the sage advice that the three french ladies gave to the two mourners, constance and auristella, was of small avail, for in a recent grief there is no room for consolation. in the agony of a sudden disaster we cannot accept at once of any comfort, however wisely it may be administered; a fresh wound is painful till it is closed, and it takes time to heal before it is again opened; therefore, whilst one weeps, whilst one groans, whilst one is under the influence of the grief that causes one's lamentations and sighs, it is not discreet at all to offer remedies. let us then leave auristella still to weep, and constance to lament, and both to shut their ears to all consolation, whilst the fair clarice relates the cause of her husband's madness.
she told the french ladies, that, before he married her, he was in love with a relation of his own, who had every expectation of marrying him. "my lot seemed to promise fair, only to become the darker in the end," said clarice; "for lorena, (so this relation was called,) concealing the anger she felt at our marriage, used to load him with a variety of presents, the most agreeable and pleasing, rather than costly; among which, she sent him once, much as the false dejanira sent the shirt to hercules, i say she sent him some shirts of the finest linen and of beautiful workmanship. scarcely had he put one on, when he became senseless, and for two days lay like a corpse, although we directly took it off, fancying that it had been bewitched by a slave of lorena's, who was supposed to be a dealer in magic arts. my husband was restored to life, but his mind was so disturbed and upset, that everything he did was like the act of a madman, and not a quiet madman, but so cruel, furious and wild, that it became necessary to chain him; and, to-day, i being in the tower, he contrived to escape from his place of confinement, and flung me through the upper windows, but i was preserved by my wide garments, which bore me up, or rather, i ought to say, by the mercy of god, who protects the innocent." then she told how the pilgrim had gone up into the tower to the assistance of another woman, one of her attendants, whom he was also trying to throw over, and with her were two little children whom he wished to strangle, but that the event was that the count and the pilgrim had been dashed down from the tower to the ground below, the count, wounded mortally, and the pilgrim having a knife in his hand, which it appeared he had wrested from the madman, his wound was such that it needed not the fall to kill him, the wound was enough in itself.
meantime, periander still lay senseless on the bed where they had placed him, and where the surgeons came to see him and set the dislocated bones. they gave him medicines proper for his case, felt his pulse, and, by degrees, he came a little to himself, and knew some of the persons who stood round him, especially auristella, to whom, in a scarcely audible voice, he said, "sister, i die in the holy catholic faith, and i die loving you." he could say no more, and did not speak again at that time. they bled antonio, and the surgeons having examined his wound, demanded a reward for the good news they were able to give his sister, that it was deep, but not mortal, and that they would promise to cure him by the help of heaven. felicia flora rewarded them handsomely first, and constance afterwards; and the surgeons, not to be over scrupulous, took it from both.
it took a month and rather more for the invalids to be cured: the french ladies would not hear of leaving them, so great a friendship had sprung up between them and auristella, and constance and their two brothers; felicia flora, especially, could not quit antonio's bedside, loving him with a gentle affection, so delicate, that it only seemed kind feeling and gratitude for the deed he had done in saving her when his arrow freed her from the grasp of rupertino, who was, she told them, a gentleman, lord of a castle not far from her own, and that he, impelled by a desperate passion, not by real love, had long followed and persecuted her to marry him; but that she knew well both by experience and by the voice of common fame, which seldom lies, that the character of rupertino was harsh and cruel, and that his disposition was changeable and capricious, for which reason she had refused his suit. she guessed, therefore, that furious at her disdain, he had made this attempt to seize her person by force, since she would not give herself to him willingly; but the arrow of antonio had cut short his wicked designs, and that for this she felt most grateful.
when at length the moment came that the invalids felt health returning, and by their reviving strength showing signs of this; also, with health, revived their wish to pursue their journey: they therefore set to work to provide all things necessary for this. as i before said, the french ladies would not separate from the pilgrims, and already began to treat them with more respect and admiration, since, from the words that were uttered by auristella in her wild grief, they had an idea of their being persons of very high quality, for sometimes majesty clothes itself in sackcloth and grandeur conceals itself in humility. in fact, they regarded them with perplexity; the poor retinue they had, looked as if they were persons of middling condition, but the grace and elegance of their manners, and their extreme beauty, made them seem of almost heavenly birth. thus they continued to be in doubt with respect to their real rank and quality. it was decided by the french ladies that they should travel on horseback, because periander's fall had made it impossible for him to go on foot. the grateful felicia flora would not quit the side of antonio, and discoursing upon the daring act of rupertino, whom they left dead and buried, and of the strange history of the count domicio, whom his cousin's fatal gifts had first deprived of reason, then of life, and also of the miraculous flight of his wife, more wonderful than credible; they arrived upon the banks of a river which was fordable with some trouble. periander was of opinion that they should seek a bridge, but all the rest objected to this, and, just as a flock of sheep when all crowded in a narrow space, one makes itself a way out and all the rest directly follow, so bellarmina dashed into the stream, and all followed her example; periander, however, never quitting auristella's side, nor antonio that of felicia flora, his sister, constance, being also close by him. now fate so willed it that the rapid motion of the water affected felicia flora's head, so that she fell off her horse into the middle of the river; but, quick as thought, the gallant antonio darted after her, and upon his shoulders bore her, like a second europa, safe to the opposite shore. she, seeing his quick action, said, "thou art very courteous, spaniard." to which antonio replied, "if my courteous deeds did not spring from your dangers, they might be estimable; but, born as they are of them, they rather grieve than gladden me."
the party at last all passed over, and reached at nightfall a farmhouse, which was also an inn, in which they found lodging to their liking; and what happened to them here demands a new style and a new chapter.
