While the incidents related in the last few chapters were taking place
at the Riverola Palace, the council of state had assembled to receive
the grand vizier, the mighty Ibrahim, who had signified his intention of
meeting that august body at three o'clock in the afternoon. Accordingly,
as soon as he had witnessed the marriage ceremony which united his
sister to the Count of Riverola, he returned from Wagner's mansion to
his own pavilion in the midst of the Ottoman encampment. There he
arrayed him in a manner becoming his exalted rank, and mounting his
splendid caparisoned steed, he repaired with a brilliant escort to the
ducal palace. The streets of the city of Florence were thronged with
multitudes eager to gain a sight of the representative of the sultan--a
view of the man whose will and pleasure swayed the greatest empire in
existence at that period of the world's age!
And as Ibrahim passed through those avenues so well known to
him--threaded those thoroughfares, each feature of which was so
indelibly impressed upon his memory--and beheld many, many familiar
spots, all of which awakened in his mind reminiscences of a happy
childhood, and of years gone by; when, too, he reflected that he had
quitted Florence poor, obscure, and unmarked amidst the millions of his
fellow-men; and that now, as he entered the beauteous city, multitudes
came forth to gaze upon him, as on one invested with a high rank and
enjoying a power mighty to do much; when he thought of all this, his
bosom swelled with mingled emotions of pride and tenderness, regret and
joy; and while tears trembled upon his long black lashes, a smile of
haughty triumph played on his lips. On, on the procession goes, through
the crowded streets and across the spacious squares, watched by the eyes
of transcendent beauty and proud aristocracy from the balconies of
palaces and the casements of lordly mansions; on, on, amidst a wondering
and admiring populace, and grateful, too, that so great a chief as
Ibrahim should have spared their city from sack and ruin.
At length the grand vizier, attended by the great beglerbegs and pashas
of his army, entered the square of the ducal palace; and as his prancing
steed bore him proudly beneath the massive arch, the roar of artillery
announced to the City of Flowers that the Ottoman Minister was now
within the precincts of the dwelling of the Florentine sovereign. The
duke and the members of the council of state were all assembled in the
court of the Palazzo to receive the illustrious visitor, who, having
dismounted from his horse, accompanied the prince and those high
dignitaries to the council-chamber. When the personages thus assembled
had taken their seats around the spacious table, covered with a rich red
velvet cloth, the grand vizier proceeded to address the duke and the
councilors.
"High and mighty prince, and noble and puissant lords," he said, in the
tone of one conscious of his power, "I am well satisfied with the manner
in which my demands have been fulfilled up to this moment. Two ladies,
in whom I feel a deep and sincere interest, and who were most unjustly
imprisoned to suit the vindictive purposes of the Count of Arestino,
have been delivered up to me: and ye have likewise agreed to make full
and adequate atonement for the part which Florence enacted in the late
contest between the Christians and Mussulmans in the Island of Rhodes. I
have therefore determined to reduce my demands upon the republic, for
indemnity and compensation, to as low a figure as my own dignity and a
sense of that duty which I owe to my sovereign (whom God preserve many
days!) will permit. The sum that I now require from your treasury,
mighty prince and puissant lords, is a hundred thousand pistoles; and in
addition thereto, I claim peculiar privileges for Ottoman vessels
trading to Leghorn, guaranty of peace on the part of the republic for
three years, and the release of such prisoners now in the dungeons of
the inquisition, whom it may seem good to me thus to mark out as
deserving of your mercy."
"A hundred thousand pistoles, my lord, would completely exhaust the
treasury of the republic," said the duke, with dismay pictured upon his
countenance.
"Think you," cried the grand vizier, angrily, "that I shall dare to face
my imperial master, on my return to Constantinople, unless I be able to
lay at his feet a sum adequate to meet the expenses incurred by this
expedition of a great fleet and a powerful army?"
"Your highness will at least accord us a few days wherein to obtain the
amount required," said the duke, "for it will be necessary to levy a tax
upon the republic!"
"I grant you until sunset, my lord--until sunset this evening." added
the grand vizier, speaking with stern emphasis. "And if you will permit
me to tender my advice, you will at once command the grand inquisitor
and the Count of Arestino to furnish the sum required: for the former, I
am inclined to suspect, is a most unjust judge, and the latter, I am
well convinced, is a most cruel and revengeful noble."
"The Count of Arestino is no more, your highness," answered the duke.
"The Marquis of Orsini murdered him before the very eyes of the grand
inquisitor, and will therefore head the procession of victims at the
approaching _auto-da-fe_."
"By the footstool of Allah! that shall not be!" exclaimed Ibrahim. "The
machinations of the Count of Arestino threw into the inquisition
dungeons those two ladies whom ye delivered up to me last night; and it
was my intention, when I spoke of releasing certain prisoners ere now,
to stipulate for the freedom of all those whom the vengeance of that
count has immured in your accursed prison-house. See then, my lords,
that all those of whom I speak be forthwith brought hither into our
presence!"
It may be proper to inform the reader that Flora had solicited her
brother to save the Marquis of Orsini and the Countess Giulia, to whom
the young wife of Francisco had been indebted for her escape from the
Carmelite Convent; for, as the secrets of the torture chamber were never
suffered to transpire, she was of course ignorant of the death of the
guilty Giulia, and of the assassination of the Count of Arestino by the
Marquis of Orsini.
At the command of Ibrahim Pasha, who spoke in a firm and resolute
manner, the duke summoned a sentinel from the corridor adjoining the
council chamber, and issued the necessary orders to fulfill the desire
of the grand vizier. Nearly a quarter of an hour elapsed during which
one of the councilors drew up the guaranty of peace and of the
commercial privileges demanded by Ibrahim. At length the door opened,
and several familiars made their appearance, leading in Manuel d'Orsini
and Isaachar ben Solomon, both heavily chained. The former walked with
head erect, and proud bearing; the latter could scarcely drag his
wasted, racked, and tottering limbs along, and was compelled to hang
upon the arms of the familiars for support. Nevertheless, there was
something so meek--so patient and so resigned in the expression of the
old and persecuted Israelite's countenance, that Ibrahim Pasha's soul
was touched with a sentiment of pity in his behalf.
"But these are not all the prisoners," exclaimed the grand vizier,
turning angrily toward the duke; "where is the Countess Giulia of
Arestino?"
"My lord, she is no more," answered the prince.
"And Heaven be thanked that she is indeed no more!" cried Manuel
d'Orsini, in a tone of mingled rage and bitterness. "Fortunate is it for
her that death has snatched her away from the grasp of miscreants in
human shape and who call themselves Christians. My lord," he continued,
turning toward Ibrahim, "I know not who you are; but I perceive by your
garb that you are a Moslem, and I presume that your rank is high by the
title addressed to you by the duke----"
"Presume not thus to intrude your observations on his highness the grand
vizier!" exclaimed one of the councilors in a severe tone.
"On the contrary," said Ibrahim Pasha, "let him speak, and without
reserve. My Lord of Orsini, fear not--I will protect you."
"The remark I was about to make, illustrious vizier," cried Manuel, "is
brief, though it may prove not palatable to the patrons of the
inquisition and the supporters of that awful engine of despotism and
cruelty," he added, glancing fiercely at the duke and the assembled
councilors. "I was anxious to observe that the Christian Church has
founded and maintained that abhorrent institution; and that there is
more true mercy--more genuine sympathy--and more of the holy spirit of
forgiveness in the breast of this reviled, despised and persecuted Jew,
than in the bosoms of all the miserable hypocrites who have dared to
sanction the infernal tortures which have been inflicted upon him. For
myself, I would not accept mercy at their hands; and I would rather go
in the companionship of this Jew to the funeral pile, than remain alive
to dwell amongst a race of incarnate fiends, calling themselves
Christians!"
"This insolence is not to be borne," exclaimed the duke, starting from
his seat, his countenance glowing with indignation.
"Your highness and all the councilors now assembled well merit the
reproaches of the Marquis of Orsini," said the grand vizier, sternly.
"But it is for _me_ to command here, and for _you_ to obey, proud
prince! Let the chains be removed from those prisoners forthwith."
The duke sank back in his chair, and, subduing his rage as well as he
was able, he made a sign to the familiars to set the Jew and the marquis
at liberty.
"Grand vizier," exclaimed Manuel, "the life and the liberty which, at
your all-powerful nod are restored to me will prove irksome and
valueless if I be compelled to remain in a Christian land. Confer not
favors by halves, my lord--render me completely grateful to you! Take me
into your service--even as a slave, if your highness will; but let me
accompany to a Mussulman country a Mussulman who can teach the
Christians such a fine lesson of mercy and forgiveness."
"You shall go with me to Constantinople, Manuel--but not as a slave,"
returned Ibrahim, profoundly touched by the sincere tone and earnest
manner of the young noble; "no--you shall accompany me as a friend."
"A thousand thanks, grand vizier, for this kindness--this generosity!"
said the marquis, deeply affected; then as a sudden idea struck him, he
turned toward the Jew exclaiming, "But we must not leave this old man
behind us. 'Twere the same as if we were to abandon a helpless child in
the midst of a forest inhabited by ferocious wolves."
"Yes--yes--let me accompany you, excellent young man!" murmured
Isaachar, clinging to the arm of the marquis, for their chains were now
knocked off. "You were the first Christian who ever spoke kindly to me;
and I have no kith--no kindred on the face of the earth. I am a
lone--desolate old man; but I have wealth--much wealth, Manuel
d'Orsini--and all that I have shall be thine."
"The Jew shall accompany us, my lord," said Ibrahim, addressing himself
to the marquis; then, turning toward the duke, he exclaimed in a severe
tone, "But a few hours remain till sunset, and the ransom of a hundred
thousand pistoles must be paid to me; or I will deliver up this proud
palace and the homes of the councilors now assembled to the pillage of
my troops."
"Nay--nay, my lord!" cried the Jew, horror-struck at the threat; "bring
not the terrors of sack, and storm, and carnage into this fair city! A
hundred thousand pistoles, your highness says,--a hundred thousand
pistoles," he added, in a slower and more musing tone; "'tis a large
sum--a very large sum! And yet--to save so many men and their innocent
families from ruin--from desolation---- Yes, my lord," he exclaimed,
hastily interrupting himself--"I--I will pay you the ransom-money."
"No--by Allah!" ejaculated Ibrahim; "not a single pistole shall be thus
extorted from thee! Sooner shall the Florentine Treasury grant thee an
indemnification for the horrible tortures which thou hast endured, than
thy wealth be poured forth to furnish this ransom-money. Come, my Lord
of Orsini--come, worthy Jew," continued the grand vizier, rising from
his seat, "we will depart to the Ottoman encampment."
"Patience, your highness, for a few hours," urged the duke, "and the
hundred thousand pistoles shall be counted out before thee."
"This poor man," answered the grand vizier, indicating the Jew with a
rapid glance, "has been so racked and tortured in your accursed
prison-house, that he cannot be too speedily placed under the care of my
own chirurgeon. For this reason I depart at once; see that the ransom be
dispatched to my pavilion ere the sun shall have set behind the western
hills."
With these words the grand vizier bowed haughtily to the duke, and
quitted the council chamber. Manuel d'Orsini followed, supporting
Isaachar ben Solomon; and, on reaching the court, one of Ibrahim's
slaves took the Jew up behind him on his steed. The marquis was provided
with a horse; and the cavalcade moved rapidly away from the precincts of
the ducal palace. Profiting by the hint which Ibrahim Pasha had offered
them, the duke and the councilors instantly levied a heavy fine upon the
grand inquisitor; and the remainder of the money required to make up the
amount demanded, was furnished from the public treasury. Thus by the
hour of sunset the ransom was paid.
* * * * *
At an early hour on the ensuing morning, Francisco di Riverola and his
beautiful, blushing bride quitted the chamber where they had passed the
night in each other's arms, and repaired to the apartment where so many
terrible mysteries had been revealed to them, and so many dreadful
incidents had occurred on the preceding day. Hand in hand they had
traversed the passages and the corridors leading to that room in which
they had left Christian Rosencrux with the dead Wagner and the dying
Nisida; hand in hand and silently they went--that fine young noble and
charming bride!
On reaching the door of the chamber, Francisco knocked gently; and the
glance of intelligence which passed between himself and Flora showed
that each was a prey to the same breathless suspense; the same mingled
feelings of bright hopes and vague fears. In a few moments the door was
slowly opened; and the venerable old man appeared, his countenance
wearing a solemn and mournful aspect. Then Francisco and the young
countess knew that all was over; and tears started into their eyes.
Christian Rosencrux beckoned them to advance toward the bed, around
which the curtains were drawn closer; and as they entered the room, the
rapid and simultaneous glances which they cast toward the spot where
Fernand Wagner fell down and surrendered up his breath, showed them that
the corpse had been removed. Approaching the bed with slow and measured
steps, Rosencrux drew aside the drapery; and for a moment Francisco and
Flora shrank back from the spectacle which met their view; but at the
next instant they advanced to the couch, and contemplated with mournful
attention the scene presented to them. For there--upon that couch--side
by side, lay Fernand Wagner and Nisida of Riverola--stiff, motionless,
cold.
"Grieve not for her loss, children," said Christian Rosencrux; "she has
gone to a happier realm--for the sincere repentance which she manifested
in her last hours has atoned for all the evil she wrought in her
lifetime. From the moment, young lady, when she banished from her soul
the rancor long harbored there against thee--from the instant that she
received thee in her arms, and called thee sister--the blessing of
Heaven was vouchsafed unto her. She was penitent, very penitent, while I
administered to her the consolations of religion, and a complete change
came over her mind. Grieve not, then, for her; happy on earth she never
could have been again--but happy in heaven she doubtless now is!"
Francisco and the young countess knelt by the side of the couch, and
prayed for a long time in silence, with their faces buried in their
hands. When they again raised their heads, and glanced around, the
venerable old man no longer met their eyes. Christian Rosencrux had
departed, leaving Francisco and Flora in complete ignorance of his name;
but they experienced a secret conviction that he was something more than
an ordinary mortal; and the remembrance of the blessing which he had
bestowed upon them the preceding day, shed a soothing and holy influence
over their minds.
Little now remains to be said; a few brief observations and a rapid
glance at the eventual fortunes and fates of the leading characters in
the tale, will acquit us of our task. Nisida and Wagner were entombed in
the same vault; and their names were inscribed upon the same mural
tablet. The funeral was conducted with the utmost privacy--and the
mourners were few, but their grief was sincere. And among them was Dr.
Duras, who had loved Nisida as if she had been his own child. On the
night following the one on which these obsequies took place, another
funeral procession departed from the Riverola Palace to the adjacent
church; and two coffins were on this occasion, as on the former,
consigned to the family tomb. But the ceremony was conducted with even
more privacy than the first; and one mourner alone was present. This was
Francisco himself; and thus did he perform the sad duty of interring in
sacred ground the remains of his ill-fated mother Vitangela and her
brother Eugenio. The manuscript of the late Count of Riverola was burnt;
the closet which so long contained such fearful mysteries was walled up;
the chamber where so many dreadful incidents had occurred was never used
during the lifetime of Francisco and Flora. The grand vizier remained
with his army a few days beneath the walls of Florence: and during that
time Isaachar ben Solomon so far recovered his health and strength,
under the skillful care of an Egyptian physician, as to be able to visit
his dwelling in the suburb of Alla Croce, and secure the immense wealth
which he had amassed during a long life of activity and financial
prosperity.
When the day of the grand vizier's departure arrived, he took a tender
farewell of his sister Flora and his aunt, both of whom he loaded with
the most costly presents; and in return, he received from Francisco a
gift of several horses of rare breed and immense value. Nor did this
species of interchange of proofs of attachment end here, for every year,
until Ibrahim's death, did that great minister and the Count of Riverola
forward to each other letters and rich presents--thus maintaining to the
end that friendship which had commenced in the Island of Rhodes, and
which was cemented by the marriage of Francisco and Flora. Isaachar ben
Solomon and Manuel d'Orsini accompanied the grand vizier to
Constantinople, and were treated by him with every mark of distinction.
But the Jew never completely recovered from the tortures which he had
endured in the prison of the inquisition; and in less than two years
from the date of his release, he died in the arms of the marquis, to
whom he left the whole of his immense fortune. Manuel d'Orsini abjured
Christianity, and entered the Ottoman service, in which his success was
brilliant and his rise rapid, thanks to the favor of the grand vizier.
The reader of Ottoman history will find the name of Mustapha Pasha
frequently mentioned with honor in the reign of Solyman the
Magnificent--and Mustapha Pasha, beglerbeg of the mighty province of
Anatolia, was once Manuel d'Orsini.
For nearly sixteen years did Ibrahim Pasha govern the Ottoman realms in
the name of the sultan: for nearly sixteen years did he hold the
imperial seals which had been intrusted to him at a period when the
colossal power of the empire seemed tottering to its fall. During that
interval he raised the Ottoman name to the highest pinnacle of
glory--extended the dominions of his master--and shook the proudest
thrones in Christendom to their foundation. Ferdinand, King of Hungary,
called him "brother," and the Emperor Charles the Fifth of Germany
styled him "cousin" in the epistolary communications which passed
between them. But a Greek who had long, long cherished a deadly hatred
against the puissant grand vizier, at last contrived to enter the
service of the sultan in the guise of a slave; and this man, succeeding
in gaining that monarch's ear, whispered mysterious warnings against the
ambition of Ibrahim. Solyman became alarmed; and, opening his eyes to
the real position of affairs, perceived that the vizier was indeed far
more powerful than himself. This was enough to insure the immediate
destruction of a Turkish minister.
Accordingly, one evening, Ibrahim was invited to dine with the sultan,
and to sleep at the imperial palace. Never had Solyman appeared more
attached to his favorite than on this occasion and Ibrahim retired to a
chamber prepared for him, with a heart elated by the caresses bestowed
upon him by his imperial master. But in the dead of night he was
awakened by the entrance of several persons into the room; and starting
up with terror, the grand vizier beheld _four black slaves_, headed by a
Greek, creep snake-like toward his couch. And that Greek's countenance,
sinister and menacing, was immediately recognized by the affrighted
Ibrahim--though more than fifteen years had elapsed since he had set
eyes upon those features. Short and ineffectual was the struggle against
the messengers of death; the accursed bowstring encircled the neck of
the unhappy Ibrahim, and at the moment when the vindictive Greek drew
tight the fatal noose, the last words which hissed in the ears of the
grand vizier, were--"The wrongs of Calanthe are avenged!"
Thus perished the most powerful minister that ever held the imperial
seals of Ottoman domination;--and the long-pent-up but never subdued
vindictive feelings of Demetrius were assuaged at length! Dame
Francatelli had long been numbered with those who were gone to their
eternal homes when the news of the death of Ibrahim Pasha reached
Florence. But the Count and Countess of Riverola shed many, many tears
at the sad and untimely fate of the grand vizier.
Time, however, smooths down all grief; and happiness again returned to
the Riverola Palace. For when Francisco and Flora looked around them and
beheld the smiling progeny which had blessed their union,--when they
experienced the sweet solace of each other's sympathy, the outpourings
of two hearts which beat as one, ever in unison, and filled with a
mutual love which time impaired not,--then they remembered that it was
useless and wrong to repine against the decrees of Providence; and, in
this trusting faith in Heaven and in the enjoyment of each other's
unwearying affection, they lived to a good old age--dying at length in
the arms of their children.
[THE END.]
End of Project Gutenberg's Wagner, the Wehr-Wolf, by George W. M. Reynolds