The Sicilian Bandit

He stopped at length at the entrance of a pagoda guarded by two Chinese soldiers, who, at a given signal, opened the door of an apartment entirely furnished with foreign objects, in the midst of which seated on a kind of chair, and dressed in a magnificent Chinese costume, which alone had cost thirty thousand francs, was the Princess de Butera, who rose as soon as she saw the countess approach, followed by a cloud of officers, mandarins, and attendants, each more dazzling, fierce-looking, or droll than his neighbour. This apparition had something so Eastern and fantastic in it, that the whole assemblage, accustomed as they were to luxury and magnificence, uttered an exclamation of astonishment. They surrounded the princess, touched her robe, embroidered with precious stones, shook the golden bells in her pointed hat, and for an instant the attention of the assembly was withdrawn from the beautiful Gemma and entirely centred in the lady of the house. Every one complimented and admired her, and among those who uttered the most exaggerated praise was Captain Altavilla, whom the prince had continued to receive at his dinner parties, to the great discomfiture of his major-domo, and who had dressed himself in full uniform for the purpose, it may be, of disguise.

"Well," said the Prince of Butera to the Countess of Castel Nuovo; "what do you think of the daughter of the Emperor of China?"

"I must say," replied Gemma, "that it is a happy thing for His Majesty, Ferdinand IV., that the Prince of Carini is at Messina at this moment, for he might be induced, with a heart like his, out of regard for the daughter, to give up Sicily to the father, and we should be obliged to have another Sicilian Vespers against the Chinese."

At this instant, the Duke of Moncada Paterno, in the dress of a Calabrian bandit, went up to the princess.

"Will her highness permit me," said the duke, "as a connoisseur, to examine her magnificent costume?"

"Sublime daughter of the sun," said Captain Altavilla, pointing to the prince, "take care of your golden bells, for I warn you, that you have to do with Pascal Bruno."

"The princess," exclaimed a voice, "would be safer in the company of Pascal Bruno than in that of a certain follower of Cardinal Ruffo of my acquaintance; Pascal Bruno is a murderer, not a thief – a bandit, and not a cutpurse."

"Well answered," observed the Prince of Butera.

The captain bit his lips.

"By-the-by," said the Prince de la Cattolica, "have you heard of his last exploit?"

"Whose?" asked the Duke of Moncada.

"Pascal Bruno's," said the prince.

"No; what has he done?" asked the duke.

"He has stopped a convoy of money sent by the Prince of Carini to Palermo," replied the prince.

"My ransom!" exclaimed the duke.

"By heaven!" said the prince, "your excellency will, after all, be sacrificed to the infidels."

"Zounds! the king will surely not require me to have a second reckoning with him," replied Moncada.

"Let your excellency be reassured," said the voice which had just before addressed Altavilla; "Pascal Bruno only took three thousand ounces from the two hundred and fifty thousand piastres belonging to King Ferdinand IV."

"And how do you know that, my young Albanian?" said the Prince de la Cattolica, who was close by the speaker – a handsome young man, from twenty-six to twenty-eight years of age, and dressed in the costume of Vina.

"I have heard it reported," said the Greek, carelessly, and playing with his yataghan; "besides, if your excellency wishes for particulars, here is a person who can give them to you."

The party thus pointed out to public curiosity was no other than our old acquaintance, Paolo Tommassi, who, strict in the performance of his duty, had immediately on his arrival repaired to the Countess de Castel Nuovo's residence; but not finding her there, and hearing of the fete, he took advantage of his situation as envoy from the viceroy to enable him to gain admission to the gardens of the Duke de Butera.

In an instant he found himself in the centre of an immense circle and subjected to a thousand questions; but Paolo Tommassi was, as we have seen, a bold fellow, and was not easily put out of countenance: he, therefore, commenced by delivering the prince's letter to the countess.

"Prince," said Gemma, after having read the missive she had received, "you never suspected you were giving me a farewell fête; the viceroy orders me to proceed to Messina, and being a faithful subject, I shall begin my journey to-morrow. Thanks, my friend!" she continued, turning to Paolo Tommassi and handing him her purse; "you may now retire."

Tommassi endeavoured to take advantage of this permission of the countess, but he was too closely surrounded to make good his retreat easily; he was, consequently, obliged to surrender at discretion – the condition of his liberty being an exact account of his recent encounter with Pascal Bruno.

He related it, it must be acknowledged, with all the simplicity of real courage; he told his auditors, without any superfluous addition, how he had been made prisoner; how he was taken to the fortress of Castel Nuovo; how he fired at the bandit without the ball taking any effect; and how, finally, the latter sent him away, making him a present of a magnificent horse in exchange for that which he had lost.

Everybody listened to this tale, which bore the impress of truth, with the silent attention of belief, with the exception of Captain Altavilla, who raised some doubts as to the veracity of the honest brigadier; but, luckily for Paolo Tommassi, the Prince de Butera himself came to his assistance.

"I will lay a wager," he said, "that nothing can be more true than what the brigadier has told us, for all the details appear to me to be perfectly in accordance with the character of Pascal Bruno."

"You know him, then?" said the Prince de Moncada Paterno.

"I do. I was in his company one night," replied the Prince de Butera.

"And where was that?"

"On your estates."

It was now the prince's turn; he related how Pascal and he had met at the chesnut of a hundred horses; how he, the Prince of Butera, had offered him a company, which he had refused; and, finally, how he had lent him three hundred ounces of gold.

At this last information, Altavilla could not restrain his mirth.

"And you think, my lord," said he, "that Bruno will bring them back?"

"I am certain of it," replied the prince.

"Now we are on this subject," interrupted the Princess of Butera, "is there any one else in this company who has seen Pascal Bruno, and who has spoken to him? I dote upon tales of brigands, they make me ready to die with fright."

"There is the Countess of Castel Nuovo," observed the Albanian; "she has seen him."

Gemma started, and every one looked at her as if to interrogate her.

"Can it be true?" said the prince, turning towards her.

"Yes," said Gemma, trembling; "but I had forgotten it."

"He remembers it," muttered the young man.

All the company pressed round the princess, who in vain endeavoured to make excuses; she in her turn was obliged to relate the scene with which we opened this tale to tell how Bruno entered her chamber; how the prince fired at him; and how the bandit, to avenge himself, entered the villa on the nuptial day and killed Teresa's husband. This history was the most terrible of all, and it produced a deep sensation in the minds of the listeners; something like a shudder ran through the whole assembly, and had it hot been for the dresses of the guests, you would hardly have thought you were present at a fête.

"On my honour," said Captain Altavilla, who was the first to break silence, "the greatest crime the bandit has committed is in rendering this fête so melancholy; I could have pardoned him all his other misdeeds; but for this I swear, by my epaulettes, I will have vengeance; and from this moment I devote myself to his pursuit."

"Do you speak seriously, Captain Altavilla?" said the Albanian.

"Yes, on my honour!" replied the captain; "and I here declare there is nothing I so much wish for as to meet him face to face."

"That is not impossible," observed the Albanian, coolly.

"To the man who will render me that service," said the captain, "I will give – "

"It is useless to offer a reward, captain," interrupted the young man; "I know a man who will render you that service for nothing."

"And when can I meet with this man?" repeated Altavilla, affecting a smile of doubt.

"If you will follow me, I will tell you," replied the stoical Albanian.