He raised her from the ground, and pressed her pale lips against his
own.
"Rosabella, thou art mine; death alone can part us. Thou lovest me
as I WOULD be loved; I am blest whate'er may happen, and can now set
fortune at defiance. To business, then."
He replaced Rosabella, who was almost fainting, on the bosom of
Camilla, then advanced into the middle of the chamber, and addressed
the assembly with an undaunted air "Venetians, you are determined to deliver me up to the axe of
justice; there is for me no hope of mercy. 'Tis well, act as you
please; but ere you sit in judgment over ME, signors, I shall take
the liberty of passing sentence upon some few of YOU. Now mark me,
you see in me the murderer of Conari, the murderer of Paolo
Manfrone, the murderer of Lomellino. I deny it not. But would you
know the illustrious persons who paid me for the use of my dagger?"
With these words he put a whistle to his lips, sounded it, and
instantly the doors flew open, the guards rushed in, and ere they
had time to recollect themselves, the chief conspirators were in
custody, and disarmed.
"Guard them well," said Abellino, in a terrible voice to the
sentinels; "you have your orders. Noble Venetians, look on these
villains; it is to them that you are indebted for the loss of your
three citizens. I accuse of those murders one, two, three, four,
and my good Lord Cardinal there has the honour to be the fifth."
Motionless and bewildered stood the accused; tale-telling confusion
spoke in every feature that the charge was true, and no one was bold
enough to contradict Abellino.
"What can all this mean?" asked the senators of each other, in the
utmost surprise and confusion.
"This is all a shameful artifice," the Cardinal at length contrived
to say; "the villain, perceiving that he has no chance of escaping
punishment, is willing, out of mere resentment, to involve us in his
destruction."
Contarino (recovering himself ).--In the wickedness of his life he
has surpassed all former miscreants, and now he is trying to surpass
them in the wickedness of his death.
Abellino (with majesty).--Be silent. I know your whole plot, have
seen your list of proscriptions, am well informed of your whole
arrangement, and at the moment that I speak to you the officers of
justice are employed, by my orders, in seizing the gentlemen with
the white ribbons round their arms, who this very night intended to
overturn Venice. Be silent, for defence were vain.