Page:Idalia, by 'Ouida'.djvu/297

Rh thought you had deceived me! Well, never seek that again. A man once did: a man of Leghorn; he was clever and vain; he said, to himself, "Altro, a woman! and they obey her? I, for one, I will not; I will blind her.' And he thought he was strong enough. He stole away, like the fool that he was, and carried his scheme with him—his scheme to treat with Austria unknown to us; unknown, he thought, to the very walls of the room he slumbered in, to the very river reeds he walked by, he thought himself so strong. Bat I learnt it." "And then?"

"Then? Why then I taught him what such an error cost."

"And that cost was?"

"What he merited. It had been better for him that he had never been born."

A chill, of something that was almost fear, passed over her listener's cold, keen, courageous nature; he, too, held that which was concealed from her,—if she avenged treachery thus? "Vengeance, Madame?" he said, scarcely caring what triviality of speech served to screen his thoughts. "Surely nothing so barbarous lingers amidst so much worldly wisdom, nothing so ferocious harbours amidst so much divine witchery?"