Heroines of the Crusades Part 34

The Jew arose. "Nay, my good brother," said the queen, "forgive this weakness. I would fain speak with thy friend."

Procida came forward and stood in respectful silence waiting her commands.

"Hast ever been in London?" inquired she, earnestly regarding him.

"My n.o.ble queen recalls not then the face of Raymond Lullius, who coined _rose n.o.bles_ for her royal lord. She may, perhaps, remember the curiosity of the young Prince Alphonso, whose little hand no doubt still bears the scar of the melted metal he s.n.a.t.c.hed from the crucible."

At the mention of her son, the mother's tears began to flow. "My sweet Alphonso sleeps in the tomb of his ancestors," replied she, when she had somewhat recovered her composure; "but I mind me of the accident, though surely 'tis another scene that hath impressed thy features on my memory."

"Your majesty refers to the slaughter of the Jews," returned Procida, in a sorrowful tone, "and the victim slain at your feet was my aged father Ben-Abraham. Of all my family I alone escaped, through the timely interposition of the gallant Prince Edward."

"Ah! now I comprehend thy haste to serve my brother," interrupted Alphonso. "Thou must know, sweet sister mine," said he, turning to the queen, "that the secrets of our art are for the learned alone, but king as I am, I found it impossible to prevent my worthy Procida from leaving my court to aid the English sovereign in increasing his revenue by trans.m.u.ting mercury into gold."

"It is then true that metals can be thus trans.m.u.ted," said Eleanora, with an incredulous smile.

The alchemists exchanged glances of intelligence, but Alphonso, remembering her ready appreciation of his astronomical theory, answered Procida's hesitating look, with "Nay, 'tis but for once--our sister is an earnest seeker of truth, and if she comprehend will not betray our secret." Thus saying, Alphonso threw open a door and conducted the queen, followed by Procida, into a small laboratory filled with all the mysterious appurtenances of his art. The learned doctor busied himself in clearing a s.p.a.ce in the centre of the apartment and arranging in a circle sundry jars and a brazier, while the philosopher king, opening a cabinet, took thence some dried and withered sea-weed, which he threw into the brazier and kindled into a flame. The blazing kelp was soon reduced to ashes, which Procida carefully gathered into an old empty crucible, and set before the queen. Alphonso advancing took up the crucible, saying, "What seest thou, my sister?"

"A dull, gray powder," she replied.

He then placed a tube from one of the jars within the crucible, and bidding her regard it attentively, submitted it to a chemical process which she did not understand, repeating his question.

"I now see," replied Eleanora, with astonishment, "the dull powder transformed into little shining globules like silver."

"Thou mayst take them in thine hand," said the philosopher, after a pause; "they will not harm thee."

With some timidity the wondering queen received the metallic drops, almost fearing that her brother was a necromancer as the priests affirmed.

"Canst judge if it be a metal?" said Alphonso, enjoying her confusion.

"My sight and touch a.s.sure me of the fact. Yet whence--"

"Is it not a miracle," interrupted the philosopher, laughing, "more real than thy fancied transubstantiation?"

A frown gathered on the serene brow of the lovely queen--but commiserating his impiety as sincerely as he pitied her ignorance, with forced gayety she replied, "Nay, heaven works not miracles by the hands of such unbelievers as thou. I fear me lest evil spirits have aided thee, as they did the Egyptians with their enchantments;" and she handed the globules to the philosopher.

"Keep them safely until the morrow," said he, "they may form the basis of another experiment."

As the Queen of England left the prison, Procida followed her and craved an audience.

CHAPTER XI.

THE JEWESS.

The conference between the queen and Procida was not limited to one audience. Day after day he sought her presence, under various pretexts--some unimportant business, some message from Alphonso--and each time he lingered as if anxious to prolong the interview; till at length his strange manner convinced Eleanora that something more momentous than philosophical researches detained him in Castile.

When the mind is agitated upon any particular subject, fancy connects every mysterious appearance with the prevailing thought; and the lovely queen became impressed with the idea that some impending danger threatened her royal brother.

She therefore strove to win the confidence of Procida, and encouraged him to confide his secret to her keeping.

"Is there aught," said she, "of interest to thyself or others in which I can aid thee?" finding that his anxiety and hesitation seemed rather to increase than diminish.

"Most gracious sovereign," returned Procida, apologetically, "the despised outcasts of Israel have little hope to enlist the sympathies of Christians in their behalf."

"Nay," replied the queen, "thou forgettest that our gospel saith, G.o.d hath made of one blood all the nations of the earth."

"And if _I_ have forgotten it," said Procida bitterly, "it is because the practice of the church agreeth not with the precept."

"It is true," returned Eleanora, with a sigh, "that our lives exhibit too little the holy influence of the faith we profess: but tell me, how can the wife of Edward serve the alchemist?"

"n.o.ble queen," said Procida, speaking earnestly and with great agitation, "thou knowest not the peril in which thy generosity may involve thee."

"Speak, and fear not," reiterated she, "Eleanora fears no evil in the practice of kindness."

Fixing his keen eyes upon her face, as if to detect every emotion which his words might awaken, the Jew replied bitterly, "Procida for his attachment to the n.o.ble house of Swabia, is proscribed and hunted from Sicily, his daughter, a Jewess, can scarce claim the protection of law; and concealed as she is in the suburbs of Burgos, her beauty has already attracted the curiosity of those from whom her father cannot defend her.

Did I dare claim so great a boon I would beg a place for her among thy maidens."

Eleanora paused. The prejudice against the Jews was so intense as to affect even her upright mind; and the scandal it might bring upon the royal household to enroll an unbeliever among its inmates, startled her apprehensions: but the father stood before her with the air of one who had intrusted his last treasure to her keeping, and she could not find it in her heart to crush his confidence in her generosity.

"Bring thy daughter hither," added she, thoughtfully, "with me she shall be safe."

"The blessing of him that is ready to perish, rest upon thee," said the scholar, fervently, as he left her presence.

When the Queen of England next visited the apartments of her brother, she was accompanied by a young girl of such surpa.s.sing loveliness as to attract the attention of the philosopher himself. Her features were of that perfect form generally described as Grecian, while her dark hair and soft black eyes, suggested the idea of a brunette; but the fairness of her complexion and the brilliant color of her cheek, that varied with every emotion, gave a character of exquisite delicacy and sensibility to her countenance.

"Does thy realm of England abound in such comely damsels?" inquired Alphonso, while Agnes blushed at the king's encomium.

"England may rival Spain in the beauty of her daughters," answered Eleanora, evasively. "My gentle Agnes is curious like her mistress to learn the wonders of thy art: hence do we crave thine indulgence to pa.s.s some weary hours of my lord's absence among thy folios."

"Thou art ever welcome," returned Alphonso, benignantly, "and this young disciple shall receive the benefit of serving so good a mistress."

"I have pondered much," said the queen, who had been for some time attentively regarding the care-worn lineaments of his face, "upon thy theory of the planets. The globe moved around the lamp because thou didst bear it in thine hand. By what power is our Earth carried around the Sun?"

"There is some invisible influence which retains it with its sister-orbs in the eternal round, but the subtle essence has thus far eluded my investigations," replied Alphonso.

"Thou believest then, my brother," said Eleanora, in her gentlest tone, "in a power whose existence thou canst not demonstrate by thy 'Tables' or diograms?"

"Verily, such a power is a matter of _necessity_," returned the monarch.

"And thy unlearned sister," replied the queen, hesitating, "finds the same _necessity_ to believe in a G.o.d, whose existence she can demonstrate only by the contemplation of his glorious works."

"It is well for the ignorant to repose in this idea," replied Alphonso, "and it may perchance restrain the wicked from his misdeeds, to believe that an ever-present Intelligence regards his actions."

"And it may comfort the sorrowing," said Eleanora, "to feel that this Infinite Power can satisfy the needs of the human soul."

"Hast thou brought the metal I gave thee?" said Alphonso, abruptly changing the conversation.

"I have it in my gypsire," said she, unclasping the bag and unfolding the paper--"Lo! my brother, what a transformation is here," exclaimed the queen, in amazement. "Thy silver has again become ashes."