom characterises +gentle birth, Calderon might have mingled with the loftiest magnates of +Europe and seemed to the observer the stateliest of the group. It +was one of those rare forms that are made to command the one sex and +fascinate the other. But, on a deeper scrutiny, the restlessness of +the brilliant eye--the quiver of the upper lip--a certain abruptness of +manner and speech, might have shown that greatness had brought suspicion +as well as pride. The spectators beheld the huntsman on the height;--the +huntsman saw the abyss below, and respired with difficulty the air +above. + +The courtiers one by one approached the marquis, who received them with +very unequal courtesy. To the common herd he was sharp, dry, and bitter; +to the great he was obsequious, yet with a certain grace and manliness +of bearing that elevated even the character of servility; and all +the while, as he bowed low to a Medina or a Guzman, there was a half +imperceptible mockery lurking in the corners of his mouth, which seemed +to imply that while his policy cringed his heart despised. To two or +three, whom he either personally liked or honestly esteemed, he was +familiar, but brief, in his address; to those whom he had cause to +detest or to dread--his foes, his underminers--he assumed a yet greater +frankness, mingled with the most caressing insinuation of voice and +manner. + +Apart from the herd, with folded arms, and an expression of countenance +in which much admiration was blent with some curiosity and a little +contempt, Don Martin Fonseca gazed upon the favourite. + +“I have done this man a favour,” thought he; “I have contributed towards +his first rise--I am now his suppliant. Faith! I, who have never found +sincerity or gratitude in the camp, come to seek those hidden treasures +at a court! Well, we are strange puppets, we mortals!” + +Don Diego Sarmiento de Mendoza had just received the smiling salutation +of Calderon, when the eye of the latter fell upon the handsome features +of Fonseca. The blood mounted to his brow; he hastily promised Don Diego +all that he desired, and hurrying back through the crowd, retired to his +private cabinet. The levee was broken up. + +As Fonseca, who had caught the glance of the secretary, and who drew +no favourable omen from his sudden evanishment, slowly turned to +depart with the rest, a young man, plainly dressed, touched him on the +shoulder. + +“You are Senior Don Martin Fonseca?” + +“The same.” + +“Follow me, if it please you, senor, to my master, Lou Roderigo +Calderon.” + +Fonseca’s face brightened; he obeyed the summons; and in another moment +he was in the cabinet of the Sejanus of Spain. + + + + +CHAPTER II. THE LOVER AND THE CONFIDANT. + +Calderon received the young soldier at the door of his chamber with +marked and almost affectionate respect. “Don Martin,” said he, and there +seemed a touch of true feeling in the tremor of his rich sweet voice, “I +owe you the greatest debt one man can incur to another--it was your hand +that set before my feet their first stepping-stone to power. I date my +fortunes from the hour in which I was placed in your father’s house as +your preceptor. When the cardinal-duke invited you to Madrid, I was your +companion; and when, afterwards, you joined the army, and required +no longer the services of the peaceful scholar, you demanded of your +illustrious kinsman the single favour--to provide for Calderon. I had +already been fortunate enough to win the countenance of the duke, and +from that day my rise was rapid. Since then we have never met. Dare +I hope that it is now in the power of Calderon to prove himself not +ungrateful?” + +“Yes,” said Fonseca, eagerly; “it is in your power to save me from the +most absolute wretchedness that can befall me. It is in your power, at +least I think so, to render me the happiest of men!” + +“Be seated, I pray you, senor. And how? I am your servant.” + +“Thou knowest,” said Fonseca, “that, though the kinsman, I am not the +favourite, of the Duke of Lerma?” + +“Nay, nay,” interrupted Calderon, softly, and with a bland smile; +“you misunderstand my illustrious patron: he loves you, but not your +indiscretions.” + +“Yes, honesty is very indiscreet! I cannot stoop to the life of the +ante-chamber. I cannot, like the Duke of Lerma, detest my nearest +relative if his shadow cross the line of my interests. I am of the +race of Pelayo, not Oppas; and my profession, rather that of an ancient +Persian than a modern Spaniard, is to manage the steed, to wield the +sword, and to speak the truth.” + +There was an earnestness and gallantry in the young man’s aspect, +manner, and voice, as he thus spoke, which afforded the strongest +contrast to the inscrutable brow and artificial softness of Calderon; +and which, indeed, for the moment, occasioned that crafty and profound +adventurer an involuntary feeling of self-humiliation. + +“But,” continued Fonseca, “let this pass: I come to my story and my +request. Do you, or do you not know, that I have been for some time +attached to Beatriz Coello!” + +“Beatriz,” replied Calderon, abstractedly, with an altered countenance, +“it is a sweet name--it was my mother’s!” + +“Your mother’s! I thought to have heard her name was Mary Sandalen?” + +“True--Mary Beatriz Sandalen,” replied Calderon, indifferently. “But +proceed. I heard, after your last visit to Madrid, when, owing to my own +absence in Portugal, I was not fortunate enough to see you, that you had +offended the duke by desiring an alliance unsuitable to your birth. Who, +then, is this Beatriz Coello?” + +“An orphan of humble origin and calling. In infancy she was left to the +care of a woman who, I believe, had been her nurse; they were settled in +Seville, and the old gouvernante’s labours in embroidery maintained them +both till Beatriz was fourteen. At that time the poor woman was disabled +by a stroke of palsy from continuing her labours, and Beatriz, good +child, yearning to repay the obligation she had received, in her turn +sought to maintain her protectress. She possessed the gift of a voice +wonderful for its sweetness. This gift came to the knowledge of +the superintendent of the theatre at Seville: he made her the most +advantageous proposals to enter upon the stage. Beatriz; innocent child, +was unaware of the perils of that profession: she accepted eagerly +the means that would give comfort to the declining life of her only +friend--she became an actress. At that time we were quartered in +Seville, to keep guard on the suspected Moriscos.” + +“Ah, the hated infidels!” muttered Calderon, fiercely, through his +teeth. + +“I saw Beatriz, and loved her at first sight. I do not say,” added +Fonseca, with a blush, “that my suit, at the outset, was that which +alone was worthy of her; but her virtue soon won my esteem as well +as love. I left Seville to seek my father and obtain his consent to +a marriage with Beatriz. You know a hidalgo’s prejudices--they are +insuperable. Meanwhile, the fame of the beauty and voice of the young +actress reached Madrid, and hither she was removed from Seville by +royal command. To Madrid, then, I hastened, on the pretence of demanding +promotion. You, as you have stated, were absent in Portugal on some +state mission. I sought the Duke de Lerma. I implored him to give me +some post, anywhere--I recked not beneath what sky, in the vast empire +of Spain--in which, removed from the prejudices of birth and of class, +and provided with other means, less precarious than those that depend +on the sword, I might make Beatriz my wife. The polished duke was more +inexorable than the stern hidalgo. I flew to Beatriz; I told her I had +nothing but my heart and right hand to offer. She wept, and she refused +me.” + +“Because you were not rich?” + +“Shame on you, no! but because she would not consent to mar my fortunes, +and banish me from my native land. The next day I received a peremptory +order to rejoin the army, and with that order came a brevet of +promotion. Lover though I be, I am a Spaniard: to have disobeyed the +order would have been dishonour. Hope dawned upon me--I might rise, I +might become rich. We exchanged our vows of fidelity. I returned to the +camp. We corresponded. At last her letters alarmed me. Through all her +reserve, I saw that she was revolted by her profession, and terrified at +the persecutions to which it exposed her: the old woman, her sole guide +and companion, was dying: she was dejected and unhappy: she despaired +of our union: she expressed a desire for the refuge of the cloister. At +last came this letter, bidding me farewell for ever. Her relation was +dead; and, with the little money she had amassed, she had bought her +entrance into the convent of St. Mary of the White Sword. Imagine my +despair! I obtained leave of absence--I flew to Madrid. Beatriz +is already immured in that dreary asylum; she has entered on her +novitiate.” + +“Is that the letter you refer to?” said Calderon, extending his hand. + +Fonseca gave him the letter. + +Hard and cold as Calderon’s character had grown, there was something in +the tone of this letter--its pure and noble sentiments, its innocence, +its affection--that touched some mystic chord in his heart. He sighed as +he laid it down. + +“You are, like all of us, Don Martin,” said he, with a bitter smile, +“the dupe of a woman’s faith. But you must purchase experience for +yourself, and if, indeed, you ask my services to procure you present +bliss and future disappointment, those services are yours. It will not, +I think, be difficult to interest the queen in your favour: leave me +this letter, it is one to touch the heart of a woman. If we succeed with +the queen, who is the patroness of the convent, we may be sure to obtain +an order from court for the liberation of the novice: the next step is +one more arduous. It is not enough to restore Beatriz to freedom--we +must reconcile your family to the marriage. This cannot be done while +she is not noble; but letters patent (here Calderon smiled) could +ennoble a mushroom itself--your humble servant is an example. Such +letters may be bought or begged; I will undertake to procure them. Your +father, too, may find a dowry accompanying the title, in the shape of a +high and honourable post for yourself. You deserve much; you are beloved +in the army; you have won a high name in the world. I take shame on +myself that your fortunes have been overlooked. ‘Out of sight out of +mind;’ alas! it is a true proverb. I confess that, when I beheld you in +the ante room, I blushed for my past forgetfulness. No matter--I will +repair my fault. Men say that my patronage is misapplied--I will prove +the contrary by your promotion.” + +“Generous Calderon!” said Fonseca, falteringly; “I ever hated the +judgments of the vulgar. They calumniate you; it is from envy.” + +“No,” said Calderon, coldly; “I am bad enough, but I am still human. +Besides, gratitude is my policy. I have always found that it is a good +way to get on in the world to serve those who serve us.” + +“But the duke?” + +“Fear not; I have an oil that will smooth all the billows on that +surface. As for the letter, I say, leave it with me; I will show it to +the queen. Let me see you again tomorrow.” + + + + +CHAPTER III. A RIVAL. + +Calderon’s eyes were fixed musingly on the door which closed on +Fonseca’s martial and noble form. + +“Great contrasts among men!” said he, half aloud. “All the classes +into which naturalists ever divided the animal world contained not the +variety that exists between man and man. And yet, we all agree in one +object of our being--all prey on each other! Glory, which is but the +thirst of blood, makes yon soldier the tiger of his kind; other passions +have made me the serpent: both fierce, relentless, unscrupulous--both! +hero and courtier, valour and craft! Hein! I will serve this young +man--he has served me. When all other affection was torn from me, he, +then a boy, smiled on me and bade me love him. Why has he been so long +forgotten? He is not of the race that I abhor; no Moorish blood flows in +his veins; neither is he of the great and powerful, whom I dread; nor of +the crouching and the servile, whom I despise: he is one whom I can aid +without a blush.” + +While Calderon thus soliloquised, the arras was lifted aside, and a +cavalier, on whose cheek was the first down of manhood, entered the +apartment. + +“So, Roderigo, alone! welcome back to Madrid. Nay, seat thyself, +man--seat thyself.” + +Calderon bowed with the deepest reverence; and, placing a large fauteuil +before the stranger, seated himself on stool, at a little distance. + +The new comer was of sallow complexion; his gorgeous dress sparkled with +prodigal jewels. Boy as he was, there was a yet a careless loftiness, +a haughty ease, in the gesture--the bend of the neck, the wave of the +hand, which, coupled with the almost servile homage of the arrogant +favourite, would have convinced the most superficial observer that he +was born of the highest rank. A second glance would have betrayed, +in the full Austrian lip--the high, but narrow forehead--the dark, +voluptuous, but crafty and sinister eye, the features of the descendant +of Charles V. It was the Infant of Spain that stood in the chamber of +his ambitious minion. + +“This is convenient, this private entrance into thy penetralia, +Roderigo. It shelters me from the prying eyes of Uzeda, who ever seeks +to cozen the sire by spying on the Son. We will pay him off one of these +days. He loves you no less than he does his prince.” + +“I bear no malice to him for that, your highness. He covets the smiles +of the rising sun and rails at the humble object which, he thinks, +obstructs the beam.” + +“He might be easy on that score: I hate the man, and his cold +formalities. He is ever fancying that we princes are intent on the +affairs of state, and forgets that we are mortal and that youth is the +age for the bower, not the council. My precious Calderon, life would be +dull without thee: how I rejoice at thy return, thou best inventor of +pleasure that satiety ever prayed for! Nay, blush not: some men despise +thee for thy talents: I do thee homage. By my great grandsire’s beard, +it will be a merry time at court when I am monarch, and thou minister!” + +Calderon looked earnestly at the prince, but his scrutiny did not serve +to dispel a certain suspicion of the royal sincerity that ever and anon +came across the favourite’s most sanguine dreams. With all Philip’s +gaiety, there was something restrained and latent in his ambiguous +smile, and his calm, deep, brilliant eye. Calderon, immeasurably above +his lord in genius, was scarcely, perhaps, the equal of that beardless +boy in hypocrisy and craft, in selfish coldness, in matured depravity. + +“Well,” resumed the prince, “I pay you not these compliments without +an object. I have need of you--great need; never did I so require your +services as at this moment; never was there so great demand on your +invention, your courage, your skill. Know, Calderon, I love!” + +“My prince,” said the marquis, smiling, “it is certainly not first love. +How often has your highness--” + +“No,” interrupted the prince, hastily,--“no, I never loved till now. We +never can love what we can easily win; but this, Calderon, this heart +would be a conquest. Listen. I was at the convent chapel of St. Mary of +the White Sword yesterday with the queen. Thou knowest that the abbess +once was a lady of the chamber, and the queen loves her.” + +“Both of us were moved and astonished by the voice of one of the +choir--it was that of a novice. After the ceremony the queen made +inquiries touching this new Santa Cecilia; and who dost thou think +she is? No; thou wilt never guess!--the once celebrated singer--the +beautiful, the inimitable Beatriz Coello! Ah! you may well look +surprised; when actresses turn nuns, it is well-nigh time for Calderon +and Philip to turn monks. Now, you must know, Roderigo, that I, unworthy +though I be, am the cause of this conversion. There is a certain Martin +Fonseca, a kinsman of Lerma’s--thou knowest him well. I learned, some +time since, from the duke, that this young Orlando was most madly +enamoured of a low-born girl--nay, desired to wed her. The duke’s story +moved my curiosity. I found that it was the young Beatriz Coello, whom +I had already admired on the stage. Ah, Calderon, she blazed and set +during thy dull mission to Lisbon! I sought an opportunity to visit her. +I was astonished at her beauty, that seemed more dazzling in the +chamber than on the stage. I pressed my suit-in vain. Calderon, hear you +that?--in vain! Why wert thou not by? Thy arts never fail, my friend! +She was living with an old relation, or governante. The old relation +died suddenly--I took advantage of her loneliness--I entered her house +at night. By St. Jago, her virtue baffled and defeated me. The next +morning she was gone; nor could my researches discover her, until, at +the convent of St. Mary, I recognised the lost actress in the young +novice. She has fled to the convent to be true to Fonseca; she must fly +from the convent to bless the prince. This is my tale: I want thy aid.” + +“Prince,” said Calderon, gravely, “thou knowest the laws of Spain; the +rigour of the Church. I dare not--” + +“Pshaw. No scruples--my rank will bear thee harmless. Nay, look not so +demure; why, even thou, see, hast thy Armida. This billet in a female +hand--Heaven and earth Calderon! What name is this? Beatriz Coello! +Darest thou have crossed my path? Speak, sir!--speak!” + +“Your highness,” said Calderon, with a mixture of respect and dignity +in his manner--“your highness, hear me. My first benefactor, my beloved +pupil, my earliest patron, was the same Don Martin Fonseca who seeks +this girl with an honest love. This morning he has visited me, to +implore my intercession on his behalf. Oh, prince! turn not away: +thou knowest not half his merit. Thou knowest not the value of such +subjects--men of the old iron race of Spain. Thou hast a noble and royal +heart: be not the rival to the defender of thy crown. Bless this brave +soldier--spare this poor orphan--and one generous act of self-denial +shall give thee absolution for a thousand pleasures.” + +“This from Roderigo Calderon!” said the prince, with bitter sneer. “Man, +know thy station and thy profession. When I want homilies, I seek my +confessor; when I have resolved on a vice, I come to thee. A truce with +this bombast. For Fonseca, he shall be consoled; and when he shall learn +who is his rival, he is a traitor if he remain discontented with his +lot. Thou shalt aid me, Calderon!” + +“Your highness will pardon me--no!” + +“Do I hear right? No! Art thou not my minion--my instrument? Can I not +destroy as I have helped to raise thee? Thy fortunes have turned thy +brain. The king already suspects and dislikes thee; thy foe, Uzeda, has +his ear. The people execrate thee. If I abandon thee, thou art lost. +Look to it!” + +Calderon remained mute and erect, with his arms folded on his breast, +and his cheek flushed with suppressed passions. Philip gazed at him +earnestly, and then, muttering to himself, approached the favourite with +an altered air. + +“Come, Calderon--I have been hasty-you maddened me; I meant not to wound +you. Thou art honest, I think thou lovest me; and I will own, that +in ordinary circumstances thy advice would be good, and thy scruples +laudable. But I tell thee that I adore this girl; that I have set all +my hopes upon her; that, at whatever cost, whatever risks, she must be +mine. Wilt thou desert me? Wilt thou on whose faith I have ever leaned +so trustingly, forsake thy friend and thy prince for this brawling +soldier? No; I wrong thee.” + +“Oh!” said Calderon, with much semblance of emotion, “I would lay down +my life in your service, and I have often surrendered my conscience to +your lightest will. But this would be so base a perfidy in me! He has +confided his life of life to my hands. How canst even thou count on my +faith if thou knowest me false to another?” + +“False! art thou not false to me? Have I not confided to thee, and dost +thou not desert me--nay, perhaps, betray? How wouldst thou serve this +Fonseca? How liberate the novice?” + +“By an order of the court. Your royal mother--” + +“Enough!” said the prince, fiercely; “do so. Thou shalt have leisure for +repentance.” + +As he spoke, Philip strode to the door. Calderon, alarmed and anxious, +sought to detain him; but the prince broke disdainfully away, and +Calderon was again alone. + + + + +CHAPTER IV. CIVIL AMBITION, AND ECCLESIASTICAL. + +Scarcely had the prince vanished, before the door that led from the +anteroom was opened, and an old man, in the ecclesiastical garb, entered +the secretary’s cabinet. + +“Do I intrude, my son?” said the churchman. + +“No, father, no; I never more desired your presence--your counsel. It is +not often that I stand halting and irresolute between the two magnets of +interest and conscience: this is one of those rare dilemmas.” + +Here Calderon rapidly narrated the substance of his conversation with +Fonseca, and of the subsequent communication with the prince. + +“You see,” he said, in conclusion, “how critical is my position. On one +side, my obligations to Fonseca, my promise to a benefactor, a friend +to the boy I assisted to rear. Nor is that all: the prince asks me to +connive at the abstraction of a novice from a consecrated house. What +peril--what hazard! On the other side, if I refuse, the displeasure, the +vengeance of the prince, for whose favour I have already half forfeited +that of the king; and who, were he once to frown upon me, would +encourage all my enemies--in other phrase, the whole court--in one +united attempt at my ruin.” + +“It is a stern trial,” said the monk, gravely; “and one that may well +excite your fear.” + +“Fear, Aliaga!--ha! ha!--fear!” said Calderon, laughing scornfully. “Did +true ambition ever know fear? Have we not the old Castilian proverb, +that tells us ‘He who has climbed the first step to power has left +terror a thousand leagues behind’? No, it is not fear that renders +me irresolute; it is wisdom, and some touch, some remnant of human +nature--philosophers would call it virtue; you priests, religion.” + +“Son,” said the priest, “when, as one of that sublime calling, which +enables us to place our unshodden feet upon the necks of kings, I felt +that I had the power to serve and to exalt you; when as confessor to +Philip, I backed the patronage of Lerma, recommended you to the royal +notice, and brought you into the sunshine of the royal favour--it was +because I had read in your heart and brain those qualities of which the +spiritual masters of the world ever seek to avail their cause. I knew +thee brave, crafty, aspiring, unscrupulous. I knew that thou wouldest +not shrink at the means that could secure to thee a noble end. Yea, +when, years ago, in the valley of the Xenil, I saw thee bathe thy hands +in the blood of thy foe, and heard thy laugh of exulting scorn;--when I, +alone master of thy secret, beheld thee afterwards flying from thy home +stained with a second murder, but still calm, stern, and lord of thine +own reason, my knowledge of mankind told me, ‘Of such men are high +converts and mighty instruments made!’” + +The priest paused; for Calderon heard him not. His cheek was livid, +his eyes closed, his chest heaved wildly. “Horrible remembrance!” he +muttered; “fatal love--dread revenge! Inez--Inez, what hast thou to +answer for!” + +“Be soothed, my son; I meant not to tear the bandage from thy wounds.” + +“Who speaks?” cried Calderon, starting. “Ha, priest! priest! I thought +I heard the Dead. Talk on, talk on: talk of the world--the +Inquisition--thy plots--the torture--the rack! Talk of aught that will +lead me back from the past.” + +“No; let me for a moment lead thee thither, in order to portray the +future that awaits thee. When, at night, I found thee--the blood-stained +fugitive--cowering beneath the shadow of the forest, dost thou remember +that I laid my hand upon thine arm, and said to thee, ‘Thy life is in my +power’? From that hour, thy disdain of my threats, of myself, of thine +own life--all made me view thee as one born to advance our immortal +cause. I led thee to safety far away; I won thy friendship and thy +confidence. Thou becamest one of us--one of the great Order of Jesus. +Subsequently, I placed thee as the tutor to young Fonseca, then heir to +great fortunes. The second marriage of his uncle, and the heir that +by that marriage interposed between him and the honour of his house, +rendered the probable alliance of the youth profitless to us. But thou +hadst procured his friendship. He presented thee to the Duke of Lerma. +I was just then appointed confessor to the king; I found that years had +ripened thy genius, and memory had blunted in thee all the affections of +the flesh. Above all, hating, as thou didst, the very name of the Moor, +thou wert the man of men to aid in our great design of expelling the +accursed race from the land of Spain. Enough--I served thee, and thou +didst repay us. Thou hast washed out thy crime in the blood of the +infidel--thou art safe from detection. In Roderigo Calderon, Marquis +de Siete Iglesias, who will suspect the Roderigo Nunez--the murderous +student of Salamanca? Our device of the false father stifled even +curiosity. Thou mayest wake to the future, nor tremble at one shadow in +the past. The brightest hopes are before us both; but to realise them, +we must continue the same path. We must never halt at an obstacle in our +way. We must hold that to be no crime which advances our common objects. +Mesh upon mesh we must entangle the future monarch in our web: thou, +by the nets of pleasure; I, by those of superstition. The day that sees +Philip the Fourth upon the throne, must be a day of jubilee for the +Brotherhood and the Inquisition. When thou art prime minister, and I +grand inquisitor--that time must come--we shall have the power to extend +the sway of the sect of Loyola to the ends of the Christian world. The +Inquisition itself our tool, posterity shall regard us as the apostles +of intellectual faith. And thinkest thou, that, for the attainment of +these great ends, we can have the tender scruples of common men? +Perish a thousand Fonsecas--ten thousand novices, ere thou lose, by the +strength of a hair, thy hold over the senses and soul of the licentious +Philip! At whatever hazard, save thy power; for with it are bound, as +mariners to a plank, the hopes of those who make the mind a sceptre.” + +“Thy enthusiasm blinds and misleads thee, Aliaga,” said Calderon, +coldly. “For me, I tell thee now, as I have told thee before, that I +care not a rush for thy grand objects. Let mankind serve itself--I look +to myself alone. But fear not my faith; my interests and my very life +are identified with thee and thy fellow-fanatics. If I desert thee, thou +art too deep in my secrets not to undo me; and were I to slay thee, in +order to silence thy testimony, I know enough of thy fraternity to know +that I should but raise up a multitude of avengers. As for this matter, +you give me wise, if not pious counsel. I will consider well of it. +Adieu! The hour summons me to attend the king.” + + + + +CHAPTER V. THE TRUE FATA MORGANA. + +In the royal chamber, before a table covered with papers, sat the King +and his secretary. Grave, sullen, and taciturn, there was little in +the habitual manner of Philip the Third that could betray to the +most experienced courtier the outward symptoms of favour or caprice. +Education had fitted him for the cloister, but the necessities of +despotism had added acute cunning to slavish superstition. The business +for which Calderon had been summoned was despatched, with a silence +broken but by monosyllables from the king, and brief explanations from +the secretary; and Philip, rising, gave the signal for Calderon to +retire. It was then that the king, turning a dull but steadfast eye upon +the marquis, said, with a kind of effort, as if speech were painful to +him, + +“The prince left me but a minute before your entrance--have you seen him +since your return?” + +“Your majesty, yes. He honoured me this morning with his presence.” + +“On state affairs?” + +“Your majesty knows, I trust, that your servant treats of state affairs +only with your August self, or your appointed ministers.” + +“The prince has favoured you, Don Roderigo.” + +“Your majesty commanded me to seek that favour.” + +“It is true. Happy the monarch whose faithful servant is the confidant +of the heir to his crown!” + +“Could the prince harbour one thought displeasing to your majesty, I +think I could detect and quell it at its birth. But your majesty is +blessed in a grateful son.” + +“I believe it. His love of pleasure decoys him from ambition--so it +should be. I am not an austere parent. Keep his favour, Don Roderigo; it +pleases me. Hast thou offended him in aught?” + +“I trust I have not incurred so great a misfortune.” + +“He spoke not of thee with his usual praises--I noticed it. I tell thee +this that thou mayest rectify what is wrong. Thou canst not serve me +more than by guarding him from all friendships save with those whose +affection to myself I can trust. I have said enough.” + +“Such has ever been my object. Bat I have not the youth of the prince, +and men speak ill of me, that, in order to gain his confidence, I share +in his pursuits.” + +“It matters not what they say of thee. Faithful ministers are rarely +eulogised by the populace or the court. Thou knowest my mind: I repeat, +lose not the prince’s favour.” Calderon bowed low, and withdrew. As he +passed through the apartments of the palace, he crossed a gallery, in +which he perceived, stationed by a window, the young prince and his own +arch-foe, the Duke d’Uzeda. At the same instant, from an opposite door, +entered the Cardinal-Duke de Lerma; and the same unwelcome conjunction +of hostile planets smote the eyes of that intriguing minister. Precisely +because Uzeda was the duke’s son was he the man in the world whom the +duke most dreaded and suspected. + +Whoever is acquainted with the Spanish comedy will not fail to have +remarked the prodigality of intrigue and counter-intrigue upon which its +interest is made to depend. In this, the Spanish comedy was the faithful +mirror of the Spanish life, especially in the circles of a court. Men +lived in a perfect labyrinth of plot and counter-plot. The spirit of +finesse, manoeuvre, subtlety, and double-dealing pervaded every family. +Not a house that was not divided against itself. + +As Lerma turned his eyes from the unwelcome spectacle of such sudden +familiarity between Uzeda and the heir-apparent--a familiarity which it +had been his chief care to guard against--his glance fell on Calderon. +He beckoned to him in silence, and retired, unobserved by the two +confabulators, through the same door by which he had entered. Calderon +took the hint, and followed him. The duke entered a small room, and +carefully closed the door. + +“How is this, Calderon?” he asked, but in a timid tone, for the weak old +man stood in awe of his favourite. “Whence this new and most ill-boding +league?” + +“I know not, your eminence; remember that I am but just returned to +Madrid: it amazes me no less than it does your eminence.” + +“Learn the cause of it, my good Calderon: the prince ever professed to +hate Uzeda. Restore him to those feelings thou art all in all with his +highness! If Uzeda once gain his ear, thou art lost.” + +“Not so,” cried Calderon, proudly. “My service is to the king; I have +a right to his royal protection, for I have a claim on his royal +gratitude.” + +“Do not deceive thyself,” said the duke, in a whisper. “The king cannot +live long: I have it from the best authority, his physician; nor is +this all--a formidable conspiracy against thee exists at court. But for +myself and the king’s confessor, Philip would consent to thy ruin. +The strong hold thou hast over him is in thy influence with the +Infanta--influence which he knows to be exerted on behalf of his own +fearful and jealous policy; that influence gone, neither I nor Aliaga +could suffice to protect thee. Enough! Shut every access to Philip’s +heart against Uzeda.” Calderon bowed in silence, and the duke hastened +to the royal cabinet. + +“What a fool was I to think that I could still wear a conscience!” + muttered Calderon, with a sneering lip; “but, Uzeda, I will baffle thee +yet.” + +The next morning, the Marquis de Siete Iglesias presented himself at the +levee of the prince of Spain. + +Around the favourite, as his proud stature towered above the rest, +flocked the obsequious grandees. The haughty smile was yet on his lip +when the door opened and the prince entered. The crowd, in parting +suddenly, left Calderon immediately in front of Philip; who, +after gazing on him sternly for a moment, turned away, with marked +discourtesy, from the favourite’s profound reverence, and began a low +and smiling conversation with Gonsalez de Leon, one of Calderon’s open +foes. + +The crowd exchanged looks of delight and surprise; and each or the +nobles, before so wooing in their civilities to the minister, edged +cautiously away. + +His mortification had but begun. Presently Uzeda, hitherto almost a +stranger to those apartments, appeared; the prince hastened to him, and +in a few minutes the duke was seen following the prince into his +private chamber. The sun of Calderon’s favour seemed set. So thought +the courtiers: not so the haughty favourite. There was even a smile of +triumph on his lip--a sanguine flush upon his pale cheek, as he turned +unheeding from the throng, and then entering his carriage, regained his +home. + +He had scarcely re-entered his cabinet, ere, faithful to his +appointment, Fonseca was announced. + +“What tidings, my best of friends?” exclaimed the soldier. + +Calderon shook his head mournfully. + +“My dear pupil,” said he, in accents of well-affected sympathy, “there +is no hope for thee. Forget this vain dream--return to the army. I can +promise thee promotion, rank, honours; but the hand of Beatriz is beyond +my power.” + +“How?” said Fonseca, turning pale and sinking into a seat. “How is this? +Why so sudden a change? Has the queen--” + +“I have not seen her majesty; but the king is resolved upon this matter: +so are the Inquisition. The Church complains of recent and numerous +examples of unholy and im politic relaxation of her dread power. The +court dare not interfere. The novice must be left to her own choice.” + +“And there is no hope?” + +“None! Return to the excitement of thy brave career.” + +“Never!” cried Fonseca, with great vehemence. “If, in requital of all my +services--of life risked, blood spilt, I cannot obtain a boon so easy to +accord me, I renounce a service in which even fame has lost its charm. +And hark you, Calderon, I tell you that I will not forego this pursuit. +So fair, so innocent a victim shall not be condemned to that living +tomb. Through the walls of the nunnery, through the spies of the +Inquisition, love will find out its way; and in some distant land I will +yet unite happiness and honour. I fear not exile; I fear not reverse; I +no longer fear poverty itself. All lands, where the sound of the trumpet +is not unknown, can afford career to the soldier, who asks from Heaven +no other boon but his mistress and his sword.” + +“You will seek to abstract Beatriz, then?” said Calderon, calmly and +musingly. “Yes--it may be your best course, if you take the requisite +precautions. But can you see her? can you concert with her?” + +“I think so. I trust I have already paved the way to an interview. +Yesterday, after I quitted thee, I sought the convent; and, as the +chapel is one of the public sights of the city, I made my curiosity +my excuse. Happily, I recognised in the porter of the convent an old +servitor of my father’s; he had known me from a child--he dislikes his +calling--he will consent to accompany our flight, to share our fortunes: +he has promised to convey a letter from me to Beatriz, and to transmit +to me her answer.” + +“The stars smile on thee, Don Martin. When thou hast learned more, +consult with me again. Now, I see a way to assist thee.” + + + + +CHAPTER VI. WEB UPON WEB. + +The next day, to the discomfiture of the courtiers, Calderon and the +Infant of Spain were seen together, publicly, on the parade; and the +secretary made one of the favoured few who attended the prince at the +theatre. His favour was greater, his power more dazzling than ever it +had been known before. No cause for the breach and reconciliation being +known, some attributed it to caprice, others to the wily design of the +astute Calderon for the humiliation of Uzeda, who seemed only to have +been admitted to one smile from the rising sun in order more signally to +be reconsigned to the shade. + +Meanwhile, Fonseca prospered almost beyond his hopes. Young, ardent, +sanguine, the poor novice had fled from her quiet home and the +indulgence of her free thoughts, to the chill solitude of the cloister, +little dreaming of the extent of the change. With a heart that +overflowed with the warm thoughts of love and youth, the ghostlike +shapes that flitted round her, the icy forms, the rigid ceremonials of +that life, which is but the mimicry of death, appalled and shocked +her. That she had preserved against a royal and most perilous, because +unscrupulous suitor, her fidelity to the absent Fonseca, was her sole +consolation. + +Another circumstance had combined with the loss of her protectress and +the absence of Don Martin to sadden her heart and dispose her to the +cloister. On the deathbed of the old woman, who had been to her as a +mother, she had learned a secret hitherto concealed from her tender +youth. Dark and tragic were the influences of the star which had shone +upon her birth, gloomy the heritage of memories associated with +her parentage. A letter, of which she now became the guardian and +treasurer--a letter, in her mother’s hand-woke tears more deep and +bitter than she had ever shed for herself. In that letter she read the +strength and the fidelity, the sorrow and the gloom, of woman’s love; +and a dreary foreboding told her that the shadow of the mother’s fate +was cast over the child’s. Such were the thoughts that made the cloister +welcome, till the desolation of the shelter was tried and known. But +when, through the agency of the porter, Fonseca’s letter reached her, +all other feelings gave way to the burst of natural and passionate +emotion. The absent had returned, again wooed, was still faithful. +The awful vow was not spoken--she might yet be his. She answered; she +chided; she spoke of doubt, of peril, of fear for him, of maiden shame; +but her affection coloured every word, and the letter was full of hope. +The correspondence continued; the energetic remonstrances of Fonseca, +the pure and fervent attachment of the novice, led more and more rapidly +and surely to the inevitable result. Beatriz yielded to the prayer of +her lover; she consented to the scheme of escape and flight that he +proposed. + +Late at evening Fonseca sought Calderon. The marquis was in the gardens +of his splendid mansion. + +The moonlight streamed over many a row of orange-trees and +pomegranates--many a white and richly sculptured vase, on its marble +pedestal--many a fountain, that scattered its low music round the +breathless air. Upon a terrace that commanded a stately view of the +spires and palaces of Madrid stood Calderon, alone; beside him, +one solitary and gigantic aloe cast its deep gloom of shade and his +motionless attitude, his folded arms, his face partially lifted to +the starlit heavens, bespoke the earnestness and concentration of his +thoughts. + +“Why does this shudder come over me?” said, he, half aloud. “It was thus +in that dismal hour which preceded the knowledge of my shame--the deed +of a dark revenge--the revolution of my eventful and wondrous life! Ah! +how happy was I once! a contented and tranquil student; a believer +in those eyes that were to me as the stars to the astrologer. But the +golden age passed into that of iron. And now,” added Calderon, with a +self-mocking sneer, “comes the era which the poets have not chronicled; +for fraud, and hypocrisy, and vice, know no poets!” + +The quick step of Fonseca interrupted the courtier’s reverie. He turned, +knit his brow, and sighed heavily, as if nerving himself to some effort; +but his brow was smooth, and his aspect cheerful, ere Fonseca reached +his side. + +“Give me joy--give me joy, dear Calderon! she has consented. Now, then, +your promised aid.” + +“You can depend upon the fidelity of your friendly porter? + +“With my life.” + +“A master key to the back-door of the chapel has been made?” + +“See, I have it.” + +“And Beatriz can contrive to secrete herself in the confessional at the +hour of the night prayers?” + +“There is no doubt of her doing so with safety. The number of the +novices is so great, that one of them cannot well be missed.” + +“So much, then, for your part of the enterprise. Now for mine. You know +that solitary house in the suburbs, on the high road to Fuencarral, +which I pointed out to you yesterday? Well, the owner is a creature +of mine. There, horses shall be in waiting; there, disguises shall be +prepared. Beatriz must necessarily divest herself of the professional +dress; you had better choose meaner garments for yourself. Drop those +hidalgo titles of which your father is so proud, and pass off yourself +and the novice as a notary and his wife, about to visit France on a +lawsuit of inheritance. One of my secretaries shall provide you with a +pass. Meanwhile, to-morrow, I shall be the first officially to hear of +the flight of the novice, and I will set the pursuers on a wrong scent. +Have I not arranged all things properly, my Fonseca?” + +“You are our guardian angel!” cried Don Martin, fervently. “The prayers +of Beatriz will be registered in your behalf above--prayers that will +reach the Great Throne as easily from the open valleys of France as in +the gloomy cloisters of Madrid. At midnight, to-morrow, then, we seek +the house you have described to us.” + +“Ay, at midnight, all shall be prepared.” + +With a light step and exulting heart, Fonseca turned from the palace of +Calderon. Naturally sanguine and high-spirited, visions of hope and joy +floated before his eyes, and the future seemed to him a land owning but +the twin deities of Glory and Love. + +He had reached about the centre of the streets in which Calderon’s abode +was placed, when six men, who for some moments had been watching him +from a little distance, approached. + +“I believe,” said the one who appeared the chief of the band, “that I +have the honor to address Senior Don Martin Fonseca?” + +“Such is my name.” + +“In the name of the king we arrest you. Follow us.” + +“Arrest! on what plea? What is my offence?” + +“It is stated on this writ, signed by his Eminence the Cardinal-Duke de +Lerma. You are charged with the crime of desertion.” + +“Thou liest, knave! I had the general’s free permission to quit the +camp.” + +“We have said all--follow!” + +Fonseca, naturally of the most impetuous and passionate character, was +not, in that moment, in a mood to calculate coldly all the consequences +of resistance. Arrest--imprisonment--on the eve before that which was +to see him the deliverer of Beatriz, constituted a sentence of such +despair, that all other considerations vanished before it. He set his +teeth firmly, drew his sword, dashed aside the alguazil who attempted +to obstruct his path, and strode grimly on, shaking one clenched hand in +defiance, while, with the other, he waved the good Toledo that had often +blazed in the van of battle, at the war-cry of “St. Iago and Spain!” + +The alguazils closed round the soldier, and the clash of swords was +already heard; when suddenly torches borne on high threw their glare +across the moonlit street, and two running footmen called out, “Make way +for the most noble the Marquis de Siete Iglesias!” At that name, Fonseca +dropped the point of his weapon; the alguazils themselves drew aside; +and the tall figure and pale countenance of Calderon were visible +amongst the group. + +“What means this brawl in the open streets at this late hour?” said the +minister, sternly. + +“Calderon!” exclaimed Fonseca; “this is indeed fortunate. These caitiffs +have dared to lay hands on a soldier of Spain, and to forge for their +villany the name of his own kinsman, the Duke de Lerma.” + +“Your charge against this gentleman?” asked Calderon, calmly, turning to +the principal alguazil, who placed the writ of arrest in the secretary’s +hand. Calderon read it leisurely, and raised his hat as he returned it +to the alguazil: he then drew aside Fonseca. + +“Are you mad?” said he, in a whisper. “Do you think you can resist the +law? Had I not arrived so opportunely you would have converted a slight +accusation into a capital offence. Go with these men: do not fear; I +will see the duke, and obtain your immediate release. To-morrow I will +visit and accompany you home.” + +Fonseca, still half beside himself with rage, would have replied, but +Calderon significantly placed his finger on his lip and turned to the +alguazils. + +“There is a mistake here: it will be rectified to-morrow. Treat this +cavalier with all the respect and worship due to his birth and merits. +Go, Don Martin, go,” he added, in a lower voice; “go, unless you desire +to lose Beatriz for ever. Nothing but obedience can save you from the +imprisonment of half a life!” + +Awed and subdued by this threat, Fonseca, in gloomy silence, placed +his sword in its sheath, and sullenly followed the alguazils. Calderon +watched them depart with a thoughtful and absent look; then, starting +from his reverie, he bade his torchbearers proceed, and resumed his way +to the Prince of Spain. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. THE OPEN COUNTENANCE, THE CONCEALED THOUGHTS + +The next day, at noon, Calderon visited Fonseca in his place of +confinement. The young man was seated by a window that overlooked a +large dull court-yard, with a neglected and broken fountain in the +centre, leaning his cheek upon his hand. His long hair was dishevelled, +his dress disordered, and a gloomy frown darkened features naturally +open and ingenuous. He started to his feet as Calderon approached. “My +release--you have brought my release--let us forth!” + +“My dear pupil, be ruled, be calm. I have seen the duke: the cause of +your imprisonment is as I suspected. Some imprudent words, overheard, +perhaps, but by your valet, have escaped you; words intimating your +resolution not to abandon Beatriz. You know your kinsman, a mail +of doubts and fears,--of forms, ceremonies, and scruples. From very +affection for his kindred and yourself he has contrived your arrest; +all my expostulations have been in vain. I fear your imprisonment +may continue, either until you give a solemn promise to renounce all +endeavor to dissuade Beatriz from the final vows, or until she herself +has pronounced them.” + +Fonseca, as if stupefied, stared a moment at Calderon, and then burst +into a wild laugh. Calderon continued: + +“Nevertheless, do not despair. Be patient; I am ever about the duke; +nay, I have the courage, in your cause, to appeal even to the king +himself.” + +“And to-night she expects me--to-night she was to be free!” + +“We can convey the intelligence of your mischance to her: the porter +will befriend you.” + +“Away, false friend, or powerless protector, that you are! Are your +promises of aid come to this? But I care not; my case, my wrongs, shall +be laid before the king; I will inquire if it be thus that Philip the +Third treats the defenders of his crown. Don Roderigo Calderon, will you +place my memorial in the hands of your royal master? Do this, and I will +thank you.” + +“No, Fonseca, I will not ruin you; the king would pass your memorial to +the Duke de Lerma. Tush! this is not the way that men of sense deal with +misfortune. Think you I should be what I now am, if, in every reverse, I +had raved, and not reflected? Sit down, and let us think of what can now +be done.” + +“Nothing, unless the prison door open by sunset!” + +“Stay, a thought strikes me. The term of your imprisonment ceases when +you relinquish the hope of Beatriz. But what if the duke could believe +that Beatriz relinquished you? What, for instance, if she fled from the +convent, as you proposed, and we could persuade the duke that it was +with another?” + +“Ah! be silent!” + +“Nay, what advantages in this scheme--what safety! If she fly alone, +or, as supposed, with another lover, the duke will have no interest in +pursuit, in punishment. She is not of that birth that the state will +take the trouble, very actively, to interfere: she may reach France in +safety; ay, a thousand times more safely than if she fled with you, +a hidalgo and a man of rank, whom the state would have an interest to +reclaim, and to whom the Inquisition, hating the nobles, would impute +the crime of sacrilege. It is an excellent thought! Your imprisonment +may be the salvation of you both: your plan may succeed still better +without your intervention; and, after a few days, the duke, believing +that your resentment must necessarily replace your love, will order your +release; you can join Beatriz on the frontier, and escape with her to +France.” + +“But,” said Fonseca, struck, but not convinced, by the suggestion of +Calderon, “who will take my place with Beatriz? who penetrate into the +gardens? who bear her from the convent?” + +“That, for your sake, will I do. Perhaps,” added Calderon, smiling, “a +courtier may manage such an intrigue with even more dexterity than a +soldier. I will bear her to the house we spoke of; there I know she can +lie hid in safety, till the languid pursuit of uninterested officials +shall cease, and thence I can easily find means to transport her, under +safe and honourable escort, to any place it may please you to appoint.” + +“And think you Beatriz will fly with you, a stranger? Impossible! Your +plan pleases me not.” + +“Nor does it please me,” said Calderon, coldly; “the risks I proposed +to run are too imminent to be contemplated complacently: I thank you for +releasing me from my offer; nor should I have made it, Fonseca, but +from this fear, what if to-morrow the duke himself (he is a churchman, +remember) see the novice? what if he terrify her with threats against +yourself? what if he induce the abbess and the Church to abridge the +novitiate? what if Beatriz be compelled or awed into taking the veil? +what if you be released even next week and find her lost to you for +ever?” + +“They cannot--they dare not!” + +“The duke dares all things for ambition; your alliance with Beatriz he +would hold a disgrace to his house. Think not my warnings are without +foundation--I speak from authority; such is the course the Duke de Lerma +has resolved upon. Nothing else could have induced me to offer to +brave for your sake all the hazard of outraging the law and braving the +terrors of the Inquisition. But let us think of some other plan. Is +your escape possible? I fear not. No; you must trust to my chance of +persuading the duke into prosecuting the matter no further; trust +to some mightier scheme engrossing all his thoughts; to a fit of +good-humour after his siesta; or, perhaps, an attack of the gout, or a +stroke of apoplexy. Such, after all, are the chances of human felicity, +the pivots on which turns the solemn wheel of human life.” + +Fonseca made no reply for some moments; he traversed the room with hasty +and disordered strides, and at last stopped abruptly. + +“Calderon, there is no option; I must throw myself on your generosity, +your faith, your friendship. I will write to Beatriz; I will tell her, +for my sake, to confide in you.” + +As he spoke, Don Martin turned to the table, and wrote a hasty and +impassioned note, in which he implored the novice to trust herself to +the directions of Don Roderigo Calderon, his best, his only friend; and, +as he placed this letter in the hands of the courtier he turned aside to +conceal his emotions. Calderon himself was deeply moved: his cheek was +flushed, and his hand seemed tremulous as it took the letter. + +“Remember,” said Fonseca, “that I trust to you my life of life. As you +are true to me, may Heaven be merciful to you!” + +Calderon made no answer, but turned to the door. “Stay,” said Fonseca; +“I had forgot this--here is the master key.” + +“True; how dull I was! And the porter--will he attend to thy proxy?” + +“Doubt it not. Accost him with the word, ‘Grenada.’ But he expects to +share the flight.” + +“That can be arranged. To-morrow you will hear of my success. Farewell!” + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. THE ESCAPE + +It was midnight in the chapel of the convent. + +The moonlight shone with exceeding lustre through the tall casements, +and lit into a ghastly semblance of life the marble images of saint +and martyr, that threw their long shadows over the consecrated floor. +Nothing could well be conceived more dreary, solemn, and sepulchral than +that holy place: its distained and time-hallowed walls; the impenetrable +mass of darkness that gathered into those recesses which the moonlight +failed to reach; its antique and massive tombs, above which reclined +the sculptured effigies of some departed patroness or abbess, who had +exchanged a living grave for the Mansions of the Blest. But there--oh, +wonderful human heart!--even there, in that spot, the very homily and +warning against earthly affections and mortal hopes--even there, couldst +thou beat with as wild, as bright, and as pure a passion as ever heaved +the breast and shone in the eyes of Beauty, in the free air that ripples +the Guadiana, or amidst the twilight dance of Castilian maids. + +A tall figure, wrapped from head to foot in a cloak, passed slowly up +the aisle. But light and cautious though the footstep, it woke a low, +hollow, ominous echo, that seemed more than the step itself to disturb +the sanctity of the place. It paused opposite to a confessional, which +was but dimly visible through the shadows around it. And then there +emerged timidly a female form; and a soft voice whispered “It is thou, +Fonseca!” + +“Hist!” was the answer; “he waits without. Be quick; speak not--come.” + +Beatriz recoiled in surprise and alarm at the voice of a stranger; but +the man, seizing her by the hand, drew her hastily from the chapel, and +hurried her across the garden, through a small postern door, which stood +ajar, into an obscure street bordering the convent wall. Here stood the +expectant porter, with a bundle in his hand, which he opened, and took +thence a long cloak, such as the women of middling rank in Madrid wore +in the winter season, with the customary mantilla or veil. With these, +still without speaking, the stranger hastily shrouded the form of the +novice, and once more hurried her on till about a hundred yards from +the garden gate he came to a carriage, into which he lifted Beatriz, +whispered a few words to the porter, seated himself by the side of the +novice, and the vehicle drove rapidly away. + +It was some moments before Beatriz could sufficiently recover from her +first agitation and terror, to feel alive to all the strangeness of her +situation. She was alone with a stranger; where was Fonseca? She turned +towards her companion. + +“Who art thou?” she said, “whither art thou leading me-and why--” + +“Why is not Don Martin by thy side? Pardon me, senora: I have a billet +for thee from Fonseca; in a few minutes thou wilt know all.” + +At this time the vehicle came suddenly in the midst of a train of +footmen and equipages that choked up the way. There was a brilliant +entertainment at the French embassy; and thither flocked, all the +rank and chivalry of Madrid. Calderon drew down the blind and hastily +enjoined silence on Beatriz. It was some minutes before the driver +extricated himself from the throng; and then, as if to make amends for +the delay, he put his horses to their full speed, and carefully selected +the most obscure and solitary thoroughfares. At length, the carriage +entered the range of suburbs which still at this day the traveller +passes on his road from Madrid to France. The horses stopped before a +lonely house that stood a little apart from the road, and which from +the fashion of its architecture appeared of considerable antiquity. The +stranger descended and knocked twice at the door: it was opened by +an old man, whose exaggerated features, bended frame, and long beard, +proclaimed him of the race of Israel. After a short and whispered +parley, the stranger returned to Beatriz, gravely assisted her from the +carriage, and, leading her across the threshold, and up a flight of rude +stairs, dimly lighted, entered a chamber richly furnished. The walls +were hung with stuffs of gorgeous colouring and elaborate design. +Pedestals of the whitest marble placed at each corner of the room +supported candelabra of silver. The sofas and couches were of the heavy +but sumptuous fashion which then prevailed in the palaces of France and +Spain; and of which Venice (the true model of the barbaric decorations +with which Louis the Fourteenth corrupted the taste of Paris) was +probably the original inventor. In an alcove, beneath a silken canopy, +was prepared a table, laden with wines, fruits, and viands; and +altogether the elegance and luxury that characterised the apartment +were in strong and strange contrast with the half-ruined exterior of +the abode, the gloomy and rude approach to the chamber, and the mean and +servile aspect of the Jew, who stood, or rather cowered by the door, +as if waiting for further orders. With a wave of the hand the stranger +dismissed the Israelite; and then, approaching Beatriz, presented to her +Fonseca’s letter. + +As with an enchanting mixture of modesty and eagerness Beatriz, half +averting her face, bent over the well-known characters, Calderon gazed +upon her with a scrutinising and curious eye. + +The courtier was not, in this instance, altogether the villain that from +outward appearances the reader may have deemed him. His plan was this: +he had resolved on compliance with the wishes of the prince--his safety +rested on that compliance. But Fonseca was not to be sacrificed without +reserve. Profoundly despising womankind, and firmly persuaded of their +constitutional treachery and deceit, Calderon could not believe the +actress that angel of light and purity which she seemed to the enamoured +Fonseca. He had resolved to subject her to the ordeal of the prince’s +addresses. If she fell, should he not save his friend from being the +dupe of an artful _intriguante_?--should he not deserve the thanks +of Don Martin for the very temptation to which Beatriz was now to be +submitted? If he could convince Fonseca of her falsehood, he should +stand acquitted to his friend, while he should have secured his interest +with the prince. But if, on the other hand, Beatriz came spotless +through the trial; if the prince, stung by her obstinate virtue, should +menace to sink courtship into violence, Calderon knew that it would not +be in the first or second interview that the novice would have any real +danger to apprehend; and he should have leisure to concert her escape +by such means as would completely conceal from the prince his own +connivance at her flight. Such was the compromise that Calderon had +effected between his conscience and his ambition. But while he gazed +upon the novice, though her features were turned from him, and half +veiled by the headdress she had assumed, strange feelings, ominous and +startling, like those remembrances of the Past which sometimes come in +the guise of prophecies of the Future, thronged, indistinct and dim, +upon his breast. The unconscious and exquisite grace of her form, its +touching youth, an air of innocence diffused around it, a something +helpless, and pleading to man’s protection, in the very slightness +of her beautiful but fairy-like proportions, seemed to reproach his +treachery, and to awaken whatever of pity or human softness remained in +his heart. + +The novice had read the letter; and turning, in the impulse of surprise +and alarm, to Calderon for explanation, for the first time she remarked +his features and his aspect; for he had then laid aside his cloak, and +the broad Spanish hat with its heavy plume. It was thus that their eyes +met, and, as they did so, Beatriz, starting from her seat, uttered a +wild cry-- + +“And thy name is Calderon--Don Roderigo Calderon?--is it possible? +Hadst thou never another name?” she exclaimed; and, as she spoke, she +approached him slowly and fearfully. + +“Lady, Calderon is my name,” replied the marquis: but his voice +faltered. “But thine--thine--is it, in truth, Beatriz Coello?” + +Beatriz made no reply, but continued to advance, till her very breath +came upon his cheek; she then laid her hand upon his arm, and looked +up into his face with a gaze so earnest, so intent, so prolonged, that +Calderon, but for a strange and terrible thought--half of wonder, half +of suspicion, which had gradually crept into his soul, and now usurped +it--might have doubted whether the reason of the poor novice was not +unsettled. + +Slowly Beatriz withdrew her eyes, and they fell upon a large mirror +opposite, which reflected in full light the features of Calderon and +herself. It was then--her natural bloom having faded into a paleness +scarcely less statue-like than that which characterised the cheek of +Calderon himself, and all the sweet play and mobility of feature that +belong to first youth being replaced by a rigid and marble stillness of +expression--it was then that a remarkable resemblance between these two +persons became visible and startling. That resemblance struck alike, and +in the same instant, both Beatriz and Calderon; and both, gazing on the +mirror, uttered an involuntary and simultaneous exclamation. + +With a trembling and hasty hand the novice searched amidst the folds of +her robe, and drew forth a small leathern case, closed with clasps of +silver. She touched the spring, and took out a miniature, upon which she +cast a rapid and wild glance; then, lifting her eyes to Calderon, she +cried, “It must be so--it is, it is my father!” and fell motionless at +his feet. + +Calderon did not for some moments heed the condition of the novice: that +chamber, the meditated victim, the present time, the coming evil--all +were swept away from his soul; he was transported back into the past, +with the two dread Spirits, Memory and Conscience! His knees knocked +together, his aspect was livid, the cold drops stood upon his brow; he +muttered incoherently and then bent down, and took up the picture. It +was the face of a man in the plain garb of a Salamanca student, and in +the first flush of youth; the noble brow, serene and calm, and stamped +alike with candour and courage; the smooth cheek, rich with the hues +of health; the lips, parting in a happy smile, and eloquent of joy and +hope; it was the face of that wily, grasping, ambitious, unscrupulous +man, when life had yet brought no sin; it was, as if the ghost of youth +were come back to accuse the crimes of manhood! The miniature fell from +his hand--he groaned aloud. Then gazing on the prostrate form of the +novice, he said--“Poor wretch! can I believe that thou art indeed of +mine own race and blood; or rather, does not nature, that stamped these +lineaments on thy countenance, deceive and mock me? If she, thy mother, +lied, why not nature herself?” + +He raised the novice in his arms, and gazed long and wistfully upon her +lifeless, but almost lovely features. She moved not--she scarcely seemed +to breathe; yet he fancied he felt her embrace tightening round him--he +fancied he heard again the voice that had hailed him “FATHER!” His heart +beat aloud, the divine instinct overpowered all things, he pressed a +passionate kiss upon her forehead, and his tears fell fast and warm upon +her cheek. But again the dark remembrance crossed him, and he shuddered, +placed the novice hastily on one of the couches, and shouted aloud. + +The Jew appeared and was ordered to summon Jacinta. A young woman of the +same persuasion, and of harsh and forbidding exterior, entered, and to +her care Calderon briefly consigned the yet insensible Beatriz. + +While Jacinta unlaced the dress, and chafed the temples, of the novice, +Calderon seemed buried in gloomy thought. At last he strode slowly away, +as if to quit the chamber, when his foot struck against the case of the +picture, and his eye rested upon a paper which lay therein, folded and +embedded. He took it up, and, lifting aside the hangings, hurried into a +small cabinet lighted by a single lamp. Here, alone and unseen, Calderon +read the following letter: + + +“TO RODERIGO NUNEZ. + +“Will this letter ever meet thine eyes? I know not; but it is comfort to +write to thee on the bed of death; and were it not for that horrible and +haunting thought that thou believest me--me whose very life was in thy +love--faithless and dishonoured, even death itself would be the sweeter +because it comes from the loss of thee. Yes, something tells me that +these lines will not be written in vain; that thou wilt read them yet, +when this hand is still and this brain at rest, and that then thou +wilt feel that I could not have dared to write to thee if I were not +innocent; that in every word thou wilt recognise the evidence that is +strong as the voice of thousands,--the simple but solemn evidence +of faith and truth. What! when for thee I deserted all--home, and a +father’s love, wealth, and the name I had inherited from Moors who had +been monarchs in their day--couldst thou think that I had not made the +love of thee the core, and life, and principle of my very being! And one +short year, could that suffice to shake my faith?--one year of marriage, +but two months of absence? You left me, left that dear home, by the +silver Xenil. For love did not suffice to you; ambition began to stir +within you, and you called it ‘love.’ You said, ‘It grieved you that I +was poor; that you could not restore to me the luxury and wealth I had +lost.’ (Alas! why did you turn so incredulously from my assurance, that +in you, and you alone, were centred my ambition and pride?) You declared +that the vain readers of the stars had foretold at your cradle that +you were predestined to lofty honours and dazzling power, and that +the prophecy would work out its own fulfilment. You left me to seek in +Madrid your relation who had risen into the favour of a minister, and +from whose love you expected to gain an opening to your career. Do +you remember how we parted? how you kissed away my tears, and how they +gushed forth again? how again and again you said, ‘Farewell!’ and again +and again returned as if we could never part? And I took my babe, but +a few weeks born, from her cradle, and placed her in thy arms, and bade +thee see that she had already learned thy smile; and were these the +signs of falsehood? Oh, how I pined for the sound of thy footstep when +thou wert gone! how all the summer had vanished from the landscape; and +how, turning to thy child, I fancied I again beheld thee! The day after +thou hadst left me there was a knock at the cottage; the nurse opened +it, and there entered your former rival, whom my father had sought +to force upon me, the richest of the descendants of the Moor, Arraez +Ferrares. Why linger on this hateful subject? He had tracked us to our +home, he had learned thy absence, he came to insult me with his vows. By +the Blessed Mother, whom thou hast taught me to adore, by the terror +and pang of death, by my hopes of Heaven, I am innocent, Roderigo, I am +innocent! Oh, how couldst thou be so deceived? He quitted the cottage, +discomfited and enraged; again he sought me, and again and again; +and when the door was closed upon him, he waylaid my steps. Lone and +defenceless as we were, thy wife and child, with but one attendant I +feared him not; but I trembled at thy return, for I knew that thou went +a Spaniard, a Castilian, and that beneath thy calm and gentle seeming +lurked pride, and jealousy, and revenge. Thy letter came, the only +letter since thy absence, the last letter from thee I may ever weep +over, and lay upon my heart. Thy relation was dead, and his wealth +enriched a nearer heir. Thou wert to return. The day in which I might +expect thee approached--it arrived. During the last week I had seen and +heard no more of Ferrares. I trusted that he had at length discovered +the vanity of his pursuit. I walked into the valley, thy child in my +arms, to meet thee; but thou didst not come. The sun set, and the light +of thine eyes replaced not the declining day. I returned home, and +watched for thee all night, but in vain. The next morning again I went +forth into the valley, and again, with a sick heart, returned to my +desolate home. It was then noon. As I approached the door I perceived +Ferrares. He forced his entrance. I told him of thy expected return, and +threatened him with thy resentment. He left me; and, terrified with a +thousand vague forebodings, I sat down to weep. The nurse, Leonarda, was +watching by the cradle of our child in the inner room. + +“I was alone. Suddenly the door opened. I heard thy step; I knew it; I +knew its music. I started up. Saints of Heaven! what a meeting--what a +return! Pale, haggard, thine hands and garments dripping blood, thine +eyes blazing with insane fire, a terrible smile of mockery on thy lip, +thou stoodst before me. I would have thrown myself on thy breast; thou +didst cast me from thee; I fell on my knees, and thy blade was pointed +at my heart--the heart so full of thee! ‘He is dead,’ didst thou say, in +a hollow voice; ‘he is dead--thy paramour--take thy bed beside him!’ I +know not what I said, but it seemed to move thee; thy hand trembled, and +the point of thy weapon dropped. It was then that, hearing thy voice, +Leonarda hastened into the room, and bore in her arms thy child. +‘See,’ I exclaimed, ‘see thy daughter; see, she stretches her hands to +thee--she pleads for her mother!’ At that sight thy brow became dark, +the demon seized upon thee again. ‘Mine!’ were thy cruel words--they +ring in my ear still--‘no! she was born before the time--ha! ha!--thou +didst betray me from the first!’ With that thou didst raise thy sword; +but, even then (ah, blessed thought! even then) remorse and love palsied +thy hand, and averted thy gaze: the blow was not that of death. I fell +senseless to the ground, and when I recovered thou wert gone. Delirium +succeeded; and when once more my senses and reason returned to me, I +found by my side a holy priest, and from him, gradually, I learned +all that till then was dare. Ferrares had been found in the valley, +weltering in his blood. Borne to a neighbouring monastery, he lingered +a few days, to confess the treachery he had practised on thee; to adopt, +in his last hours, the Christian faith; and to attest his crime with +his own signature. He enjoined the monk, who had converted and confessed +him, to place this proof of my innocence in my hands. Behold it enclosed +within. If this letter ever reach thee, thou wilt learn how thy wife +was true to thee in life, and has therefore the right to bless thee in +death.” + + +At this passage, Calderon dropped the letter, and was seized with a +kind of paralysis, which for some moments seemed to deprive him of life +itself. When he recovered he eagerly grasped a scroll that was enclosed +in the letter, but which, hitherto, he had disregarded. Even then, so +strong were his emotions, that sight itself was obscured and dimmed, +and it was long before he could read the characters, which were already +discoloured by time. + + + +“TO INEZ. + +“I have but a few hours to live,--let me spend them in atonement and in +prayer, less for myself than thee. Thou knowest not how madly I adored +thee; and how thy hatred or indifference stung every passion into +torture. Let this pass. When I saw thee again--the forsaker of thy +faith--poor, obscure, and doomed to a peasant’s lot--daring hopes shaped +themselves into fierce resolves. Finding that thou wert inexorable, I +turned my arts upon thy husband. I knew his poverty and his ambition: we +Moors have had ample knowledge of the avarice of the Christians’. I +bade one whom I could trust to seek him out at Madrid. Wealth--lavish +wealth--wealth that could open to a Spaniard all the gates of power was +offered to him if he would renounce thee forever. Nay, in order to crush +out all love from his breast, it was told him that mine was the prior +right--that thou hadst yielded to my suit ere thou didst fly with +him--that thou didst use his love as an escape from thine own +dishonour--that thy very child owned another father. I had learned, and +I availed myself of the knowledge, that it was born before its time. +We had miscalculated the effect of this representation, backed and +supported by forged letters: instead of abandoning thee, he thought only +of revenge for his shame. As I left thy house, the last time I gazed +upon thine indignant eyes, I found the avenger, on my path! He had seen +me quit thy roof--he needed no other confirmation of the tale. I fell +into the pit which I had digged for thee. Conscience unnerved my hand +and blunted my sword: our blades scarcely crossed before his weapon +stretched me on the ground. They tell me he has fled from the anger of +the law; let him return without a fear Solemnly, and from the bed of +death, and in the sight of the last tribunal, I proclaim to justice and +the world that we fought fairly, and I perish justly. I have adopted thy +faith, though I cannot comprehend its mysteries. It is enough that it +holds out to me the only hope that we shall meet again. I direct these +lines to be transmitted to thee--an eternal proof of thy innocence and +my guilt. Ah, canst thou forgive me? I knew no sin till I knew thee. + + “ARRAEZ FERRARES.” + + +Calderon paused ere he turned to the concluding lines of his wife’s +letter; and, though he remained motionless and speechless, never were +agony and despair stamped more terribly on the face of man. + + + CONCLUSION OF THE LETTER OF INEZ. + +“And what avails to me this testimony of my faith? thou art fled; they +cannot track thy footsteps; I shall see thee no more on earth. I am +dying fast, but not of the wound I took from thee; let not that thought +darken thy soul, my husband! No, that wound is healed. Thought is +sharper than the sword. I have pilled away for the loss of thee and thy +love! Can the shadow live without the sun? And wilt thou never place thy +hands on my daughter’s head, and bless her for her mother’s sake? Ah, +yes--yes! The saints that watch over our human destinies will one day +cast her in thy way: and the same hour that gives thee a daughter shall +redeem and hallow the memory of a wife.... Leonarda has vowed to be +a mother to our child; to tend her, work for her, rear her, though in +poverty, to virtue. I consign these letters to Leonarda’s charge, with +thy picture--never to be removed from my breast till the heart within +has ceased to beat. Not till Beatriz (I have so baptised her--it was thy +mother’s name!) has attained to the age when reason can wrestle with the +knowledge of sorrow, shall her years be shadowed with the knowledge of +our fate. Leonarda has persuaded me that Beatriz shall not take thy name +of Nunez. Our tale has excited horror--for it is not understood--and +thou art called the murderer of thy wife; and the story of our +misfortunes would cling to our daughter’s life, and reach her ears, and +perhaps mar her fate. But I know that thou wilt discover her not the +less, for Nature has a Providence of its own. When at last you meet her, +protect, guard, love her--sacred to you as she is, and shall be--the +pure but mournful legacy of love and death. I have done: I die blessing +thee!” “INEZ.” + +Scarce had he finished those last words, ere the clock struck: it +was the hour in which the prince was to arrive. The thought restored +Calderon to the sense of the present time--the approaching peril. All +the cold calculations he had formed for the stranger-novice vanished +now. He kissed the letter passionately, placed it in his breast, and +hurried into the chamber where he had left his child. Our tale returns +to Fonseca. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. THE COUNTERPLOT. + +Calderon had not long left the young soldier before the governor of the +prison entered to pay his respects to a captive of such high birth and +military reputation. + +Fonseca, always blunt and impatient of mood, was not in a humour to +receive and return compliments; but the governor had scarcely seated +himself ere he struck a chord in the conversation which immediately +arrested the attention and engaged the interest of the prisoner. + +“Do not fear, sir,” said he, “that you will be long detained; the power +of your enemy is great, but it will not be of duration. The storm is +already gathering round him; he must be more than man if he escapes the +thunderbolt.” + +“Do you speak to me thus of my kinsman, the Cardinal-Duke de Lerma?” + +“No, Don Martin, pardon me. I spoke of the Marquis de Siete Iglesias. +Are you so great a stranger to Madrid and to the court as to suppose +that the Cardinal de Lerma ever signs a paper but at the instance of Don +Roderigo? Nay, that he ever looks over the paper to which he sets his +hand? Depend upon it, you are here to gratify the avarice or revenge of +the Scourge of Spain.” + +“Impossible!” cried Fonseca. “Don Roderigo is my friend--my intercessor. +He overwhelms me with his kindness.” + +“Then you are indeed lost,” said the governor, in accents of compassion; +“the tiger always caresses his prey before he devours it. What have you +done to provoke his kindness?” + +“Senor,” said Fonseca, suspiciously, “you speak with a strange want of +caution to a stranger, and against a man whose power you confess.” + +“Because I am safe from his revenge; because the Inquisition have +already fixed their fatal eyes upon him; because by that Inquisition I +am not unknown nor unprotected; because I see with joy and triumph +the hour approaching that must render up to justice the pander of the +prince, the betrayer of the king, the robber of the people; because I +have an interest in thee, Don Martin, of which thou wilt be aware when +thou hast learned my name. I am Juan de la Nuza, the father of the +young officer whose life you saved in the assault of the Moriscos, in +Valentia, and I owe you an everlasting gratitude.” + +There was something in the frank and hearty tone of the governor which +at once won Fonseca’s confidence. He became agitated and distracted with +suspicions of his former tutor and present patron. + +“What, I ask, hast thou done to attract his notice? Calderon is not +capricious in cruelty. Art thou rich, and does he hope that thou wilt +purchase freedom with five thousand pistoles? No! Hast thou crossed the +path of his ambition? Hast thou been seen with Uzeda? or art thou +in favour with the prince? No, again! Then hast thou some wife, some +sister, some mistress, of rare accomplishments and beauty, with whom +Calderon would gorge the fancy and retain the esteem of the profligate +Infant? Ah, thou changest colour.” + +“By Heaven! you madden me with these devilish surmises. Speak plainly.” + +“I see thou knowest not Calderon,” said the governor, with a bitter +smile. “I do--for my niece was beautiful, and the prince wooed her--. +But enough of that: at his scaffold, or at the rack, I shall be avenged +on Roderigo Calderon. You said the Cardinal was your kinsman; you are, +then, equally related to his son, the Duke d’Uzeda. Apply not to Lerma; +he is the tool of Calderon. Apply yourself to Uzeda; he is Calderon’s +mortal foe. While Calderon gains ground with the prince, Uzeda advances +with the king. Uzeda by a word can procure thy release. The duke knows +and trusts me. Shall I be commissioned to acquaint him with thy arrest, +and entreat his intercession with Philip?” + +“You give me new life! But not an hour is to be lost; this night--this +day-oh, Mother of Mercy! what image have you conjured up! fly to Uzeda, +if you would save my very reason. I myself have scarcely seen him +since my boyhood--Lerma forbade me seek his friendship. But I am of his +race--his blood.” + +“Be cheered, I shall see the duke to-day. I have business with him where +you wot not. We are bringing strange events to a crisis. Hope the best.” + With this the governor took his leave. + +At the dusk of the evening, Don Juan de la Nuza, wrapped in a dark +mantle, stood before a small door deep-set in a massive and gloomy wall, +that stretched along one side of a shunned and deserted street. Without +sign of living hand, the door opened at his knock, and the governor +entered a long and narrow passage that conducted to chambers more +associated with images of awe than any in his own prison. Here he +suddenly encountered the Jesuit, Fray Louis de Aliaga, confessor to the +king. + +“How fares the Grand Inquisitor?” asked De la Nuza. “He has just +breathed his last,” answered the Jesuit. “His illness--so sudden--defied +all aid. Sandoval y Roxas is with the saints.” + +The governor, who was, as the reader may suppose, one of the sacred +body, crossed himself, and answered.--“With whom will rest the +appointment of the successor? Who will be first to gain the ear of the +king?” + +“I know not,” replied the Jesuit; “but I am at this instant summoned to +Uzeda. Pardon my haste.” + +So saying, Aliaga glided away. + +“With Sandoval y Roxas,” muttered Don Juan, “dies the last protector of +Calderon and Lerma: unless, indeed, the wily marquis can persuade the +king to make Aliaga, his friend, the late cardinal’s successor. But +Aliaga seeks Uzeda--Uzeda his foe and rival. What can this portend?” + +Thus soliloquising, the governor silently continued his way till he came +to a door by which stood two men, masked, who saluted him with a mute +inclination of the head. The door opened and again closed, as the +governor entered. Meanwhile, the confessor had gained the palace of +the Duke d’ Uzeda. Uzeda was not alone: with him was a man whose sallow +complexion, ill-favoured features, and simple dress strangely contrasted +the showy person and sumptuous habiliments of the duke. But the instant +this personage opened his lips, the comparison was no longer to his +prejudice. Something in the sparkle of his deep-set eye-in the singular +enchantment of his smile--and above all, in the tone of a very musical +and earnest voice, chained attention at once to his words. And, whatever +those words, there was about the man, and his mode of thought and +expression, the stamp of a mind at once crafty and commanding. This +personage was Gaspar de Guzman, then but a gentleman of the Prince’s +chamber (which post he owed to Calderon, whose creature he was supposed +to be), afterwards so celebrated in the history of Philip IV., as Count +of Olivares and prime minister of Spain. + +The conversation between Guzman and Uzeda, just before the Jesuit +entered, was drawing to a close. + +“You see,” said Uzeda, “that if we desire to crush Calderon, it is on +the Inquisition that we must depend. Now is the time to elect, in the +successor of Sandoval y Roxas, one pledged to the favourite’s ruin. +The reason I choose Aliaga is this,--Calderon will never suspect his +friendship, and will not, therefore, thwart us with the king. The +Jesuit, who would sell all Christendom for the sake of advancement to +his order or himself will gladly sell Calderon to obtain the chair of +the Inquisition.” + +“I believe it,” replied Guzman. “I approve your choice; and you may rely +on me to destroy Calderon with the prince. I have found out the way +to rule Philip; it is by never giving him a right to despise his +favourites--it is to flatter his vanity, but not to share his vices. +Trust me, you alone--if you follow my suggestions--can be minister to +the Fourth Philip.” + +Here a page entered to announce Don Fray Louis de Aliaga. Uzeda advanced +to the door, and received the holy man with profound respect. + +“Be seated, father, and let me at once to business; for time presses, +and all must be despatched to-night. Before interest is made by +others with the king, we must be prompt in gaining the appointment of +Sandoval’s successor.” + +“Report says that the cardinal-duke, your father, himself desires the +vacant chair of the Inquisition.” + +“My poor father, he is old--his sun has set. No, Aliaga; I have thought +of one fitter for that high and stern office in a word, that appointment +rests with yourself. I can make you Grand Inquisitor of Spain--!” + +“Me!” said the Jesuit, and he turned aside his face. “You jest with me, +noble son.” + +“I am serious--hear me. We have been foes and rivals; why should not +our path be the same? Calderon has deprived you of friends more powerful +than himself. His hour is come. The Duke de Lerma’s downfall cannot +be avoided; if it could, I, his son, would not as, you may suppose, +withhold my hand. But business fatigues him--he is old--the affairs of +Spain are in a deplorable condition--they need younger and abler hands. +My father will not repine at a retirement suited to his years, and which +shall be made honourable to his gray hairs. But some victim must glut +the rage of the people; that victim must be the upstart Calderon; the +means of his punishment, the Inquisition. Now, you understand me. On one +condition, you shall be the successor to Sandoval. Know that I do not +promise without the power to fulfill. The instant I learned that the +late cardinal’s death was certain, I repaired to the king. I have the +promise of the appointment; and this night your name shall, if you +accept the condition, and Calderon does not, in the interim, see the +king and prevent the nomination, receive the royal sanction.” + +“Our excellent Aliaga cannot hesitate,” said Don Gaspar de Guzman. “The +order of Loyola rests upon shoulders that can well support the load.” + +Before that trio separated, the compact was completed. Aliaga practised +against his friend the lesson he had preached to him--that the end +sanctifies all means. Scarce had Aliaga departed ere Juan de la Nuza +entered; for Uzeda, who sought to make the Inquisition his chief +instrument of power, courted the friendship of all its officers. He +readily promised to obtain the release of Fonseca; and, in effect, it +was but little after midnight when an order arrived at the prison for +the release of Don Martin de Fonseca, accompanied by a note from the +duke to the prisoner, full of affectionate professions, and requesting +to see him the next morning. + +Late as the hour was, and in spite of the expostulations of the +governor, who wished him to remain the night within the prison, in the +hope to extract from him his secret, Fonseca no sooner received the +order than he claimed and obtained his liberation. + + + + +CHAPTER X. WE REAP WHAT WE SOW. + +With emotions of joy and triumph, such as had never yet agitated his +reckless and abandoned youth, the Infant of Spain bent his way towards +the lonely house on the road to Fuencarral. He descended from his +carriage when about a hundred yards from the abode, and proceeded on +foot to the appointed place. + +The Jew opened the door to the prince with a hideous grin on his hollow +cheek; and Philip hastened up the stairs, and entering the chamber we +have before described, beheld, to his inconceivable consternation and +dismay, the form of Beatriz clasped in the arms of Calderon, her head +leaning on his bosom; while his voice half choked with passionate sobs +called upon her in the most endearing terms. + +For a moment the prince stood, spell-bound and speechless, at the +threshold; then, striking the hilt of his sword fiercely, he exclaimed, +“Traitor! is it thus that thou hast kept thy promise? Dost thou not +tremble at my vengeance?” + +“Peace! peace!” said Calderon, in an imperious, but sepulchral tone, and +waving one hand with a gesture of impatience and rebuke, while with the +other he removed the long clustering hair that fell over the pale face +of the still insensible novice. “Peace, prince of Spain; thy voice +scares back the struggling life--peace! Look up, image and relic of the +lost--the murdered--the martyr! Hush! do you hear her breathe, or is +she with her mother in that heaven which is closed on me? Live! live! my +daughter--my child--live! For thy life in the World Hereafter will _not_ +be mine!” + +“What means this?” said the prince, falteringly. “What delusion do thy +wiles practise upon me?” + +Calderon made no answer; and at that instant Beatriz sighed heavily, and +her eyes opened. + +“My child! my child!--thou art my child! Speak--let me hear thy +voice--again let it call me ‘father!’” + +And Calderon dropped on his knees, and, clasping his hands fervently, +looked up imploringly in her face. The novice, now slowly returning to +life and consciousness, strove to speak: her voice failed her, but her +lips smiled arms fell feebly but endearingly upon Calderon, and her +round his neck. + +“Bless thee! bless thee!” exclaimed Calderon. “Bless thee in thy sweet +mother’s name!” + +While he spoke, the eyes of Beatriz caught the form of Philip, who stood +by, leaning on his sword; his face working with various passions, and +his lip curling with stern and intense disdain. Accustomed to know human +life but in its worst shapes, and Calderon only by his vices and his +arts, the voice of nature uttered no language intelligible to the +prince. He regarded the whole as some well got-up device--some trick of +the stage; and waited, with impatience and scorn, the denouement of the +imposture. + +At the sight of that mocking face, Beatriz shuddered, and fell back; but +her very alarm revived her, and, starting to her feet, she exclaimed, +“Save me from that bad man--save me! My father, I am safe with thee!” + +“Safe!” echoed Calderon;--“ay, safe against the world. But not,” he +added, looking round, and in a low and muttered tone, “not in this +foul abode; its very air pollutes thee. Let us hence: come--come--my +daughter!” and winding his arm round her waist, he hurried her towards +the door. + +“Back, traitor!” cried Philip, placing himself full in the path of the +distracted and half delirious father, “Back! thinkest thou that I, thy +master and thy prince, am to be thus duped and thus insulted? Not for +thine own pleasures hast thou snatched her whom I have honoured with +my love from the sanctuary of the Church. Go, if thou wilt; but Beatriz +remains. This roof is sacred to my will. Back! or thy next step is on +the point of my sword.” + +“Menace not, speak not, Philip--I am desperate. I am beside myself--I +cannot parley with thee. Away! by thy hopes of Heaven away! I am no +longer thy minion--thy tool. I am a father, and the protector of my +child.” + +“Brave device--notable tale!” cried Philip, scornfully, and placing his +back against the door. “The little actress plays her part well, it must +be owned,--it is her trade; but thou art a bungler, my gentle Calderon.” + +For a moment the courtier stood, not irresolute, but overcome with +the passions that shook to their centre a nature, the stormy and stern +elements of which the habit of years had rather mastered than quelled. +At last, with a fierce cry, he suddenly grasped the prince by the collar +of his vest; and, ere Philip could avail himself of his weapon, swung +him aside with such violence that he lost his balance and (his foot +slipping on the polished floor) fell to the ground. Calderon then opened +the door, lifted Beatriz in both his arms, and fled precipitately down +the stairs. He could no longer trust to chance and delay against the +dangers of that abode. + + + + +CHAPTER XI. HOWSOEVER THE RIVERS WIND, THE OCEAN RECEIVES THEM ALL. + +Meanwhile Fonseca had reached the convent; had found the porter gone; +and, with a mind convulsed with apprehension and doubt, had flown on the +wings of love and fear to the house indicated by Calderon. The grim and +solitary mansion came just in sight--the moon streaming sadly over +its gray and antique walls--when he heard his name pronounced; and the +convent porter emerged from the shadow of a wall beside which he had +ensconced himself. + +“Don Martin! it is thou indeed; blessed be the saints! I began to +fear--nay, I fear now, that we were deceived.” + +“Speak, man, but stop me not! Speak! what horrors hast thou to utter?” + +“I knew the cavalier whom thou didst send in thy place! Who knows not +Roderigo Calderon? I trembled when I saw him lift the novice into the +carriage; but I thought I should, as agreed, be companion in the flight. +Not so. Don Roderigo briefly told me to hide where I could this night; +and that to-morrow he would arrange preparations for my flight from +Madrid. My mind misgave me, for Calderon’s name is blackened by many +curses. I resolved to follow the carriage. I did so; but my breath and +speed nearly failed, when, fortunately, the carriage was stopped and +entangled by a crowd in the street. No lackeys were behind; I mounted +the footboard unobserved, and descended and hid myself when the carriage +stopped. I knew not the house, but I knew the neighbourhood, a brother +of mine lives at hand. I sought my relative for a night’s shelter. I +learned that dark stories had given to that house an evil name. It was +one of those which the Prince of Spain had consecrated to the pursuits +that had dishonoured so many families in Madrid. I resolved again to +go forth and watch. Scarce had I reached this very spot when I saw a +carriage approach rapidly. I secreted myself behind a buttress, and saw +the carriage halt; and a man descended, and walked to the house. See +there--there, by yon crossing, the carriage still waits. The man was +wrapped in a mantle. I know not whom he may be; but--” + +“Heavens!” cried Fonseca, as they were now close before the door of +the house at which Calderon’s carriage still stood; “I hear a noise, a +shriek, within.” + +Scarce had he spoken when the door opened. Voices were heard in loud +altercation; presently the form of the Jew was thrown on the pavement, +and dashing aside another man, who seemed striving to detain him, +Calderon appeared,--his drawn sword in his right hand, his left arm +clasped round Beatriz. + +Fonseca darted forward. + +“My lover! my betrothed!” exclaimed the voice of the novice: “thou are +come to save us--to save thy Beatriz!” + +“Yes; and to chastise the betrayer!” exclaimed Fonseca, in a voice of +thunder. “Leave thy victim, villain! Defend thyself!” + +He made a desperate lunge at Calderon while he spoke. The marquis feebly +parried the stroke. + +“Hold!” he cried. “Not on me!” + +“No--no!” exclaimed Beatriz, throwing herself on her father’s breast. +The words came too late. Blinded and deafened with rage, Fonseca had +again, with more sure and deadly aim, directed his weapon against his +supposed foe. The blade struck home, but not to the heart of Calderon. +It was Beatriz, bathed in her blood, who fell at the feet of her +frenzied lover. + +“Daughter and mother both!” muttered Calderon; and he fell as if the +steel had pierced his own heart, beside his child. “Wretch! what hast +thou done?” muttered a voice strange to the ear of Fonseca; a voice half +stifled with Horror and, perhaps, remorse. The Prince of Spain stood on +the spot, and his feet were dabbled in the blood of the virgin martyr. +The moonlight alone lighted that spectacle of crime and death; and the +faces of all seemed ghastly beneath its beams. Beatriz turned her eyes +upon her lover, with an expression of celestial compassion and divine +forgiveness; then sinking upon Calderon’s breast, she muttered, “Pardon +him! pardon him, father! I shall tell my mother that thou hast blessed +me!” + +It was not for several days after that night of terror that Calderon was +heard of at the court. His absence was unaccountable; for, though the +flight of the novice was of course known, her fate was not suspected; +and her rank had been too insignificant to create much interest in her +escape or much vigilance in pursuit. But of that absence the courtier’s +enemies well availed themselves. The plans of the cabal were ripe; and +the aid of the Inquisition by the appointment of Aliaga was added to the +machinations of Uzeda’s partisans. The king was deeply incensed at +the mysterious absence of Calderon, for which a thousand ingenious +conjectures were invented. The Duke of Lerma, infirm and enfeebled by +years, was unable to confront his foes. With imbecile despair he called +on the name of Calderon; and, when no trace of that powerful ally could +be discovered, he forbore even to seek an interview with the king. +Suddenly the storm broke. One evening Lerma received the royal order to +surrender his posts, and to quit the court by daybreak. It was in this +very hour that the door of Lerma’s chamber opened, and Roderigo Calderon +stood before him. But how changed--how blasted from his former self! His +eyes were sunk deep in their sockets, and their fire was quenched; his +cheeks were hollow, his frame bent, and when he spoke his voice was as +that of one calling from the tomb. + +“Behold me, Duke de Lerma, I am returned at last!” + +“Returned--blessings on thee! Where hast thou been? Why didst thou +desert me?--no matter, thou art returned! Fly to the king--tell him I am +not old! I do not want repose. Defeat the villany of my unnatural son! +They would banish me, Calderon; banish me in the very prime of my years! +My son says I am old--old! ha! ha! Fly to the prince; he too has immured +himself in his apartment. He would not see me; he will see thee!” + +“Ay--the prince! we have cause to love each other!” + +“Ye have indeed! Hasten, Calderon; not a moment is to be lost! Banished! +Calderon, shall I be banished?” And the old man, bursting into tears, +fell at the feet of Calderon, and clasped his knees. + +“Go, go, I implore thee! Save me; I loved thee, Calderon, I always loved +thee. Shall our foes triumph? Shall the horn of the wicked be exalted?” + +For a moment (so great is the mechanical power of habit) there returned +to Calderon something of his wonted energy and spirit; a light broke +from his sunken eyes; he drew himself up to the full of his stately +height: “I thought I had done with courts and with life,” said he; “but +I will make one more effort; I will not forsake you in your hour of +need. Yes, Uzeda shall be baffled; I will seek the king. Fear not, my +lord, fear not; the charm of my power is not yet broken.” + +So saying, Calderon raised the cardinal from the ground, and extricating +himself from the old man’s grasp strode, with his customary air of +majestic self-reliance, to the door. Just ere he reached it, three low, +but regular knocks sounded on the panel: the door opened, and the +space without was filled with the dark forms of the officers of the +Inquisition. + +“Stand!” said a deep voice; “stand, Roderigo Calderon, Marquis de Siete +Iglesias; in the name of the most Holy Inquisition, we arrest thee!” + +“Aliaga!” muttered Calderon, falling back. + +“Peace!” interrupted the Jesuit. “Officers, remove your prisoner.” + +“Poor old man,” said Calderon, turning towards the cardinal, who stood +spell-bound and speechless, “thy life at least is safe. For me, I defy +fate! Lead on!” + +The Prince of Spain soon recovered from the shock which the death of +Beatriz at first occasioned him. New pleasures chased away even remorse. +He appeared again in public a few days after the arrest of Calderon; and +he made strong intercession on behalf of his former favourite. But even +had the Inquisition desired to relax its grasp, or Uzeda to forego his +vengeance, so great was the exultation of the people at the fall of the +dreaded and obnoxious secretary, and so numerous the charges which party +malignity added to those which truth could lay at his door, that it +would have required a far bolder monarch than Philip the Third to have +braved the voice of a whole nation for the sake of a disgraced minister. +The prince himself was soon induced, by new favourites, to consider any +further interference on his part equally impolitic and vain; and the +Duke d’Uzeda and Don Gaspar de Guzman were minions quite as supple, +while they were companions infinitely more respectable. + +One day, an officer, attending the levee of the prince, with whom he was +a special favourite, presented a memorial requesting the interest of +his highness for an appointment in the royal armies, that, he had just +learned by an express was vacant. + +“And whose death comes so opportunely for thy rise, Don Alvar?” asked +the Infant. + +“Don Martin Fonseca. He fell in the late skirmish, pierced by a hundred +wounds.” + +The prince started and turned hastily away. The officer lost all favour +from that hour, and never learned his offence. + +Meanwhile months passed, and Calderon still languished in his dungeon. +At last the Inquisition opened against him its dark register of +accusations. First of these charges was that of sorcery, practised +on the king; the rest were for the most part equally grotesque and +extravagant. These accusations Calderon met with a dignity which +confounded his foes, and belied the popular belief in the elements of +his character. Submitted to the rack, he bore its tortures without a +groan; and all historians have accorded concurrent testimony to the +patience and heroism which characterised the close of his wild and +meteoric career. At length Philip the Third died: the Infant ascended +the throne; that prince, for whom the ambitious courtier had perilled +alike life and soul! The people now believed that they should be +defrauded of their victim. They were mistaken. The new king, by this +time, had forgotten even the existence of the favourite of the prince. +But Guzman, who, while affecting to minister to the interests of Uzeda, +was secretly aiming at the monopoly of the royal favour, felt himself +insecure while Calderon yet lived. The operations of the Inquisition +were too slow for the impatience of his fears; and as that dread +tribunal affected never to inflict death until the accused had confessed +his guilt, the firmness of Calderon baffled the vengeance of the +ecclesiastical law. New inquiries were set on foot: a corpse was +discovered, buried in Calderon’s garden--the corpse of a female. He +was accused of the murder. Upon that charge he was transferred from +the Inquisition to the regular courts of justice. No evidence could +be produced against him; but, to the astonishment of all, he made no +defence, and his silence was held the witness of his crime. He was +adjudged to the scaffold--he smiled when he heard the sentence. + +An immense crowd, one bright day in summer, were assembled in the place +of execution. A shout of savage exultation rent the air as Roderigo +Calderon, Marquis de Siete Iglesias, appeared upon the scaffold But, +when the eyes of the multitude rested--not upon that lofty and stately +form, in all the pride of manhood, which they had been accustomed to +associate with their fears of the stern genius and iron power of the +favourite--but upon a bent and spectral figure, that seemed already on +the verge of a natural grave, with a face ploughed deep with traces +of unutterable woe, and hollow eyes that looked with dim and scarce +conscious light over the human sea that murmured and swayed below, the +tide of the popular emotion changed; to rage and triumph succeeded shame +and pity. Not a hand was lifted up in accusation--not a voice was raised +in rebuke or joy. Beside Calderon stood the appointed priest, whispering +cheer and consolation. + +“Fear not, my son,” said the holy man. “The pang of the body strikes +years of purgatory from thy doom. Think of this, and bless even the +agony of this hour.” + +“Yes,” muttered Calderon; “I do bless this hour. Inez, thy daughter has +avenged thy murder! May Heaven accept the sacrifice! and may my eyes, +even athwart the fiery gulf, awaken upon thee!” + +With that a serene and contented smile passed over the face on which +the crowd gazed with breathless awe. A minute more, and a groan, a +cry, broke from that countless multitude; and a gory and ghastly head, +severed from its trunk, was raised on high. + +Two spectators of that execution were in one of the balconies that +commanded a full view of its terrors. + +“So perishes my worst foe!” said Uzeda. + +“We must sacrifice all things, friends as foes, in the ruthless march +of the Great Cause,” rejoined the Grand Inquisitor; but he sighed as he +spoke. + +“Guzman is now with the king,” said Uzeda, turning into the chamber. “I +expect every instant a summons into the royal presence.” + +“I cannot share thy sanguine hopes, my son,” said Aliaga, shaking his +head. “My profession has made me a deep reader of human character. +Gaspar de Guzman will remove every rival from his path.” + +While he spoke, there entered a gentleman of the royal chamber. He +presented to the Grand Inquisitor and the expectant duke two letters +signed by the royal hand. They were the mandates of banishment and +disgrace. Not even the ghostly rank of the Grand Inquisitor, not even +the profound manoeuvres of the son of Lerma, availed them against the +vigilance and vigour of the new favourite. Simultaneously, a shout from +the changeable crowd below proclaimed that the king’s choice of his new +minister was published and approved. + +And Aliaga and Uzeda exchanged glances that bespoke all the passions +that make defeated ambition the worst fiend, as they heard the mighty +cry, “LONG LIVE OLIVAREZ THE REFORMER!” + +That cry came, faint and muffled, to the ears of Philip the Fourth, as +he sate in his palace with his new minister. “Whence that shout?” said +the king, hastily. + +“It rises, doubtless, from the honest hearts of your loyal people at the +execution of Calderon.” + +Philip shaded his face with his hand, and mused a moment: then, turning +to Olivarez with a sarcastic smile, he said: “Behold the moral of the +life of a courtier, count! What do they say of the new opera?” + +At the close of his life, in disgrace and banishment, the count-duke, +for the first time since they had been uttered, called to his +recollection those words of his royal master. + +‘The fate of Calderon has given rise to many tales and legends. Amongst +those who have best availed themselves of so fruitful a subject may be +ranked the late versatile and ingenious Telesforo de Trueba, in his work +on “The Romances of Spain.” In a few of the incidents, and in some +of the names, his sketch, called “The Fortunes of Calderon,” has a +resemblance to the story just concluded. The plot, characters, +and principal events, are, however, widely distinct in our several +adaptations of an ambiguous and unsatisfactory portion of Spanish +history. + + + + + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg’s Calderon The Courtier, by Edward Bulwer-Lytton + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CALDERON THE COURTIER *** + +***** This file should be named 9762-0.txt or 9762-0.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/9/7/6/9762/ + +Produced by David Widger + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +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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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Calderon The Courtier + A Tale + +Author: Edward Bulwer-Lytton + +Release Date: March 17, 2009 [EBook #9762] +Last Updated: August 28, 2016 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CALDERON THE COURTIER *** + + + + +Produced by David Widger + + + + + +</pre> + + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h1> + CALDERON, THE COURTIER + </h1> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h2> + BY EDWARD BULWER LYTTON + </h2> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <blockquote> + <p class="toc"> + <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big> + </p> + <p> + <br /> <a href="#link2H_4_0001"> <b>CALDERON, THE COURTIER</b> </a><br /><br /> + <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I. </a> THE ANTE-CHAMBER + <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II. </a> THE + LOVER AND THE CONFIDANT <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER III. + </a> A RIVAL <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV. + </a> CIVIL AMBITION, AND ECCLESIASTICAL <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V. </a> THE TRUE FATA MORGANA + <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER VI. </a> WEB UPON + WEB <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER VII. </a> THE + OPEN COUNTENANCE, THE CONCEALED THOUGHTS <br /><br /> <a + href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER VIII. </a> THE ESCAPE <br /><br /> + <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX. </a> THE COUNTERPLOT + <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER X. </a> WE REAP + WHAT WE SOW <br /><br /> <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER XI. </a> HOWSOEVER + THE RIVERS WIND, THE OCEAN RECEIVES THEM ALL <br /><br /> + </p> + </blockquote> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <h1> + CALDERON, THE COURTIER. + </h1> + <h3> + A TALE. + </h3> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER I. THE ANTE-CHAMBER. + </h2> + <p> + The Tragi-Comedy of Court Intrigue, which had ever found its principal + theatre in Spain since the accession of the House of Austria to the + throne, was represented with singular complication of incident and + brilliancy of performance during the reign of Philip the Third. That + monarch, weak, indolent, and superstitious, left the reins of government + in the hands of the Duke of Lerma. The Duke of Lerma, in his turn, mild, + easy, ostentatious, and shamefully corrupt, resigned the authority he had + thus received to Roderigo Calderon, an able and resolute upstart, whom + nature and fortune seemed equally to favour and endow. But, not more to + his talents, which were great, than to the policy of religious persecution + which he had supported and enforced, Roderigo Calderon owed his promotion. + The King and the Inquisition had, some years before our story opens, + resolved upon the general expulsion of the Moriscos the wealthiest, the + most active, the most industrious portion of the population. + </p> + <p> + “I would sooner,” said the bigoted king—and his words were hallowed + by the enthusiasm of the Church—“depopulate my kingdom than suffer + it to harbour a single infidel.” The Duke de Lerma entered into the scheme + that lost to Spain many of her most valuable subjects, with the zeal of a + pious Catholic expectant of the Cardinal’s hat, which he afterwards + obtained. But to this scheme Calderon brought an energy, a decision, a + vehemence, and sagacity of hatred, that savoured more of personal + vengeance than religious persecution. His perseverance in this good work + established him firmly in the king’s favour; and in this he was supported + by the friendship not only of Lerma, but of Fray Louis de Aliaga, a + renowned Jesuit, and confessor to the king. The disasters and distresses + occasioned by this barbarous crusade, which crippled the royal revenues, + and seriously injured the estates of the principal barons, from whose + lands the industrious and intelligent Moriscos were expelled, ultimately + concentred a deep and general hatred upon Calderon. But his extraordinary + address and vigorous energies, his perfect mastery of the science of + intrigue, not only sustained, but continued to augment, his power. Though + the king was yet in the prime of middle age, his health was infirm and his + life precarious. Calderon had contrived, while preserving the favour of + the reigning monarch, to establish himself as the friend and companion of + the heir apparent. In this, indeed, he had affected to yield to the policy + of the king himself; for Philip the Third had a wholesome terror of the + possible ambition of his son, who early evinced talents which might have + been formidable, but for passions which urged him into the most vicious + pleasures and the most extravagant excesses. The craft of the king was + satisfied by the device of placing about the person of the Infant one + devoted to himself; nor did his conscience, pious as he was, revolt at the + profligacy which his favourite was said to participate, and, perhaps, to + encourage; since the less popular the prince, the more powerful the king. + </p> + <p> + But all this while there was formed a powerful cabal against both the Duke + of Lerma and Don Roderigo Calderon in a quarter where it might least have + been anticipated. The cardinal-duke, naturally anxious to cement and + perpetuate his authority, had placed his son, the Duke d’Uzeda, in a post + that gave him constant access to the monarch. The prospect of power made + Uzeda eager to seize at once upon all its advantages; and it became the + object of his life to supplant his father. This would have been easy + enough but for the genius and vigilance of Calderon, whom he hated as a + rival, disdained as an upstart, and dreaded as a foe. Philip was soon + aware of the contest between the two factions, but, in the true spirit of + Spanish kingcraft he took care to play one against the other. Nor could + Calderon, powerful as he was, dare openly to seek the ruin of Uzeda; while + Uzeda, more rash, and, perhaps, more ingenuous, entered into a thousand + plots for the downfall of the prime favourite. + </p> + <p> + The frequent missions, principally into Portugal, in which of late + Calderon had been employed, had allowed Uzeda to encroach more and more + upon the royal confidence; while the very means which Don Roderigo had + adopted to perpetuate his influence, by attaching himself to the prince, + necessarily distracted his attention from the intrigues of his rival. + Perhaps, indeed, the greatness of Calderon’s abilities made him too + arrogantly despise the machinations of the duke, who, though not without + some capacities as a courtier, was wholly incompetent to those duties of a + minister on which he had set his ambition and his grasp. + </p> + <p> + Such was the state of parties in the Court of Philip the Third at the time + in which we commence our narrative in the ante-chamber of Don Roderigo + Calderon. + </p> + <p> + “It is not to be endured,” said Don Felix de Castro, an old noble, whose + sharp features and diminutive stature proclaimed the purity of his blood + and the antiquity of his descent. + </p> + <p> + “Just three-quarters of an hour and five minutes have I waited for + audience to a fellow who would once have thought himself honoured if I had + ordered him to call my coach,” said Don Diego Sarmiento de Mendo. + </p> + <p> + “Then, if it chafe you so much, gentlemen, why come you here at all? I + dare say Don Roderigo can dispense with your attendance.” + </p> + <p> + This was said bluntly by a young noble of good mien, whose impetuous and + irritable temperament betrayed itself by an impatience of gesture and + motion unusual amongst his countrymen. Sometimes he walked, with uneven + strides, to and fro the apartments, unheeding the stately groups whom he + jostled, or the reproving looks that he attracted; sometimes he paused + abruptly, raised his eyes, muttered, twitched his cloak, or played with + his sword-knot; or, turning abruptly round upon his solemn neighbours, as + some remark on his strange bearing struck his ear, brought the blood to + many a haughty cheek by his stern gaze of defiance and disdain. It was + easy to perceive that this personage belonged to the tribe—rash, + vain, and young—who are eager to take offence, and to provoke + quarrel. Nevertheless, the cavalier had noble and great qualities. A + stranger to courts, in the camp he was renowned for a chivalrous + generosity and an extravagant valour, that emulated the ancient heroes of + Spanish romaunt and song. His was a dawn that promised a hot noon and a + glorious eve. The name of this brave soldier was Martin Fonseca. He was of + an ancient but impoverished house, and related in a remote degree to the + Duke de Lerma. In his earliest youth he had had cause to consider himself + the heir to a wealthy uncle on his mother’s side; and with those + expectations, while still but a boy, he had been invited to court by the + cardinal-duke. Here, however, the rude and blunt sincerity of his bearing + had so greatly shocked the formal hypocrisies of the court, and had more + than once so seriously offended the minister, that his powerful kinsman + gave up all thought of pushing Fonseca’s fortunes at Madrid, and meditated + some plausible excuse for banishing him from court. At this time the rich + uncle, hitherto childless, married a second time, and was blessed with an + heir. It was no longer necessary to keep terms with Don Martin; and he + suddenly received an order to join the army on the frontiers. Here his + courage soon distinguished him; but his honest nature still stood in the + way of his promotion. Several years elapsed, and his rise had been + infinitely slower than that of men not less inferior to him in birth than + merit. Some months since, he had repaired to Madrid to enforce his claims + upon the government; but instead of advancing his suit, he had contrived + to effect a serious breach with the cardinal, and been abruptly ordered + back to the camp. Once more he appeared at Madrid; but this time it was + not to plead desert and demand honours. + </p> + <p> + In any country but Spain under the reign of Philip the Third, Martin + Fonseca would have risen early to high fortunes. But, as we have said, his + talents were not those of the flatterer or the hypocrite; and it was a + matter of astonishment to the calculators round him to see Don Martin + Fonseca in the ante-room of Roderigo Calderon, Count Oliva, Marquis de + Siete Iglesias, secretary to the King, and parasite and favourite of the + Infant of Spain. + </p> + <p> + “Why come you here at all?” repeated the young soldier. + </p> + <p> + “Senor,” answered Don Felix de Castro, with great gravity, “we have + business with Don Roderigo. Men of our station must attend to the affairs + of the state, no matter by whom transacted.” + </p> + <p> + “That is, you must crawl on your knees to ask for pensions and + governorships, and transact the affairs of the state by putting your hands + into its coffers.” + </p> + <p> + “Senor!” growled Don Felix, angrily, as his hand played with his + sword-belt. + </p> + <p> + “Tush!” said the young man, scornfully turning on his heel. + </p> + <p> + The folding-doors were thrown open, and all conversation ceased at the + entrance of Don Roderigo Calderon. + </p> + <p> + This remarkable personage had risen from the situation of a confidential + scribe to the Duke of Lerma to the nominal rank of secretary to the King—to + the real station of autocrat of Spain. The birth of the favourite of + fortune was exceedingly obscure. He had long affected to conceal it; but + when he found curiosity had proceeded into serious investigation of his + origin, he had suddenly appeared to make a virtue of necessity; proclaimed + of his own accord that his father was a common soldier of Valladolid, and + even invited to Madrid, and lodged in his own palace, his low-born + progenitor. This prudent frankness disarmed malevolence on the score of + birth. But when the old soldier died, rumours went abroad that he had + confessed on his death-bed that he was not in any way related to Calderon; + that he had submitted to an imposture which secured to his old age so + respectable and luxurious an asylum; and that he knew not for what end + Calderon had forced upon him the honours of spurious parentship. This + tale, which, ridiculed by most, was yet believed by some, gave rise to + darker reports concerning one on whom the eyes of all Spain were fixed. It + was supposed that he had some motive beyond that of shame at their + meanness, to conceal his real origin and name. What could be that motive, + if not the dread of discovery for some black and criminal offence + connected with his earlier youth, and for which he feared the prosecution + of the law? They who affected most to watch his exterior averred that + often, in his gayest revels and proudest triumphs, his brow would lower—his + countenance change—and it was only by a visible and painful effort + that he could restore his mind to its self-possession. His career, which + evinced an utter contempt for the ordinary rules and scruples that curb + even adventurers into a seeming of honesty and virtue, appeared in some + way to justify these reports. But, at times, flashes of sudden and + brilliant magnanimity broke forth to bewilder the curious, to puzzle the + examiners of human character, and to contrast the general tenor of his + ambitions and remorseless ascent to power. His genius was confessed by + all; but it was a genius that in no way promoted the interests of his + country. It served only to prop, defend, and advance himself—to + battle difficulties—to defeat foes—to convert every accident, + every chance, into new stepping stones in his course. Whatever his birth, + it was evident that he had received every advantage of education; and + scholars extolled his learning and boasted of his patronage. While, more + recently, if the daring and wild excesses of the profligate prince were, + on the one hand, popularly imputed to the guidance of Calderon, and + increased the hatred generally conceived against him, so, on the other + hand, his influence over the future monarch seemed to promise a new lease + to his authority, and struck fear into the councils of his foes. In fact, + the power of the upstart marquis appeared so firmly rooted, the career + before him so splendid, that there were not wanted whisperers who, in + addition to his other crimes, ascribed to Roderigo Calderon the assistance + of the black art. But the black art in which that subtle courtier was a + proficient is one that dispenses with necromancy. It was the art of + devoting the highest intellect to the most selfish purposes—an art + that thrives tolerably well for a time in the great world! + </p> + <p> + He had been for several weeks absent from Madrid on a secret mission; and + to this, his first public levee, on his return, thronged all the rank and + chivalry of Spain. + </p> + <p> + The crowd gave way, as, with haughty air, in the maturity of manhood, the + Marquis de Siete Iglesias moved along. He disdained all accessories of + dress to enhance the effect of his singularly striking exterior. His + mantle and vest of black cloth, made in the simplest fashion, were + unadorned with the jewels that then constituted the ordinary insignia of + rank. His hair, bright and glossy as the raven’s plume, curled back from + the lofty and commanding brow, which, save by one deep wrinkle between the + eyes, was not only as white but as smooth as marble. His features were + aquiline and regular; and the deep olive of his complexion seemed pale and + clear when contrasted by the rich jet of the moustache and pointed beard. + The lightness of his tall and slender but muscular form made him appear + younger than he was; and had it not been for the supercilious and scornful + arrogance of air which so seldom characterises gentle birth, Calderon + might have mingled with the loftiest magnates of Europe and seemed to the + observer the stateliest of the group. It was one of those rare forms that + are made to command the one sex and fascinate the other. But, on a deeper + scrutiny, the restlessness of the brilliant eye—the quiver of the + upper lip—a certain abruptness of manner and speech, might have + shown that greatness had brought suspicion as well as pride. The + spectators beheld the huntsman on the height;—the huntsman saw the + abyss below, and respired with difficulty the air above. + </p> + <p> + The courtiers one by one approached the marquis, who received them with + very unequal courtesy. To the common herd he was sharp, dry, and bitter; + to the great he was obsequious, yet with a certain grace and manliness of + bearing that elevated even the character of servility; and all the while, + as he bowed low to a Medina or a Guzman, there was a half imperceptible + mockery lurking in the corners of his mouth, which seemed to imply that + while his policy cringed his heart despised. To two or three, whom he + either personally liked or honestly esteemed, he was familiar, but brief, + in his address; to those whom he had cause to detest or to dread—his + foes, his underminers—he assumed a yet greater frankness, mingled + with the most caressing insinuation of voice and manner. + </p> + <p> + Apart from the herd, with folded arms, and an expression of countenance in + which much admiration was blent with some curiosity and a little contempt, + Don Martin Fonseca gazed upon the favourite. + </p> + <p> + “I have done this man a favour,” thought he; “I have contributed towards + his first rise—I am now his suppliant. Faith! I, who have never + found sincerity or gratitude in the camp, come to seek those hidden + treasures at a court! Well, we are strange puppets, we mortals!” + </p> + <p> + Don Diego Sarmiento de Mendoza had just received the smiling salutation of + Calderon, when the eye of the latter fell upon the handsome features of + Fonseca. The blood mounted to his brow; he hastily promised Don Diego all + that he desired, and hurrying back through the crowd, retired to his + private cabinet. The levee was broken up. + </p> + <p> + As Fonseca, who had caught the glance of the secretary, and who drew no + favourable omen from his sudden evanishment, slowly turned to depart with + the rest, a young man, plainly dressed, touched him on the shoulder. + </p> + <p> + “You are Senior Don Martin Fonseca?” + </p> + <p> + “The same.” + </p> + <p> + “Follow me, if it please you, senor, to my master, Lou Roderigo Calderon.” + </p> + <p> + Fonseca’s face brightened; he obeyed the summons; and in another moment he + was in the cabinet of the Sejanus of Spain. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER II. THE LOVER AND THE CONFIDANT. + </h2> + <p> + Calderon received the young soldier at the door of his chamber with marked + and almost affectionate respect. “Don Martin,” said he, and there seemed a + touch of true feeling in the tremor of his rich sweet voice, “I owe you + the greatest debt one man can incur to another—it was your hand that + set before my feet their first stepping-stone to power. I date my fortunes + from the hour in which I was placed in your father’s house as your + preceptor. When the cardinal-duke invited you to Madrid, I was your + companion; and when, afterwards, you joined the army, and required no + longer the services of the peaceful scholar, you demanded of your + illustrious kinsman the single favour—to provide for Calderon. I had + already been fortunate enough to win the countenance of the duke, and from + that day my rise was rapid. Since then we have never met. Dare I hope that + it is now in the power of Calderon to prove himself not ungrateful?” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” said Fonseca, eagerly; “it is in your power to save me from the + most absolute wretchedness that can befall me. It is in your power, at + least I think so, to render me the happiest of men!” + </p> + <p> + “Be seated, I pray you, senor. And how? I am your servant.” + </p> + <p> + “Thou knowest,” said Fonseca, “that, though the kinsman, I am not the + favourite, of the Duke of Lerma?” + </p> + <p> + “Nay, nay,” interrupted Calderon, softly, and with a bland smile; “you + misunderstand my illustrious patron: he loves you, but not your + indiscretions.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes, honesty is very indiscreet! I cannot stoop to the life of the + ante-chamber. I cannot, like the Duke of Lerma, detest my nearest relative + if his shadow cross the line of my interests. I am of the race of Pelayo, + not Oppas; and my profession, rather that of an ancient Persian than a + modern Spaniard, is to manage the steed, to wield the sword, and to speak + the truth.” + </p> + <p> + There was an earnestness and gallantry in the young man’s aspect, manner, + and voice, as he thus spoke, which afforded the strongest contrast to the + inscrutable brow and artificial softness of Calderon; and which, indeed, + for the moment, occasioned that crafty and profound adventurer an + involuntary feeling of self-humiliation. + </p> + <p> + “But,” continued Fonseca, “let this pass: I come to my story and my + request. Do you, or do you not know, that I have been for some time + attached to Beatriz Coello!” + </p> + <p> + “Beatriz,” replied Calderon, abstractedly, with an altered countenance, + “it is a sweet name—it was my mother’s!” + </p> + <p> + “Your mother’s! I thought to have heard her name was Mary Sandalen?” + </p> + <p> + “True—Mary Beatriz Sandalen,” replied Calderon, indifferently. “But + proceed. I heard, after your last visit to Madrid, when, owing to my own + absence in Portugal, I was not fortunate enough to see you, that you had + offended the duke by desiring an alliance unsuitable to your birth. Who, + then, is this Beatriz Coello?” + </p> + <p> + “An orphan of humble origin and calling. In infancy she was left to the + care of a woman who, I believe, had been her nurse; they were settled in + Seville, and the old gouvernante’s labours in embroidery maintained them + both till Beatriz was fourteen. At that time the poor woman was disabled + by a stroke of palsy from continuing her labours, and Beatriz, good child, + yearning to repay the obligation she had received, in her turn sought to + maintain her protectress. She possessed the gift of a voice wonderful for + its sweetness. This gift came to the knowledge of the superintendent of + the theatre at Seville: he made her the most advantageous proposals to + enter upon the stage. Beatriz; innocent child, was unaware of the perils + of that profession: she accepted eagerly the means that would give comfort + to the declining life of her only friend—she became an actress. At + that time we were quartered in Seville, to keep guard on the suspected + Moriscos.” + </p> + <p> + “Ah, the hated infidels!” muttered Calderon, fiercely, through his teeth. + </p> + <p> + “I saw Beatriz, and loved her at first sight. I do not say,” added + Fonseca, with a blush, “that my suit, at the outset, was that which alone + was worthy of her; but her virtue soon won my esteem as well as love. I + left Seville to seek my father and obtain his consent to a marriage with + Beatriz. You know a hidalgo’s prejudices—they are insuperable. + Meanwhile, the fame of the beauty and voice of the young actress reached + Madrid, and hither she was removed from Seville by royal command. To + Madrid, then, I hastened, on the pretence of demanding promotion. You, as + you have stated, were absent in Portugal on some state mission. I sought + the Duke de Lerma. I implored him to give me some post, anywhere—I + recked not beneath what sky, in the vast empire of Spain—in which, + removed from the prejudices of birth and of class, and provided with other + means, less precarious than those that depend on the sword, I might make + Beatriz my wife. The polished duke was more inexorable than the stern + hidalgo. I flew to Beatriz; I told her I had nothing but my heart and + right hand to offer. She wept, and she refused me.” + </p> + <p> + “Because you were not rich?” + </p> + <p> + “Shame on you, no! but because she would not consent to mar my fortunes, + and banish me from my native land. The next day I received a peremptory + order to rejoin the army, and with that order came a brevet of promotion. + Lover though I be, I am a Spaniard: to have disobeyed the order would have + been dishonour. Hope dawned upon me—I might rise, I might become + rich. We exchanged our vows of fidelity. I returned to the camp. We + corresponded. At last her letters alarmed me. Through all her reserve, I + saw that she was revolted by her profession, and terrified at the + persecutions to which it exposed her: the old woman, her sole guide and + companion, was dying: she was dejected and unhappy: she despaired of our + union: she expressed a desire for the refuge of the cloister. At last came + this letter, bidding me farewell for ever. Her relation was dead; and, + with the little money she had amassed, she had bought her entrance into + the convent of St. Mary of the White Sword. Imagine my despair! I obtained + leave of absence—I flew to Madrid. Beatriz is already immured in + that dreary asylum; she has entered on her novitiate.” + </p> + <p> + “Is that the letter you refer to?” said Calderon, extending his hand. + </p> + <p> + Fonseca gave him the letter. + </p> + <p> + Hard and cold as Calderon’s character had grown, there was something in + the tone of this letter—its pure and noble sentiments, its + innocence, its affection—that touched some mystic chord in his + heart. He sighed as he laid it down. + </p> + <p> + “You are, like all of us, Don Martin,” said he, with a bitter smile, “the + dupe of a woman’s faith. But you must purchase experience for yourself, + and if, indeed, you ask my services to procure you present bliss and + future disappointment, those services are yours. It will not, I think, be + difficult to interest the queen in your favour: leave me this letter, it + is one to touch the heart of a woman. If we succeed with the queen, who is + the patroness of the convent, we may be sure to obtain an order from court + for the liberation of the novice: the next step is one more arduous. It is + not enough to restore Beatriz to freedom—we must reconcile your + family to the marriage. This cannot be done while she is not noble; but + letters patent (here Calderon smiled) could ennoble a mushroom itself—your + humble servant is an example. Such letters may be bought or begged; I will + undertake to procure them. Your father, too, may find a dowry accompanying + the title, in the shape of a high and honourable post for yourself. You + deserve much; you are beloved in the army; you have won a high name in the + world. I take shame on myself that your fortunes have been overlooked. + ‘Out of sight out of mind;’ alas! it is a true proverb. I confess that, + when I beheld you in the ante room, I blushed for my past forgetfulness. + No matter—I will repair my fault. Men say that my patronage is + misapplied—I will prove the contrary by your promotion.” + </p> + <p> + “Generous Calderon!” said Fonseca, falteringly; “I ever hated the + judgments of the vulgar. They calumniate you; it is from envy.” + </p> + <p> + “No,” said Calderon, coldly; “I am bad enough, but I am still human. + Besides, gratitude is my policy. I have always found that it is a good way + to get on in the world to serve those who serve us.” + </p> + <p> + “But the duke?” + </p> + <p> + “Fear not; I have an oil that will smooth all the billows on that surface. + As for the letter, I say, leave it with me; I will show it to the queen. + Let me see you again tomorrow.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER III. A RIVAL. + </h2> + <p> + Calderon’s eyes were fixed musingly on the door which closed on Fonseca’s + martial and noble form. + </p> + <p> + “Great contrasts among men!” said he, half aloud. “All the classes into + which naturalists ever divided the animal world contained not the variety + that exists between man and man. And yet, we all agree in one object of + our being—all prey on each other! Glory, which is but the thirst of + blood, makes yon soldier the tiger of his kind; other passions have made + me the serpent: both fierce, relentless, unscrupulous—both! hero and + courtier, valour and craft! Hein! I will serve this young man—he has + served me. When all other affection was torn from me, he, then a boy, + smiled on me and bade me love him. Why has he been so long forgotten? He + is not of the race that I abhor; no Moorish blood flows in his veins; + neither is he of the great and powerful, whom I dread; nor of the + crouching and the servile, whom I despise: he is one whom I can aid + without a blush.” + </p> + <p> + While Calderon thus soliloquised, the arras was lifted aside, and a + cavalier, on whose cheek was the first down of manhood, entered the + apartment. + </p> + <p> + “So, Roderigo, alone! welcome back to Madrid. Nay, seat thyself, man—seat + thyself.” + </p> + <p> + Calderon bowed with the deepest reverence; and, placing a large fauteuil + before the stranger, seated himself on stool, at a little distance. + </p> + <p> + The new comer was of sallow complexion; his gorgeous dress sparkled with + prodigal jewels. Boy as he was, there was a yet a careless loftiness, a + haughty ease, in the gesture—the bend of the neck, the wave of the + hand, which, coupled with the almost servile homage of the arrogant + favourite, would have convinced the most superficial observer that he was + born of the highest rank. A second glance would have betrayed, in the full + Austrian lip—the high, but narrow forehead—the dark, + voluptuous, but crafty and sinister eye, the features of the descendant of + Charles V. It was the Infant of Spain that stood in the chamber of his + ambitious minion. + </p> + <p> + “This is convenient, this private entrance into thy penetralia, Roderigo. + It shelters me from the prying eyes of Uzeda, who ever seeks to cozen the + sire by spying on the Son. We will pay him off one of these days. He loves + you no less than he does his prince.” + </p> + <p> + “I bear no malice to him for that, your highness. He covets the smiles of + the rising sun and rails at the humble object which, he thinks, obstructs + the beam.” + </p> + <p> + “He might be easy on that score: I hate the man, and his cold formalities. + He is ever fancying that we princes are intent on the affairs of state, + and forgets that we are mortal and that youth is the age for the bower, + not the council. My precious Calderon, life would be dull without thee: + how I rejoice at thy return, thou best inventor of pleasure that satiety + ever prayed for! Nay, blush not: some men despise thee for thy talents: I + do thee homage. By my great grandsire’s beard, it will be a merry time at + court when I am monarch, and thou minister!” + </p> + <p> + Calderon looked earnestly at the prince, but his scrutiny did not serve to + dispel a certain suspicion of the royal sincerity that ever and anon came + across the favourite’s most sanguine dreams. With all Philip’s gaiety, + there was something restrained and latent in his ambiguous smile, and his + calm, deep, brilliant eye. Calderon, immeasurably above his lord in + genius, was scarcely, perhaps, the equal of that beardless boy in + hypocrisy and craft, in selfish coldness, in matured depravity. + </p> + <p> + “Well,” resumed the prince, “I pay you not these compliments without an + object. I have need of you—great need; never did I so require your + services as at this moment; never was there so great demand on your + invention, your courage, your skill. Know, Calderon, I love!” + </p> + <p> + “My prince,” said the marquis, smiling, “it is certainly not first love. + How often has your highness—” + </p> + <p> + “No,” interrupted the prince, hastily,—“no, I never loved till now. + We never can love what we can easily win; but this, Calderon, this heart + would be a conquest. Listen. I was at the convent chapel of St. Mary of + the White Sword yesterday with the queen. Thou knowest that the abbess + once was a lady of the chamber, and the queen loves her.” + </p> + <p> + “Both of us were moved and astonished by the voice of one of the choir—it + was that of a novice. After the ceremony the queen made inquiries touching + this new Santa Cecilia; and who dost thou think she is? No; thou wilt + never guess!—the once celebrated singer—the beautiful, the + inimitable Beatriz Coello! Ah! you may well look surprised; when actresses + turn nuns, it is well-nigh time for Calderon and Philip to turn monks. + Now, you must know, Roderigo, that I, unworthy though I be, am the cause + of this conversion. There is a certain Martin Fonseca, a kinsman of + Lerma’s—thou knowest him well. I learned, some time since, from the + duke, that this young Orlando was most madly enamoured of a low-born girl—nay, + desired to wed her. The duke’s story moved my curiosity. I found that it + was the young Beatriz Coello, whom I had already admired on the stage. Ah, + Calderon, she blazed and set during thy dull mission to Lisbon! I sought + an opportunity to visit her. I was astonished at her beauty, that seemed + more dazzling in the chamber than on the stage. I pressed my suit-in vain. + Calderon, hear you that?—in vain! Why wert thou not by? Thy arts + never fail, my friend! She was living with an old relation, or governante. + The old relation died suddenly—I took advantage of her loneliness—I + entered her house at night. By St. Jago, her virtue baffled and defeated + me. The next morning she was gone; nor could my researches discover her, + until, at the convent of St. Mary, I recognised the lost actress in the + young novice. She has fled to the convent to be true to Fonseca; she must + fly from the convent to bless the prince. This is my tale: I want thy + aid.” + </p> + <p> + “Prince,” said Calderon, gravely, “thou knowest the laws of Spain; the + rigour of the Church. I dare not—” + </p> + <p> + “Pshaw. No scruples—my rank will bear thee harmless. Nay, look not + so demure; why, even thou, see, hast thy Armida. This billet in a female + hand—Heaven and earth Calderon! What name is this? Beatriz Coello! + Darest thou have crossed my path? Speak, sir!—speak!” + </p> + <p> + “Your highness,” said Calderon, with a mixture of respect and dignity in + his manner—“your highness, hear me. My first benefactor, my beloved + pupil, my earliest patron, was the same Don Martin Fonseca who seeks this + girl with an honest love. This morning he has visited me, to implore my + intercession on his behalf. Oh, prince! turn not away: thou knowest not + half his merit. Thou knowest not the value of such subjects—men of + the old iron race of Spain. Thou hast a noble and royal heart: be not the + rival to the defender of thy crown. Bless this brave soldier—spare + this poor orphan—and one generous act of self-denial shall give thee + absolution for a thousand pleasures.” + </p> + <p> + “This from Roderigo Calderon!” said the prince, with bitter sneer. “Man, + know thy station and thy profession. When I want homilies, I seek my + confessor; when I have resolved on a vice, I come to thee. A truce with + this bombast. For Fonseca, he shall be consoled; and when he shall learn + who is his rival, he is a traitor if he remain discontented with his lot. + Thou shalt aid me, Calderon!” + </p> + <p> + “Your highness will pardon me—no!” + </p> + <p> + “Do I hear right? No! Art thou not my minion—my instrument? Can I + not destroy as I have helped to raise thee? Thy fortunes have turned thy + brain. The king already suspects and dislikes thee; thy foe, Uzeda, has + his ear. The people execrate thee. If I abandon thee, thou art lost. Look + to it!” + </p> + <p> + Calderon remained mute and erect, with his arms folded on his breast, and + his cheek flushed with suppressed passions. Philip gazed at him earnestly, + and then, muttering to himself, approached the favourite with an altered + air. + </p> + <p> + “Come, Calderon—I have been hasty-you maddened me; I meant not to + wound you. Thou art honest, I think thou lovest me; and I will own, that + in ordinary circumstances thy advice would be good, and thy scruples + laudable. But I tell thee that I adore this girl; that I have set all my + hopes upon her; that, at whatever cost, whatever risks, she must be mine. + Wilt thou desert me? Wilt thou on whose faith I have ever leaned so + trustingly, forsake thy friend and thy prince for this brawling soldier? + No; I wrong thee.” + </p> + <p> + “Oh!” said Calderon, with much semblance of emotion, “I would lay down my + life in your service, and I have often surrendered my conscience to your + lightest will. But this would be so base a perfidy in me! He has confided + his life of life to my hands. How canst even thou count on my faith if + thou knowest me false to another?” + </p> + <p> + “False! art thou not false to me? Have I not confided to thee, and dost + thou not desert me—nay, perhaps, betray? How wouldst thou serve this + Fonseca? How liberate the novice?” + </p> + <p> + “By an order of the court. Your royal mother—” + </p> + <p> + “Enough!” said the prince, fiercely; “do so. Thou shalt have leisure for + repentance.” + </p> + <p> + As he spoke, Philip strode to the door. Calderon, alarmed and anxious, + sought to detain him; but the prince broke disdainfully away, and Calderon + was again alone. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IV. CIVIL AMBITION, AND ECCLESIASTICAL. + </h2> + <p> + Scarcely had the prince vanished, before the door that led from the + anteroom was opened, and an old man, in the ecclesiastical garb, entered + the secretary’s cabinet. + </p> + <p> + “Do I intrude, my son?” said the churchman. + </p> + <p> + “No, father, no; I never more desired your presence—your counsel. It + is not often that I stand halting and irresolute between the two magnets + of interest and conscience: this is one of those rare dilemmas.” + </p> + <p> + Here Calderon rapidly narrated the substance of his conversation with + Fonseca, and of the subsequent communication with the prince. + </p> + <p> + “You see,” he said, in conclusion, “how critical is my position. On one + side, my obligations to Fonseca, my promise to a benefactor, a friend to + the boy I assisted to rear. Nor is that all: the prince asks me to connive + at the abstraction of a novice from a consecrated house. What peril—what + hazard! On the other side, if I refuse, the displeasure, the vengeance of + the prince, for whose favour I have already half forfeited that of the + king; and who, were he once to frown upon me, would encourage all my + enemies—in other phrase, the whole court—in one united attempt + at my ruin.” + </p> + <p> + “It is a stern trial,” said the monk, gravely; “and one that may well + excite your fear.” + </p> + <p> + “Fear, Aliaga!—ha! ha!—fear!” said Calderon, laughing + scornfully. “Did true ambition ever know fear? Have we not the old + Castilian proverb, that tells us ‘He who has climbed the first step to + power has left terror a thousand leagues behind’? No, it is not fear that + renders me irresolute; it is wisdom, and some touch, some remnant of human + nature—philosophers would call it virtue; you priests, religion.” + </p> + <p> + “Son,” said the priest, “when, as one of that sublime calling, which + enables us to place our unshodden feet upon the necks of kings, I felt + that I had the power to serve and to exalt you; when as confessor to + Philip, I backed the patronage of Lerma, recommended you to the royal + notice, and brought you into the sunshine of the royal favour—it was + because I had read in your heart and brain those qualities of which the + spiritual masters of the world ever seek to avail their cause. I knew thee + brave, crafty, aspiring, unscrupulous. I knew that thou wouldest not + shrink at the means that could secure to thee a noble end. Yea, when, + years ago, in the valley of the Xenil, I saw thee bathe thy hands in the + blood of thy foe, and heard thy laugh of exulting scorn;—when I, + alone master of thy secret, beheld thee afterwards flying from thy home + stained with a second murder, but still calm, stern, and lord of thine own + reason, my knowledge of mankind told me, ‘Of such men are high converts + and mighty instruments made!’” + </p> + <p> + The priest paused; for Calderon heard him not. His cheek was livid, his + eyes closed, his chest heaved wildly. “Horrible remembrance!” he muttered; + “fatal love—dread revenge! Inez—Inez, what hast thou to answer + for!” + </p> + <p> + “Be soothed, my son; I meant not to tear the bandage from thy wounds.” + </p> + <p> + “Who speaks?” cried Calderon, starting. “Ha, priest! priest! I thought I + heard the Dead. Talk on, talk on: talk of the world—the Inquisition—thy + plots—the torture—the rack! Talk of aught that will lead me + back from the past.” + </p> + <p> + “No; let me for a moment lead thee thither, in order to portray the future + that awaits thee. When, at night, I found thee—the blood-stained + fugitive—cowering beneath the shadow of the forest, dost thou + remember that I laid my hand upon thine arm, and said to thee, ‘Thy life + is in my power’? From that hour, thy disdain of my threats, of myself, of + thine own life—all made me view thee as one born to advance our + immortal cause. I led thee to safety far away; I won thy friendship and + thy confidence. Thou becamest one of us—one of the great Order of + Jesus. Subsequently, I placed thee as the tutor to young Fonseca, then + heir to great fortunes. The second marriage of his uncle, and the heir + that by that marriage interposed between him and the honour of his house, + rendered the probable alliance of the youth profitless to us. But thou + hadst procured his friendship. He presented thee to the Duke of Lerma. I + was just then appointed confessor to the king; I found that years had + ripened thy genius, and memory had blunted in thee all the affections of + the flesh. Above all, hating, as thou didst, the very name of the Moor, + thou wert the man of men to aid in our great design of expelling the + accursed race from the land of Spain. Enough—I served thee, and thou + didst repay us. Thou hast washed out thy crime in the blood of the infidel—thou + art safe from detection. In Roderigo Calderon, Marquis de Siete Iglesias, + who will suspect the Roderigo Nunez—the murderous student of + Salamanca? Our device of the false father stifled even curiosity. Thou + mayest wake to the future, nor tremble at one shadow in the past. The + brightest hopes are before us both; but to realise them, we must continue + the same path. We must never halt at an obstacle in our way. We must hold + that to be no crime which advances our common objects. Mesh upon mesh we + must entangle the future monarch in our web: thou, by the nets of + pleasure; I, by those of superstition. The day that sees Philip the Fourth + upon the throne, must be a day of jubilee for the Brotherhood and the + Inquisition. When thou art prime minister, and I grand inquisitor—that + time must come—we shall have the power to extend the sway of the + sect of Loyola to the ends of the Christian world. The Inquisition itself + our tool, posterity shall regard us as the apostles of intellectual faith. + And thinkest thou, that, for the attainment of these great ends, we can + have the tender scruples of common men? Perish a thousand Fonsecas—ten + thousand novices, ere thou lose, by the strength of a hair, thy hold over + the senses and soul of the licentious Philip! At whatever hazard, save thy + power; for with it are bound, as mariners to a plank, the hopes of those + who make the mind a sceptre.” + </p> + <p> + “Thy enthusiasm blinds and misleads thee, Aliaga,” said Calderon, coldly. + “For me, I tell thee now, as I have told thee before, that I care not a + rush for thy grand objects. Let mankind serve itself—I look to + myself alone. But fear not my faith; my interests and my very life are + identified with thee and thy fellow-fanatics. If I desert thee, thou art + too deep in my secrets not to undo me; and were I to slay thee, in order + to silence thy testimony, I know enough of thy fraternity to know that I + should but raise up a multitude of avengers. As for this matter, you give + me wise, if not pious counsel. I will consider well of it. Adieu! The hour + summons me to attend the king.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER V. THE TRUE FATA MORGANA. + </h2> + <p> + In the royal chamber, before a table covered with papers, sat the King and + his secretary. Grave, sullen, and taciturn, there was little in the + habitual manner of Philip the Third that could betray to the most + experienced courtier the outward symptoms of favour or caprice. Education + had fitted him for the cloister, but the necessities of despotism had + added acute cunning to slavish superstition. The business for which + Calderon had been summoned was despatched, with a silence broken but by + monosyllables from the king, and brief explanations from the secretary; + and Philip, rising, gave the signal for Calderon to retire. It was then + that the king, turning a dull but steadfast eye upon the marquis, said, + with a kind of effort, as if speech were painful to him, + </p> + <p> + “The prince left me but a minute before your entrance—have you seen + him since your return?” + </p> + <p> + “Your majesty, yes. He honoured me this morning with his presence.” + </p> + <p> + “On state affairs?” + </p> + <p> + “Your majesty knows, I trust, that your servant treats of state affairs + only with your August self, or your appointed ministers.” + </p> + <p> + “The prince has favoured you, Don Roderigo.” + </p> + <p> + “Your majesty commanded me to seek that favour.” + </p> + <p> + “It is true. Happy the monarch whose faithful servant is the confidant of + the heir to his crown!” + </p> + <p> + “Could the prince harbour one thought displeasing to your majesty, I think + I could detect and quell it at its birth. But your majesty is blessed in a + grateful son.” + </p> + <p> + “I believe it. His love of pleasure decoys him from ambition—so it + should be. I am not an austere parent. Keep his favour, Don Roderigo; it + pleases me. Hast thou offended him in aught?” + </p> + <p> + “I trust I have not incurred so great a misfortune.” + </p> + <p> + “He spoke not of thee with his usual praises—I noticed it. I tell + thee this that thou mayest rectify what is wrong. Thou canst not serve me + more than by guarding him from all friendships save with those whose + affection to myself I can trust. I have said enough.” + </p> + <p> + “Such has ever been my object. Bat I have not the youth of the prince, and + men speak ill of me, that, in order to gain his confidence, I share in his + pursuits.” + </p> + <p> + “It matters not what they say of thee. Faithful ministers are rarely + eulogised by the populace or the court. Thou knowest my mind: I repeat, + lose not the prince’s favour.” Calderon bowed low, and withdrew. As he + passed through the apartments of the palace, he crossed a gallery, in + which he perceived, stationed by a window, the young prince and his own + arch-foe, the Duke d’Uzeda. At the same instant, from an opposite door, + entered the Cardinal-Duke de Lerma; and the same unwelcome conjunction of + hostile planets smote the eyes of that intriguing minister. Precisely + because Uzeda was the duke’s son was he the man in the world whom the duke + most dreaded and suspected. + </p> + <p> + Whoever is acquainted with the Spanish comedy will not fail to have + remarked the prodigality of intrigue and counter-intrigue upon which its + interest is made to depend. In this, the Spanish comedy was the faithful + mirror of the Spanish life, especially in the circles of a court. Men + lived in a perfect labyrinth of plot and counter-plot. The spirit of + finesse, manoeuvre, subtlety, and double-dealing pervaded every family. + Not a house that was not divided against itself. + </p> + <p> + As Lerma turned his eyes from the unwelcome spectacle of such sudden + familiarity between Uzeda and the heir-apparent—a familiarity which + it had been his chief care to guard against—his glance fell on + Calderon. He beckoned to him in silence, and retired, unobserved by the + two confabulators, through the same door by which he had entered. Calderon + took the hint, and followed him. The duke entered a small room, and + carefully closed the door. + </p> + <p> + “How is this, Calderon?” he asked, but in a timid tone, for the weak old + man stood in awe of his favourite. “Whence this new and most ill-boding + league?” + </p> + <p> + “I know not, your eminence; remember that I am but just returned to + Madrid: it amazes me no less than it does your eminence.” + </p> + <p> + “Learn the cause of it, my good Calderon: the prince ever professed to + hate Uzeda. Restore him to those feelings thou art all in all with his + highness! If Uzeda once gain his ear, thou art lost.” + </p> + <p> + “Not so,” cried Calderon, proudly. “My service is to the king; I have a + right to his royal protection, for I have a claim on his royal gratitude.” + </p> + <p> + “Do not deceive thyself,” said the duke, in a whisper. “The king cannot + live long: I have it from the best authority, his physician; nor is this + all—a formidable conspiracy against thee exists at court. But for + myself and the king’s confessor, Philip would consent to thy ruin. The + strong hold thou hast over him is in thy influence with the Infanta—influence + which he knows to be exerted on behalf of his own fearful and jealous + policy; that influence gone, neither I nor Aliaga could suffice to protect + thee. Enough! Shut every access to Philip’s heart against Uzeda.” Calderon + bowed in silence, and the duke hastened to the royal cabinet. + </p> + <p> + “What a fool was I to think that I could still wear a conscience!” + muttered Calderon, with a sneering lip; “but, Uzeda, I will baffle thee + yet.” + </p> + <p> + The next morning, the Marquis de Siete Iglesias presented himself at the + levee of the prince of Spain. + </p> + <p> + Around the favourite, as his proud stature towered above the rest, flocked + the obsequious grandees. The haughty smile was yet on his lip when the + door opened and the prince entered. The crowd, in parting suddenly, left + Calderon immediately in front of Philip; who, after gazing on him sternly + for a moment, turned away, with marked discourtesy, from the favourite’s + profound reverence, and began a low and smiling conversation with Gonsalez + de Leon, one of Calderon’s open foes. + </p> + <p> + The crowd exchanged looks of delight and surprise; and each or the nobles, + before so wooing in their civilities to the minister, edged cautiously + away. + </p> + <p> + His mortification had but begun. Presently Uzeda, hitherto almost a + stranger to those apartments, appeared; the prince hastened to him, and in + a few minutes the duke was seen following the prince into his private + chamber. The sun of Calderon’s favour seemed set. So thought the + courtiers: not so the haughty favourite. There was even a smile of triumph + on his lip—a sanguine flush upon his pale cheek, as he turned + unheeding from the throng, and then entering his carriage, regained his + home. + </p> + <p> + He had scarcely re-entered his cabinet, ere, faithful to his appointment, + Fonseca was announced. + </p> + <p> + “What tidings, my best of friends?” exclaimed the soldier. + </p> + <p> + Calderon shook his head mournfully. + </p> + <p> + “My dear pupil,” said he, in accents of well-affected sympathy, “there is + no hope for thee. Forget this vain dream—return to the army. I can + promise thee promotion, rank, honours; but the hand of Beatriz is beyond + my power.” + </p> + <p> + “How?” said Fonseca, turning pale and sinking into a seat. “How is this? + Why so sudden a change? Has the queen—” + </p> + <p> + “I have not seen her majesty; but the king is resolved upon this matter: + so are the Inquisition. The Church complains of recent and numerous + examples of unholy and im politic relaxation of her dread power. The court + dare not interfere. The novice must be left to her own choice.” + </p> + <p> + “And there is no hope?” + </p> + <p> + “None! Return to the excitement of thy brave career.” + </p> + <p> + “Never!” cried Fonseca, with great vehemence. “If, in requital of all my + services—of life risked, blood spilt, I cannot obtain a boon so easy + to accord me, I renounce a service in which even fame has lost its charm. + And hark you, Calderon, I tell you that I will not forego this pursuit. So + fair, so innocent a victim shall not be condemned to that living tomb. + Through the walls of the nunnery, through the spies of the Inquisition, + love will find out its way; and in some distant land I will yet unite + happiness and honour. I fear not exile; I fear not reverse; I no longer + fear poverty itself. All lands, where the sound of the trumpet is not + unknown, can afford career to the soldier, who asks from Heaven no other + boon but his mistress and his sword.” + </p> + <p> + “You will seek to abstract Beatriz, then?” said Calderon, calmly and + musingly. “Yes—it may be your best course, if you take the requisite + precautions. But can you see her? can you concert with her?” + </p> + <p> + “I think so. I trust I have already paved the way to an interview. + Yesterday, after I quitted thee, I sought the convent; and, as the chapel + is one of the public sights of the city, I made my curiosity my excuse. + Happily, I recognised in the porter of the convent an old servitor of my + father’s; he had known me from a child—he dislikes his calling—he + will consent to accompany our flight, to share our fortunes: he has + promised to convey a letter from me to Beatriz, and to transmit to me her + answer.” + </p> + <p> + “The stars smile on thee, Don Martin. When thou hast learned more, consult + with me again. Now, I see a way to assist thee.” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VI. WEB UPON WEB. + </h2> + <p> + The next day, to the discomfiture of the courtiers, Calderon and the + Infant of Spain were seen together, publicly, on the parade; and the + secretary made one of the favoured few who attended the prince at the + theatre. His favour was greater, his power more dazzling than ever it had + been known before. No cause for the breach and reconciliation being known, + some attributed it to caprice, others to the wily design of the astute + Calderon for the humiliation of Uzeda, who seemed only to have been + admitted to one smile from the rising sun in order more signally to be + reconsigned to the shade. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile, Fonseca prospered almost beyond his hopes. Young, ardent, + sanguine, the poor novice had fled from her quiet home and the indulgence + of her free thoughts, to the chill solitude of the cloister, little + dreaming of the extent of the change. With a heart that overflowed with + the warm thoughts of love and youth, the ghostlike shapes that flitted + round her, the icy forms, the rigid ceremonials of that life, which is but + the mimicry of death, appalled and shocked her. That she had preserved + against a royal and most perilous, because unscrupulous suitor, her + fidelity to the absent Fonseca, was her sole consolation. + </p> + <p> + Another circumstance had combined with the loss of her protectress and the + absence of Don Martin to sadden her heart and dispose her to the cloister. + On the deathbed of the old woman, who had been to her as a mother, she had + learned a secret hitherto concealed from her tender youth. Dark and tragic + were the influences of the star which had shone upon her birth, gloomy the + heritage of memories associated with her parentage. A letter, of which she + now became the guardian and treasurer—a letter, in her mother’s + hand-woke tears more deep and bitter than she had ever shed for herself. + In that letter she read the strength and the fidelity, the sorrow and the + gloom, of woman’s love; and a dreary foreboding told her that the shadow + of the mother’s fate was cast over the child’s. Such were the thoughts + that made the cloister welcome, till the desolation of the shelter was + tried and known. But when, through the agency of the porter, Fonseca’s + letter reached her, all other feelings gave way to the burst of natural + and passionate emotion. The absent had returned, again wooed, was still + faithful. The awful vow was not spoken—she might yet be his. She + answered; she chided; she spoke of doubt, of peril, of fear for him, of + maiden shame; but her affection coloured every word, and the letter was + full of hope. The correspondence continued; the energetic remonstrances of + Fonseca, the pure and fervent attachment of the novice, led more and more + rapidly and surely to the inevitable result. Beatriz yielded to the prayer + of her lover; she consented to the scheme of escape and flight that he + proposed. + </p> + <p> + Late at evening Fonseca sought Calderon. The marquis was in the gardens of + his splendid mansion. + </p> + <p> + The moonlight streamed over many a row of orange-trees and pomegranates—many + a white and richly sculptured vase, on its marble pedestal—many a + fountain, that scattered its low music round the breathless air. Upon a + terrace that commanded a stately view of the spires and palaces of Madrid + stood Calderon, alone; beside him, one solitary and gigantic aloe cast its + deep gloom of shade and his motionless attitude, his folded arms, his face + partially lifted to the starlit heavens, bespoke the earnestness and + concentration of his thoughts. + </p> + <p> + “Why does this shudder come over me?” said, he, half aloud. “It was thus + in that dismal hour which preceded the knowledge of my shame—the + deed of a dark revenge—the revolution of my eventful and wondrous + life! Ah! how happy was I once! a contented and tranquil student; a + believer in those eyes that were to me as the stars to the astrologer. But + the golden age passed into that of iron. And now,” added Calderon, with a + self-mocking sneer, “comes the era which the poets have not chronicled; + for fraud, and hypocrisy, and vice, know no poets!” + </p> + <p> + The quick step of Fonseca interrupted the courtier’s reverie. He turned, + knit his brow, and sighed heavily, as if nerving himself to some effort; + but his brow was smooth, and his aspect cheerful, ere Fonseca reached his + side. + </p> + <p> + “Give me joy—give me joy, dear Calderon! she has consented. Now, + then, your promised aid.” + </p> + <p> + “You can depend upon the fidelity of your friendly porter? + </p> + <p> + “With my life.” + </p> + <p> + “A master key to the back-door of the chapel has been made?” + </p> + <p> + “See, I have it.” + </p> + <p> + “And Beatriz can contrive to secrete herself in the confessional at the + hour of the night prayers?” + </p> + <p> + “There is no doubt of her doing so with safety. The number of the novices + is so great, that one of them cannot well be missed.” + </p> + <p> + “So much, then, for your part of the enterprise. Now for mine. You know + that solitary house in the suburbs, on the high road to Fuencarral, which + I pointed out to you yesterday? Well, the owner is a creature of mine. + There, horses shall be in waiting; there, disguises shall be prepared. + Beatriz must necessarily divest herself of the professional dress; you had + better choose meaner garments for yourself. Drop those hidalgo titles of + which your father is so proud, and pass off yourself and the novice as a + notary and his wife, about to visit France on a lawsuit of inheritance. + One of my secretaries shall provide you with a pass. Meanwhile, to-morrow, + I shall be the first officially to hear of the flight of the novice, and I + will set the pursuers on a wrong scent. Have I not arranged all things + properly, my Fonseca?” + </p> + <p> + “You are our guardian angel!” cried Don Martin, fervently. “The prayers of + Beatriz will be registered in your behalf above—prayers that will + reach the Great Throne as easily from the open valleys of France as in the + gloomy cloisters of Madrid. At midnight, to-morrow, then, we seek the + house you have described to us.” + </p> + <p> + “Ay, at midnight, all shall be prepared.” + </p> + <p> + With a light step and exulting heart, Fonseca turned from the palace of + Calderon. Naturally sanguine and high-spirited, visions of hope and joy + floated before his eyes, and the future seemed to him a land owning but + the twin deities of Glory and Love. + </p> + <p> + He had reached about the centre of the streets in which Calderon’s abode + was placed, when six men, who for some moments had been watching him from + a little distance, approached. + </p> + <p> + “I believe,” said the one who appeared the chief of the band, “that I have + the honor to address Senior Don Martin Fonseca?” + </p> + <p> + “Such is my name.” + </p> + <p> + “In the name of the king we arrest you. Follow us.” + </p> + <p> + “Arrest! on what plea? What is my offence?” + </p> + <p> + “It is stated on this writ, signed by his Eminence the Cardinal-Duke de + Lerma. You are charged with the crime of desertion.” + </p> + <p> + “Thou liest, knave! I had the general’s free permission to quit the camp.” + </p> + <p> + “We have said all—follow!” + </p> + <p> + Fonseca, naturally of the most impetuous and passionate character, was + not, in that moment, in a mood to calculate coldly all the consequences of + resistance. Arrest—imprisonment—on the eve before that which + was to see him the deliverer of Beatriz, constituted a sentence of such + despair, that all other considerations vanished before it. He set his + teeth firmly, drew his sword, dashed aside the alguazil who attempted to + obstruct his path, and strode grimly on, shaking one clenched hand in + defiance, while, with the other, he waved the good Toledo that had often + blazed in the van of battle, at the war-cry of “St. Iago and Spain!” + </p> + <p> + The alguazils closed round the soldier, and the clash of swords was + already heard; when suddenly torches borne on high threw their glare + across the moonlit street, and two running footmen called out, “Make way + for the most noble the Marquis de Siete Iglesias!” At that name, Fonseca + dropped the point of his weapon; the alguazils themselves drew aside; and + the tall figure and pale countenance of Calderon were visible amongst the + group. + </p> + <p> + “What means this brawl in the open streets at this late hour?” said the + minister, sternly. + </p> + <p> + “Calderon!” exclaimed Fonseca; “this is indeed fortunate. These caitiffs + have dared to lay hands on a soldier of Spain, and to forge for their + villany the name of his own kinsman, the Duke de Lerma.” + </p> + <p> + “Your charge against this gentleman?” asked Calderon, calmly, turning to + the principal alguazil, who placed the writ of arrest in the secretary’s + hand. Calderon read it leisurely, and raised his hat as he returned it to + the alguazil: he then drew aside Fonseca. + </p> + <p> + “Are you mad?” said he, in a whisper. “Do you think you can resist the + law? Had I not arrived so opportunely you would have converted a slight + accusation into a capital offence. Go with these men: do not fear; I will + see the duke, and obtain your immediate release. To-morrow I will visit + and accompany you home.” + </p> + <p> + Fonseca, still half beside himself with rage, would have replied, but + Calderon significantly placed his finger on his lip and turned to the + alguazils. + </p> + <p> + “There is a mistake here: it will be rectified to-morrow. Treat this + cavalier with all the respect and worship due to his birth and merits. Go, + Don Martin, go,” he added, in a lower voice; “go, unless you desire to + lose Beatriz for ever. Nothing but obedience can save you from the + imprisonment of half a life!” + </p> + <p> + Awed and subdued by this threat, Fonseca, in gloomy silence, placed his + sword in its sheath, and sullenly followed the alguazils. Calderon watched + them depart with a thoughtful and absent look; then, starting from his + reverie, he bade his torchbearers proceed, and resumed his way to the + Prince of Spain. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VII. THE OPEN COUNTENANCE, THE CONCEALED THOUGHTS + </h2> + <p> + The next day, at noon, Calderon visited Fonseca in his place of + confinement. The young man was seated by a window that overlooked a large + dull court-yard, with a neglected and broken fountain in the centre, + leaning his cheek upon his hand. His long hair was dishevelled, his dress + disordered, and a gloomy frown darkened features naturally open and + ingenuous. He started to his feet as Calderon approached. “My release—you + have brought my release—let us forth!” + </p> + <p> + “My dear pupil, be ruled, be calm. I have seen the duke: the cause of your + imprisonment is as I suspected. Some imprudent words, overheard, perhaps, + but by your valet, have escaped you; words intimating your resolution not + to abandon Beatriz. You know your kinsman, a mail of doubts and fears,—of + forms, ceremonies, and scruples. From very affection for his kindred and + yourself he has contrived your arrest; all my expostulations have been in + vain. I fear your imprisonment may continue, either until you give a + solemn promise to renounce all endeavor to dissuade Beatriz from the final + vows, or until she herself has pronounced them.” + </p> + <p> + Fonseca, as if stupefied, stared a moment at Calderon, and then burst into + a wild laugh. Calderon continued: + </p> + <p> + “Nevertheless, do not despair. Be patient; I am ever about the duke; nay, + I have the courage, in your cause, to appeal even to the king himself.” + </p> + <p> + “And to-night she expects me—to-night she was to be free!” + </p> + <p> + “We can convey the intelligence of your mischance to her: the porter will + befriend you.” + </p> + <p> + “Away, false friend, or powerless protector, that you are! Are your + promises of aid come to this? But I care not; my case, my wrongs, shall be + laid before the king; I will inquire if it be thus that Philip the Third + treats the defenders of his crown. Don Roderigo Calderon, will you place + my memorial in the hands of your royal master? Do this, and I will thank + you.” + </p> + <p> + “No, Fonseca, I will not ruin you; the king would pass your memorial to + the Duke de Lerma. Tush! this is not the way that men of sense deal with + misfortune. Think you I should be what I now am, if, in every reverse, I + had raved, and not reflected? Sit down, and let us think of what can now + be done.” + </p> + <p> + “Nothing, unless the prison door open by sunset!” + </p> + <p> + “Stay, a thought strikes me. The term of your imprisonment ceases when you + relinquish the hope of Beatriz. But what if the duke could believe that + Beatriz relinquished you? What, for instance, if she fled from the + convent, as you proposed, and we could persuade the duke that it was with + another?” + </p> + <p> + “Ah! be silent!” + </p> + <p> + “Nay, what advantages in this scheme—what safety! If she fly alone, + or, as supposed, with another lover, the duke will have no interest in + pursuit, in punishment. She is not of that birth that the state will take + the trouble, very actively, to interfere: she may reach France in safety; + ay, a thousand times more safely than if she fled with you, a hidalgo and + a man of rank, whom the state would have an interest to reclaim, and to + whom the Inquisition, hating the nobles, would impute the crime of + sacrilege. It is an excellent thought! Your imprisonment may be the + salvation of you both: your plan may succeed still better without your + intervention; and, after a few days, the duke, believing that your + resentment must necessarily replace your love, will order your release; + you can join Beatriz on the frontier, and escape with her to France.” + </p> + <p> + “But,” said Fonseca, struck, but not convinced, by the suggestion of + Calderon, “who will take my place with Beatriz? who penetrate into the + gardens? who bear her from the convent?” + </p> + <p> + “That, for your sake, will I do. Perhaps,” added Calderon, smiling, “a + courtier may manage such an intrigue with even more dexterity than a + soldier. I will bear her to the house we spoke of; there I know she can + lie hid in safety, till the languid pursuit of uninterested officials + shall cease, and thence I can easily find means to transport her, under + safe and honourable escort, to any place it may please you to appoint.” + </p> + <p> + “And think you Beatriz will fly with you, a stranger? Impossible! Your + plan pleases me not.” + </p> + <p> + “Nor does it please me,” said Calderon, coldly; “the risks I proposed to + run are too imminent to be contemplated complacently: I thank you for + releasing me from my offer; nor should I have made it, Fonseca, but from + this fear, what if to-morrow the duke himself (he is a churchman, + remember) see the novice? what if he terrify her with threats against + yourself? what if he induce the abbess and the Church to abridge the + novitiate? what if Beatriz be compelled or awed into taking the veil? what + if you be released even next week and find her lost to you for ever?” + </p> + <p> + “They cannot—they dare not!” + </p> + <p> + “The duke dares all things for ambition; your alliance with Beatriz he + would hold a disgrace to his house. Think not my warnings are without + foundation—I speak from authority; such is the course the Duke de + Lerma has resolved upon. Nothing else could have induced me to offer to + brave for your sake all the hazard of outraging the law and braving the + terrors of the Inquisition. But let us think of some other plan. Is your + escape possible? I fear not. No; you must trust to my chance of persuading + the duke into prosecuting the matter no further; trust to some mightier + scheme engrossing all his thoughts; to a fit of good-humour after his + siesta; or, perhaps, an attack of the gout, or a stroke of apoplexy. Such, + after all, are the chances of human felicity, the pivots on which turns + the solemn wheel of human life.” + </p> + <p> + Fonseca made no reply for some moments; he traversed the room with hasty + and disordered strides, and at last stopped abruptly. + </p> + <p> + “Calderon, there is no option; I must throw myself on your generosity, + your faith, your friendship. I will write to Beatriz; I will tell her, for + my sake, to confide in you.” + </p> + <p> + As he spoke, Don Martin turned to the table, and wrote a hasty and + impassioned note, in which he implored the novice to trust herself to the + directions of Don Roderigo Calderon, his best, his only friend; and, as he + placed this letter in the hands of the courtier he turned aside to conceal + his emotions. Calderon himself was deeply moved: his cheek was flushed, + and his hand seemed tremulous as it took the letter. + </p> + <p> + “Remember,” said Fonseca, “that I trust to you my life of life. As you are + true to me, may Heaven be merciful to you!” + </p> + <p> + Calderon made no answer, but turned to the door. “Stay,” said Fonseca; “I + had forgot this—here is the master key.” + </p> + <p> + “True; how dull I was! And the porter—will he attend to thy proxy?” + </p> + <p> + “Doubt it not. Accost him with the word, ‘Grenada.’ But he expects to + share the flight.” + </p> + <p> + “That can be arranged. To-morrow you will hear of my success. Farewell!” + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VIII. THE ESCAPE + </h2> + <h3> + It was midnight in the chapel of the convent. + </h3> + <p> + The moonlight shone with exceeding lustre through the tall casements, and + lit into a ghastly semblance of life the marble images of saint and + martyr, that threw their long shadows over the consecrated floor. Nothing + could well be conceived more dreary, solemn, and sepulchral than that holy + place: its distained and time-hallowed walls; the impenetrable mass of + darkness that gathered into those recesses which the moonlight failed to + reach; its antique and massive tombs, above which reclined the sculptured + effigies of some departed patroness or abbess, who had exchanged a living + grave for the Mansions of the Blest. But there—oh, wonderful human + heart!—even there, in that spot, the very homily and warning against + earthly affections and mortal hopes—even there, couldst thou beat + with as wild, as bright, and as pure a passion as ever heaved the breast + and shone in the eyes of Beauty, in the free air that ripples the + Guadiana, or amidst the twilight dance of Castilian maids. + </p> + <p> + A tall figure, wrapped from head to foot in a cloak, passed slowly up the + aisle. But light and cautious though the footstep, it woke a low, hollow, + ominous echo, that seemed more than the step itself to disturb the + sanctity of the place. It paused opposite to a confessional, which was but + dimly visible through the shadows around it. And then there emerged + timidly a female form; and a soft voice whispered “It is thou, Fonseca!” + </p> + <p> + “Hist!” was the answer; “he waits without. Be quick; speak not—come.” + </p> + <p> + Beatriz recoiled in surprise and alarm at the voice of a stranger; but the + man, seizing her by the hand, drew her hastily from the chapel, and + hurried her across the garden, through a small postern door, which stood + ajar, into an obscure street bordering the convent wall. Here stood the + expectant porter, with a bundle in his hand, which he opened, and took + thence a long cloak, such as the women of middling rank in Madrid wore in + the winter season, with the customary mantilla or veil. With these, still + without speaking, the stranger hastily shrouded the form of the novice, + and once more hurried her on till about a hundred yards from the garden + gate he came to a carriage, into which he lifted Beatriz, whispered a few + words to the porter, seated himself by the side of the novice, and the + vehicle drove rapidly away. + </p> + <p> + It was some moments before Beatriz could sufficiently recover from her + first agitation and terror, to feel alive to all the strangeness of her + situation. She was alone with a stranger; where was Fonseca? She turned + towards her companion. + </p> + <p> + “Who art thou?” she said, “whither art thou leading me-and why—” + </p> + <p> + “Why is not Don Martin by thy side? Pardon me, senora: I have a billet for + thee from Fonseca; in a few minutes thou wilt know all.” + </p> + <p> + At this time the vehicle came suddenly in the midst of a train of footmen + and equipages that choked up the way. There was a brilliant entertainment + at the French embassy; and thither flocked, all the rank and chivalry of + Madrid. Calderon drew down the blind and hastily enjoined silence on + Beatriz. It was some minutes before the driver extricated himself from the + throng; and then, as if to make amends for the delay, he put his horses to + their full speed, and carefully selected the most obscure and solitary + thoroughfares. At length, the carriage entered the range of suburbs which + still at this day the traveller passes on his road from Madrid to France. + The horses stopped before a lonely house that stood a little apart from + the road, and which from the fashion of its architecture appeared of + considerable antiquity. The stranger descended and knocked twice at the + door: it was opened by an old man, whose exaggerated features, bended + frame, and long beard, proclaimed him of the race of Israel. After a short + and whispered parley, the stranger returned to Beatriz, gravely assisted + her from the carriage, and, leading her across the threshold, and up a + flight of rude stairs, dimly lighted, entered a chamber richly furnished. + The walls were hung with stuffs of gorgeous colouring and elaborate + design. Pedestals of the whitest marble placed at each corner of the room + supported candelabra of silver. The sofas and couches were of the heavy + but sumptuous fashion which then prevailed in the palaces of France and + Spain; and of which Venice (the true model of the barbaric decorations + with which Louis the Fourteenth corrupted the taste of Paris) was probably + the original inventor. In an alcove, beneath a silken canopy, was prepared + a table, laden with wines, fruits, and viands; and altogether the elegance + and luxury that characterised the apartment were in strong and strange + contrast with the half-ruined exterior of the abode, the gloomy and rude + approach to the chamber, and the mean and servile aspect of the Jew, who + stood, or rather cowered by the door, as if waiting for further orders. + With a wave of the hand the stranger dismissed the Israelite; and then, + approaching Beatriz, presented to her Fonseca’s letter. + </p> + <p> + As with an enchanting mixture of modesty and eagerness Beatriz, half + averting her face, bent over the well-known characters, Calderon gazed + upon her with a scrutinising and curious eye. + </p> + <p> + The courtier was not, in this instance, altogether the villain that from + outward appearances the reader may have deemed him. His plan was this: he + had resolved on compliance with the wishes of the prince—his safety + rested on that compliance. But Fonseca was not to be sacrificed without + reserve. Profoundly despising womankind, and firmly persuaded of their + constitutional treachery and deceit, Calderon could not believe the + actress that angel of light and purity which she seemed to the enamoured + Fonseca. He had resolved to subject her to the ordeal of the prince’s + addresses. If she fell, should he not save his friend from being the dupe + of an artful <i>intriguante</i>?—should he not deserve the thanks of + Don Martin for the very temptation to which Beatriz was now to be + submitted? If he could convince Fonseca of her falsehood, he should stand + acquitted to his friend, while he should have secured his interest with + the prince. But if, on the other hand, Beatriz came spotless through the + trial; if the prince, stung by her obstinate virtue, should menace to sink + courtship into violence, Calderon knew that it would not be in the first + or second interview that the novice would have any real danger to + apprehend; and he should have leisure to concert her escape by such means + as would completely conceal from the prince his own connivance at her + flight. Such was the compromise that Calderon had effected between his + conscience and his ambition. But while he gazed upon the novice, though + her features were turned from him, and half veiled by the headdress she + had assumed, strange feelings, ominous and startling, like those + remembrances of the Past which sometimes come in the guise of prophecies + of the Future, thronged, indistinct and dim, upon his breast. The + unconscious and exquisite grace of her form, its touching youth, an air of + innocence diffused around it, a something helpless, and pleading to man’s + protection, in the very slightness of her beautiful but fairy-like + proportions, seemed to reproach his treachery, and to awaken whatever of + pity or human softness remained in his heart. + </p> + <p> + The novice had read the letter; and turning, in the impulse of surprise + and alarm, to Calderon for explanation, for the first time she remarked + his features and his aspect; for he had then laid aside his cloak, and the + broad Spanish hat with its heavy plume. It was thus that their eyes met, + and, as they did so, Beatriz, starting from her seat, uttered a wild cry— + </p> + <p> + “And thy name is Calderon—Don Roderigo Calderon?—is it + possible? Hadst thou never another name?” she exclaimed; and, as she + spoke, she approached him slowly and fearfully. + </p> + <p> + “Lady, Calderon is my name,” replied the marquis: but his voice faltered. + “But thine—thine—is it, in truth, Beatriz Coello?” + </p> + <p> + Beatriz made no reply, but continued to advance, till her very breath came + upon his cheek; she then laid her hand upon his arm, and looked up into + his face with a gaze so earnest, so intent, so prolonged, that Calderon, + but for a strange and terrible thought—half of wonder, half of + suspicion, which had gradually crept into his soul, and now usurped it—might + have doubted whether the reason of the poor novice was not unsettled. + </p> + <p> + Slowly Beatriz withdrew her eyes, and they fell upon a large mirror + opposite, which reflected in full light the features of Calderon and + herself. It was then—her natural bloom having faded into a paleness + scarcely less statue-like than that which characterised the cheek of + Calderon himself, and all the sweet play and mobility of feature that + belong to first youth being replaced by a rigid and marble stillness of + expression—it was then that a remarkable resemblance between these + two persons became visible and startling. That resemblance struck alike, + and in the same instant, both Beatriz and Calderon; and both, gazing on + the mirror, uttered an involuntary and simultaneous exclamation. + </p> + <p> + With a trembling and hasty hand the novice searched amidst the folds of + her robe, and drew forth a small leathern case, closed with clasps of + silver. She touched the spring, and took out a miniature, upon which she + cast a rapid and wild glance; then, lifting her eyes to Calderon, she + cried, “It must be so—it is, it is my father!” and fell motionless + at his feet. + </p> + <p> + Calderon did not for some moments heed the condition of the novice: that + chamber, the meditated victim, the present time, the coming evil—all + were swept away from his soul; he was transported back into the past, with + the two dread Spirits, Memory and Conscience! His knees knocked together, + his aspect was livid, the cold drops stood upon his brow; he muttered + incoherently and then bent down, and took up the picture. It was the face + of a man in the plain garb of a Salamanca student, and in the first flush + of youth; the noble brow, serene and calm, and stamped alike with candour + and courage; the smooth cheek, rich with the hues of health; the lips, + parting in a happy smile, and eloquent of joy and hope; it was the face of + that wily, grasping, ambitious, unscrupulous man, when life had yet + brought no sin; it was, as if the ghost of youth were come back to accuse + the crimes of manhood! The miniature fell from his hand—he groaned + aloud. Then gazing on the prostrate form of the novice, he said—“Poor + wretch! can I believe that thou art indeed of mine own race and blood; or + rather, does not nature, that stamped these lineaments on thy countenance, + deceive and mock me? If she, thy mother, lied, why not nature herself?” + </p> + <p> + He raised the novice in his arms, and gazed long and wistfully upon her + lifeless, but almost lovely features. She moved not—she scarcely + seemed to breathe; yet he fancied he felt her embrace tightening round him—he + fancied he heard again the voice that had hailed him “FATHER!” His heart + beat aloud, the divine instinct overpowered all things, he pressed a + passionate kiss upon her forehead, and his tears fell fast and warm upon + her cheek. But again the dark remembrance crossed him, and he shuddered, + placed the novice hastily on one of the couches, and shouted aloud. + </p> + <p> + The Jew appeared and was ordered to summon Jacinta. A young woman of the + same persuasion, and of harsh and forbidding exterior, entered, and to her + care Calderon briefly consigned the yet insensible Beatriz. + </p> + <p> + While Jacinta unlaced the dress, and chafed the temples, of the novice, + Calderon seemed buried in gloomy thought. At last he strode slowly away, + as if to quit the chamber, when his foot struck against the case of the + picture, and his eye rested upon a paper which lay therein, folded and + embedded. He took it up, and, lifting aside the hangings, hurried into a + small cabinet lighted by a single lamp. Here, alone and unseen, Calderon + read the following letter: + </p> + <p> + “TO RODERIGO NUNEZ. + </p> + <p> + “Will this letter ever meet thine eyes? I know not; but it is comfort to + write to thee on the bed of death; and were it not for that horrible and + haunting thought that thou believest me—me whose very life was in + thy love—faithless and dishonoured, even death itself would be the + sweeter because it comes from the loss of thee. Yes, something tells me + that these lines will not be written in vain; that thou wilt read them + yet, when this hand is still and this brain at rest, and that then thou + wilt feel that I could not have dared to write to thee if I were not + innocent; that in every word thou wilt recognise the evidence that is + strong as the voice of thousands,—the simple but solemn evidence of + faith and truth. What! when for thee I deserted all—home, and a + father’s love, wealth, and the name I had inherited from Moors who had + been monarchs in their day—couldst thou think that I had not made + the love of thee the core, and life, and principle of my very being! And + one short year, could that suffice to shake my faith?—one year of + marriage, but two months of absence? You left me, left that dear home, by + the silver Xenil. For love did not suffice to you; ambition began to stir + within you, and you called it ‘love.’ You said, ‘It grieved you that I was + poor; that you could not restore to me the luxury and wealth I had lost.’ + (Alas! why did you turn so incredulously from my assurance, that in you, + and you alone, were centred my ambition and pride?) You declared that the + vain readers of the stars had foretold at your cradle that you were + predestined to lofty honours and dazzling power, and that the prophecy + would work out its own fulfilment. You left me to seek in Madrid your + relation who had risen into the favour of a minister, and from whose love + you expected to gain an opening to your career. Do you remember how we + parted? how you kissed away my tears, and how they gushed forth again? how + again and again you said, ‘Farewell!’ and again and again returned as if + we could never part? And I took my babe, but a few weeks born, from her + cradle, and placed her in thy arms, and bade thee see that she had already + learned thy smile; and were these the signs of falsehood? Oh, how I pined + for the sound of thy footstep when thou wert gone! how all the summer had + vanished from the landscape; and how, turning to thy child, I fancied I + again beheld thee! The day after thou hadst left me there was a knock at + the cottage; the nurse opened it, and there entered your former rival, + whom my father had sought to force upon me, the richest of the descendants + of the Moor, Arraez Ferrares. Why linger on this hateful subject? He had + tracked us to our home, he had learned thy absence, he came to insult me + with his vows. By the Blessed Mother, whom thou hast taught me to adore, + by the terror and pang of death, by my hopes of Heaven, I am innocent, + Roderigo, I am innocent! Oh, how couldst thou be so deceived? He quitted + the cottage, discomfited and enraged; again he sought me, and again and + again; and when the door was closed upon him, he waylaid my steps. Lone + and defenceless as we were, thy wife and child, with but one attendant I + feared him not; but I trembled at thy return, for I knew that thou went a + Spaniard, a Castilian, and that beneath thy calm and gentle seeming lurked + pride, and jealousy, and revenge. Thy letter came, the only letter since + thy absence, the last letter from thee I may ever weep over, and lay upon + my heart. Thy relation was dead, and his wealth enriched a nearer heir. + Thou wert to return. The day in which I might expect thee approached—it + arrived. During the last week I had seen and heard no more of Ferrares. I + trusted that he had at length discovered the vanity of his pursuit. I + walked into the valley, thy child in my arms, to meet thee; but thou didst + not come. The sun set, and the light of thine eyes replaced not the + declining day. I returned home, and watched for thee all night, but in + vain. The next morning again I went forth into the valley, and again, with + a sick heart, returned to my desolate home. It was then noon. As I + approached the door I perceived Ferrares. He forced his entrance. I told + him of thy expected return, and threatened him with thy resentment. He + left me; and, terrified with a thousand vague forebodings, I sat down to + weep. The nurse, Leonarda, was watching by the cradle of our child in the + inner room. + </p> + <p> + “I was alone. Suddenly the door opened. I heard thy step; I knew it; I + knew its music. I started up. Saints of Heaven! what a meeting—what + a return! Pale, haggard, thine hands and garments dripping blood, thine + eyes blazing with insane fire, a terrible smile of mockery on thy lip, + thou stoodst before me. I would have thrown myself on thy breast; thou + didst cast me from thee; I fell on my knees, and thy blade was pointed at + my heart—the heart so full of thee! ‘He is dead,’ didst thou say, in + a hollow voice; ‘he is dead—thy paramour—take thy bed beside + him!’ I know not what I said, but it seemed to move thee; thy hand + trembled, and the point of thy weapon dropped. It was then that, hearing + thy voice, Leonarda hastened into the room, and bore in her arms thy + child. ‘See,’ I exclaimed, ‘see thy daughter; see, she stretches her hands + to thee—she pleads for her mother!’ At that sight thy brow became + dark, the demon seized upon thee again. ‘Mine!’ were thy cruel words—they + ring in my ear still—‘no! she was born before the time—ha! ha!—thou + didst betray me from the first!’ With that thou didst raise thy sword; + but, even then (ah, blessed thought! even then) remorse and love palsied + thy hand, and averted thy gaze: the blow was not that of death. I fell + senseless to the ground, and when I recovered thou wert gone. Delirium + succeeded; and when once more my senses and reason returned to me, I found + by my side a holy priest, and from him, gradually, I learned all that till + then was dare. Ferrares had been found in the valley, weltering in his + blood. Borne to a neighbouring monastery, he lingered a few days, to + confess the treachery he had practised on thee; to adopt, in his last + hours, the Christian faith; and to attest his crime with his own + signature. He enjoined the monk, who had converted and confessed him, to + place this proof of my innocence in my hands. Behold it enclosed within. + If this letter ever reach thee, thou wilt learn how thy wife was true to + thee in life, and has therefore the right to bless thee in death.” + </p> + <p> + At this passage, Calderon dropped the letter, and was seized with a kind + of paralysis, which for some moments seemed to deprive him of life itself. + When he recovered he eagerly grasped a scroll that was enclosed in the + letter, but which, hitherto, he had disregarded. Even then, so strong were + his emotions, that sight itself was obscured and dimmed, and it was long + before he could read the characters, which were already discoloured by + time. + </p> + <p> + “TO INEZ. + </p> + <p> + “I have but a few hours to live,—let me spend them in atonement and + in prayer, less for myself than thee. Thou knowest not how madly I adored + thee; and how thy hatred or indifference stung every passion into torture. + Let this pass. When I saw thee again—the forsaker of thy faith—poor, + obscure, and doomed to a peasant’s lot—daring hopes shaped + themselves into fierce resolves. Finding that thou wert inexorable, I + turned my arts upon thy husband. I knew his poverty and his ambition: we + Moors have had ample knowledge of the avarice of the Christians’. I bade + one whom I could trust to seek him out at Madrid. Wealth—lavish + wealth—wealth that could open to a Spaniard all the gates of power + was offered to him if he would renounce thee forever. Nay, in order to + crush out all love from his breast, it was told him that mine was the + prior right—that thou hadst yielded to my suit ere thou didst fly + with him—that thou didst use his love as an escape from thine own + dishonour—that thy very child owned another father. I had learned, + and I availed myself of the knowledge, that it was born before its time. + We had miscalculated the effect of this representation, backed and + supported by forged letters: instead of abandoning thee, he thought only + of revenge for his shame. As I left thy house, the last time I gazed upon + thine indignant eyes, I found the avenger, on my path! He had seen me quit + thy roof—he needed no other confirmation of the tale. I fell into + the pit which I had digged for thee. Conscience unnerved my hand and + blunted my sword: our blades scarcely crossed before his weapon stretched + me on the ground. They tell me he has fled from the anger of the law; let + him return without a fear Solemnly, and from the bed of death, and in the + sight of the last tribunal, I proclaim to justice and the world that we + fought fairly, and I perish justly. I have adopted thy faith, though I + cannot comprehend its mysteries. It is enough that it holds out to me the + only hope that we shall meet again. I direct these lines to be transmitted + to thee—an eternal proof of thy innocence and my guilt. Ah, canst + thou forgive me? I knew no sin till I knew thee. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + “ARRAEZ FERRARES.” + </pre> + <p> + Calderon paused ere he turned to the concluding lines of his wife’s + letter; and, though he remained motionless and speechless, never were + agony and despair stamped more terribly on the face of man. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + CONCLUSION OF THE LETTER OF INEZ. +</pre> + <p> + “And what avails to me this testimony of my faith? thou art fled; they + cannot track thy footsteps; I shall see thee no more on earth. I am dying + fast, but not of the wound I took from thee; let not that thought darken + thy soul, my husband! No, that wound is healed. Thought is sharper than + the sword. I have pilled away for the loss of thee and thy love! Can the + shadow live without the sun? And wilt thou never place thy hands on my + daughter’s head, and bless her for her mother’s sake? Ah, yes—yes! + The saints that watch over our human destinies will one day cast her in + thy way: and the same hour that gives thee a daughter shall redeem and + hallow the memory of a wife.... Leonarda has vowed to be a mother to our + child; to tend her, work for her, rear her, though in poverty, to virtue. + I consign these letters to Leonarda’s charge, with thy picture—never + to be removed from my breast till the heart within has ceased to beat. Not + till Beatriz (I have so baptised her—it was thy mother’s name!) has + attained to the age when reason can wrestle with the knowledge of sorrow, + shall her years be shadowed with the knowledge of our fate. Leonarda has + persuaded me that Beatriz shall not take thy name of Nunez. Our tale has + excited horror—for it is not understood—and thou art called + the murderer of thy wife; and the story of our misfortunes would cling to + our daughter’s life, and reach her ears, and perhaps mar her fate. But I + know that thou wilt discover her not the less, for Nature has a Providence + of its own. When at last you meet her, protect, guard, love her—sacred + to you as she is, and shall be—the pure but mournful legacy of love + and death. I have done: I die blessing thee!” “INEZ.” + </p> + <p> + Scarce had he finished those last words, ere the clock struck: it was the + hour in which the prince was to arrive. The thought restored Calderon to + the sense of the present time—the approaching peril. All the cold + calculations he had formed for the stranger-novice vanished now. He kissed + the letter passionately, placed it in his breast, and hurried into the + chamber where he had left his child. Our tale returns to Fonseca. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IX. THE COUNTERPLOT. + </h2> + <p> + Calderon had not long left the young soldier before the governor of the + prison entered to pay his respects to a captive of such high birth and + military reputation. + </p> + <p> + Fonseca, always blunt and impatient of mood, was not in a humour to + receive and return compliments; but the governor had scarcely seated + himself ere he struck a chord in the conversation which immediately + arrested the attention and engaged the interest of the prisoner. + </p> + <p> + “Do not fear, sir,” said he, “that you will be long detained; the power of + your enemy is great, but it will not be of duration. The storm is already + gathering round him; he must be more than man if he escapes the + thunderbolt.” + </p> + <p> + “Do you speak to me thus of my kinsman, the Cardinal-Duke de Lerma?” + </p> + <p> + “No, Don Martin, pardon me. I spoke of the Marquis de Siete Iglesias. Are + you so great a stranger to Madrid and to the court as to suppose that the + Cardinal de Lerma ever signs a paper but at the instance of Don Roderigo? + Nay, that he ever looks over the paper to which he sets his hand? Depend + upon it, you are here to gratify the avarice or revenge of the Scourge of + Spain.” + </p> + <p> + “Impossible!” cried Fonseca. “Don Roderigo is my friend—my + intercessor. He overwhelms me with his kindness.” + </p> + <p> + “Then you are indeed lost,” said the governor, in accents of compassion; + “the tiger always caresses his prey before he devours it. What have you + done to provoke his kindness?” + </p> + <p> + “Senor,” said Fonseca, suspiciously, “you speak with a strange want of + caution to a stranger, and against a man whose power you confess.” + </p> + <p> + “Because I am safe from his revenge; because the Inquisition have already + fixed their fatal eyes upon him; because by that Inquisition I am not + unknown nor unprotected; because I see with joy and triumph the hour + approaching that must render up to justice the pander of the prince, the + betrayer of the king, the robber of the people; because I have an interest + in thee, Don Martin, of which thou wilt be aware when thou hast learned my + name. I am Juan de la Nuza, the father of the young officer whose life you + saved in the assault of the Moriscos, in Valentia, and I owe you an + everlasting gratitude.” + </p> + <p> + There was something in the frank and hearty tone of the governor which at + once won Fonseca’s confidence. He became agitated and distracted with + suspicions of his former tutor and present patron. + </p> + <p> + “What, I ask, hast thou done to attract his notice? Calderon is not + capricious in cruelty. Art thou rich, and does he hope that thou wilt + purchase freedom with five thousand pistoles? No! Hast thou crossed the + path of his ambition? Hast thou been seen with Uzeda? or art thou in + favour with the prince? No, again! Then hast thou some wife, some sister, + some mistress, of rare accomplishments and beauty, with whom Calderon + would gorge the fancy and retain the esteem of the profligate Infant? Ah, + thou changest colour.” + </p> + <p> + “By Heaven! you madden me with these devilish surmises. Speak plainly.” + </p> + <p> + “I see thou knowest not Calderon,” said the governor, with a bitter smile. + “I do—for my niece was beautiful, and the prince wooed her—. + But enough of that: at his scaffold, or at the rack, I shall be avenged on + Roderigo Calderon. You said the Cardinal was your kinsman; you are, then, + equally related to his son, the Duke d’Uzeda. Apply not to Lerma; he is + the tool of Calderon. Apply yourself to Uzeda; he is Calderon’s mortal + foe. While Calderon gains ground with the prince, Uzeda advances with the + king. Uzeda by a word can procure thy release. The duke knows and trusts + me. Shall I be commissioned to acquaint him with thy arrest, and entreat + his intercession with Philip?” + </p> + <p> + “You give me new life! But not an hour is to be lost; this night—this + day-oh, Mother of Mercy! what image have you conjured up! fly to Uzeda, if + you would save my very reason. I myself have scarcely seen him since my + boyhood—Lerma forbade me seek his friendship. But I am of his race—his + blood.” + </p> + <p> + “Be cheered, I shall see the duke to-day. I have business with him where + you wot not. We are bringing strange events to a crisis. Hope the best.” + With this the governor took his leave. + </p> + <p> + At the dusk of the evening, Don Juan de la Nuza, wrapped in a dark mantle, + stood before a small door deep-set in a massive and gloomy wall, that + stretched along one side of a shunned and deserted street. Without sign of + living hand, the door opened at his knock, and the governor entered a long + and narrow passage that conducted to chambers more associated with images + of awe than any in his own prison. Here he suddenly encountered the + Jesuit, Fray Louis de Aliaga, confessor to the king. + </p> + <p> + “How fares the Grand Inquisitor?” asked De la Nuza. “He has just breathed + his last,” answered the Jesuit. “His illness—so sudden—defied + all aid. Sandoval y Roxas is with the saints.” + </p> + <p> + The governor, who was, as the reader may suppose, one of the sacred body, + crossed himself, and answered.—“With whom will rest the appointment + of the successor? Who will be first to gain the ear of the king?” + </p> + <p> + “I know not,” replied the Jesuit; “but I am at this instant summoned to + Uzeda. Pardon my haste.” + </p> + <p> + So saying, Aliaga glided away. + </p> + <p> + “With Sandoval y Roxas,” muttered Don Juan, “dies the last protector of + Calderon and Lerma: unless, indeed, the wily marquis can persuade the king + to make Aliaga, his friend, the late cardinal’s successor. But Aliaga + seeks Uzeda—Uzeda his foe and rival. What can this portend?” + </p> + <p> + Thus soliloquising, the governor silently continued his way till he came + to a door by which stood two men, masked, who saluted him with a mute + inclination of the head. The door opened and again closed, as the governor + entered. Meanwhile, the confessor had gained the palace of the Duke d’ + Uzeda. Uzeda was not alone: with him was a man whose sallow complexion, + ill-favoured features, and simple dress strangely contrasted the showy + person and sumptuous habiliments of the duke. But the instant this + personage opened his lips, the comparison was no longer to his prejudice. + Something in the sparkle of his deep-set eye-in the singular enchantment + of his smile—and above all, in the tone of a very musical and + earnest voice, chained attention at once to his words. And, whatever those + words, there was about the man, and his mode of thought and expression, + the stamp of a mind at once crafty and commanding. This personage was + Gaspar de Guzman, then but a gentleman of the Prince’s chamber (which post + he owed to Calderon, whose creature he was supposed to be), afterwards so + celebrated in the history of Philip IV., as Count of Olivares and prime + minister of Spain. + </p> + <p> + The conversation between Guzman and Uzeda, just before the Jesuit entered, + was drawing to a close. + </p> + <p> + “You see,” said Uzeda, “that if we desire to crush Calderon, it is on the + Inquisition that we must depend. Now is the time to elect, in the + successor of Sandoval y Roxas, one pledged to the favourite’s ruin. The + reason I choose Aliaga is this,—Calderon will never suspect his + friendship, and will not, therefore, thwart us with the king. The Jesuit, + who would sell all Christendom for the sake of advancement to his order or + himself will gladly sell Calderon to obtain the chair of the Inquisition.” + </p> + <p> + “I believe it,” replied Guzman. “I approve your choice; and you may rely + on me to destroy Calderon with the prince. I have found out the way to + rule Philip; it is by never giving him a right to despise his favourites—it + is to flatter his vanity, but not to share his vices. Trust me, you alone—if + you follow my suggestions—can be minister to the Fourth Philip.” + </p> + <p> + Here a page entered to announce Don Fray Louis de Aliaga. Uzeda advanced + to the door, and received the holy man with profound respect. + </p> + <p> + “Be seated, father, and let me at once to business; for time presses, and + all must be despatched to-night. Before interest is made by others with + the king, we must be prompt in gaining the appointment of Sandoval’s + successor.” + </p> + <p> + “Report says that the cardinal-duke, your father, himself desires the + vacant chair of the Inquisition.” + </p> + <p> + “My poor father, he is old—his sun has set. No, Aliaga; I have + thought of one fitter for that high and stern office in a word, that + appointment rests with yourself. I can make you Grand Inquisitor of Spain—!” + </p> + <p> + “Me!” said the Jesuit, and he turned aside his face. “You jest with me, + noble son.” + </p> + <p> + “I am serious—hear me. We have been foes and rivals; why should not + our path be the same? Calderon has deprived you of friends more powerful + than himself. His hour is come. The Duke de Lerma’s downfall cannot be + avoided; if it could, I, his son, would not as, you may suppose, withhold + my hand. But business fatigues him—he is old—the affairs of + Spain are in a deplorable condition—they need younger and abler + hands. My father will not repine at a retirement suited to his years, and + which shall be made honourable to his gray hairs. But some victim must + glut the rage of the people; that victim must be the upstart Calderon; the + means of his punishment, the Inquisition. Now, you understand me. On one + condition, you shall be the successor to Sandoval. Know that I do not + promise without the power to fulfill. The instant I learned that the late + cardinal’s death was certain, I repaired to the king. I have the promise + of the appointment; and this night your name shall, if you accept the + condition, and Calderon does not, in the interim, see the king and prevent + the nomination, receive the royal sanction.” + </p> + <p> + “Our excellent Aliaga cannot hesitate,” said Don Gaspar de Guzman. “The + order of Loyola rests upon shoulders that can well support the load.” + </p> + <p> + Before that trio separated, the compact was completed. Aliaga practised + against his friend the lesson he had preached to him—that the end + sanctifies all means. Scarce had Aliaga departed ere Juan de la Nuza + entered; for Uzeda, who sought to make the Inquisition his chief + instrument of power, courted the friendship of all its officers. He + readily promised to obtain the release of Fonseca; and, in effect, it was + but little after midnight when an order arrived at the prison for the + release of Don Martin de Fonseca, accompanied by a note from the duke to + the prisoner, full of affectionate professions, and requesting to see him + the next morning. + </p> + <p> + Late as the hour was, and in spite of the expostulations of the governor, + who wished him to remain the night within the prison, in the hope to + extract from him his secret, Fonseca no sooner received the order than he + claimed and obtained his liberation. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER X. WE REAP WHAT WE SOW. + </h2> + <p> + With emotions of joy and triumph, such as had never yet agitated his + reckless and abandoned youth, the Infant of Spain bent his way towards the + lonely house on the road to Fuencarral. He descended from his carriage + when about a hundred yards from the abode, and proceeded on foot to the + appointed place. + </p> + <p> + The Jew opened the door to the prince with a hideous grin on his hollow + cheek; and Philip hastened up the stairs, and entering the chamber we have + before described, beheld, to his inconceivable consternation and dismay, + the form of Beatriz clasped in the arms of Calderon, her head leaning on + his bosom; while his voice half choked with passionate sobs called upon + her in the most endearing terms. + </p> + <p> + For a moment the prince stood, spell-bound and speechless, at the + threshold; then, striking the hilt of his sword fiercely, he exclaimed, + “Traitor! is it thus that thou hast kept thy promise? Dost thou not + tremble at my vengeance?” + </p> + <p> + “Peace! peace!” said Calderon, in an imperious, but sepulchral tone, and + waving one hand with a gesture of impatience and rebuke, while with the + other he removed the long clustering hair that fell over the pale face of + the still insensible novice. “Peace, prince of Spain; thy voice scares + back the struggling life—peace! Look up, image and relic of the lost—the + murdered—the martyr! Hush! do you hear her breathe, or is she with + her mother in that heaven which is closed on me? Live! live! my daughter—my + child—live! For thy life in the World Hereafter will <i>not</i> be + mine!” + </p> + <p> + “What means this?” said the prince, falteringly. “What delusion do thy + wiles practise upon me?” + </p> + <p> + Calderon made no answer; and at that instant Beatriz sighed heavily, and + her eyes opened. + </p> + <p> + “My child! my child!—thou art my child! Speak—let me hear thy + voice—again let it call me ‘father!’” + </p> + <p> + And Calderon dropped on his knees, and, clasping his hands fervently, + looked up imploringly in her face. The novice, now slowly returning to + life and consciousness, strove to speak: her voice failed her, but her + lips smiled arms fell feebly but endearingly upon Calderon, and her round + his neck. + </p> + <p> + “Bless thee! bless thee!” exclaimed Calderon. “Bless thee in thy sweet + mother’s name!” + </p> + <p> + While he spoke, the eyes of Beatriz caught the form of Philip, who stood + by, leaning on his sword; his face working with various passions, and his + lip curling with stern and intense disdain. Accustomed to know human life + but in its worst shapes, and Calderon only by his vices and his arts, the + voice of nature uttered no language intelligible to the prince. He + regarded the whole as some well got-up device—some trick of the + stage; and waited, with impatience and scorn, the denouement of the + imposture. + </p> + <p> + At the sight of that mocking face, Beatriz shuddered, and fell back; but + her very alarm revived her, and, starting to her feet, she exclaimed, + “Save me from that bad man—save me! My father, I am safe with thee!” + </p> + <p> + “Safe!” echoed Calderon;—“ay, safe against the world. But not,” he + added, looking round, and in a low and muttered tone, “not in this foul + abode; its very air pollutes thee. Let us hence: come—come—my + daughter!” and winding his arm round her waist, he hurried her towards the + door. + </p> + <p> + “Back, traitor!” cried Philip, placing himself full in the path of the + distracted and half delirious father, “Back! thinkest thou that I, thy + master and thy prince, am to be thus duped and thus insulted? Not for + thine own pleasures hast thou snatched her whom I have honoured with my + love from the sanctuary of the Church. Go, if thou wilt; but Beatriz + remains. This roof is sacred to my will. Back! or thy next step is on the + point of my sword.” + </p> + <p> + “Menace not, speak not, Philip—I am desperate. I am beside myself—I + cannot parley with thee. Away! by thy hopes of Heaven away! I am no longer + thy minion—thy tool. I am a father, and the protector of my child.” + </p> + <p> + “Brave device—notable tale!” cried Philip, scornfully, and placing + his back against the door. “The little actress plays her part well, it + must be owned,—it is her trade; but thou art a bungler, my gentle + Calderon.” + </p> + <p> + For a moment the courtier stood, not irresolute, but overcome with the + passions that shook to their centre a nature, the stormy and stern + elements of which the habit of years had rather mastered than quelled. At + last, with a fierce cry, he suddenly grasped the prince by the collar of + his vest; and, ere Philip could avail himself of his weapon, swung him + aside with such violence that he lost his balance and (his foot slipping + on the polished floor) fell to the ground. Calderon then opened the door, + lifted Beatriz in both his arms, and fled precipitately down the stairs. + He could no longer trust to chance and delay against the dangers of that + abode. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XI. HOWSOEVER THE RIVERS WIND, THE OCEAN RECEIVES THEM ALL. + </h2> + <p> + Meanwhile Fonseca had reached the convent; had found the porter gone; and, + with a mind convulsed with apprehension and doubt, had flown on the wings + of love and fear to the house indicated by Calderon. The grim and solitary + mansion came just in sight—the moon streaming sadly over its gray + and antique walls—when he heard his name pronounced; and the convent + porter emerged from the shadow of a wall beside which he had ensconced + himself. + </p> + <p> + “Don Martin! it is thou indeed; blessed be the saints! I began to fear—nay, + I fear now, that we were deceived.” + </p> + <p> + “Speak, man, but stop me not! Speak! what horrors hast thou to utter?” + </p> + <p> + “I knew the cavalier whom thou didst send in thy place! Who knows not + Roderigo Calderon? I trembled when I saw him lift the novice into the + carriage; but I thought I should, as agreed, be companion in the flight. + Not so. Don Roderigo briefly told me to hide where I could this night; and + that to-morrow he would arrange preparations for my flight from Madrid. My + mind misgave me, for Calderon’s name is blackened by many curses. I + resolved to follow the carriage. I did so; but my breath and speed nearly + failed, when, fortunately, the carriage was stopped and entangled by a + crowd in the street. No lackeys were behind; I mounted the footboard + unobserved, and descended and hid myself when the carriage stopped. I knew + not the house, but I knew the neighbourhood, a brother of mine lives at + hand. I sought my relative for a night’s shelter. I learned that dark + stories had given to that house an evil name. It was one of those which + the Prince of Spain had consecrated to the pursuits that had dishonoured + so many families in Madrid. I resolved again to go forth and watch. Scarce + had I reached this very spot when I saw a carriage approach rapidly. I + secreted myself behind a buttress, and saw the carriage halt; and a man + descended, and walked to the house. See there—there, by yon + crossing, the carriage still waits. The man was wrapped in a mantle. I + know not whom he may be; but—” + </p> + <p> + “Heavens!” cried Fonseca, as they were now close before the door of the + house at which Calderon’s carriage still stood; “I hear a noise, a shriek, + within.” + </p> + <p> + Scarce had he spoken when the door opened. Voices were heard in loud + altercation; presently the form of the Jew was thrown on the pavement, and + dashing aside another man, who seemed striving to detain him, Calderon + appeared,—his drawn sword in his right hand, his left arm clasped + round Beatriz. + </p> + <p> + Fonseca darted forward. + </p> + <p> + “My lover! my betrothed!” exclaimed the voice of the novice: “thou are + come to save us—to save thy Beatriz!” + </p> + <p> + “Yes; and to chastise the betrayer!” exclaimed Fonseca, in a voice of + thunder. “Leave thy victim, villain! Defend thyself!” + </p> + <p> + He made a desperate lunge at Calderon while he spoke. The marquis feebly + parried the stroke. + </p> + <p> + “Hold!” he cried. “Not on me!” + </p> + <p> + “No—no!” exclaimed Beatriz, throwing herself on her father’s breast. + The words came too late. Blinded and deafened with rage, Fonseca had + again, with more sure and deadly aim, directed his weapon against his + supposed foe. The blade struck home, but not to the heart of Calderon. It + was Beatriz, bathed in her blood, who fell at the feet of her frenzied + lover. + </p> + <p> + “Daughter and mother both!” muttered Calderon; and he fell as if the steel + had pierced his own heart, beside his child. “Wretch! what hast thou + done?” muttered a voice strange to the ear of Fonseca; a voice half + stifled with Horror and, perhaps, remorse. The Prince of Spain stood on + the spot, and his feet were dabbled in the blood of the virgin martyr. The + moonlight alone lighted that spectacle of crime and death; and the faces + of all seemed ghastly beneath its beams. Beatriz turned her eyes upon her + lover, with an expression of celestial compassion and divine forgiveness; + then sinking upon Calderon’s breast, she muttered, “Pardon him! pardon + him, father! I shall tell my mother that thou hast blessed me!” + </p> + <p> + It was not for several days after that night of terror that Calderon was + heard of at the court. His absence was unaccountable; for, though the + flight of the novice was of course known, her fate was not suspected; and + her rank had been too insignificant to create much interest in her escape + or much vigilance in pursuit. But of that absence the courtier’s enemies + well availed themselves. The plans of the cabal were ripe; and the aid of + the Inquisition by the appointment of Aliaga was added to the machinations + of Uzeda’s partisans. The king was deeply incensed at the mysterious + absence of Calderon, for which a thousand ingenious conjectures were + invented. The Duke of Lerma, infirm and enfeebled by years, was unable to + confront his foes. With imbecile despair he called on the name of + Calderon; and, when no trace of that powerful ally could be discovered, he + forbore even to seek an interview with the king. Suddenly the storm broke. + One evening Lerma received the royal order to surrender his posts, and to + quit the court by daybreak. It was in this very hour that the door of + Lerma’s chamber opened, and Roderigo Calderon stood before him. But how + changed—how blasted from his former self! His eyes were sunk deep in + their sockets, and their fire was quenched; his cheeks were hollow, his + frame bent, and when he spoke his voice was as that of one calling from + the tomb. + </p> + <p> + “Behold me, Duke de Lerma, I am returned at last!” + </p> + <p> + “Returned—blessings on thee! Where hast thou been? Why didst thou + desert me?—no matter, thou art returned! Fly to the king—tell + him I am not old! I do not want repose. Defeat the villany of my unnatural + son! They would banish me, Calderon; banish me in the very prime of my + years! My son says I am old—old! ha! ha! Fly to the prince; he too + has immured himself in his apartment. He would not see me; he will see + thee!” + </p> + <p> + “Ay—the prince! we have cause to love each other!” + </p> + <p> + “Ye have indeed! Hasten, Calderon; not a moment is to be lost! Banished! + Calderon, shall I be banished?” And the old man, bursting into tears, fell + at the feet of Calderon, and clasped his knees. + </p> + <p> + “Go, go, I implore thee! Save me; I loved thee, Calderon, I always loved + thee. Shall our foes triumph? Shall the horn of the wicked be exalted?” + </p> + <p> + For a moment (so great is the mechanical power of habit) there returned to + Calderon something of his wonted energy and spirit; a light broke from his + sunken eyes; he drew himself up to the full of his stately height: “I + thought I had done with courts and with life,” said he; “but I will make + one more effort; I will not forsake you in your hour of need. Yes, Uzeda + shall be baffled; I will seek the king. Fear not, my lord, fear not; the + charm of my power is not yet broken.” + </p> + <p> + So saying, Calderon raised the cardinal from the ground, and extricating + himself from the old man’s grasp strode, with his customary air of + majestic self-reliance, to the door. Just ere he reached it, three low, + but regular knocks sounded on the panel: the door opened, and the space + without was filled with the dark forms of the officers of the Inquisition. + </p> + <p> + “Stand!” said a deep voice; “stand, Roderigo Calderon, Marquis de Siete + Iglesias; in the name of the most Holy Inquisition, we arrest thee!” + </p> + <p> + “Aliaga!” muttered Calderon, falling back. + </p> + <p> + “Peace!” interrupted the Jesuit. “Officers, remove your prisoner.” + </p> + <p> + “Poor old man,” said Calderon, turning towards the cardinal, who stood + spell-bound and speechless, “thy life at least is safe. For me, I defy + fate! Lead on!” + </p> + <p> + The Prince of Spain soon recovered from the shock which the death of + Beatriz at first occasioned him. New pleasures chased away even remorse. + He appeared again in public a few days after the arrest of Calderon; and + he made strong intercession on behalf of his former favourite. But even + had the Inquisition desired to relax its grasp, or Uzeda to forego his + vengeance, so great was the exultation of the people at the fall of the + dreaded and obnoxious secretary, and so numerous the charges which party + malignity added to those which truth could lay at his door, that it would + have required a far bolder monarch than Philip the Third to have braved + the voice of a whole nation for the sake of a disgraced minister. The + prince himself was soon induced, by new favourites, to consider any + further interference on his part equally impolitic and vain; and the Duke + d’Uzeda and Don Gaspar de Guzman were minions quite as supple, while they + were companions infinitely more respectable. + </p> + <p> + One day, an officer, attending the levee of the prince, with whom he was a + special favourite, presented a memorial requesting the interest of his + highness for an appointment in the royal armies, that, he had just learned + by an express was vacant. + </p> + <p> + “And whose death comes so opportunely for thy rise, Don Alvar?” asked the + Infant. + </p> + <p> + “Don Martin Fonseca. He fell in the late skirmish, pierced by a hundred + wounds.” + </p> + <p> + The prince started and turned hastily away. The officer lost all favour + from that hour, and never learned his offence. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile months passed, and Calderon still languished in his dungeon. At + last the Inquisition opened against him its dark register of accusations. + First of these charges was that of sorcery, practised on the king; the + rest were for the most part equally grotesque and extravagant. These + accusations Calderon met with a dignity which confounded his foes, and + belied the popular belief in the elements of his character. Submitted to + the rack, he bore its tortures without a groan; and all historians have + accorded concurrent testimony to the patience and heroism which + characterised the close of his wild and meteoric career. At length Philip + the Third died: the Infant ascended the throne; that prince, for whom the + ambitious courtier had perilled alike life and soul! The people now + believed that they should be defrauded of their victim. They were + mistaken. The new king, by this time, had forgotten even the existence of + the favourite of the prince. But Guzman, who, while affecting to minister + to the interests of Uzeda, was secretly aiming at the monopoly of the + royal favour, felt himself insecure while Calderon yet lived. The + operations of the Inquisition were too slow for the impatience of his + fears; and as that dread tribunal affected never to inflict death until + the accused had confessed his guilt, the firmness of Calderon baffled the + vengeance of the ecclesiastical law. New inquiries were set on foot: a + corpse was discovered, buried in Calderon’s garden—the corpse of a + female. He was accused of the murder. Upon that charge he was transferred + from the Inquisition to the regular courts of justice. No evidence could + be produced against him; but, to the astonishment of all, he made no + defence, and his silence was held the witness of his crime. He was + adjudged to the scaffold—he smiled when he heard the sentence. + </p> + <p> + An immense crowd, one bright day in summer, were assembled in the place of + execution. A shout of savage exultation rent the air as Roderigo Calderon, + Marquis de Siete Iglesias, appeared upon the scaffold But, when the eyes + of the multitude rested—not upon that lofty and stately form, in all + the pride of manhood, which they had been accustomed to associate with + their fears of the stern genius and iron power of the favourite—but + upon a bent and spectral figure, that seemed already on the verge of a + natural grave, with a face ploughed deep with traces of unutterable woe, + and hollow eyes that looked with dim and scarce conscious light over the + human sea that murmured and swayed below, the tide of the popular emotion + changed; to rage and triumph succeeded shame and pity. Not a hand was + lifted up in accusation—not a voice was raised in rebuke or joy. + Beside Calderon stood the appointed priest, whispering cheer and + consolation. + </p> + <p> + “Fear not, my son,” said the holy man. “The pang of the body strikes years + of purgatory from thy doom. Think of this, and bless even the agony of + this hour.” + </p> + <p> + “Yes,” muttered Calderon; “I do bless this hour. Inez, thy daughter has + avenged thy murder! May Heaven accept the sacrifice! and may my eyes, even + athwart the fiery gulf, awaken upon thee!” + </p> + <p> + With that a serene and contented smile passed over the face on which the + crowd gazed with breathless awe. A minute more, and a groan, a cry, broke + from that countless multitude; and a gory and ghastly head, severed from + its trunk, was raised on high. + </p> + <p> + Two spectators of that execution were in one of the balconies that + commanded a full view of its terrors. + </p> + <p> + “So perishes my worst foe!” said Uzeda. + </p> + <p> + “We must sacrifice all things, friends as foes, in the ruthless march of + the Great Cause,” rejoined the Grand Inquisitor; but he sighed as he + spoke. + </p> + <p> + “Guzman is now with the king,” said Uzeda, turning into the chamber. “I + expect every instant a summons into the royal presence.” + </p> + <p> + “I cannot share thy sanguine hopes, my son,” said Aliaga, shaking his + head. “My profession has made me a deep reader of human character. Gaspar + de Guzman will remove every rival from his path.” + </p> + <p> + While he spoke, there entered a gentleman of the royal chamber. He + presented to the Grand Inquisitor and the expectant duke two letters + signed by the royal hand. They were the mandates of banishment and + disgrace. Not even the ghostly rank of the Grand Inquisitor, not even the + profound manoeuvres of the son of Lerma, availed them against the + vigilance and vigour of the new favourite. Simultaneously, a shout from + the changeable crowd below proclaimed that the king’s choice of his new + minister was published and approved. + </p> + <p> + And Aliaga and Uzeda exchanged glances that bespoke all the passions that + make defeated ambition the worst fiend, as they heard the mighty cry, + “LONG LIVE OLIVAREZ THE REFORMER!” + </p> + <p> + That cry came, faint and muffled, to the ears of Philip the Fourth, as he + sate in his palace with his new minister. “Whence that shout?” said the + king, hastily. + </p> + <p> + “It rises, doubtless, from the honest hearts of your loyal people at the + execution of Calderon.” + </p> + <p> + Philip shaded his face with his hand, and mused a moment: then, turning to + Olivarez with a sarcastic smile, he said: “Behold the moral of the life of + a courtier, count! What do they say of the new opera?” + </p> + <p> + At the close of his life, in disgrace and banishment, the count-duke, for + the first time since they had been uttered, called to his recollection + those words of his royal master. + </p> + <p> + ‘The fate of Calderon has given rise to many tales and legends. Amongst + those who have best availed themselves of so fruitful a subject may be + ranked the late versatile and ingenious Telesforo de Trueba, in his work + on “The Romances of Spain.” In a few of the incidents, and in some of the + names, his sketch, called “The Fortunes of Calderon,” has a resemblance to + the story just concluded. The plot, characters, and principal events, are, + however, widely distinct in our several adaptations of an ambiguous and + unsatisfactory portion of Spanish history. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg’s Calderon The Courtier, by Edward Bulwer-Lytton + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CALDERON THE COURTIER *** + +***** This file should be named 9762-h.htm or 9762-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/9/7/6/9762/ + +Produced by David Widger + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +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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You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Calderon The Courtier + A Tale + +Author: Edward Bulwer-Lytton + +Release Date: March 17, 2009 [EBook #9762] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CALDERON THE COURTIER *** + + + + +Produced by David Widger + + + + + + + + +CALDERON, THE COURTIER + +BY + +EDWARD BULWER LYTTON + + + + +CONTENTS: + +CHAPTER I. The Antechamber + +CHAPTER II. The Lover and the Confidant + +CHAPTER III. A Rival + +CHAPTER IV. Civil Ambition, and Ecclesiastical + +CHAPTER V. The true Fate of Morgana + +CHAPTER VI. Web upon Web + +CHAPTER VII. The open Countenance, the concealed Thoughts + +CHAPTER VIII. The Escape + +CHAPTER IX. The Counterplot + +CHAPTER X. We reap what we sow + +CHAPTER XI. Howsoever the Rivers wind, the Ocean receives them All + + + + +CALDERON, THE COURTIER. + +A TALE. + + + + +CHAPTER I. THE ANTE-CHAMBER. + +The Tragi-Comedy of Court Intrigue, which had ever found its principal +theatre in Spain since the accession of the House of Austria to the +throne, was represented with singular complication of incident and +brilliancy of performance during the reign of Philip the Third. That +monarch, weak, indolent, and superstitious, left the reins of government +in the hands of the Duke of Lerma. The Duke of Lerma, in his turn, mild, +easy, ostentatious, and shamefully corrupt, resigned the authority he +had thus received to Roderigo Calderon, an able and resolute upstart, +whom nature and fortune seemed equally to favour and endow. But, not +more to his talents, which were great, than to the policy of religious +persecution which he had supported and enforced, Roderigo Calderon owed +his promotion. The King and the Inquisition had, some years before our +story opens, resolved upon the general expulsion of the Moriscos +the wealthiest, the most active, the most industrious portion of the +population. + +"I would sooner," said the bigoted king--and his words were hallowed by +the enthusiasm of the Church--"depopulate my kingdom than suffer it to +harbour a single infidel." The Duke de Lerma entered into the scheme +that lost to Spain many of her most valuable subjects, with the zeal of +a pious Catholic expectant of the Cardinal's hat, which he afterwards +obtained. But to this scheme Calderon brought an energy, a decision, +a vehemence, and sagacity of hatred, that savoured more of personal +vengeance than religious persecution. His perseverance in this good +work established him firmly in the king's favour; and in this he was +supported by the friendship not only of Lerma, but of Fray Louis de +Aliaga, a renowned Jesuit, and confessor to the king. The disasters +and distresses occasioned by this barbarous crusade, which crippled +the royal revenues, and seriously injured the estates of the principal +barons, from whose lands the industrious and intelligent Moriscos were +expelled, ultimately concentred a deep and general hatred upon Calderon. +But his extraordinary address and vigorous energies, his perfect +mastery of the science of intrigue, not only sustained, but continued to +augment, his power. Though the king was yet in the prime of middle age, +his health was infirm and his life precarious. Calderon had contrived, +while preserving the favour of the reigning monarch, to establish +himself as the friend and companion of the heir apparent. In this, +indeed, he had affected to yield to the policy of the king himself; for +Philip the Third had a wholesome terror of the possible ambition of his +son, who early evinced talents which might have been formidable, but for +passions which urged him into the most vicious pleasures and the most +extravagant excesses. The craft of the king was satisfied by the device +of placing about the person of the Infant one devoted to himself; nor +did his conscience, pious as he was, revolt at the profligacy which his +favourite was said to participate, and, perhaps, to encourage; since the +less popular the prince, the more powerful the king. + +But all this while there was formed a powerful cabal against both the +Duke of Lerma and Don Roderigo Calderon in a quarter where it might +least have been anticipated. The cardinal-duke, naturally anxious +to cement and perpetuate his authority, had placed his son, the Duke +d'Uzeda, in a post that gave him constant access to the monarch. +The prospect of power made Uzeda eager to seize at once upon all its +advantages; and it became the object of his life to supplant his father. +This would have been easy enough but for the genius and vigilance of +Calderon, whom he hated as a rival, disdained as an upstart, and dreaded +as a foe. Philip was soon aware of the contest between the two factions, +but, in the true spirit of Spanish kingcraft he took care to play one +against the other. Nor could Calderon, powerful as he was, dare openly +to seek the ruin of Uzeda; while Uzeda, more rash, and, perhaps, more +ingenuous, entered into a thousand plots for the downfall of the prime +favourite. + +The frequent missions, principally into Portugal, in which of late +Calderon had been employed, had allowed Uzeda to encroach more and more +upon the royal confidence; while the very means which Don Roderigo had +adopted to perpetuate his influence, by attaching himself to the prince, +necessarily distracted his attention from the intrigues of his rival. +Perhaps, indeed, the greatness of Calderon's abilities made him too +arrogantly despise the machinations of the duke, who, though not without +some capacities as a courtier, was wholly incompetent to those duties of +a minister on which he had set his ambition and his grasp. + +Such was the state of parties in the Court of Philip the Third at the +time in which we commence our narrative in the ante-chamber of Don +Roderigo Calderon. + +"It is not to be endured," said Don Felix de Castro, an old noble, whose +sharp features and diminutive stature proclaimed the purity of his blood +and the antiquity of his descent. + +"Just three-quarters of an hour and five minutes have I waited for +audience to a fellow who would once have thought himself honoured if I +had ordered him to call my coach," said Don Diego Sarmiento de Mendo. + +"Then, if it chafe you so much, gentlemen, why come you here at all? I +dare say Don Roderigo can dispense with your attendance." + +This was said bluntly by a young noble of good mien, whose impetuous and +irritable temperament betrayed itself by an impatience of gesture and +motion unusual amongst his countrymen. Sometimes he walked, with uneven +strides, to and fro the apartments, unheeding the stately groups whom he +jostled, or the reproving looks that he attracted; sometimes he paused +abruptly, raised his eyes, muttered, twitched his cloak, or played with +his sword-knot; or, turning abruptly round upon his solemn neighbours, +as some remark on his strange bearing struck his ear, brought the blood +to many a haughty cheek by his stern gaze of defiance and disdain. It +was easy to perceive that this personage belonged to the tribe--rash, +vain, and young--who are eager to take offence, and to provoke quarrel. +Nevertheless, the cavalier had noble and great qualities. A stranger to +courts, in the camp he was renowned for a chivalrous generosity and an +extravagant valour, that emulated the ancient heroes of Spanish romaunt +and song. His was a dawn that promised a hot noon and a glorious eve. +The name of this brave soldier was Martin Fonseca. He was of an ancient +but impoverished house, and related in a remote degree to the Duke de +Lerma. In his earliest youth he had had cause to consider himself +the heir to a wealthy uncle on his mother's side; and with those +expectations, while still but a boy, he had been invited to court by +the cardinal-duke. Here, however, the rude and blunt sincerity of his +bearing had so greatly shocked the formal hypocrisies of the court, and +had more than once so seriously offended the minister, that his powerful +kinsman gave up all thought of pushing Fonseca's fortunes at Madrid, and +meditated some plausible excuse for banishing him from court. At this +time the rich uncle, hitherto childless, married a second time, and was +blessed with an heir. It was no longer necessary to keep terms with +Don Martin; and he suddenly received an order to join the army on the +frontiers. Here his courage soon distinguished him; but his honest +nature still stood in the way of his promotion. Several years elapsed, +and his rise had been infinitely slower than that of men not less +inferior to him in birth than merit. Some months since, he had repaired +to Madrid to enforce his claims upon the government; but instead of +advancing his suit, he had contrived to effect a serious breach with +the cardinal, and been abruptly ordered back to the camp. Once more he +appeared at Madrid; but this time it was not to plead desert and demand +honours. + +In any country but Spain under the reign of Philip the Third, Martin +Fonseca would have risen early to high fortunes. But, as we have said, +his talents were not those of the flatterer or the hypocrite; and it was +a matter of astonishment to the calculators round him to see Don Martin +Fonseca in the ante-room of Roderigo Calderon, Count Oliva, Marquis de +Siete Iglesias, secretary to the King, and parasite and favourite of the +Infant of Spain. + +"Why come you here at all?" repeated the young soldier. + +"Senor," answered Don Felix de Castro, with great gravity, "we have +business with Don Roderigo. Men of our station must attend to the +affairs of the state, no matter by whom transacted." + +"That is, you must crawl on your knees to ask for pensions and +governorships, and transact the affairs of the state by putting your +hands into its coffers." + +"Senor!" growled Don Felix, angrily, as his hand played with his +sword-belt. + +"Tush!" said the young man, scornfully turning on his heel. + +The folding-doors were thrown open, and all conversation ceased at the +entrance of Don Roderigo Calderon. + +This remarkable personage had risen from the situation of a confidential +scribe to the Duke of Lerma to the nominal rank of secretary to the +King--to the real station of autocrat of Spain. The birth of the +favourite of fortune was exceedingly obscure. He had long affected +to conceal it; but when he found curiosity had proceeded into serious +investigation of his origin, he had suddenly appeared to make a virtue +of necessity; proclaimed of his own accord that his father was a common +soldier of Valladolid, and even invited to Madrid, and lodged in his +own palace, his low-born progenitor. This prudent frankness disarmed +malevolence on the score of birth. But when the old soldier died, +rumours went abroad that he had confessed on his death-bed that he +was not in any way related to Calderon; that he had submitted to an +imposture which secured to his old age so respectable and luxurious an +asylum; and that he knew not for what end Calderon had forced upon him +the honours of spurious parentship. This tale, which, ridiculed by most, +was yet believed by some, gave rise to darker reports concerning one on +whom the eyes of all Spain were fixed. It was supposed that he had +some motive beyond that of shame at their meanness, to conceal his +real origin and name. What could be that motive, if not the dread of +discovery for some black and criminal offence connected with his earlier +youth, and for which he feared the prosecution of the law? They who +affected most to watch his exterior averred that often, in his gayest +revels and proudest triumphs, his brow would lower--his countenance +change--and it was only by a visible and painful effort that he could +restore his mind to its self-possession. His career, which evinced +an utter contempt for the ordinary rules and scruples that curb even +adventurers into a seeming of honesty and virtue, appeared in some way +to justify these reports. But, at times, flashes of sudden and brilliant +magnanimity broke forth to bewilder the curious, to puzzle the examiners +of human character, and to contrast the general tenor of his ambitions +and remorseless ascent to power. His genius was confessed by all; but +it was a genius that in no way promoted the interests of his country. +It served only to prop, defend, and advance himself--to battle +difficulties--to defeat foes--to convert every accident, every chance, +into new stepping stones in his course. Whatever his birth, it was +evident that he had received every advantage of education; and scholars +extolled his learning and boasted of his patronage. While, more +recently, if the daring and wild excesses of the profligate prince were, +on the one hand, popularly imputed to the guidance of Calderon, and +increased the hatred generally conceived against him, so, on the other +hand, his influence over the future monarch seemed to promise a new +lease to his authority, and struck fear into the councils of his foes. +In fact, the power of the upstart marquis appeared so firmly rooted, +the career before him so splendid, that there were not wanted whisperers +who, in addition to his other crimes, ascribed to Roderigo Calderon +the assistance of the black art. But the black art in which that subtle +courtier was a proficient is one that dispenses with necromancy. It +was the art of devoting the highest intellect to the most selfish +purposes--an art that thrives tolerably well for a time in the great +world! + +He had been for several weeks absent from Madrid on a secret mission; +and to this, his first public levee, on his return, thronged all the +rank and chivalry of Spain. + +The crowd gave way, as, with haughty air, in the maturity of manhood, +the Marquis de Siete Iglesias moved along. He disdained all accessories +of dress to enhance the effect of his singularly striking exterior. +His mantle and vest of black cloth, made in the simplest fashion, were +unadorned with the jewels that then constituted the ordinary insignia of +rank. His hair, bright and glossy as the raven's plume, curled back from +the lofty and commanding brow, which, save by one deep wrinkle between +the eyes, was not only as white but as smooth as marble. His features +were aquiline and regular; and the deep olive of his complexion seemed +pale and clear when contrasted by the rich jet of the moustache and +pointed beard. The lightness of his tall and slender but muscular +form made him appear younger than he was; and had it not been for the +supercilious and scornful arrogance of air which so seldom characterises +gentle birth, Calderon might have mingled with the loftiest magnates of +Europe and seemed to the observer the stateliest of the group. It +was one of those rare forms that are made to command the one sex and +fascinate the other. But, on a deeper scrutiny, the restlessness of +the brilliant eye--the quiver of the upper lip--a certain abruptness of +manner and speech, might have shown that greatness had brought suspicion +as well as pride. The spectators beheld the huntsman on the height;--the +huntsman saw the abyss below, and respired with difficulty the air +above. + +The courtiers one by one approached the marquis, who received them with +very unequal courtesy. To the common herd he was sharp, dry, and bitter; +to the great he was obsequious, yet with a certain grace and manliness +of bearing that elevated even the character of servility; and all +the while, as he bowed low to a Medina or a Guzman, there was a half +imperceptible mockery lurking in the corners of his mouth, which seemed +to imply that while his policy cringed his heart despised. To two or +three, whom he either personally liked or honestly esteemed, he was +familiar, but brief, in his address; to those whom he had cause to +detest or to dread--his foes, his underminers--he assumed a yet greater +frankness, mingled with the most caressing insinuation of voice and +manner. + +Apart from the herd, with folded arms, and an expression of countenance +in which much admiration was blent with some curiosity and a little +contempt, Don Martin Fonseca gazed upon the favourite. + +"I have done this man a favour," thought he; "I have contributed towards +his first rise--I am now his suppliant. Faith! I, who have never found +sincerity or gratitude in the camp, come to seek those hidden treasures +at a court! Well, we are strange puppets, we mortals!" + +Don Diego Sarmiento de Mendoza had just received the smiling salutation +of Calderon, when the eye of the latter fell upon the handsome features +of Fonseca. The blood mounted to his brow; he hastily promised Don Diego +all that he desired, and hurrying back through the crowd, retired to his +private cabinet. The levee was broken up. + +As Fonseca, who had caught the glance of the secretary, and who drew +no favourable omen from his sudden evanishment, slowly turned to +depart with the rest, a young man, plainly dressed, touched him on the +shoulder. + +"You are Senior Don Martin Fonseca?" + +"The same." + +"Follow me, if it please you, senor, to my master, Lou Roderigo +Calderon." + +Fonseca's face brightened; he obeyed the summons; and in another moment +he was in the cabinet of the Sejanus of Spain. + + + + +CHAPTER II. THE LOVER AND THE CONFIDANT. + +Calderon received the young soldier at the door of his chamber with +marked and almost affectionate respect. "Don Martin," said he, and there +seemed a touch of true feeling in the tremor of his rich sweet voice, "I +owe you the greatest debt one man can incur to another--it was your hand +that set before my feet their first stepping-stone to power. I date my +fortunes from the hour in which I was placed in your father's house as +your preceptor. When the cardinal-duke invited you to Madrid, I was your +companion; and when, afterwards, you joined the army, and required +no longer the services of the peaceful scholar, you demanded of your +illustrious kinsman the single favour--to provide for Calderon. I had +already been fortunate enough to win the countenance of the duke, and +from that day my rise was rapid. Since then we have never met. Dare +I hope that it is now in the power of Calderon to prove himself not +ungrateful?" + +"Yes," said Fonseca, eagerly; "it is in your power to save me from the +most absolute wretchedness that can befall me. It is in your power, at +least I think so, to render me the happiest of men!" + +"Be seated, I pray you, senor. And how? I am your servant." + +"Thou knowest," said Fonseca, "that, though the kinsman, I am not the +favourite, of the Duke of Lerma?" + +"Nay, nay," interrupted Calderon, softly, and with a bland smile; +"you misunderstand my illustrious patron: he loves you, but not your +indiscretions." + +"Yes, honesty is very indiscreet! I cannot stoop to the life of the +ante-chamber. I cannot, like the Duke of Lerma, detest my nearest +relative if his shadow cross the line of my interests. I am of the +race of Pelayo, not Oppas; and my profession, rather that of an ancient +Persian than a modern Spaniard, is to manage the steed, to wield the +sword, and to speak the truth." + +There was an earnestness and gallantry in the young man's aspect, +manner, and voice, as he thus spoke, which afforded the strongest +contrast to the inscrutable brow and artificial softness of Calderon; +and which, indeed, for the moment, occasioned that crafty and profound +adventurer an involuntary feeling of self-humiliation. + +"But," continued Fonseca, "let this pass: I come to my story and my +request. Do you, or do you not know, that I have been for some time +attached to Beatriz Coello!" + +"Beatriz," replied Calderon, abstractedly, with an altered countenance, +"it is a sweet name--it was my mother's!" + +"Your mother's! I thought to have heard her name was Mary Sandalen?" + +"True--Mary Beatriz Sandalen," replied Calderon, indifferently. "But +proceed. I heard, after your last visit to Madrid, when, owing to my own +absence in Portugal, I was not fortunate enough to see you, that you had +offended the duke by desiring an alliance unsuitable to your birth. Who, +then, is this Beatriz Coello?" + +"An orphan of humble origin and calling. In infancy she was left to the +care of a woman who, I believe, had been her nurse; they were settled in +Seville, and the old gouvernante's labours in embroidery maintained them +both till Beatriz was fourteen. At that time the poor woman was disabled +by a stroke of palsy from continuing her labours, and Beatriz, good +child, yearning to repay the obligation she had received, in her turn +sought to maintain her protectress. She possessed the gift of a voice +wonderful for its sweetness. This gift came to the knowledge of +the superintendent of the theatre at Seville: he made her the most +advantageous proposals to enter upon the stage. Beatriz; innocent child, +was unaware of the perils of that profession: she accepted eagerly +the means that would give comfort to the declining life of her only +friend--she became an actress. At that time we were quartered in +Seville, to keep guard on the suspected Moriscos." + +"Ah, the hated infidels!" muttered Calderon, fiercely, through his +teeth. + +"I saw Beatriz, and loved her at first sight. I do not say," added +Fonseca, with a blush, "that my suit, at the outset, was that which +alone was worthy of her; but her virtue soon won my esteem as well +as love. I left Seville to seek my father and obtain his consent to +a marriage with Beatriz. You know a hidalgo's prejudices--they are +insuperable. Meanwhile, the fame of the beauty and voice of the young +actress reached Madrid, and hither she was removed from Seville by +royal command. To Madrid, then, I hastened, on the pretence of demanding +promotion. You, as you have stated, were absent in Portugal on some +state mission. I sought the Duke de Lerma. I implored him to give me +some post, anywhere--I recked not beneath what sky, in the vast empire +of Spain--in which, removed from the prejudices of birth and of class, +and provided with other means, less precarious than those that depend +on the sword, I might make Beatriz my wife. The polished duke was more +inexorable than the stern hidalgo. I flew to Beatriz; I told her I had +nothing but my heart and right hand to offer. She wept, and she refused +me." + +"Because you were not rich?" + +"Shame on you, no! but because she would not consent to mar my fortunes, +and banish me from my native land. The next day I received a peremptory +order to rejoin the army, and with that order came a brevet of +promotion. Lover though I be, I am a Spaniard: to have disobeyed the +order would have been dishonour. Hope dawned upon me--I might rise, I +might become rich. We exchanged our vows of fidelity. I returned to the +camp. We corresponded. At last her letters alarmed me. Through all her +reserve, I saw that she was revolted by her profession, and terrified at +the persecutions to which it exposed her: the old woman, her sole guide +and companion, was dying: she was dejected and unhappy: she despaired +of our union: she expressed a desire for the refuge of the cloister. At +last came this letter, bidding me farewell for ever. Her relation was +dead; and, with the little money she had amassed, she had bought her +entrance into the convent of St. Mary of the White Sword. Imagine my +despair! I obtained leave of absence--I flew to Madrid. Beatriz +is already immured in that dreary asylum; she has entered on her +novitiate." + +"Is that the letter you refer to?" said Calderon, extending his hand. + +Fonseca gave him the letter. + +Hard and cold as Calderon's character had grown, there was something in +the tone of this letter--its pure and noble sentiments, its innocence, +its affection--that touched some mystic chord in his heart. He sighed as +he laid it down. + +"You are, like all of us, Don Martin," said he, with a bitter smile, +"the dupe of a woman's faith. But you must purchase experience for +yourself, and if, indeed, you ask my services to procure you present +bliss and future disappointment, those services are yours. It will not, +I think, be difficult to interest the queen in your favour: leave me +this letter, it is one to touch the heart of a woman. If we succeed with +the queen, who is the patroness of the convent, we may be sure to obtain +an order from court for the liberation of the novice: the next step is +one more arduous. It is not enough to restore Beatriz to freedom--we +must reconcile your family to the marriage. This cannot be done while +she is not noble; but letters patent (here Calderon smiled) could +ennoble a mushroom itself--your humble servant is an example. Such +letters may be bought or begged; I will undertake to procure them. Your +father, too, may find a dowry accompanying the title, in the shape of a +high and honourable post for yourself. You deserve much; you are beloved +in the army; you have won a high name in the world. I take shame on +myself that your fortunes have been overlooked. 'Out of sight out of +mind;' alas! it is a true proverb. I confess that, when I beheld you in +the ante room, I blushed for my past forgetfulness. No matter--I will +repair my fault. Men say that my patronage is misapplied--I will prove +the contrary by your promotion." + +"Generous Calderon!" said Fonseca, falteringly; "I ever hated the +judgments of the vulgar. They calumniate you; it is from envy." + +"No," said Calderon, coldly; "I am bad enough, but I am still human. +Besides, gratitude is my policy. I have always found that it is a good +way to get on in the world to serve those who serve us." + +"But the duke?" + +"Fear not; I have an oil that will smooth all the billows on that +surface. As for the letter, I say, leave it with me; I will show it to +the queen. Let me see you again tomorrow." + + + + +CHAPTER III. A RIVAL. + +Calderon's eyes were fixed musingly on the door which closed on +Fonseca's martial and noble form. + +"Great contrasts among men!" said he, half aloud. "All the classes +into which naturalists ever divided the animal world contained not the +variety that exists between man and man. And yet, we all agree in one +object of our being--all prey on each other! Glory, which is but the +thirst of blood, makes yon soldier the tiger of his kind; other passions +have made me the serpent: both fierce, relentless, unscrupulous--both! +hero and courtier, valour and craft! Hein! I will serve this young +man--he has served me. When all other affection was torn from me, he, +then a boy, smiled on me and bade me love him. Why has he been so long +forgotten? He is not of the race that I abhor; no Moorish blood flows in +his veins; neither is he of the great and powerful, whom I dread; nor of +the crouching and the servile, whom I despise: he is one whom I can aid +without a blush." + +While Calderon thus soliloquised, the arras was lifted aside, and a +cavalier, on whose cheek was the first down of manhood, entered the +apartment. + +"So, Roderigo, alone! welcome back to Madrid. Nay, seat thyself, +man--seat thyself." + +Calderon bowed with the deepest reverence; and, placing a large fauteuil +before the stranger, seated himself on stool, at a little distance. + +The new comer was of sallow complexion; his gorgeous dress sparkled with +prodigal jewels. Boy as he was, there was a yet a careless loftiness, +a haughty ease, in the gesture--the bend of the neck, the wave of the +hand, which, coupled with the almost servile homage of the arrogant +favourite, would have convinced the most superficial observer that he +was born of the highest rank. A second glance would have betrayed, +in the full Austrian lip--the high, but narrow forehead--the dark, +voluptuous, but crafty and sinister eye, the features of the descendant +of Charles V. It was the Infant of Spain that stood in the chamber of +his ambitious minion. + +"This is convenient, this private entrance into thy penetralia, +Roderigo. It shelters me from the prying eyes of Uzeda, who ever seeks +to cozen the sire by spying on the Son. We will pay him off one of these +days. He loves you no less than he does his prince." + +"I bear no malice to him for that, your highness. He covets the smiles +of the rising sun and rails at the humble object which, he thinks, +obstructs the beam." + +"He might be easy on that score: I hate the man, and his cold +formalities. He is ever fancying that we princes are intent on the +affairs of state, and forgets that we are mortal and that youth is the +age for the bower, not the council. My precious Calderon, life would be +dull without thee: how I rejoice at thy return, thou best inventor of +pleasure that satiety ever prayed for! Nay, blush not: some men despise +thee for thy talents: I do thee homage. By my great grandsire's beard, +it will be a merry time at court when I am monarch, and thou minister!" + +Calderon looked earnestly at the prince, but his scrutiny did not serve +to dispel a certain suspicion of the royal sincerity that ever and anon +came across the favourite's most sanguine dreams. With all Philip's +gaiety, there was something restrained and latent in his ambiguous +smile, and his calm, deep, brilliant eye. Calderon, immeasurably above +his lord in genius, was scarcely, perhaps, the equal of that beardless +boy in hypocrisy and craft, in selfish coldness, in matured depravity. + +"Well," resumed the prince, "I pay you not these compliments without +an object. I have need of you--great need; never did I so require your +services as at this moment; never was there so great demand on your +invention, your courage, your skill. Know, Calderon, I love!" + +"My prince," said the marquis, smiling, "it is certainly not first love. +How often has your highness--" + +"No," interrupted the prince, hastily,--"no, I never loved till now. We +never can love what we can easily win; but this, Calderon, this heart +would be a conquest. Listen. I was at the convent chapel of St. Mary of +the White Sword yesterday with the queen. Thou knowest that the abbess +once was a lady of the chamber, and the queen loves her." + +"Both of us were moved and astonished by the voice of one of the +choir--it was that of a novice. After the ceremony the queen made +inquiries touching this new Santa Cecilia; and who dost thou think +she is? No; thou wilt never guess!--the once celebrated singer--the +beautiful, the inimitable Beatriz Coello! Ah! you may well look +surprised; when actresses turn nuns, it is well-nigh time for Calderon +and Philip to turn monks. Now, you must know, Roderigo, that I, unworthy +though I be, am the cause of this conversion. There is a certain Martin +Fonseca, a kinsman of Lerma's--thou knowest him well. I learned, some +time since, from the duke, that this young Orlando was most madly +enamoured of a low-born girl--nay, desired to wed her. The duke's story +moved my curiosity. I found that it was the young Beatriz Coello, whom +I had already admired on the stage. Ah, Calderon, she blazed and set +during thy dull mission to Lisbon! I sought an opportunity to visit her. +I was astonished at her beauty, that seemed more dazzling in the +chamber than on the stage. I pressed my suit-in vain. Calderon, hear you +that?--in vain! Why wert thou not by? Thy arts never fail, my friend! +She was living with an old relation, or governante. The old relation +died suddenly--I took advantage of her loneliness--I entered her house +at night. By St. Jago, her virtue baffled and defeated me. The next +morning she was gone; nor could my researches discover her, until, at +the convent of St. Mary, I recognised the lost actress in the young +novice. She has fled to the convent to be true to Fonseca; she must fly +from the convent to bless the prince. This is my tale: I want thy aid." + +"Prince," said Calderon, gravely, "thou knowest the laws of Spain; the +rigour of the Church. I dare not--" + +"Pshaw. No scruples--my rank will bear thee harmless. Nay, look not so +demure; why, even thou, see, hast thy Armida. This billet in a female +hand--Heaven and earth Calderon! What name is this? Beatriz Coello! +Darest thou have crossed my path? Speak, sir!--speak!" + +"Your highness," said Calderon, with a mixture of respect and dignity +in his manner--"your highness, hear me. My first benefactor, my beloved +pupil, my earliest patron, was the same Don Martin Fonseca who seeks +this girl with an honest love. This morning he has visited me, to +implore my intercession on his behalf. Oh, prince! turn not away: +thou knowest not half his merit. Thou knowest not the value of such +subjects--men of the old iron race of Spain. Thou hast a noble and royal +heart: be not the rival to the defender of thy crown. Bless this brave +soldier--spare this poor orphan--and one generous act of self-denial +shall give thee absolution for a thousand pleasures." + +"This from Roderigo Calderon!" said the prince, with bitter sneer. "Man, +know thy station and thy profession. When I want homilies, I seek my +confessor; when I have resolved on a vice, I come to thee. A truce with +this bombast. For Fonseca, he shall be consoled; and when he shall learn +who is his rival, he is a traitor if he remain discontented with his +lot. Thou shalt aid me, Calderon!" + +"Your highness will pardon me--no!" + +"Do I hear right? No! Art thou not my minion--my instrument? Can I not +destroy as I have helped to raise thee? Thy fortunes have turned thy +brain. The king already suspects and dislikes thee; thy foe, Uzeda, has +his ear. The people execrate thee. If I abandon thee, thou art lost. +Look to it!" + +Calderon remained mute and erect, with his arms folded on his breast, +and his cheek flushed with suppressed passions. Philip gazed at him +earnestly, and then, muttering to himself, approached the favourite with +an altered air. + +"Come, Calderon--I have been hasty-you maddened me; I meant not to wound +you. Thou art honest, I think thou lovest me; and I will own, that +in ordinary circumstances thy advice would be good, and thy scruples +laudable. But I tell thee that I adore this girl; that I have set all +my hopes upon her; that, at whatever cost, whatever risks, she must be +mine. Wilt thou desert me? Wilt thou on whose faith I have ever leaned +so trustingly, forsake thy friend and thy prince for this brawling +soldier? No; I wrong thee." + +"Oh!" said Calderon, with much semblance of emotion, "I would lay down +my life in your service, and I have often surrendered my conscience to +your lightest will. But this would be so base a perfidy in me! He has +confided his life of life to my hands. How canst even thou count on my +faith if thou knowest me false to another?" + +"False! art thou not false to me? Have I not confided to thee, and dost +thou not desert me--nay, perhaps, betray? How wouldst thou serve this +Fonseca? How liberate the novice?" + +"By an order of the court. Your royal mother--" + +"Enough!" said the prince, fiercely; "do so. Thou shalt have leisure for +repentance." + +As he spoke, Philip strode to the door. Calderon, alarmed and anxious, +sought to detain him; but the prince broke disdainfully away, and +Calderon was again alone. + + + + +CHAPTER IV. CIVIL AMBITION, AND ECCLESIASTICAL. + +Scarcely had the prince vanished, before the door that led from the +anteroom was opened, and an old man, in the ecclesiastical garb, entered +the secretary's cabinet. + +"Do I intrude, my son?" said the churchman. + +"No, father, no; I never more desired your presence--your counsel. It is +not often that I stand halting and irresolute between the two magnets of +interest and conscience: this is one of those rare dilemmas." + +Here Calderon rapidly narrated the substance of his conversation with +Fonseca, and of the subsequent communication with the prince. + +"You see," he said, in conclusion, "how critical is my position. On one +side, my obligations to Fonseca, my promise to a benefactor, a friend +to the boy I assisted to rear. Nor is that all: the prince asks me to +connive at the abstraction of a novice from a consecrated house. What +peril--what hazard! On the other side, if I refuse, the displeasure, the +vengeance of the prince, for whose favour I have already half forfeited +that of the king; and who, were he once to frown upon me, would +encourage all my enemies--in other phrase, the whole court--in one +united attempt at my ruin." + +"It is a stern trial," said the monk, gravely; "and one that may well +excite your fear." + +"Fear, Aliaga!--ha! ha!--fear!" said Calderon, laughing scornfully. "Did +true ambition ever know fear? Have we not the old Castilian proverb, +that tells us 'He who has climbed the first step to power has left +terror a thousand leagues behind'? No, it is not fear that renders +me irresolute; it is wisdom, and some touch, some remnant of human +nature--philosophers would call it virtue; you priests, religion." + +"Son," said the priest, "when, as one of that sublime calling, which +enables us to place our unshodden feet upon the necks of kings, I felt +that I had the power to serve and to exalt you; when as confessor to +Philip, I backed the patronage of Lerma, recommended you to the royal +notice, and brought you into the sunshine of the royal favour--it was +because I had read in your heart and brain those qualities of which the +spiritual masters of the world ever seek to avail their cause. I knew +thee brave, crafty, aspiring, unscrupulous. I knew that thou wouldest +not shrink at the means that could secure to thee a noble end. Yea, +when, years ago, in the valley of the Xenil, I saw thee bathe thy hands +in the blood of thy foe, and heard thy laugh of exulting scorn;--when I, +alone master of thy secret, beheld thee afterwards flying from thy home +stained with a second murder, but still calm, stern, and lord of thine +own reason, my knowledge of mankind told me, 'Of such men are high +converts and mighty instruments made!'" + +The priest paused; for Calderon heard him not. His cheek was livid, +his eyes closed, his chest heaved wildly. "Horrible remembrance!" he +muttered; "fatal love--dread revenge! Inez--Inez, what hast thou to +answer for!" + +"Be soothed, my son; I meant not to tear the bandage from thy wounds." + +"Who speaks?" cried Calderon, starting. "Ha, priest! priest! I thought +I heard the Dead. Talk on, talk on: talk of the world--the +Inquisition--thy plots--the torture--the rack! Talk of aught that will +lead me back from the past." + +"No; let me for a moment lead thee thither, in order to portray the +future that awaits thee. When, at night, I found thee--the blood-stained +fugitive--cowering beneath the shadow of the forest, dost thou remember +that I laid my hand upon thine arm, and said to thee, 'Thy life is in my +power'? From that hour, thy disdain of my threats, of myself, of thine +own life--all made me view thee as one born to advance our immortal +cause. I led thee to safety far away; I won thy friendship and thy +confidence. Thou becamest one of us--one of the great Order of Jesus. +Subsequently, I placed thee as the tutor to young Fonseca, then heir to +great fortunes. The second marriage of his uncle, and the heir that +by that marriage interposed between him and the honour of his house, +rendered the probable alliance of the youth profitless to us. But thou +hadst procured his friendship. He presented thee to the Duke of Lerma. +I was just then appointed confessor to the king; I found that years had +ripened thy genius, and memory had blunted in thee all the affections of +the flesh. Above all, hating, as thou didst, the very name of the Moor, +thou wert the man of men to aid in our great design of expelling the +accursed race from the land of Spain. Enough--I served thee, and thou +didst repay us. Thou hast washed out thy crime in the blood of the +infidel--thou art safe from detection. In Roderigo Calderon, Marquis +de Siete Iglesias, who will suspect the Roderigo Nunez--the murderous +student of Salamanca? Our device of the false father stifled even +curiosity. Thou mayest wake to the future, nor tremble at one shadow in +the past. The brightest hopes are before us both; but to realise them, +we must continue the same path. We must never halt at an obstacle in our +way. We must hold that to be no crime which advances our common objects. +Mesh upon mesh we must entangle the future monarch in our web: thou, +by the nets of pleasure; I, by those of superstition. The day that sees +Philip the Fourth upon the throne, must be a day of jubilee for the +Brotherhood and the Inquisition. When thou art prime minister, and I +grand inquisitor--that time must come--we shall have the power to extend +the sway of the sect of Loyola to the ends of the Christian world. The +Inquisition itself our tool, posterity shall regard us as the apostles +of intellectual faith. And thinkest thou, that, for the attainment of +these great ends, we can have the tender scruples of common men? +Perish a thousand Fonsecas--ten thousand novices, ere thou lose, by the +strength of a hair, thy hold over the senses and soul of the licentious +Philip! At whatever hazard, save thy power; for with it are bound, as +mariners to a plank, the hopes of those who make the mind a sceptre." + +"Thy enthusiasm blinds and misleads thee, Aliaga," said Calderon, +coldly. "For me, I tell thee now, as I have told thee before, that I +care not a rush for thy grand objects. Let mankind serve itself--I look +to myself alone. But fear not my faith; my interests and my very life +are identified with thee and thy fellow-fanatics. If I desert thee, thou +art too deep in my secrets not to undo me; and were I to slay thee, in +order to silence thy testimony, I know enough of thy fraternity to know +that I should but raise up a multitude of avengers. As for this matter, +you give me wise, if not pious counsel. I will consider well of it. +Adieu! The hour summons me to attend the king." + + + + +CHAPTER V. THE TRUE FATA MORGANA. + +In the royal chamber, before a table covered with papers, sat the King +and his secretary. Grave, sullen, and taciturn, there was little in +the habitual manner of Philip the Third that could betray to the +most experienced courtier the outward symptoms of favour or caprice. +Education had fitted him for the cloister, but the necessities of +despotism had added acute cunning to slavish superstition. The business +for which Calderon had been summoned was despatched, with a silence +broken but by monosyllables from the king, and brief explanations from +the secretary; and Philip, rising, gave the signal for Calderon to +retire. It was then that the king, turning a dull but steadfast eye upon +the marquis, said, with a kind of effort, as if speech were painful to +him, + +"The prince left me but a minute before your entrance--have you seen him +since your return?" + +"Your majesty, yes. He honoured me this morning with his presence." + +"On state affairs?" + +"Your majesty knows, I trust, that your servant treats of state affairs +only with your August self, or your appointed ministers." + +"The prince has favoured you, Don Roderigo." + +"Your majesty commanded me to seek that favour." + +"It is true. Happy the monarch whose faithful servant is the confidant +of the heir to his crown!" + +"Could the prince harbour one thought displeasing to your majesty, I +think I could detect and quell it at its birth. But your majesty is +blessed in a grateful son." + +"I believe it. His love of pleasure decoys him from ambition--so it +should be. I am not an austere parent. Keep his favour, Don Roderigo; it +pleases me. Hast thou offended him in aught?" + +"I trust I have not incurred so great a misfortune." + +"He spoke not of thee with his usual praises--I noticed it. I tell thee +this that thou mayest rectify what is wrong. Thou canst not serve me +more than by guarding him from all friendships save with those whose +affection to myself I can trust. I have said enough." + +"Such has ever been my object. Bat I have not the youth of the prince, +and men speak ill of me, that, in order to gain his confidence, I share +in his pursuits." + +"It matters not what they say of thee. Faithful ministers are rarely +eulogised by the populace or the court. Thou knowest my mind: I repeat, +lose not the prince's favour." Calderon bowed low, and withdrew. As he +passed through the apartments of the palace, he crossed a gallery, in +which he perceived, stationed by a window, the young prince and his own +arch-foe, the Duke d'Uzeda. At the same instant, from an opposite door, +entered the Cardinal-Duke de Lerma; and the same unwelcome conjunction +of hostile planets smote the eyes of that intriguing minister. Precisely +because Uzeda was the duke's son was he the man in the world whom the +duke most dreaded and suspected. + +Whoever is acquainted with the Spanish comedy will not fail to have +remarked the prodigality of intrigue and counter-intrigue upon which its +interest is made to depend. In this, the Spanish comedy was the faithful +mirror of the Spanish life, especially in the circles of a court. Men +lived in a perfect labyrinth of plot and counter-plot. The spirit of +finesse, manoeuvre, subtlety, and double-dealing pervaded every family. +Not a house that was not divided against itself. + +As Lerma turned his eyes from the unwelcome spectacle of such sudden +familiarity between Uzeda and the heir-apparent--a familiarity which it +had been his chief care to guard against--his glance fell on Calderon. +He beckoned to him in silence, and retired, unobserved by the two +confabulators, through the same door by which he had entered. Calderon +took the hint, and followed him. The duke entered a small room, and +carefully closed the door. + +"How is this, Calderon?" he asked, but in a timid tone, for the weak old +man stood in awe of his favourite. "Whence this new and most ill-boding +league?" + +"I know not, your eminence; remember that I am but just returned to +Madrid: it amazes me no less than it does your eminence." + +"Learn the cause of it, my good Calderon: the prince ever professed to +hate Uzeda. Restore him to those feelings thou art all in all with his +highness! If Uzeda once gain his ear, thou art lost." + +"Not so," cried Calderon, proudly. "My service is to the king; I have +a right to his royal protection, for I have a claim on his royal +gratitude." + +"Do not deceive thyself," said the duke, in a whisper. "The king cannot +live long: I have it from the best authority, his physician; nor is +this all--a formidable conspiracy against thee exists at court. But for +myself and the king's confessor, Philip would consent to thy ruin. +The strong hold thou hast over him is in thy influence with the +Infanta--influence which he knows to be exerted on behalf of his own +fearful and jealous policy; that influence gone, neither I nor Aliaga +could suffice to protect thee. Enough! Shut every access to Philip's +heart against Uzeda." Calderon bowed in silence, and the duke hastened +to the royal cabinet. + +"What a fool was I to think that I could still wear a conscience!" +muttered Calderon, with a sneering lip; "but, Uzeda, I will baffle thee +yet." + +The next morning, the Marquis de Siete Iglesias presented himself at the +levee of the prince of Spain. + +Around the favourite, as his proud stature towered above the rest, +flocked the obsequious grandees. The haughty smile was yet on his lip +when the door opened and the prince entered. The crowd, in parting +suddenly, left Calderon immediately in front of Philip; who, +after gazing on him sternly for a moment, turned away, with marked +discourtesy, from the favourite's profound reverence, and began a low +and smiling conversation with Gonsalez de Leon, one of Calderon's open +foes. + +The crowd exchanged looks of delight and surprise; and each or the +nobles, before so wooing in their civilities to the minister, edged +cautiously away. + +His mortification had but begun. Presently Uzeda, hitherto almost a +stranger to those apartments, appeared; the prince hastened to him, and +in a few minutes the duke was seen following the prince into his +private chamber. The sun of Calderon's favour seemed set. So thought +the courtiers: not so the haughty favourite. There was even a smile of +triumph on his lip--a sanguine flush upon his pale cheek, as he turned +unheeding from the throng, and then entering his carriage, regained his +home. + +He had scarcely re-entered his cabinet, ere, faithful to his +appointment, Fonseca was announced. + +"What tidings, my best of friends?" exclaimed the soldier. + +Calderon shook his head mournfully. + +"My dear pupil," said he, in accents of well-affected sympathy, "there +is no hope for thee. Forget this vain dream--return to the army. I can +promise thee promotion, rank, honours; but the hand of Beatriz is beyond +my power." + +"How?" said Fonseca, turning pale and sinking into a seat. "How is this? +Why so sudden a change? Has the queen--" + +"I have not seen her majesty; but the king is resolved upon this matter: +so are the Inquisition. The Church complains of recent and numerous +examples of unholy and im politic relaxation of her dread power. The +court dare not interfere. The novice must be left to her own choice." + +"And there is no hope?" + +"None! Return to the excitement of thy brave career." + +"Never!" cried Fonseca, with great vehemence. "If, in requital of all my +services--of life risked, blood spilt, I cannot obtain a boon so easy to +accord me, I renounce a service in which even fame has lost its charm. +And hark you, Calderon, I tell you that I will not forego this pursuit. +So fair, so innocent a victim shall not be condemned to that living +tomb. Through the walls of the nunnery, through the spies of the +Inquisition, love will find out its way; and in some distant land I will +yet unite happiness and honour. I fear not exile; I fear not reverse; I +no longer fear poverty itself. All lands, where the sound of the trumpet +is not unknown, can afford career to the soldier, who asks from Heaven +no other boon but his mistress and his sword." + +"You will seek to abstract Beatriz, then?" said Calderon, calmly and +musingly. "Yes--it may be your best course, if you take the requisite +precautions. But can you see her? can you concert with her?" + +"I think so. I trust I have already paved the way to an interview. +Yesterday, after I quitted thee, I sought the convent; and, as the +chapel is one of the public sights of the city, I made my curiosity +my excuse. Happily, I recognised in the porter of the convent an old +servitor of my father's; he had known me from a child--he dislikes his +calling--he will consent to accompany our flight, to share our fortunes: +he has promised to convey a letter from me to Beatriz, and to transmit +to me her answer." + +"The stars smile on thee, Don Martin. When thou hast learned more, +consult with me again. Now, I see a way to assist thee." + + + + +CHAPTER VI. WEB UPON WEB. + +The next day, to the discomfiture of the courtiers, Calderon and the +Infant of Spain were seen together, publicly, on the parade; and the +secretary made one of the favoured few who attended the prince at the +theatre. His favour was greater, his power more dazzling than ever it +had been known before. No cause for the breach and reconciliation being +known, some attributed it to caprice, others to the wily design of the +astute Calderon for the humiliation of Uzeda, who seemed only to have +been admitted to one smile from the rising sun in order more signally to +be reconsigned to the shade. + +Meanwhile, Fonseca prospered almost beyond his hopes. Young, ardent, +sanguine, the poor novice had fled from her quiet home and the +indulgence of her free thoughts, to the chill solitude of the cloister, +little dreaming of the extent of the change. With a heart that +overflowed with the warm thoughts of love and youth, the ghostlike +shapes that flitted round her, the icy forms, the rigid ceremonials of +that life, which is but the mimicry of death, appalled and shocked +her. That she had preserved against a royal and most perilous, because +unscrupulous suitor, her fidelity to the absent Fonseca, was her sole +consolation. + +Another circumstance had combined with the loss of her protectress and +the absence of Don Martin to sadden her heart and dispose her to the +cloister. On the deathbed of the old woman, who had been to her as a +mother, she had learned a secret hitherto concealed from her tender +youth. Dark and tragic were the influences of the star which had shone +upon her birth, gloomy the heritage of memories associated with +her parentage. A letter, of which she now became the guardian and +treasurer--a letter, in her mother's hand-woke tears more deep and +bitter than she had ever shed for herself. In that letter she read the +strength and the fidelity, the sorrow and the gloom, of woman's love; +and a dreary foreboding told her that the shadow of the mother's fate +was cast over the child's. Such were the thoughts that made the cloister +welcome, till the desolation of the shelter was tried and known. But +when, through the agency of the porter, Fonseca's letter reached her, +all other feelings gave way to the burst of natural and passionate +emotion. The absent had returned, again wooed, was still faithful. +The awful vow was not spoken--she might yet be his. She answered; she +chided; she spoke of doubt, of peril, of fear for him, of maiden shame; +but her affection coloured every word, and the letter was full of hope. +The correspondence continued; the energetic remonstrances of Fonseca, +the pure and fervent attachment of the novice, led more and more rapidly +and surely to the inevitable result. Beatriz yielded to the prayer of +her lover; she consented to the scheme of escape and flight that he +proposed. + +Late at evening Fonseca sought Calderon. The marquis was in the gardens +of his splendid mansion. + +The moonlight streamed over many a row of orange-trees and +pomegranates--many a white and richly sculptured vase, on its marble +pedestal--many a fountain, that scattered its low music round the +breathless air. Upon a terrace that commanded a stately view of the +spires and palaces of Madrid stood Calderon, alone; beside him, +one solitary and gigantic aloe cast its deep gloom of shade and his +motionless attitude, his folded arms, his face partially lifted to +the starlit heavens, bespoke the earnestness and concentration of his +thoughts. + +"Why does this shudder come over me?" said, he, half aloud. "It was thus +in that dismal hour which preceded the knowledge of my shame--the deed +of a dark revenge--the revolution of my eventful and wondrous life! Ah! +how happy was I once! a contented and tranquil student; a believer +in those eyes that were to me as the stars to the astrologer. But the +golden age passed into that of iron. And now," added Calderon, with a +self-mocking sneer, "comes the era which the poets have not chronicled; +for fraud, and hypocrisy, and vice, know no poets!" + +The quick step of Fonseca interrupted the courtier's reverie. He turned, +knit his brow, and sighed heavily, as if nerving himself to some effort; +but his brow was smooth, and his aspect cheerful, ere Fonseca reached +his side. + +"Give me joy--give me joy, dear Calderon! she has consented. Now, then, +your promised aid." + +"You can depend upon the fidelity of your friendly porter? + +"With my life." + +"A master key to the back-door of the chapel has been made?" + +"See, I have it." + +"And Beatriz can contrive to secrete herself in the confessional at the +hour of the night prayers?" + +"There is no doubt of her doing so with safety. The number of the +novices is so great, that one of them cannot well be missed." + +"So much, then, for your part of the enterprise. Now for mine. You know +that solitary house in the suburbs, on the high road to Fuencarral, +which I pointed out to you yesterday? Well, the owner is a creature +of mine. There, horses shall be in waiting; there, disguises shall be +prepared. Beatriz must necessarily divest herself of the professional +dress; you had better choose meaner garments for yourself. Drop those +hidalgo titles of which your father is so proud, and pass off yourself +and the novice as a notary and his wife, about to visit France on a +lawsuit of inheritance. One of my secretaries shall provide you with a +pass. Meanwhile, to-morrow, I shall be the first officially to hear of +the flight of the novice, and I will set the pursuers on a wrong scent. +Have I not arranged all things properly, my Fonseca?" + +"You are our guardian angel!" cried Don Martin, fervently. "The prayers +of Beatriz will be registered in your behalf above--prayers that will +reach the Great Throne as easily from the open valleys of France as in +the gloomy cloisters of Madrid. At midnight, to-morrow, then, we seek +the house you have described to us." + +"Ay, at midnight, all shall be prepared." + +With a light step and exulting heart, Fonseca turned from the palace of +Calderon. Naturally sanguine and high-spirited, visions of hope and joy +floated before his eyes, and the future seemed to him a land owning but +the twin deities of Glory and Love. + +He had reached about the centre of the streets in which Calderon's abode +was placed, when six men, who for some moments had been watching him +from a little distance, approached. + +"I believe," said the one who appeared the chief of the band, "that I +have the honor to address Senior Don Martin Fonseca?" + +"Such is my name." + +"In the name of the king we arrest you. Follow us." + +"Arrest! on what plea? What is my offence?" + +"It is stated on this writ, signed by his Eminence the Cardinal-Duke de +Lerma. You are charged with the crime of desertion." + +"Thou liest, knave! I had the general's free permission to quit the +camp." + +"We have said all--follow!" + +Fonseca, naturally of the most impetuous and passionate character, was +not, in that moment, in a mood to calculate coldly all the consequences +of resistance. Arrest--imprisonment--on the eve before that which was +to see him the deliverer of Beatriz, constituted a sentence of such +despair, that all other considerations vanished before it. He set his +teeth firmly, drew his sword, dashed aside the alguazil who attempted +to obstruct his path, and strode grimly on, shaking one clenched hand in +defiance, while, with the other, he waved the good Toledo that had often +blazed in the van of battle, at the war-cry of "St. Iago and Spain!" + +The alguazils closed round the soldier, and the clash of swords was +already heard; when suddenly torches borne on high threw their glare +across the moonlit street, and two running footmen called out, "Make way +for the most noble the Marquis de Siete Iglesias!" At that name, Fonseca +dropped the point of his weapon; the alguazils themselves drew aside; +and the tall figure and pale countenance of Calderon were visible +amongst the group. + +"What means this brawl in the open streets at this late hour?" said the +minister, sternly. + +"Calderon!" exclaimed Fonseca; "this is indeed fortunate. These caitiffs +have dared to lay hands on a soldier of Spain, and to forge for their +villany the name of his own kinsman, the Duke de Lerma." + +"Your charge against this gentleman?" asked Calderon, calmly, turning to +the principal alguazil, who placed the writ of arrest in the secretary's +hand. Calderon read it leisurely, and raised his hat as he returned it +to the alguazil: he then drew aside Fonseca. + +"Are you mad?" said he, in a whisper. "Do you think you can resist the +law? Had I not arrived so opportunely you would have converted a slight +accusation into a capital offence. Go with these men: do not fear; I +will see the duke, and obtain your immediate release. To-morrow I will +visit and accompany you home." + +Fonseca, still half beside himself with rage, would have replied, but +Calderon significantly placed his finger on his lip and turned to the +alguazils. + +"There is a mistake here: it will be rectified to-morrow. Treat this +cavalier with all the respect and worship due to his birth and merits. +Go, Don Martin, go," he added, in a lower voice; "go, unless you desire +to lose Beatriz for ever. Nothing but obedience can save you from the +imprisonment of half a life!" + +Awed and subdued by this threat, Fonseca, in gloomy silence, placed +his sword in its sheath, and sullenly followed the alguazils. Calderon +watched them depart with a thoughtful and absent look; then, starting +from his reverie, he bade his torchbearers proceed, and resumed his way +to the Prince of Spain. + + + + +CHAPTER VII. THE OPEN COUNTENANCE, THE CONCEALED THOUGHTS + +The next day, at noon, Calderon visited Fonseca in his place of +confinement. The young man was seated by a window that overlooked a +large dull court-yard, with a neglected and broken fountain in the +centre, leaning his cheek upon his hand. His long hair was dishevelled, +his dress disordered, and a gloomy frown darkened features naturally +open and ingenuous. He started to his feet as Calderon approached. "My +release--you have brought my release--let us forth!" + +"My dear pupil, be ruled, be calm. I have seen the duke: the cause of +your imprisonment is as I suspected. Some imprudent words, overheard, +perhaps, but by your valet, have escaped you; words intimating your +resolution not to abandon Beatriz. You know your kinsman, a mail +of doubts and fears,--of forms, ceremonies, and scruples. From very +affection for his kindred and yourself he has contrived your arrest; +all my expostulations have been in vain. I fear your imprisonment +may continue, either until you give a solemn promise to renounce all +endeavor to dissuade Beatriz from the final vows, or until she herself +has pronounced them." + +Fonseca, as if stupefied, stared a moment at Calderon, and then burst +into a wild laugh. Calderon continued: + +"Nevertheless, do not despair. Be patient; I am ever about the duke; +nay, I have the courage, in your cause, to appeal even to the king +himself." + +"And to-night she expects me--to-night she was to be free!" + +"We can convey the intelligence of your mischance to her: the porter +will befriend you." + +"Away, false friend, or powerless protector, that you are! Are your +promises of aid come to this? But I care not; my case, my wrongs, shall +be laid before the king; I will inquire if it be thus that Philip the +Third treats the defenders of his crown. Don Roderigo Calderon, will you +place my memorial in the hands of your royal master? Do this, and I will +thank you." + +"No, Fonseca, I will not ruin you; the king would pass your memorial to +the Duke de Lerma. Tush! this is not the way that men of sense deal with +misfortune. Think you I should be what I now am, if, in every reverse, I +had raved, and not reflected? Sit down, and let us think of what can now +be done." + +"Nothing, unless the prison door open by sunset!" + +"Stay, a thought strikes me. The term of your imprisonment ceases when +you relinquish the hope of Beatriz. But what if the duke could believe +that Beatriz relinquished you? What, for instance, if she fled from the +convent, as you proposed, and we could persuade the duke that it was +with another?" + +"Ah! be silent!" + +"Nay, what advantages in this scheme--what safety! If she fly alone, +or, as supposed, with another lover, the duke will have no interest in +pursuit, in punishment. She is not of that birth that the state will +take the trouble, very actively, to interfere: she may reach France in +safety; ay, a thousand times more safely than if she fled with you, +a hidalgo and a man of rank, whom the state would have an interest to +reclaim, and to whom the Inquisition, hating the nobles, would impute +the crime of sacrilege. It is an excellent thought! Your imprisonment +may be the salvation of you both: your plan may succeed still better +without your intervention; and, after a few days, the duke, believing +that your resentment must necessarily replace your love, will order your +release; you can join Beatriz on the frontier, and escape with her to +France." + +"But," said Fonseca, struck, but not convinced, by the suggestion of +Calderon, "who will take my place with Beatriz? who penetrate into the +gardens? who bear her from the convent?" + +"That, for your sake, will I do. Perhaps," added Calderon, smiling, "a +courtier may manage such an intrigue with even more dexterity than a +soldier. I will bear her to the house we spoke of; there I know she can +lie hid in safety, till the languid pursuit of uninterested officials +shall cease, and thence I can easily find means to transport her, under +safe and honourable escort, to any place it may please you to appoint." + +"And think you Beatriz will fly with you, a stranger? Impossible! Your +plan pleases me not." + +"Nor does it please me," said Calderon, coldly; "the risks I proposed +to run are too imminent to be contemplated complacently: I thank you for +releasing me from my offer; nor should I have made it, Fonseca, but +from this fear, what if to-morrow the duke himself (he is a churchman, +remember) see the novice? what if he terrify her with threats against +yourself? what if he induce the abbess and the Church to abridge the +novitiate? what if Beatriz be compelled or awed into taking the veil? +what if you be released even next week and find her lost to you for +ever?" + +"They cannot--they dare not!" + +"The duke dares all things for ambition; your alliance with Beatriz he +would hold a disgrace to his house. Think not my warnings are without +foundation--I speak from authority; such is the course the Duke de Lerma +has resolved upon. Nothing else could have induced me to offer to +brave for your sake all the hazard of outraging the law and braving the +terrors of the Inquisition. But let us think of some other plan. Is +your escape possible? I fear not. No; you must trust to my chance of +persuading the duke into prosecuting the matter no further; trust +to some mightier scheme engrossing all his thoughts; to a fit of +good-humour after his siesta; or, perhaps, an attack of the gout, or a +stroke of apoplexy. Such, after all, are the chances of human felicity, +the pivots on which turns the solemn wheel of human life." + +Fonseca made no reply for some moments; he traversed the room with hasty +and disordered strides, and at last stopped abruptly. + +"Calderon, there is no option; I must throw myself on your generosity, +your faith, your friendship. I will write to Beatriz; I will tell her, +for my sake, to confide in you." + +As he spoke, Don Martin turned to the table, and wrote a hasty and +impassioned note, in which he implored the novice to trust herself to +the directions of Don Roderigo Calderon, his best, his only friend; and, +as he placed this letter in the hands of the courtier he turned aside to +conceal his emotions. Calderon himself was deeply moved: his cheek was +flushed, and his hand seemed tremulous as it took the letter. + +"Remember," said Fonseca, "that I trust to you my life of life. As you +are true to me, may Heaven be merciful to you!" + +Calderon made no answer, but turned to the door. "Stay," said Fonseca; +"I had forgot this--here is the master key." + +"True; how dull I was! And the porter--will he attend to thy proxy?" + +"Doubt it not. Accost him with the word, 'Grenada.' But he expects to +share the flight." + +"That can be arranged. To-morrow you will hear of my success. Farewell!" + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. THE ESCAPE + +It was midnight in the chapel of the convent. + +The moonlight shone with exceeding lustre through the tall casements, +and lit into a ghastly semblance of life the marble images of saint +and martyr, that threw their long shadows over the consecrated floor. +Nothing could well be conceived more dreary, solemn, and sepulchral than +that holy place: its distained and time-hallowed walls; the impenetrable +mass of darkness that gathered into those recesses which the moonlight +failed to reach; its antique and massive tombs, above which reclined +the sculptured effigies of some departed patroness or abbess, who had +exchanged a living grave for the Mansions of the Blest. But there--oh, +wonderful human heart!--even there, in that spot, the very homily and +warning against earthly affections and mortal hopes--even there, couldst +thou beat with as wild, as bright, and as pure a passion as ever heaved +the breast and shone in the eyes of Beauty, in the free air that ripples +the Guadiana, or amidst the twilight dance of Castilian maids. + +A tall figure, wrapped from head to foot in a cloak, passed slowly up +the aisle. But light and cautious though the footstep, it woke a low, +hollow, ominous echo, that seemed more than the step itself to disturb +the sanctity of the place. It paused opposite to a confessional, which +was but dimly visible through the shadows around it. And then there +emerged timidly a female form; and a soft voice whispered "It is thou, +Fonseca!" + +"Hist!" was the answer; "he waits without. Be quick; speak not--come." + +Beatriz recoiled in surprise and alarm at the voice of a stranger; but +the man, seizing her by the hand, drew her hastily from the chapel, and +hurried her across the garden, through a small postern door, which stood +ajar, into an obscure street bordering the convent wall. Here stood the +expectant porter, with a bundle in his hand, which he opened, and took +thence a long cloak, such as the women of middling rank in Madrid wore +in the winter season, with the customary mantilla or veil. With these, +still without speaking, the stranger hastily shrouded the form of the +novice, and once more hurried her on till about a hundred yards from +the garden gate he came to a carriage, into which he lifted Beatriz, +whispered a few words to the porter, seated himself by the side of the +novice, and the vehicle drove rapidly away. + +It was some moments before Beatriz could sufficiently recover from her +first agitation and terror, to feel alive to all the strangeness of her +situation. She was alone with a stranger; where was Fonseca? She turned +towards her companion. + +"Who art thou?" she said, "whither art thou leading me-and why--" + +"Why is not Don Martin by thy side? Pardon me, senora: I have a billet +for thee from Fonseca; in a few minutes thou wilt know all." + +At this time the vehicle came suddenly in the midst of a train of +footmen and equipages that choked up the way. There was a brilliant +entertainment at the French embassy; and thither flocked, all the +rank and chivalry of Madrid. Calderon drew down the blind and hastily +enjoined silence on Beatriz. It was some minutes before the driver +extricated himself from the throng; and then, as if to make amends for +the delay, he put his horses to their full speed, and carefully selected +the most obscure and solitary thoroughfares. At length, the carriage +entered the range of suburbs which still at this day the traveller +passes on his road from Madrid to France. The horses stopped before a +lonely house that stood a little apart from the road, and which from +the fashion of its architecture appeared of considerable antiquity. The +stranger descended and knocked twice at the door: it was opened by +an old man, whose exaggerated features, bended frame, and long beard, +proclaimed him of the race of Israel. After a short and whispered +parley, the stranger returned to Beatriz, gravely assisted her from the +carriage, and, leading her across the threshold, and up a flight of rude +stairs, dimly lighted, entered a chamber richly furnished. The walls +were hung with stuffs of gorgeous colouring and elaborate design. +Pedestals of the whitest marble placed at each corner of the room +supported candelabra of silver. The sofas and couches were of the heavy +but sumptuous fashion which then prevailed in the palaces of France and +Spain; and of which Venice (the true model of the barbaric decorations +with which Louis the Fourteenth corrupted the taste of Paris) was +probably the original inventor. In an alcove, beneath a silken canopy, +was prepared a table, laden with wines, fruits, and viands; and +altogether the elegance and luxury that characterised the apartment +were in strong and strange contrast with the half-ruined exterior of +the abode, the gloomy and rude approach to the chamber, and the mean and +servile aspect of the Jew, who stood, or rather cowered by the door, +as if waiting for further orders. With a wave of the hand the stranger +dismissed the Israelite; and then, approaching Beatriz, presented to her +Fonseca's letter. + +As with an enchanting mixture of modesty and eagerness Beatriz, half +averting her face, bent over the well-known characters, Calderon gazed +upon her with a scrutinising and curious eye. + +The courtier was not, in this instance, altogether the villain that from +outward appearances the reader may have deemed him. His plan was this: +he had resolved on compliance with the wishes of the prince--his safety +rested on that compliance. But Fonseca was not to be sacrificed without +reserve. Profoundly despising womankind, and firmly persuaded of their +constitutional treachery and deceit, Calderon could not believe the +actress that angel of light and purity which she seemed to the enamoured +Fonseca. He had resolved to subject her to the ordeal of the prince's +addresses. If she fell, should he not save his friend from being the +dupe of an artful _intriguante_?--should he not deserve the thanks +of Don Martin for the very temptation to which Beatriz was now to be +submitted? If he could convince Fonseca of her falsehood, he should +stand acquitted to his friend, while he should have secured his interest +with the prince. But if, on the other hand, Beatriz came spotless +through the trial; if the prince, stung by her obstinate virtue, should +menace to sink courtship into violence, Calderon knew that it would not +be in the first or second interview that the novice would have any real +danger to apprehend; and he should have leisure to concert her escape +by such means as would completely conceal from the prince his own +connivance at her flight. Such was the compromise that Calderon had +effected between his conscience and his ambition. But while he gazed +upon the novice, though her features were turned from him, and half +veiled by the headdress she had assumed, strange feelings, ominous and +startling, like those remembrances of the Past which sometimes come in +the guise of prophecies of the Future, thronged, indistinct and dim, +upon his breast. The unconscious and exquisite grace of her form, its +touching youth, an air of innocence diffused around it, a something +helpless, and pleading to man's protection, in the very slightness +of her beautiful but fairy-like proportions, seemed to reproach his +treachery, and to awaken whatever of pity or human softness remained in +his heart. + +The novice had read the letter; and turning, in the impulse of surprise +and alarm, to Calderon for explanation, for the first time she remarked +his features and his aspect; for he had then laid aside his cloak, and +the broad Spanish hat with its heavy plume. It was thus that their eyes +met, and, as they did so, Beatriz, starting from her seat, uttered a +wild cry-- + +"And thy name is Calderon--Don Roderigo Calderon?--is it possible? +Hadst thou never another name?" she exclaimed; and, as she spoke, she +approached him slowly and fearfully. + +"Lady, Calderon is my name," replied the marquis: but his voice +faltered. "But thine--thine--is it, in truth, Beatriz Coello?" + +Beatriz made no reply, but continued to advance, till her very breath +came upon his cheek; she then laid her hand upon his arm, and looked +up into his face with a gaze so earnest, so intent, so prolonged, that +Calderon, but for a strange and terrible thought--half of wonder, half +of suspicion, which had gradually crept into his soul, and now usurped +it--might have doubted whether the reason of the poor novice was not +unsettled. + +Slowly Beatriz withdrew her eyes, and they fell upon a large mirror +opposite, which reflected in full light the features of Calderon and +herself. It was then--her natural bloom having faded into a paleness +scarcely less statue-like than that which characterised the cheek of +Calderon himself, and all the sweet play and mobility of feature that +belong to first youth being replaced by a rigid and marble stillness of +expression--it was then that a remarkable resemblance between these two +persons became visible and startling. That resemblance struck alike, and +in the same instant, both Beatriz and Calderon; and both, gazing on the +mirror, uttered an involuntary and simultaneous exclamation. + +With a trembling and hasty hand the novice searched amidst the folds of +her robe, and drew forth a small leathern case, closed with clasps of +silver. She touched the spring, and took out a miniature, upon which she +cast a rapid and wild glance; then, lifting her eyes to Calderon, she +cried, "It must be so--it is, it is my father!" and fell motionless at +his feet. + +Calderon did not for some moments heed the condition of the novice: that +chamber, the meditated victim, the present time, the coming evil--all +were swept away from his soul; he was transported back into the past, +with the two dread Spirits, Memory and Conscience! His knees knocked +together, his aspect was livid, the cold drops stood upon his brow; he +muttered incoherently and then bent down, and took up the picture. It +was the face of a man in the plain garb of a Salamanca student, and in +the first flush of youth; the noble brow, serene and calm, and stamped +alike with candour and courage; the smooth cheek, rich with the hues +of health; the lips, parting in a happy smile, and eloquent of joy and +hope; it was the face of that wily, grasping, ambitious, unscrupulous +man, when life had yet brought no sin; it was, as if the ghost of youth +were come back to accuse the crimes of manhood! The miniature fell from +his hand--he groaned aloud. Then gazing on the prostrate form of the +novice, he said--"Poor wretch! can I believe that thou art indeed of +mine own race and blood; or rather, does not nature, that stamped these +lineaments on thy countenance, deceive and mock me? If she, thy mother, +lied, why not nature herself?" + +He raised the novice in his arms, and gazed long and wistfully upon her +lifeless, but almost lovely features. She moved not--she scarcely seemed +to breathe; yet he fancied he felt her embrace tightening round him--he +fancied he heard again the voice that had hailed him "FATHER!" His heart +beat aloud, the divine instinct overpowered all things, he pressed a +passionate kiss upon her forehead, and his tears fell fast and warm upon +her cheek. But again the dark remembrance crossed him, and he shuddered, +placed the novice hastily on one of the couches, and shouted aloud. + +The Jew appeared and was ordered to summon Jacinta. A young woman of the +same persuasion, and of harsh and forbidding exterior, entered, and to +her care Calderon briefly consigned the yet insensible Beatriz. + +While Jacinta unlaced the dress, and chafed the temples, of the novice, +Calderon seemed buried in gloomy thought. At last he strode slowly away, +as if to quit the chamber, when his foot struck against the case of the +picture, and his eye rested upon a paper which lay therein, folded and +embedded. He took it up, and, lifting aside the hangings, hurried into a +small cabinet lighted by a single lamp. Here, alone and unseen, Calderon +read the following letter: + + +"TO RODERIGO NUNEZ. + +"Will this letter ever meet thine eyes? I know not; but it is comfort to +write to thee on the bed of death; and were it not for that horrible and +haunting thought that thou believest me--me whose very life was in thy +love--faithless and dishonoured, even death itself would be the sweeter +because it comes from the loss of thee. Yes, something tells me that +these lines will not be written in vain; that thou wilt read them yet, +when this hand is still and this brain at rest, and that then thou +wilt feel that I could not have dared to write to thee if I were not +innocent; that in every word thou wilt recognise the evidence that is +strong as the voice of thousands,--the simple but solemn evidence +of faith and truth. What! when for thee I deserted all--home, and a +father's love, wealth, and the name I had inherited from Moors who had +been monarchs in their day--couldst thou think that I had not made the +love of thee the core, and life, and principle of my very being! And one +short year, could that suffice to shake my faith?--one year of marriage, +but two months of absence? You left me, left that dear home, by the +silver Xenil. For love did not suffice to you; ambition began to stir +within you, and you called it 'love.' You said, 'It grieved you that I +was poor; that you could not restore to me the luxury and wealth I had +lost.' (Alas! why did you turn so incredulously from my assurance, that +in you, and you alone, were centred my ambition and pride?) You declared +that the vain readers of the stars had foretold at your cradle that +you were predestined to lofty honours and dazzling power, and that +the prophecy would work out its own fulfilment. You left me to seek in +Madrid your relation who had risen into the favour of a minister, and +from whose love you expected to gain an opening to your career. Do +you remember how we parted? how you kissed away my tears, and how they +gushed forth again? how again and again you said, 'Farewell!' and again +and again returned as if we could never part? And I took my babe, but +a few weeks born, from her cradle, and placed her in thy arms, and bade +thee see that she had already learned thy smile; and were these the +signs of falsehood? Oh, how I pined for the sound of thy footstep when +thou wert gone! how all the summer had vanished from the landscape; and +how, turning to thy child, I fancied I again beheld thee! The day after +thou hadst left me there was a knock at the cottage; the nurse opened +it, and there entered your former rival, whom my father had sought +to force upon me, the richest of the descendants of the Moor, Arraez +Ferrares. Why linger on this hateful subject? He had tracked us to our +home, he had learned thy absence, he came to insult me with his vows. By +the Blessed Mother, whom thou hast taught me to adore, by the terror +and pang of death, by my hopes of Heaven, I am innocent, Roderigo, I am +innocent! Oh, how couldst thou be so deceived? He quitted the cottage, +discomfited and enraged; again he sought me, and again and again; +and when the door was closed upon him, he waylaid my steps. Lone and +defenceless as we were, thy wife and child, with but one attendant I +feared him not; but I trembled at thy return, for I knew that thou went +a Spaniard, a Castilian, and that beneath thy calm and gentle seeming +lurked pride, and jealousy, and revenge. Thy letter came, the only +letter since thy absence, the last letter from thee I may ever weep +over, and lay upon my heart. Thy relation was dead, and his wealth +enriched a nearer heir. Thou wert to return. The day in which I might +expect thee approached--it arrived. During the last week I had seen and +heard no more of Ferrares. I trusted that he had at length discovered +the vanity of his pursuit. I walked into the valley, thy child in my +arms, to meet thee; but thou didst not come. The sun set, and the light +of thine eyes replaced not the declining day. I returned home, and +watched for thee all night, but in vain. The next morning again I went +forth into the valley, and again, with a sick heart, returned to my +desolate home. It was then noon. As I approached the door I perceived +Ferrares. He forced his entrance. I told him of thy expected return, and +threatened him with thy resentment. He left me; and, terrified with a +thousand vague forebodings, I sat down to weep. The nurse, Leonarda, was +watching by the cradle of our child in the inner room. + +"I was alone. Suddenly the door opened. I heard thy step; I knew it; I +knew its music. I started up. Saints of Heaven! what a meeting--what a +return! Pale, haggard, thine hands and garments dripping blood, thine +eyes blazing with insane fire, a terrible smile of mockery on thy lip, +thou stoodst before me. I would have thrown myself on thy breast; thou +didst cast me from thee; I fell on my knees, and thy blade was pointed +at my heart--the heart so full of thee! 'He is dead,' didst thou say, in +a hollow voice; 'he is dead--thy paramour--take thy bed beside him!' I +know not what I said, but it seemed to move thee; thy hand trembled, and +the point of thy weapon dropped. It was then that, hearing thy voice, +Leonarda hastened into the room, and bore in her arms thy child. +'See,' I exclaimed, 'see thy daughter; see, she stretches her hands to +thee--she pleads for her mother!' At that sight thy brow became dark, +the demon seized upon thee again. 'Mine!' were thy cruel words--they +ring in my ear still--'no! she was born before the time--ha! ha!--thou +didst betray me from the first!' With that thou didst raise thy sword; +but, even then (ah, blessed thought! even then) remorse and love palsied +thy hand, and averted thy gaze: the blow was not that of death. I fell +senseless to the ground, and when I recovered thou wert gone. Delirium +succeeded; and when once more my senses and reason returned to me, I +found by my side a holy priest, and from him, gradually, I learned +all that till then was dare. Ferrares had been found in the valley, +weltering in his blood. Borne to a neighbouring monastery, he lingered +a few days, to confess the treachery he had practised on thee; to adopt, +in his last hours, the Christian faith; and to attest his crime with +his own signature. He enjoined the monk, who had converted and confessed +him, to place this proof of my innocence in my hands. Behold it enclosed +within. If this letter ever reach thee, thou wilt learn how thy wife +was true to thee in life, and has therefore the right to bless thee in +death." + + +At this passage, Calderon dropped the letter, and was seized with a +kind of paralysis, which for some moments seemed to deprive him of life +itself. When he recovered he eagerly grasped a scroll that was enclosed +in the letter, but which, hitherto, he had disregarded. Even then, so +strong were his emotions, that sight itself was obscured and dimmed, +and it was long before he could read the characters, which were already +discoloured by time. + + + +"TO INEZ. + +"I have but a few hours to live,--let me spend them in atonement and in +prayer, less for myself than thee. Thou knowest not how madly I adored +thee; and how thy hatred or indifference stung every passion into +torture. Let this pass. When I saw thee again--the forsaker of thy +faith--poor, obscure, and doomed to a peasant's lot--daring hopes shaped +themselves into fierce resolves. Finding that thou wert inexorable, I +turned my arts upon thy husband. I knew his poverty and his ambition: we +Moors have had ample knowledge of the avarice of the Christians'. I +bade one whom I could trust to seek him out at Madrid. Wealth--lavish +wealth--wealth that could open to a Spaniard all the gates of power was +offered to him if he would renounce thee forever. Nay, in order to crush +out all love from his breast, it was told him that mine was the prior +right--that thou hadst yielded to my suit ere thou didst fly with +him--that thou didst use his love as an escape from thine own +dishonour--that thy very child owned another father. I had learned, and +I availed myself of the knowledge, that it was born before its time. +We had miscalculated the effect of this representation, backed and +supported by forged letters: instead of abandoning thee, he thought only +of revenge for his shame. As I left thy house, the last time I gazed +upon thine indignant eyes, I found the avenger, on my path! He had seen +me quit thy roof--he needed no other confirmation of the tale. I fell +into the pit which I had digged for thee. Conscience unnerved my hand +and blunted my sword: our blades scarcely crossed before his weapon +stretched me on the ground. They tell me he has fled from the anger of +the law; let him return without a fear Solemnly, and from the bed of +death, and in the sight of the last tribunal, I proclaim to justice and +the world that we fought fairly, and I perish justly. I have adopted thy +faith, though I cannot comprehend its mysteries. It is enough that it +holds out to me the only hope that we shall meet again. I direct these +lines to be transmitted to thee--an eternal proof of thy innocence and +my guilt. Ah, canst thou forgive me? I knew no sin till I knew thee. + + "ARRAEZ FERRARES." + + +Calderon paused ere he turned to the concluding lines of his wife's +letter; and, though he remained motionless and speechless, never were +agony and despair stamped more terribly on the face of man. + + + CONCLUSION OF THE LETTER OF INEZ. + +"And what avails to me this testimony of my faith? thou art fled; they +cannot track thy footsteps; I shall see thee no more on earth. I am +dying fast, but not of the wound I took from thee; let not that thought +darken thy soul, my husband! No, that wound is healed. Thought is +sharper than the sword. I have pilled away for the loss of thee and thy +love! Can the shadow live without the sun? And wilt thou never place thy +hands on my daughter's head, and bless her for her mother's sake? Ah, +yes--yes! The saints that watch over our human destinies will one day +cast her in thy way: and the same hour that gives thee a daughter shall +redeem and hallow the memory of a wife.... Leonarda has vowed to be +a mother to our child; to tend her, work for her, rear her, though in +poverty, to virtue. I consign these letters to Leonarda's charge, with +thy picture--never to be removed from my breast till the heart within +has ceased to beat. Not till Beatriz (I have so baptised her--it was thy +mother's name!) has attained to the age when reason can wrestle with the +knowledge of sorrow, shall her years be shadowed with the knowledge of +our fate. Leonarda has persuaded me that Beatriz shall not take thy name +of Nunez. Our tale has excited horror--for it is not understood--and +thou art called the murderer of thy wife; and the story of our +misfortunes would cling to our daughter's life, and reach her ears, and +perhaps mar her fate. But I know that thou wilt discover her not the +less, for Nature has a Providence of its own. When at last you meet her, +protect, guard, love her--sacred to you as she is, and shall be--the +pure but mournful legacy of love and death. I have done: I die blessing +thee!" "INEZ." + +Scarce had he finished those last words, ere the clock struck: it +was the hour in which the prince was to arrive. The thought restored +Calderon to the sense of the present time--the approaching peril. All +the cold calculations he had formed for the stranger-novice vanished +now. He kissed the letter passionately, placed it in his breast, and +hurried into the chamber where he had left his child. Our tale returns +to Fonseca. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. THE COUNTERPLOT. + +Calderon had not long left the young soldier before the governor of the +prison entered to pay his respects to a captive of such high birth and +military reputation. + +Fonseca, always blunt and impatient of mood, was not in a humour to +receive and return compliments; but the governor had scarcely seated +himself ere he struck a chord in the conversation which immediately +arrested the attention and engaged the interest of the prisoner. + +"Do not fear, sir," said he, "that you will be long detained; the power +of your enemy is great, but it will not be of duration. The storm is +already gathering round him; he must be more than man if he escapes the +thunderbolt." + +"Do you speak to me thus of my kinsman, the Cardinal-Duke de Lerma?" + +"No, Don Martin, pardon me. I spoke of the Marquis de Siete Iglesias. +Are you so great a stranger to Madrid and to the court as to suppose +that the Cardinal de Lerma ever signs a paper but at the instance of Don +Roderigo? Nay, that he ever looks over the paper to which he sets his +hand? Depend upon it, you are here to gratify the avarice or revenge of +the Scourge of Spain." + +"Impossible!" cried Fonseca. "Don Roderigo is my friend--my intercessor. +He overwhelms me with his kindness." + +"Then you are indeed lost," said the governor, in accents of compassion; +"the tiger always caresses his prey before he devours it. What have you +done to provoke his kindness?" + +"Senor," said Fonseca, suspiciously, "you speak with a strange want of +caution to a stranger, and against a man whose power you confess." + +"Because I am safe from his revenge; because the Inquisition have +already fixed their fatal eyes upon him; because by that Inquisition I +am not unknown nor unprotected; because I see with joy and triumph +the hour approaching that must render up to justice the pander of the +prince, the betrayer of the king, the robber of the people; because I +have an interest in thee, Don Martin, of which thou wilt be aware when +thou hast learned my name. I am Juan de la Nuza, the father of the +young officer whose life you saved in the assault of the Moriscos, in +Valentia, and I owe you an everlasting gratitude." + +There was something in the frank and hearty tone of the governor which +at once won Fonseca's confidence. He became agitated and distracted with +suspicions of his former tutor and present patron. + +"What, I ask, hast thou done to attract his notice? Calderon is not +capricious in cruelty. Art thou rich, and does he hope that thou wilt +purchase freedom with five thousand pistoles? No! Hast thou crossed the +path of his ambition? Hast thou been seen with Uzeda? or art thou +in favour with the prince? No, again! Then hast thou some wife, some +sister, some mistress, of rare accomplishments and beauty, with whom +Calderon would gorge the fancy and retain the esteem of the profligate +Infant? Ah, thou changest colour." + +"By Heaven! you madden me with these devilish surmises. Speak plainly." + +"I see thou knowest not Calderon," said the governor, with a bitter +smile. "I do--for my niece was beautiful, and the prince wooed her--. +But enough of that: at his scaffold, or at the rack, I shall be avenged +on Roderigo Calderon. You said the Cardinal was your kinsman; you are, +then, equally related to his son, the Duke d'Uzeda. Apply not to Lerma; +he is the tool of Calderon. Apply yourself to Uzeda; he is Calderon's +mortal foe. While Calderon gains ground with the prince, Uzeda advances +with the king. Uzeda by a word can procure thy release. The duke knows +and trusts me. Shall I be commissioned to acquaint him with thy arrest, +and entreat his intercession with Philip?" + +"You give me new life! But not an hour is to be lost; this night--this +day-oh, Mother of Mercy! what image have you conjured up! fly to Uzeda, +if you would save my very reason. I myself have scarcely seen him +since my boyhood--Lerma forbade me seek his friendship. But I am of his +race--his blood." + +"Be cheered, I shall see the duke to-day. I have business with him where +you wot not. We are bringing strange events to a crisis. Hope the best." +With this the governor took his leave. + +At the dusk of the evening, Don Juan de la Nuza, wrapped in a dark +mantle, stood before a small door deep-set in a massive and gloomy wall, +that stretched along one side of a shunned and deserted street. Without +sign of living hand, the door opened at his knock, and the governor +entered a long and narrow passage that conducted to chambers more +associated with images of awe than any in his own prison. Here he +suddenly encountered the Jesuit, Fray Louis de Aliaga, confessor to the +king. + +"How fares the Grand Inquisitor?" asked De la Nuza. "He has just +breathed his last," answered the Jesuit. "His illness--so sudden--defied +all aid. Sandoval y Roxas is with the saints." + +The governor, who was, as the reader may suppose, one of the sacred +body, crossed himself, and answered.--"With whom will rest the +appointment of the successor? Who will be first to gain the ear of the +king?" + +"I know not," replied the Jesuit; "but I am at this instant summoned to +Uzeda. Pardon my haste." + +So saying, Aliaga glided away. + +"With Sandoval y Roxas," muttered Don Juan, "dies the last protector of +Calderon and Lerma: unless, indeed, the wily marquis can persuade the +king to make Aliaga, his friend, the late cardinal's successor. But +Aliaga seeks Uzeda--Uzeda his foe and rival. What can this portend?" + +Thus soliloquising, the governor silently continued his way till he came +to a door by which stood two men, masked, who saluted him with a mute +inclination of the head. The door opened and again closed, as the +governor entered. Meanwhile, the confessor had gained the palace of +the Duke d' Uzeda. Uzeda was not alone: with him was a man whose sallow +complexion, ill-favoured features, and simple dress strangely contrasted +the showy person and sumptuous habiliments of the duke. But the instant +this personage opened his lips, the comparison was no longer to his +prejudice. Something in the sparkle of his deep-set eye-in the singular +enchantment of his smile--and above all, in the tone of a very musical +and earnest voice, chained attention at once to his words. And, whatever +those words, there was about the man, and his mode of thought and +expression, the stamp of a mind at once crafty and commanding. This +personage was Gaspar de Guzman, then but a gentleman of the Prince's +chamber (which post he owed to Calderon, whose creature he was supposed +to be), afterwards so celebrated in the history of Philip IV., as Count +of Olivares and prime minister of Spain. + +The conversation between Guzman and Uzeda, just before the Jesuit +entered, was drawing to a close. + +"You see," said Uzeda, "that if we desire to crush Calderon, it is on +the Inquisition that we must depend. Now is the time to elect, in the +successor of Sandoval y Roxas, one pledged to the favourite's ruin. +The reason I choose Aliaga is this,--Calderon will never suspect his +friendship, and will not, therefore, thwart us with the king. The +Jesuit, who would sell all Christendom for the sake of advancement to +his order or himself will gladly sell Calderon to obtain the chair of +the Inquisition." + +"I believe it," replied Guzman. "I approve your choice; and you may rely +on me to destroy Calderon with the prince. I have found out the way +to rule Philip; it is by never giving him a right to despise his +favourites--it is to flatter his vanity, but not to share his vices. +Trust me, you alone--if you follow my suggestions--can be minister to +the Fourth Philip." + +Here a page entered to announce Don Fray Louis de Aliaga. Uzeda advanced +to the door, and received the holy man with profound respect. + +"Be seated, father, and let me at once to business; for time presses, +and all must be despatched to-night. Before interest is made by +others with the king, we must be prompt in gaining the appointment of +Sandoval's successor." + +"Report says that the cardinal-duke, your father, himself desires the +vacant chair of the Inquisition." + +"My poor father, he is old--his sun has set. No, Aliaga; I have thought +of one fitter for that high and stern office in a word, that appointment +rests with yourself. I can make you Grand Inquisitor of Spain--!" + +"Me!" said the Jesuit, and he turned aside his face. "You jest with me, +noble son." + +"I am serious--hear me. We have been foes and rivals; why should not +our path be the same? Calderon has deprived you of friends more powerful +than himself. His hour is come. The Duke de Lerma's downfall cannot +be avoided; if it could, I, his son, would not as, you may suppose, +withhold my hand. But business fatigues him--he is old--the affairs of +Spain are in a deplorable condition--they need younger and abler hands. +My father will not repine at a retirement suited to his years, and which +shall be made honourable to his gray hairs. But some victim must glut +the rage of the people; that victim must be the upstart Calderon; the +means of his punishment, the Inquisition. Now, you understand me. On one +condition, you shall be the successor to Sandoval. Know that I do not +promise without the power to fulfill. The instant I learned that the +late cardinal's death was certain, I repaired to the king. I have the +promise of the appointment; and this night your name shall, if you +accept the condition, and Calderon does not, in the interim, see the +king and prevent the nomination, receive the royal sanction." + +"Our excellent Aliaga cannot hesitate," said Don Gaspar de Guzman. "The +order of Loyola rests upon shoulders that can well support the load." + +Before that trio separated, the compact was completed. Aliaga practised +against his friend the lesson he had preached to him--that the end +sanctifies all means. Scarce had Aliaga departed ere Juan de la Nuza +entered; for Uzeda, who sought to make the Inquisition his chief +instrument of power, courted the friendship of all its officers. He +readily promised to obtain the release of Fonseca; and, in effect, it +was but little after midnight when an order arrived at the prison for +the release of Don Martin de Fonseca, accompanied by a note from the +duke to the prisoner, full of affectionate professions, and requesting +to see him the next morning. + +Late as the hour was, and in spite of the expostulations of the +governor, who wished him to remain the night within the prison, in the +hope to extract from him his secret, Fonseca no sooner received the +order than he claimed and obtained his liberation. + + + + +CHAPTER X. WE REAP WHAT WE SOW. + +With emotions of joy and triumph, such as had never yet agitated his +reckless and abandoned youth, the Infant of Spain bent his way towards +the lonely house on the road to Fuencarral. He descended from his +carriage when about a hundred yards from the abode, and proceeded on +foot to the appointed place. + +The Jew opened the door to the prince with a hideous grin on his hollow +cheek; and Philip hastened up the stairs, and entering the chamber we +have before described, beheld, to his inconceivable consternation and +dismay, the form of Beatriz clasped in the arms of Calderon, her head +leaning on his bosom; while his voice half choked with passionate sobs +called upon her in the most endearing terms. + +For a moment the prince stood, spell-bound and speechless, at the +threshold; then, striking the hilt of his sword fiercely, he exclaimed, +"Traitor! is it thus that thou hast kept thy promise? Dost thou not +tremble at my vengeance?" + +"Peace! peace!" said Calderon, in an imperious, but sepulchral tone, and +waving one hand with a gesture of impatience and rebuke, while with the +other he removed the long clustering hair that fell over the pale face +of the still insensible novice. "Peace, prince of Spain; thy voice +scares back the struggling life--peace! Look up, image and relic of the +lost--the murdered--the martyr! Hush! do you hear her breathe, or is +she with her mother in that heaven which is closed on me? Live! live! my +daughter--my child--live! For thy life in the World Hereafter will _not_ +be mine!" + +"What means this?" said the prince, falteringly. "What delusion do thy +wiles practise upon me?" + +Calderon made no answer; and at that instant Beatriz sighed heavily, and +her eyes opened. + +"My child! my child!--thou art my child! Speak--let me hear thy +voice--again let it call me 'father!'" + +And Calderon dropped on his knees, and, clasping his hands fervently, +looked up imploringly in her face. The novice, now slowly returning to +life and consciousness, strove to speak: her voice failed her, but her +lips smiled arms fell feebly but endearingly upon Calderon, and her +round his neck. + +"Bless thee! bless thee!" exclaimed Calderon. "Bless thee in thy sweet +mother's name!" + +While he spoke, the eyes of Beatriz caught the form of Philip, who stood +by, leaning on his sword; his face working with various passions, and +his lip curling with stern and intense disdain. Accustomed to know human +life but in its worst shapes, and Calderon only by his vices and his +arts, the voice of nature uttered no language intelligible to the +prince. He regarded the whole as some well got-up device--some trick of +the stage; and waited, with impatience and scorn, the denouement of the +imposture. + +At the sight of that mocking face, Beatriz shuddered, and fell back; but +her very alarm revived her, and, starting to her feet, she exclaimed, +"Save me from that bad man--save me! My father, I am safe with thee!" + +"Safe!" echoed Calderon;--"ay, safe against the world. But not," he +added, looking round, and in a low and muttered tone, "not in this +foul abode; its very air pollutes thee. Let us hence: come--come--my +daughter!" and winding his arm round her waist, he hurried her towards +the door. + +"Back, traitor!" cried Philip, placing himself full in the path of the +distracted and half delirious father, "Back! thinkest thou that I, thy +master and thy prince, am to be thus duped and thus insulted? Not for +thine own pleasures hast thou snatched her whom I have honoured with +my love from the sanctuary of the Church. Go, if thou wilt; but Beatriz +remains. This roof is sacred to my will. Back! or thy next step is on +the point of my sword." + +"Menace not, speak not, Philip--I am desperate. I am beside myself--I +cannot parley with thee. Away! by thy hopes of Heaven away! I am no +longer thy minion--thy tool. I am a father, and the protector of my +child." + +"Brave device--notable tale!" cried Philip, scornfully, and placing his +back against the door. "The little actress plays her part well, it must +be owned,--it is her trade; but thou art a bungler, my gentle Calderon." + +For a moment the courtier stood, not irresolute, but overcome with +the passions that shook to their centre a nature, the stormy and stern +elements of which the habit of years had rather mastered than quelled. +At last, with a fierce cry, he suddenly grasped the prince by the collar +of his vest; and, ere Philip could avail himself of his weapon, swung +him aside with such violence that he lost his balance and (his foot +slipping on the polished floor) fell to the ground. Calderon then opened +the door, lifted Beatriz in both his arms, and fled precipitately down +the stairs. He could no longer trust to chance and delay against the +dangers of that abode. + + + + +CHAPTER XI. HOWSOEVER THE RIVERS WIND, THE OCEAN RECEIVES THEM ALL. + +Meanwhile Fonseca had reached the convent; had found the porter gone; +and, with a mind convulsed with apprehension and doubt, had flown on the +wings of love and fear to the house indicated by Calderon. The grim and +solitary mansion came just in sight--the moon streaming sadly over +its gray and antique walls--when he heard his name pronounced; and the +convent porter emerged from the shadow of a wall beside which he had +ensconced himself. + +"Don Martin! it is thou indeed; blessed be the saints! I began to +fear--nay, I fear now, that we were deceived." + +"Speak, man, but stop me not! Speak! what horrors hast thou to utter?" + +"I knew the cavalier whom thou didst send in thy place! Who knows not +Roderigo Calderon? I trembled when I saw him lift the novice into the +carriage; but I thought I should, as agreed, be companion in the flight. +Not so. Don Roderigo briefly told me to hide where I could this night; +and that to-morrow he would arrange preparations for my flight from +Madrid. My mind misgave me, for Calderon's name is blackened by many +curses. I resolved to follow the carriage. I did so; but my breath and +speed nearly failed, when, fortunately, the carriage was stopped and +entangled by a crowd in the street. No lackeys were behind; I mounted +the footboard unobserved, and descended and hid myself when the carriage +stopped. I knew not the house, but I knew the neighbourhood, a brother +of mine lives at hand. I sought my relative for a night's shelter. I +learned that dark stories had given to that house an evil name. It was +one of those which the Prince of Spain had consecrated to the pursuits +that had dishonoured so many families in Madrid. I resolved again to +go forth and watch. Scarce had I reached this very spot when I saw a +carriage approach rapidly. I secreted myself behind a buttress, and saw +the carriage halt; and a man descended, and walked to the house. See +there--there, by yon crossing, the carriage still waits. The man was +wrapped in a mantle. I know not whom he may be; but--" + +"Heavens!" cried Fonseca, as they were now close before the door of +the house at which Calderon's carriage still stood; "I hear a noise, a +shriek, within." + +Scarce had he spoken when the door opened. Voices were heard in loud +altercation; presently the form of the Jew was thrown on the pavement, +and dashing aside another man, who seemed striving to detain him, +Calderon appeared,--his drawn sword in his right hand, his left arm +clasped round Beatriz. + +Fonseca darted forward. + +"My lover! my betrothed!" exclaimed the voice of the novice: "thou are +come to save us--to save thy Beatriz!" + +"Yes; and to chastise the betrayer!" exclaimed Fonseca, in a voice of +thunder. "Leave thy victim, villain! Defend thyself!" + +He made a desperate lunge at Calderon while he spoke. The marquis feebly +parried the stroke. + +"Hold!" he cried. "Not on me!" + +"No--no!" exclaimed Beatriz, throwing herself on her father's breast. +The words came too late. Blinded and deafened with rage, Fonseca had +again, with more sure and deadly aim, directed his weapon against his +supposed foe. The blade struck home, but not to the heart of Calderon. +It was Beatriz, bathed in her blood, who fell at the feet of her +frenzied lover. + +"Daughter and mother both!" muttered Calderon; and he fell as if the +steel had pierced his own heart, beside his child. "Wretch! what hast +thou done?" muttered a voice strange to the ear of Fonseca; a voice half +stifled with Horror and, perhaps, remorse. The Prince of Spain stood on +the spot, and his feet were dabbled in the blood of the virgin martyr. +The moonlight alone lighted that spectacle of crime and death; and the +faces of all seemed ghastly beneath its beams. Beatriz turned her eyes +upon her lover, with an expression of celestial compassion and divine +forgiveness; then sinking upon Calderon's breast, she muttered, "Pardon +him! pardon him, father! I shall tell my mother that thou hast blessed +me!" + +It was not for several days after that night of terror that Calderon was +heard of at the court. His absence was unaccountable; for, though the +flight of the novice was of course known, her fate was not suspected; +and her rank had been too insignificant to create much interest in her +escape or much vigilance in pursuit. But of that absence the courtier's +enemies well availed themselves. The plans of the cabal were ripe; and +the aid of the Inquisition by the appointment of Aliaga was added to the +machinations of Uzeda's partisans. The king was deeply incensed at +the mysterious absence of Calderon, for which a thousand ingenious +conjectures were invented. The Duke of Lerma, infirm and enfeebled by +years, was unable to confront his foes. With imbecile despair he called +on the name of Calderon; and, when no trace of that powerful ally could +be discovered, he forbore even to seek an interview with the king. +Suddenly the storm broke. One evening Lerma received the royal order to +surrender his posts, and to quit the court by daybreak. It was in this +very hour that the door of Lerma's chamber opened, and Roderigo Calderon +stood before him. But how changed--how blasted from his former self! His +eyes were sunk deep in their sockets, and their fire was quenched; his +cheeks were hollow, his frame bent, and when he spoke his voice was as +that of one calling from the tomb. + +"Behold me, Duke de Lerma, I am returned at last!" + +"Returned--blessings on thee! Where hast thou been? Why didst thou +desert me?--no matter, thou art returned! Fly to the king--tell him I am +not old! I do not want repose. Defeat the villany of my unnatural son! +They would banish me, Calderon; banish me in the very prime of my years! +My son says I am old--old! ha! ha! Fly to the prince; he too has immured +himself in his apartment. He would not see me; he will see thee!" + +"Ay--the prince! we have cause to love each other!" + +"Ye have indeed! Hasten, Calderon; not a moment is to be lost! Banished! +Calderon, shall I be banished?" And the old man, bursting into tears, +fell at the feet of Calderon, and clasped his knees. + +"Go, go, I implore thee! Save me; I loved thee, Calderon, I always loved +thee. Shall our foes triumph? Shall the horn of the wicked be exalted?" + +For a moment (so great is the mechanical power of habit) there returned +to Calderon something of his wonted energy and spirit; a light broke +from his sunken eyes; he drew himself up to the full of his stately +height: "I thought I had done with courts and with life," said he; "but +I will make one more effort; I will not forsake you in your hour of +need. Yes, Uzeda shall be baffled; I will seek the king. Fear not, my +lord, fear not; the charm of my power is not yet broken." + +So saying, Calderon raised the cardinal from the ground, and extricating +himself from the old man's grasp strode, with his customary air of +majestic self-reliance, to the door. Just ere he reached it, three low, +but regular knocks sounded on the panel: the door opened, and the +space without was filled with the dark forms of the officers of the +Inquisition. + +"Stand!" said a deep voice; "stand, Roderigo Calderon, Marquis de Siete +Iglesias; in the name of the most Holy Inquisition, we arrest thee!" + +"Aliaga!" muttered Calderon, falling back. + +"Peace!" interrupted the Jesuit. "Officers, remove your prisoner." + +"Poor old man," said Calderon, turning towards the cardinal, who stood +spell-bound and speechless, "thy life at least is safe. For me, I defy +fate! Lead on!" + +The Prince of Spain soon recovered from the shock which the death of +Beatriz at first occasioned him. New pleasures chased away even remorse. +He appeared again in public a few days after the arrest of Calderon; and +he made strong intercession on behalf of his former favourite. But even +had the Inquisition desired to relax its grasp, or Uzeda to forego his +vengeance, so great was the exultation of the people at the fall of the +dreaded and obnoxious secretary, and so numerous the charges which party +malignity added to those which truth could lay at his door, that it +would have required a far bolder monarch than Philip the Third to have +braved the voice of a whole nation for the sake of a disgraced minister. +The prince himself was soon induced, by new favourites, to consider any +further interference on his part equally impolitic and vain; and the +Duke d'Uzeda and Don Gaspar de Guzman were minions quite as supple, +while they were companions infinitely more respectable. + +One day, an officer, attending the levee of the prince, with whom he was +a special favourite, presented a memorial requesting the interest of +his highness for an appointment in the royal armies, that, he had just +learned by an express was vacant. + +"And whose death comes so opportunely for thy rise, Don Alvar?" asked +the Infant. + +"Don Martin Fonseca. He fell in the late skirmish, pierced by a hundred +wounds." + +The prince started and turned hastily away. The officer lost all favour +from that hour, and never learned his offence. + +Meanwhile months passed, and Calderon still languished in his dungeon. +At last the Inquisition opened against him its dark register of +accusations. First of these charges was that of sorcery, practised +on the king; the rest were for the most part equally grotesque and +extravagant. These accusations Calderon met with a dignity which +confounded his foes, and belied the popular belief in the elements of +his character. Submitted to the rack, he bore its tortures without a +groan; and all historians have accorded concurrent testimony to the +patience and heroism which characterised the close of his wild and +meteoric career. At length Philip the Third died: the Infant ascended +the throne; that prince, for whom the ambitious courtier had perilled +alike life and soul! The people now believed that they should be +defrauded of their victim. They were mistaken. The new king, by this +time, had forgotten even the existence of the favourite of the prince. +But Guzman, who, while affecting to minister to the interests of Uzeda, +was secretly aiming at the monopoly of the royal favour, felt himself +insecure while Calderon yet lived. The operations of the Inquisition +were too slow for the impatience of his fears; and as that dread +tribunal affected never to inflict death until the accused had confessed +his guilt, the firmness of Calderon baffled the vengeance of the +ecclesiastical law. New inquiries were set on foot: a corpse was +discovered, buried in Calderon's garden--the corpse of a female. He +was accused of the murder. Upon that charge he was transferred from +the Inquisition to the regular courts of justice. No evidence could +be produced against him; but, to the astonishment of all, he made no +defence, and his silence was held the witness of his crime. He was +adjudged to the scaffold--he smiled when he heard the sentence. + +An immense crowd, one bright day in summer, were assembled in the place +of execution. A shout of savage exultation rent the air as Roderigo +Calderon, Marquis de Siete Iglesias, appeared upon the scaffold But, +when the eyes of the multitude rested--not upon that lofty and stately +form, in all the pride of manhood, which they had been accustomed to +associate with their fears of the stern genius and iron power of the +favourite--but upon a bent and spectral figure, that seemed already on +the verge of a natural grave, with a face ploughed deep with traces +of unutterable woe, and hollow eyes that looked with dim and scarce +conscious light over the human sea that murmured and swayed below, the +tide of the popular emotion changed; to rage and triumph succeeded shame +and pity. Not a hand was lifted up in accusation--not a voice was raised +in rebuke or joy. Beside Calderon stood the appointed priest, whispering +cheer and consolation. + +"Fear not, my son," said the holy man. "The pang of the body strikes +years of purgatory from thy doom. Think of this, and bless even the +agony of this hour." + +"Yes," muttered Calderon; "I do bless this hour. Inez, thy daughter has +avenged thy murder! May Heaven accept the sacrifice! and may my eyes, +even athwart the fiery gulf, awaken upon thee!" + +With that a serene and contented smile passed over the face on which +the crowd gazed with breathless awe. A minute more, and a groan, a +cry, broke from that countless multitude; and a gory and ghastly head, +severed from its trunk, was raised on high. + +Two spectators of that execution were in one of the balconies that +commanded a full view of its terrors. + +"So perishes my worst foe!" said Uzeda. + +"We must sacrifice all things, friends as foes, in the ruthless march +of the Great Cause," rejoined the Grand Inquisitor; but he sighed as he +spoke. + +"Guzman is now with the king," said Uzeda, turning into the chamber. "I +expect every instant a summons into the royal presence." + +"I cannot share thy sanguine hopes, my son," said Aliaga, shaking his +head. "My profession has made me a deep reader of human character. +Gaspar de Guzman will remove every rival from his path." + +While he spoke, there entered a gentleman of the royal chamber. He +presented to the Grand Inquisitor and the expectant duke two letters +signed by the royal hand. They were the mandates of banishment and +disgrace. Not even the ghostly rank of the Grand Inquisitor, not even +the profound manoeuvres of the son of Lerma, availed them against the +vigilance and vigour of the new favourite. Simultaneously, a shout from +the changeable crowd below proclaimed that the king's choice of his new +minister was published and approved. + +And Aliaga and Uzeda exchanged glances that bespoke all the passions +that make defeated ambition the worst fiend, as they heard the mighty +cry, "LONG LIVE OLIVAREZ THE REFORMER!" + +That cry came, faint and muffled, to the ears of Philip the Fourth, as +he sate in his palace with his new minister. "Whence that shout?" said +the king, hastily. + +"It rises, doubtless, from the honest hearts of your loyal people at the +execution of Calderon." + +Philip shaded his face with his hand, and mused a moment: then, turning +to Olivarez with a sarcastic smile, he said: "Behold the moral of the +life of a courtier, count! What do they say of the new opera?" + +At the close of his life, in disgrace and banishment, the count-duke, +for the first time since they had been uttered, called to his +recollection those words of his royal master. + +'The fate of Calderon has given rise to many tales and legends. Amongst +those who have best availed themselves of so fruitful a subject may be +ranked the late versatile and ingenious Telesforo de Trueba, in his work +on "The Romances of Spain." In a few of the incidents, and in some +of the names, his sketch, called "The Fortunes of Calderon," has a +resemblance to the story just concluded. The plot, characters, +and principal events, are, however, widely distinct in our several +adaptations of an ambiguous and unsatisfactory portion of Spanish +history. + + + + + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Calderon The Courtier, by Edward Bulwer-Lytton + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CALDERON THE COURTIER *** + +***** This file should be named 9762.txt or 9762.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/9/7/6/9762/ + +Produced by David Widger + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +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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The true Fate of Morgana + +CHAPTER VI. Web upon Web + +CHAPTER VII. The open Countenance, the concealed Thoughts + +CHAPTER VIII. The Escape + +CHAPTER IX. The Counterplot + +CHAPTER X. We reap what we sow + +CHAPTER XI. Howsoever the Rivers wind, the Ocean receives them All + + + + +CALDERON, THE COURTIER. + +A TALE. + +CHAPTER I. + +THE ANTE-CHAMBER. + +The Tragi-Comedy of Court Intrigue, which had ever found its principal +theatre in Spain since the accession of the House of Austria to the +throne, was represented with singular complication of incident and +brilliancy of performance during the reign of Philip the Third. That +monarch, weak, indolent, and superstitious, left the reins of government +in the hands of the Duke of Lerma. The Duke of Lerma, in his turn, mild, +easy, ostentatious, and shamefully corrupt, resigned the authority he had +thus received to Roderigo Calderon, an able and resolute upstart, whom +nature and fortune seemed equally to favour and endow. But, not more to +his talents, which were great, than to the policy of religious +persecution which he had supported and enforced, Roderigo Calderon owed +his promotion. The King and the Inquisition had, some years before our +story opens, resolved upon the general expulsion of the Moriscos the +wealthiest, the most active, the most industrious portion of the +population. + +"I would sooner," said the bigoted king--and his words were hallowed by +the enthusiasm of the Church--"depopulate my kingdom than suffer it to +harbour a single infidel." The Duke de Lerma entered into the scheme +that lost to Spain many of her most valuable subjects, with the zeal of +a pious Catholic expectant of the Cardinal's hat, which he afterwards +obtained. But to this scheme Calderon brought an energy, a decision, a +vehemence, and sagacity of hatred, that savoured more of personal +vengeance than religious persecution. His perseverance in this good work +established him firmly in the king's favour; and in this he was supported +by the friendship not only of Lerma, but of Fray Louis de Aliaga, a +renowned Jesuit, and confessor to the king. The disasters and distresses +occasioned by this barbarous crusade, which crippled the royal revenues, +and seriously injured the estates of the principal barons, from whose +lands the industrious and intelligent Moriscos were expelled, ultimately +concentred a deep and general hatred upon Calderon. But his +extraordinary address and vigorous energies, his perfect mastery of the +science of intrigue, not only sustained, but continued to augment, his +power. Though the king was yet in the prime of middle age, his health +was infirm and his life precarious. Calderon had contrived, while +preserving the favour of the reigning monarch, to establish himself as +the friend and companion of the heir apparent. In this, indeed, he had +affected to yield to the policy of the king himself; for Philip the Third +had a wholesome terror of the possible ambition of his son, who early +evinced talents which might have been formidable, but for passions which +urged him into the most vicious pleasures and the most extravagant +excesses. The craft of the king was satisfied by the device of placing +about the person of the Infant one devoted to himself; nor did his +conscience, pious as he was, revolt at the profligacy which his favourite +was said to participate, and, perhaps, to encourage; since the less +popular the prince, the more powerful the king. + +But all this while there was formed a powerful cabal against both the +Duke of Lerma and Don Roderigo Calderon in a quarter where it might least +have been anticipated. The cardinal-duke, naturally anxious to cement +and perpetuate his authority, had placed his son, the Duke d'Uzeda, in a +post that gave him constant access to the monarch. The prospect of power +made Uzeda eager to seize at once upon all its advantages; and it became +the object of his life to supplant his father. This would have been easy +enough but for the genius and vigilance of Calderon, whom he hated as a +rival, disdained as an upstart, and dreaded as a foe. Philip was soon +aware of the contest between the two factions, but, in the true spirit of +Spanish kingcraft he took care to play one against the other. Nor could +Calderon, powerful as he was, dare openly to seek the ruin of Uzeda; +while Uzeda, more rash, and, perhaps, more ingenuous, entered into a +thousand plots for the downfall of the prime favourite. + +The frequent missions, principally into Portugal, in which of late +Calderon had been employed, had allowed Uzeda to encroach more and more +upon the royal confidence; while the very means which Don Roderigo had +adopted to perpetuate his influence, by attaching himself to the prince, +necessarily distracted his attention from the intrigues of his rival. +Perhaps, indeed, the greatness of Calderon's abilities made him too +arrogantly despise the machinations of the duke, who, though not without +some capacities as a courtier, was wholly incompetent to those duties of +a minister on which he had set his ambition and his grasp. + +Such was the state of parties in the Court of Philip the Third at the +time in which we commence our narrative in the ante-chamber of Don +Roderigo Calderon. + +"It is not to be endured," said Don Felix de Castro, an old noble, whose +sharp features and diminutive stature proclaimed the purity of his blood +and the antiquity of his descent. + +"Just three-quarters of an hour and five minutes have I waited for +audience to a fellow who would once have thought himself honoured if I +had ordered him to call my coach," said Don Diego Sarmiento de Mendo. + +"Then, if it chafe you so much, gentlemen, why come you here at all? I +dare say Don Roderigo can dispense with your attendance." + +This was said bluntly by a young noble of good mien, whose impetuous and +irritable temperament betrayed itself by an impatience of gesture and +motion unusual amongst his countrymen. Sometimes he walked, with uneven +strides, to and fro the apartments, unheeding the stately groups whom he +jostled, or the reproving looks that he attracted; sometimes he paused +abruptly, raised his eyes, muttered, twitched his cloak, or played with +his sword-knot; or, turning abruptly round upon his solemn neighbours, as +some remark on his strange bearing struck his ear, brought the blood to +many a haughty cheek by his stern gaze of defiance and disdain. It was +easy to perceive that this personage belonged to the tribe--rash, vain, +and young--who are eager to take offence, and to provoke quarrel. +Nevertheless, the cavalier had noble and great qualities. A stranger to +courts, in the camp he was renowned for a chivalrous generosity and an +extravagant valour, that emulated the ancient heroes of Spanish romaunt +and song. His was a dawn that promised a hot noon and a glorious eve. +The name of this brave soldier was Martin Fonseca. He was of an ancient +but impoverished house, and related in a remote degree to the Duke de +Lerma. In his earliest youth he had had cause to consider himself the +heir to a wealthy uncle on his mother's side; and with those +expectations, while still but a boy, he had been invited to court by +the cardinal-duke. Here, however, the rude and blunt sincerity of his +bearing had so greatly shocked the formal hypocrisies of the court, and +had more than once so seriously offended the minister, that his powerful +kinsman gave up all thought of pushing Fonseca's fortunes at Madrid, and +meditated some plausible excuse for banishing him from court. At this +time the rich uncle, hitherto childless, married a second time, and was +blessed with an heir. It was no longer necessary to keep terms with Don +Martin; and he suddenly received an order to join the army on the +frontiers. Here his courage soon distinguished him; but his honest +nature still stood in the way of his promotion. Several years elapsed, +and his rise had been infinitely slower than that of men not less +inferior to him in birth than merit. Some months since, he had repaired +to Madrid to enforce his claims upon the government; but instead of +advancing his suit, he had contrived to effect a serious breach with the +cardinal, and been abruptly ordered back to the camp. Once more he +appeared at Madrid; but this time it was not to plead desert and demand +honours. + +In any country but Spain under the reign of Philip the Third, Martin +Fonseca would have risen early to high fortunes. But, as we have said, +his talents were not those of the flatterer or the hypocrite; and it was +a matter of astonishment to the calculators round him to see Don Martin +Fonseca in the ante-room of Roderigo Calderon, Count Oliva, Marquis de +Siete Iglesias, secretary to the King, and parasite and favourite of the +Infant of Spain. + +"Why come you here at all?" repeated the young soldier. + +"Senor," answered Don Felix de Castro, with great gravity, "we have +business with Don Roderigo. Men of our station must attend to the +affairs of the state, no matter by whom transacted." + +"That is, you must crawl on your knees to ask for pensions and +governorships, and transact the affairs of the state by putting your +hands into its coffers." + +"Senor!" growled Don Felix, angrily, as his hand played with his sword- +belt. + +"Tush!" said the young man, scornfully turning on his heel. + +The folding-doors were thrown open, and all conversation ceased at the +entrance of Don Roderigo Calderon. + +This remarkable personage had risen from the situation of a confidential +scribe to the Duke of Lerma to the nominal rank of secretary to the King +--to the real station of autocrat of Spain. The birth of the favourite +of fortune was exceedingly obscure. He had long affected to conceal it; +but when he found curiosity had proceeded into serious investigation of +his origin, he had suddenly appeared to make a virtue of necessity; +proclaimed of his own accord that his father was a common soldier of +Valladolid, and even invited to Madrid, and lodged in his own palace, his +low-born progenitor. This prudent frankness disarmed malevolence on the +score of birth. But when the old soldier died, rumours went abroad that +he had confessed on his death-bed that he was not in any way related to +Calderon; that he had submitted to an imposture which secured to his old +age so respectable and luxurious an asylum; and that he knew not for what +end Calderon had forced upon him the honours of spurious parentship. +This tale, which, ridiculed by most, was yet believed by some, gave rise +to darker reports concerning one on whom the eyes of all Spain were +fixed. It was supposed that he had some motive beyond that of shame at +their meanness, to conceal his real origin and name. What could be that +motive, if not the dread of discovery for some black and criminal offence +connected with his earlier youth, and for which he feared the prosecution +of the law? They who affected most to watch his exterior averred that +often, in his gayest revels and proudest triumphs, his brow would lower +--his countenance change--and it was only by a visible and painful effort +that he could restore his mind to its self-possession. His career, which +evinced an utter contempt for the ordinary rules and scruples that curb +even adventurers into a seeming of honesty and virtue, appeared in some +way to justify these reports. But, at times, flashes of sudden and +brilliant magnanimity broke forth to bewilder the curious, to puzzle the +examiners of human character, and to contrast the general tenor of his +ambitions and remorseless ascent to power. His genius was confessed by +all; but it was a genius that in no way promoted the interests of his +country. It served only to prop, defend, and advance himself--to battle +difficulties--to defeat foes--to convert every accident, every chance, +into new stepping stones in his course. Whatever his birth, it was +evident that he had received every advantage of education; and scholars +extolled his learning and boasted of his patronage. While, more +recently, if the daring and wild excesses of the profligate prince were, +on the one hand, popularly imputed to the guidance of Calderon, and +increased the hatred generally conceived against him, so, on the other +hand, his influence over the future monarch seemed to promise a new lease +to his authority, and struck fear into the councils of his foes. In +fact, the power of the upstart marquis appeared so firmly rooted, the +career before him so splendid, that there were not wanted whisperers who, +in addition to his other crimes, ascribed to Roderigo Calderon the +assistance of the black art. But the black art in which that subtle +courtier was a proficient is one that dispenses with necromancy. It was +the art of devoting the highest intellect to the most selfish purposes-- +an art that thrives tolerably well for a time in the great world! + +He had been for several weeks absent from Madrid on a secret mission; and +to this, his first public levee, on his return, thronged all the rank and +chivalry of Spain. + +The crowd gave way, as, with haughty air, in the maturity of manhood, the +Marquis de Siete Iglesias moved along. He disdained all accessories of +dress to enhance the effect of his singularly striking exterior. His +mantle and vest of black cloth, made in the simplest fashion, were +unadorned with the jewels that then constituted the ordinary insignia of +rank. His hair, bright and glossy as the raven's plume, curled back from +the lofty and commanding brow, which, save by one deep wrinkle between +the eyes, was not only as white but as smooth as marble. His features +were aquiline and regular; and the deep olive of his complexion seemed +pale and clear when contrasted by the rich jet of the moustache and +pointed beard. The lightness of his tall and slender but muscular form +made him appear younger than he was; and had it not been for the +supercilious and scornful arrogance of air which so seldom characterises +gentle birth, Calderon might have mingled with the loftiest magnates of +Europe and seemed to the observer the stateliest of the group. It was +one of those rare forms that are made to command the one sex and +fascinate the other. But, on a deeper scrutiny, the restlessness of the +brilliant eye--the quiver of the upper lip--a certain abruptness of +manner and speech, might have shown that greatness had brought suspicion +as well as pride. The spectators beheld the huntsman on the height;--the +huntsman saw the abyss below, and respired with difficulty the air above. + +The courtiers one by one approached the marquis, who received them with +very unequal courtesy. To the common herd he was sharp, dry, and bitter; +to the, great he was obsequious, yet with a certain grace and manliness +of bearing that elevated even the character of servility; and all the +while, as he bowed low to a Medina or a Guzman, there was a half +imperceptible mockery lurking in the corners of his mouth, which seemed +to imply that while his policy cringed his heart despised. To two or +three, whom he either personally liked or honestly esteemed, he was +familiar, but brief, in his address; to those whom he had cause to detest +or to dread--his foes, his underminers--he assumed a yet greater +frankness, mingled with the most caressing insinuation of voice and +manner. + +Apart from the herd, with folded arms, and an expression of countenance +in which much admiration was blent with some curiosity and a little +contempt, Don Martin Fonseca gazed upon the favourite. + +"I have done this man a favour," thought he; "I have contributed towards +his first rise--I am now his suppliant. Faith! I, who have never found +sincerity or gratitude in the camp, come to seek those hidden treasures +at a court! Well, we are strange puppets, we mortals!" + +Don Diego Sarmiento de Mendoza had just received the smiling salutation +of Calderon, when the eye of the latter fell upon the handsome features +of Fonseca. The blood mounted to his brow; he hastily promised Don Diego +all that he desired, and hurrying back through the crowd, retired to his +private cabinet. The levee was broken up. + +As Fonseca, who had caught the glance of the secretary, and who drew no +favourable omen from his sudden evanishment, slowly turned to depart with +the rest, a young man, plainly dressed, touched him on the shoulder. + +"You are Senior Don Martin Fonseca?" + +"The same." + +"Follow me, if it please you, senor, to my master, Lou Roderigo +Calderon." + +Fonseca's face brightened; he obeyed the summons; and in another moment +he was in the cabinet of the Sejanus of Spain. + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +THE LOVER AND THE CONFIDANT. + +Calderon received the young soldier at the door of his chamber with +marked and almost affectionate respect. "Don Martin," said he, and there +seemed a touch of true feeling in the tremor of his rich sweet voice, "I +owe you the greatest debt one man can incur to another--it was your hand +that set before my feet their first stepping-stone to power. I date my +fortunes from the hour in which I was placed in your father's house as +your preceptor. When the cardinal-duke invited you to Madrid, I was your +companion; and when, afterwards, you joined the army, and required no +longer the services of the peaceful scholar, you demanded of your +illustrious kinsman the single favour--to provide for Calderon. I had +already been fortunate enough to win the countenance of the duke, and +from that day my rise was rapid. Since then we have never met. Dare I +hope that it is now in the power of Calderon to prove himself not +ungrateful?" + +"Yes," said Fonseca, eagerly; "it is in your power to save me from the +most absolute wretchedness that can befall me. It is in your power, at +least I think so, to render me the happiest of men!" + +"Be seated, I pray you, senor. And how? I am your servant." + +"Thou knowest," said Fonseca, "that, though the kinsman, I am not the +favourite, of the Duke of Lerma?" + +"Nay, nay," interrupted Calderon, softly, and with a bland smile; "you +misunderstand my illustrious patron: he loves you, but not your +indiscretions." + +"Yes, honesty is very indiscreet! I cannot stoop to the life of the +ante-chamber. I cannot, like the Duke of Lerma, detest my nearest +relative if his shadow cross the line of my interests. I am of the race +of Pelayo, not Oppas; and my profession, rather that of an ancient +Persian than a modern Spaniard, is to manage the steed, to wield the +sword, and to speak the truth." + +There was an earnestness and gallantry in the young man's aspect, manner, +and voice, as he thus spoke, which afforded the strongest contrast to the +inscrutable brow and artificial softness of Calderon; and which, indeed, +for the moment, occasioned that crafty and profound adventurer an +involuntary feeling of self-humiliation. + +"But," continued Fonseca, "let this pass: I come to my story and my +request. Do you, or do you not know, that I have been for some time +attached to Beatriz Coello!" + +"Beatriz," replied Calderon, abstractedly, with an altered countenance, +"it is a sweet name--it was my mother's!" + +"Your mother's! I thought to have heard her name was Mary Sandalen?" + +"True--Mary Beatriz Sandalen," replied Calderon, indifferently. "But +proceed. I heard, after your last visit to Madrid, when, owing to my own +absence in Portugal, I was not fortunate enough to see you, that you had +offended the duke by desiring an alliance unsuitable to your birth. Who, +then, is this Beatriz Coello?" + +"An orphan of humble origin and calling. In infancy she was left to the +care of a woman who, I believe, had been her nurse; they were settled in +Seville, and the old gouvernante's labours in embroidery maintained them +both till Beatriz was fourteen. At that time the poor woman was disabled +by a stroke of palsy from continuing her labours, and Beatriz, good +child, yearning to repay the obligation she had received, in her turn +sought to maintain her protectress. She possessed the gift of a voice +wonderful for its sweetness. This gift came to the knowledge of the +superintendent of the theatre at Seville: he made her the most +advantageous proposals to enter upon the stage. Beatriz; innocent child, +was unaware of the perils of that profession: she accepted eagerly the +means that would give comfort to the declining life of her only friend-- +she became an actress. At that time we were quartered in Seville, to +keep guard on the suspected Moriscos." + +"Ah, the hated infidels!" muttered Calderon, fiercely, through his teeth. + +"I saw Beatriz, and loved her at first sight. I do not say," added +Fonseca, with a blush, "that my suit, at the outset, was that which alone +was worthy of her; but her virtue soon won my esteem as well as love. I +left Seville to seek my father and obtain his consent to a marriage with +Beatriz. You know a hidalgo's prejudices--they are insuperable. +Meanwhile, the fame of the beauty and voice of the young actress reached +Madrid, and hither she was removed from Seville by royal command. To +Madrid, then, I hastened, on the pretence of demanding promotion. You, +as you have stated, were absent in Portugal on some state mission. I +sought the Duke de Lerma. I implored him to give me some post, anywhere +--I recked not beneath what sky, in the vast empire of Spain--in which, +removed from the prejudices of birth and of class, and provided with +other means, less precarious than those that depend on the sword, I might +make Beatriz my wife. The polished duke was more inexorable than the +stern hidalgo. I flew to Beatriz; I told her I had nothing but my heart +and right hand to offer. She wept, and she refused me." + +"Because you were not rich?" + +"Shame on you, no! but because she would not consent to mar my fortunes, +and banish me from my native land. The next day I received a peremptory +order to rejoin the army, and with that order came a brevet of promotion. +Lover though I be, I am a Spaniard: to have disobeyed the order would +have been dishonour. Hope dawned upon me--I might rise, I might become +rich. We exchanged our vows of fidelity. I returned to the camp. We +corresponded. At last her letters alarmed me. Through all her reserve, +I saw that she was revolted by her profession, and terrified at the +persecutions to which it exposed her: the old woman, her sole guide and +companion, was dying: she was dejected and unhappy: she despaired of our +union: she expressed a desire for the refuge of the cloister. At last +came this letter, bidding me farewell for ever. Her relation was dead; +and, with the little money she had amassed, she had bought her entrance +into the convent of St. Mary of the White Sword. Imagine my despair! I +obtained leave of absence--I flew to Madrid. Beatriz is already immured +in that dreary asylum; she has entered on her novitiate." + +"Is that the letter you refer to?" said Calderon, extending his hand. + +Fonseca gave him the letter. + +Hard and cold as Calderon's character had grown, there was something in +the tone of this letter--its pure and noble sentiments, its innocence, +its affection--that touched some mystic chord in his heart. He sighed as +he laid it down. + +"You are, like all of us, Don Martin," said he, with a bitter smile, "the +dupe of a woman's faith. But you must purchase experience for yourself, +and if, indeed, you ask my services to procure you present bliss and +future disappointment, those services are yours. It will not, I think, +be difficult to interest the queen in your favour: leave me this letter, +it is one to touch the heart of a woman. If we succeed with the queen, +who is the patroness of the convent, we may be sure to obtain an order +from court for the liberation of the novice: the next step is one more +arduous. It is not enough to restore Beatriz to freedom--we must +reconcile your family to the marriage. This cannot be done while she is +not noble; but letters patent (here Calderon smiled) could ennoble a +mushroom itself--your humble servant is an example. Such letters may be +bought or begged; I will undertake to procure them. Your father, too, +may find a dowry accompanying the title, in the shape of a high and +honourable post for yourself. You deserve much; you are beloved in the +army; you have won a high name in the world. I take shame on myself that +your fortunes have been overlooked. 'Out of sight out of mind;' alas! +it is a true proverb. I confess that, when I beheld you in the ante +room, I blushed for my past forgetfulness. No matter--I will repair my +fault. Men say that my patronage is misapplied--I will prove the +contrary by your promotion." + +"Generous Calderon!" said Fonseca, falteringly; "I ever hated the +judgments of the vulgar. They calumniate you; it is from envy." + +"No," said Calderon, coldly; "I am bad enough, but I am still human. +Besides, gratitude is my policy. I have always found that it is a good +way to get on in the world to serve those who serve us." + +"But the duke?" + +"Fear not; I have an oil that will smooth all the billows on that +surface. As for the letter, I say, leave it with me; I will show it +to the queen. Let me see you again tomorrow." + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +A RIVAL. + +Calderon's eyes were fixed musingly on the door which closed on Fonseca's +martial and noble form. + +"Great contrasts among men!" said he, half aloud. "All the classes into +which naturalists ever divided the animal world contained not the variety +that exists between man and man. And yet, we all agree in one object of +our being--all prey on each other! Glory, which is but the thirst of +blood, makes yon soldier the tiger of his kind; other passions have made +me the serpent: both fierce, relentless, unscrupulous--both! hero and +courtier, valour and craft! Hein! I will serve this young man--he has +served me. When all other affection was torn from me, he, then a boy, +smiled on me and bade me love him. Why has he been so long forgotten? +He is not of the race that I abhor; no Moorish blood flows in his veins; +neither is he of the great and powerful, whom I dread; nor of the +crouching and the servile, whom I despise: he is one whom I can aid +without a blush." + +While Calderon thus soliloquised, the arras was lifted aside, and a +cavalier, on whose cheek was the first down of manhood, entered the +apartment. + +"So, Roderigo, alone! welcome back to Madrid. Nay, seat thyself, man-- +seat thyself." + +Calderon bowed with the deepest reverence; and, placing a large fauteuil +before the stranger, seated himself on stool, at a little distance. + +The new comer was of sallow complexion; his gorgeous dress sparkled with +prodigal jewels. Boy as he was, there was a yet a careless loftiness, a +haughty ease, in the gesture--the bend of the neck, the wave of the hand, +which, coupled with the almost servile homage of the arrogant favourite, +would have convinced the most superficial observer that he was born of +the highest rank. A second glance would have betrayed, in the full +Austrian lip--the high, but narrow forehead--the dark, voluptuous, but +crafty and sinister eye, the features of the descendant of Charles V. It +was the Infant of Spain that stood in the chamber of his ambitious +minion. + +"This is convenient, this private entrance into thy penetralia, Roderigo. +It shelters me from the prying eyes of Uzeda, who ever seeks to cozen the +sire by spying on the Son. We will pay him off one of these days. He +loves you no less than he does his prince." + +"I bear no malice to him for that, your highness. He covets the smiles +of the rising sun and rails at the humble object which, he thinks, +obstructs the beam." + +"He might be easy on that score: I hate the man, and his cold +formalities. He is ever fancying that we princes are intent on the +affairs of state, and forgets that we are mortal and that youth is the +age for the bower, not the council. My precious Calderon, life would be +dull without thee: how I rejoice at thy return, thou best inventor of +pleasure that satiety ever prayed for! Nay, blush not: some men despise +thee for thy talents: I do thee homage. By my great grandsire's beard, +it will be a merry time at court when I am monarch, and thou minister!" + +Calderon looked earnestly at the prince, but his scrutiny did not serve +to dispel a certain suspicion of the royal sincerity that ever and anon +came across the favourite's most sanguine dreams. With all Philip's +gaiety, there was something restrained and latent in his ambiguous smile, +and his calm, deep, brilliant eye. Calderon, immeasurably above his lord +in genius, was scarcely, perhaps, the equal of that beardless boy in +hypocrisy and craft, in selfish coldness, in matured depravity. + +"Well," resumed the prince, "I pay you not these compliments without an +object. I have need of you--great need; never did I so require your +services as at this moment; never was there so great demand on your +invention, your courage, your skill. Know, Calderon, I love!" + +"My prince," said the marquis, smiling, "it is certainly not first love. +How often has your highness--" + +"No," interrupted the prince, hastily,--"no, I never loved till now. We +never can love what we can easily win; but this, Calderon, this heart +would be a conquest. Listen. I was at the convent chapel of St. Mary of +the White Sword yesterday with the queen. Thou knowest that the abbess +once was a lady of the chamber, and the queen loves her." + +Both of us were moved and astonished by the voice of one of the choir-- +it was that of a novice. After the ceremony the queen made inquiries +touching this new Santa Cecilia; and who dost thou think she is? No; +thou wilt never guess!--the once celebrated singer--the beautiful, the +inimitable Beatriz Coello! Ah! you may well look surprised; when +actresses turn nuns, it is well-nigh time for Calderon and Philip to turn +monks. Now, you must know, Roderigo, that I, unworthy though I be, am +the cause of this conversion. There is a certain Martin Fonseca, a +kinsman of Lerma's--thou knowest him well. I learned, some time since, +from the duke, that this young Orlando was most madly enamoured of a low- +born girl--nay, desired to wed her. The duke's story moved my curiosity. +I found that it was the young Beatriz Coello, whom I had already admired +on the stage. Ah, Calderon, she blazed and set during thy dull mission +to Lisbon! I sought an opportunity to visit her. I was astonished at +her beauty, that seemed more dazzling in the chamber than on the stage. +I pressed my suit-in vain. Calderon, hear you that?--in vain! Why wert +thou not by? Thy arts never fail, my friend! She was living with an old +relation, or governante. The old relation died suddenly--I took +advantage of her loneliness--I entered her house at night. By St. Jago, +her virtue baffled and defeated me. The next morning she was gone; nor +could my researches discover her, until, at the convent of St. Mary, I +recognised the lost actress in the young novice. She has fled to the +convent to be true to Fonseca; she must fly from the convent to bless the +prince. This is my tale: I want thy aid." + +"Prince," said Calderon, gravely, "thou knowest the laws of Spain; the +rigour of the Church. I dare not--" + +"Pshaw. No scruples--my rank will bear thee harmless. Nay, look not so +demure; why, even thou, see, hast thy Armida. This billet in a female +hand--Heaven and earth Calderon! What name is this? Beatriz Coello! +Darest thou have crossed my path? Speak, sir!--speak!" + +"Your highness," said Calderon, with a mixture of respect and dignity in +his manner--"your highness, hear me. My first benefactor, my beloved +pupil, my earliest patron, was the same Don Martin Fonseca who seeks this +girl with an honest love. This morning he has visited me, to implore my +intercession on his behalf. Oh, prince! turn not away: thou knowest not +half his merit. Thou knowest not the value of such subjects--men of the +old iron race of Spain. Thou hast a noble and royal heart: be not the +rival to the defender of thy crown. Bless this brave soldier--spare this +poor orphan--and one generous act of self-denial shall give thee +absolution for a thousand pleasures." + +"This from Roderigo Calderon!" said the prince, with bitter sneer. "Man, +know thy station and thy profession. When I want homilies, I seek my +confessor; when I have resolved on a vice, I come to thee. A truce with +this bombast. For Fonseca, he shall be consoled; and when he shall learn +who is his rival, he is a traitor if he remain discontented with his lot. +Thou shalt aid me, Calderon!" + +"Your highness will pardon me--no!" + +"Do I hear right? No! Art thou not my minion--my instrument? Can I not +destroy as I have helped to raise thee? Thy fortunes have turned thy +brain. The king already suspects and dislikes thee; thy foe, Uzeda, has +his ear. The people execrate thee. If I abandon thee, thou art lost. +Look to it!" + +Calderon remained mute and erect, with his arms folded on his breast, and +his cheek flushed with suppressed passions. Philip gazed at him +earnestly, and then, muttering to himself, approached the favourite with +an altered air. + +"Come, Calderon--I have been hasty-you maddened me; I meant not to wound +you. Thou art honest, I think thou lovest me; and I will own, that in +ordinary circumstances thy advice would be good, and thy scruples +laudable. But I tell thee that I adore this girl; that I have set all my +hopes upon her; that, at whatever cost, whatever risks, she must be mine. +Wilt thou desert me? Wilt thou on whose faith I have ever leaned so +trustingly, forsake thy friend and thy prince for this brawling soldier? +No; I wrong thee." + +"Oh!" said Calderon, with much semblance of emotion, "I would lay down my +life in your service, and I have often surrendered my conscience to your +lightest will. But this would be so base a perfidy in me! He has +confided his life of life to my hands. How canst even thou count on my +faith if thou knowest me false to another?" + +"False! art thou not false to me? Have I not confided to thee, and dost +thou not desert me--nay, perhaps, betray? How wouldst thou serve this +Fonseca? How liberate the novice?" + +"By an order of the court. Your royal mother--" + +"Enough!" said the prince, fiercely; "do so. Thou shalt have leisure +for repentance." + +As he spoke, Philip strode to the door. Calderon, alarmed and anxious, +sought to detain him; but the prince broke disdainfully away, and +Calderon was again alone. + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +CIVIL AMBITION, AND ECCLESIASTICAL. + +Scarcely had the prince vanished, before the door that led from the +anteroom was opened, and an old man, in the ecclesiastical garb, entered +the secretary's cabinet. + +"Do I intrude, my son?" said the churchman. + +"No, father, no; I never more desired your presence--your counsel. It is +not often that I stand halting and irresolute between the two magnets of +interest and conscience: this is one of those rare dilemmas." + +Here Calderon rapidly narrated the substance of his conversation with +Fonseca, and of the subsequent communication with the prince. + +"You see," he said, in conclusion, "how critical is my position. On one +side, my obligations to Fonseca, my promise to a benefactor, a friend to +the boy I assisted to rear. Nor is that all: the prince asks me to +connive at the abstraction of a novice from a consecrated house. What +peril--what hazard! On the other side, if I refuse, the displeasure, the +vengeance of the prince, for whose favour I have already half forfeited +that of the king; and who, were he once to frown upon me, would encourage +all my enemies--in other phrase, the whole court--in one united attempt +at my ruin." + +"It is a stern trial," said the monk, gravely; "and one that may well +excite your fear." + +"Fear, Aliaga!--ha! ha!--fear!" said Calderon, laughing scornfully. "Did +true ambition ever know fear? Have we not the old Castilian proverb, +that tells us 'He who has climbed the first step to power has left terror +a thousand leagues behind'? No, it is not fear that renders me +irresolute; it is wisdom, and some touch, some remnant of human nature +--philosophers would call it virtue; you priests, religion." + +"Son," said the priest, "when, as one of that sublime calling, which +enables us to place our unshodden feet upon the necks of kings, I felt +that I had the power to serve and to exalt you; when as confessor to +Philip, I backed the patronage of Lerma, recommended you to the royal +notice, and brought you into the sunshine of the royal favour--it was +because I had read in your heart and brain those qualities of which the +spiritual masters of the world ever seek to avail their cause. I knew +thee brave, crafty, aspiring, unscrupulous. I knew that thou wouldest +not shrink at the means that could secure to thee a noble end. Yea, +when, years ago, in the valley of the Xenil, I saw thee bathe thy hands +in the blood of thy foe, and heard thy laugh of exulting scorn;--when I, +alone master of thy secret, beheld thee afterwards flying from thy home +stained with a second murder, but still calm, stern, and lord of thine +own reason, my knowledge of mankind told me, 'Of such men are high +converts and mighty instruments made!'" + +The priest paused; for Calderon heard him not. His cheek was livid, his +eyes closed, his chest heaved wildly. "Horrible remembrance!" he +muttered; "fatal love--dread revenge! Inez--Inez, what hast thou to +answer for!" + +"Be soothed, my son; I meant not to tear the bandage from thy wounds." + +"Who speaks?" cried Calderon, starting. "Ha, priest! priest! I thought +I heard the Dead. Talk on, talk on: talk of the world--the Inquisition-- +thy plots--the torture--the rack! Talk of aught that will lead me back +from the past." + +"No; let me for a moment lead thee thither, in order to portray the +future that awaits thee. When, at night, I found thee--the blood-stained +fugitive--cowering beneath the shadow of the forest, dost thou remember +that I laid my hand upon thine arm, and said to thee, 'Thy life is in my +power'? From that hour, thy disdain of my threats, of myself, of thine +own life--all made me view thee as one born to advance our immortal +cause. I led thee to safety far away; I won thy friendship and thy +confidence. Thou becamest one of us--one of the great Order of Jesus. +Subsequently, I placed thee as the tutor to young Fonseca, then heir to +great fortunes. The second marriage of his uncle, and the heir that by +that marriage interposed between him and the honour of his house, +rendered the probable alliance of the youth profitless to us. But thou +hadst procured his friendship. He presented thee to the Duke of Lerma. +I was just then appointed confessor to the king; I found that years had +ripened thy genius, and memory had blunted in thee all the affections of +the flesh. Above all, hating, as thou didst, the very name of the Moor, +thou wert the man of men to aid in our great design of expelling the +accursed race from the land of Spain. Enough--I served thee, and thou +didst repay us. Thou hast washed out thy crime in the blood of the +infidel--thou art safe from detection. In Roderigo Calderon, Marquis de +Siete Iglesias, who will suspect the Roderigo Nunez--the murderous +student of Salamanca? Our device of the false father stifled even +curiosity. Thou mayest wake to the future, nor tremble at one shadow in +the past. The brightest hopes are before us both; but to realise them, +we must continue the same path. We must never halt at an obstacle in our +way. We must hold that to be no crime which advances our common objects. +Mesh upon mesh we must entangle the future monarch in our web: thou, by +the nets of pleasure; I, by those of superstition. The day that sees +Philip the Fourth upon the throne, must be a day of jubilee for the +Brotherhood and the Inquisition. When thou art prime minister, and I +grand inquisitor--that time must come--we shall have the power to extend +the sway of the sect of Loyola to the ends of the Christian world. The +Inquisition itself our tool, posterity shall regard us as the apostles of +intellectual faith. And thinkest thou, that, for the attainment of these +great ends, we can have the tender scruples of common men? Perish a +thousand Fonsecas--ten thousand novices, ere thou lose, by the strength +of a hair, thy hold over the senses and soul of the licentious Philip! +At whatever hazard, save thy power; for with it are bound, as mariners to +a plank, the hopes of those who make the mind a sceptre." + +"Thy enthusiasm blinds and misleads thee, Aliaga," said Calderon, +coldly. "For me, I tell thee now, as I have told thee before, that I +care not a rush for thy grand objects. Let mankind serve itself--I look +to myself alone. But fear not my faith; my interests and my very life +are identified with thee and thy fellow-fanatics. If I desert thee, +thou art too deep in my secrets not to undo me; and were I to slay thee, +in order to silence thy testimony, I know enough of thy fraternity to +know that I should but raise up a multitude of avengers. As for this +matter, you give me wise, if not pious counsel. I will consider well of +it. Adieu! The hour summons me to attend the king." + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +THE TRUE FATA MORGANA. + +In the royal chamber, before a table covered with papers, sat the King +and his secretary. Grave, sullen, and taciturn, there was little in the +habitual manner of Philip the Third that could betray to the most +experienced courtier the outward symptoms of favour or caprice. +Education had fitted him for the cloister, but the necessities of +despotism had added acute cunning to slavish superstition. The business +for which Calderon had been summoned was despatched, with a silence +broken but by monosyllables from the king, and brief explanations from +the secretary; and Philip, rising, gave the signal for Calderon to +retire. It was then that the king, turning a dull but steadfast eye upon +the marquis, said, with a kind of effort, as if speech were painful to +him, + +"The prince left me but a minute before your entrance--have you seen him +since your return?" + +"Your majesty, yes. He honoured me this morning with his presence." + +"On state affairs?" + +Your majesty knows, I trust, that your servant treats of state affairs +only with your August self, or your appointed ministers." + +"The prince has favoured you, Don Roderigo." + +"Your majesty commanded me to seek that favour." + +"It is true. Happy the monarch whose faithful servant is the confidant +of the heir to his crown!" + +"Could the prince harbour one thought displeasing to your majesty, I +think I could detect and quell it at its birth. But your majesty is +blessed in a grateful son." + +"I believe it. His love of pleasure decoys him from ambition--so it +should be. I am not an austere parent. Keep his favour, Don Roderigo; +it pleases me. Hast thou offended him in aught?" + +"I trust I have not incurred so great a misfortune." + +"He spoke not of thee with his usual praises--I noticed it. I tell thee +this that thou mayest rectify what is wrong. Thou canst not serve me +more than by guarding him from all friendships save with those whose +affection to myself I can trust. I have said enough." + +"Such has ever been my object. Bat I have not the youth of the prince, +and men speak ill of me, that, in order to gain his confidence, I share +in his pursuits." + +"It matters not what they say of thee. Faithful ministers are rarely +eulogised by the populace or the court. Thou knowest my mind: I repeat, +lose not the prince's favour." Calderon bowed low, and withdrew. As he +passed through the apartments of the palace, he crossed a gallery, in +which he perceived, stationed by a window, the young prince and his own +arch-foe, the Duke d'Uzeda. At the same instant, from an opposite door, +entered the Cardinal-Duke de Lerma; and the same unwelcome conjunction of +hostile planets smote the eyes of that intriguing minister. Precisely +because Uzeda was the duke's son was he the man in the world whom the +duke most dreaded and suspected. + +Whoever is acquainted with the Spanish comedy will not fail to have +remarked the prodigality of intrigue and counter-intrigue upon which its +interest is made to depend. In this, the Spanish comedy was the faithful +mirror of the Spanish life, especially in the circles of a court. Men +lived in a perfect labyrinth of plot and counter-plot. The spirit of +finesse, manoeuvre, subtlety, and double-dealing pervaded every family. +Not a house that was not divided against itself. + +As Lerma turned his eyes from the unwelcome spectacle of such sudden +familiarity between Uzeda and the heir-apparent--a familiarity which it +had been his chief care to guard against--his glance fell on Calderon. +He beckoned to him in silence, and retired, unobserved by the two +confabulators, through the same door by which he had entered. Calderon +took the hint, and followed him. The duke entered a small room, and +carefully closed the door. + +"How is this, Calderon?" he asked, but in a timid tone, for the weak old +man stood in awe of his favourite. "Whence this new and most ill-boding +league?" + +"I know not, your eminence; remember that I am but just returned to +Madrid: it amazes me no less than it does your eminence." + +"Learn the cause of it, my good Calderon: the prince ever professed to +hate Uzeda. Restore him to those feelings thou art all in all with his +highness! If Uzeda once gain his ear, thou art lost." + +"Not so," cried Calderon, proudly. "My service is to the king; I have a +right to his royal protection, for I have a claim on his royal +gratitude." + +"Do not deceive thyself," said the duke, in a whisper. "The king cannot +live long: I have it from the best authority, his physician; nor is this +all--a formidable conspiracy against thee exists at court. But for +myself and the king's confessor, Philip would consent to thy ruin. The +strong hold thou hast over him is in thy influence with the Infanta-- +influence which he knows to be exerted on behalf of his own fearful and +jealous policy; that influence gone, neither I nor Aliaga could suffice +to protect thee. Enough! Shut every access to Philip's heart against +Uzeda." Calderon bowed in silence, and the duke hastened to the royal +cabinet. + +"What a fool was I to think that I could still wear a conscience!" +muttered Calderon, with a sneering lip; "but, Uzeda, I will baffle thee +yet." + +The next morning, the Marquis de Siete Iglesias presented himself at the +levee of the prince of Spain. + +Around the favourite, as his proud stature towered above the rest, +flocked the obsequious grandees. The haughty smile was yet on his lip +when the door opened and the prince entered. The crowd, in parting +suddenly, left Calderon immediately in front of Philip; who, after gazing +on him sternly for a moment, turned away, with marked discourtesy, from +the favourite's profound reverence, and began a low and smiling +conversation with Gonsalez de Leon, one of Calderon's open foes. + +The crowd exchanged looks of delight and surprise; and each or the +nobles, before so wooing in their civilities to the minister, edged +cautiously away. + +His mortification had but begun. Presently Uzeda, hitherto almost a +stranger to those apartments, appeared; the prince hastened to him, and +in a few minutes the duke was seen following the prince into his private +chamber. The sun of Calderon's favour seemed set. So thought the +courtiers: not so the haughty favourite. There was even a smile of +triumph on his lip--a sanguine flush upon his pale cheek, as he turned +unheeding from the throng, and then entering his carriage, regained his +home. + +He had scarcely re-entered his cabinet, ere, faithful to his appointment, +Fonseca was announced. + +"What tidings, my best of friends?" exclaimed the soldier. + +Calderon shook his head mournfully. + +"My dear pupil," said he, in accents of well-affected sympathy, "there is +no hope for thee. Forget this vain dream--return to the army. I can +promise thee promotion, rank, honours; but the hand of Beatriz is beyond +my power." + +"How?" said Fonseca, turning pale and sinking into a seat. "How is this? +Why so sudden a change? Has the queen--" + +"I have not seen her majesty; but the king is resolved upon this matter: +so are the Inquisition. The Church complains of recent and numerous +examples of unholy and im politic relaxation of her dread power. The +court dare not interfere. The novice must be left to her own choice." + +"And there is no hope?" + +"None! Return to the excitement of thy brave career." + +"Never!" cried Fonseca, with great vehemence. "If, in requital of all my +services--of life risked, blood spilt, I cannot obtain a boon so easy to +accord me, I renounce a service in which even fame has lost its charm. +And hark you, Calderon, I tell you that I will not forego this pursuit. +So fair, so innocent a victim shall not be condemned to that living tomb. +Through the walls of the nunnery, through the spies of the Inquisition, +love will find out its way; and in some distant land I will yet unite +happiness and honour. I fear not exile; I fear not reverse; I no longer +fear poverty itself. All lands, where the sound of the trumpet is not +unknown, can afford career to the soldier, who asks from Heaven no other +boon but his mistress and his sword." + +"You will seek to abstract Beatriz, then?" said Calderon, calmly and +musingly. "Yes--it may be your best course, if you take the requisite +precautions. But can you see her? can you concert with her?" + +"I think so. I trust I have already paved the way to an interview. +Yesterday, after I quitted thee, I sought the convent; and, as the chapel +is one of the public sights of the city, I made my curiosity my excuse. +Happily, I recognised in the porter of the convent an old servitor of my +father's; he had known me from a child--he dislikes his calling--he will +consent to accompany our flight, to share our fortunes: he has promised +to convey a letter from me to Beatriz, and to transmit to me her answer." + +"The stars smile on thee, Don Martin. When thou hast learned more, +consult with me again. Now, I see a way to assist thee." + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + +WEB UPON WEB. + +The next day, to the discomfiture of the courtiers, Calderon and the +Infant of Spain were seen together, publicly, on the parade; and the +secretary made one of the favoured few who attended the prince at the +theatre. His favour was greater, his power more dazzling than ever it +had been known before. No cause for the breach and reconciliation being +known, some attributed it to caprice, others to the wily design of the +astute Calderon for the humiliation of Uzeda, who seemed only to have +been admitted to one smile from the rising sun in order more signally to +be reconsigned to the shade. + +Meanwhile, Fonseca prospered almost beyond his hopes. Young, ardent, +sanguine, the poor novice had fled from her quiet home and the indulgence +of her free thoughts, to the chill solitude of the cloister, little +dreaming of the extent of the change. With a heart that overflowed with +the warm thoughts of love and youth, the ghostlike shapes that flitted +round her, the icy forms, the rigid ceremonials of that life, which is +but the mimicry of death, appalled and shocked her. That she had +preserved against a royal and most perilous, because unscrupulous suitor, +her fidelity to the absent Fonseca, was her sole consolation. + +Another circumstance had combined with the loss of her protectress and +the absence of Don Martin to sadden her heart and dispose her to the +cloister. On the deathbed of the old woman, who had been to her as a +mother, she had learned a secret hitherto concealed from her tender +youth. Dark and tragic were the influences of the star which had shone +upon her birth, gloomy the heritage of memories associated with her +parentage. A letter, of which she now became the guardian and treasurer +--a letter, in her mother's hand-woke tears more deep and bitter than she +had ever shed for herself. In that letter she read the strength and the +fidelity, the sorrow and the gloom, of woman's love; and a dreary +foreboding told her that the shadow of the mother's fate was cast over +the child's. Such were the thoughts that made the cloister welcome, till +the desolation of the shelter was tried and known. But when, through the +agency of the porter, Fonseca's letter reached her, all other feelings +gave way to the burst of natural and passionate emotion. The absent had +returned, again wooed, was still faithful. The awful vow was not spoken +--she might yet be his. She answered; she chided; she spoke of doubt, of +peril, of fear for him, of maiden shame; but her affection coloured every +word, and the letter was full of hope. The correspondence continued; the +energetic remonstrances of Fonseca, the pure and fervent attachment of +the novice, led more and more rapidly and surely to the inevitable +result. Beatriz yielded to the prayer of her lover; she consented to the +scheme of escape and flight that he proposed. + +Late at evening Fonseca sought Calderon. The marquis was in the gardens +of his splendid mansion. + +The moonlight streamed over many a row of orange-trees and pomegranates-- +many a white and richly sculptured vase, on its marble pedestal--many a +fountain, that scattered its low music round the breathless air. Upon a +terrace that commanded a stately view of the spires and palaces of Madrid +stood Calderon, alone; beside him, one solitary and gigantic aloe cast +its deep gloom of shade and his motionless attitude, his folded arms, his +face partially lifted to the starlit heavens, bespoke the earnestness and +concentration of his thoughts. + +"Why does this shudder come over me?" said, he, half aloud. "It was thus +in that dismal hour which preceded the knowledge of my shame--the deed of +a dark revenge--the revolution of my eventful and wondrous life! Ah! how +happy was I once! a contented and tranquil student; a believer in those +eyes that were to me as the stars to the astrologer. But the golden age +passed into that of iron. And now," added Calderon, with a self-mocking +sneer, "comes the era which the poets have not chronicled; for fraud, and +hypocrisy, and vice, know no poets!" + +The quick step of Fonseca interrupted the courtier's reverie. He turned, +knit his brow, and sighed heavily, as if nerving himself to some effort; +but his brow was smooth, and his aspect cheerful, ere Fonseca reached his +side. + +"Give me joy--give me joy, dear Calderon! she has consented. Now, then, +your promised aid." + +"You can depend upon the fidelity of your friendly porter? + +"With my life." + +"A master key to the back-door of the chapel has been made?" + +"See, I have it." + +"And Beatriz can contrive to secrete herself in the confessional at the +hour of the night prayers?" + +"There is no doubt of her doing so with safety. The number of the +novices is so great, that one of them cannot well be missed." + +"So much, then, for your part of the enterprise. Now for mine. You know +that solitary house in the suburbs, on the high road to Fuencarral, which +I pointed out to you yesterday? Well, the owner is a creature of mine. +There, horses shall be in waiting; there, disguises shall be prepared. +Beatriz must necessarily divest herself of the professional dress; you +had better choose meaner garments for yourself. Drop those hidalgo +titles of which your father is so proud, and pass off yourself and the +novice as a notary and his wife, about to visit France on a lawsuit of +inheritance. One of my secretaries shall provide you with a pass. +Meanwhile, to-morrow, I shall be the first officially to hear of the +flight of the novice, and I will set the pursuers on a wrong scent. Have +I not arranged all things properly, my Fonseca?" + +"You are our guardian angel!" cried Don Martin, fervently. "The prayers +of Beatriz will be registered in your behalf above--prayers that will +reach the Great Throne as easily from the open valleys of France as in +the gloomy cloisters of Madrid. At midnight, to-morrow, then, we seek +the house you have described to us." + +"Ay, at midnight, all shall be prepared." + +With a light step and exulting heart, Fonseca turned from the, palace of +Calderon. Naturally sanguine and high-spirited, visions of hope and joy +floated before his eyes, and the future seemed to him a land owning but +the twin deities of Glory and Love. + +He had reached about the centre of the streets in which Calderon's abode +was placed, when six men, who for some moments had been watching him from +a little distance, approached. + +"I believe," said the one who appeared the chief of the band, "that I +have the honor to address Senior Don Martin Fonseca?" + +"Such is my name." + +"In the name of the king we arrest you. Follow us." + +"Arrest! on what plea? What is my offence?" + +"It is stated on this writ, signed by his Eminence the Cardinal-Duke de +Lerma. You are charged with the crime of desertion." + +"Thou liest, knave! I had the general's free permission to quit the +camp." + +"We have said all--follow!" + +Fonseca, naturally of the most impetuous and passionate character, was +not, in that moment, in a mood to calculate coldly all the consequences +of resistance. Arrest--imprisoninent--on the eve before that which was +to see him the deliverer of Beatriz, constituted a sentence of such +despair, that all other considerations vanished before it. He set his +teeth firmly, drew his sword, dashed aside the alguazil who attempted to +obstruct his path, and strode grimly on, shaking one clenched hand in +defiance, while, with the other, he waved the good Toledo that had often +blazed in the van of battle, at the war-cry of "St. Iago and Spain!" + +The alguazils closed round the soldier, and the clash of swords was +already heard; when suddenly torches borne on high threw their glare +across the moonlit street, and two running footmen called out, "Make way +for the most noble the Marquis de Siete Iglesias!" At that name, Fonseca +dropped the point of his weapon; the alguazils themselves drew aside; and +the tall figure and pale countenance of Calderon were visible amongst the +group. + +"What means this brawl in the open streets at this late hour?" said the +minister, sternly. + +"Calderon!" exclaimed Fonseca; "this is indeed fortunate. These caitiffs +have dared to lay hands on a soldier of Spain, and to forge for their +villany the name of his own kinsman, the Duke de Lerma." + +"Your charge against this gentleman?" asked Calderon, calmly, turning to +the principal alguazil, who placed the writ of arrest in the secretary's +hand. Calderon read it leisurely, and raised his hat as he returned it +to the alguazil: he then drew aside Fonseca. + +"Are you mad?" said he, in a whisper. "Do you think you can resist the +law? Had I not arrived so opportunely you would have converted a slight +accusation into a capital offence. Go with these men: do not fear; I +will see the duke, and obtain your immediate release. To-morrow I will +visit and accompany you home." + +Fonseca, still half beside himself with rage, would have replied, but +Calderon significantly placed his finger on his lip and turned to the +alguazils. + +"There is a mistake here: it will be rectified to-morrow. Treat this +cavalier with all the respect and worship due to his birth and merits. +Go, Don Martin, go," he added, in a lower voice; "go, unless you desire +to lose Beatriz for ever. Nothing but obedience can save you from the +imprisonment of half a life!" + +Awed and sudbued by this threat, Fonseca, in gloomy silence, placed his +sword in its sheath, and sullenly followed the alguazils. Calderon +watched them depart with a thoughtful and absent look; then, starting +from his reverie, he bade his torchbearers proceed, and resumed his way +to the Prince of Spain. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +THE OPEN COUNTENANCE, THE CONCEALED THOUGHTS + +The next day, at noon, Calderon visited Fonseca in his place of +confinement. The young man was seated by a window that overlooked a +large dull court-yard, with a neglected and broken fountain in the +centre, leaning his cheek upon his hand. His long hair was dishevelled, +his dress disordered, and a gloomy frown darkened features naturally open +and ingenuous. He started to his feet as Calderon approached. "My +release--you have brought my release--let us forth!" + +"My dear pupil, be ruled, be calm. I have seen the duke: the cause of +your imprisonment is as I suspected. Some imprudent words, overheard, +perhaps, but by your valet, have escaped you; words intimating your +resolution not to abandon Beatriz. You know your kinsman, a mail of +doubts and fears,--of forms, ceremonies, and scruples. From very +affection for his kindred and yourself he has contrived your arrest; +all my expostulations have been in vain. I fear your imprisonment may +continue, either until you give a solemn promise to renounce all endeavor +to dissuade Beatriz from the final vows, or until she herself has +pronounced them." + +Fonseca, as if stupefied, stared a moment at Calderon, and then burst +into a wild laugh. Calderon continued: + +"Nevertheless, do not despair. Be patient; I am ever about the duke; +nay, I have the courage, in your cause, to appeal even to the king +himself." + +"And to-night she expects me--to-night she was to be free!" + +"We can convey the intelligence of your mischance to her: the porter will +befriend you." + +"Away, false friend, or powerless protector, that you are! Are your +promises of aid come to this? But I care not; my case, my wrongs, shall +be laid before the king; I will inquire if it be thus that Philip the +Third treats the defenders of his crown. Don Roderigo Calderon, will you +place my memorial in the hands of your royal master? Do this, and I will +thank you." + +"No, Fonseca, I will not ruin you; the king would pass your memorial to +the Duke de Lerma. Tush! this is not the way that men of sense deal with +misfortune. Think you I should be what I now am, if, in every reverse, I +had raved, and not reflected? Sit down, and let us think of what can now +be done." + +"Nothing, unless the prison door open by sunset!" + +"Stay, a thought strikes me. The term of your imprisonment ceases when +you relinquish the hope of Beatriz. But what if the duke could believe +that Beatriz relinquished you? What, for instance, if she fled from the +convent, as you proposed, and we could persuade the duke that it was with +another?" + +"Ah! be silent!" + +"Nay, what advantages in this scheme--what safety! If she fly alone, +or, as supposed, with another lover, the duke will have no interest in +pursuit, in punishment. She is not of that birth that the state will +take the trouble, very actively, to interfere: she may reach France in +safety; ay, a thousand times more safely than if she fled with you, a +hidalgo and a man of rank, whom the state would have an interest to +reclaim, and to whom the Inquisition, hating the nobles, would impute the +crime of sacrilege. It is an excellent thought! Your imprisonment may +be the salvation of you both: your plan may succeed still better without +your intervention; and, after a few days, the duke, believing that your +resentment must necessarily replace your love, will order your release; +you can join Beatriz on the frontier, and escape with her to France." + +"But," said Fonseca, struck, but not convinced, by the suggestion of +Calderon, "who will take my place with Beatriz? who penetrate into the +gardens? who bear her from the convent?" + +"That, for your sake, will I do. Perhaps," added Calderon, smiling, "a +courtier may manage such an intrigue with even more dexterity than a +soldier. I will bear her to the house we spoke of; there I know she can +lie hid in safety, till the languid pursuit of uninterested officials +shall cease, and thence I can easily find means to transport her, under +safe and honourable escort, to any place it may please you to appoint." + +"And think you Beatriz will fly with you, a stranger? Impossible! Your +plan pleases me not." + +"Nor does it please me," said Calderon, coldly; "the risks I proposed to +run are too imminent to be contemplated complacently: I thank you for +releasing me from my offer; nor should I have made it, Fonseca, but from +this fear, what if to-morrow the duke himself (he is a churchman, +remember) see the novice? what if he terrify her with threats against +yourself? what if he induce the abbess and the Church to abridge the +novitiate? what if Beatriz be compelled or awed into taking the veil? +what if you be released even next week and find her lost to you for +ever?" + +"They cannot--they dare not!" + +"The duke dares all things for ambition; your alliance with Beatriz he +would hold a disgrace to his house. Think not my warnings are without +foundation--I speak from authority; such is the course the Duke de Lerma +has resolved upon. Nothing else could have induced me to offer to brave +for your sake all the hazard of outraging the law and braving the terrors +of the Inquisition. But let us think of some other plan. Is your escape +possible? I fear not. No; you must trust to my chance of persuading the +duke into prosecuting the matter no further; trust to some mightier +scheme engrossing all his thoughts; to a fit of good-humour after his +siesta; or, perhaps, an attack of the gout, or a stroke of apoplexy. +Such, after all, are the chances of human felicity, the pivots on which +turns the solemn wheel of human life." + +Fonseca made no reply for some moments; he traversed the room with hasty +and disordered strides, and at last stopped abruptly. + +"Calderon, there is no option; I must throw myself on your generosity, +your faith, your friendship. I will write to Beatriz; I will tell her, +for my sake, to confide in you." + +As he spoke, Don Martin turned to the table, and wrote a hasty and +impassioned note, in which he implored the novice to trust herself to the +directions of Don Roderigo Calderon, his best, his only friend; and, as +he placed this letter in the hands of the courtier he turned aside to +conceal his emotions. Calderon himself was deeply moved: his cheek was +flushed, and his hand seemed tremulous as it took the letter. + +"Remember," said Fonseca, "that I trust to you my life of life. As you +are true to me, may Heaven be merciful to you!" + +Calderon made no answer, but turned to the door. "Stay," said Fonseca; +"I had forgot this--here is the master key." + +"True; how dull I was! And the porter--will he attend to thy proxy?" + +"Doubt it not. Accost him with the word, 'Grenada.' But he expects to +share the flight." + +"That can be arranged. To-morrow you will hear of my success. +Farewell!" + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +THE ESCAPE + +It was midnight in the chapel of the convent. + +The moonlight shone with exceeding lustre through the tall casements, and +lit into a ghastly semblance of life the marble images of saint and +martyr, that threw their long shadows over the consecrated floor. +Nothing could well be conceived more dreary, solemn, and sepulchral than +that holy place: its distained and time-hallowed walls; the impenetrable +mass of darkness that gathered into those recesses which the moonlight +failed to reach; its antique and massive tombs, above which reclined the +sculptured effigies of some departed patroness or abbess, who had +exchanged a living grave for the Mansions of the Blest. But there--oh, +wonderful human heart!--even there, in that spot, the very homily and +warning against earthly affections and mortal hopes--even there, couldst +thou beat with as wild, as bright, and as pure a passion as ever heaved +the breast and shone in the eyes of Beauty, in the free air that ripples +the Guadiana, or amidst the twilight dance of Castilian maids. + +A tall figure, wrapped from head to foot in a cloak, passed slowly up the +aisle. But light and cautious though the footstep, it woke a low, +hollow, ominous echo, that seemed more than the step itself to disturb +the sanctity of the place. It paused opposite to a confessional, which +was but dimly visible through the shadows around it. And then there +emerged timidly a female form; and a soft voice whispered "It is thou, +Fonseca!" + +"Hist!" was the answer; "he waits without. Be quick; speak not--come." + +Beatriz recoiled in surprise and alarm at the voice of a stranger; but +the man, seizing her by the hand, drew her hastily from the chapel, and +hurried her across the garden, through a small postern door, which stood +ajar, into an obscure street bordering the convent wall. Here stood the +expectant porter, with a bundle in his hand, which he opened, and took +thence a long cloak, such as the women of middling rank in Madrid wore in +the winter season, with the customary mantilla or veil. With these, +still without speaking, the stranger hastily shrouded the form of the +novice, and once more hurried her on till about a hundred yards from the +garden gate be came to a carriage, into which he lifted Beatriz, +whispered a few words to the porter, seated himself by the side of the +novice, and the vehicle drove rapidly away. + +It was some moments before Beatriz could sufficiently recover from her +first agitation and terror, to feel alive to all the strangeness of her +situation. She was alone with a stranger; where was Fonseca? She turned +towards her companion. + +"Who art thou?" she said, "whither art thou leading me-and why--" + +"Why is not Don Martin by thy side? Pardon me, senora: I have a billet +for thee from Fonseca; in a few minutes thou wilt know all." + +At this time the vehicle came suddenly in the midst of a train of footmen +and equipages that choked up the way. There was a brilliant +entertainment at the French embassy; and thither flocked, all the rank +and chivalry of Madrid. Calderon drew down the blind and hastily +enjoined silence on Beatriz. It was some minutes before the driver +extricated himself from the throng; and then, as if to make amends for +the delay, he put his horses to their full speed, and carefully selected +the most obscure and solitary thoroughfares. At length, the carriage +entered the range of suburbs which still at this day the traveller passes +on his road from Madrid to France. The horses stopped before a lonely +house that stood a little apart from the road, and which from the fashion +of its architecture appeared of considerable antiquity. The stranger +descended and knocked twice at the door: it was opened by an old man, +whose exaggerated features, bended frame, and long beard, proclaimed him +of the race of Israel. After a short and whispered parley, the stranger +returned to Beatriz, gravely assisted her from the carriage, and, leading +her across the threshold, and up a flight of rude stairs, dimly lighted, +entered a chamber richly furnished. The walls were hung with stuffs of +gorgeous colouring and elaborate design. Pedestals of the whitest marble +placed at each corner of the room supported candelabra of silver. The +sofas and couches were of the heavy but sumptuous fashion which then +prevailed in the palaces of France and Spain; and of which Venice (the +true model of the barbaric decorations with which Louis the Fourteenth +corrupted the taste of Paris) was probably the original inventor. In an +alcove, beneath a silken canopy, was prepared a table, laden with wines, +fruits, and viands; and altogether the elegance and luxury that +characterised the apartment were in strong and strange contrast with the +half-ruined exterior of the abode, the gloomy and rude approach to the +chamber, and the mean and servile aspect of the Jew, who stood, or rather +cowered by the door, as if waiting for further orders. With a wave of +the hand the stranger dismissed the Israelite; and then, approaching +Beatriz, presented to her Fonseca's letter. + +As with an enchanting mixture of modesty and eagerness Beatriz, half +averting her face, bent over the well-known characters, Calderon gazed +upon her with a scrutinising and curious eye. + +The courtier was not, in this instance, altogether the villain that from +outward appearances the reader may have deemed him. His plan was this: +he had resolved on compliance with the wishes of the prince--his safety +rested on that compliance. But Fonseca was not to be sacrificed without +reserve. Profoundly despising womankind, and firmly persuaded of their +constitutional treachery and deceit, Calderon could not believe the +actress that angel of light and purity which she seemed to the enamoured +Fonseca. He had resolved to subject her to the ordeal of the prince's +addresses. If she fell, should he not save his friend from being the +dupe of an artful _intriguante_?--should he not deserve the thanks of Don +Martin for the very temptation to which Beatriz was now to be submitted? +If he could convince Fonseca of her falsehood, he should stand acquitted +to his friend, while he should have secured his interest with the prince. +But if, on the other hand, Beatriz came spotless through the trial; if +the prince, stung by her obstinate virtue, should menace to sink +courtship into violence, Calderon knew that it would not be in the first +or second interview that the novice would have any real danger to +apprehend; and he should have leisure to concert her escape by such means +as would completely conceal from the prince his own connivance at her +flight. Such was the compromise that Calderon had effected between his +conscience and his ambition. But while he gazed upon the novice, though +her features were turned from him, and half veiled by the headdress she +had assumed, strange feelings, ominous and startling, like those +remembrances of the Past which sometimes come in the guise of prophecies +of the Future, thronged, indistinct and dim, upon his breast. The +unconscious and exquisite grace of her form, its touching youth, an air +of innocence diffused around it, a something helpless, and pleading to +man's protection, in the very slightness of her beautiful but fairy-like +proportions, seemed to reproach his treachery, and to awaken whatever of +pity or human softness remained in his heart. + +The novice had read the letter; and turning, in the impulse of surprise +and alarm, to Calderon for explanation, for the first time she remarked +his features and his aspect; for he had then laid aside his cloak, and +the broad Spanish hat with its heavy plume. It was thus that their eyes +met, and, as they did so, Beatriz, starting from her seat, uttered a wild +cry-- + +"And thy name is Calderon--Don Roderigo Calderon?--is it possible? Hadst +thou never another name?" she exclaimed; and, as she spoke, she +approached him slowly and fearfully. + +"Lady, Calderon is my name," replied the marquis: but his voice faltered. +"But thine--thine--is it, in truth, Beatriz Coello?" + +Beatriz made no reply, but continued to advance, till her very breath +came upon his cheek; she then laid her hand upon his arm, and looked up +into his face with a gaze so earnest, so intent, so prolonged, that +Calderon, but for a strange and terrible thought--half of wonder, half of +suspicion, which had gradually crept into his soul, and now usurped it-- +might have doubted whether the reason of the poor novice was not +unsettled. + +Slowly Beatriz withdrew her eyes, and they fell upon a large mirror +opposite, which reflected in full light the features of Calderon and +herself. It was then--her natural bloom having faded into a paleness +scarcely less statue-like than that which characterised the cheek of +Calderon himself, and all the sweet play and mobility of feature that +belong to first youth being replaced by a rigid and marble stillness of +expression--it was then that a remarkable resemblance between these two +persons became visible and startling. That resemblance struck alike, and +in the same instant, both Beatriz and Calderon; and both, gazing on the +mirror, uttered an involuntary and simultaneous exclamation. + +With a trembling and hasty hand the novice searched amidst the folds of +her robe, and drew forth a small leathern case, closed with clasps of +silver. She touched the spring, and took out a miniature, upon which she +cast a rapid and wild glance; then, lifting her eyes to Calderon, she +cried, "It must be so--it is, it is my father!" and fell motionless at +his feet. + +Calderon did not for some moments heed the condition of the novice: that +chamber, the meditated victim, the present time, the coming evil--all +were swept away from his soul; he was transported back into the past, +with the two dread Spirits, Memory and Conscience! His knees knocked +together, his aspect was livid, the cold drops stood upon his brow; he +muttered incoherently and then bent down, and took up the picture. It +was the face of a man in the plain garb of a Salamanca student, and in +the first flush of youth; the noble brow, serene and calm, and stamped +alike with candour and courage; the smooth cheek, rich with the hues of +health; the lips, parting in a happy smile, and eloquent of joy and hope; +it was the face of that wily, grasping, ambitious, unscrupulous man, when +life had yet brought no sin; it was, as if the ghost of youth were come +back to accuse the crimes of manhood! The miniature fell from his hand-- +he groaned aloud. Then gazing on the prostrate form of the novice, he +said--"Poor wretch! can I believe that thou art indeed of mine own race +and blood; or rather, does not nature, that stamped these lineaments on +thy countenance, deceive and mock me? If she, thy mother, lied, why not +nature herself?" + +He raised the novice in his arms, and gazed long and wistfully upon her +lifeless, but almost lovely features. She moved not--she scarcely seemed +to breathe; yet he fancied he felt her embrace tightening round him--he +fancied he heard again the voice that had hailed him "FATHER!" His heart +beat aloud, the divine instinct overpowered all things, he pressed a +passionate kiss upon her forehead, and his tears fell fast and warm upon +her cheek. But again the dark remembrance crossed him, and he shuddered, +placed the novice hastily on one of the couches, and shouted aloud. + +The Jew appeared and was ordered to summon Jacinta. A young woman of the +same persuasion, and of harsh and forbidding exterior, entered, and to +her care Calderon briefly consigned the yet insensible Beatriz. + +While Jacinta unlaced the dress, and chafed the temples, of the novice, +Calderon seemed buried in gloomy thought. At last he strode slowly away, +as if to quit the chamber, when his foot struck against the case of the +picture, and his eye rested upon a paper which lay therein, folded and +embedded. He took it up, and, lifting aside the hangings, hurried into a +small cabinet lighted by a single lamp. Here, alone and unseen, Calderon +read the following letter: + + +"TO RODERIGO NUNEZ. + +"Will this letter ever meet thine eyes? I know not; but it is comfort to +write to thee on the bed of death; and were it not for that horrible and +haunting thought that thou believest me--me whose very life was in thy +love--faithless and dishonoured, even death itself would be the sweeter +because it comes from the loss of thee. Yes, something tells me that +these lines will not be written in vain; that thou wilt read them yet, +when this hand is still and this brain at rest, and that then thou wilt +feel that I could not have dared to write to thee if I were not innocent; +that in every word thou wilt recognise the evidence that is strong as the +voice of thousands,--the simple but solemn evidence of faith and truth. +What! when for thee I deserted all--home, and a father's love, wealth, +and the name I had inherited from Moors who had been monarchs in their +day--couldst thou think that I had not made the love of thee the core, +and life, and principle of my very being! And one short year, could that +suffice to shake my faith?--one year of marriage, but two months of +absence? You left me, left that dear home, by the silver Xenil. For +love did not suffice to you; ambition began to stir within you, and you +called it 'love.' You said, 'It grieved you that I was poor; that you +could not restore to me the luxury and wealth I had lost.' (Alas! why +did you turn so incredulously from my assurance, that in you, and you +alone, were centred my ambition and pride?) You declared that the vain +readers of the stars had foretold at your cradle that you were +predestined to lofty honours and dazzling power, and that the prophecy +would work out its own fulfilment. You left me to seek in Madrid your +relation who had risen into the favour of a minister, and from whose love +you expected to gain an opening to your career. Do you remember how we +parted? how you kissed away my tears, and how they gushed forth again? +how again and again you said, 'Farewell!' and again and again returned as +if we could never part? And I took my babe, but a few weeks born, from +her cradle, and placed her in thy arms, and bade thee see that she had +already learned thy smile; and were these the signs of falsehood? Oh, +how I pined for the sound of thy footstep when thou wert gone! how all +the summer had vanished from the landscape; and how, turning to thy +child, I fancied I again beheld thee! The day after thou hadst left me +there was a knock at the cottage; the nurse opened it, and there entered +your former rival, whom my father had sought to force upon me, the +richest of the descendants of the Moor, Arraez Ferrares. Why linger on +this hateful subject? He had tracked us to our home, he had learned thy +absence, he came to insult me with his vows. By the Blessed Mother, whom +thou hast taught me to adore, by the terror and pang of death, by my +hopes of Heaven, I am innocent, Roderigo, I am innocent! Oh, how couldst +thou be so deceived? He quitted the cottage, discomfited and enraged; +again he sought me, and again and again; and when the door was closed +upon him, he waylaid my steps. Lone and defenceless as we were, thy wife +and child, with but one attendant I feared him not; but I trembled at thy +return, for I knew that thou went a Spaniard, a Castilian, and that +beneath thy calm and gentle seeming lurked pride, and jealousy, and +revenge. Thy letter came, the only letter since thy absence, the last +letter from thee I may ever weep over, and lay upon my heart. Thy +relation was dead, and his wealth enriched a nearer heir. Thou wert to +return. The day in which I might expect thee approached--it arrived. +During the last week I had seen and heard no more of Ferrares. I trusted +that he had at length discovered the vanity of his pursuit. I walked +into the valley, thy child in my arms, to meet thee; but thou didst not +come. The sun set, and the light of thine eyes replaced not the +declining day. I returned home, and watched for thee all night, but in +vain. The next morning again I went forth into the valley, and again, +with a sick heart, returned to my desolate home. It was then noon. As I +approached the door I perceived Ferrares. He forced his entrance. I +told him of thy expected return, and threatened him with thy resentment. +He left me; and, terrified with a thousand vague forebodings, I sat down +to weep. The nurse, Leonarda, was watching by the cradle of our child in +the inner room. + +"I was alone. Suddenly the door opened. I heard thy step; I knew it; I +knew its music. I started up. Saints of Heaven! what a meeting--what a +return! Pale, haggard, thine hands and garments dripping blood, thine +eyes blazing with insane fire, a terrible smile of mockery on thy lip, +thou stoodst before me. I would have thrown myself on thy breast; thou +didst cast me from thee; I fell on my knees, and thy blade was pointed at +my heart--the heart so full of thee! 'He is dead,' didst thou say, in a +hollow voice; 'he is dead--thy paramour--take thy bed beside him!' I +know not what I said, but it seemed to move thee; thy hand trembled, and +the point of thy weapon dropped. It was then that, hearing thy voice, +Leonarda hastened into the room, and bore in her arms thy child. 'See,' +I exclaimed, 'see thy daughter; see, she stretches her hands to thee--she +pleads for her mother!' At that sight thy brow became dark, the demon +seized upon thee again. 'Mine!' were thy cruel words--they ring in my +ear still--'no! she was born before the time--ha! ha!--thou didst betray +me from the first!' With that thou didst raise thy sword; but, even then +(ah, blessed thought! even then) remorse and love palsied thy hand, and +averted thy gaze: the blow was not that of death. I fell senseless to +the ground, and when I recovered thou wert gone. Delirium succeeded; and +when once more my senses and reason returned to me, I found by my side a +holy priest, and from him, gradually, I learned all that till then was +dare. Ferrares had been found in the valley, weltering in his blood. +Borne to a neighbouring monastery, be lingered a few days, to confess the +treachery he had practised on thee; to adopt, in his last hours, the +Christian faith; and to attest his crime with his own signature. He +enjoined the monk, who had converted and confessed him, to place this +proof of my innocence in my hands. Behold it enclosed within. If this +letter ever reach thee, thou wilt learn how thy wife was true to thee in +life, and has therefore the right to bless thee in death." + + +At this passage, Calderon dropped the letter, and was seized with a kind +of paralysis, which for some moments seemed to deprive him of life +itself. When he recovered he eagerly grasped a scroll that was enclosed +in the letter, but which, hitherto, he had disregarded. Even then, so +strong were his emotions, that sight itself was obscured and dimmed, and +it was long before he could read the characters, which were already +discoloured by time. + + + +"TO INEZ. + +"I have but a few hours to live,--let me spend them in atonement and in +prayer, less for myself than thee. Thou knowest not how madly I adored +thee; and how thy hatred or indifference stung every passion into +torture. Let this pass. When I saw thee again--the forsaker of thy +faith--poor, obscure, and doomed to a peasant's lot--daring hopes shaped +themselves into fierce resolves. Finding that thou wert inexorable, I +turned my arts upon thy husband. I knew his poverty and his ambition: we +Moors have had ample knowledge of the avarice of the Christians'. I bade +one whom I could trust to seek him out at Madrid. Wealth--lavish wealth +--wealth that could open to a Spaniard all the gates of power was offered +to him if he would renounce thee forever. Nay, in order to crush out all +love from his breast, it was told him that mine was the prior right--that +thou hadst yielded to my suit ere thou didst fly with him--that thou +didst use his love as an escape from thine own dishonour--that thy very +child owned another father. I had learned, and I availed myself of the +knowledge, that it was born before its time. We had miscalculated the +effect of this representation, backed and supported by forged letters: +instead of abandoning thee, he thought only of revenge for his shame. +As I left thy house, the last time I gazed upon thine indignant eyes, I +found the avenger, on my path! He had seen me quit thy roof--he needed +no other confirmation of the tale. I fell into the pit which I had +digged for thee. Conscience unnerved my hand and blunted my sword: our +blades scarcely crossed before his weapon stretched me on the ground. +They tell me he has fled from the anger of the law; let him return +without a fear Solemnly, and from the bed of death, and in the sight of +the last tribunal, I proclaim to justice and the world that we fought +fairly, and I perish justly. I have adopted thy faith, though I cannot +comprehend its mysteries. It is enough that it holds out to me the only +hope that we shall meet again. I direct these lines to be transmitted to +thee--an eternal proof of thy innocence and my guilt. Ah, canst thou +forgive me? I knew no sin till I knew thee. + + "ARRAEZ FERRARES." + + +Calderon paused ere he turned to the concluding lines of his wife's +letter; and, though he remained motionless and speechless, never were +agony and despair stamped more terribly on the face of man. + + +CONCLUSION OF THE LETTER OF INEZ. + +"And what avails to me this testimony of my faith? thou art fled; they +cannot track thy footsteps; I shall see thee no more on earth. I am +dying fast, but not of the wound I took from thee; let not that thought +darken thy soul, my husband! No, that wound is healed. Thought is +sharper than the sword. I have pilled away for the loss of thee and thy +love! Can the shadow live without the sun? And wilt thou never place +thy hands on my daughter's head, and bless her for her mother's sake? +Ah, yes--yes! The saints that watch over our human destinies will one +day cast her in thy way: and the same hour that gives thee a daughter +shall redeem and hallow the memory of a wife. . . . Leonarda has +vowed to be a mother to our child; to tend her, work for her, rear her, +though in poverty, to virtue. I consign these letters to Leonarda's +charge, with thy picture--never to be removed from my breast till the +heart within has ceased to beat. Not till Beatriz (I have so baptised +her--it was thy mother's name!) has attained to the age when reason can +wrestle with the knowledge of sorrow, shall her years be shadowed with +the knowledge of our fate. Leonarda has persuaded me that Beatriz shall +not take thy name of Nunez. Our tale has excited horror--for it is not +understood--and thou art called the murderer of thy wife; and the story +of our misfortunes would cling to our daughter's life, and reach her +ears, and perhaps mar her fate. But I know that thou wilt discover her +not the less, for Nature has a Providence of its own. When at last you +meet her, protect, guard, love her--sacred to you as she is, and shall +be--the pure but mournful legacy of love and death. I have done: +I die blessing thee!" + "INEZ." + +Scarce had he finished those last words, ere the clock struck: it was the +hour in which the prince was to arrive. The thought restored Calderon to +the sense of the present time--the approaching peril. All the cold +calculations he had formed for the stranger-novice vanished now. He +kissed the letter passionately, placed it in his breast, and hurried into +the chamber where he had left his child. Our tale returns to Fonseca. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + +THE COUNTERPLOT. + +Calderon had not long left the young soldier before the governor of the +prison entered to pay his respects to a captive of such high birth and +military reputation. + +Fonseca, always blunt and impatient of mood, was not in a humour to +receive and return compliments; but the governor had scarcely seated +himself ere he struck a chord in the conversation which immediately +arrested the attention and engaged the interest of the prisoner. + +"Do not fear, sir," said he, "that you will be long detained; the power +of your enemy is great, but it will not be of duration. The storm is +already gathering round him; he must be more than man if he escapes the +thunderbolt." + +"Do you speak to me thus of my kinsman, the Cardinal-Duke de Lerma?" + +"No, Don Martin, pardon me. I spoke of the Marquis de Siete Iglesias. +Are you so great a stranger to Madrid and to the court as to suppose that +the Cardinal de Lerma ever signs a paper but at the instance of Don +Roderigo? Nay, that he ever looks over the paper to which he sets his +hand? Depend upon it, you are here to gratify the avarice or revenge of +the Scourge of Spain." + +"Impossible!" cried Fonseca. "Don Roderigo is my friend--my intercessor. +He overwhelms me with his kindness." + +"Then you are indeed lost," said the governor, in accents of compassion; +"the tiger always caresses his prey before he devours it. What have you +done to provoke his kindness?" + +"Senor," said Fonseca, suspiciously, "you speak with a strange want of +caution to a stranger, and against a man whose power you confess." + +"Because I am safe from his revenge; because the Inquisition have already +fixed their fatal eyes upon him; because by that Inquisition I am not +unknown nor unprotected; because I see with joy and triumph the hour +approaching that must render up to justice the pander of the prince, the +betrayer of the king, the robber of the people; because I have an +interest in thee, Don Martin, of which thou wilt be aware when thou hast +learned my name. I am Juan de la Nuza, the father of the young officer +whose life you saved in the assault of the Moriscos, in Valentia, and I +owe you an everlasting gratitude." + +There was something in the frank and hearty tone of the governor which at +once won Fonseca's confidence. He became agitated and distracted with +suspicions of his former tutor and present patron. + +"What, I ask, hast thou done to attract his notice? Calderon is not +capricious in cruelty. Art thou rich, and does he hope that thou wilt +purchase freedom with five thousand pistoles? No! Hast thou crossed the +path of his ambition? Hast thou been seen with Uzeda? or art thou in +favour with the prince? No, again! Then hast thou some wife, some +sister, some mistress, of rare accomplishments and beauty, with whom +Calderon would gorge the fancy and retain the esteem of the profligate +Infant? Ah, thou changest colour." + +"By Heaven! you madden me with these devilish surmises. Speak plainly." + +"I see thou knowest not Calderon," said the governor, with a bitter +smile. "I do--for my niece was beautiful, and the prince wooed her--. +But enough of that: at his scaffold, or at the rack, I shall be avenged +on Roderigo Calderon. You said the Cardinal was your kinsman; you are, +then, equally related to his son, the Duke d'Uzeda. Apply not to Lerma; +he is the tool of Calderon. Apply yourself to Uzeda; he is Calderon's +mortal foe. While Calderon gains ground with the prince, Uzeda advances +with the king. Uzeda by a word can procure thy release. The duke knows +and trusts me. Shall I be commissioned to acquaint him with thy arrest, +and entreat his intercession with Philip?" + +"You give me new life! But not an hour is to be lost; this night--this +day-oh, Mother of Mercy! what image have you conjured up! fly to Uzeda, +if you would save my very reason. I myself have scarcely seen him since +my boyhood--Lerma forbade me seek his friendship. But I am of his race-- +his blood." + +"Be cheered, I shall see the duke to-day. I have business with him where +you wot not. We are bringing strange events to a crisis. Hope the +best." With this the governor took his leave. + +At the dusk of the evening, Don Juan de la Nuza, wrapped in a dark +mantle, stood before a small door deep-set in a massive and gloomy wall, +that stretched along one side of a shunned and deserted street. Without +sign of living hand, the door opened at his knock, and the governor +entered a long and narrow passage that conducted to chambers more +associated with images of awe than any in his own prison. Here he +suddenly encountered the Jesuit, Fray Louis de Aliaga, confessor to the +king. + +"How fares the Grand Inquisitor?" asked De la Nuza. "He has just +breathed his last," answered the Jesuit. "His illness--so sudden-- +defied all aid. Sandoval y Roxas is with the saints." + +The governor, who was, as the reader may suppose, one of the sacred body, +crossed himself, and answered.--"With whom will rest the appointment of +the successor? Who will be first to gain the ear of the king?" + +"I know not," replied the Jesuit; "but I am at this instant summoned to +Uzeda. Pardon my haste." + +So saying, Aliaga glided away. + +"With Sandoval y Roxas," muttered Don Juan, "dies the last protector of +Calderon and Lerma: unless, indeed, the wily marquis can persuade the +king to make Aliaga, his friend, the late cardinal's successor. But +Aliaga seeks Uzeda--Uzeda his foe and rival. What can this portend?" + +Thus soliloquising, the governor silently continued his way till he came +to a door by which stood two men, masked, who saluted him with a mute +inclination of the head. The door opened and again closed, as the +governor entered. Meanwhile, the confessor had gained the palace of the +Duke d' Uzeda. Uzeda was not alone: with him was a man whose sallow +complexion, ill-favoured features, and simple dress strangely contrasted +the showy person and sumptuous habiliments of the duke. But the instant +this personage opened his lips, the comparison was no longer to his +prejudice. Something in the sparkle of his deep-set eye-in the singular +enchantment of his smile--and above all, in the tone of a very musical +and earnest voice, chained attention at once to his words. And, whatever +those words, there was about the man, and his mode of thought and +expression, the stamp of a mind at once crafty and commanding. This +personage was Gaspar de Guzman, then but a gentleman of the Prince's +chamber (which post he owed to Calderon, whose creature he was supposed +to be), afterwards so celebrated in the history of Philip IV., as Count +of Olivares and prime minister of Spain. + +The conversation between Guzman and Uzeda, just before the Jesuit +entered, was drawing to a close. + +"You see," said Uzeda, "that if we desire to crush Calderon, it is on +the Inquisition that we must depend. Now is the time to elect, in the +successor of Sandoval y Roxas, one pledged to the favourite's ruin. The +reason I choose Aliaga is this,--Calderon will never suspect his +friendship, and will not, therefore, thwart us with the king. The +Jesuit, who would sell all Christendom for the sake of advancement to his +order or himself will gladly sell Calderon to obtain the chair of the +Inquisition." + +"I believe it," replied Guzman. "I approve your choice; and you may rely +on me to destroy Calderon with the prince. I have found out the way to +rule Philip; it is by never giving him a right to despise his favourites +--it is to flatter his vanity, but not to share his vices. Trust me, you +alone--if you follow my suggestions--can be minister to the Fourth +Philip." + +Here a page entered to announce Don Fray Louis de Aliaga. Uzeda advanced +to the door, and received the holy man with profound respect. + +"Be seated, father, and let me at once to business; for time presses, and +all must be despatched to-night. Before interest is made by others with +the king, we must be prompt in gaining the appointment of Sandoval's +successor." + +"Report says that the cardinal-duke, your father, himself desires the +vacant chair of the Inquisition." + +"My poor father, he is old--his sun has set. No, Aliaga; I have thought +of one fitter for that high and stern office in a word, that appointment +rests with yourself. I can make you Grand Inquisitor of Spain--!" + +"Me!" said the Jesuit, and he turned aside his face. "You jest with me, +noble son." + +"I am serious--hear me. We have been foes and rivals; why should not our +path be the same? Calderon has deprived you of friends more powerful +than himself. His hour is come. The Duke de Lerma's downfall cannot be +avoided; if it could, I, his son, would not as, you may suppose, withhold +my hand. But business fatigues him--he is old--the affairs of Spain are +in a deplorable condition--they need younger and abler hands. My father +will not repine at a retirement suited to his years, and which shall be +made honourable to his gray hairs. But some victim must glut the rage of +the people; that victim must be the upstart Calderon; the means of his +punishment, the Inquisition. Now, you understand me. On one condition, +you shall be the successor to Sandoval. Know that I do not promise +without the power to fulfill. The instant I learned that the late +cardinal's death was certain, I repaired to the king. I have the promise +of the appointment; and this night your name shall, if you accept the +condition, and Calderon does not, in the interim, see the king and +prevent the nomination, receive the royal sanction." + +"Our excellent Aliaga cannot hesitate," said Don Gaspar de Guzman. "The +order of Loyola rests upon shoulders that can well support the load." + +Before that trio separated, the compact was completed. Aliaga practised +against his friend the lesson he had preached to him--that the end +sanctifies all means. Scarce had Aliaga departed ere Juan de la Nuza +entered; for Uzeda, who sought to make the Inquisition his chief +instrument of power, courted the friendship of all its officers. He +readily promised to obtain the release of Fonseca; and, in effect, it was +but little after midnight when an order arrived at the prison for the +release of Don Martin de Fonseca, accompanied by a note from the duke to +the prisoner, full of affectionate professions, and requesting to see him +the next morning. + +Late as the hour was, and in spite of the expostulations of the governor, +who wished him to remain the night within the prison, in the hope to +extract from him his secret, Fonseca no sooner received the order than he +claimed and obtained his liberation. + + + + +CHAPTER X. + +WE REAP WHAT WE SOW. + +With emotions of joy and triumph, such as had never yet agitated his +reckless and abandoned youth, the Infant of Spain bent his way towards +the lonely house on the road to Fuencarral. He descended from his +carriage when about a hundred yards from the abode, and proceeded on foot +to the appointed place. + +The Jew opened the door to the prince with a hideous grin on his hollow +cheek; and Philip hastened up the stairs, and entering the chamber we +have before described, beheld, to his inconceivable consternation and +dismay, the form of Beatriz clasped in the arms of Calderon, her head +leaning on his bosom; while his voice half choked with passionate sobs +called upon her in the most endearing terms. + +For a moment the prince stood, spell-bound and speechless, at the +threshold; then, striking the hilt of his sword fiercely, he exclaimed, +"Traitor! is it thus that thou hast kept thy promise? Dost thou not +tremble at my vengeance?" + +"Peace! peace!" said Calderon, in an imperious, but sepulchral tone, and +waving one hand with a gesture of impatience and rebuke, while with the +other he removed the long clustering hair that fell over the pale face of +the still insensible novice. "Peace, prince of Spain; thy voice scares +back the struggling life--peace! Look up, image and relic of the lost-- +the murdered--the martyr! Hush! do you hear her breathe, or is she with +her mother in that heaven which is closed on me? Live! live! my +daughter--my child--live! For thy life in the World Hereafter will _not_ +be mine!" + +"What means this?" said the prince, falteringly. "What delusion do thy +wiles practise upon me?" + +Calderon made no answer; and at that instant Beatriz sighed heavily, and +her eyes opened. + +"My child! my child!--thou art my child! Speak--let me hear thy voice +--again let it call me 'father!'" + +And Calderon dropped on his knees, and, clasping his hands fervently, +looked up imploringly in her face. The novice, now slowly returning to +life and consciousness, strove to speak: her voice failed her, but her +lips smiled arms fell feebly but endearingly upon Calderon, and her round +his neck. + +"Bless thee! bless thee!" exclaimed Calderon. "Bless thee in thy sweet +mother's name!" + +While he spoke, the eyes of Beatriz caught the form of Philip, who stood +by, leaning on his sword; his face working with various passions, and his +lip curling with stern and intense disdain. Accustomed to know human +life but in its worst shapes, and Calderon only by his vices and his +arts, the voice of nature uttered no language intelligible to the prince. +He regarded the whole as some well got-up device--some trick of the +stage; and waited, with impatience and scorn, the denouement of the +imposture. + +At the sight of that mocking face, Beatriz shuddered, and fell back; but +her very alarm revived her, and, starting to her feet, she exclaimed, +"Save me from that bad man--save me! My father, I am safe with thee!" + +"Safe!" echoed Calderon;--"ay, safe against the world. But not," he +added, looking round, and in a, low and muttered tone, "not in this foul +abode; its very air pollutes thee. Let us hence: come--come--my +daughter!" and winding his arm round her waist, he hurried her towards +the door. + +"Back, traitor!" cried Philip, placing himself full in the path of the +distracted and half delirious father, "Back! thinkest thou that I, thy +master and thy prince, am to be thus duped and thus insulted? Not for +thine own pleasures hast thou snatched her whom I have honoured with my +love from the sanctuary of the Church. Go, if thou wilt; but Beatriz +remains. This roof is sacred to my will. Back! or thy next step is on +the point of my sword." + +"Menace not, speak not, Philip--I am desperate. I am beside myself--I +cannot parley with thee. Away! by thy hopes of Heaven away! I am no +longer thy minion--thy tool. I am a father, and the protector of my +child." + +"Brave device--notable tale!" cried Philip, scornfully, and placing his +back against the door. "The little actress plays her part well, it must +be owned,--it is her trade; but thou art a bungler, my gentle Calderon." + +For a moment the courtier stood, not irresolute, but overcome with the +passions that shook to their centre a nature, the stormy and stern +elements of which the habit of years had rather mastered than quelled. +At last, with a fierce cry, he suddenly grasped the prince by the collar +of his vest; and, ere Philip could avail himself of his weapon, swung him +aside with such violence that he lost his balance and (his foot slipping +on the polished floor) fell to the ground. Calderon then opened the +door, lifted Beatriz in both his arms, and fled precipitately down the +stairs. He could no longer trust to chance and delay against the dangers +of that abode. + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + +HOWSOEVER THE RIVERS WIND, THE OCEAN RECEIVES THEM ALL. + +Meanwhile Fonseca had reached the convent; had found the porter gone; +and, with a mind convulsed with apprehension and doubt, had flown on the +wings of love and fear to the house indicated by Calderon. The grim and +solitary mansion came just in sight--the moon streaming sadly over its +gray and antique walls--when he heard his name pronounced; and the +convent porter emerged from the shadow of a wall beside which he had +ensconced himself. + +"Don Martin! it is thou indeed; blessed be the saints! I began to fear-- +nay, I fear now, that we were deceived." + +"Speak, man, but stop me not! Speak! what horrors hast thou to utter?" + +"I knew the cavalier whom thou didst send in thy place! Who knows not +Roderigo Calderon? I trembled when I saw him lift the novice into the +carriage; but I thought I should, as agreed, be companion in the flight. +Not so. Don Roderigo briefly told me to hide where I could this night; +and that to-morrow he would arrange preparations for my flight from +Madrid. My mind misgave me, for Calderon's name is blackened by many +curses. I resolved to follow the carriage. I did so; but my breath and +speed nearly failed, when, fortunately, the carriage was stopped and +entangled by a crowd in the street. No lackeys were behind; I mounted +the footboard unobserved, and descended and hid myself when the carriage +stopped. I knew not the house, but I knew the neighbourhood, a brother +of mine lives at hand. I sought my relative for a night's shelter. I +learned that dark stories had given to that house an evil name. It was +one of those which the Prince of Spain had consecrated to the pursuits +that had dishonoured so many families in Madrid. I resolved again to go +forth and watch. Scarce had I reached this very spot when I saw a +carriage approach rapidly. I secreted myself behind a buttress, and saw +the carriage halt; and a man descended, and walked to the house. See +there--there, by yon crossing, the carriage still waits. The man was +wrapped in a mantle. I know not whom he may be; but--" + +"Heavens!" cried Fonseca, as they were now close before the door of the +house at which Calderon's carriage still stood; "I hear a noise, a +shriek, within." + +Scarce had he spoken when the door opened. Voices were heard in loud +altercation; presently the form of the Jew was thrown on the pavement, +and dashing aside another man, who seemed striving to detain him, +Calderon appeared,--his drawn sword in his right hand, his left arm +clasped round Beatriz. + +Fonseca darted forward. + +"My lover! my betrothed!" exclaimed the voice of the novice: "thou are +come to save us--to save thy Beatriz!" + +"Yes; and to chastise the betrayer!" exclaimed Fonseca, in a voice of +thunder. "Leave thy victim, villain! Defend thyself!" + +He made a desperate lunge at Calderon while he spoke. The marquis feebly +parried the stroke. + +"Hold!" he cried. "Not on me!" + +"No--no!" exclaimed Beatriz, throwing herself on her father's breast. +The words came too late. Blinded and deafened with rage, Fonseca had +again, with more sure and deadly aim, directed his weapon against his +supposed foe. The blade struck home, but not to the heart of Calderon. +It was Beatriz, bathed in her blood, who fell at the feet of her frenzied +lover. + +"Daughter and mother both!" muttered Calderon; and he fell as if the +steel had pierced his own heart, beside his child. "Wretch! what hast +thou done?" muttered a voice strange to the ear of Fonseca; a voice half +stifled with Horror and, perhaps, remorse. The Prince of Spain stood on +the spot, and his feet were dabbled in the blood of the virgin martyr. +The moonlight alone lighted that spectacle of crime and death; and the +faces of all seemed ghastly beneath its beams. Beatriz turned her eyes +upon her lover, with an expression of celestial compassion and divine +forgiveness; then sinking upon Calderon's breast, she muttered, "Pardon +him! pardon him, father! I shall tell my mother that thou hast blessed +me!" + +It was not for several days after that night of terror that Calderon was +heard of at the court. His absence was unaccountable; for, though the +flight of the novice was of course known, her fate was not suspected; and +her rank had been too insignificant to create much interest in her escape +or much vigilance in pursuit. But of that absence the courtier's enemies +well availed themselves. The plans of the cabal were ripe; and the aid +of the Inquisition by the appointment of Aliaga was added to the +machinations of Uzeda's partisans. The king was deeply incensed at the +mysterious absence of Calderon, for which a thousand ingenious +conjectures were invented. The Duke of Lerma, infirm and enfeebled by +years, was unable to confront his foes. With imbecile despair he called +on the name of Calderon; and, when no trace of that powerful ally could +be discovered, he forbore even to seek an interview with the king. +Suddenly the storm broke. One evening Lerma received the royal order to +surrender his posts, and to quit the court by daybreak. It was in this +very hour that the door of Lerma's chamber opened, and Roderigo Calderon +stood before him. But how changed--how blasted from his former self! +His eyes were sunk deep in their sockets, and their fire was quenched; +his cheeks were hollow, his frame bent, and when he spoke his voice was +as that of one calling from the tomb. + +"Behold me, Duke de Lerma, I am returned at last!" + +"Returned--blessings on thee! Where hast thou been? Why didst thou +desert me?--no matter, thou art returned! Fly to the king--tell him I am +not old! I do not want repose. Defeat the villany of my unnatural son! +They would banish me, Calderon; banish me in the very prime of my years! +My son says I am old--old! ha! ha! Fly to the prince; he too has immured +himself in his apartment. He would not see me; he will see thee!" + +"Ay--the prince! we have cause to love each other!" + +"Ye have indeed! Hasten, Calderon; not a moment is to be lost! +Banished! Calderon, shall I be banished?" And the old man, bursting +into tears, fell at the feet of Calderon, and clasped his knees. + +"Go, go, I implore thee! Save me; I loved thee, Calderon, I always loved +thee. Shall our foes triumph? Shall the horn of the wicked be exalted?" + +For a moment (so great is the mechanical power of habit) there returned +to Calderon something of his wonted energy and spirit; a light broke from +his sunken eyes; he drew himself up to the full of his stately height: "I +thought I had done with courts and with life," said he; "but I will make +one more effort; I will not forsake you in your hour of need. Yes, Uzeda +shall be baffled; I will seek the king. Fear not, my lord, fear not; the +charm of my power is not yet broken." + +So saying, Calderon raised the cardinal from the ground, and extricating +himself from the old man's grasp strode, with his customary air of +majestic self-reliance, to the door. Just ere he reached it, three low, +but regular knocks sounded on the panel: the door opened, and the space +without was filled with the dark forms of the officers of the +Inquisition. + +"Stand!" said a deep voice; "stand, Roderigo Calderon, Marquis de Siete +Iglesias; in the name of the most Holy Inquisition, we arrest thee!" + +"Aliaga!" muttered Calderon, falling back. + +"Peace!" interrupted the Jesuit. "Officers, remove your prisoner." + +"Poor old man," said Calderon, turning towards the cardinal, who stood +spell-bound and speechless, "thy life at least is safe. For me, I defy +fate! Lead on!" + +The Prince of Spain soon recovered from the shock which the death of +Beatriz at first occasioned him. New pleasures chased away even remorse. +He appeared again in public a few days after the arrest of Calderon; and +he made strong intercession on behalf of his former favourite. But even +had the Inquisition desired to relax its grasp, or Uzeda to forego his +vengeance, so great was the exultation of the people at the fall of the +dreaded and obnoxious secretary, and so numerous the charges which party +malignity added to those which truth could lay at his door, that it would +have required a far bolder monarch than Philip the Third to have braved +the voice of a whole nation for the sake of a disgraced minister. The +prince himself was soon induced, by new favourites, to consider any +further interference on his part equally impolitic and vain; and the Duke +d'Uzeda and Don Gaspar de Guzman were minions quite as supple, while they +were companions infinitely more respectable. + +One day, an officer, attending the levee of the prince, with whom he was +a special favourite, presented a memorial requesting the interest of his +highness for an appointment in the royal armies, that, he had just +learned by an express was vacant. + +"And whose death comes so opportunely for thy rise, Don Alvar?" asked the +Infant. + +"Don Martin Fonseca. He fell in the late skirmish, pierced by a hundred +wounds." + +The prince started and turned hastily away. The officer lost all favour +from that hour, and never learned his offence. + +Meanwhile months passed, and Calderon still languished in his dungeon. +At last the Inquisition opened against him its dark register of +accusations. First of these charges was that of sorcery, practised on +the king; the rest were for the most part equally grotesque and +extravagant. These accusations Calderon met with a dignity which +confounded his foes, and belied the popular belief in the elements of +his character. Submitted to the rack, he bore its tortures without a +groan; and all historians have accorded concurrent testimony to the +patience and heroism which characterised the close of his wild and +meteoric career. At length Philip the Third died: the Infant ascended +the throne; that prince, for whom the ambitious courtier had perilled +alike life and soul! The people now believed that they should be +defrauded of their victim. They were mistaken. The new king, by this +time, had forgotten even the existence of the favourite of the prince. +But Guzman, who, while affecting to minister to the interests of Uzeda, +was secretly aiming at the monopoly of the royal favour, felt himself +insecure while Calderon yet lived. The operations of the Inquisition +were too slow for the impatience of his fears; and as that dread tribunal +affected never to inflict death until the accused had confessed his +guilt, the firmness of Calderon baffled the vengeance of the +ecclesiastical law. New inquiries were set on foot: a corpse was +discovered, buried in Calderon's garden--the corpse of a female. He was +accused of the murder. Upon that charge he was transferred from the +Inquisition to the regular courts of justice. No evidence could be +produced against him; but, to the astonishment of all, he made no +defence, and his silence was held the witness of his crime. He was +adjudged to the scaffold--he smiled when he heard the sentence. + +An immense crowd, one bright day in summer, were assembled in the place +of execution. A shout of savage exultation rent the air as Roderigo +Calderon, Marquis de Siete Iglesias, appeared upon the scaffold But, +when the eyes of the multitude rested--not upon that lofty and stately +form, in all the pride of manhood, which they had been accustomed to +associate with their fears of the stern genius and iron power of the +favourite--but upon a bent and spectral figure, that seemed already on +the verge of a natural grave, with a face ploughed deep with traces of +unutterable woe, and hollow eyes that looked with dim and scarce +conscious light over the human sea that murmured and swayed below, the +tide of the popular emotion changed; to rage and triumph succeeded shame +and pity. Not a hand was lifted up in accusation--not a voice was raised +in rebuke or joy. Beside Calderon stood the appointed priest, whispering +cheer and consolation. + +"Fear not, my son," said the holy man. "The pang of the body strikes +years of purgatory from thy doom. Think of this, and bless even the +agony of this hour." + +"Yes," muttered Calderon; "I do bless this hour. Inez, thy daughter has +avenged thy murder! May Heaven accept the sacrifice! and may my eyes, +even athwart the fiery gulf, awaken upon thee!" + +With that a serene and contented smile passed over the face on which the +crowd gazed with breathless awe. A minute more, and a groan, a cry, +broke from that countless multitude; and a gory and ghastly head, severed +from its trunk, was raised on high. + +Two spectators of that execution were in one of the balconies that +commanded a full view of its terrors. + +"So perishes my worst foe!" said Uzeda. + +"We must sacrifice all things, friends as foes, in the ruthless march of +the Great Cause," rejoined the Grand Inquisitor; but he sighed as he +spoke. + +"Guzman is now with the king," said Uzeda, turning into the chamber. "I +expect every instant a summons into the royal presence." + +"I cannot share thy sanguine hopes, my son," said Aliaga, shaking his +head. "My profession has made me a deep reader of human character. +Gaspar de Guzman will remove every rival from his path." + +While he spoke, there entered a gentleman of the royal chamber. He +presented to the Grand Inquisitor and the expectant duke two letters +signed by the royal hand. They were the mandates of banishment and +disgrace. Not even the ghostly rank of the Grand Inquisitor, not even +the profound manoeuvres of the son of Lerma, availed them against the +vigilance and vigour of the new favourite. Simultaneously, a shout from +the changeable crowd below proclaimed that the king's choice of his new +minister was published and approved. + +And Aliaga and Uzeda exchanged glances that bespoke all the passions that +make defeated ambition the worst fiend, as they heard the mighty cry, +"LONG LIVE OLIVAREZ THE REFORMER!" + +That cry came, faint and muffled, to the ears of Philip the Fourth, as he +sate in his palace with his new minister. "Whence that shout?" said the +king, hastily. + +"It rises, doubtless, from the honest hearts of your loyal people at the +execution of Calderon." + +Philip shaded his face with his hand, and mused a moment: then, turning +to Olivarez with a sarcastic smile, he said: "Behold the moral of the +life of a courtier, count! What do they say of the new opera?" + +At the close of his life, in disgrace and banishment, the count-duke, for +the first time since they had been uttered, called to his recollection +those words of his royal master. + +'The fate of Calderon has given rise to many tales and legends. Amongst +those who have best availed themselves of so fruitful a subject may be +ranked the late versatile and ingenious Telesforo de Trueba, in his work +on "The Romances of Spain." In a few of the incidents, and in some of +the names, his sketch, called "The Fortunes of Calderon," has a +resemblance to the story just concluded. The plot, characters, and +principal events, are, however, widely distinct in our several +adaptations of an ambiguous and unsatisfactory portion of Spanish +history. + + + + + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, CALDERON BY LYTTON *** +By Edward Bulwer Lytton + +** This file should be named b202w10.txt or b202w10.zip *** + +Corrected EDITIONS of our etexts get a new NUMBER, b202w11.txt +VERSIONS based on separate sources get new LETTER, b202w10a.txt + +This eBook was produced by David Widger [widger@cecomet.net] + +Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the US +unless a copyright notice is included. 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