"Place your hand upon her breast. Does not the flesh creep and shrink beneath your touch? Now raise your hand--make the cross of your faith upon her bosom. By that faith you swear you are innocent."
"I do," returned the priest; "are you now satisfied?"
"No," replied Alan. "Let the torch be removed. Your innocence must be more deeply attested," continued he, as the light was withdrawn. "This proof will not fail. Entwine your fingers round her throat."
"Have I not done enough?"
"Your hesitation proves your guilt," said Alan.
"That proof is wanting, then?" returned the priest; "my hand is upon her throat--what more?"
"As you hope for mercy in your hour of need, swear that you never conspired against her life, or refused her mercy."
"I swear it."
"May the dead convict you of perjury if you have forsworn yourself,"
said Alan; "you are free. Take away your hand!"
"Ha! what is this?" exclaimed the priest. "You have put some jugglery upon me. I cannot withdraw my hand. It sticks to her throat, as though "twere glued by blood. Tear me away. I have not force enough to liberate myself. Why do you grin at me? The corpse grins likewise. It is jugglery. I am innocent. You would take away my life. Tear me away, I say: the veins rise; they blacken; they are filling with new blood. I feel them swell; they coil like living things around my fingers. She is alive."
"And you are innocent?"
"I am--I am. Let not my ravings convict me. For Jesu"s sake, release me."
"Blaspheme not, but arise. I hold you not."
"You do," groaned the priest. "Your grasp tightens round my throat; your hard and skinny fingers are there--I strangle--help!"
"Your own fears strangle you. My hand is at my side," returned Alan calmly.
"Villain, you lie. Your grasp is like a vice. The strength of a thousand devils is in your hand. Will none lend help? I never pressed so hard.
Your daughter never suffered this torture--never--never. I choke--choke--oh!" And the priest rolled heavily backwards.
There was a deep groan; a convulsive rattle in the throat; and all was still.
"He is dead--strangled," cried several voices, holding down the torch.
The face of the priest was blackened and contorted; his eyeb.a.l.l.s protruded from their sockets; his tongue was nearly bitten through in the desperate efforts he had made to release himself from Alan"s gripe; his hair was erect with horror. It was a ghastly sight.
A murmur arose amongst the gipsies. Barbara deemed it prudent to appease them.
"He was guilty," cried she. "He was the murderer of Susan Rookwood."
"And I, _her father_, have avenged her," said Alan, sternly.
The dreadful silence that followed this speech was broken by the report of a pistol. The sound, though startling, was felt almost as a relief.
"We are beset," cried Alan. "Some of you fly to reconnoitre."
"To your posts," cried Barbara.
Several of the crew flocked to the entrance.
"Unbind the prisoners," shouted Alan.
Mrs. Mowbray and Luke were accordingly set free.
Two almost simultaneous reports of a pistol were now heard.
""Tis Ranulph Rookwood," said Alan; "that was the preconcerted signal."
"Ranulph Rookwood," echoed Eleanor, who caught the exclamation: "he comes to save me."
"Remember your oath," gasped a dying voice. "He is no longer yours."
"Alas! alas!" sobbed Eleanor, tremblingly.
A moment afterwards a faint clapping of hands reached the ears of Barbara.
"All is over," muttered she.
"Ha!" exclaimed Alan Rookwood, with a frightful look. "Is it done?"
Barbara motioned him towards the further end of the vault.
_CHAPTER XIII_
_MR. COATES_
_Grimm._ Look, captain, here comes one of the bloodhounds of justice.
_Schw._ Down with him. Don"t let him utter a word.
_Moor._ Silence, I will hear him.
SCHILLER: _The Robbers_.
Gladly do we now exchange the dank atmosphere of Saint Cyprian"s cell, and the horrors which have detained us there so long, for balmy air, genial sunshine, and the boon companionship of d.i.c.k Turpin. Upon regaining the verdant ruins of the ancient priory, all appeared pretty much as our highwayman had left it. d.i.c.k wended towards his mare. Black Bess uttered an affectionate whinnying sound as he approached her, and yielded her sleek neck to his caresses. No Bedouin Arab ever loved his horse more tenderly than Turpin.
""Twill be a hard day when thou and I part!" murmured he, affectionately patting her soft and silky cheeks. Bess thrust her nose into his hand, biting him playfully, as much as to say, "That day will never arrive."
Turpin, at least, understood the appeal in that sense; he was skilled in the language of the Houyhnhnms. "I would rather lose my right hand than _that_ should happen," sighed he; "but there"s no saying: the best of friends must part; and thou and I may be one day separated: thy destination is the knacker--mine, perhaps, the gibbet.--We are neither of us cut out for old age, that"s certain. Curse me if I can tell how it is; since I"ve been in that vault, I"ve got some queer crotchet into my head. I can"t help likening thee to that poor gipsy wench, Sybil; but may I be scragged if I"d use thee as her lover has used her. Ha!"
exclaimed he, drawing a pistol with a suddenness that made his companions, Rust and Wilder, start, "we are watched. See you not how yon shadow falls from behind the wall?"
"I do," replied Rust.
"The varmint shall be speedily unearthed," said Wilder, rushing to the spot.