DISCOVERIES.
The next morning after Beatrice’s last performance Langhetti determined
to fulfill his promise and tell her that secret which she had been so
anxious to know. On entering into his parlor he saw a letter lying on
the table addressed to him. It bore no postage stamp, or post-office
mark.
He opened it and read the following:
“London, September 5,1849.
“SIGNORE,--Cigole, the betrayer and intended assassin of your late
father, is now in London. You can find out about him by inquiring of
Giovanni Cavallo, 16 Red Lion Street. As a traitor to the Carbonari, you
will know that it is your duty to punish him, even if your filial piety
is not strong enough to avenge a father’s wrongs.
“CARBONARO.”
Langhetti read this several times. Then he called for his landlord.
“Who left this letter?” he asked.
“A young man.”
“Do you know his name?”
“No.”
“What did he look like?”
“He looked like a counting-house clerk more than any thing.”
“When was it left?”
“About six o’clock this morning.”
Langhetti read it over and over. The news that it contained filled his
mind. It was not yet ten o’clock. He would not take any breakfast, but
went out at once, jumped into a cab, and drove off to Red Lion Street.
Giovanni Cavallo’s office was in a low, dingy building, with a dark,
narrow doorway. It was one of those numerous establishments conducted
and supported by foreigners whose particular business it is not easy
to conjecture. The building was full of offices, but this was on the
ground-floor.
Langhetti entered, and found the interior as dingy as the exterior.
There was a table in the middle of the room. Beyond this was a door
which opened into a back-room.
Only one person was here--a small, bright-eyed man, with thick Vandyke
beard and sinewy though small frame. Langhetti took off his hat and
bowed.
“I wish to see Signore Cavallo,” said he, in Italian.
“I am Signore Cavallo,” answered the other, blandly.
Langhetti made a peculiar motion with his left arm. The keen eye of
the other noticed it in an instant. He returned a gesture of a similar
character. Langhetti and he then exchanged some more secret signs. At
last Langhetti made one which caused the other to start, and to bow with
deep respect.
“I did not know,” said he, in a low voice, “that any of the Interior
Council ever came to London.... But come in here,” and he led the way
into the inner room, the door of which he locked very mysteriously.
A long conference followed, the details of which would only be tedious.
At the close Cavallo said, “There is some life in us yet, and what life
we have left shall be spent in trapping that miscreant. Italy shall be
avenged on one of her traitors, at any rate.”
“You will write as I told you, and let me know?”
“Most faithfully.”
Langhetti departed, satisfied with the result of this interview. What
surprised him most was the letter. The writer must have been one who
had been acquainted with his past life. He was amazed to find any one
denouncing Cigole to him, but finally concluded that it must be some old
Carbonaro, exiled through the afflictions which had befallen that famous
society, and cherishing in his exile the bitter resentment which only
exiles can feel.
Cavallo himself had known Cigole for years, but had no idea whatever of
his early career. Cigole had no suspicion that Cavallo had any thing to
do with the Carbonari. His firm were general agents, who did business
of a miscellaneous character, now commission, now banking, and now
shipping; and in various ways they had had dealings with this man, and
kept up an irregular correspondence with him.
This letter had excited afresh within his ardent and impetuous nature
all the remembrances of early wrongs. Gentle though he was, and pure in
heart, and elevated in all his aspirations, he yet was in all respects a
true child of the South, and his passionate nature was roused to a storm
by this prospect of just retaliation. All the lofty doctrines with which
he might console others were of no avail here in giving him calm. He had
never voluntarily pursued Cigole; but now, since this villain had been
presented to him, he could not turn aside from what he considered the
holy duty of avenging a father’s wrongs.
He saw that for the present every thing would have to give way to this.
He determined at once to suspend the representation of the “Prometheus,”
even though it was at the height of its popularity and in the full tide
of its success. He determined to send Beatrice under his sister’s care,
and to devote himself now altogether to the pursuit of Cigole, even if
he had to follow him to the world’s end. The search after him might
not be long after all, for Cavallo felt sanguine of speedy success, and
assured him that the traitor was in his power, and that the Carbonari in
London were sufficiently numerous to seize him and send him to whatever
punishment might be deemed most fitting.
With such plans and purposes Langhetti went to visit Beatrice, wondering
how she would receive the intelligence of his new purpose.
It was two o’clock in the afternoon before he reached her lodgings. On
going up he rapped. A servant came, and on seeing him looked frightened.
[Illustration: “WHAT LIFE WE HAVE LEFT SHALL BE SPENT IN TRAPPING THAT
MISCREANT.”]
“Is Miss Despard in?”
The servant said nothing, but ran off. Langhetti stood waiting in
surprise; but in a short time the landlady came. She had a troubled
look, and did not even return his salutation.
“Is Miss Despard in?”
“She is not here, Sir.”
“Not here!”
“No, Sir. I’m frightened. There was a man here early this morning, too.”
“A man here. What for?”
“Why, to ask after her.”
“And did he see her?”
“She wasn’t here.”
“Wasn’t here! What do you mean?”
“She didn’t come home at all last night. I waited up for her till four.”
“Didn’t come home!” cried Langhetti, as an awful fear came over him.
“No, Sir.”
“Do you mean to tell me that she didn’t come home at her usual hour?”
“No, Sir--not at all; and as I was saying, I sat up nearly all night.”
“Heavens!” cried Langhetti, in bewilderment. “What is the meaning of
this? But take me to her room. Let me see with my own eyes.”
The landlady led the way up, and Langhetti followed anxiously. The room
were empty. Every thing remained just as she had left it. Her music was
lying loosely around. The landlady said that she had touched nothing.
Langhetti asked about the man who had called in the morning. The
landlady could tell nothing about him, except that he was a gentleman
with dark hair, and very stern eyes that terrified her. He seemed to be
very angry or very terrible in some way about Beatrice.
Who could this be? thought Langhetti. The landlady did not know his
name. Some one was certainly interesting herself very singularly about
Cigole, and some one else, or else the same person, was very much
interested about Beatrice. For a moment he thought it might be Despard.
This, however, did not seem probable, as Despard would have written him
if he were coming to town.
Deeply perplexed, and almost in despair, Langhetti left the house and
drove home, thinking on the way what ought to be done. He thought he
would wait till evening, and perhaps she would appear. He did thus
wait, and in a fever of excitement and suspense, but on going to the
lodging-house again there was nothing more known about her.
Leaving this he drove to the police-office. It seemed to him now that
she must have been foully dealt with in some way. He could think of no
one but Potts; yet how Potts could manage it was a mystery. That mystery
he himself could not hope to unravel. The police might. With that
confidence in the police which is common to all Continentals he went
and made known his troubles. The officials at once promised to make
inquiries, and told him to call on the following evening.
The next evening he went there. The policeman was present who had been
at the place when Potts met Beatrice. He told the whole story--the
horses running furiously, the screams from the cab, and the appeal of
Beatrice for help, together with her final acquiescence in the will of
her father.
Langhetti was overwhelmed. The officials evidently believed that Potts
was an injured father, and showed some coldness to Langhetti.
“He is her father; what better could she do?” asked one.
“Any thing would be better,” said Langhetti, mournfully. “He is a
villain so remorseless that she had to fly. Some friends received her.
She went to get her own living since she is of age. Can nothing be done
to rescue her?”
“Well, she might begin a lawsuit; if she really is of age he can not
hold her. But she had much better stay with him.”
Such were the opinions of the officials. They courteously granted
permission to Langhetti to take the policeman to the house.
On knocking an old woman came to the door. In answer to his inquiries
she stated that a gentleman had been living there three weeks, but that
on the arrival of his daughter he had gone home.
“When did he leave?”
“Yesterday morning.”