MYLIO (impetuously to the abbot)--"Will you dare deny that you crept one night into the close of the mill of Chaillotte, the despicable coupler in your service, with evil designs on Florette, and that, but for Goose-Skin, who is here a witness, and myself, you would have succeeded in your satanic purpose and blighted the poor child?"
GOOSE-SKIN (breaks in upon Mylio trembling at every limb, throws himself at Montfort"s feet and clasping his hands cries)--"Ill.u.s.trious and benevolent seigneur, I remember nothing--I am wholly upset, fascinated, dazed. All that I remember is that I was a pig, an unclean animal.
Alack! It was no fault of mine, because, Oh! redoubtable prop of the Church, I have not yet received baptism. Alack! Not yet. But a second ago, the instant I beheld your august face, it seemed to me that I saw a light like a halo shining around your holy person. One of those divine rays penetrated my body and it has suddenly given me an inextinguishable thirst for celestial knowledge; it has caused me to pant after the baptismal waters that will purify me of my abominable sins. Oh, pious seigneur! May you and your saintly spouse deign to officiate as my G.o.d-father and G.o.d-mother; consent, I pray you, to hold me over the baptismal font--I shall be a model of fidelity. My body shall be harnessed in beads and scapularies!"
MONTFORT (aside to Abbot Reynier)--"Hem! Meseems this fat miscreant has been illumined rather too suddenly by the light of heaven--and yet he might be sincere!"
ALYX OF MONTMORENCY--"It often pleases the Lord to accelerate the effects of His grace in order to render them more striking."
ABBOT REYNIER (aside to the count and his wife)--"It also might be that the fear of death and not faith has brought about the conversion of this sinner."
MONTFORT--"What is there to be done, reverend Father? How shall we interpret his conduct?"
ABBOT REYNIER (aside to the count)--"He should be sent to the pyre along with the rest."
ALYX OF MONTMORENCY--"But, Father, if he is sincere, if the man has really been touched by divine grace?"
ABBOT REYNIER (aside to Alyx and her husband)--"A reason the more. If he is sincere, the flames of the pyre will, in the eyes of the Lord, be an acceptable expiation of the new convert"s abominable past life. If he deceives us, the pyre will be the just punishment for his sacrilegious falsehood. In either case, the pyre is meet for the miscreant. The matter is settled."
Montfort and his wife are struck by the double advantage of the monk"s proposition and exchange looks of approval.
MONTFORT--"Rise, man! G.o.d will know whether your conversion is sincere."
GOOSE-SKIN (aside to himself)--"Good! Good! It is now merely an affair between G.o.d and myself. We shall arrange matters comfortably between us two."
MONTFORT (to Mylio)--"You have a brother who is a pastor of these devil-possessed heretics. Does he not enjoy a great influence in the town?"
MYLIO (proudly)--"All the inhabitants would give their lives to save his own. My brother is their idol."
MONTFORT--"I shall allow you to return to Lavaur. You shall tell the inhabitants in my name: "Abjure your heresy; re-enter the pale of the holy Catholic Church; deliver the Lady of Lavaur unconditionally to Montfort, and also her son, the consuls of the town and a hundred of the most notable citizens; relinquish your property to the soldiers of Christ; if you do your lives will be saved; if you do not, at day-break to-morrow the flames of Karvel"s pyre will give to the Crusaders the signal for the a.s.sault!" That is the mission that I confer upon you."
MYLIO (stupefied)--"My brother! You speak of burning my brother alive!
Oh, horrible alternative!"
MONTFORT--"He is a prisoner in my camp."
MYLIO (in consternation)--"My brother! A prisoner!"
GOOSE-SKIN (aside to Mylio)--"Follow my example--abjure--demand baptism!"
MYLIO (to Montfort in a trembling voice)--"My brother is a prisoner, say you? You are surely spreading a snare for me. But even if he stood there before me, loaded with chains, Karvel would curse me if I were to accept your offer, and could be infamous enough to promise you to exhort the inhabitants of Lavaur in his name to submit to the Church of Rome!"
Suddenly the sonorous and gentle voice of the physician is heard. Kept a prisoner in the adjoining room, the words of Mylio have reached him.
"Brother," he cries, "falter not before the foe."
MYLIO (electrified)--"Karvel"s voice!"
The trouvere rushes in the direction from which the voice proceeded, but Lambert of Limoux and Hugues of Lascy throw themselves in Mylio"s way and hold him back. Montfort turns to one of his equerries and says: "Let the other heretic in."
Immediately Karvel the Perfect steps in, he advances towards his brother with a smile of ineffable tenderness, and pointing with his finger at the knights who are holding Mylio addresses Montfort: "What! Violence against an unarmed enemy?"
At a sign from the count the seigneurs leave Mylio free, and the two brothers rush into each other"s arms. They converse apart for a moment during which Karvel informs his brother of the circ.u.mstances that brought him into the Crusaders" camp.
HUGHES OF LASCY (stepping towards Montfort)--"Seigneur, day is dawning.
Everything is in readiness for the a.s.sault of Lavaur. The army only awaits the signal. What are your orders?"
MONTFORT--"Let the signal for the a.s.sault be given at sunrise. Yet too feeble to mount my horse, I shall have myself carried in a litter. As to these three heretics, their execution shall be the signal for the attack."
GOOSE-SKIN (stupefied)--"One moment! What the devil! I have abjured; I did! I am a good Catholic!"
KARVEL (to Montfort)--"So, then, count, we are to die? I thank you for this death!"
MYLIO (to Montfort)--"I also thank you for this death, coward! Felon!
Knight without word and without faith! Miserable fanatic!"
The count drops his head at the reproach. His soldier"s heart is touched to the quick by the just charge of felony.
ABBOT REYNIER--"These wretches dare to mention the word "faith"! And will you, Montfort, be affected by reproaches that issue from such mouths? Have you forgotten that our Holy Father, Innocent III, said: "_None need to keep faith with those who fail in their faith to G.o.d_"?
Would you protect the lives of these maddened heretics and thus enable them to lure thousands of unhappy beings into their detestable heresy?"
MONTFORT (affrighted)--"Oh! No, Father! A thousand times, no!"
ABBOT REYNIER--"Come, then! Hold high your head, intrepid soldier of our Church! The Lord will cause Lavaur to fall into your hands!"
MONTFORT (with fanatic exaltation)--"To arms, knights! To the a.s.sault!
G.o.d is with us! No mercy when we take Lavaur! Kill, slay women, children, old men and young! Kill them all! As at Beziers, _the Lord will distinguish His own_. (Pointing to the three prisoners) Let these three men be pinioned! Let them be kept in a safe place until the moment of their execution!"
GOOSE-SKIN (distracted with terror, throwing himself at Montfort"s feet and seizing his robe)--"Gracious G.o.d-father! You promised me that you would hold me over the baptismal font. I wish to live henceforth a good Catholic. I believe in the Church, I believe in all her past, present and future saints. I believe the most incredible miracles. I shall believe anything that you want."
MONTFORT (to Abbot Reynier)--"You were right. This wretch yields to fear and not to the faith. He is a miscreant."
ABBOT REYNIER (to Goose-Skin)--"If your faith is sincere, the pyre will purify you of your past sins. But if you are merely feigning a sacrilegious conversion, the eternal flames will be your just punishment. You shall be burned alive like the others."
GOOSE-SKIN (rises furious)--"Oh, you lascivious buck! Oh, you lewd pig and tiger of cruelty! You are trying to take revenge for the night when I threw you down, and kept you there and prevented you from blasting a pure and poor girl! Hypocrite and criminal!"
The count"s equerries fall upon Goose-Skin and pinion him despite his violent resistance. They also pinion Mylio and Karvel who quietly allow themselves to be bound. The trumpets sound. Hugues of Lascy enters and announces that all is ready for the a.s.sault and that a litter awaits the count.
ALYX OF MONTMORENCY (falls on her knees)--"Go, my n.o.ble husband. I shall remain here on my knees until the battle is ended, and shall pray for the triumph of your arms, and the extermination of the enemy, and for the salvation of the poor heretical souls of Lavaur."
ABBOT REYNIER (to Montfort)--"Come, brave soldier of Christ! Come and receive from my hands the bread of the angels, the holy communion!"
Montfort leaves the room reclining upon the monk"s arm and followed by his equerries, while Alyx of Montmorency remains on her knees in fervent prayer.
MYLIO (looking sadly at Goose-Skin)--"Alas! It was his friendship for me that brought him to this country!"
KARVEL (pensively contemplating Alyx of Montmorency who is murmuring her orisons)--"Poor creature! Her heart has remained good. She is imploring the mercy of heaven for the victims!"