She gazed at him for a moment in speechless affright, while he, throwing
himself on his knee at the bed-side, besought her to fear nothing,
and, having thrown down his sword, would have taken her hand, when the
faculties, that terror had suspended, suddenly returned, and she
sprung from the bed, in the dress, which surely a kind of prophetic
apprehension had prevented her, on this night, from throwing aside.
Morano rose, followed her to the door, through which he had entered,
and caught her hand, as she reached the top of the stair-case, but not
before she had discovered, by the gleam of a lamp, another man half-way
down the steps. She now screamed in despair, and, believing herself
given up by Montoni, saw, indeed, no possibility of escape.
The Count, who still held her hand, led her back into the chamber. 'Why all this terror?' said he, in a tremulous voice. 'Hear me, Emily: I
come not to alarm you; no, by Heaven! I love you too well--too well for
my own peace.' Emily looked at him for a moment, in fearful doubt. 'Then leave me, sir,' said she, 'leave me instantly.' 'Hear me, Emily,' resumed Morano, 'hear me! I love, and am in
despair--yes--in despair. How can I gaze upon you, and know, that it
is, perhaps, for the last time, without suffering all the phrensy of
despair? But it shall not be so; you shall be mine, in spite of Montoni
and all his villany.' 'In spite of Montoni!' cried Emily eagerly: 'what is it I hear?'
'You hear, that Montoni is a villain,' exclaimed Morano with
vehemence,--'a villain who would have sold you to my love!--Who---' 'And is he less, who would have bought me?' said Emily, fixing on the
Count an eye of calm contempt. 'Leave the room, sir, instantly,' she
continued in a voice, trembling between joy and fear, 'or I will alarm
the family, and you may receive that from Signor Montoni's vengeance,
which I have vainly supplicated from his pity.' But Emily knew, that she
was beyond the hearing of those, who might protect her.
'You can never hope any thing from his pity,' said Morano, 'he has used
me infamously, and my vengeance shall pursue him. And for you, Emily,
for you, he has new plans more profitable than the last, no doubt.'
The gleam of hope, which the Count's former speech had revived, was
now nearly extinguished by the latter; and, while Emily's countenance
betrayed the emotions of her mind, he endeavoured to take advantage of
the discovery. 'I lose time,' said he: 'I came not to exclaim against Montoni; I came
to solicit, to plead--to Emily; to tell her all I suffer, to entreat
her to save me from despair, and herself from destruction. Emily! the
schemes of Montoni are insearchable, but, I warn you, they are terrible;
he has no principle, when interest, or ambition leads. Can I love you,
and abandon you to his power? Fly, then, fly from this gloomy prison,
with a lover, who adores you! I have bribed a servant of the castle to
open the gates, and, before tomorrow's dawn, you shall be far on the way
to Venice.'