Page:Peterson's Magazine 1842, Volume I.pdf/102

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she exclaimed, closping her hands, and reising her eyes to heaven, “if he is still alive protect him, aa well as us; and guide us, oh! thou intercessor for our sins, in this fearful strait !”

«No, it cannot be,” said the nurse, perceiving too late the agony she had inflicted hy her remark “tho Signor yet lives, believe me, and has only been prevented by some accident from joining us. He will be here yet.”

«Let us then await bim here,” said Beatrice, glad to catch at any words of encouragement, “it cannot be long that he will delay us.".

“Would that we could await hit here, dear tay, but T fear that we should soon he noticed, and perhaps by some one wlio would detect our disguise.”

“Yot where can we go?” naid Beatrice enquiringly.

“Our Lady of Loretto only knows,” answered the nurse, “but stay, here comes a goncola—see it makes for this spot—there, there, heaven be praised it stops!”

In the excitement of the moment the nurse rushed forward, fully expecting to seo the Signor leap from the gondola. Tho same hope made tho heart of Beatrice eat faster, although her maiden delicacy kept her from advancing. Both were destined to be sadly disappointed. Instead of the Signor a gondolicr sprang from the light boat, and advanced toward the ladies. Beatrice shrank back in terror; but the nurse maintained her ground, wondering in despite of her anxiety, where the strange adventures of the night would terminate. With « low how the gondolier approached, and said,

“T look on the Lady Beatrice and her attendant.”

He paused, as if awaiting an answer, while Beatrice clung in alarm to the arm of the nurse.

“You seem to know us,” said the nurse, recognizing, at a glance, the serving man of Beatrice’s lover, and taming to her young lady, sho whispered “cheer up, dear mistress, this is the Signor'e attendant—he brings us good newa I know,” and then, again addressing the gondolier, she asked, “what message does your master send 1” ‘

«My master appointed to meet me at the Rialto a fulf hour since, there to proceed with him here to take up the Lady Beatrice and her attendant, I waited until midnight, but the Signor dil not come. Thinking, perhaps, that he had altered his mind and come here alone, I proceeded hither. You have not, as I begin to fear, seen him.”

“No—no—mother of Gol! befilten him 1?

“Alas! I fear be has been assossinated,” answered the gondolier, “nothing but death would have made him breek his promise to you~”

“Help! help!” said the nurse, interrupting him, “ my mistrers is fainting. Oh! you have killed her.”

The gondolier had but just time to spring forward and eateh the falling form of Beatrice to prevent it

what evil can have

from sinking on the pavement, when lights were seen flashing in the distance, and shouts were heard as of parties approaching. The nune and the serving man fooked at each other in dismay, What was to be done? The torches and the group they lighted were rapidly approaching. It would never do for tho Lady Beatrice to be detected at this hour in the street and fainting. Such a discovery would entait on her the soverest tyranny of the wncle to whom it would again consign her. In this emergoncy the nurse was the most quick- witted.

“To the gondola with her,” she exclaimed hurriedly, “bear her to the gondola—there, that will do,” and taking a place beside her inanimate mistress, she con- tinued, “I will close the blinds, only you ply the oar quick and bear us from the city—to what place we care not now, There is no safety longer for us in Venico— our danger cannot be increased no matter whither we fy.”

"The gondolier sprang to his place, aud with a few dexterous tums of his car, sent the light boat skimming down the eanal, never relaxing the efforts of hi brawny arm until they had emerged on the open lagoon, and were leaving ‘he city behind them. At length the nurse lvoked out and enqnired in what direction he was proceeding, saying that her mistress had recovered from her swoon, and wos anxious to know. The gon- doliet hastened to allay the fears of the trembling girl hy informing her that be was carrying them to the place where his master had secured horses, and that his plan was, if the Signor was not there to meet thom, to see the ladies mfew farlonga on their way to Rome, or untit he could procure them an escort, when he would retum in order to seck out his master, With thix account the nurse, in 2 measure, soothed the alurmed delicacy of the Lady Beatrice.

‘We will not desctihe the renewed agony of all parties when, on arriving at the depot for the horses, they learned that the Signor bad not been there. Nothing, however, was left except to mount and provs on, Their way ‘waa pursued in silence, for each was full of their own thoughts. The serving man was mourning over the master he had fost-—the nurse was appailed by the perils of their way and the consciousness that she had urged this sep on her young lady—while Beatrice was at once agitated by her fears for her lover, by her sensi- tive delicacy at being without protector, and by her dread of the insults she would have to undergo in this precarious method of travelling. But, althoagh her maidenly scruples forbade her to mourn for her lover as openly as the serving man, her most poiguant an- guish arose from the conviction that she should never ace hin more.

Leaving the sorrowful cavalcade to pursue its way until morning, we will return to the wounded Adanta. �