United States or Kiribati ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
When the day came she set out, not in her carriage, but in her litter with eight Cilician bearers, her lictor running ahead and Guntello and Utta walking behind. She began her survey accompanied by Guntello and Utta.
Guntello was dead. That night Brinnaria wept long and bitterly. "The poor, brave, harmless, faithful fellow," she moaned. "Out of the malignity of my heart, in my pride and callousness, I sent him to an undeserved death! Oh, I am a wicked woman!" Strangely enough Guntello's death seemed to divert her mind entirely from the idea of avenging herself on Almo.
They stood in a row fidgeting and glancing at each other. "Now," she demanded of Calvaster, "point out which one you bribed." Calvaster remained motionless and mute. "Hurt him, Guntello," said Brinnaria. Guntello applied a few. simple twists and squeezes, such as schoolboys of all climes employ on their victims. Calvaster yielded at once and indicated one of the suspects.
At the thought of going through the deserted halls and silent rooms Brinnaria winced. But she nerved herself up to it. She named a day on which she meant to face the ordeal, asked Vocco to order the palace swept and dusted, and announced to Guntello, almost the sole survivor of her father's personal servitors, that he was to accompany her.
She gave them each a written journey-order to show to any patrol that questioned them, told Guntello to take the best horse in the stable and to give the next best to Intinco, bade Intinco ride to Carsioli and Guntello to Falerii, gave Guntello a letter for Almo and Intinco a letter to her father and told them verbally, in case the letter was lost, to make it plain that she was in danger of being taken for a Vestal and bid her father come quickly to interfere and her lover to ride fast to claim her in time.
Flexinna succeeded in getting her to listen long enough to urge that there was no need for her to go personally, as Guntello would obey Vocco at sight of her signet ring, moreover that Guntello now had a long start and that only a swift horseman might hope to intervene in time. To these representations she yielded. Vocco returned amazed and manifestly relieved. He had arrived too late.
Brinnaria, reflecting that, after all, she was to blame for their dejection and woe, that, after all, they had done their best, distributed what cash she had with her and promised them a lavish apportionment of gold. As she went she realized, as they realized, that the place would never see her again. Next morning she sent for Guntello.
He patted Brinnaria and kissed her. "Run away now, little girl," he said, "and wait in the peristyle until I want you." Brinnaria, once in the rear courtyard, instantly called: "Guntello!" Her call was answered by a great brute of a slave, bigger even than her father, a gigantic Goth, pink-skinned, blue-eyed and yellow-haired.
"Now listen to me, Guntello," his little mistress said, "for if you make any mistake about my errand you'll get me into no end of trouble." The Goth, manifestly devoted to her, leaned his ear close and grinned amiably. She repeated her directions twice and made him repeat them after her in his broken Latin.
Methodically she tried that door with her full, young strength, tried it all along its edge opposite its hinges, tried it at the middle, at the top, at the bottom. She made sure the door was not stuck or jammed; she was convinced that it was bolted within the room. She leaned over the railing of the gallery and called Guntello.
Word Of The Day