Part 43 (2/2)
”Then Ithe spectators of the fight I will send hie close to the shore on the other side of the bay, to the inhabitants of whichthe lives of their children in a dire sickness, and thither the wounded ratitude in their nature, they will perforlish captain will be safe with them, even should they discover who he is Now, hasten back to the bay with the nora Garden to return to her tower, and to appear to take no further interest in him It will betray hiood I will, however, endeavour to arrange that you shall remain with him to attend on hio , she took out of a chest the _capote_ she had worn on the previous occasion, and, throwing it over her shoulders, led the way down the steps While Jack Raby hurried off down the ravine, she took her way towards the edge of the cliffs, where she saw a nu in the direction where the boats were supposed to be, though they uns; it served, however, to occupy their attention, so that no one perceived her She wandered a for her brother, till, at last, she found hih spot, from where he could overlook the whole scene Twice she called hihts that he did not answer her, till she climents at his feet, and touched his arm
”Paolo, enerous and a noble work, frolish lady who has been held captive here I knew it from the first, and I know that she cannot return your love, for her heart is another's Now listen: the iven, your rival if you will, lies now in the island, wounded almost to death, and on your skill depends, probably, whether he lives or dies Promise me, then, as you hope for salvation in another world, for peace of mind in this, to exert that skill to the utmost to preserve his life, to conceal his real character from my husband, and to aid him to escape from the island Say you will do this, my brother, and I believe, froirl, you are far ard by such conduct, and ultimately, perhaps, even her love, than were her lover to die without an attempt on your part to save hi her, and did not immediately answer
”Her love! Do you think it possible that I should gain her love?” he at length exclai else she had said ”I would sacrifice life itself for that bright jewel”
”It would be wrong were I to hold hope out to you to induce you to act as I could wish, Paolo,” said Nina ”Think not of any other reward than such as your own heart will afford you Her love I do not believe that you will attain, even were her lover to die One of her nature places her heart on one object, and when that is torn fro-place All you ive you, is her gratitude and esteem With that you must be content”
”It is bitter to think so, and yet I have long ceased to hope,” h, Nina, ould you have ement she had already made with Jack Raby
”Come, my brother, decide what part you will take--there is no tienerous nature”
”Nina, I will do as you wish,” Paolo gasped forth, after a long silence
”I will endeavour to save the life of this h my heart break when I see him united to her he loves”
”Swear it, then, Paolo--swear it by the Holy Apostles--swear it, as you hope for Heaven's mercy hereafter,” exclaimed Nina ”Not only for your own sake do I iirl herself, that she h her lover is in his rival's power, he is as safe as in the hands of his dearest friend”
Paolo took the oath his sister prescribed, and leaping off the ruins, hurried, at headlong speed, down to the bay
Nina followed at a slower pace
The flight of the fugitives had been discovered by old Vlacco, even before they had quitted the bay He had awoke in the night, he stated, and had taken it into his head, that he would go to see if they were safe in their prison He was so astonished and confused on finding they were not there, that, at first, he could not decide what course to take
He then bethought him that his duty required him to inform his chief, and as soon as Zappa was made aware of the fact, the whole island was in commotion, and the pursuit was coreat satisfaction that Nina heard of Ada's flight, and ht not be overtaken For the fair girl's sake, she wished this, and for her own, even still more so
She admired her beauty, she was inclined to love her as a sister--and yet she could not conceal froreatly feared her as a rival in her husband's affections She had lately learned, too surely to doubt it, that his love aning, and that he himself was far different from the character she had supposed himent, he was a blood-stained pirate; and she had already too many proofs of the fact, even had he not, now that he was indifferent to her love, boasted to her of his deeds Soht would occur to her, that even her life would not be safe, if it stood between him and his wishes; and yet, woman-like, she still loved on She tried to shut her eyes to his faults, to forget his unkindness, and to discover only the noble qualities she at first believed he possessed Though she feared Ada, she could not hate her; and would not have harmed her, now that she felt sure she would never consent to become the pirate's bride should she die, much less his mistress; but she was not the less anxious for her departure, and proportionably grieved when she heard that she was once more a prisoner in the island With natural jealousy, when Zappa spoke of obtaining a ransom for Ada, she had endeavoured to ascertain what steps he had taken, for the purpose of arranging it; and by no means could she learn that he had even otiations on the subject with any persons at Malta, or elsewhere; and this confirmed her in her fears that this was simply a pretext to weary out his prisoner, and to reconcile her to her fate She was certain, also, that Captain Fleetwood could have heard nothing on the subject; as he would, she thought, have preferred so safe a way of recovering her, instead of the dangerous one he had attempted Such were the subjects which occupied her mind, as she walked down the ravine to meet her rival In the meantime, Ada had watched, with an anxiety scarcely describable, for the return of Raby; every instant expecting to have the pirates cohly fro hi him to perish without assistance
At last Jack arrived, followed at an interval by Paolo
”Signora,” he said, ”I have coe of a man I hear is sorely wounded Do not doubt iven my sister, that I will, to the best of my abilities, endeavour to restore him to health, and if an occasion occurs, to aid in his escape fronor,” replied Ada, giving him her hand ”You could not commit so black an act as to deceive ood intentions into execution”
On this Paolo told her of the fisherman's hut, to which he purposed to convey Captain Fleetwood, and hurried off to su that he was from home, and as no time was to be lost, he proposed that he and Raby should carry the wounded officer there at once, with the aid of Ada and Marianna This they accomplished without much difficulty, by means of a cloak found at the bottoed by Paolo and Raby, Ada tore herself away from him, and with Marianna, endeavoured to find her way up the ravine, while Jack remained to keep watch over his commander
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
Lieutenant Saltwell, on whom, in his captain's absence, had devolved the coht on which the events we have been describing took place, with athe whole afternoon endeavouring, by every possible reed on, off the island of Lissa, so that he ht dispatch the boats at dark to wait still closer in for the co of Fleetwood and his companions The breeze hich they had started had failed theot out, and the boats had towed ahead, till he was fearful of knocking up their crews and unfitting them for the work they had still to perfored to dispatch them, under the orders of the several lieutenants, with a pull of sohteen or twenty miles before them
”For heaven's sake, make the best speed you can,” said Saltwell, as he bade his brother officers good bye ”Our captain will ht, depend on it, and it will be sad work if he cannot find the boats”