FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80  
81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   >>   >|  
e he was glad to have no evidence for an ancestry of deceit. None of the Da Costas had been cowards, thank Heaven! And he--he was no coward, he told himself. IV In the morning, though only a few hours of sleep had intervened, the enthusiasm of the night had somewhat subsided. "Whence came the inspiration of Moses?" flew up to his mind almost as soon as he opened his eyes on the sunlit world. He threw open the protrusive casement of his bedroom to the balmy air, tinged with a whiff of salt, and gazed pensively at the white town rambling down towards the shining river. Had God indeed revealed Himself on Mount Sinai? But this fresh doubt was banished by the renewed suspicion which, after having disturbed his dreams in nebulous distortions, sprang up in daylight clearness. It was his babbling about Dom Diego that had ruined the genial old physician. After days of gathering uneasiness, being unable to gain any satisfaction from the friar, he sought the secretary of the Inquisition in his bureau at a monastery of the Dominicans. The secretary rubbed his hands at the sight of the speechful face. "Aha! What new foxes hast thou scented?" The greeting stung like a stab. "None," he replied, with a tremor in his speech and in his limbs. "I did but desire to learn if I am to blame for Dom Diego's arrest." "To blame?" and the secretary looked askance at him. "Say, rather, to praise." "Nay, to blame," repeated Gabriel staunchly. "Mayhap I mistook or misrendered his conversation. 'Tis scant evidence to imprison a man on. I trust ye have found more." "Ay, thou didst but set Frei Jose on the track. We did not even trouble thee to appear before the Qualifiers." "And he is, indeed, a Jew!" "A Hebrew of Hebrews, by his stiff-neckedness. But 'twas not quite proven; the fox is a cunning beast. Already he hath had the three 'first audiences,' but he will not confess and be made a Penitent. This morning we try other means." "Torture?" said Gabriel, paling. The secretary nodded. "But if he is innocent." "No fear of that; he will confess at the first twinge. Come, unknit thy brow. Wouldst make sure thou hast served Heaven? Thou shalt hear his confession--as a reward for thy zeal." "He will deem I have come to gloat." "Here is a mask for thee." Gabriel took it hesitatingly, repelled, but more strongly fascinated, and after a feverish half-hour of waiting he found himself with the secretary, the judge of the Inqui
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80  
81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

secretary

 

Gabriel

 

Heaven

 
confess
 
evidence
 

morning

 
trouble
 

arrest

 

Hebrew

 

Hebrews


desire
 

Qualifiers

 

misrendered

 

mistook

 

Mayhap

 
repeated
 

praise

 

staunchly

 

askance

 
conversation

looked

 
imprison
 

confession

 

reward

 

Wouldst

 

served

 

feverish

 
waiting
 

fascinated

 

strongly


hesitatingly

 

repelled

 

unknit

 

audiences

 

Already

 

neckedness

 

proven

 

cunning

 

Penitent

 

innocent


nodded

 

twinge

 

paling

 

Torture

 

cowards

 

pensively

 
bedroom
 

casement

 

tinged

 

rambling