"he went out a-riding one fine day
the countryside to see."
in happy ignorance of the reports which reached kophetua's ears, penelophon continued with the players. indeed, she could not have done otherwise; for though she was treated kindly enough, yet bocco, the arlecchino, who had made the bargain with the queen-mother, and frampa, the old actress, his partner, took good care that she should not escape. she was far too valuable to lose. the firm of bocco and frampa, sole lessees and managers of the rumbling old caravans which were stage and dwelling and all, fully appreciated the prize they had captured, and were determined to watch it carefully.
the payment which the queen-mother had promised on account of the girl made her precious enough to be a thing worth careful tending; but the professional eyes of the managers saw in their protégée further possibilities of profit, which they valued even[pg 246] more highly. with the ready discrimination of old fanciers, they rapidly noted her points as soon as she was in their charge. they remarked complacently her graceful figure, her delicately moulded features, her great lustrous eyes, her wealth of silky hair, and the thrilling earnestness of her voice, and they nodded to each other with the solemn satisfaction of those who know.
"it is the most promising material i ever remember handling," said bocco profoundly.
"you are right, bocco," answered frampa, with the air of a connaisseuse who does not praise lightly. "she is a little pale and sickly, of course, for my taste as she is; but fine feathers make fine birds. with a smart costume to show off her figure, and a good rouging, call me a dolt if i don't turn her over to you the prettiest bit that was ever on our boards."
"and trust me to do the rest," replied bocco, with enthusiasm. "she was born for an actress—so sensitive, so tender, so intelligent. what stuff to work on! ah! i have a chance at last. think what i have done for that lump of stupidity and dulness, nora, and picture to yourself what the same hand will do with this piece of pure gold. but do you think you will bring her to it easily, frampa? she seems a shy, silly little thing."
"trust me, bocco," said frampa, with dignity. "i am no journeyman. i know[pg 247] my trade. you do your part, and trust me to do mine. it is not the first."
"right, frampa," answered bocco, with respect. "you are a genius. she will tax you hard if i read her right; but you are a genius."
bocco was not mistaken. frampa found she had a hard task before her. all she could say or do could not draw from penelophon the slightest expression of a desire to appear on the stage; and when the old actress went further, and hinted how nice it would be for her to stand up like nora before the people, and hear them shout and clap with delight, penelophon only shuddered and looked like a frightened fawn. indeed, the very presence of the other actresses was painful to her. frampa she did not mind so much, for the manageress never acted now. she was too old and fat for anything but taking the money and dressing the girls. she had a not unpleasant face, with hard wrinkles and bright dark eyes, and a great double chin that had taken entire possession of the room once enjoyed by her neck. her ways were so kindly, too, that penelophon could be almost happy with her when she was not teasing her to act.
the very idea of that grew more painful to her each day. to see nora sitting bold and brazen in her paint and shameless attire on the gaudy car, in which the company were wont to exhibit themselves through the[pg 248] villages, was too shocking for her to bear. she used to go and hide in frampa's cart, and try to think of trecenito, that she might shut out the wickedness that surrounded her.
bocco was more successful with his part. he began by coming to the lonely girl, and repeating verses to amuse her. then he asked her to try and say them, and his bright black eyes looked at her so strangely that she dared not refuse. she grew afraid of him and the strange power in his sharp face which seemed to fascinate her. so she always tried hard to remember what he read to her, and say it as he did to please him, and make him go away and not stare at her.
after penelophon had been with the players some weeks, to all these troubles a new one was added. for one day, while nora was riding her brazen course round a village which they had reached the night before, and penelophon was hiding in frampa's cart, she saw the door stealthily open, and the face of a man peep in and look at her. he said nothing, but went away as quietly as he came. presently the door opened once more, and the strange face was there again with another. suddenly, just as she thought they were coming in, and she was cowering down as close as she could in her corner, the door shut, and she heard the sound of feet hurrying away. then bocco came in, looking very angry.
[pg 249]
"do you know those men?" he asked, in his sharp way.
"no," answered penelophon. "why do they come to look at me?"
"because they are bad," answered the arlecchino. "if they ask you to go with them, be sure you do not. they are very bad. if they try to take you, cry out for me, and i will blast them with an evil eye. they dare not let me look on them as i know how. they will run away if you call out."
bocco indeed had considerable faith in the power of his eye; but perhaps he told penelophon a little more than he actually believed; still he was generally credited by his acquaintances with the evil eye, and he made the best use of his reputation. now he wished to complete his influence over penelophon, for he felt it was more than ever necessary. for some days he had had a suspicion that he was being followed by some men of mysterious manners, and he shrewdly suspected their attentions were due to the presence of penelophon in the caravan. frampa and he apprehended an attempt to carry her off, and the chance of losing their hopeful protégée increased their anxiety to make use of her.
this last discovery of bocco's so alarmed him that he made up his mind to leave the village secretly by night, and go on to the next, in hopes of eluding his pursuers. there[pg 250] the caravan arrived on the following morning, and bocco felt himself comparatively safe; for on the precipitous rock above the village hung the royal hunting-tower. the king was there, he knew, and from this he hoped great things. the mysterious persecution of which he found himself the object determined him to waste no more time over penelophon's scruples.
"it is of absolute necessity," he said to frampa, "that she must act. she must be forced or cheated into it at once."
"yes, bocco," answered frampa. "we must not leave her alone; it is not safe."
"and, besides," said bocco, "there is a greater reason still. some of the castle servants are sure to be at our performance. they cannot but be struck with the child, and the king will hear of her."
"and will order a special performance," exclaimed frampa eagerly.
"and will give us a protection," said bocco.
"splendid!" cried frampa. "no one is so clever as you, bocco."
so the two set about a scheme of which poor penelophon soon found herself the victim. it was growing very hot, and towards the middle of the day the girl had crept into a quiet place to sleep. it was a little shed leading out of the barn which bocco had hired for a theatre. it was frampa's private room, but as penelophon slept in her cart[pg 251] she felt she was free of the little shed too; so she spread her quilt in a corner, and, casting off her outer clothes, lay down to sleep.
her slumber was disturbed. she had never really recovered from the effects of the rough treatment she had received at turbo's hands. the heat made her feverish, and the memory of what bocco had told her of the bad men took shape in troubled dreams. at last she awoke, unrefreshed, and with an aching head. she thought she would go out into the air; but when she sat up to reach her dress, she saw lying in its place a flimsy, spangled thing, such as nora wore on the stage. she took it up to discover what the change might mean, but she dropped it quickly when she saw how scanty and evil-looking it was, and lay down again with a flushed face. then the door opened, and she saw frampa come in.
"o frampa!" she said, still blushing at the thought of the thing on her bed, "some one has taken my clothes and left me that. o frampa! go and see who has done it, and bring them back."
"why, deary," said frampa, "what is the matter? i did it myself. the bad men have followed us here. so nora is going to wear your clothes, and i have got this for you to put on, so that the men will not know you. come, i will help you put it on."
"o frampa!" said penelophon, with a[pg 252] shudder, "i cannot; indeed, i cannot. i should die of shame."
"tut, tut, deary!" said frampa, "be a woman. you need not be afraid. you can stay here all alone, and no one will see you. so come now and put it on, and make yourself safe."
"but are you sure no one will see me?" asked penelophon.
"why, of course not, child," answered frampa cheerily. "you know no one can come here but i. there, there, that's a little woman." frampa raised up her protégée as she spoke with motherly tenderness, and penelophon, trembling from head to foot, allowed herself to be clad in the actress's dress. but when it was on, and she saw how flaunting and shameless it was, and how it hardly covered her more than her own shift, she buried her face in her hands and began to cry.
"there, there, deary," cried frampa soothingly, "don't take on so. 'tis nothing to cry over. many a bonny lass would jump for joy to make such a pretty figure as you do now."
"i know, i know!" sobbed penelophon, whose trouble was only increased by frampa's admiration, "but i cannot help it. i will try to bear it because you are so kind; but i am so unhappy, and o frampa! my head aches past bearing."
"well, never mind," cooed frampa; "have[pg 253] a good cry and lie down a bit. there now, that is it. shut your eyes, and let me charm your pain away."
so penelophon did as she was told, and soon felt that frampa was stroking her face with something very pleasant and soft, while she sang a low-toned charm like a lullaby. it was soothing, and seemed to take away the pain. so penelophon lay quite still and left off crying.
frampa's conjuring had gone on for some time, when all at once the door opened and she stopped. penelophon looked up. bocco's sharp face and bright black eyes were peering in.
"they are here!" he cried, in affected alarm. "quick, frampa, bring her away. she is not safe there. bring her along and hide her."
"come, child," said frampa, in great agitation, as the door closed again. "quick! jump up; we will foil them yet."
penelophon rose mechanically in her alarm, and frampa half led, half dragged her to the door; but just as she reached it she caught sight of a face she hardly knew in frampa's mirror, which hung there upon the wall. for a moment she stopped and took another look. then with a low cry of horror she dragged her hand from frampa's and started back, staring at her conductor with a look in which terror struggled with reproach.
[pg 254]
"o frampa!" she cried, in a hushed voice of anguish, "what have you done? you have painted my face. oh, how wicked! how very wicked of you!"
"nonsense, child!" cried frampa, getting a little vexed. "it is only to disguise you better. come along quick, or it will be too late."
she took her by the wrist again, but penelophon hung back from her in disgust. just then the door opened and bocco rushed in again.
"quick, my girl," he said, as, heedless of her fear, he took her other wrist and looked her hard in the face. "do what i bid you, and all will be well. but, mind, do as i say."
then she gave herself up to her fate. there was something she could not resist in this man, and she let them lead her right through the barn. outside she saw the tawdry car standing ready, with all the men and girls upon it, except nora, whose place at the top was vacant. they all laughed and whispered together when penelophon appeared, but she had no time to heed them.
"come, child," said bocco sharply, "climb with me; it is your only chance."
the car was a kind of pyramid, on the flattened apex of which stood a stanchion with a gilded belt of metal attached to it. it was to this that nora was always fastened to prevent her falling with the jolting of the[pg 255] car. powerless for further resistance, penelophon soon found herself standing in nora's place, ready to sink with fear and shame. but bocco clasped the iron girdle tightly about her waist, and then got down to his own post in front. in another moment the music struck up, and the car began to move on its progress through the crowded village.
the people shouted as they passed, for in their eyes penelophon was a beautiful sight, with her gaudy attire and high colour. bocco never ceased to crack his jokes, as the car laboured on towards the market-place; and the more he joked the louder the people shouted. the music grew wilder and wilder, and every one seemed half mad with excitement, till it was all like a horrible dream to penelophon. her thoughts seemed to be part of the scream of the fifes, and the squeaking of the fiddles, and the hurried clatter of the drum. they mixed helplessly with the wanton din and got lost. then it was as though it were some one else who was fastened there and not herself. she thought she was going mad. the throb and clatter of the mocking music had stolen all her senses. once she threw up her bare arms and screamed, but the people only shouted "brava! brava!" to her, and tossed up their caps in delight. she covered her ears to shut out the clamour, but it pierced through all. she tried to throw herself[pg 256] down, but the iron girdle pressed tightly about her waist, and she could not move. it seemed to be gripping her closer and closer, as though some vile thing had her in its embrace. at last everything swam before her, and she felt the end had come, when suddenly the music stopped, and the car came to a standstill in the middle of the crowded market-place.
some one was answering bocco smartly out of the throng, and the people were jeering at him. the arlecchino was not used to rivalry, and when he found he could not silence his antagonist he began to lose his temper and take to abuse. but he got nothing for his pains, except a large vegetable in his face, thrown by an unerring hand. in a moment he had leaped from his place to the ground, and was belabouring his assailant with his baton, for he was a high-spirited fellow enough when roused. some of the company rushed to their chief's assistance, and fell upon his adversary's friends. as for the bystanders, they took one side or the other, or none at all, as it suited them; but every one shouted, and the girls on the car added their frightened screams to the clamour.
the fray was growing fast and furious, cudgels were whirling on all sides, and blood was beginning to flow, when some half-dozen men, in the uniform of the chancellor's runners, were seen making a way towards[pg 257] the car, where the fight was thickest. they used their halberts freely, and shouted as they came on, "peace! peace! in the chancellor's name!"
so great was respect for the laws in oneiria, that something like order was very soon obtained, and the runners set to work to secure the players. still, it was not all done in a moment, and before the men were all manacled the girls had found time to run away and hide themselves, with the help of sympathising townsmen. only penelophon was left standing on the top of the car, unable to escape from the grip of her supports.
"bring down the girl, one of you," cried the leader of the chancellor's men, and penelophon shuddered anew to see a rough fellow climbing up the car to her. but now a new diversion was made by the approach of the town bailiff, with his constables at his back. he came ruffling up to the chancellor's men, swelling with offended dignity.
"who is this," he cried, "that dares to make arrest in a royal borough? it is i, the king's bailiff, who have jurisdiction here. come, hand over your prisoners at once, or i will clap you all in jail together."
but the chancellor's men, armed with a special warrant, and fortified with the dignity of their uniform, had no idea of giving up their prize. a violent altercation ensued between the bailiff and the head runner.[pg 258] the man at penelophon's side leaped down to his chief's assistance, and two of the constables, anxious to make a point, at once took possession of her. this only made the runners more angry. they flatly refused to surrender their prisoners to any paltry bailiff. they were chancellor's men, they said, and would take a man in the king's own privy chamber if it pleased his excellency to order it.
"well, we will soon see who is the better man," cried the infuriated bailiff, as the runners began to retreat, with the players in the midst of them. "clap the girl in the stocks, one of you—we will keep her at any rate—and then run for the watch, and bid them come after me. i will keep an eye on these curs meanwhile; and then we will see who is king and who is chancellor."
penelophon soon found herself led out of the throng by one of the constables towards the upper end of the market-place, where the stocks stood waiting for her. she shrank in terror as she saw them, but the man dragged her on. the leg-holes looked like great wicked eyes gloating over her, and the whole thing seemed to the poor girl's fevered sense like some ugly monster, squatting down and waiting in hideous glee to devour her.
most of the people followed the bailiff, so as not to lose the end of his quarrel with the chancellor's men, but a good many stayed to see penelophon put into the stocks. they[pg 259] gathered round, grinning and jesting, as the constable sat her down in the low settle at the back. ready to sink with shame, she covered her face with her hands, while the man lifted the hinge-board and made her feet fast. she thought the worst was done then, but rough hands took hers and drew them from her face.
"come, lass," said the man, laughing, "i want these too."
then she saw the iron clamps on the two side-posts, and knew what he was going to do. "not that, sir, not that!" she cried wildly; "for god's sake, leave me my hands to hide my shame!"
"willingly, lass," the constable said mockingly, "if you can pay for them, but we can't let you hide a pretty face like yours without buying the privilege."
"but i have no money?" she moaned imploringly.
"so much the worse for both of us," said the man; "we shall neither of us have what we want."
without further ceremony he fastened one little wrist against the side-post with the iron clamp, and then did the same with the other; and so, after a quiet survey of his work, strode off, and left her to the jeers of the little crowd that had gathered.
poor penelophon! her cup was filled now past all endurance. when she looked down, it was but to find the spangled dress, which[pg 260] to her was like a robe of nessus. when she turned her eyes from that, it was only to see the staring townsfolk, and listen to their jeers at the painted face she could not hide. she felt each moment she would die. such agony could not last long.
fortunately it was not many minutes, though to her it seemed hours, before she had some relief. a fellow came running by, crying out that the bailiff had taken all the chancellor's men, and was haling them to the court-house for summary justice. with that penelophon's tormentors took to their heels and ran after the new excitement.
so she was left alone for half an hour or more. her position began to grow very painful. her feet were cramped, and the irons hurt her tender wrists, and it was a strange, undefined misery to be fastened there so long unable to move. but in a moment she forgot it all, when she heard men coming again into the deserted market-place. to be seen was the worst pain of all. she could hear the sound of horses' feet coming slowly across the square towards where she was fastened. in the bitterness of shame she hung her head, till she heard the horses stop in front of her. then, feeling anything was better than the sight of the shameless dress that clothed her, she looked up.
with a cry of anguish she dragged at the clamps in a frantic impulse to hide her[pg 261] painted face; for there, upon his horse, erect and handsome, and sad past words, sat trecenito, looking at her.
for a moment their eyes met, but only for a moment. she saw him give a sort of shudder of disgust. she saw him turn with a bitter laugh to captain pertinax, who rode behind him, and heard him say of her a thing so terrible that it seemed to drive the very life from her heart. like one in a swoon, she saw a vision of her angel angrily spurring his horse, and knew he had dashed away furiously out of the square with pertinax at his heels.
