Page:The Strand Magazine (Volume 4).djvu/332

 Where the darts from Phoebus' quiver
 * Never pierce the myrtle groves,

Where by many a lonely river
 * Birds trill out their happy loves;
 * Where the gushing
 * Streamlet rushing
 * Through the starlit dingle roves—
 * There, there,
 * Shalt thou with me my secret share.

Orazio Memmo, one of the cleverest improvisers of his time, seized my zither, and answered at once:—

Where thou leadest I will follow,
 * Sweet enigma, after thee;

Heed I not if joy or sorrow
 * The guerdon of my quest shall be—
 * Yet on the strand,
 * Enchantress, land,
 * And if thy heart incline to me—
 * There, there,
 * Shall I with thee thy secret share.

"We were approaching nearer and nearer to the strange gondola. Our bow cut anew the waves before the track of theirs had disappeared on the water, and the foam that followed her was like a silver cord which she had thrown out to drag us, like prisoners, behind her. Thus we ran into the Brenta Canal, flew past the sumptuous villas and pleasure houses of the rich Venetians, and stopped before a high marble portal, through the gilt bars of which we could look into a spacious garden laid out with princely magnificence.

"The stranger stepped out. By San Marco! a queenly form with witching grace in every movement. Slowly she turned her face, lighted with the sweetest smile, once more toward my master; from the soft, black, gazelle-like eyes gleamed on him a friendly light, and then she moved forward from the spot. The little Moor, holding a gaudy sunshade over the head of his mistress, and the chattering bird on his fist, followed close at her heels. The gates flew open, shut clashing behind them; the pair then slowly approached the castle through a lane formed of laurels and myrtles, and vanished.

Beautiful as a dream!' cried Signor Memmo, rousing himself from his bewilderment; and 'to whom does the garden, the castle, belong?'

I do not know at all, Excellenza; I see them to-day for the first time; and yet this is the Brenta Canal—a thousand times have I rowed over it; I know every gate, every villa, every bush—but, by San Antonio, never have I seen a stone of this castle before. Ah, Illustrissimo, take my word for it, all is not as it should be here! It is the delusion of the devil, nothing more. Utter but one "paternoster," and the whole phantasm will vanish like a streak of mist. Have you not heard of vampires? You have only to ask the Grecian and Illyrian boatmen, and they will tell you how the wraiths of these child-murderers appear as young and beautiful women, and fill with love the brains of the young men, and suck out their hearts' blood as they slumber. And such a vampire is the Eastern princess there I will take the sacrament to it! Take my advice, Excellenza. Let us return, and that as quickly as possible. Here we stand on unholy ground.'

"I looked round now for the strange gondola; she had vanished completely, as though swallowed by the Brenta. I pointed this