"Who is amongst us?" exclaimed the sorcerer, terrified, casting a look of horror on the a.s.semblage; "I did not want thee." The figure advanced with noiseless and majestic steps directly up to the altar, stood on the satin Carpet over against us, and touched the crucifix. The first apparition was seen no more.
"Who calls me?" demanded the second apparition.
"The sorcerer began to tremble. Terror and amazement kept us motionless for some time. I seized a pistol. The sorcerer s.n.a.t.c.hed it out of my hand, and fired it at the apparition. The ball rolled slowly upon the altar, and the figure emerged unaltered from the smoke. The Sorcerer fell senseless on the ground.
"What is this?" exclaimed the Englishman, in astonishment, aiming a blow at the ghost with a sword. The figure touched his arm, and the weapon fell to the ground. The perspiration stood on my brow with horror. Baron ------ afterwards confessed to me that he had prayed silently.
During all this time the prince stood fearless and tranquil, his eyes riveted on the second apparition. "Yes, I know thee," said he at length, with emotion; "thou art Lanoy; thou art my friend. Whence comest thou?"
"Eternity is mute. Ask me concerning my past life."
"Who is it that lives in the convent which thou mentionedst to me in thy last moments?"
"My daughter."
"How? Hast thou been a father?"
"Woe is me that I was not."
"Art thou not happy, Lanoy?"
"G.o.d has judged."
"Can I render thee any further service in this world?"
"None but to think of thyself."
"How must I do that?"
"Thou wilt learn at Rome."
The thunder again rolled; a black cloud of smoke filled the room; when it had dispersed the figure was no longer visible. I forced open one of the window shutters. It was daylight.
The sorcerer now recovered from his swoon. "Where are we?" asked he, seeing the daylight.
The Russian officer stood close beside him, and looked over his shoulder. "Juggler," said he to him, with a terrible countenance, "Thou shalt summon no more ghosts."
The Sicilian turned round, looked steadfastly in his face, uttered a loud shriek, and threw himself at his feet.
We looked all at once at the pretended Russian. The prince instantly recognized the features of the Armenian, and the words he was about to utter expired on his tongue. We were all as it were petrified with fear and amazement. Silent and motionless, our eyes were fixed on this mysterious being, who beheld us with a calm but penetrating look of grandeur and superiority. A minute elapsed in this awful silence; another succeeded; not a breath was to be heard.
A violent battering against the door roused us at last from this stupor.
The door fell in pieces into the room, and several officers of justice, with a guard, rushed in. "Here they are, all together," said the leader to his followers. Then addressing himself to us, "In the name of the government," continued he, "I arrest you." We had no time to recollect ourselves; in a few moments we were surrounded. The Russian officer, whom I shall again call the Armenian, took the chief officer aside, and, as far as I in my confusion could notice, I observed him whisper a few words to the latter, and show him a written paper. The officer, bowing respectfully, immediately quitted him, turned to us, and taking off his hat, said "Gentlemen, I humbly beg your pardon for having confounded you with this impostor. I shall not inquire who you are, as this gentleman a.s.sures me you are men of honor." At the same time he gave his companions a sign to leave us at liberty. He ordered the Sicilian to be bound and strictly guarded. "The fellow is ripe for punishment,"
added he; "we have been searching for him these seven months."
The wretched sorcerer was really an object of pity. The terror caused by the second apparition, and by this unexpected arrest, had together overpowered his senses. Helpless as a child, he suffered himself to be bound without resistance. His eyes were wide open and immovable; his face was pale as death; his lips quivered convulsively, but he was unable to utter a sound. Every moment we expected he would fall into a fit. The prince was moved by the situation in which he saw him. He undertook to procure his discharge from the leader of the police, to whom he discovered his rank. "Do you know, gracious prince," said the officer, "for whom your highness is so generously interceding? The juggling tricks by which he endeavored to deceive you are the least of his crimes. We have secured his accomplices; they depose terrible facts against him. He may think himself fortunate if he is only punished with the galleys."
In the meantime we saw the innkeeper and his family led bound through the yard. "This man, too?" said the prince; "and what is his crime?"
"He was his comrade and accomplice," answered the officer. "He a.s.sisted him in his deceptions and robberies, and shared the booty with him.
Your highness shall be convinced of it presently. Search the house,"
continued he, turning to his followers, "and bring me immediate notice of what you find."
The prince looked around for the Armenian, but he had disappeared. In the confusion occasioned by the arrival of the watch he had found means to steal away unperceived. The prince was inconsolable; he declared he would send all his servants, and would himself go in search of this mysterious man; and he wished me to go with him. I hastened to the window; the house was surrounded by a great number of idlers, whom the account of this event had attracted to the spot. It was impossible to get through the crowd. I represented this to the prince. "If," said I, "it is the Armenian"s intention to conceal himself from us, he is doubtless better acquainted with the intricacies of the place than we, and all our inquiries would prove fruitless. Let us rather remain here a little longer, gracious prince," added I. "This officer, to whom, if I observed right, he discovered himself, may perhaps give us some information respecting him."
We now for the first time recollected that we were still undressed.
We hastened to the other pavilion and put on our clothes as quickly as possible. When we returned they had finished searching the house.
On removing the altar and some of the boards of the floor a s.p.a.cious vault was discovered. It was high enough, for a man might sit upright in it with ease, and was separated from the cellar by a door and a narrow staircase. In this vault they found an electrical machine, a clock, and a little silver bell, which, as well as the electrical machine, was in communication with the altar and the crucifix that was fastened upon it. A hole had been made in the window-shutter opposite the chimney, which opened and shut with a slide. In this hole, as we learnt afterwards, was fixed a magic lantern, from which the figure of the ghost had been reflected on the opposite wall, over the chimney.
From the garret and the cellar they brought several drums, to which large leaden bullets were fastened by strings; these had probably been used to imitate the roaring of thunder which we had heard.
On searching the Sicilian"s clothes they found, in a case, different powders, genuine mercury in vials and boxes, phosphorus in a gla.s.s bottle, and a ring, which we immediately knew to be magnetic, because it adhered to a steel b.u.t.ton that by accident had been placed near it. In his coat-pockets were found a rosary, a Jew"s beard, a dagger, and a brace of pocket-pistols. "Let us see whether they are loaded," said one of the watch, and fired up the chimney.
"Jesus Maria!" cried a hollow voice, which we knew to be that of the first apparition, and at the same instant a bleeding person came tumbling down the chimney. "What! not yet laid, poor ghost!" cried the Englishman, while we started back in affright. "Home to thy grave.
Thou hast appeared what thou wert not; now thou wilt become what thou didst but seem."
"Jesus Maria! I am wounded," repeated the man in the chimney. The ball had fractured his right leg. Care was immediately taken to have the wound dressed.
"But who art thou?" said the English lord; "and what evil spirit brought thee here?"
"I am a poor mendicant friar," answered the wounded man; "a strange gentleman gave me a zechin to--"
"Repeat a speech. And why didst thou not withdraw as soon as thy task was finished?"
I was waiting for a signal which we had agreed on to continue my speech; but as this signal was not given, I was endeavoring to get away, when I found the ladder had been removed"
"And what was the formula he taught thee?"
The wounded man fainted away; nothing more could be got from him. In the meantime the prince turned towards the princ.i.p.al officer of the watch, giving him at the same time some pieces of gold. "You have rescued us," said he, "from the hands of an impostor, and done us justice without even knowing who we were; would you increase our grat.i.tude by telling us the name of the stranger who, by speaking only a few words, was able to procure us our liberty."
"Whom do you mean?" inquired the party addressed, with an air which plainly showed that the question was useless.
"The gentleman in a Russian uniform, who took you aside, showed you a written paper, and whispered a few words, in consequence of which you immediately set us free."
"Do not you know the gentleman? Was he not one of your company?"
"No," answered the prince; "and I have very important reasons for wishing to be more intimately acquainted with him."
"I know very little of him myself. Even his name is unknown to me, and I saw him to-day for the first time in my life."
"How? And was he in so short a time, and by using only a few words, able to convince you both of our innonocence and his own?"
"Undoubtedly, with a single word."
"And this was? I confess I wish to know it."
"This stranger, my prince," said the officer, weighing the zechins in his band,--"you have been too generous for me to make a secret of it any longer,--this stranger is an officer of the Inquisition."
"Of the Inquisition? This man?"