It was about five o'clock in the afternoon. Julio was seated in one of the
rooms of his master's dwelling, his arms crossed upon his breast. Absorbed
in deep thought, he had his eyes fixed on an arm-chair which stood near
the only window in the room, and from time to time he shook his head with
an expression of anxious doubt.
The footsteps of a man in the room above interrupted his reflections; an
ironical smile passed over his features as he muttered: "He calls me a coward, the dastard that he is! For one hour he has been
running about from room to room as though pursued by invisible spectres.
How cunningly he has devised the whole affair in his own interest. Julio
is to kill poor Geronimo! Julio is to bury the body in the cellar! Julio
is to do all by himself! When we deal with false people, we must be on our
guard. His intention is clear enough to me; he wishes to secure means, in
case of necessity, of accusing me alone of the crime. He may threaten and
rage as much as he pleases; he shall deal the mortal blow him self, or
Geronimo shall leave this place unharmed."
Julio remained silent for a few moments, passed his hand across his brow,
and said, looking at the chair: "Think that in one hour that infernal seat will hold a corpse! The corpse
of the most noble, affable gentleman I have ever known. May his good angel
prevent him from visiting this cut-throat place! Signor Turchi will kill
him; but I must aid him.[18] What will be the end of this bloody tragedy?
The scaffold for the master, and the gallows for the servant. This is the
consequence of my disorderly life. Had I not gone, in a moment of
intoxication, and without knowing it, to the place where Judge Voltaï was
assassinated, I would not have been obliged to fly from my country, and
Signor Turchi would not have it in his power to force me to become his
accomplice in a frightful crime. The old cure of Porto-Fino said truly,
that 'Sin is a labyrinth; if once we enter, we loose the thread which
enables us to return to virtue.' Ah! would I were with my mother in Italy.
Useless wish. It is too late; I am banished from my country, and a price
set on my head."
He reflected for a few moments, then, with a gesture of impatience, he
resumed: "Come, come; of what good are all such thoughts? I am in his power, and I
must yield to necessity; but once let the blow be struck, once let him
commit a crime of which I can produce the proofs, then I will be master,
and in my turn I will cry in his ears: 'Simon Turchi, fear the bailiff and
the executioner!' At the present moment I am powerless; if I took any
means to prevent the attempt, he might destroy all evidence of his
criminal design, and deliver me up to the authorities of Lucca. I would be
taken into Italy and broken on the wheel, in the very place where my poor
old mother lives. I have always been a cause of sorrow to her; at least I
will spare her this last disgrace. But the signor is coming down. He will
reiterate his entreaties to me to strike the fatal blow; but I will not
have the blood of this innocent gentleman on me."