The Prime Minister Part 42

"I came to offer my aid, if necessary, in rescuing my cousin Theresa from the persecutions of the King," answered the young Count; "but in no other scheme ought I to engage, nor will I; for I feel a.s.sured, that maintaining the peace and happiness of the people at large is of paramount importance, to avenging any slight, which we n.o.bles, as a body, may conceive ourselves to have suffered. Beforehand, therefore, I warn you not to attempt to induce me to engage in any enterprise which will in any way cause disorder or bloodshed in the country."

"What! can you, one of the purest of our cla.s.s, speak thus?" exclaimed the young Tavora. "Is not our honour paramount to every other consideration? Surely we ought not for a moment to weigh it with the interests of the base plebeians,--the sc.u.m of the earth,--wretches beneath our notice. In that creed have I been educated, and in that will I die."

"'Tis a creed, my young friend, which, put in practice, has already injured us, and will finally drag us all to destruction," answered Luis.

"Let us endeavour to maintain our position in the scale of society, as did our n.o.ble ancestors, by being the foremost in every danger, the most upright, and the most honourable; then no one will venture to molest or insult us; but, by following any other course, we may, in a moment, find ourselves hurled from our high posts, and trampled on in the dust damp with our gore."

"In Heaven's name, my dear Luis, where did you gain these extraordinary ideas?" cried his visitor. "I did not suppose such could exist in the brain of any fidalgo in Portugal."

"They are taught by the study of every history, from the earliest times to the present day," answered Luis, smiling at his own vehemence. "But we will not now discuss the subject. Tell me, where are Donna Theresa and your brother?"

"She is at their palace; but he,--you know his temper,--is not there.

He is offended at her conduct, and vows he will not return to her till she promises never again to exchange a word with the King. This she, being equally firm, will not do; so that they are not exactly on the best terms for husband and wife; but I suppose that they will, before long, get tired of being separated, and so make up their quarrel, as other people do."

"Alas! I regret to hear this," said Luis. "She is thus left exposed to the persecutions of the King."

"So I tell my brother," interrupted the young Tavora; "but do not speak of it--my heart burns when I think on the subject. Will you come with me to-night where you can meet him, and you may be able to persuade him what is right to be done? He knows, perfectly well, since his quarrel with the King, that he hates him; so that he has thought it wiser not to appear anywhere in public, and is, at present, in a place of concealment, whither I will conduct you. Will you go with me this evening?"

Luis, without making further inquiries as to the spot where the young Marquis was concealed, promised to visit him, in company with his brother. After some time more spent in conversation, the younger Tavora agreed to call for Luis, with a horse for his use, desiring that Pedro might be in attendance, to take charge of it, while they approached his brother's abode on foot. These arrangements having been made, his visitor took his departure; leaving Luis, for the rest of the day, to his own solitary meditations; for he felt utterly averse to moving from the house, and mixing with the noisy and careless crowd in the city below. He attempted to read, but in vain, so he threw his book aside, and paced the room for many hours, unable to concentrate his thoughts on one point. He could not divest himself of the feeling, that some indefinite disaster was hanging over him, yet that he wanted the power to avoid it. It is a sensation we have often ourselves experienced, although our forebodings have seldom, if ever, been accomplished; until, at last, we have learned to consider them as arising more from the effects of past sorrows, fears, or annoyances, than from any prescience of forthcoming events. Luis, however, had many reasons for his feelings, both from the past and for the future. His spirits were lowered by many griefs; the loss of her he loved--his father's death-- the destruction of his property,--and he was too well aware that many dangers surrounded him; for, from the language his young friend had used, in the course of their conversation, he could not help suspecting that the younger Marquis was meditating some desperate plot against the government, if not against the King himself; nor could he tell how far he might find himself compromised by his connexion with him.

Daylight had nearly departed, when Joze de Tavora, with a servant on a second horse, rode up to the house.

"Up, mount, my dear Count!" he exclaimed, as soon as Luis appeared at the door. "I have brought you a good steed, and we have no time to lose. Our servants must follow in the best way they can on foot, and keep us in sight. I will tell you whither lies our course as we ride along."

Luis, accordingly, desiring Pedro to follow, mounted a dark stout Spanish horse, provided for him; and at an easy pace, the fastest, however, that the execrable roads would allow of, they wound their way for a considerable distance through the outskirts of the city, to the north of Belem, pa.s.sing beneath one of the vast arches of the grand aqueduct, which had, fortunately, escaped the devastating effects of the earthquake with but slight injury, and then, turning to the left, they approached the river to the westward of the castle.

"Whither are we going?" asked Luis. "Are we near your brother's abode?"

"We are yet a long way from it," answered his companion, "though we go not much further on horseback. I ought to have told you, that a considerable part of our journey must be by water; yet, as it is a fine night, that will be by far the most agreeable mode of conveyance, if you do not object to it."

Luis a.s.senting to the proposal, they soon after reached a sheltered spot beneath a high wall, where, dismounting, they left their horses in charge of the servants, and proceeded on foot to the river's side.

The bank was in that spot high and steep, so that they were obliged to descend by a narrow and winding path to reach the water, and when there, no boat was to be seen, and not a sound was heard but the gentle ripple of the tide upon the sh.o.r.e, or the sudden splash of some finny inhabitant of the stream, as it leapt up from its limpid home. Joze de Tavora, after waiting impatiently for some minutes, gave a low whistle; the silence still continued unbroken,--he again gave a second and third signal, when it was answered, at a short distance from where they stood, and a boat shot from behind a little promontory which jutted out into the river. The crew, on seeing two persons, seemed in some doubt whether they ought to approach, but the young Tavora again signalising to them, they pulled in without hesitation.

"Why were you not waiting at this spot, as I ordered you?" he asked.

"We came here first, senhor," answered one of the two men in the boat; "but we saw two or three persons on the sh.o.r.e, who seemed watching us, so we pulled round beneath yonder point, where we could be out of sight."

"You did well, though they were, probably, but chance idlers. Come, Luis, we will embark," he added, stepping into the boat, followed by his companion. "Now, my men, bend to your oars!" he said, taking the helm, and guiding the bark down the stream.

It was a lovely night, though so late in the year: the air was soft and balmy, the water smooth as a polished mirror, reflecting the bright and glittering stars which shone from the deep blue sky. The scene and hour had a soothing effect on the spirits of Luis, as he leaned back in the boat, and gave himself up to their calm influence. Now and then they would pa.s.s through a shoal of fish, sporting on the surface, their bright scales shining in the light of some l.u.s.trous star. Far off, too, the song of the fisherman would rise in the still air, as he sallied forth to his night of toil; and in the distance might be seen the sails of the larger fishing-boats, as they slowly glided up with the current, or the canvas of some vessel looming large through the obscurity, like some giant phantom of the deep. Not a word was exchanged for some way; and at length, when Joze de Tavora broke the silence, by addressing his friend, their conversation was carried on in low whispers, which could scarcely have been heard by the men who rowed the boat. After rowing about two miles, at a sufficient distance from the sh.o.r.e to be unnoticed from thence, the boat's head was directed again towards it, at a spot where the shattered remains of some building could be seen rising against the sky. Luis demanded of his companion whither they were now going.

"To yonder ruins," he said, "of a summer residence of the good monks of the convent of San Bento. It was once a lovely spot, but the sea destroyed the grounds, and the earthquake shattered the walls, though there are still some chambers which escaped total destruction."

He had got thus far in his description, when the boat ran alongside the remains of a quay and jetty, from whence the friars used to embark on their fishing expeditions, or when they chose the water as a means of conveyance to the city. Stepping on sh.o.r.e with Luis, he ordered the men to wait their return, and led the way towards the ruins, which were at some little distance from the landing-place. They proceeded among heaps of walls overthrown, shattered pillars, formed to support the graceful vines which overshadowed the long cool walks, and fragments of broken statues, which had ornamented the sides of the tanks, once stocked with fish; but the flood had uprooted the vines, and carried away the aqueducts which supplied the tanks. Pa.s.sing beneath an archway, once forming the entrance to the convent, and winding through several pa.s.sages open to the sky above, they arrived at a small door, through the c.h.i.n.ks of which a light streamed forth. The young Tavora knocked three times without hesitation, at the same time mentioning his name, and begging to be admitted.

"You will find more persons here than you expect," he said to Luis, during the time which elapsed before the door was opened; "and many whom you will be surprised to meet in this place; but they are all friends of my family, who have come hither to listen to the exhortations of a holy and pious man, who has resided here for some time past, concealed from the persecutions of those who hate him for his virtue and zeal for religion."

"I thought we had come hither to see your brother," answered Luis. "If there are strangers here, whom I may not wish to meet, I will wait outside in the garden till they have departed, or till he can come to meet me."

"There are none you can object to meet," eagerly responded Joze de Tavora. "See, the door opens. Come, you must enter, or our friends will be disappointed, and look upon you in the light of an enemy." And, taking the arm of Luis, he led him forward a few steps through the portal, when the door was suddenly closed behind them.

"Your blessing, Father," said Joze de Tavora, to a tall figure, in the black habit of the order of Loyola, who stood before them, holding a lamp in his hand.

"You have it, my son," answered the deep-toned voice of the Jesuit Malagrida. "And blessed are all they who follow my counsels! Who is your companion?" he added, in a different tone. "I recollect not his face among the millions I have known."

Joze de Tavora explained who Luis was, and that he had brought him to see his brother.

"My blessing on his head, if he joins our righteous cause!" exclaimed Malagrida.

While this conversation was taking place, Luis looked round the chamber in which he so unexpectedly found himself. It was low and vaulted, the roof being supported by rough stone pillars, and had, apparently, formed a capacious cellar to the not over-abstemious brethren of San Bento.

Some rude attempts had been made to convert it into both an habitation and a chapel, it would seem; for great was the surprise of Luis to observe, at the further end, a rough altar, on which lights were burning before a figure of the Virgin, and a number of people seated on benches on each side of it; others, standing about in knots, and conversing, their glittering swords and rich dresses forming a strange contrast to the ruined and sombre appearance of the chamber. He had just finished this slight survey, when one of them, rising and advancing towards him, he perceived the young Marquis of Tavora. The latter, giving him an embrace, exclaimed, "I am, indeed, grateful for the favour you do me by coming here, though prepared for it by a message my brother sent me; and I must rejoice that there is another partisan added to the cause of honour and the privileges of the n.o.bles."

"I certainty, when I promised your brother that I would visit you, did not expect to find you in so strange a place as this, and with so many companions," returned Luis.

"As for my abode, it is one selected by the Father Malagrida, where no one has ever thought of coming to search for him; so I was advised to share it with him; and for my companions, they are my nearest relations and friends, so do not be afraid of them," answered the Marquis, in an offended tone.

As he finished speaking, the Father Malagrida addressed them. "Come, my sons," he said, "let us not tarry here, at the portals of my abode, but straightway join the goodly company who are called together to hear my words, and to consult about the welfare of our holy Church."

Having thus delivered himself, he led the way to the further end of the vault, followed by the young men; for, though Luis felt that he had been unfairly seduced into a.s.sociating with persons whom he more than suspected were met together for some unlawful purpose, it was now, he thought, too late to withdraw. As they approached the party, who were all in earnest conversation together, Luis, to his still greater surprise, perceived a lady among them, in whom he recognised the elder Marchioness of Tavora. She was the only female among the party; but there were present, besides many members of her own family, several n.o.bles of the highest rank, and dignitaries of the Church, with a few of inferior grades in society, attached to the houses of the fidalgos, and whose only rule of action was their masters' will. With many of the persons a.s.sembled Luis was already acquainted; and, as he advanced among them, they rose to receive him, and welcome his return to Lisbon. The Marchioness was most particular in her attentions, thanking him for the interest he took in the welfare of her sons, and a.s.suring him that she should be for ever grateful for what he had done.

"Why have you brought me here?" said Luis to Joze de Tavora, as soon as he could escape from the Marchioness, and had led his young friend on one side of the vault, out of hearing of the rest of the party. "Had you forewarned me of whom I was to meet, I might have acted as I thought right."

"I brought you here to give you an opportunity of listening and judging of the truth," was the answer. "Had I told you that you were to meet some of the first n.o.bles in the land, who were engaged in forming plans to protect their honour, their lives, and fortunes from destruction, you might have answered that you would engage in no conspiracy; and as I was not at liberty to reveal any of their intentions, I could not have reasoned with you. But now you are here, stay and listen to what is proposed; if you like it not, you can depart without hindrance, for I will answer for your honour."

"I will remain, to convince those a.s.sembled here that I will not betray their place of meeting; but, except for the purpose of protecting my cousin, will I engage in no scheme whatever. My refusal arises from no fear of danger to myself individually, but from a dread of the consequences to the nation at large. Inform your friends of my opinions, and I will here await the result."

"Such is unnecessary; they will ask none to join them who do not willingly enter into their projects; so come, we will return to our friends; for hark! the prophet is addressing the a.s.sembly, and when you have heard him, you will be convinced that his words are those of inspiration."

Although there was, at that time, a more general belief in prophets and saints, than there is, in Portugal at all events, in the present day, Luis was surprised to hear his young friend profess faith in the inspired character of a man whom he had learned to look upon as a madman, if not an hypocritical impostor; but still greater was his astonishment when he discovered that the whole a.s.sembly placed the most implicit confidence in his declarations. On one side of the altar a sort of pulpit had been formed of rough boards hastily nailed together, and into it Malagrida now mounted, stretching forth his hands to bless his congregation. A complete silence ensued, and for some minutes he refrained from speaking, to cause a greater effect; at length he commenced, in a slow and impressive tone, to deliver a discourse, of which we shall venture only to give a few sentences.

"You have a.s.sembled here, my children, to listen to the words of one who has propagated our holy religion even in the far corners of the world, but who now, through the wickedness and impiety of the rulers of this hapless country, is compelled, like a fox, to burrow beneath the earth, and to hide his head from the bright light of heaven. Will you--can you--allow sin to be thus triumphant? Will you stand calmly by, and see our holy religion trampled in the dust, your altars profaned, your priests degraded?"

"No! no! we will die to protect them," answered several voices.

He continued, without noticing the interruption. "Will you allow all you have considered sacred to be despised, and yourselves to be insulted by the tyrant and his Minister?"

"We will not! we will not!" repeated the voices again.

"Hear me, then. Even now a decree is about to come forth to banish all the true priests of the order of Jesus from the land. A few days, and the impious command will be executed, if our rulers are not stopped in their heaven-accursed career of crime. What say the sacred writings?

'The judges of the earth stand up, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed.' Such do our rulers, and they will not listen to the words of warning. Thrice has the King been warned, and he has turned a deaf ear to our words; still does he persist in his wickedness. We have, then, but one course to pursue--to avenge our wrongs, and right our grievances. Boldly I speak it, for I speak what is just, what Heaven demands at our hands--the King must die! and blessed is the man by whose hands the deed is done!"

The speaker paused, and at these words fear and trembling took possession of his infatuated audience. They doubted not that he spoke the words of inspiration, but each man feared lest he himself should be called upon to perform a deed which he had longed to see executed by the hands of another. At last the young Marquis of Tavora, with much of his mother's boldness, mingled with superst.i.tion, arose and exclaimed, "I have been the most grievously wronged, and I will undertake to avenge the cause of all. I will lead a chosen band of followers into the very heart of the palace, while others surround the building; and, while the King deems himself most secure, I will accuse him of the foul injury he has done me, and slay him on the spot. I will teach a lesson to all his successors, and sovereigns shall learn to tremble, who, presuming on their power and station, dare to insult the dearest rights and honour of their subjects."

Some of the younger conspirators applauded the speech of the Marquis, but the older men shook their heads in disapprobation, and were silent, till Malagrida took upon himself to answer. "Alas! my son," he said, "such plans are hopeless! By force alone can force oftentimes be repelled, but never thus openly attack power. To ensure success, commence with secrecy and caution. Let not your enemy suppose that you feel aught but friendship for him, and then strike him unawares, when none can know who did the deed: the poisoned bowl, the dagger, or the pistol, are far more certain means than such as you propose. As the injuries our foe inflicts are silent and secret, so, does Heaven decree, must be the retributive punishment."

To these observations the older men more cordially a.s.sented, but no one proposed any definite plan. An air of doubt and uncertainty hung over all who were present, except the Marchioness, her eldest son, and Malagrida. Many whom they expected had not arrived; others had refused to join them till their plans were successful, and all danger was pa.s.sed; these last were very numerous, and, in this case, the wisest part of the n.o.bility; "others," they reasoned, "will be found to risk the peril, while we shall equally secure the profit, if they succeed."

"Why came not the Marquis of Tavora with his lady?" asked one of his neighbour.