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21 - Gadfly by Ethel Lilian Voynich · Gadfly

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Speaker 1: And I once more earnestly assure your Eminence that your
0:05
Speaker 1: refusal is endangering the peace of the town. The governor
0:10
Speaker 1: tried to preserve the respectful tone due to a high
0:13
Speaker 1: dignitary of the church, but there was audible irritation in
0:18
Speaker 1: his voice. His liver was out of order, his wife
0:22
Speaker 1: was running up heavy bills, and his temper had been
0:26
Speaker 1: sorely tried during the last three weeks. A sullen, disaffected
0:31
Speaker 1: populace whose dangerous mood grew daily more apparent, a district
0:37
Speaker 1: honeycombed with plots and bristling with hidden weapons, an inefficient
0:43
Speaker 1: garrison of whose loyalty he was more than doubtful. And
0:47
Speaker 1: a cardinal whom he had pathetically described to his adjutant
0:52
Speaker 1: as the incarnation of immaculate pigheadedness, had already reduced him
0:58
Speaker 1: to the verge of desperation. Now he was saddled with
1:02
Speaker 1: the gadfly, an animated quintessence of the spirit of mischief.
1:07
Speaker 1: Having begun by disabling both the governor's favorite nephew and
1:12
Speaker 1: his most valuable spy, the crooked Spanish devil had followed
1:18
Speaker 1: up his exploits in the market place by subborning the guards,
1:23
Speaker 1: browbeating the interrogating officers, and turning the prison into a
1:28
Speaker 1: bear garden. He had now been three weeks in the fortress,
1:32
Speaker 1: and the authorities of Brisigalia were heartily sick of their bargain.
1:37
Speaker 1: They had subjected him to interrogation. Upon interrogation, and after
1:42
Speaker 1: employing to obtain admission from him, every device of threat,
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Speaker 1: persuasion and stratagem which their ingenuity could suggest, remained just
1:54
Speaker 1: as wise as on the day of his capture, they
1:57
Speaker 1: had begun to realize that it would be perhaps have
2:01
Speaker 1: been better to send him into Ravena at once. It was, however,
2:06
Speaker 1: too late to rectify the mistake. The Governor, when sending
2:10
Speaker 1: in to the Legate his report of the arrest, had
2:14
Speaker 1: begged as a special favor permission to superintend personally the
2:20
Speaker 1: investigation of this case, and his request having been graciously
2:26
Speaker 1: acceded to, he could not now withdraw without a humiliating
2:30
Speaker 1: confession that he was overmatched. The idea of settling the
2:35
Speaker 1: difficulty by a court martial, had, as Gemma and Michaela
2:40
Speaker 1: had foreseen, presented itself to him as the only satisfactory solution,
2:46
Speaker 1: and Cardinal Montanelli's stubborn refusal to countenance this was the
2:51
Speaker 1: last drop which made the cup of his vexation overflow.
2:56
Speaker 1: I think he said that if your Eminence knew what
3:00
Speaker 1: I and my assistants have put up with from this man,
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Speaker 1: you would feel differently about the matter. I fully understand
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Speaker 1: and respect the conscientious objection to irregularities in judicial proceedings,
3:14
Speaker 1: but this is an exceptional case and calls for exceptional measures.
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Speaker 1: There is no case, Montanelli answered, which calls for injustice,
3:24
Speaker 1: and to condemn a civilian by the judgment of a
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Speaker 1: secret military tribunal is both unjust and illegal. The case
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Speaker 1: amounts to this, Your Eminence. The prisoner is manifestly guilty
3:38
Speaker 1: of several capital crimes. He joined the infamous attempt of Savino,
3:44
Speaker 1: and the military commission nominated by Monsignor Spinola would certainly
3:49
Speaker 1: have had him shot or sent to the galleys then
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Speaker 1: had he not succeeded in escaping to Tuscany. Since that time,
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Speaker 1: he has never ceased plotting. Known to be an influential
4:02
Speaker 1: member of one of the most pestilent secret societies in
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Speaker 1: the country. He is gravely suspected of having consented to
4:11
Speaker 1: if not inspired the assassination of no less than three
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Speaker 1: confidential police agents. He has been caught, one might also say,
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Speaker 1: in the act of smuggling firearms into the legation. He
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Speaker 1: has offered armed resistance to authority and seriously wounded two
4:30
Speaker 1: officials in the discharge of their duty, and he is
4:34
Speaker 1: now a standing menace to the peace and order of
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Speaker 1: the town. Surely in such a case, a court martial
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Speaker 1: is justifiable. Whatever the man has done, Montonelli replied, he
4:47
Speaker 1: has the right to be judged according to law. The
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Speaker 1: ordinary course of law involves delay your eminence, and in
4:56
Speaker 1: this case every moment is precious. Besides everything else, I
5:01
Speaker 1: am in constant terror of his escaping. If there is
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Speaker 1: any danger of that, it rests with you to guard
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Speaker 1: him more closely. I do my best, your eminence, but
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Speaker 1: I am dependent upon the prison staff, and the man
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Speaker 1: seems to have bewitched them all. I have changed the
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Speaker 1: guard four times within three weeks. I have punished the
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Speaker 1: soldiers till I am tired of it, and nothing is
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Speaker 1: of any use. I can't prevent their carrying letters backwards
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Speaker 1: and forwards. The fools are in love with him as
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Speaker 1: if he were a woman. That is very curious. There
5:39
Speaker 1: must be something remarkable about him. There's a remarkable amount
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Speaker 1: of devilry. I beg pardon your Eminence, but really this
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Speaker 1: man is enough to try the patience of a saint.
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Speaker 1: It's hardly credible. But I have to conduct all the
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Speaker 1: interrogations myself, for the regular officer cannot stand it any longer.
6:01
Speaker 1: How is that It's difficult to explain, your Eminence, But
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Speaker 1: you would understand if you had once heard the way
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Speaker 1: he goes on. One might think the interrogating officer with
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Speaker 1: a criminal, and he the judge. But what is there
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Speaker 1: so terrible that he can do? He can refuse to
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Speaker 1: answer your questions, of course, but he has no weapon
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Speaker 1: except silence and a tongue like a razor. We are
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Speaker 1: all mortal, your Eminence, and most of us have made
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Speaker 1: mistakes in our time that we don't want published on
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Speaker 1: the housetops. That's only human nature. And it's hard on
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Speaker 1: a man to have his little slips of twenty years
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Speaker 1: ago raped up and thrown in his teeth. Has Rivers
6:45
Speaker 1: brought up some personal secret of the interrogating officer, Well, really,
6:51
Speaker 1: the poor fellow got into debt when he was a
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Speaker 1: cavalry officer and borrowed a little sum from the regimental funds,
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Speaker 1: stole public money that had been entrusted to him. In fact,
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Speaker 1: of course, it was very wrong, your Eminence, but his
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Speaker 1: friends paid it back at once and the affair was
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Speaker 1: hushed up. He comes of a good family, and ever
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Speaker 1: since then he has been irreproachable. How Rivera is found
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Speaker 1: out about it, I can't conceive. But the first thing
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Speaker 1: he did at interrogation was to bring up this old
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Speaker 1: scandal before the subaltern, too, and with as innocent a
7:31
Speaker 1: face as if he were saying his prayers. Of course,
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Speaker 1: the story's all over the legation by now. If Your
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Speaker 1: Eminence would only be present at one of the interrogations,
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Speaker 1: I am sure you would realize he needn't know anything
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Speaker 1: about it. You might overhear him from Montonelli turned round
7:51
Speaker 1: and looked at the governor with an expression which his
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Speaker 1: face did not often wear. I am a minister of religion,
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Speaker 1: he said, not a police spy, and evesdropping forms no
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Speaker 1: part of my professional duties. I I didn't mean to
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Speaker 1: give offense. I think we shall not get any good
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Speaker 1: out of discussing this question further. If you will send
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Speaker 1: the prisoner here, I will have a talk with him.
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Speaker 1: I venture very respectfully to advise your Eminence not to
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Speaker 1: attempt it. The man is perfectly incorrigible. It would be
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Speaker 1: both safer and wiser to overstep the letter of the
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Speaker 1: law for this once and get rid of him before
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Speaker 1: he does any more mischief. It is with great diffidence
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Speaker 1: that I venture to press the point after what your
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Speaker 1: Eminence has said. But after all, I am responsible to Monseigneur,
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Speaker 1: the legate for the order of the town, and I,
8:49
Speaker 1: Montanelli interrupted, am responsible to God and his Holiness that
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Speaker 1: there shall be no underhand dealing in my diocese. Since
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Speaker 1: you me in the matter, Colonel, I take my stand
9:03
Speaker 1: upon my privilege as Cardinal. I will not allow a
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Speaker 1: secret court martial in this town in peacetime. I will
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Speaker 1: receive the prisoner here and alone, at ten tomorrow morning,
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Speaker 1: as your Eminence pleases. The governor replied with sulky respectfulness,
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Speaker 1: and went away, grumbling to himself. There about a pair.
9:26
Speaker 1: As far as obstinacy goes. He told no one of
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Speaker 1: the approaching interview till it was actually time to knock
9:34
Speaker 1: off the prisoner's chains and start for the palace. It
9:38
Speaker 1: was quite enough, as he remarked to his wounded nephew,
9:42
Speaker 1: to have this most eminent son of Balaam's ass laying
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Speaker 1: down the law without running any risk of the soldier's
9:51
Speaker 1: plotting with Riveras and his friends to effect an escape
9:56
Speaker 1: on the way. When the gad fly strongly guarded, entered
10:00
Speaker 1: the room where Montonelli was writing at a table covered
10:04
Speaker 1: with papers, a sudden recollection came over him of a
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Speaker 1: hot midsummer afternoon when he had sat turning over manuscript
10:13
Speaker 1: sermons in a study much like this. The shutters had
10:17
Speaker 1: been closed, as they were here to keep out the heat,
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Speaker 1: and a fruit seller's voice outside had called Fragoula, Fragoula.
10:27
Speaker 1: He shook the hair angrily back from his eyes and
10:31
Speaker 1: set his mouth in a smile. Montonelli looked up from
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Speaker 1: his papers. You can wait in the hall, he said,
10:37
Speaker 1: to the guards. May it please your eminence, began the
10:41
Speaker 1: sergeant in a lowered voice, and with evident nervousness. The
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Speaker 1: colonel thinks that this prisoner is dangerous, and that it
10:49
Speaker 1: would be better. A sudden flash came into Montonelli's eyes.
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Speaker 1: You can wait in the hall, he repeated quietly, and
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Speaker 1: the sergeant, saluting and stammering excuses, with a frightened face,
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Speaker 1: left the room with his men. Sit down, please, said
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Speaker 1: the cardinal. When the door was shut. The gadfly obeyed
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Speaker 1: in silence. Signor riveres, Montonelli began, after a pause. I
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Speaker 1: wish to ask you a few questions, and shall be
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Speaker 1: very much obliged to you if you will answer them.
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Speaker 1: The gadfly smiled. My chief occupation at present is to
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Speaker 1: be asked questions, and not to answer them, so I
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Speaker 1: have heard. But these questions are put by officials who
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Speaker 1: are investigating your case, and whose duty is to use
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Speaker 1: your answers as evidence, and those of your eminence. There
11:47
Speaker 1: was a covert insult in the tone more than in
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Speaker 1: the words, and the Cardinal understood it at once, but
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Speaker 1: his face did not lose its grave sweetness of expression.
11:59
Speaker 1: Mine said, whether you answer them or not will remain
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Speaker 1: between you and me. If they should trench upon your
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Speaker 1: political secrets, of course you will not answer. Otherwise, though
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Speaker 1: we are complete strangers to each other, I hope that
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Speaker 1: you will do so as a personal favor to me.
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Speaker 1: I am entirely at the service of your eminence. He
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Speaker 1: said it with a little bow and a face that
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Speaker 1: would have taken the heart to ask favors out of
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Speaker 1: the daughters of the horse leech. First, then you are
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Speaker 1: said to have been smuggling firearms into this district. What
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Speaker 1: are they wanted for to kill rats with? That is
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Speaker 1: a terrible answer. Are all your fellow men rats in
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Speaker 1: your eyes? If they cannot think as you do? Some
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Speaker 1: of them? Montanelli leaned back in his chair and looked
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Speaker 1: at him in silence for a little while. What is
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Speaker 1: that on your hand? He asked. Suddenly, the gadfly glanced
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Speaker 1: at his left hand, old marks from the teeth of
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Speaker 1: some of the rats. Excuse me, I was speaking of
13:12
Speaker 1: the other hand. That is a fresh hurt. The slender,
13:16
Speaker 1: flexible right hand was badly cut and grazed. The gadfly
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Speaker 1: held it up. The wrist was swollen, and across it
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Speaker 1: ran a deep and long black bruise. It is a
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Speaker 1: mere trifle, as you see, he said. When I was
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Speaker 1: arrested the other day, Thanks to your eminence, he made
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Speaker 1: another little bow. One of the soldiers stamped on it.
13:42
Speaker 1: Montanelli took the wrist and examined it closely. How does
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Speaker 1: it come to be in such a state now after
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Speaker 1: three weeks, he asked, it is all inflamed. Possibly the
13:54
Speaker 1: pressure of the iron has not done it much good.
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Speaker 1: The cardinal looked up with a frown. Have they been
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Speaker 1: putting irons on a fresh wound? Naturally, your Eminence, that
14:09
Speaker 1: is what fresh wounds are for. Old wounds are not
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Speaker 1: much use. They will only ache you. Cock can't make
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Speaker 1: them burn properly. Montanelli looked at him again in the
14:22
Speaker 1: same close scrutinizing way, then rose and opened a drawer
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Speaker 1: full of surgical appliances. Give me the hand, he said.
14:31
Speaker 1: The gadfly, with a face as hard as beaten iron,
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Speaker 1: held out hand and Montanelli, after bathing the injured place,
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Speaker 1: gently bandaged it. Evidently he was accustomed to such work.
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Speaker 1: I will speak about the irons, he said. And now
14:49
Speaker 1: I want to ask you another question. What do you
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Speaker 1: propose to do? That is very simply answered, your eminence,
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Speaker 1: to a escape if I can, and if I can't,
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Speaker 1: to die? Why to die? Because if the governor doesn't
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Speaker 1: succeed in getting me shot, I shall be sent to
15:10
Speaker 1: the galleys. And for me that comes to the same thing.
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Speaker 1: I have not got the health to live through it.
15:18
Speaker 1: Montanelli rested his arm on the table and pondered silently.
15:23
Speaker 1: The gadfly did not disturb him. He was leaning back
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Speaker 1: with half shut eyes, lazily enjoying the delicious physical sensations
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Speaker 1: of relief from the chains. Supposing Montanelli began again that
15:38
Speaker 1: you were to succeed in escaping, what should you do
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Speaker 1: with your life? I have already told your Eminence I
15:46
Speaker 1: should kill rats. You would kill rats. That is to
15:52
Speaker 1: say that if I were to let you escape from here, now,
15:56
Speaker 1: supposing I had the power to do so, you would
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Speaker 1: use your freedom to foster violence and bloodshed instead of
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Speaker 1: preventing them. The gadfly raised his eyes to the crucifix
16:07
Speaker 1: on the wall. Not peace, but a sword. At the least,
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Speaker 1: I should be in good company for my own part,
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Speaker 1: though I prefer pistols signor rivers, said the cardinal with
16:20
Speaker 1: unruffled composure. I have not insulted you as yet, or
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Speaker 1: spoken slightingly of your beliefs or friends. May I not
16:30
Speaker 1: expect the same courtesy from you? Or do you wish
16:33
Speaker 1: me to suppose that an atheist cannot be a gentleman? Ah?
16:39
Speaker 1: I quite forgot your Eminence places courtesy high among the
16:45
Speaker 1: Christian virtues. I remember your sermon in Florence on the
16:50
Speaker 1: occasion of my controversy with your anonymous defender. That is
16:56
Speaker 1: one of the subjects about which I wished to speak
16:59
Speaker 1: to you. Would you mind explaining to me the reason
17:03
Speaker 1: of the peculiar bitterness you seem to feel against me.
17:07
Speaker 1: If you have simply picked me out as a convenient target,
17:12
Speaker 1: that is another matter. Your methods of political controversy are
17:16
Speaker 1: your own affair, and we are not discussing politics now.
17:20
Speaker 1: But I fancied at the time that there was some
17:23
Speaker 1: personal animosity towards me, and if so, I should be
17:28
Speaker 1: glad to know whether I have ever done you wrong,
17:32
Speaker 1: or in any way given you cause for such a feeling,
17:36
Speaker 1: ever done him wrong. The gadfly put up the bandaged
17:41
Speaker 1: hand to his throat. I must refer your eminence to Shakespeare,
17:47
Speaker 1: he said, with a little laugh. It's as with the
17:50
Speaker 1: man who can't endure a harmless necessary cat. My antipathy
17:56
Speaker 1: is a priest. The sight of the cassock makes my
18:01
Speaker 1: teeth ache. Oh if it is only that Montanelli dismissed
18:06
Speaker 1: the subject with an indifferent gesture. Still, he added, abuse
18:11
Speaker 1: is one thing and perversion of fact is another. When
18:15
Speaker 1: you stated in answer to my sermon that I knew
18:19
Speaker 1: the identity of the anonymous writer, you made a mistake.
18:24
Speaker 1: I do not accuse you of wilful falsehood and stated
18:28
Speaker 1: what was untrue. I am to this day quite ignorant
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Speaker 1: of his name. The gadfly put his head on one
18:35
Speaker 1: side like an intelligent robin, looked at him for a
18:40
Speaker 1: moment gravely, then suddenly threw himself back and burst into
18:45
Speaker 1: a peal of laughter. Susancta simplicitous. Oh you sweet innocent
18:54
Speaker 1: Arcadian people, and you never guessed, you never saw the
18:59
Speaker 1: close van hoof. Montanelli stood up, Am I to understand
19:04
Speaker 1: signor riveres that you wrote both sides of the controversy yourself.
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Speaker 1: It was a shame, I know, the gadfly answered, looking
19:15
Speaker 1: up with wide, innocent blue eyes, and you swallowed everything whole,
19:22
Speaker 1: just as if it had been an oyster. It was
19:25
Speaker 1: very wrong, but oh it was so funny. Montanelli bit
19:32
Speaker 1: his lip and sat down again. He had realized from
19:36
Speaker 1: the first that the gadfly was trying to make him
19:39
Speaker 1: lose his temper, and had resolved to keep it whatever happened.
19:44
Speaker 1: But he was beginning to find excuses for the governor's exasperation.
19:49
Speaker 1: A man who had been spending two hours a day
19:52
Speaker 1: for the last three weeks in interrogating the gadfly might
19:58
Speaker 1: be pardoned and occasional swear word. We will drop that subject,
20:03
Speaker 1: he said, quietly. What I want to see you for? Particularly?
20:07
Speaker 1: Is this my position here? As Cardinal gives me some voice.
20:12
Speaker 1: If I choose to claim my privilege in the question
20:16
Speaker 1: of what is to be done with you, the only
20:19
Speaker 1: use to which I should ever put such a privilege
20:22
Speaker 1: would be to interfere in case of any violence to
20:26
Speaker 1: you which was not necessary to prevent you from doing
20:30
Speaker 1: violence to others. I sent for you therefore, partly in
20:34
Speaker 1: order to ask whether you have anything to complain of.
20:38
Speaker 1: I will see about the irons, but perhaps there is
20:41
Speaker 1: something else, And partly because I felt it right before
20:46
Speaker 1: giving my opinion, to see for myself what sort of
20:50
Speaker 1: man you are. I have nothing to complain of your eminence.
20:55
Speaker 1: A la guade, kumi a la guade. I am not
20:59
Speaker 1: a schoolboy to expect any government to pat me on
21:03
Speaker 1: the head for sis smuggling firearms onto its territory. It's
21:09
Speaker 1: only natural that they should hit as hard as they can.
21:13
Speaker 1: As for what sort of man I am? You have
21:16
Speaker 1: had a romantic confession of my sins once? Is not
21:21
Speaker 1: that enough? Or wi woo? Would you like me to
21:24
Speaker 1: begin again? I don't understand you, Montanelli said, coldly, taking
21:30
Speaker 1: up a pencil and twisting it between his fingers. Surely
21:34
Speaker 1: your eminence has not forgotten old Diego the pilgrim. He
21:39
Speaker 1: suddenly changed his voice and began to speak as Diego,
21:44
Speaker 1: I am a miserable sinner. The pencil snapped in Montenelli's hand.
21:50
Speaker 1: That is too much, he said. The gadfly leaned his
21:54
Speaker 1: head back with a soft little laugh and sat watching
21:57
Speaker 1: while the cardinal paced silently up and down the room.
22:02
Speaker 1: Signor Riveres, said Montonelli, stopping at last in front of him.
22:08
Speaker 1: You have done a thing to me that a man
22:10
Speaker 1: who was born of a woman should hesitate to do
22:14
Speaker 1: to his worst enemy. You have stolen in upon my
22:18
Speaker 1: private grief, and have made for yourself a mock and
22:21
Speaker 1: jest out of the sorrow of a fellow man. I
22:25
Speaker 1: once more beg you to tell me have I ever
22:28
Speaker 1: done you wrong? And if not, why have you played
22:32
Speaker 1: this heartless trick on me? The gadfly, leaning back against
22:36
Speaker 1: the chair cushions, looked up with his subtle, chilling, inscrutable smile.
22:43
Speaker 1: It amused me, your eminence. You took it all so
22:50
Speaker 1: much to heart, and it reminded me a little bit
22:55
Speaker 1: of a variety show. Montonelli, white to the very lit lips,
23:00
Speaker 1: turned away and rang the bell. You can take back
23:04
Speaker 1: the prisoner, he said, when the guards came in. After
23:08
Speaker 1: they had gone, he sat down at the tables, still
23:12
Speaker 1: trembling with unaccustomed indignation, and took up a pile of
23:17
Speaker 1: reports which had been sent into him by the parish
23:20
Speaker 1: priests of his diocese. Presently, he pushed them away, and,
23:26
Speaker 1: leaning on the table, hid his face in both hands.
23:30
Speaker 1: The gadflies seemed to have left some terrible shadow of himself,
23:35
Speaker 1: some ghostly trail of his personality, to haunt the room,
23:40
Speaker 1: and Montonelli sat trembling and cowering, not daring to look
23:45
Speaker 1: out lest he should see the phantom presence that he
23:48
Speaker 1: knew was not there. The specter hardly amounted to a hallucination.
23:54
Speaker 1: It was a mere fancy of overwrought nerves, but he
23:58
Speaker 1: was seized with an unutterable dread of its shadowy presence
24:04
Speaker 1: of the wounded hand, the smiling, cruel mouth, the mysterious
24:10
Speaker 1: eyes like deep sea water. He shook off the fancy
24:14
Speaker 1: and settled to his work. All day long, he had
24:17
Speaker 1: scarcely a free moment, and the thing did not trouble him.
24:22
Speaker 1: But going into his bedroom late at night, he stopped
24:25
Speaker 1: on the threshold with a sudden shock of fear. What
24:29
Speaker 1: if he should see it in a dream. He recovered
24:33
Speaker 1: himself immediately and knelt down before the crucifix to pray.
24:38
Speaker 1: But he lay awake the whole night through end of
24:43
Speaker 1: chapter three of the third part,