Authors: George W. M. Reynolds,James Malcolm Rymer
"Oh,
nothing."
"Was
that what you were about to tell me?" inquired the countess.
"Oh,
dear, no. You recollect the Italian quack of whom I bought the drug you gave to
the count, and which put an end to his days—he wanted more money. Well, as I
had no more to spare, I could spare no more to him, and he turned vicious, and
threatened. I threatened, too, and he knew I was fully able and willing to
perform any promise I might make to him on that score. I endeavoured to catch
him, as he had already began to set people off on the suspicious and marvellous
concerning me, and if I could have come across him, I would have laid him very
low indeed."
"And
you could not find him?"
"No,
I could not."
"Well,
then, I will tell you where he is at this present moment."
"You?"
"Yes,
I."
"I
can scarcely credit my senses at what you say," said Count Morven. "My
worthy doctor, you are little better than a candidate for divine honours. But
where is he?"
"Will
you promise to be guided by me?" said the countess.
"If
you make it a condition upon which you grant the information, I must."
"Well,
then, I take that as a promise."
"You
may. Where—oh, where is he?"
"Remember
your promise. Your doctor is at this moment in this castle."
"This
castle?"
"Yes,
this castle."
"Surely
there must be some mistake; it is too much fortune at once."
"He
came here for the same purpose he went to you."
"Indeed!"
"Yes,
to get more money by extortion, and a promise to poison anybody I liked."
"D—n!
it is the offer he made to me, and he named you."
"He
named you to me, and said I should be soon tired of you."
"You
have caged him?"
"Oh,
dear, no; he has a suite of apartments in the eastern tower, where he passes
for a philosopher, or a wizard, as people like best."
"How?"
"I
have given him leave there."
"Indeed!"
"Yes;
and what is more amazing is, that he is to aid me in poisoning you when I have
become tired of you."
"This
is a riddle I cannot unravel; tell me the solution."
"Well,
dear, listen,—he came to me and told me of something I already knew, and
demanded money and a residence for his convenience, and I have granted him the
asylum."
"You
have?"
"I
have."
"I
see; I will give him an inch or two of my Andrea Ferrara."
"No—no."
"Do
you countenance him?"
"For
a time. Listen—we want men in the mines; my late husband sent very few to them
of late years, and therefore they are getting short of men there."
"Aye,
aye."
"The
thing will be for you to feign ignorance of the man, and then you will be able
to get him seized, and placed in the mines, for such men as he are dangerous,
and carry poisoned weapons."
"Would
he not be better out of the world at once; there would be no escape, and no
future contingencies?"
"No—no.
I will have no more lives taken; and he will be made useful; and, moreover, he
will have time to reflect upon the mistake he had made in threatening me."
"He
was paid for the job, and he had no future claim. But what about the
child?"
"Oh,
he may remain for some time longer here with us."
"It
will be dangerous to do so," said the count; "he is now ten years
old, and there is no knowing what may be done for him by his relatives."
"They
dare not enter the gates of this castle Morven."
"Well,
well; but you know he might have travelled the same road as his father, and all
would be settled."
"No
more lives, as I told you; but we can easily secure him some other way, and we
shall be equally as free from him and them."
"That
is enough—there are dungeons, I know, in this castle, and he can be kept there
safe enough."
"He
can; but that is not what I propose. We can put him into the mines and confine
him as a lunatic."
"Excellent!"
"You
see, we must make those mines more productive somehow or other; they would be
so, but the count would not hear of it; he said it was so inhuman, they were so
destructive of life."
"Paha!
what were the mines intended for if not for use?"
"Exactly—I
often said so, but he always put a negative to it."
"We'll
make use of an affirmative, my dear countess, and see what will be the result
in a change of policy. By the way, when will our marriage be celebrated?"
"Not
for some months."
"How,
so long? I am impatient."
"You
must restrain your impatience—but we must have the boy settled first, and the
count will have been dead a longer time then, and we shall not give so much
scandal to the weak-minded fools that were his friends, for it will be
dangerous to have so many events happen about the same period."
"You
shall act as you think proper—but the first thing to be done will be, to get
this cunning doctor quietly out of the way."
"Yes."
"I
must contrive to have him seized, and carried to the mines."
"Beneath
the tower in which he lives is a trap-door and a vault, from which, by means of
another trap and vault, is a long subterranean passage that leads to a door
that opens into one end of the mines; near this end live several men whom you
must give some reward to, and they will, by concert, seize him, and set him to
work."
"And
if he will not work?"
"Why,
they will scourge him in such a manner, that he would be afraid even of a
threat of a repetition of the same treatment."
"That
will do. But I think the worthy doctor will split himself with rage and malice,
he will be like a caged tiger."
"But
he will be denuded of his teeth and claws," replied the countess, smiling
"therefore he will have leisure to repent of having threatened his
employers."
Some
weeks passed over, and the Count of Morven contrived to become acquainted with
the doctor. They appeared to be utter strangers to each other, though each knew
the other; the doctor having disguised himself, he believed the disguise
impenetrable and therefore sat at ease.
"Worthy
doctor," said the count to him, one day; "you have, no doubt, in your
studies, become acquainted with many of the secrets of science."
"I
have, my lord count; I may say there are few that are not known to Father
Aldrovani. I have spent many years in research."
"Indeed!"
"Yes;
the midnight lamp has burned till the glorious sun has reached the horizon, and
brings back the day, and yet have I been found beside my books."
"'Tis
well; men like you should well know the value of the purest and most valuable
metals the earth produces?"
"I
know of but one—that is gold!"
"'Tis
what I mean."
"But
'tis hard to procure from the bowels of the earth—from the heart of these
mountains by which we are surrounded."
"Yes,
that is true. But know you not the owners of this castle and territory possess
these mines and work them?"
"I
believe they do; but I thought they had discontinued working them some
years."
"Oh,
no! that was given out to deceive the government, who claimed so much out of
its products."
"Oh!
ah! aye, I see now."
"And
ever since they have been working it privately, and storing bars of gold up in
the vaults of this—"
"Here,
in this castle?"
"Yes;
beneath this very tower—it being the least frequented—the strongest, and
perfectly inaccessible from all sides, save the castle—it was placed there for
the safest deposit."
"I
see; and there is much gold deposited in the vaults?"
"I
believe there is an immense quantity in the vaults."
"And
what is your motive for telling me of this hoard of the precious metal?"
"Why,
doctor, I thought that you or I could use a few bars; and that, if we acted in
concert, we might be able to take away, at various times, and secrete, in some
place or other, enough to make us rich men for all our lives."
"I
should like to see this gold before I said anything about it," replied the
doctor, thoughtfully.
"As
you please; do you find a lamp that will not go out by the sudden draughts of
air, or have the means of relighting it, and I will accompany you."
"When?"
"This
very night, good doctor, when you shall see such a golden harvest you never yet
hoped for, or even believed in."
"To-night
be it, then," replied the doctor. "I will have a lamp that will
answer our purpose, and some other matters."
"Do,
good doctor," and the count left the philosopher's cell.
"The
plan takes," said the count to the countess, "give me the keys, and
the worthy man will be in safety before daylight."
"Is
he not suspicious?"
"Not
at all."
That
night, about an hour before midnight,—the Count Morven stole towards the
philosopher's room. He tapped at the door.
"Enter,"
said the philosopher.
The
count entered, and saw the philosopher seated, and by him a lamp of peculiar
construction, and incased in gauze wire, and a cloak.
"Are
you ready?" inquired the count.
"Quite,"
he replied.
"Is
that your lamp?"
"It
is."
"Follow
me, then, and hold the lamp tolerably high, as the way is strange, and the
steps steep."
"Lead
on."
"You
have made up your mind, I dare say, as to what share of the undertaking you
will accept of with me."
"And
what if I will not?" said the philosopher, coolly.
"It
falls to the ground, and I return the keys to their place."
"I
dare say I shall not refuse, if you have not deceived me as to the quantity and
purity of the metal they have stored up."
"I
am no judge of these metals, doctor. I am no assayest; but I believe you will
find what I have to show you will far exceed your expectations on that
head."
"'Tis
well: proceed."
They
had now got to the first vault, in which stood the first door, and, with some
difficulty, they opened the vault door.
"It
has not been opened for some time," said the philosopher.
"I
dare say not, they seldom used to go here, from what I can learn, though it is
kept a great secret."
"And
we can keep it so, likewise."
"True."
They
now entered the vault, and came to the second door, which opened into a kind of
flight of steps, cut out of the solid rock, and then along a passage cut out of
the mountain, of some kind of stone, but not so hard as the rock itself.
"You
see," said the count, "what care has been taken to isolate the place,
and detach it from the castle, so that it should not be dependent upon the
possessor of the castle. This is the last door but one, and now prepare
yourself for a surprise, doctor, this will be an extraordinary one."
So
saying, the count opened the door, and stepped on one side, when the doctor
approached the place, and was immediately thrust forward by the count and he
rolled down some steps into the mine, and was immediately seized by some of the
miners, who had been stationed there for that purpose, and carried to a distant
part of the mine, there to work for the remainder of his life.
The
count, seeing all secure, refastened the doors, and returned to the castle. A
few weeks after this the body of a youth, mangled and disfigured, was brought
to the castle, which the countess said was her son's body.
The
count had immediately secured the real heir, and thrust him into the mines,
there to pass a life of labour and hopeless misery.
There
was a high feast held. The castle gates were thrown open, and everybody who
came were entertained without question.
This
was on the occasion of the count's and countess's marriage. It seemed many
months after the death of her son, whom she affected to mourn for a long time.
However,
the marriage took place, and in all magnificence and splendour. The countess
again appeared arrayed in splendour and beauty: she was proud and haughty, and
the count was imperious.