Page:Idalia, by 'Ouida' volume 2.djvu/89

78 —who had been thus treacherous; or for the carelessness which had withheld from him the near presence of the woman whom he had watched, waited, plotted, bribed, schemed to entrap with all the intricacies and resources of his astute intellect and far-spread meshes, for so long.

"In Capri—and without disguise," answered Vane, turning his head from a seemingly negligent glance at the Leonardo; his eyes were quite clear, his countenance quite frank, his smile gentle and delicately satirical as usual. He was now attuned to his part again, and the evil in him gaining the sole mastery upon him, made him take a Borgian pleasure in thus preparing drop on drop, with the precision and the genius of science, the poison that was to consume and wither the brilliant life of the woman he had vainly loved. "Remember! first, she is unaware that you know all your Grace could alone have known through me—she is unaware that there are any proofs against her in the possession of the Neapolitan Court; secondly, she is one to whom the meaning of fear and submission is unknown; she claims the Greek blood of Artemisia—she has Artemisian daring; thirdly, she has so attached the Marinari to her, that, good subjects and brainless beasts though these Capriotes be, she could scarce