Page:The Ghost-seer Vol 2.djvu/172

164 "F was now a hinderance to me. Who could say that, if an opportunity offered, he might not make his friendship again valuable? And would not your new friends stand upon the ruins of your old ones so much the surer? The future party which I premeditated for you would have required many other assassinations; and I could not hope with certainty, that the absolution for your sins (an easy task for a person to perform in the popish church) must be so much the more desirable to you, the greater burden you had upon your conscience?"

"You have not yet explained to me the event that happened to my servant.—Was he also a creature of yours?"

"No; he was too stupid."

"And yet how does that agree with what you told me? You said, you made him a prisoner, and at the same time a officer was about to hire him to assassinate me.

"You ought to admire my foresight. I caused your servant to be taken up, in order to extract some information from him but principally to accommodate you with a new servant. To prevent any suspicion of that proceeding falling upon me, I examined him myself in an An uniform. The darkness and my art deceived him, and he very easily mistook me for the colonel, and my companions for officers: besides, we left it to his own choice, to think of us as he pleased. I imprisoned him so long as wanted him. He was easily induced to believe that no banditti could kill you, and I had entirely accomplished my end with him. Your hatred towards your court, and the confidence you placed in me, who could warn you of approaching danger, increased very much."

"And you, who always panted after blood—I do not comprehend why you did not make use of that opportunity to your profit, but rather prevented me in that letter from taking any revenge."

"It was not yet time. I stopped the current, that it might burst forth with greater violence. And did I not give