y
of my brother's fate and your knowledge of your father's crime.' To all
these conditions of the vow I solemnly and sacredly pledged myself,
calling Heaven to witness the oath. But I said to our mother, 'My father
will not forever remain locked up in his own apartment; he will come
forth sooner or later, and I must have an opportunity of speaking to
him. May I not justify you, my dear mother, in his eyes? May I not
assure him that Eugenio was your brother? He will then cease to hate
Francisco, and may even love him as he loves me; and you may then have
no fears on his account."

"'Alas! the plan which you suggest may not be put into execution,'
replied our dying mother; 'for were your father to be aware that I had
revealed the occurrences of that dread night to you, Nisida, he would
feel that he must be ever looked upon as a murderer by his own child!
Moreover, such appears to be the sad and benighted state of his mind,
that he might peradventure deem the tale relative to Eugenio a mere
excuse and vile subterfuge. No; I must perish disgraced in his eyes,
unless he should accord ere I die, the interview which yourself and the
good Dr. Duras have so vainly implored him to grant me.'

"Our dear mother then proceeded to give me other instructions,
Francisco, relative to yourself; but these," added Nisida, glancing
toward Flora, "would _now_ be painful to unfold. And yet," she
continued, hastily, as a second thought struck her, "it is impossible,
my sweet Flora, that you can be weak-minded--for you have this day seen
and heard enough to test your mental powers to the extreme possibility
of their endurance. Moreover, I feel that my conduct toward you requires
a complete justification; and that justification will be found in the
last instructions which I received from the lips of my mother."

"Dearest Nisida," said the young countess, "no justification is
needed--no apology is required in reference to that subject; for your
kind words, your altered manner toward me now, your recognition of me as
a sister, made so by union with your brother--oh! this would efface from
my mind wrongs ten thousand times more terrible than any injury which I
have sustained at your hands. But," continued Flora, in a slow and
gentle tone, "if you wish to explain the nature of these instructions
which you received from the lips of your dying parent, let not my
presence embarrass you."

"Yes, I do wish to render my explanation as complete as poss