in which is related the sickness of auristella through the witchcraft of the jewess, zabulon's wife.
disease durst not at once, attack face to face auristella's beauty, afraid lest its hideousness should be alarmed at so much loveliness, and so it began by the limbs. she was seized with shiverings at dawn, which prevented her from rising as usual; these were followed by a loss of appetite; next, the brilliance of her eyes became clouded and dull; and dismay at such sudden illness filled the hearts both of constance and periander, who immediately apprehended the worst result.
she had not been taken ill two hours, and already the bright roses of her cheeks were of a livid purple, the carmine of her sweet lips was changed to green, and the pearl-like teeth became the colour of topazes, her very hair had altered its colour, her hands stiffened, and her whole countenance changed. nevertheless, she was still beautiful to them who saw her, not as she was now in her bed, but in their hearts, where her image lay.
her voice, in a day or two after, could just reach their ears in feeble accents half uttered.
the french ladies joined in assisting constance to tend and nurse her, and so great was the attention they paid, that at last they required it for themselves.
physicians were sent for, the best that could be got, at least those who were most noted for skill, for a good opinion helps the proper medicine, and thus we as often meet with lucky doctors as fortunate soldiers—good luck and good fortune are one and the same thing—and one may find it as well in a bag of sackcloth as in a closet full of silver. but neither in silver nor in sackcloth did any find its way to auristella, which drove constance and antonio to despair. not so was it with the duke; his love had been engendered solely by the great beauty of auristella, and thus, when that beauty was fled, his love also fled with it, which must be deeply rooted in the heart to be strong enough to follow the beloved one even to the brink of the grave. death is very hideous, disease is near akin to it, and to love what is ugly seems something unnatural, and worthy to be called a miracle.
auristella faded away from hour to hour. those about her had given up all hope; periander alone, firm and loving as ever, with a brave and trusting spirit, faced adverse fortune and even death itself, which threatened him, in losing auristella.
fifteen days did the duke de nemours wait in hopes of seeing her get better, during which time everybody was continually questioning the physicians about her health, but none could speak with certainty, seeing that none knew the cause of her illness.
the duke finding that the angel of light he had adored had changed into one of darkness, feigned a tale which might form an excuse for his conduct, at least in some degree; and one day he came to auristella's sick bed, with periander present, and thus spoke:—
"since fortune has proved adverse to my hopes, o beauteous lady! and will not permit me to indulge the desire i had of calling you my wife, before despair reduces me to such a condition as to threaten the loss of reason, (as it has well nigh taken my life,) i purpose to try my fortune elsewhere—for i know well that i have nothing to hope or expect here—although i should continue to try for it, and thus it might happen that i die miserably. i am summoned home by my mother: she has a wife in view for me; i wish to obey her. but when death assails me, there will be found engraven on my heart the memory of thy beauty and thy illness,—would to god i may not have to say of thy death!"
his eyes were moist, and he dropped a few tears. auristella could not answer him, or perhaps did not wish to do so in periander's presence: the utmost she did was to put her hand under the pillow and draw forth her picture, which she returned to the duke. he kissed her hand for so precious a gift; but periander stretching out his, took it and said, "if it does not displease you, noble sir, and if you will be so kind as to permit it, i entreat you to lend it me that i may accomplish a promise i have given, which, without prejudice to you, will do me great harm if i accomplish it not."
the duke resigned it with fresh protestations of being ready to give up fortune, life, and honour itself for it, and more if he had it to offer; and from this time he separated himself from the brother and sister, meaning to see them no more in rome—a prudent lover, and not the first perhaps who has known how to seize an opportunity that offers itself to him.
all these things might have awakened arnoldo to the perception of how much his hopes had diminished, and what danger he was in of losing the object of all his pilgrimages; and, in fact, he was quite inclined to accompany the duke, if not in his journey, at least in his intentions, and would have returned to denmark, but love and his own generous heart forbade his doing this—leaving periander when he needed consolation, and auristella at the point of death.
he visited her and renewed his proposals, determined to wait in hopes of better prospects, in spite of all the suspicions that oppressed him.
