Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 289: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

—S Se a ee 276 JOSEPH WITMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. me to visit him there. I promised that I would if I remained at Ajaccio; and we parted. The Cor- sican gentleman now conducted me to the office of Signor Castelli,—where he left me, he having busi- ness to transact in another part of the town. IT entered an outer office, where about a dozen clerks were engaged in various occupations con- nected with their master’s business; and after waiting an hour, I was ushered to an inner room, where I found myself in the presence of Signor Castelli. He was an old man, with a re- markably shrewd expression of countenance—a keen piercing eye —and a certain quickness of manner which showed that asa thorough man of business he valued his time and expended it not unnecessarily. The instant I gave him my card, he said, “ Ah! I have heard of you, Mr. Wilmot; and I am at no loss to conjecture what melancholy affair has brought you hither.” I explained my business in terms as concise as possible; and Signor Castelli said, “ Had you not come to me now of your own accord, I should have sought after you in the course of the forenoon. Durazzo hes spoken to me of you. He had reason to believe that you might be at Ajaccio: he thought that perhaps you would render him the very ser- vice which you have so generously proposed to undertake.” “Most willingly will I do so,” I said. “ Does he wish to see me before I depart P” “He wishes it—but it will not be advisable,” responded Signor Castelli. “It would cause a delay of two or three days; and this delay might frustrate the very object which both he and your- self have in view:—the intelligence might reach Civita Vecchia before you could get there. For in order to see Durazzo, it would be necessary for you to have an order from the Judge of In- struction; and he has gone to Bastia on some matter of business. Durazzo has told me every- thing in respect to yourseli—how he made youa prisoner on board his ship—how generously you have behaved towards him; and he thought that he could reckon upon your good feeling to break this intelligence in a quarter where it cannot pos- sibly be long concealed, but where it is desirable that the blow should not fall with too fearful an abruptness.” “Is there any hope,” I asked, “of weakening the evidence which weighs so terribly against Durazzo and his accomplice ?” “Ah! then you believe them guilty?” said Signor Castelli. “How can I possibly believe otherwise?” I asked. ‘ But you yourself s Castelli shrugged his shoulders,—and said, “ It is an ugly case—a very ugly case! Durazzo and the page persist in declaring their innocence; but to confess the truth, Mr. Wilmot, no mortal jury could be persuaded thereof. Nothing but a miracle can save them !” ** And such a miracle will not be wrought,” I mournfully observed: “for perhaps never was circumstantial evidence so strong. I presume Durazzo has afforded you some grounds on which to establish a defence ?” “Yes—but they are weak enough,” answered Castelli. “He says that in consequence of a legend which he heard related by the farmer—in fact, the well-known legend of the monastery—he was resolved to search amongst the ruins in the hope of finding the treasure; and that for this purpose did he and the page return thither in so stealthy a manner after having given the farmer’s family to understand that they were going straight on to Bastia. He further says that as he and the page were groping their way amidst the ruins, they heard the sounds of footsteps; and thinking that other persons might have come thither for a similar purpose, he and his youthful companion were anxious to avoid them; and hence their stealthy retreat towards the place where they had left the hired vehicle. But all of a sudden they found themselves surrounded and arrested by a party of men under the command of a French Lieutenant, who accused them of piracy. A few instants afterwards another party came up to the spot; and then was proclaimed the still darker accusation of murder !” I listened with the greatest attention to Signor Castelli’s rapidly sketched statement,—from which I gleaned that Durazzo had suppressed the circum- stance of the treasure having been already dis- covered. Good heavens! did he cling to the hope that his life would be saved—that he would recover his freedom—and that the day would therefore come when he should be enabled to revisit the ruins of St. Bartholomew and thence bear away the hidden treasure? Did he, in a word, expect that heaven would yvouchsafe that miracle which, as Signor Castelli had so well expressed it, could alone save him? I must confess that I was astonished at Durazzo’s infatuation,—until it sud- denly occurred to me that he cherished the idea of an escape, and that he might probably, with his natural sagacity, already perceive the means of accomplishing it. “ And so you believe that they are guilty ?” ob- served Signor Castelli. “ But of course you do! It were preposterous to suppose otherwise! Never- theless Durazzo said to me more than once when I saw him last evening, ‘ My friend Wilmot will not for a moment believe me guilty: I am sure that he will not, despite all the evidence which seems so damnatory against me !’—Thus he spoke.” ** Would to heaven that I dared think him inno- cent!” I exclaimed. “I would give much and would make large sacrifices,” I added vehemently, “to be enabled to regard him as the victim of one of those marvellous combinations of circumstances which the criminal annals of all nations have cer- tainly displayed.” “You speak generously, Mr. Wilmot,” answered Castelli: “but I repeat what I ere now said—it is impossible for you to believe him innocent! Jam morally convinced of his guilt: but I shall leave no stone unturned to get up the strongest possible case for his defence. I have already retained the most eminent counsel in the island 5 “ And if by any accident,” I interjected,—“ if, something little short of a miracle should transpire to procure an acquittal—or if the case should break down through any flaw in the indictment—what becomes of the charge of piracy ?” “There is none preferred against these Greeks,” replied Signor Castelli; “and even if there were, it could not be taken cognizance of in our Courts, inasmuch as it does not appear that piracy has been practised towards a French or Corsican vessel. But you will excuse me for cutting this interview rc tt a SE I I ET” Wi. ee Es COMmicoaoolks (Cc)