Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 71: what you’re looking at

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58 JOSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. some minutes he could do nothing but give vent to ejaculations of wonder in his own tongue; and then he hastened to interpret our explanations to his wife. Ultimately however we ascertained that a chaise could be furnished us: but as for the escort, it was not so easy a matter to accomplish, unless we chose to wait an hour or two till the mayor could be seen. I recommended Miss Sack- ville to decide upon pursuing the journey without delay, inasmuch as long ere this our flight must have been discovered when the banditti went to relieve the sentinel. She placed herself entirely at the guidance of my counsel: we partook of some refreshments—and the chaise was then in readiness. It was a wretched rattletrap of a con- cern: but that signified little—for on the other hand two good strong horses were attached to it. I had retained my cutlass: I purchased a pair of pistols of the landlord; and taking my seat on the box, I resolved to do my duty until the very last, if we were overtaken and attacked. The landlord inquired what he was to do with the two steeds that had borne us thither: and I recommended him to consult the mayor of the village, or any local authority upon the subject. Our journey was now resumed. MHalf-an-hour’s drive brought us to the limit of the Apennines; and we passed through the town of Pistoja, from which Florence was about twenty-five miles dis- tant. . We were in the Tuscan dominions; and the farther we advanced the more chatming was the aspect uf the country in the clear daylight. All was verdure there, as if it were bright midsummer. The road wound its way along the bank of a river in the pellucid depths of which the shadows of overhanging trees were reflected: and from the midst of groves the birds sent forth their blithe carolling,—thus reminding me of joyous spring in my Own native England. Ever and anon I looked back to see whether we were pursued: but when Pistoja had been passed and we advanced farther and farther into Tuscany, my apprehensions grew fainter and fainter, At length the Apennines were left so far behind that they now wore the aspect of an assemblage of blue clouds skirting the surface of the earth. The horses were changed— the journey was continued—-and it was yet early when we entered the city of Florence. Miss Sackville knew the name of the hotel at which her parents had intended to put up; and on arriving there she was instantaneously relieved from all farther suspense and was speedily clasped in the arms of Lord and Lady Ringwold. Cap- tain Raymond was likewise there: for after the attack by the robbers, they had journeyed on until Florence was reached,—Angelo Volterra’s opinion being well founded, that they would use all possible despatch to invoke the succour of a detachment of ducal troops in order to rescue Qlivia from the hands of the miscreants. Need I say that Lord and Lady Ringwold had endured the most poignant mental tortures on their beloved daughter’s ac- count—or that their joy was now indescribably great in receiving her back to their arms? Or is it necessary for me to declare that I was over- whelmed with the warmest expressions of grati- tude and the most enthusiastic praises for the part that I had performed? As for the valet and the lady’s-maid, relative to whose fate I had remained in uncertainty,—I soon found that they were safe. It appeared the maid had been only in a swoon upon the box of the carriage when I caught a glimpse of her there; and the valet had been stunned by a blow which had knocked him into the road. Reserved and distant to a certain extent as Captain Raymond’s manner had habitually been towards me, he now completely unbent—grasped me warmly by the hand—and lavished the highest encomiums upon me. I told Lord and Lady Ring- wold and Captain Raymond precisely the same tale that I had narrated to Miss Sackville,—and which indeed was every syllable correct, save and except only in the representation that our deli- verance was to be attributed to an anonymous friendly bandit instead of to Angelo Volterra. “It ig fortunate indeed that circumstances should have thus turned out,” said Captain Ray- mond, “inasmuch as from certain information we have obtained there seemed to be no chance that the ducal troops would be placed at our dispos.l. Marco Uberti and hig band would have led them such a dance amongst the Apennines that they would have been wearied out—perhaps enticed into a defile where they would have sustained terrific loss ; and all these casualities being held in view, the Tuscan authorities would have refused to send any troops at all.” “Tt certainly does seem extraordinary,” I re- marked, “that if there were a possibility of c:p- turing these desperadoes, the Grand Duke and his government should not have long ago adopted measures for the accomplishment of that aim.” “And there is perhaps another reason,” re- sumed Captain Raymond, “ why nothing of the sort has as yet been done. From what the land- ‘lord of the hotel told us on our arrival at an early hour this morning, the Grand Duke is ivelined to deal charily and leniently with Marco Uberti.” “Ts it because the terrible bandit-chief was once an officer in the ducal household?” I in- quired: “for if so, the Tusean Sovereign carries his attachment towards a discarded dependant to a very remarkable extent.” 7 “No one appears to be well able to solve this mystery,” replied Captain Raymond. “Some imagine that Marco Uberti is acquainted with certain State secrets of such vital importance that the Grand Duke would on no account have them revealed: others declare that they are family secrets whereof Marco Uberti is thus in possession, and that they are of such a delicate character it is most desirable to prevent them from becoming known. But from what the landlord said, it would appear that there are persons who hold the belief that when Marco Uberti fled some years back on account of slaying a brother-official in a quarrel over their wine-cups, he carried off with him a number of important papers, the publication of which would most seriously compromise the Grand Duke in respect to his. diplomatic dealings with other Sovereigns. But be all this as it may, there have been positive proofs that Marco Uberti does possess some mysterious means of finding favour with the Tuscan Prince. Twice during his brigand- career has he been captured when venturing alone and in disguise into the heart of Tuscan towns near the Apennines; and on both occasions, though condemned to death, he has been suffered to escape with the notorious connivance of the Giook (EO)