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Massimilla was so beautiful in her trust of him, and so wonderfully lovely, so happy in Emilio's presence, that at this moment the Prince, wide awake, experienced the sensations of the horrible dream that torments persons of a lively imagination, in which after arriving in a ballroom full of women in full dress, the dreamer is suddenly aware that he is naked, without even a shirt; shame and terror possess him by turns, and only waking can relieve him from his misery.
But as he thought of the King of France Emilio's brow was knit, his ivory skin burned yellower, tears gathered in his black eyes and hung to his long lashes; he raised a hand worthy to be painted by Titian to push back his thick brown hair, and gazed again at Massimilla's gondola. "And this insolent mockery of fate is carried even into my love affair," said he to himself.
There must have been moments when the self-absorption of her grief chilled her daughter's ardent spirit; but Candida revered in her mother the image of their afflicted country. "It was too terrible," she said, speaking of what the Countess had suffered after Emilio's death. "All the circumstances were too unmerciful.
To Vendramin Emilio's despair seemed so nearly allied to madness that he promised to cure him completely if only he would give him carte blanche to deal with Massimilla. This ray of hope came just in time to save Emilio from drowning himself that night; for, indeed, as he remembered the singer, he felt a horrible wish to go back to her.
He led the way with Vere, going in front to disarm the suspicion which he saw plainly lurking in Emilio's eyes. Artois followed with Hermione, and Gaspare came last.
And then a horrible conception of Emilio's role in all this darted into his mind, and for a moment he thought of Hermione as a blind innocent, like his subservient mother, of Vere as a preordained victim. Then the blood coursed through his veins like fire, and he felt as if he could no longer sit still in the boat. "Avanti! avanti!" he cried to the sailors. "Dio mio!
"Just think of Don Emilio's being back already, Gaspare. But Madre! She will be sorry." "Signorina?" "Why? What's the matter?" "Are you coming out like that?" "What? Oh, you mean my hair?" "Si, Signorina." "Gaspare, you ought to have been a lady's maid! Go and bring in Don Emilio to Madre's room. And wait you're not to tell him Madre is away. Now mind!" "Va bene, Signorina." He went away.
If he had hidden Emilio's letter at home, its discovery might have ruined his family as well as himself. It was his duty to consider all these things. In those days no man could serve two masters, and he had to choose between endangering the cause and failing to serve a friend. He chose the latter and he was right."
Vere laughed, and suddenly made her eyes look very round, and staring, and impudent. "He's like that, Gaspare," she said. "Vere!" said her mother. Then she added to Gaspare: "The Marchese is a friend of Don Emilio's. Ah! and here is a letter from Don Emilio." It was lying beside the Marchese's card with some other letters.
Thus stood Emilio's soul in the presence of his mistress. Hitherto that soul had known only the fairest flowers of feeling; a debauch had plunged it into dishonor. This none knew but he, for the beautiful Florentine ascribed so many virtues to her lover that the man she adored could not but be incapable of any stain.
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