herous--she could make lawful boast of her fidelity
to her blood-stained lover--while Nina--the wedded wife of a noble
whose descent was lofty and unsullied, could tear off the fair crown of
honorable marriage and cast it in the dust--could take the dignity of
an ancient family and trample upon it--could make herself so low and
vile that even this common Teresa, knowing all, might and most probably
would, refuse to touch her hand, considering it polluted. Just God!
what had Carmelo Neri done to deserve the priceless jewel of a true
woman's heart? what had I done to merit such foul deception as that
which I was now called upon to avenge? Suddenly I thought of my child.
Her memory came upon me like a ray of light--I had almost forgotten
her. Poor little blossom!--the slow hot tears forced themselves between
my eyelids, as I called up before my fancy the picture of the soft baby
face--the young untroubled eyes--the little coaxing mouth always
budding into innocent kisses! What should I do with her? When the plan
of punishment I had matured in my brain was carried out to its utmost,
should I take her with me far, far away into some quiet corner of the
world, and devote my life to hers? Alas! alas! she, too, would be a
woman and beautiful--she was a flower born of a poisoned tree, who
could say that there might not be a canker-worm hidden even in her
heart, which waited but for the touch of maturity to commence its work
of destruction! Oh, men! you that have serpents coiled round your lives
in the shape of fair false women--if God has given you children by
them, the curse descends upon you doubly! Hide it as you will under the
society masks we are all forced to wear, you know there is nothing more
keenly torturing than to see innocent babes look trustingly in the
deceitful eyes of an unfaithful wife, and call her by the sacred name
of "Mother." Eat ashes and drink wormwood, you shall find them sweet in
comparison to that nauseating bitterness! For the rest of the day I was
very much alone. The captain of the brig spoke cheerily to me now and
then, but we were met by light contrary winds that necessitated his
giving most of his attention to the management of his vessel, so that
he could not permit himself to yield to the love of gossip that was
inherent in him. The weather was perfect, and notwithstanding our
constant shifting and tacking about to catch the erratic breeze, the
gay little brig made merry and rapid way over the s