I did,' replied that treacherous woman,. and alfo heard the last commands of the deceafed marchefe to this holy man. To fee them obeyed I came hither, and fhall not move until the will of my dear late, lord is fulfilled.'

Merciful Heaven! what can this mean; exclaimed Viola hudder ing.

It means,' faid Leopold, that you quit not this hovel until the will of your father is accomplished by your union with don Ambrofio,'..

My union with don Ambrofio never can take place, fince tortures thall not rend acquiefcence from me,' faid the marcheta determinately.

Leopold took out his miffalPerform your office, holy father,' cried Zingarefca: I will make oath that I heard the marchefa affent to the union.'

And fo too will we,' faid both the hiberman and his wife, who now made their appearance from an inner kind of room.

• Your refufal will avail you no

-Leopold, Clementina was engaged writing to fome of her friends at St. Rofolia's; and when he had completed her letters, and fought her couin, the learned that the marchefa was gone out with Leopold and Zingareica, two perfons whom Clementina believedl capable of any mifchief. Viola's going out with them, unknown to herself, increafed her fufpicions of perfidy, which the fearcely knew what had before awakened. Their long abfence augmented her alarms; and in the reflefs roving humour her anxiety worked her into, fhe ftrayed out of the caftlegrounds upon the fea-thore, towards the hut, to where fear and fufpicion pointed. Footsteps, which the now faw upon the fands, confirmed her apprelientions, and the almoft flew to the hut, where, the moment the arrived, fhe heard the found of her beloved Viola's voice in cadences of diftrefs. Clementina trove in vain to gain admittance; her knocks and calls were difregarded or unheard, from the tumult within. The piteous thrieks of Viola at length appalled the ears of Clementina, who reechoed, them with increafed violence, as the frantically ran round and round the hut in fearch of a place to enter by. In this moment of agonifed diftrefs she heard the found of a carriage coming the road from Palermo, which wound at, no very confiderable diftance from the hovel. Wildly and impetuously fhe darted into the highway to meet the carriage and implore affiftance; when oh rapture! the . beheld the equipage of her guardian, who, unexpected, by any one, was returning to the caftle in fearch of papers neceffary for the completion of the bufinefs he was engaged in.

prelate retired to reft, he visited his wards, and told them, he thould take them on the morrow to St. Rofolia's, there to remain while don Ambrofio continued in Sicily, finçe he was now convinced it would be lefs injurious to his beloved Viola's peace and health to be where every fcene around her would feed her unceasing grief for her incomparable mother, than to remain expofed to the dreadful apprehenfion of new outrage; and as foon as he had delivered them into the protection of the abbadeffa of St. Rofolia's, he fhould take proper meafures for the punishment of the vile Leopold and his accomplices'; and with a paternal embrace, and a moft fervent benediction, this amiable man parted from his beloved wards, never more in this life to behold them.

No

The eftimable prelate of Montreal was found next morning a clay-cold corpfe by his old cameriro. mark of violence appeared about him; yet the moment of his death, with the extraordinary circumftance of no one belonging to the church appearing to pay the due refpect and go through the requisite forms upon tue. demife of fuch an illuftrious catholic, might have introduced fufpicion into the minds of the lovely cousins, had not grief and horror fo totally occu pied their thoughts that they minded not the fingularity of the dead calm that reigned through the caftle, that no one appeared from Palermo or St. Rofolia's. Viola had ordered expreffes to go with the fatal intelligence to the chapter of the archbishop's diocefe, to Palermo, and St. Rofolia's; and to fummon dottore Balfamico to her uncle's truly worthy valet, who had fallen into a fit upon difcovering Viola was fo completely fubdued the dreadful calamity, and had been by agitation and terror, that he was conveyed to his chamber dangerously compelled to retire to her chamber the ill; and after this exertion the marmoment she got home, where Cle- chefa funk upon the bofom of the mentina remained with her almoft fympathifing Clementina, fo comthe whole day; and before the good,pletely fubdued by grief and difmay

that

that he could only weep, and lament with her coufin the dreadful blow they had juft fuftained.

Totally abforpt in forrow, they could not leffen the food offered by the officious domeftics; and foen after the untouched dinner was removed, Clementina providentially obferved a letter lying at her feet, which, upon opening, he found contain thefe words, almoft unintelligibly

written:

'HONOURED LADIES,
RED

I am grieved to fay villany is at work. All who could protect have been removed by bad means, and this caftle is not one moment longer a place of fafety for the innocent."

CHAP. LVII.

VIOLA and Clementina were thrown into the utmofl confternation. Sufpicion once awakened, they clearly faw their danger. Struck with the conviction of their guardian having been deftroyed by the vifitation of a mortal hand, that the fchemes of the diabolical Leopold and Ambrofia might meet no further oppofition, the imminence and magnitude of the perils which threatened them, fufpended their grief for a time, and every idea of their minds was now called into council upon meafures for efcaping the dangers which encompaffed them.

to procure a veffel to convey us fecretly away, whither can we go?— We have no friends, no protectors, in any country we can fly to.'

Yes,' replied Clementina, we fhall find both a friend and protector at Naples.'

At Naples! Who?

The ducheffa di Manfredonia, the protector of the unfortunate, the friend of the deftitute. I know her character well, from a Neapolitan girl who came to St. Rofolia's after you left it. The ducheffa is amiable, fenfible, and compaffionate: we will fly to her, tell her our diftress; the will protect and place us in a safe afylum. Since the death of her only fon and his wife, fhe has deferted the caftle of Manfredonia, and refides entirely at Naples. Her grandfon, the prefent duca, a wonderfully amiable and learned man, chiefly lives with her; and he will prove a powerful auxiliary to us.'

My dear ardent coufin, you make your arrangements as if no obftacle` could impede your way; but confider, would it be quite confiftent with delicacy for us to intrude for protec tion where we know this young and, as I fuppofe, unmarried duca refides?"

Yes, I know he is unmarried; but his living at the ducheffa's cannot poffibly effect our delicacy, fince he is quite an old man.'

Her grandfon fo old!-Then furely the must be fuperannuated, or at leaft inactive, and could be of no fervice to us.'

It was evident by their hearing nothing from St. Rofolia's, that the exprefs had not been allowed to reach the place of deftination; and this circumstance clearly evinced their intercourfe being cut off, and that they • Indeed the is not: fhe is a wonwould not be allowed to receive fuc- derful woman; and although certaincour from thence, or from the city.-ly very old, age feems to have had no Neither could they poffibly expect that any attempt of theirs to gain Palermo or the convent, could be fuccefsful; and after much painful deliberation, they were both convinced that their only hope of fafety would be in immediate flight from Sicily.

But even could we, my Clementina,' faid the marchefa, contrive

effect upon her mind, but to expand the powers of her understanding, and to enlarge her benevolence.'

The ducheffa di Manfredonia being the only perfon out of Sicily or Litbon, whofe character and refidence they were acquainted with, thefe two unfortunate and fingularly deftitute young and totally unexperi enced

enced women, at length determined, ly provided for, and that man is the could they effect their efcape, to go only one amongst them I will confide to Naples, and throw themfelves up- in.' on her goodnefs for protection; but in which to confide the arrangement for their escape was a matter of greater difficulty ftill. They had reafon to fufpect the fidelity of every one; and the perfidy of Zingarefca taught them that even the moft fpecious were capable of treachery.

And on that man's faith will I rifk my life,' faid Clementina.

Alas!' faid Clementina; and amongst the numbers in this caftle who have lived by your father's bounty, and fome have received fignal favours from him, there now is not one whom his unhappy child can with confidence apply to for affiftance!"

Having now determined upon the only plan of fafety which appeared within their power, they exerted all their ingenuity to obtain an interview with Bernardo, unobferved by thofe fpies they doubted not were every where around them. They accomplithed that difficult and hazardous project: and Bernardo ftrongly recommended their flight that very night.

Bernardo's intellects being held in fovereign contempt by the other domeftics, he was thought incapable of obfervation, and they fcrupled not to hold their cabals in ambiguous fentences before him, believing them incomprehenfible to him. But they were deceived in Bernardo, who poľfeffed acute obfervation, a clear underftanding, and a feeling heart.— From the extreme deformity of his figure, he early became an object for derifion to the unthinking and profligate. His fenfitive fenfibility made him fhrink from ridicule; taught him to fhun fociety, and retire within himself; and, in the end, the keennefs of his feelings changed him into the morofe and apparently ftupefied mifanthrope. He had caught, from what he had heard that day,. fufficient to convince him that the marcheffa and her coufin were to be carried off whilft in their prefent unprotected flate; and reflexion and obfervation led him to believe that the archbishop had been unfairly removed; and intereft for his dear young lady taught him how to manage the conveyance of that billet which roufed her to a fenfe of her danger.

'No' replied Viola, blushing for human nature; no, not one among those whom gratitude to my father ought to attach to me! But there is in the cafle a man of fullen temper, and unfortunate appearance, who at an early period of my father's life faved him from perithing in the fea, at imminent peril to himself; which noble and humane action, I am grieved to fay, met its only reward in the confcioufnefs of having done his duty, and faved a fellowcreature from deftruction. My father's heart was turned by his favourites from Bernardo his preferver. He was taught to think ill of him, and therefore hardly ufed him; and I am shocked to think, that on every occafion Bernardo's comfort was fince unheeded, and the mifery of his vaffalage augmented by the barbed arrow of ingratitude. Upon my artival here, after the deceafe of my father, all the domeftics hailed me with fawning fervility, and elaborate fpeeches, except Bernardo, who then appeared not, I afterwards accidentally met him he looked mournfully at ine, burst into tears, and, without speaking, precipitately retired. That man, I told my dear deceafed uncle, fhould be the first in my fami

The fufpicions of Bernardo were too well grounded. As the good and virtuous are impelled by fympathy to friendship, fo villany foon finds

its

its counterpart. During the illness his fleeping victim, who awoke in of the marchefe of Palermo, Am- that bief paradife where his virtues brofio and Leopold formed a league placed him. By holding a down bed of intereft we cannot degrade friend- tight over him, they effected their hip by calling the cement which binds diabolical purpofe, and leit no trace the vicious to each other by that facred of murder. Leopold, not choosing The marchefe died without that the death of the archbishop leaving any provifion for his once thould tranfpire at Palermo until the favourite parafite, and Leopold there- fucceeding day, took his measures fore determined to provide for him- accordingly. There was a veffel self. He undertook to effect an uni- belonging to Ambrofio in readiness on between the young marchesa and to convey them to Spain and in the Ambrofio, for which fervice the dead of night Viola and Clementina third of her wealth was to be his. were to be carried off. The venal domeftics, all his own creatures, placed in the fervice of the marchefe at his recommendation, were eafily fecured; and upon failure of the first attempt at the fisherman's hut, by the interpofition of the good archbishop, Leopold refolved to prevent fuch another unexpected refcue by the murder of Viola's only protector.

Bernado had a relation, a fisherman, who lived at no great distance from the caftle; and this man, whose name was Stephano, he engaged to be ready with his battello near the mouth of a cave upon the fhore, which communicated with the caftle by the fame fubterraneous paffage Leopold had benefited by.

At an hour earlier than ufual, The wary Leopold, ever commit- Viola, pleading indifpofition, retired ing crimes, was always provided to bed, and difmiffed her a.endants with falvos. The murder of the for the night, as Clementine was to archbishop was a dangerous enter- fleep with her. The mount her prife; but he was too well verfed in wfound parted, the marchaia arose; all the chicanery of prieftcraft not to and, quick redteffing, took all the be guarded against contingencies; he money a jewels ler cabine containwas therefore always armed with in- ed, and with Clementina proceeded dulgences of every defcription, and to follow Bernardo's directions. abfolutions for all the fins he ever From Viola's dreffing-room ti ere was did or ever thould commit. Ambro- a door of communication which led fio, too, was by his means equally to one of the caftle towers, that from well fortified. Yet, notwithstanding fome ancient tradition was reported thefe infallible talifmanic treasures, to be haunted, for which eaton none Leopold determined to act fecretly, of the domeftics ever approached it. nor to allow the eye of fufpicion to Quickly they defcended the staircase glance at him. He therefore, by a of this tower, which led them into fubterraneous paffage, re-entered the the vaults of the caftle, where Bercaftle, where Viola had forbid his nardo, difguifed as a pefcatore, was return; and remaining there in fecret, waiting for them; and who now he had a fufficient quantity of opium fafely conducted the trembling fugiinfuled in the archbishop's wine at tives through the fubterraneous way fapper to caufe profound fleep, but to the cave where Stephano was poftdid not attempt enough for death, ed. In two hampers were Viola left it should fail, and poifon would and Clementina conveyed on board tell tales: but-going more fecretly to the fishing-fmack by Stephano and work, he and one of his moft devo- Bernardo; and piously invoking the ted creatures entered the chamber of care of Providence, they inftantly

put