Volume I Part 13 (1/2)
Arvina, trembling with the deep consciousness of hospitality betrayed, and feeling the first stings of remorse already, stood thunderstricken, and unable to articulate.
”Speak!” thundered Catiline; ”speak! art thou not mine-mine soul and body-sworn to be mine forever?”
Alas! the fatal oath, sworn in the heat of pa.s.sion, flashed on his soul, and he answered humbly, and in a faint low voice, how different from his wonted tones of high and manly confidence-
”I am sworn, Catiline!”
”See then that thou be not forsworn. Little thou dream'st yet, unto what thou art sworn, or unto whom; but know this, that h.e.l.l itself, with all its furies, would fall short of the tortures that await the traitor!”
”I am, at least, no traitor!”
”No! traitor! Ha!” cried Catiline, ”is it an honest deed to creep into the bosom of a daughter of the house which entertained thee as a friend!-No!
Traitor-ha! ha! ha! thou shalt ere long learn better-ha! ha! ha!”
And he laughed with the fearful sneering mirth, which was never excited in his breast, but by things perilous and terrible and hateful. In a moment, however, he repressed his merriment, and added-
”Give me that poniard thou didst wear this morning. It is mine.”
”Thine!” cried the unhappy youth, starting back, as if he had received a blow; ”thine, Catiline!”
”Aye!” he replied, in a hoa.r.s.e voice, looking into the very eyes of Paul.
”I am the slayer of the slave, and regret only that I slew him without torture. Know you whose slave he was, by any chance?”
”He was the Consul's slave,” answered Arvina, almost mechanically-for he was utterly bewildered by all that had pa.s.sed-”Medon, my freedman Thrasea's cousin.”
”The Consul's, ha!-which Consul's? speak! fool! speak, ere I tear it from your throat; Cicero's, ha?”
”Cicero's, Catiline!”
”Here is a coil; and knows he of this matter? I mean Cicero.”
”He knows it.”
”That is to say, you told him. Aye! this morning, after I spoke with you.
I comprehend; and you shewed him the poniard. So! so! so! Well, give it to me; I will tell you what to do, hereafter.”
”I have it not with me, Sergius,” he replied, thoroughly daunted and dismayed.
”See that you meet me then, bringing it with you, at Egeria's cave, as fools call it, in the valley of Muses, at the fourth hour of night to-morrow. In the meantime, beware that you tell no man aught of this, nor that the instrument was bought of Volero. Ha! dost thou hear me?”
”I hear, Catiline.”
”And wilt obey?”
”And will obey.”
”So shall it go well with thee, and we shall be fast friends forever. Good repose to thee, good my Paullus.”
”And Lucia?” he replied, but in a voice of inquiry; for all that he had heard of the tremendous pa.s.sions and vindictive fury of the conspirator, flashed on his mind, and he fancied that he knew not what of vengeance would fall on the head of the soft beauty.