Corona regretted the promise of secrecy which Vittoria had obtained from
her, as soon as she found herself alone and able to think over the
situation calmly. She had no secrets from her husband, and few of any
kind, and it was hard to keep silence when Giovanni discussed Ippolito's
position and the possibilities of obtaining the evidence necessary to
clear Ippolito. She had, indeed, the sort of satisfaction which a woman
feels all the more keenly when she feels it alone, with the certainty
that everyone else will soon know what she knows, for she saw that
Ippolito had behaved with almost heroic constancy. But she would soon
begin to long for the moment when others would see that he was a hero.
Being naturally a calm woman, and somewhat reserved, even with her own
family, her face did not betray her at first. Yet she hardly dared to
look at Ippolito that evening, lest her happiness should break like
light from her eyes.
Her difficulty was a considerable one, however, and puzzled her at
first. In her own room she read and re-read the Moscio's letter, and her
maturer judgment told her what neither Aliandra nor Vittoria had
understood in their impetuosity. The law would look upon this so-called
evidence as a piece of vengeance on the part of a brigand, and would
attach little value to it. Why, the law would ask, since the brigand
professed to hold proofs that could ruin his enemy, had he not sent them
to the carabineers? The answer must take the very unsatisfactory form of
a dissertation on Sicilian character in general, and on that of the
Moscio in particular; whereas, while he was still at large, his
character could be but an unknown quantity. It might be proved, of
course, that the knife had belonged to Tebaldo. But it would be hard to
show how the Moscio had come by it. To demonstrate Ippolito's innocence
something more was necessary.
Corona made up her mind that she would see Tebaldo himself and force him
to a confession of his crime. It did not occur to her to fear such a
meeting, or even to hesitate, after she had once made up her mind. The
difficulty lay in finding the man immediately. She did not believe that
Vittoria had deceived her in saying that she did not know where her
brother might be, but she supposed that he would soon come to Rome, and
decided to wait for him. She sent frequently to enquire at the house
where the Corleone had lived. The servants knew nothing. She wrote a
note to Vittoria at Mrs. Slayback's, but Vittoria had no news.
Corona wrote to the Minister of Justice. She knew him very well, and
told him that in the matter of the accusation against her son she wished
to communicate with Don Tebaldo Pagliuca, but could not find out where
he was. To her surprise the Minister's answer gave her the information
she wished. Tebaldo, said the note, was dangerously ill in Messina at a
certain hotel. Owing to the strong feeling which existed against him in
Sicily, it had been thought necessary to protect him, and the government
was, therefore, kept constantly apprised of his condition through the
office of the prefect of Messina. He was very ill indeed, and was not
expected to recover.
The information was clear, but the thought that Tebaldo might die
without having cleared Ippolito was anything but reassuring. Corona's
instinct was to start at once, but she remembered her promise to
Vittoria, and did not see how she could make such a journey without
informing her husband and giving some explanation of her conduct. She
went to his room as soon as she knew what she must do.
'Giovanni,' she said, 'I wish you to go to Sicily with me at once. I
must go to Messina.'
Giovanni looked at her sharply in surprise.
'Are you ill, my dear?' he enquired. 'Is it for a change? Is anything
the matter?'
Corona laughed, for she had never been ill in her life. The mere idea
seemed ludicrous to her.
'Can you imagine me ill?' she asked. 'No. I will tell you what I can.
Someone has told me something, making me promise not to tell anyone
else--'
'Your informant is a woman, dear,' observed Giovanni, smiling.
'Never mind who it was. But from what was told me I know that if I can
go to Messina I can get evidence which will clear Ippolito completely.
So I came to you.'
'Are you positively sure?' asked Sant' Ilario. 'It is a long journey.'
'We shall travel together,' answered Corona, as though that answered
every objection.
'I should like it very much. Do you wish to start to-day?'
'Yes. The man is said to be dying at a hotel in Messina.'
It amused them both to make a mystery of going away together, though it
was not the first time that they had done such a thing, and Sant'
Ilario's presence lightened the anxiety which Corona still felt as to
the result of the journey.
They reached Messina at evening and drove to the wretched hotel where
Tebaldo lay dying, for there was no other in the city, in which they
could have lodged at all.
Half an hour later Corona entered the sick man's room. The sister who
was nursing him rose in surprise as the Princess entered, and laid her
finger on her lips. Tebaldo appeared to be asleep.
'Is he better?' whispered Corona.
But the sister shook her head and pointed to his face. It was like a
yellow shadow on the white pillow, in the soft light of the single
candle, before which the nurse had set a book upright on the table, as a
shade.
Corona stood still by the side of the bed and looked down at what
remained of the man who had done such terrible deeds during the last
month. The colourless lips were parted and displayed the sharp, white
teeth, and the half-grown beard gave something wolfish to the face. The
lids were not quite closed and showed the whites of the eyes. Corona
felt suddenly that he was going to die in his unconsciousness without
speaking. Even if he revived for a moment, he might not understand her.
The candle flickered, and she thought the lids quivered.
'He is dying,' she said in a low voice. 'But he must speak to me before
he dies.'
'Are you his mother, madam?' asked the sister, in a whisper.
'No!' Corona's great eyes blazed upon the nun's face. Then she spoke
gently again. 'I am the mother of the priest he falsely accused. Before
he dies he must tell the truth.'
A faint smile moved the wasted lips, and the lids slowly opened. Then he
spoke, almost naturally.
'You have come to see me die. I understand.'
'No,' said Corona, speaking clearly and distinctly. 'I have come to hear
the truth about my son, from your own lips, as I know it from others--'
The yellow face shivered and the eyes stared. There was a convulsive
effort of the head to rise from the pillow.
'Who told you?' The question gurgled in the throat.
'Your sister told me--'
'I have no sister.' The head fell back again, and the twisting smile
took possession of the lips.
'Vittoria is your sister. You are Tebaldo Pagliuca.' Corona bent down
towards him anxiously, for she feared that he was wandering, and that
the truth must escape her at last.
'Oh no! Vittoria is not my sister. I remember when she was brought to
Camaldoli by the outlaws when I was a boy.'
Corona bent lower still and stared into the open eyes. Their expression
was quite natural and quiet, though the voice was faint now.
'It is better that someone should know,' it said. 'I know, because I saw
her brought. The brigands stole her from her nurse's arms. Vittoria is
the daughter of Fornasco. They frightened my father and mother--they
brought the child at night--in trying to get a ransom they were all
taken, but none of them would tell--there is a paper of my father's,
sealed--in Rome, among my things. He always said that we might be
accused, though they managed to make people believe it was my mother's
child, for fear of the brigands--I cannot tell you all that. You will
find it in the papers.'
The eyelids closed again, but the lips still moved. Corona bent down.
'Water,' said the parched whisper.
They gave him drink quickly, but he could hardly swallow it. He was
going fast.
'Call the doctor,' said Corona to the nurse. 'He is dying. Has he seen a
priest? Call my husband!'
'I had sent for a priest,' answered the nurse, leaving the room hastily.
For many minutes Tebaldo gasped painfully for breath. In his suffering
Corona raised the pillow with his head upon it, tenderly and carefully.
'You are dying,' she said softly. 'Commend your soul--pray for
forgiveness!'
It was horrible to her belief to see him dying unconfessed in his many
sins.
'Quickly--lose no time!' she urged. 'Think of God--think of one prayer!
It may be too late in a moment--'
'Too late?' he cried suddenly, with a revival of strength. 'Too late?
But I shall catch him on the hill! Gallop, mare, gallop--there, there!
So! We shall do it yet. I am lighter than old Basili! One more stretch!
There he is! Gallop, mare, gallop, for I shall catch him on the hill!'
One hand grasped the sheet like a bridle, the other patted it
encouragingly. Corona stared and listened breathlessly, half in horror,
half in expectation. She did not hear the door open, as someone came in.
The dying man raved on.
'What? Down? He has killed his horse? It shied at the woman in black! He
will try the church door--on, mare, gallop! We shall catch him there!'
A hideous glare of rage and hatred was in the burning eyes. The twisted
and discoloured lips set themselves like blue steel. The right hand
struck out wildly. Then the eyes fixed themselves upon the young priest
who stood beside Corona, and whom she had not seen till then.
Tebaldo sat up as though raised by a spring, suddenly. He grasped the
priest's ready hands and looked up into his face, seeing only him,
though the doctor and the nurse were close by.
'I confess to Almighty God,' he began--
And word for word, as he had confessed to Ippolito alone in the little
church, he went through the whole confession, quickly, clearly, in a
loud voice, holding the priest's hands.
Who should say that it was not a true confession now? That at the last,
the dream of terror did not change to the reality of remorse? The
priest's voice spoke the words of forgiveness, and he bent down above
Corona's kneeling figure, that the dying man might hear.
But before the last merciful word was spoken, the last of the Corleone
lay stone dead on his pillow. He was buried beside his two brothers in
the little cemetery of Santa Vittoria, for the sister had promised him
that, when he knew that he was dying.
And outside the gate, when it was all over, a figure in black came and
knelt down upon the rough, broken stones, and two white hands grasped
the painted iron rails, and a low voice came from beneath the little
black shawl.
'Mother of God, three black crosses! Mother of God, three black
crosses!'
And there were three black crosses, side by side.