Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 95: what you’re looking at

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

$2 upon my path to enable me to recognise occasiona objects which I had observed during my ride along | “ but that same road, but in the contrary direction, with Olivia Sackville. I calculated that I must thus have ridden about fourteen miles, and was now within four or five of the banditti’s stronghold,— when I heard the sounds of a horse’s hoofs ap- proaching towards me. My pistols were instan- taneously drawn forth: I reined in my steed—and listened. It was evidently only one horseman who was thus advancing; and I resolved, if I were attacked, to use my weapons without the slightest Compunction. The individual was coming on at a gentle trot: but that part of the road happened to be so obscure with the overhanging trees that even when he was within half-a-dozen yards of me I could not distinguish his features, nor how he was dressed. He called out something in the Italian language ; and—Oh, joy! I at once recog- nised the voice of Angelo Volterra. moment I made myself known to him. “ And what on earth are you doing here?” he exclaimed, now addressing me in English. “The words I first spoke to you in Italian were a warns ing that you must be insensate, whoever you were, to rush on into the lion’s den.” “Thank heaven for this assurance!” I én- thusiastically exclaimed, as I thought of the deep | m fervid love which Olivia Sackville bore for this man. “And why do you speak thus ?” he asked. “ Because your words have just sent the con- viction to my soul that although I found you amongst banditti, you cannot possibly be a bandit yourself !” Volterra made no immediate answer; and it was too dark on that spot for me to judge by his coun- tenance what was the effeeb my speech had just produced upon him. “ But tell me,” he said, abruptly breaking that silence, “‘ wherefore do I find you here ?” “T know that I can trast you,” I answered: “indeed, it was my intention to seek your succour, My object is to effect the liberation of those Eng- lish prisoners 2 “But this is madness!” ejaculated Volterra. * Uberti will recognise you ™ “Let us advance into the moonlight,” I inter« rupted him; “and we will then see whether you yourself would have recognised me if I had spoken jn a feigned voice, and if I had not declared my- self.” We advanced accordingly to a spot where the trees ceased, and where the moonbeams poured down upon the road: I took off my hat, and turned my face towards the light—while Volterra studied me with the most earnest scrutiny. *Yes—your disguise is complete!” he said. “ But this is only a small part of what is required : for 1 dare not—indeed I have not the means to render you any succour. Uberti himself keeps the keys of the rooms in which the prisoners are con- fined “Are they well treated?” I anxiously in- quired, “Yes: on that score they have nothing to com- plain of.” “God be thanked! And now, Signor Volterra, all the assistance I require from you is the pass- word that will admit me into the presence of Marco Uberti.” The next | | took | JOSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. « That I can assuredly give you,” he responded : “Then fear not for the rest!” I exclaimed. “ Accident has led me to the knowledge of the whole ramifications of that conspiracy of which those prisoners are the victims. I have their ransom- money about me: I have the means of proving—or at least of making the bandit chief believe that I am an accredited agent from the prime mover in this conspiracy. If you think my disguise com- plete, and if you can give me the pass-word, I have no fear of failure—but on the contrary, every hope of success.” “You are a brave young fellow,” cried Volterra; “and you deserve to succeed. I will ride with you a portion of the way—we must then separate— and I will regain the tower by a circuitous route.” We rode onward together: and Angelo Volterra said to me in a low voice, “The incidents which place on the last occasion that we met, suc- ceeded each other with such rapidity, and there was such little time for either thought or speech, that I did not put to you a question which I might have asked, and which I more or less wonder that IE did not. You remember,” he continued, after a brief pause, “that you imposed a condition upon me—a condition which I faithfully promised to ob- serve. It was that I would not again see Miss Sackville. What made you impose that condition ? what reason had you for believing that I could wish to see her again ?”’ I did not of course choose to inform Signor Vol- terra how accident had made me a listener to the conversation between himself and Olivia at the en- trance of the pavilion in the garden of the village hotel; and yet it was absolutely necessary to give some response to a query so natural on his part: I therefore said, “ Could I suppose, Signor, that you were actuated by any save the very strongest motives for risking your own life in order to libe- rate Lord Ringwold’s daughter? She is beautiful —and you were continually thrown in her way for a period of some months. From these circam- stances I drew a certain inference—and hence the condition which I imposed.” *T will not deny that your inference is correct,” rejoined Volterra; “ and the time may come when” but abruptly checking himself, he asked, “ How fares it with the Ringwold family? are they allin good health? and did they suffer from the outrage perpetrated against them P” “No—they suffered not to any extent worth speaking of,” I answered: “ they are all well, and still residing at Florence,” “Ah, Florence!” cried Volterra, with a profound sigh, as if of regret at being absent from his native city. “You faithfully kept your promise?” he abruptly inquired: “ you did not breathe to a soul that I was the liberator of Miss Sackville and yourself on that memorable occasion P” * No—not for worlds would I have forfeited my pledge,’ I answered, “so long as you kept yours. But now let me become the querist. ere you suspected of aiding in our flight ?” “Not in the remotest degree: the precautions I took were completely successful. That you should have been enabled to file through your chain, was not the subject of any particular wonderment on the part of the banditti,—as if was supposed that oOo gs) (c@)