THE SULTANA VALIDA--THE THREE BLACK SLAVES.
In the meantime the Princess Aischa, the now neglected wife of the grand
vizier, had repaired to the imperial seraglio to obtain an interview
with her brother, Solyman the Magnificent. The sultan, as the reader has
already learnt, was deeply attached to Aischa. Their mother, the
sultana, or empress mother, who was still alive, occupied apartments in
the seraglio. Her children entertained the greatest respect for her: and
her influence over the sultan, who possessed an excellent heart, though
his sway was not altogether unstained by cruelties, was known to be
great.
It was therefore to her mother and her brother that the beautiful Aischa
proceeded; and when she was alone with them in the Valida's apartment,
and removed her veil, they immediately noticed that she had been
weeping. Upon being questioned relative to the cause of her sorrow, she
burst into an agony of tears, and was for some time unable to reply. At
length, half regretting that she had taken the present step, Aischa
slowly revealed her various causes of complaint against the grand
vizier.
"By Allah!" exclaimed the sultan, "the ungrateful Ibrahim shall not thus
spurn and neglect the costly gift which I, his master, condescended to
bestow upon him! What! when the Shah of Persia, the Khan of the Tartars,
and the Prince of Karamania all sought thine hand, and dispatched
embassadors laden with rich gifts to our court to demand thee in
marriage, did I not send them back with cold words of denial to their
sovereigns? And was it to bestow thee, my sister, on this ungrateful
boy, who was so late naught save a dog of a Christian, ready to eat the
dirt under our imperial feet,--was it to bestow thee on such an one as
he, that I refused the offers of the Persian Shah! By the tomb of the
prophet! this indignity shall cease!"
"Restrain your wrath, my son," said the Sultana Valida. "Ibrahim must
not be openly disgraced: the effects of his punishment would redound on
our beloved Aischa. No--rather intrust this affair to me; and fear not
that I shall fail in compelling this haughty pasha to return to the arms
of his wife--ay, and implore her pardon for his late neglect."
"Oh! dearest mother, if thou canst accomplish this," exclaimed Aischa,
her countenance becoming animated with joy and her heart palpitating
with hope, "thou wouldst render me happy indeed."
"Trust to me, daughter," replied the Sultana Valida. "In the meantime
seek not to learn my intentions; but, on thy return home, send me by
some trusty slave thy pass-key to the harem. And thou, my son, wilt lend
me thine imperial signet-ring for twelve hours!"
"Remember," said the sultan, as he drew the jewel from his finger, "that
he who wears that ring possesses a talisman of immense power--a sign
which none to whom it is shown dares disobey; remember this, my mother,
and use it with caution."
"Fear not, my dearly beloved son," answered the Sultana Valida,
concealing the ring in her bosom. "And now, Aischa, do you return to the
palace of your haughty husband, who ere twelve hours be passed, shall
sue for pardon at thy feet."
The sultan and Aischa both knew that their mother was a woman of
powerful intellect and determined character; and they sought not to
penetrate into the secret of her intentions.
Solyman withdrew to preside at a meeting of the divan; and Aischa
returned to the palace of the grand vizier, attended by the slaves who
had waited for her in an anteroom leading to her mother's apartments.
It was now late in the afternoon, and the time for evening prayer had
arrived ere the Sultana Valida received the pass-key to Ibrahim Pasha's
harem. But the moment it was conveyed to her, she summoned to her
presence three black slaves, belonging to the corps of the bostanjis, or
gardeners, who also served as executioners, when a person of rank was to
be subjected to the process of bowstring, or when any dark deed was to
be accomplished in silence and with caution. Terrible appendages to the
household of Ottoman sultans were the black slaves belonging to that
corps--like snakes, they insinuated themselves, noiselessly and
ominously into the presence of their victims, and it were as vain to
preach peace to the warring elements which God alone can control, as to
implore mercy at the hands of those remorseless Ethiopians!
To the three black slaves did the Sultana Valida issue her commands; and
to the eldest she intrusted Solyman's signet-ring and the pass-key which
Aischa had sent her. The slaves bowed three times to the empress
mother--laid their hands on their heads to imply that they would deserve
decapitation if they neglected the orders they had received--and then
withdrew. There was something terribly sinister in their appearance, as
they retired noiselessly but rapidly through the long, silent and
darkened corridors of the imperial harem.
It was night--and the moon shone softly and sweetly upon the mighty city
of Constantinople, tipping each of its thousand spires and pinnacles as
with a star.
Ibrahim Pasha, having disposed of the business of the day, and now with
his imagination full of the beautiful Calanthe, hastened to the
anteroom, or principal apartment of the harem.
The harem, occupying one complete wing of the vizier's palace, consisted
of three stories. On the ground floor were the apartments of the
Princess Aischa and her numerous female dependents. These opened from a
spacious marble hall; and at the folding-doors leading into them, were
stationed two black dwarfs, who were deaf and dumb. Their presence was
not in any way derogatory to the character of Aischa, but actually
denoted the superior rank of the lady who occupied those apartments in
respect to the numerous females who tenanted the rooms above. As she was
the sister of the sultan, Ibrahim dared not appear in her presence
without obtaining her previous assent through the medium of one of the
mutes, who were remarkably keen in understanding and conveying
intelligence by means of signs. A grand marble staircase led from the
hall to the two floors containing the apartments of the ladies of the
harem; and thus, though Aischa dwelt in the same wing as those females,
her own abode was as distinct from theirs as if she were the tenant of a
separate house altogether.
On the first floor there was a large and magnificently furnished room in
which the ladies of the harem were accustomed to assemble when they
chose to quit the solitude of their own chambers for the enjoyment of
each other's society. The ceiling of the anteroom; as this immense
apartment was called, was gilt entirely over; it was supported by twenty
slender columns of crystal; and the splendid chandeliers which were
suspended to it, diffused a soft and mellow light, producing the most
striking effects on that mass of gilding, those reflecting columns, and
the wainscoted walls inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and with ivory of
different colors. A Persian carpet three inches thick was spread upon
the floor. Along two opposite sides ran continuous sofas, supported by
low, white marble pillars, and covered with purple figured velvet
fringed with gold. In the middle of this gorgeous apartment was a large
table, shaped like a crescent, and spread with all kinds of preserved
fruits, confectionery, cakes, and delicious beverages of a non-alcoholic
nature.
The room was crowded with beauteous women when the presence of Ibrahim
was announced by a slave. There were the fair-complexioned daughters of
Georgia--the cold, reserved, but lovely Circassians--the warm and
impassioned Persians--the voluptuous Wallachians--the timid Tartars--the
dusky Indians--the talkative Turkish ladies--beauties, too, of Italy,
Spain, and Portugal--indeed, specimens of female perfection from many,
many nations. Their various styles of beauty, and their characteristic
national dresses, formed a scene truly delightful to gaze upon: but the
grand vizier noticed none of the countenances so anxiously turned toward
him to mark on which his eyes would settle in preference; and the ladies
noiselessly withdrew, leaving their master alone with the slave in the
anteroom.
Ibrahim threw himself on a sofa, and gave some hasty instructions to the
slave, who immediately retired. In about a quarter of an hour he came
back, conducting into the anteroom a lady veiled from head to foot. The
slave then withdrew altogether; and Ibrahim approached the lady, saying,
"Calanthe--beauteous Calanthe! welcome to my palace."
She removed her veil; and Ibrahim fixed his eager eyes upon the
countenance thus disclosed to him; but he was immediately struck by the
marvelous resemblance existing between his page Constantine, and the
charming Calanthe. It will be remembered that when he called, in a mean
disguise, at the abode of Demetrius, he saw Calanthe for the first time,
and only for a short period; and though he was even then struck by her
beauty, yet the impression it made was but momentary: and he had so far
forgotten Calanthe as never to behold in Constantine the least
resemblance to any one whom he had seen before.
But now that Calanthe's countenance burst upon him in all the glory of
its superb Greek beauty, that resemblance struck him with all the force
of a new idea; and he was about to express his astonishment that so
wondrous a likeness should subsist between brother and sister, when the
maiden sunk at his feet, exclaiming, "Pardon me, great vizier; but
Constantine and Calanthe are one and the same thing."
"Methought the brother pleaded with marvelous eloquence on behalf of his
sister," said Ibrahim, with a smile; and raising Calanthe from her
suppliant posture, he led her to a seat, gazing on her the while with
eyes expressive of intense passion.
"Your highness," observed the maiden, after a short pause, "has heard
from my own lips how profound is the attachment which I have dared to
conceive for you--how great is the admiration which I entertain for the
brilliant powers of your intellect. To be with thee, great Ibrahim, will
I abandon my country, friends--ay, and even creed, shouldst thou demand
that concession; for in thee--and in thee only--are all my hopes of
happiness now centered!"
"And those hopes shall not be disappointed, dearest Calanthe!" exclaimed
Ibrahim, clasping her in his arms. "But a few minutes before you entered
this room a hundred women--the choicest flowers of all climes--were
gathered here; and yet I value one smile on thy lips more than all the
tender endearments that those purchased houris could bestow. For thy
love was unbought--it was a love that prompted thee to attach thyself to
me in a menial capacity----"
The impassioned language of the grand vizier was suddenly interrupted by
the opening of the door, and three black slaves glided into the
anteroom--half crouching as they stole along--and fixing on the
beauteous Calanthe eyes, the dark pupils of which seemed to glare
horribly from the whites in which they were set.
"Dogs! what signifies this intrusion?" exclaimed Ibrahim Pasha, starting
from the sofa, and grasping the handle of his scimiter.
The chief the three slaves uttered not a word of reply, but exhibited
the imperial signet, and at the same time unrolled from the coil which
he had hitherto held in his hand a long green silken bowstring. At that
ominous spectacle Ibrahim fell back, his countenance becoming ashy pale,
and his frame trembling with an icy shudder from head to foot.
"Choose between this and her," whispered the slave, in a deep tone, as
he first glanced at the bowstring and then looked toward Calanthe, who
knew that some terrible danger was impending, but was unable to divine
where or when it was to fall.
"Merciful Allah!" exclaimed the grand vizier; and throwing himself upon
the floor, he buried his face in his hands.
In another moment Calanthe was seized and gagged, before even a word or
a scream could escape her lips; but Ibrahim heard the rustling of her
dress as she unavailingly struggled with the monsters in whose power she
was. The selfish ingrate! he drew not his scimiter to defend her--he no
longer remembered all the tender love she bore him--but, appalled by the
menace of the bowstring, backed by the warrant of the sultan's signet
ring, he lay groveling on the rich Persian carpet, giving vent to his
alarms by low and piteous groans.
Then he heard the door once more close as softly as possible: he looked
up--glared with wild anxiety around--and breathed more freely on finding
himself alone! For the Ethiopians had departed with their victim! Slowly
rising from his supine posture, Ibrahim approached the table, filled a
crystal cup with sherbet to the brim, and drank the cooling beverage,
which seemed to go hissing down his parched throat--so dreadful was the
thirst which the horror of the scene just enacted had produced.
Then the sickening as well as maddening conviction struck to his very
soul, that though the envied and almost worshiped vizier of a mighty
empire--having authority of life and death over millions of human
beings, and able to dispose of the governments and patronage of huge
provinces and mighty cities--he was but a miserable, helpless slave in
the eyes of another greater still--an ephemeron whom the breath of
Solyman the Magnificent could destroy! And overcome by this conviction,
he threw himself on the sofa, bursting into an agony of tears--tears of
mingled rage and woe. Yes; the proud, the selfish, the haughty renegade
wept as bitterly as ever even a poor, weak woman was known to weep!
* * * * *
How calm and beautiful lay the waters of the Golden Horn beneath the
light of that lovely moon which shone so chastely and so serenely above,
as if pouring its argent luster upon a world where no evil passions were
known--no hearts were stained with crime--no iniquity of human imagining
was in the course of perpetration. But, ah! what sound is that which
breaks on the silence of the night! Is it the splash of oars? No--for
the two black slaves who guide yon boat which has shot out from the
shore into the center of the gulf, are resting on the slight sculls--the
boat itself, too, is now stationary--and not a ripple is stirred up by
its grotesquely-shaped prow. What, then, was that sound?
'Twas the voice of agony bursting from woman's throat; and the boat is
about to become the scene of a deed of horror, though one of
frequent--alas! too frequent--occurrence in that clime, and especially
on that gulf.
The gag has slipped from Calanthe's mouth; and a long loud scream of
agonizing despair sweeps over the surface of the water--rending the calm
and moonlit air--but dying away ere it can raise an echo on either
shore. Strong are the arms and relentless is the black monster who has
now seized the unhappy Greek maiden in his ferocious grasp--while the
luster of the pale orb of night streams on that countenance lately
radiant with impassioned hope, but now convulsed with indescribable
horror.
Again the scream bursts from the victim's lips; but its thrilling,
cutting agony is interrupted by a sudden plunge--a splash--a gurgling
and a rippling of the waters--and the corpse of the murdered Calanthe is
borne toward the deeper and darker bosom of the Bosporus.
The sun was already dispersing the orient mists, when the chief of the
three black slaves once more stood in the presence of the grand vizier,
who had passed the night in the anteroom, alone, and a prey to the most
lively mental tortures. So noiselessly and reptile-like did the hideous
Ethiopian steal into the apartment, that he was within a yard of the
grand vizier ere the latter was aware that the door had even opened.
Ibrahim started as if from a snake about to spring upon him--for the
ominous bowstring swung negligently from the slave's hand, and the
imperial signet still glistened on his finger.
"Mighty pasha!" spoke the Ethiopian in a low and cold tone; "thus saith
the Sultana Valida: 'Cease to treat thy wife with neglect. Hasten to
her--throw thyself at her feet--implore her pardon for the past--and
give her hope of affection for the future. Shouldst thou neglect this
warning, then every night will the rival whom thou preferrest to her be
torn from thine arms, and be devoted as food for the fishes. She whom
thou didst so prefer this night that is passed sleeps in the dark green
bed of the Bosporus. Take warning, pasha; for the bowstring may be used
at last. Moreover, see that thou revealest not to the Princess Aischa
the incident of the night, nor the nature of the threats which send thee
back repentant to her arms.'"
And, with these words, the slave glided hastily from the room, leaving
the grand vizier a prey to feelings of ineffable horror. His punishment
on earth had begun--and he knew it. What had his ambition gained? Though
rich, invested with high rank, and surrounded by every luxury, he was
more wretched than the meanest slave who was accustomed to kiss the dust
at his feet.
But, subduing the fearful agitation which oppressed him--composing his
feelings and his countenance as well as he was able, the proud and
haughty Ibrahim hastened to implore admittance to his wife's chamber,
and when the boon was accorded, and he found himself in her presence, he
besought her pardon in a voice and with a manner expressive of the most
humiliating penitence. Thus, at the moment when thousands--perhaps
millions, were envying the bright fortunes and glorious destiny of
Ibrahim the Happy, as he was denominated--the dark and terrible
despotism of the Sultana Valida made him tremble for his life, and
compelled him to sue at Aischa's feet for pardon. And if, at the same
instant of his crushed spirit and wounded pride, there were a balm found
to soothe the racking fibers of his heart, the anodyne consisted in the
tender love which Aischa manifested toward him, and the touching
sincerity with which she assured him of her complete forgiveness.
* * * * *
Return we again to that Mediterranean island on which Fernand Wagner and
the beauteous Nisida espoused each other by solemn vows plighted in the
face of Heaven, and where they have now resided for six long months. At
first how happy--how supremely happy was Nisida, having tutored herself
so far to forget the jarring interests of that world which lay beyond
the sea, as to abandon her soul without reservation to the delights of
the new existence on which she had entered. Enabled once more to use
that charming voice which God had given her, but which had remained
hushed for so many years,--able also to listen to the words that fell
from the lips of her lover, without being forced to subdue and crush the
emotions which they excited,--and secure in the possession of him to
whom she was so madly devoted, and who manifested such endearing
tenderness toward herself, Nisida indeed felt as if she were another
being, or endowed with the lease of a new life.
At first, too, how much had Wagner and Nisida to say to each other,--how
many fond assurances to give--how many protestations of unalterable
affection to make! For hours would they sit together upon the seashore,
or on the bank of the limpid stream in the valley, and converse almost
unceasingly, wearying not of each other's discourse, and sustaining the
interests and the enjoyment of that interchange of thoughts by flying
from topic to topic just as their unshackled imagination suggested. But
Fernand never questioned Nisida concerning the motive which had induced
her to feign dumbness and deafness for so many years; she had given him
to understand that family reasons of the deepest importance, and
involving dreadful mysteries from the contemplation of which she
recoiled with horror, had prompted so tremendous a self-martyrdom:--and
he loved her too well to outrage her feelings by urging her to touch
more than she might choose on that topic.
Careful not to approach the vicinity of large trees, for fear of these
dreadful tenants of the isle who might be said to divide its sovereignty
with them, the lovers--may we not venture to call them husband and
wife?--would ramble hand-in-hand, along the stream's enchanting banks,
in the calm hours of moonlight, which lent softer charms to the scene
than when the gorgeous sun was bathed all in gold. Or else they would
wander on the sands to the musical murmur of the rippling sea,--their
arms clasping each other's neck--their eyes exchanging glances of
fondness--hers of ardent passion, his of more melting tenderness. But
there was too much sensuality in the disposition of Nisida to render her
love for Wagner sufficient and powerful enough to insure permanent
contentment with her present lot.
The first time that the fatal eve drew near when he must exchange the
shape of man for that of a horrid wolf, he had said to her, "Beloved
Nisida, I remember that there are finer and different fruits on the
other side of the island, beyond the range of mountains; and I should
rejoice to obtain for thee a variety. Console thyself for a few hours
during mine absence; and on my return we shall experience renewed and
increased happiness, as if we were meeting again after a long
separation." Vainly did Nisida assure him that she reckoned not for a
more extensive variety of fruits than those which the nearest grove
yielded, and that she would rather have his society than all the
luxuries which his absence and return might bring; he overruled her
remonstrances--and she at length permitted him to depart. Then he
crossed the mountains by means of the path which he had described when
he escaped from the torrent at the point where the tree stretched across
the stream, as described in the preceding chapter; and on the other side
of the range of hills he fulfilled the dreadful destiny of the
Wehr-Wolf! On his return to Nisida--after an absence of nearly
twenty-four hours, for the time occupied in crossing and recrossing the
mountains was considerable--he found her gloomy and pensive. His long
absence had vexed her: she in the secrecy of her own heart had felt a
craving for a change of scene--and she naturally suspected that it was
to gratify a similar want that Fernand had undertaken the transmontane
journey. She received his fruits coldly; and it was some time ere he
could succeed in winning her back to perfect good humor.
The next interval of a month glided away, the little incident which had
for a moment ruffled the harmony of their lives was forgotten--at least
by Nisida;--and so devoted was Fernand in his attention, so tenderly
sincere in his attachment toward her--and so joyful, too, was she in the
possession of one whose masculine beauty was almost superhumanly great,
that those incipient cravings for change of scene--those nascent
longings for a return to the great and busy world, returned but seldom
and were even then easily subdued in her breast.
When the second fatal date after their union on the island approached,
Wagner was compelled to urge some new but necessarily trivial excuse for
again crossing the mountains; and Nisida's remonstrances were more
authoritative and earnest than on the previous occasion. Nevertheless he
succeeded in obtaining her consent: but during his absence of four or
five-and-twenty hours, the lady had ample leisure to ponder on home--the
busy world across the sea--and her well-beloved brother Francisco.
Fernand when he came back, found her gloomy and reserved; then, as he
essayed to wean her from her dark thoughts, she responded petulantly and
even reproachingly.
The ensuing month glided away as happily as the two former ones; and
though Fernand's attentions and manifestations of fondness increased, if
possible, still Nisida would frequently sigh and look wistfully at the
sea as if she would have joyed to behold a sail in the horizon. The
third time the fatal close of the month drew nigh, Wagner knew not how
to act; but some petulance on the part of Nisida furnished him with an
excuse which his generous heart only had recourse to with the deepest,
the keenest anguish. Throwing back the harsh word at her whom he loved
so devotedly, he exclaimed, "Nisida, I leave thee for a few hours until
thy good humor shall have returned;" and without waiting for a reply he
darted toward the mountains. For some time the lady remained seated
gloomily upon the sand; but as hour after hour passed away, and the sun
went down, and the moon gathered power to light the enchanting scene of
landscape and of sea, she grew uneasy and restless. Throughout that
night she wandered up and down on the sands, now weeping at the thought
that she herself had been unkind--then angry at the conviction that
Fernand was treating her more harshly than she deserved.
It was not till the sun was high in the heavens that Wagner reappeared;
and though Nisida was in reality delighted to find all her wild alarms,
in which the monstrous snakes of the isle entered largely, thus
completely dissipated, yet she concealed the joy which she experienced
in beholding his safe return, and received him with gloomy hauteur. Oh!
how her conduct went to Wagner's heart!--for he knew that, so long as
the direful necessity which had compelled his absence remained
unexplained, Nisida was justified in attributing that absence to unkind
feelings and motives on his part. A thousand times that day was he on
the point of throwing himself at her feet and revealing all the details
of that frightful destiny; but he dared not--oh! no, he dared not--and a
profound melancholy seized upon his soul. Nisida now relented, chiefly
because she herself felt miserable by the contemplation of his
unhappiness; and harmony was restored between them.
But during the fourth month of their union, the lady began to speak more
frequently and frankly of the weariness and monotony of their present
existence; and when Fernand essayed to console her, she responded by
deep-drawn sighs. His love was based on those enduring elements which
would have rendered him content to dwell forever with Nisida on that
island, which had no sameness for him so long as she was there to be his
companion; but _her_ love subsisted rather sensually than mentally; and
now that her fierce and long-pent up desires had experienced
gratification, she longed to return to the land of her birth, to embrace
her brother Francisco; yes, even though she should be again compelled to
simulate the deaf and dumb. The close of the fourth month was at hand,
and Wagner was at a loss how to act. New excuses for a fresh absence
were impossible; and it was with a heart full of anguish that he was
compelled to seize an opportunity in the afternoon of the last day of
the month, to steal away from Nisida and hasten across the mountains.
Oh! what would she think of his absence now?--an absence for which he
had not prepared her, and which was not on this occasion justified by
any petulance or willfulness on her part? The idea was maddening, but
there was no alternative.
It was noon on the ensuing day when Fernand Wagner, pale and care-worn,
again sought that spot on the strand where the rudely constructed
cottage stood; but Nisida was not within the hut. He roved along the
shore to a considerable distance, and still beheld her not. Terrible
alarms now oppressed him. Could she have done some desperate deed to rid
herself of an existence whereof she was weary? or had some fatal
accident befallen her. From the shore he hastened to the valley; and
there, seated by the side of the crystal stream, he beheld the object of
his search. He ran--he flew toward her; but she seemed not to observe
him; and when he caught a glimpse of her countenance, he shrank back in
dismay--it was so pale, and yet so expressive of deep, concentrated
rage!
But we cannot linger on this portion of our tale. Suffice it to say that
Wagner exerted all his eloquence, all his powers of persuasion to induce
Nisida to turn a kind glance upon him; and it was only when, goaded to
desperation by her stern silence and her implacable mien, he exclaimed,
"Since I am no longer worthy of even a look or a syllable, I will quit
thee forever!" It was only when these words conveyed to Nisida a
frightful menace of loneliness, that she relented and gradually suffered
herself to be appeased. But vainly did she question him relative to the
cause of his absence on this occasion; he offered a variety of excuses,
and she believed none of them.
The month that followed was characterized by many quarrels and disputes;
for Nisida's soul acquired all the restlessness which had marked it ere
she was thrown on the island, but which solitude at first and then the
possession of Wagner, had for a time so greatly subdued. Nevertheless,
there were still occasions when she would cling to Wagner with all the
confiding fondness of one who remembered how he had saved her life from
the hideous anaconda, and who looked up to him as her only joy and
solace in that clime, the beauty of which became painful with its
monotony--yes, she would cling to him as they roved along the sands
together--she would gaze up into his countenance, and as she read
assurances of the deepest affection in his fine dark eyes, she would
exclaim rapturously, "Oh! how handsome--how god-like art thou, my
Fernand! Pardon me--pardon me, that I should ever have nursed resentment
against thee!"
It was when she was in such a mood as this that he murmured in her ears,
"Nisida dearest, thou hast thy secret which I have never sought to
penetrate. I also have my secret, beloved one, as I hinted to thee on
that day which united us in this island; and into that mystery of mine
thou mayest not look. But at certain intervals I must absent myself from
thee for a few hours, as I hitherto have done; and on my return, O
dearest Nisida! let me not behold that glorious countenance of thine
clouded with anger and with gloom!"
Then ere she could utter a word of reply, he sealed her lips with
kisses--he pressed her fervently to his heart, and at that moment she
thought he seemed so divinely handsome, and she felt so proud of
possessing the love of a man invested with such superhuman beauty and
such a splendid intellect, that she attempted not a remonstrance nor a
complaint against what was but the preface to a fifth absence of
four-and-twenty hours. And when Fernand Wagner reappeared again, his
Nisida hastened to meet him as he descended from the mountains--those
mountains which were crossed over by a surefooted and agile man with so
much difficulty, and which he knew it would be impossible for him to
traverse during that mad career in which he was monthly doomed to whirl
along in his lupine shape--yes, she hurried to meet him--receiving him
with open arms--smiled tenderly upon him--and led him to the sea-shore,
where she had spread the noonday meal in the most inviting manner.
The unwearied and unchanging nature of his love had touched her heart;
and, during the long hours of his fifth absence, she had reasoned on the
folly of marring the sweet harmony which should prevail between the only
two human tenants of that island. The afternoon passed more happily than
many and many a previous day had done; Nisida thought that Fernand had
never seemed so handsome, though somewhat pale, and he fancied that his
companion had never appeared so magnificently beautiful as now, while
she lay half reclining in his arms, the rays of the setting sun faintly
illuminating her aquiline countenance, and giving a glossy richness to
the luxuriant black hair which floated negligently over her naked
shoulders.
When the last beams of the orb of day died flickeringly in the far
horizon, the tender pair retired to their hut rejoicing in the serene
and happy way in which the last few hours had glided over their
heads--when a dark figure passed along the sand and stopped at a short
distance from the door of the rudely constructed tenement.
And assuredly this was no mortal being--nor wore it now a mortal
shape--but Satan--in all the horrors of his ugliness, though still
invested with that sublimity of mien which marked the mighty fallen
angel--Satan, clothed in terrors ineffable, it was.
For a few moments he stood contemplating the hut wherein the sleepers
lay; dread lightnings flushed from his eyes, and the forked electric
fluid seemed to play round his haughty brow, while his fearful
countenance, the features of which no human pen may venture to describe,
expressed malignant hate, anticipated triumph, and tremendous scorn.
Then, extending his right hand toward the hut, and speaking in that deep
sonorous tone, which when heard by mortal ears, seemed to jar against
the very soul, he chanted the following incantation:--
"Woman of wild and fierce desires!
Why languish thus the wonted fires
That arm'd thine heart and nerved thine hand
To do whate'er thy firmness planned?
Has maudlin love subdued thy soul,
Once so impatient of control?
Has amorous play enslaved the mind
Where erst no common chains confined?
Has tender dalliance power to kill
The wild, indomitable will?
No more must love thus paralyze
And crush thine iron energies;
No more must maudlin passion stay
Thy despot soul's remorseless sway;
Henceforth thy lips shall cease to smile
Upon the beauties of this Isle;
Henceforth thy mental glance shall roam,
O'er the Mediterranean foam,
Toward thy far-off Tuscan home!
Alarms for young Francisco's weal,
And doubts into thy breast steal;
While retrospection carries back
Thy memory o'er time's beaten track
And stops at that dread hour when thou
With burning eyes and flashing brow,
Call'd Heaven to hear the solemn vow
Dictated with the latest breath
Of the fond mother on the untimely bed of death."
Thus spoke the demon; and having chanted the incantation, full of menace
and of deep design, he turned to depart.
Sleep was still upon the eyes of Fernand and Nisida as they lay in each
other's arms--the island and the sea, too, were sleeping in the soft
light of the silver moon, and the countless stars which gemmed the vault
of heaven,--when the dark figure passed along the sand, away from the
rudely-constructed tenement.