Latest / Poison Romance and Poison Mysteries / Celebrated Crimes, Vol. 4 Part 3 Nisida (version 2)-Alexandre Dumas

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Celebrated Crimes, Vol. 4 Part 3 Nisida (version 2)-Alexandre Dumas · Poison Romance and Poison Mysteries

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  Speaker 1: Section one of Celebrated Crimes, Volume four, Part three by
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  Speaker 1: Alexandra Dumas. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
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  Speaker 1: are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Nadia Fernandes. Celebrated Crimes,
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  Speaker 1: Volume four, Part three by Alexandra Dumas, Section one, Nisida,
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  Speaker 1: eighteen twenty five. If our readers, tempted by the Italian
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  Speaker 1: proverb about seeing naples and then dying, were to ask
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  Speaker 1: us what is the most favorable moment for visiting the
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  Speaker 1: enchanted city, we should advise them to land at the
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  Speaker 1: mole or at Maggellina on a fine summer day and
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  Speaker 1: at the hour when some solemn procession is moving out
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  Speaker 1: of the cathir. Nothing can give an idea of the
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  Speaker 1: profound and simple hearted emotion of this populace, which has
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  Speaker 1: enough poetry in its soul to believe in its own happiness.
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  Speaker 1: The whole town adorns herself and attires herself like a
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  Speaker 1: bride for her wedding. The dark facades of marble and
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  Speaker 1: granite disappear beneath hangings of silk and festoons of flowers.
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  Speaker 1: The wealthy display their dazzling luxury. The poor drape themselves
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  Speaker 1: proudly in their rags. Everything is light, harmony, and perfume.
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  Speaker 1: The sound is like the hum of an immense hive,
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  Speaker 1: interrupted by a thousandfold outcry of joy, impossible to describe.
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  Speaker 1: The bells repeat their sonorous sequences in every key. The
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  Speaker 1: arcades echo afar with the triumphal marches of military bands.
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  Speaker 1: The cellars of sherbet and watermelons sing out their deafening
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  Speaker 1: flourish from throats of copper. Peep form into groups they meet,
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  Speaker 1: question gesticulate. There are gleaming looks, eloquent gestures, picturesque attitudes.
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  Speaker 1: There is a general animation, an unknown charm, an indefinable intoxication.
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  Speaker 1: Earth is very near to Heaven, and it is easy
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  Speaker 1: to understand that if God were to banish death from
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  Speaker 1: this delightful spot, the Neapolitans would desire no other paradise.
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  Speaker 1: The story that we are about to tell opens with
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  Speaker 1: one of these magical pictures. It was the day of
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  Speaker 1: the Assumption in the year eighteen twenty five. The sun
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  Speaker 1: had been up for some four or five hours, and
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  Speaker 1: the long view at the Fortella lighted from end to end.
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  Speaker 1: By its slanting rays, cut the town in two like
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  Speaker 1: a ribbon of watered silk. The lava pavement, carefully cleaned,
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  Speaker 1: shone like any mosaic, and the royal troops, with their
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  Speaker 1: proudly waving plumes, made a double living hedge on each
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  Speaker 1: side of the street. The balconies, windows and terraces, the
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  Speaker 1: stands with their unsubstantial balustrades, and the wooden galleries sat
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  Speaker 1: up during the night, were loaded with spectators and looked
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  Speaker 1: not unlike the boxes of a theater. An immense crowd,
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  Speaker 1: forming a medley of the brightest colors, invaded the reserved
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  Speaker 1: space and broke through the military barriers here and there
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  Speaker 1: like an overflowing torrent. These intrepid sidseers, nailed to their places,
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  Speaker 1: would have waited half their lives without giving the least
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  Speaker 1: sign of impatience. At last, about noon, a cannon shot
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  Speaker 1: was heard, and a cry of general satisfaction followed it.
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  Speaker 1: It was the signal that the procession had crossed the
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  Speaker 1: threshold of the church. In the same moment, a charge
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  Speaker 1: of carabineers swept off the people who were obstructing the
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  Speaker 1: middle of the street. The regiments of the line opened
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  Speaker 1: flood gates for the overflowing crowd, and soon nothing remained
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  Speaker 1: on the courseway but some scared dog shouted at by
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  Speaker 1: the people, Hunted off by the soldiers, and fleeing at
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  Speaker 1: full speed, the procession came out through the Via de Vescobato.
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  Speaker 1: First came the guilds of merchants and craftsmen, the hatters, weavers, bakers, butchers, cutlers,
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  Speaker 1: and goldsmiths. They wore the prescribed dress, black coats, knee breeches,
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  Speaker 1: low shoes, and silver buckles. As the countenances of these
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  Speaker 1: gentlemen offered nothing very interesting to the multitude, whisperings arose
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  Speaker 1: little by little among the spectators. Then some bold spirits
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  Speaker 1: ventured a jest or two upon the fattest or the
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  Speaker 1: boldest of the townsmen, and at last the boldest of
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  Speaker 1: the Lazzaroni slipped between the soldier's legs to collect the
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  Speaker 1: wax that was running down from the lighted tapers. After
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  Speaker 1: the craftsmen, the religious orders marched past, from the Dominicans
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  Speaker 1: to the Confusians, from the Carmelides to the Capuchins. They
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  Speaker 1: advanced slowly, their eyes cast down, their step austere their
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  Speaker 1: hands on their hearts. Some faces were rubicund and shining,
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  Speaker 1: with large cheekbones, and round the chins herculian heads upon
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  Speaker 1: bull necks, some thin and livid, with cheeks hollowed by
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  Speaker 1: suffering and penitence, and with the look of living ghosts.
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  Speaker 1: In short, here were the two sides of monastic life
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  Speaker 1: at this moment. Nunziata and johnso Mina, two charming damsels,
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  Speaker 1: taking advantage of an old corporal's politeness, pushed forward their
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  Speaker 1: pretty heads into the first rank. The break in the
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  Speaker 1: line was conspicuous, but the sly warriors seemed just a
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  Speaker 1: little lax in the matter of discipline. Oh there is
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  Speaker 1: father Bruno, said Josomina. Suddenly, Good day, Father Bruno. Hush, cousin,
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  Speaker 1: people do not talk to the procession. How absurd he is,
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  Speaker 1: my confessor. May I not say good morning to my confessor? Silence, chatterboxes?
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  Speaker 1: Who was that spoke? Oh, my dear, it was brother Gukutza,
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  Speaker 1: the begging friar. Where is he? Where is he? There
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  Speaker 1: he is along there, laughing into his beard. How bold
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  Speaker 1: he is, Ah, God in heaven, if we were to
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  Speaker 1: dream of him. While the two cousins were pouring out
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  Speaker 1: endless comments upon the capuchins and their beards, the capes
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  Speaker 1: of the cannons, and the surplices of the seminarists. The
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  Speaker 1: Ferrazzi came running across from the other side to re
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  Speaker 1: establish order with the help of their gunstocks. By the
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  Speaker 1: blood of my patron saint, cried this tentorian voice. If
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  Speaker 1: I catch you between my finger and thumb, I will
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  Speaker 1: straighten your back for the rest of your days. Who
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  Speaker 1: are you falling out with, Gennaro, with this accursed hunchback,
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  Speaker 1: who has been worrying my back for the last hour,
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  Speaker 1: as though he could see through it. It is a shame,
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  Speaker 1: returned the hunchback in a tone of lamentation. I have
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  Speaker 1: been here since last night. I slept out of doors
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  Speaker 1: to keep my place, and here is this abominable giant
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  Speaker 1: comes to stick himself in front of me like an obelisk.
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  Speaker 1: The hunchback was lying like a jew, but the crowd
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  Speaker 1: rose unanimously against the obelisk. He was in one way,
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  Speaker 1: they're superior, and majorities are always made of pigmies.
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  Speaker 2: Hi, come down from your stand, Hi, get off your pedestal,
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  Speaker 2: Off with your hat, down with your head, sit down,
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  Speaker 2: lie down.
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  Speaker 1: This revival of curiosity, expressing itself in invectives, evidently betokened
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  Speaker 1: the crisis of the show. And indeed the chapters of canons,
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  Speaker 1: the clergy and bishops, the pages and chamberlains, the representatives
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  Speaker 1: of the city, and the gentlemen of the King's chamber
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  Speaker 1: now appeared. And finally the King himself, who bareheaded, in
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  Speaker 1: carrying a taper, followed the magnificent statue of the Virgin.
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  Speaker 1: The contrast was striking. After the gray headed monks and
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  Speaker 1: pale novices came brilliant young captains, affronting Heaven with their
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  Speaker 1: points of their mustaches, riddle the latticed windows with killing glances,
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  Speaker 1: following the procession in an absent minded way, and interrupting
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  Speaker 1: the Holy hymns with scraps of most unorthodox conversation. Don't
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  Speaker 1: you notice, my dear Doria, how like a monkey the
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  Speaker 1: old marquise that la qua Sparta takes her raspberry eyes,
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  Speaker 1: her nose takes the color of the eyes. What fine
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  Speaker 1: bird is strowing off to her? It is the Sirenian.
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  Speaker 1: I beg your pardon, I have not seen that name
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  Speaker 1: in the Golden Book. He helps the poor marquis to
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  Speaker 1: bear his cross. The officer's profane illusion was lost in
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  Speaker 1: the prolonged murmur or admiration that suddenly rose from the crowds.
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  Speaker 1: In every gaze was turned upon one of the young
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  Speaker 1: girls who was strewing flowers before the Holy Madonna was
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  Speaker 1: an exquisite creature, her head glowing in the sunshine, her
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  Speaker 1: feet hidden amid roses and broom blossom. She rose tall
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  Speaker 1: and fair from a pale cloud of ensigns, like some
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  Speaker 1: seraphic apparition. Her hair of velvet blackness fell in curls
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  Speaker 1: halfway down her shoulders. Her brow, white as alabaster and
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  Speaker 1: polished as a mirror, reflected the rays of the sun.
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  Speaker 1: Her beautiful and finely arched black eyebrows melted into the
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  Speaker 1: opal of her temples. Her eyelids were fast down, and
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  Speaker 1: the cold black fringe of flashes veiled a glowing and
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  Speaker 1: liquid glance of divine emotion. The nose, straight, slender and
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  Speaker 1: cut by too easy nostrils, gave to her profile that
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  Speaker 1: character of antique beauty which is vanishing day by day
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  Speaker 1: from the earth. A calm and serene smile, one of
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  Speaker 1: those smiles that have already left the soul, and not
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  Speaker 1: yet reached the lips lifted the corners of her mouth
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  Speaker 1: with a pure expression of infinite beatitude and gentleness. Nothing
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  Speaker 1: could be more perfect than the chin that completed the
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  Speaker 1: thoughtless oval of this radiant countenance. Her neck of a
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  Speaker 1: dead white joined her bosom in a delicious curve, and
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  Speaker 1: supported her head gracefully, like the stalk of a flower
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  Speaker 1: moved by a gentle breeze. A bodice of crimson velvet
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  Speaker 1: spotted with gold outlined her delicate and finely curved figure,
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  Speaker 1: and held in by means of a handsome gold lace
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  Speaker 1: the countless folds of a full and flowing skirt that
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  Speaker 1: fell to her feet like those severe robes in which
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  Speaker 1: the Byzantine painters preferred to drape their angels. She was,
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  Speaker 1: indeed a marvel in so rare and modest of beauty
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  Speaker 1: had not been seen within the memory of men. Among
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  Speaker 1: those who had gazed most persistently at her was observed
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  Speaker 1: the young Prince of BRACALLIONI, one of the foremost nobles
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  Speaker 1: of the kingdom. Handsome, rich and brave, he had, at
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  Speaker 1: five and twenty outdone the lists of all known don
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  Speaker 1: Juanes fashionable young women spoke very ill of him, and
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  Speaker 1: adored him in secret. The most virtuous made it their
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  Speaker 1: rule to fly from him. So impossible did resistance appear.
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  Speaker 1: All the young madcaps had chosen him for their model.
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  Speaker 1: For his triumphs robbed many miltiades of sleep, and with
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  Speaker 1: better cause. In short, to get an idea of this
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  Speaker 1: lucky individual, it will be enough to know that as
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  Speaker 1: a seducer he was the most perfect thing that the
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  Speaker 1: devil had succeeded in inventing in this progressive century. The
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  Speaker 1: prince had dressed out for the occasion in a sufficiently
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  Speaker 1: grotesque costume, which he wore with ironic gravity and cavalieris.
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  Speaker 1: A black satin doublet knee breeches, embroidered stockings, and shoes
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  Speaker 1: with gold buckles formed the main portions of his dress,
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  Speaker 1: over which trailed a long brocaded, open sleeved robe lined
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  Speaker 1: with ermine, and a magnet eficent diamond hilted sword. On
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  Speaker 1: account of his rank, he enjoyed the rare distinction of
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  Speaker 1: carrying one of the six gilded staves that supported the
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  Speaker 1: plume and embroidered canopy. As soon as the procession moved
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  Speaker 1: on again, elagi of Bracalione gave a side glance to
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  Speaker 1: a little man as rad as a lobster, who was
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  Speaker 1: walking almost at his side, and carrying in his right hand,
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  Speaker 1: with all the solemnity that he could muster his Excellency's hat.
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  Speaker 1: He was a footman in gold laced livery, and we
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  Speaker 1: begged leave to give a brief sketch of his history.
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  Speaker 1: The Espolo was the child of a poor but thieving parents,
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  Speaker 1: and on that account was early left orphan. Being at measure,
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  Speaker 1: he studied life from an eminently social aspect. If we
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  Speaker 1: are to believe a certain ancient sage, we are all
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  Speaker 1: in the world to solve a problem. As to Traspolo,
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  Speaker 1: he desired to live without doing anything that was his problem.
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  Speaker 1: He was in turn a sacristan, a juggler, an epithecary's assistant,
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  Speaker 1: and a chiceroni, and he got tired of all these callings.
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  Speaker 1: Begging was to his mind too hard work, and it
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  Speaker 1: was more trouble to be a thief than to be
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  Speaker 1: an honest man. Finally, he decided in favor of contemplative philosophy.
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  Speaker 1: He had a passionate preference for the horizontal position, and
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  Speaker 1: found the greatest pleasure in the world in watching the
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  Speaker 1: shooting of stars. Unfortunately, in the course of his meditations,
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  Speaker 1: this deserving man came near to dying of hunger, which
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  Speaker 1: would have been a great pity, for he was beginning
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  Speaker 1: to accustom himself not to eat anything. But as he
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  Speaker 1: was predestined by nature to play a small part in
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  Speaker 1: our story, God showed him grace for that time and
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  Speaker 1: sent to his assistance not one of his angels. The
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  Speaker 1: rogue was not worthy of that, but one of Bracalioni's
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  Speaker 1: hunting dogs. The noble animal sniffed round the philosopher and
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  Speaker 1: uttered a little charitable growl that would have done credit
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  Speaker 1: to one of the brethren of Mount Saint Bernard. The prince,
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  Speaker 1: who was returning in triumph from hunting, and who, by
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  Speaker 1: good luck, had that they kill the bear and ruined accountess,
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  Speaker 1: had an odd inclination to do a good deed. He
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  Speaker 1: approached the plebeian, who was about to pass into the
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  Speaker 1: condition of a corpse, stir the thing with his foot, and,
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  Speaker 1: seeing that there was still a little hope, bade his
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  Speaker 1: people bring him along. End of section one read by Nadia.
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  Speaker 3: Fernandes, Chapter one, Part two of Celebrated Crimes, Volume six
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  Speaker 3: by Alexander Dumas. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
• 18:52
  Speaker 3: to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Elizabeth Parsons.
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  Speaker 3: Celebrated Crimes, Volume six by Alexander Dumas, Chapter one, Part two.
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  Speaker 3: From that day onward, Trespolo saw the dream of his
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  Speaker 3: life nearly realized, something rather above a footman and rather
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  Speaker 3: below a house steward. He became the confidant of his master,
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  Speaker 3: who found his talents most useful. For this Trespolo was
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  Speaker 3: as sharp as a demon, and almost as artful as
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  Speaker 3: a woman. The Prince, who like an intelligent man as
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  Speaker 3: he was, had divined that genius is naturally indolent, asked
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  Speaker 3: nothing of him but advice. When tiresome people wanted thrashing,
• 19:44
  Speaker 3: he saw to that matter himself, and indeed he was
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  Speaker 3: the equal of any two at such work. As nothing
• 19:52
  Speaker 3: in this lower world, however, is complete. Transpolo had strange
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  Speaker 3: moments amid this life of delights. From time to time
• 20:01
  Speaker 3: his happiness was disturbed by panics that greatly diverted his master.
• 20:06
  Speaker 3: He would mutter incoherent words stifle violent size and lose
• 20:12
  Speaker 3: his appetite. The root of the matter was that the
• 20:15
  Speaker 3: poor fellow was afraid of going to hell. The matter
• 20:19
  Speaker 3: was very simple. He was afraid of everything, and besides,
• 20:23
  Speaker 3: it had often been preached to him that the devil
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  Speaker 3: never allowed a moment's rest to those who were ill
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  Speaker 3: advised enough to fall into his clutches. Trespolo was in
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  Speaker 3: one of his good moods of repentance when the Prince,
• 20:38
  Speaker 3: after gazing on the young girl with the fierce eagerness
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  Speaker 3: of a vulture about to swoop upon its prey, turned
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  Speaker 3: to speak to his intimate adviser. The poor servant understood
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  Speaker 3: his master's abominable design, and, not wishing to share the
• 20:55
  Speaker 3: guilt of a sacrilegious conversation, opened his eyes very wide
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  Speaker 3: and turned them up to heaven in ecstatic contemplation. The
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  Speaker 3: Prince coughed, stamped his foot, moved his sword so as
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  Speaker 3: to hit Trispolo's legs, but could not get from him
• 21:13
  Speaker 3: any sign of attention. So absorbed did he appear in
• 21:17
  Speaker 3: celestial thoughts. Broncoleone would have liked to wring his neck,
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  Speaker 3: but both his hands were occupied by the staff of
• 21:25
  Speaker 3: the canopy, and besides, the king was present. At last
• 21:30
  Speaker 3: they were drawing nearer to the church of Saint Clara,
• 21:33
  Speaker 3: where the Neapolitan kings were buried, and where several princesses
• 21:38
  Speaker 3: of the Blood, exchanging the crown for the veil, have
• 21:41
  Speaker 3: gone to bury themselves alive. The nuns, novices and abbess
• 21:47
  Speaker 3: hidden behind shutters, were throwing flowers. Upon the procession. A
• 21:51
  Speaker 3: bunch fell at the feet of the Prince of Broccolone. Trispolo,
• 21:56
  Speaker 3: pick up that nosegay, said the prince, so audibly that
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  Speaker 3: his servant had no further excuse. It is from sister Teresa,
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  Speaker 3: he added, in a low voice. Constancy is only to
• 22:09
  Speaker 3: be found nowadays in a convent. Trespolo picked up the
• 22:13
  Speaker 3: nosegay and came towards his master, looking like a man
• 22:17
  Speaker 3: who was being strangled. Who is that girl, the latter
• 22:22
  Speaker 3: asked him shortly, which one stammered the servant forsooth the
• 22:27
  Speaker 3: one walking in front of us. I don't know her,
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  Speaker 3: my lord. You must find out something about her before
• 22:35
  Speaker 3: this evening. I shall have to go rather far afield.
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  Speaker 3: Then you do know her, you intolerable rascal. I have
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  Speaker 3: half a mind to have you hanged like a dog.
• 22:46
  Speaker 3: For pity's sake, my lord, think of the salvation of
• 22:49
  Speaker 3: your soul, of your eternal life. I advise you to
• 22:53
  Speaker 3: think of your temporal life. What is her name? She
• 22:57
  Speaker 3: is called Nisida, and is the prettiest girl in the
• 23:00
  Speaker 3: island that she is named after. She is innocence itself.
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  Speaker 3: Her father is only a poor fisherman, but I can
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  Speaker 3: assure your excellency that in his island he is respected
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  Speaker 3: like a king. Indeed, replied the prince with an ironical smile,
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  Speaker 3: I must own to my great shame that I have
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  Speaker 3: never visited the little island of Nicida. You will have
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  Speaker 3: a boat ready for me tomorrow, and then we will see.
• 23:29
  Speaker 3: He interrupted himself suddenly, for the King was looking at
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  Speaker 3: him and calling up the most sonarous bass notes that
• 23:36
  Speaker 3: he could find in the depths of his throat. He
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  Speaker 3: continued with an inspired air. Jenatore genitoque leos ate eubilaio amen,
• 23:49
  Speaker 3: replied the serving man in a ringing voice. Nisida, the
• 23:53
  Speaker 3: beloved daughter of Solomon the fisherman, was, as we have said,
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  Speaker 3: the loveliest flower of the island from which she derived
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  Speaker 3: her name. That island is the most charming spot, the
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  Speaker 3: most delicious nook with which we are acquainted. It is
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  Speaker 3: a basket of greenery set delicately amid the pure and
• 24:15
  Speaker 3: transparent waters of the Gulf, a hill wooded with orange
• 24:19
  Speaker 3: trees and oleanders, and crowned at the summit by a
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  Speaker 3: marble castle. All around extends the fairy like prospect of
• 24:28
  Speaker 3: that immense amphitheater, one of the mightiest wonders of creation.
• 24:34
  Speaker 3: There lies Naples, the voluptuous siren, reclining carelessly on the seashore.
• 24:41
  Speaker 3: There Portici, Cassilamai, and Sorrento, the very names of which
• 24:47
  Speaker 3: awaken in the imagination a thousand thoughts of poetry and love.
• 24:51
  Speaker 3: There are Posilippo, Baiei, Pozzoli, and those vast plains where
• 24:57
  Speaker 3: the ancients fancied their elysium, sacred solitudes, which one might
• 25:02
  Speaker 3: suppose peopled by the men of former days, where the
• 25:07
  Speaker 3: earth echoes underfoot like an empty grave, and the air
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  Speaker 3: has unknown sounds and strange melodies. Solomon's hut stood in
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  Speaker 3: that part of the island, which, turning its back to
• 25:20
  Speaker 3: the capital, beholds Afar the blue crests of Capri. Nothing
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  Speaker 3: could be simpler or brighter. The brick walls were hung
• 25:29
  Speaker 3: with ivy, greener than emeralds, and enameled with white bell flowers.
• 25:35
  Speaker 3: On the ground floor was a fairly spacious apartment in
• 25:39
  Speaker 3: which the men slept and the family took their meals.
• 25:43
  Speaker 3: On the floor above was Nisida's little maidenly room, full
• 25:48
  Speaker 3: of coolness, shadows and mystery, and lighted by a single
• 25:52
  Speaker 3: casement that looked over the gulf. Above this room was
• 25:56
  Speaker 3: a terrace of the Italian kind, the four pillars of
• 26:00
  Speaker 3: which were wreathed with vine branches, while its vine clad
• 26:04
  Speaker 3: arbor and wide parapet were overgrown with moss and wild flowers.
• 26:10
  Speaker 3: A little hedge of hawthorn, which had been respected for ages,
• 26:15
  Speaker 3: made a kind of rampart around the fisherman's premises and
• 26:19
  Speaker 3: defended his house better than deep moats and castellated walls
• 26:24
  Speaker 3: could have done. The boldest roisterers of the place would
• 26:28
  Speaker 3: have preferred to fight before the parsonage and in the
• 26:31
  Speaker 3: precincts of the church, rather than in front of Solomon's
• 26:35
  Speaker 3: little enclosure. Otherwise, this was the meeting place of the
• 26:39
  Speaker 3: whole island every evening, precisely at the same hour. The
• 26:44
  Speaker 3: good women of the neighborhood came to knit their woolen
• 26:48
  Speaker 3: caps and tell the news. Groups of little children, naked,
• 26:52
  Speaker 3: brown and as mischievous as little imps, sported about rolling
• 26:58
  Speaker 3: on the grass and throwing handfuls of sand into the
• 27:02
  Speaker 3: other's eyes, heedless of the risk of blinding, while their
• 27:06
  Speaker 3: mothers were engrossed in that grave gossip which marks the
• 27:10
  Speaker 3: dwellers in villages. These gatherings occurred daily before the fishermen's house.
• 27:17
  Speaker 3: They formed a tacit and almost involuntary homage, consecrated by custom,
• 27:23
  Speaker 3: and of which no one had ever taken special account.
• 27:27
  Speaker 3: The envy that rules in small communities would soon have
• 27:31
  Speaker 3: suppressed them. The influence which old Solomon had over his
• 27:35
  Speaker 3: equals had grown so simply and naturally that no one
• 27:39
  Speaker 3: found any fault with it, and it had only attracted
• 27:43
  Speaker 3: notice when everyone was benefiting by it, like those fine
• 27:48
  Speaker 3: trees whose growth is only observed when we profit by
• 27:52
  Speaker 3: their shade. If any dispute arose in the island, the
• 27:57
  Speaker 3: two opponents preferred to abide by the judgment of the
• 28:00
  Speaker 3: fishermen instead of going before the court. He was fortunate
• 28:05
  Speaker 3: enough or clever enough to send away both parties satisfied.
• 28:10
  Speaker 3: He knew what remedies to prescribe better than any physician,
• 28:15
  Speaker 3: for it seldom happened that he or his had not
• 28:19
  Speaker 3: felt the same ailments, and his knowledge, founded on personal experience,
• 28:24
  Speaker 3: produced the most excellent results. Moreover, he had no interest,
• 28:29
  Speaker 3: as ordinary doctors have, in prolonging illnesses. For many years past,
• 28:36
  Speaker 3: the only formality recognized as a guarantee for the inviability
• 28:41
  Speaker 3: of a contract had been the intervention of the fishermen.
• 28:45
  Speaker 3: Each party shook hands with Solomon, and the thing was done.
• 28:50
  Speaker 3: They would rather have thrown themselves into Vesuvius at the
• 28:54
  Speaker 3: moment of its most violent eruption than have broken so
• 28:58
  Speaker 3: solemn an agreement. At the period when our story opens,
• 29:02
  Speaker 3: it was impossible to find any person in the island
• 29:06
  Speaker 3: who had not felt the effects of the fisherman's generosity,
• 29:10
  Speaker 3: and that without needing to confess to him any necessities.
• 29:15
  Speaker 3: As it was the custom for the little populace of
• 29:18
  Speaker 3: Nisida to spend its leisure hours before Solomon's cottage, the
• 29:23
  Speaker 3: old man, while he walked slowly among the different groups,
• 29:27
  Speaker 3: humming his favorite song, discovered moral and physical weaknesses as
• 29:33
  Speaker 3: he passed, and the same evening he or his daughter
• 29:37
  Speaker 3: would certainly be seen coming mysteriously to bestow a benefit
• 29:42
  Speaker 3: upon every sufferer, to lay a bomb upon every wound.
• 29:47
  Speaker 3: In short, he united in his person all those occupations
• 29:51
  Speaker 3: whose business is to help mankind, lawyers, doctors, and the notary,
• 29:57
  Speaker 3: all the vultures of civilization. Had I had beaten a
• 30:00
  Speaker 3: retreat before the patriarchal benevolence of the fishermen, even the
• 30:05
  Speaker 3: priest had capitulated. On the morrow of the Feast of
• 30:09
  Speaker 3: the Assumption, Solomon was sitting, as his habit was, on
• 30:14
  Speaker 3: a stone bench in front of his house, his legs
• 30:17
  Speaker 3: crossed and his arms carelessly stretched out. At the first glance,
• 30:22
  Speaker 3: you would have taken him for sixty at the outside,
• 30:26
  Speaker 3: though he was really over eighty. He had all his teeth,
• 30:30
  Speaker 3: which were as white as pearls, and showed them proudly.
• 30:34
  Speaker 3: His brow, calm and RESTful, beneath its crown of abundant
• 30:38
  Speaker 3: white hair, was as firm and polished as marble. Not
• 30:42
  Speaker 3: a wrinkle ruffled the corner of his eye, and the
• 30:46
  Speaker 3: gemlike luster of his blue orbs revealed a freshness of
• 30:51
  Speaker 3: soul and in eternal youth, such as fable grants to
• 30:56
  Speaker 3: the sea gods. He displayed his bare arms and muscular
• 31:00
  Speaker 3: neck with an old man's vanity, never had a gloomy idea,
• 31:05
  Speaker 3: an evil prepossession, or a keen remorse arisen to disturb
• 31:11
  Speaker 3: his long and peaceful life. He had never seen a
• 31:15
  Speaker 3: tear flow near him without hurrying to wipe it. For
• 31:19
  Speaker 3: though he was, he had succeeded in pouring out benefits
• 31:23
  Speaker 3: that all the kings of the earth could not have
• 31:26
  Speaker 3: bought with their gold. Ignorant though he was, he had
• 31:30
  Speaker 3: spoken to his fellows the only language that they could understand,
• 31:35
  Speaker 3: the language of the heart. One single drop of bitterness
• 31:40
  Speaker 3: had mingled with his inexhaustible stream of happiness. One grief
• 31:45
  Speaker 3: only had clouded his sunny life the death of his wife.
• 31:50
  Speaker 3: And moreover, he had forgotten that all the affections of
• 31:55
  Speaker 3: his soul were turned upon Nisida, whose birth had caused
• 31:59
  Speaker 3: her mind death. He loved her with that immoderate love
• 32:04
  Speaker 3: that old people have for the youngest of their children.
• 32:08
  Speaker 3: At the present moment, he was gazing upon her with
• 32:12
  Speaker 3: an air of profound rapture, and watching her come and
• 32:16
  Speaker 3: go as she now joined the groups of children and
• 32:20
  Speaker 3: scolded them for games too dangerous or too noisy now
• 32:24
  Speaker 3: seated herself on the grass beside their mothers, and took
• 32:29
  Speaker 3: part with grave and thoughtful interest in their talk. Nisida
• 32:34
  Speaker 3: was more beautiful thus than she had been the day before.
• 32:38
  Speaker 3: With the vaporous cloud of perfume that had folded her
• 32:42
  Speaker 3: round from head to foot had disappeared all that mystic
• 32:46
  Speaker 3: poetry which put a sort of constraint upon her admirers
• 32:51
  Speaker 3: and obliged them to lower their glances. She had become
• 32:55
  Speaker 3: a daughter of Eve again, without losing anything of her charm.
• 33:00
  Speaker 3: Simply dressed as she usually was on work days, she
• 33:04
  Speaker 3: was distinguishable among her companions only by her amazing beauty
• 33:10
  Speaker 3: and by the dazzling whiteness of her skin. Her beautiful
• 33:14
  Speaker 3: black hair was twisted in plates around the little dagger
• 33:19
  Speaker 3: of chased silver that has lately been imported into Paris,
• 33:23
  Speaker 3: by that right of conquest which the pretty women of
• 33:27
  Speaker 3: Paris have over the fashions of all countries, Like the
• 33:31
  Speaker 3: English over the sea, Nisida was adored by her young friends.
• 33:37
  Speaker 3: All the mothers had adopted her with pride. She was
• 33:40
  Speaker 3: the glory of the island. The opinion of her superiority
• 33:45
  Speaker 3: was shared by every one to such a degree that
• 33:48
  Speaker 3: if some bold young man, forgetting the distance which divided
• 33:53
  Speaker 3: him from the maiden, dared speak a little too loudly
• 33:57
  Speaker 3: of his pretensions, he became the laughing stock of his companions.
• 34:03
  Speaker 3: Even the past masters of Tarantella dancing were out of
• 34:07
  Speaker 3: countenance before the daughter of Solomon, and did not dare
• 34:11
  Speaker 3: to seek her as a partner. Only a few singers
• 34:14
  Speaker 3: from Amalfi or Sorrento, attracted by the rare beauty of
• 34:19
  Speaker 3: this angelic creature, ventured to sigh out their passion, carefully
• 34:24
  Speaker 3: veiled beneath the most delicate illusions. But they seldom reached
• 34:29
  Speaker 3: the last verse of their song. At every sound they
• 34:33
  Speaker 3: stopped short, threw down their triangles and their mandolins, and
• 34:37
  Speaker 3: took flight, like scared nightingales. One only had courage enough,
• 34:43
  Speaker 3: or passionate enough to brave the mockery. This was Bastiano,
• 34:49
  Speaker 3: the most formidable diver of that coast. He also sang,
• 34:54
  Speaker 3: but with a deep and hollow voice. His chant was mournful,
• 34:58
  Speaker 3: and his melodies full of sadness. He never accompanied himself
• 35:03
  Speaker 3: upon any instrument, and never retired without concluding his song.
• 35:09
  Speaker 3: That day he was gloomier than usual. He was standing upright,
• 35:13
  Speaker 3: as though by enchantment, upon a bare and slippery rock,
• 35:18
  Speaker 3: and he cast scornful glances upon the women who were
• 35:22
  Speaker 3: looking at him and laughing. The sun, which was plunging
• 35:26
  Speaker 3: into the sea like a globe of fire, shed its
• 35:30
  Speaker 3: light full upon his stern features, and the evening breeze,
• 35:34
  Speaker 3: as it lightly rippled the billows, set the fluttering reeds
• 35:39
  Speaker 3: waving at his feet. Absorbed by dark thoughts, he sang
• 35:44
  Speaker 3: in the musical language of his country, these sad words
• 35:48
  Speaker 3: a window that were used to shine in the night
• 35:52
  Speaker 3: like an open eye. How dark thou art, alas alas,
• 35:57
  Speaker 3: My poor sister is ill. Her mother all in tears,
• 36:02
  Speaker 3: stoops towards me and says, thy poor sister is dead
• 36:06
  Speaker 3: and buried. Jesus, Jesus, have pity on me. You stab
• 36:12
  Speaker 3: me to the heart. Tell me, good neighbors, how it happened.
• 36:16
  Speaker 3: Repeat to me her last words. She had a burning thirst,
• 36:21
  Speaker 3: and refuse to drink because thou wast not there to
• 36:25
  Speaker 3: give her water from thy hand. Oh, my sister, Oh,
• 36:29
  Speaker 3: my sister. She refused her mother's kiss because thou wast
• 36:34
  Speaker 3: not there to embrace her. O, my sister, O, my sister.
• 36:40
  Speaker 3: She wept until her last breath, because thou wast not
• 36:44
  Speaker 3: there to dry her tears. O, my sister, Oh, my sister.
• 36:50
  Speaker 3: We placed on her brow her wreath of orange flowers.
• 36:54
  Speaker 3: We covered her with a veil as white as snow.
• 36:58
  Speaker 3: We laid her gently in her often. Thanks good neighbors,
• 37:03
  Speaker 3: I will go and be with her. Two angels came
• 37:07
  Speaker 3: down from heaven and bore her away on their wings.
• 37:11
  Speaker 3: Mary Magdalen came to meet her at the gate of heaven.
• 37:15
  Speaker 3: Thanks good neighbors, I will go and be with her.
• 37:19
  Speaker 3: There she was seated in a place of glory. A
• 37:22
  Speaker 3: chaplet of rubies was given to her, and she is
• 37:26
  Speaker 3: singing her Rosary with the Virgin. Thanks good neighbors, I
• 37:31
  Speaker 3: will go and be with her. As he finished the
• 37:35
  Speaker 3: last words of his melancholy refrain, he flung himself from
• 37:39
  Speaker 3: the top of his rock into the sea, as though
• 37:43
  Speaker 3: he really desired to engulf himself. Nisida and the other
• 37:47
  Speaker 3: women gave a cry of terror, for during some minutes
• 37:52
  Speaker 3: the diver failed to reappear upon the surface. Are you
• 37:57
  Speaker 3: out of your senses? Cried a young man who had
• 38:00
  Speaker 3: suddenly appeared unobserved among the women. Why what are you
• 38:04
  Speaker 3: afraid of. You know very well that Bastiano is always
• 38:09
  Speaker 3: doing things of this sort. But do not be alarmed.
• 38:13
  Speaker 3: All the fishes in the Mediterranean will be drowned before
• 38:17
  Speaker 3: any harm comes to him. Water is his natural element.
• 38:22
  Speaker 3: Good day, sister, Good day father. The young fisherman kissed
• 38:27
  Speaker 3: Nisida on the forehead, drew near to his father, and
• 38:31
  Speaker 3: bowing his handsome head before him, took off his red
• 38:35
  Speaker 3: cap and respectfully kissed the old man's hand. He came
• 38:40
  Speaker 3: thus to ask his blessing every evening before putting out
• 38:45
  Speaker 3: to sea, where he often spent the night fishing from
• 38:49
  Speaker 3: his boat. May God bless thee my Gabriel, said the
• 38:53
  Speaker 3: old man in a tone of emotion, as he slowly
• 38:57
  Speaker 3: passed his hand over his son's black curl, and a
• 39:01
  Speaker 3: tear came into his eye. Then, rising solemnly and addressing
• 39:05
  Speaker 3: the groups around him, he added, in a voice full
• 39:09
  Speaker 3: of dignity and of gentleness, Come, my children, it is
• 39:13
  Speaker 3: time to separate, the young to work, the old to rest.
• 39:18
  Speaker 3: There is the Angelus ringing. Everybody knelt, and after a
• 39:23
  Speaker 3: short prayer, each went on his way. Nisida, after having
• 39:28
  Speaker 3: given her father the last daily attentions, went up to
• 39:32
  Speaker 3: her room, replenished the oil in the lamp that burned
• 39:36
  Speaker 3: day and night before. The virgin, and leaning her elbow
• 39:40
  Speaker 3: on the window ledge, divided the branches of jasmine, which
• 39:45
  Speaker 3: hung like perfumed curtains, began to gaze out at the
• 39:49
  Speaker 3: sea and seemed lost in a deep, sweet reverie. At
• 39:54
  Speaker 3: this very time, a little boat, rowed silently by two oarsmen,
• 40:00
  Speaker 3: touched shore. On the other side of the island, it
• 40:03
  Speaker 3: had become quite dark. A little man first landed cautiously
• 40:09
  Speaker 3: and respectfully offered his hand to another individual, who, scorning
• 40:14
  Speaker 3: that feeble support, leaped easily ashore. Well knave, he cried,
• 40:20
  Speaker 3: are my looks to your taste? Your lordship is perfect?
• 40:24
  Speaker 3: I flatter myself. I am. It is true that in
• 40:28
  Speaker 3: order to make the transformation complete, I chose the very
• 40:32
  Speaker 3: oldest coat that displayed its rags in a jew's shop.
• 40:37
  Speaker 3: Your lordship looks like a heathen god engaged in a
• 40:41
  Speaker 3: love affair. Jupiter has sheathed his thunderbolts, and Apollo has
• 40:47
  Speaker 3: pocketed his rays. A truce to your mythology, and to
• 40:52
  Speaker 3: begin with, I forbid you to call me your lordship. Yes,
• 40:57
  Speaker 3: your lordship, if my information that I have procured during
• 41:02
  Speaker 3: the day is correct. The house must be on the
• 41:05
  Speaker 3: other side of the island, in a most remote and
• 41:08
  Speaker 3: lonely spot. Walk at a certain distance, and do not
• 41:13
  Speaker 3: trouble yourself about me, for I know my part by heart.
• 41:20
  Speaker 3: End of Chapter one, Part two.
• 41:28
  Speaker 1: Section three of Celebrated Crimes, Volume four, Part three by
• 41:33
  Speaker 1: Alexandra Dumas. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
• 41:39
  Speaker 1: are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,
• 41:43
  Speaker 1: please visit LibriVox dot org. Recorded by Nadia Fernandez Nadia
• 41:49
  Speaker 1: Fernandes dot com. Celebrated Crimes, Volume four, Part three by
• 41:54
  Speaker 1: Alexandra Dumas, Section three. The young Prince of bra Gallione, whom,
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: in spite of the darkness of the night our readers
• 42:04
  Speaker 1: will already have recognized, advanced towards the fisherman's house, with
• 42:08
  Speaker 1: as little noise as possible, walked up and down several
• 42:11
  Speaker 1: times upon the shore, and, after having briefly reconnoitered the
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: place that he wished to attack, waited quietly for the
• 42:19
  Speaker 1: moon to rise and light up the scene that he
• 42:23
  Speaker 1: had prepared. He was not obliged to exercise his patience
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: very long, for the darkness gradually disappeared, and Solomon's little
• 42:32
  Speaker 1: house was bathed in silvery light. Then he approached with
• 42:37
  Speaker 1: timid steps, lifted towards the casement a look of entreaty,
• 42:42
  Speaker 1: and began to sigh with all the power of his lungs.
• 42:45
  Speaker 1: The young girl, called suddenly from her meditations by the
• 42:49
  Speaker 1: appearance of this strange person, raised herself sharply and prepared
• 42:54
  Speaker 1: to close the shutters. Stay charming, Nisida, cried the prince,
• 43:00
  Speaker 1: in the manner of a man overcome by irresistible passion.
• 43:05
  Speaker 1: What do you want with me? Signor, answered the maiden,
• 43:08
  Speaker 1: amazed to hear herself called by name, to adore you
• 43:12
  Speaker 1: as a madonna is adored, and to make you aware
• 43:15
  Speaker 1: of my sighs. Nizita looked at him steadily, and after
• 43:20
  Speaker 1: a moment or two of reflection, asked, suddenly, as though
• 43:24
  Speaker 1: in response to some secret thought, do you belong to
• 43:28
  Speaker 1: this country? Or are you a foreigner? I arrived in
• 43:32
  Speaker 1: this island, replied the prince, without hesitation, at the moment
• 43:37
  Speaker 1: when the sun was writing his farewell to the earth
• 43:40
  Speaker 1: and dipping the rays that serves as his pen into
• 43:44
  Speaker 1: the shadow that serves at his inkstand. And who are you?
• 43:49
  Speaker 1: Returned the young girl, not at all understanding these strange words. Alas,
• 43:55
  Speaker 1: I am but a poor student. But I may become
• 43:57
  Speaker 1: a great poet like Tasso, whose verse, as you often hear,
• 44:01
  Speaker 1: sung by a departing fisherman who sends his thrilling music
• 44:05
  Speaker 1: as a last farewell that returns to die on the beach.
• 44:09
  Speaker 1: I do not know whether I am doing wrong to
• 44:11
  Speaker 1: speak to you, but at least I will be frank
• 44:15
  Speaker 1: with you, said Nizzi, the blushing I have the misfortune
• 44:18
  Speaker 1: to be the richest girl on the island. Your father
• 44:22
  Speaker 1: will not be inaxorable, returned the Prince ardently. One word
• 44:27
  Speaker 1: from you, light of my eyes, Goddess of my heart,
• 44:31
  Speaker 1: and I will work night and day, never pausing nor slackening,
• 44:35
  Speaker 1: and will render myself worthy to possess the treasure that
• 44:39
  Speaker 1: God has revealed to my dazzled eyes. And from being
• 44:43
  Speaker 1: poor and obscure, as you see me, I will become
• 44:45
  Speaker 1: rich and powerful. I have stayed too long listening to
• 44:50
  Speaker 1: talk that a maiden should not hear, permit me signor
• 44:53
  Speaker 1: to withdraw. Have pity on me, my cruel enemy. What
• 44:58
  Speaker 1: have I done to you that you should thus leave
• 45:01
  Speaker 1: me with death in my soul. You do not know
• 45:04
  Speaker 1: that for months past I have been following you everywhere
• 45:09
  Speaker 1: like a shadow, that I prowl round your home at night,
• 45:12
  Speaker 1: stifling my sighs lest they should disturb your peaceful slumber.
• 45:17
  Speaker 1: You are afraid, perhaps, to let yourself be touched at
• 45:21
  Speaker 1: a first meeting by a poor wretch who adores you
• 45:24
  Speaker 1: a loss. Juliette was young and beautiful like you, and
• 45:28
  Speaker 1: she did not need many entreaties to take pity on Romeo.
• 45:32
  Speaker 1: Nisita suffered a sad and thoughtful look to fall upon
• 45:36
  Speaker 1: this handsome young man, who spoke to her in so
• 45:40
  Speaker 1: gentle a voice, and withdrew without further reply, that she
• 45:44
  Speaker 1: might not humiliate his polity. The prince made great efforts
• 45:48
  Speaker 1: to suppress a strong inclination towards laughter, and, very well
• 45:53
  Speaker 1: satisfied with its opening, turned his steps towards the spot
• 45:58
  Speaker 1: where he had left his servant Trespolo, after having emptied
• 46:02
  Speaker 1: the bottle of laclima with which he had provided himself
• 46:05
  Speaker 1: for any emergency, had looked long round him to choose
• 46:08
  Speaker 1: a spot where the grass was especially high and thick,
• 46:12
  Speaker 1: and had laid himself down to a sound sleep, murmuring
• 46:16
  Speaker 1: as he did so, this sublime observation alwaisleness. But for
• 46:21
  Speaker 1: the sin of Adam, you'd be a virtue. The young
• 46:27
  Speaker 1: girl could not close her eyes during the whole night.
• 46:30
  Speaker 1: After the conversation that she had held with the stranger.
• 46:33
  Speaker 1: His sudden appearance, his strange dress, an odd speech had
• 46:38
  Speaker 1: awakened in her an uncertain feeling that had been lying
• 46:42
  Speaker 1: asleep in the bottom of her heart. She was at
• 46:46
  Speaker 1: this time in all the vigor of her youth and
• 46:49
  Speaker 1: of her splendid beauty. Nezia was not one of the
• 46:53
  Speaker 1: weak and timid natures. They are broken by suffering of dominion,
• 46:58
  Speaker 1: over by tyranny. Far otherwise, everything around her had contributed
• 47:04
  Speaker 1: towards shaping for her a calm and serene destiny. Her simple,
• 47:10
  Speaker 1: tender soul had unfolded in an atmosphere of peace and happiness.
• 47:15
  Speaker 1: If she had not hitherto loved, it was the fault
• 47:19
  Speaker 1: not of her coldness, but of the extreme timidity shown
• 47:23
  Speaker 1: by the inhabitants of her island. The blind death of
• 47:27
  Speaker 1: respect that surrounded the old fisherman had drawn round his
• 47:31
  Speaker 1: daughter a barrier of esteem and submission. That no one
• 47:36
  Speaker 1: dared to cross. By means of thrift and labor, Solomon
• 47:40
  Speaker 1: had succeeded in creating for himself a prosperity that put
• 47:45
  Speaker 1: the poverty of the other fisherman to the blush. No
• 47:49
  Speaker 1: one had asked for Nisida, because no one thought he
• 47:52
  Speaker 1: deserved her. The only admirer who had dared to show
• 47:56
  Speaker 1: his passion openly was Bastiano, the most devoted and dearest
• 48:01
  Speaker 1: friend of Gabrielne. But Bastiano did not please her, so
• 48:07
  Speaker 1: trusting in her beauty, upheld by the mysterious hope that
• 48:10
  Speaker 1: never deserts youth, she had resigned herself to wait, like
• 48:15
  Speaker 1: some princess who knows that her bethroaded will come from
• 48:19
  Speaker 1: a far country. On the day of the Assumption, she
• 48:23
  Speaker 1: had left her island for the first time in her life,
• 48:27
  Speaker 1: chance having chosen her among the maidens of the kingdom,
• 48:31
  Speaker 1: vowed by their mothers to the special protection of the virgin.
• 48:36
  Speaker 1: But overwhelmed by the weight of a position so new
• 48:40
  Speaker 1: to her, Blushing and confused under the eyes of an
• 48:44
  Speaker 1: immense crowd, she had scarcely dared to raise her wandering
• 48:47
  Speaker 1: looks and the splendors of the town had passed before
• 48:52
  Speaker 1: her like a dream, leaving but a vague remembrance. When
• 48:57
  Speaker 1: she perceived the presence of this hence young man, so
• 49:01
  Speaker 1: slenderly and elegantly built, whose noble and calm the manner
• 49:06
  Speaker 1: contrasted with the timidity and awkwardness of her other admirers.
• 49:11
  Speaker 1: She felt herself inwardly disturbed, and no doubt she would
• 49:15
  Speaker 1: have believed that her prince had come if she had
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: been unpleasantly struck by the poverty of his dress. She
• 49:23
  Speaker 1: had nevertheless allowed herself to listen to him longer than
• 49:27
  Speaker 1: she ought to have done, and she drew back with
• 49:31
  Speaker 1: her bosom heavy, her cheek on fire, and her heart
• 49:35
  Speaker 1: rent by an ache that was both dull and sharp.
• 49:40
  Speaker 1: If my father does not wish me to marry him,
• 49:44
  Speaker 1: she said to herself, tormented by the first remorseful feeling
• 49:48
  Speaker 1: of her life. I shall have done wrong to speak
• 49:51
  Speaker 1: to him, and yet he is so handsome. Then she
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: knelt before the virgin, who was her own confidand the
• 50:01
  Speaker 1: poor child, having never known her mother, and trying to
• 50:05
  Speaker 1: tell her the torments of her soul. But she could
• 50:09
  Speaker 1: not achieve her prayer. The thoughts became entangled within her brain,
• 50:15
  Speaker 1: and she surprised herself, uttering strange words, but assuredly the
• 50:21
  Speaker 1: Holy Virgin must have taken pity upon her lovely devotee,
• 50:25
  Speaker 1: for she rose with the impression of a consoling thought,
• 50:29
  Speaker 1: resolved to confine everything to her father. I cannot have
• 50:33
  Speaker 1: a moment's doubt, she said to herself, as she unlaized
• 50:37
  Speaker 1: her bodies, of my father's affection. Well, then, if he
• 50:42
  Speaker 1: forbids me to speak to him, it will be for
• 50:44
  Speaker 1: my good. And indeed I have seen him but this once,
• 50:48
  Speaker 1: she added, as she threw herself upon the bed, And
• 50:52
  Speaker 1: now I think of it, I consider him very bold
• 50:56
  Speaker 1: to dare to speak to me. I am almost inclined
• 50:59
  Speaker 1: to laugh at him. How confidently he brought out his nonsense,
• 51:04
  Speaker 1: how absurdly he rolled his eyes. They are really very fine,
• 51:10
  Speaker 1: those eyes of his, And so is his mouth, and
• 51:13
  Speaker 1: his forehead and his hair. He does not suspect that
• 51:18
  Speaker 1: I noticed his hands, which are really very white, when
• 51:22
  Speaker 1: he raised them to heaven like a madman, as he
• 51:25
  Speaker 1: walked up and down by the sea. Come, come, is
• 51:30
  Speaker 1: it going to prevent my sleeping? I will not see
• 51:33
  Speaker 1: him again, she cried, drawing the sheet over her head.
• 51:37
  Speaker 1: Like an angry child. Then she began to laugh to
• 51:41
  Speaker 1: herself over her lover's dress, and meditated long upon what
• 51:46
  Speaker 1: her companions would say to it. Suddenly her brow contracted painfully.
• 51:53
  Speaker 1: A frightful thought had stolen into her mind. She shuddered
• 51:58
  Speaker 1: from head to foot. Suppose you were to think some
• 52:03
  Speaker 1: one else prettier than me? Men are so foolish. Certainly
• 52:08
  Speaker 1: it is too hot, and I shall not sleep to night.
• 52:13
  Speaker 1: Then she sat up in her bed and continued her monologue,
• 52:17
  Speaker 1: which will spare the reader till the morning. Scarcely had
• 52:22
  Speaker 1: the first rays of light filtered through the interlacing branches
• 52:26
  Speaker 1: of jasmine and waved into the room. When Azidad dressed
• 52:30
  Speaker 1: herself hurriedly and went as usual to present her forehead
• 52:35
  Speaker 1: to her father's kiss, the old man at once observed
• 52:39
  Speaker 1: the depression and wariness left by a sleepless night upon
• 52:43
  Speaker 1: his daughter's face, and parting with an eager and anxious
• 52:48
  Speaker 1: hand the beautiful black hair that fell over her cheeks,
• 52:53
  Speaker 1: he asked her, what is the matter, my child? Thou
• 52:57
  Speaker 1: hast not slept well? I have not slept at all,
• 53:03
  Speaker 1: answered Niazida, smiling to reassure her father. I am perfectly well,
• 53:08
  Speaker 1: But I have something to confess to you. Speak quickly, child.
• 53:12
  Speaker 1: I am dying with impatience. Perhaps I have done wrong,
• 53:18
  Speaker 1: but I want you to promise beforehand not to scold me.
• 53:22
  Speaker 1: You know very well that I spoil you, said the
• 53:25
  Speaker 1: old man with a caress. I shall not begin to
• 53:29
  Speaker 1: be sterned to day. A young man who does not
• 53:34
  Speaker 1: belong to this island, and whose name I do not know,
• 53:37
  Speaker 1: spoke to me yesterday evening when I was taking the
• 53:40
  Speaker 1: air at my window. And what was he so eager
• 53:44
  Speaker 1: to say to you, my dear Nizida. He begged me
• 53:48
  Speaker 1: to speak to you in his favor. I am listening.
• 53:51
  Speaker 1: What can I do for him? Order me to marry him?
• 53:56
  Speaker 1: And should you obey willingly? I think so? Father. The
• 54:00
  Speaker 1: girl candidly replied. As to other things, you yourself must
• 54:06
  Speaker 1: judge in your wisdom, for I wanted to speak to
• 54:10
  Speaker 1: you before coming to know him, so as not to
• 54:12
  Speaker 1: go on with the conversation that you might not approve.
• 54:16
  Speaker 1: But there is a hindrance. You know that I do
• 54:19
  Speaker 1: not recognize Ernie when it is a question of making
• 54:22
  Speaker 1: my daughter happy. He is poor, father, well, all the
• 54:27
  Speaker 1: more reason for me to like him. There is work
• 54:30
  Speaker 1: here for everybody, and my table can spare a place
• 54:33
  Speaker 1: for another's son. He is young, he has arms, no doubt,
• 54:38
  Speaker 1: he has some calling. He is a poet, no matter.
• 54:44
  Speaker 1: Tell him to come and speak to me, and if
• 54:46
  Speaker 1: he is an honest lad, I promise you, my child,
• 54:50
  Speaker 1: that I will do anything in the world to promote
• 54:52
  Speaker 1: your happiness. Nissita embraced her father effusively and was beside
• 54:57
  Speaker 1: herself with joy all day, waiting impatiently for the evening
• 55:03
  Speaker 1: in order to give the young man such splendid news.
• 55:07
  Speaker 1: Eligipraan Callione was but moderately flattered, as you will easily believe,
• 55:13
  Speaker 1: by the fisherman's magnanimous intentions towards him, But like the
• 55:18
  Speaker 1: finished seducer that he was, he appeared enchanted at them.
• 55:22
  Speaker 1: Recollecting his character as a fantastical student and an out
• 55:28
  Speaker 1: at Elbow's poet, he fell upon his knees and shouted
• 55:33
  Speaker 1: the thanksgiving to the planet Venus. Then, addressing the young girl,
• 55:37
  Speaker 1: he added in a calmer voice that he was going
• 55:40
  Speaker 1: to write immediately to his own father, who in a
• 55:43
  Speaker 1: week's time would come to make his former proposal. Until then,
• 55:48
  Speaker 1: he begged as a favor that he might not present
• 55:51
  Speaker 1: himself to Solomon, nor to any person at all in
• 55:54
  Speaker 1: the island, and a sign as a pretext a certain
• 55:58
  Speaker 1: degree of shame which he felt on account of his
• 56:00
  Speaker 1: old clothes, assuring his belove that his father would bring
• 56:05
  Speaker 1: him a complete outfit for the wedding day. End of
• 56:09
  Speaker 1: section three.
• 56:13
  Speaker 4: Section four of Celebrated Crimes, Volume four, Part three by
• 56:16
  Speaker 4: Alexander Dumas. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
• 56:21
  Speaker 4: are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,
• 56:24
  Speaker 4: please visit LibriVox dot org. Recorded by Lilis. Celebrated Crimes,
• 56:30
  Speaker 4: Volume four, Part three by Alexander Dumas. Section four. While
• 56:36
  Speaker 4: the ill starred girl was thus walking and terrifying security
• 56:38
  Speaker 4: at the edge of the precipice, Trespolo, following his master's wishes,
• 56:42
  Speaker 4: had established himself in the island as a pilgrim from Jerusalem,
• 56:46
  Speaker 4: playing his part and sprinkling his conversation with biblical phrases
• 56:49
  Speaker 4: which came to him readily. In his character of the
• 56:51
  Speaker 4: ex Sacristan. He distributed abundance of charms, wood of the cross,
• 56:55
  Speaker 4: and milk of the Blessed Virgin, and all those other
• 56:57
  Speaker 4: inexhaustible treasures on which the eager devotion of worthy people
• 57:00
  Speaker 4: daily feeds. His relics were the more evidently authentic, in
• 57:03
  Speaker 4: that he did not sell any of them, and, bearing
• 57:06
  Speaker 4: his poverty in a holy manner, thanked the faithful and
• 57:08
  Speaker 4: declined their alms only out of regard for the established
• 57:12
  Speaker 4: virtue of Solomon. He had consented to break bread with
• 57:14
  Speaker 4: the fisherman and went to take meals with him in
• 57:16
  Speaker 4: the regularity of a cenobite. His abstinence aroused universal surprise.
• 57:21
  Speaker 4: A cross dipped in water, a few nuts or figs
• 57:24
  Speaker 4: sufficed to keep this holy man alive, to prevent him,
• 57:26
  Speaker 4: that is to say, from dying. Furthermore, he entertained Nsita
• 57:30
  Speaker 4: by his tales of his travels and by his mysterious predictions. Unfortunately,
• 57:34
  Speaker 4: he only appeared towards evening, for he spent the rest
• 57:37
  Speaker 4: of the day in austerities and in prayers. In other words,
• 57:40
  Speaker 4: in drinking like a turk and snoring like a buffalo.
• 57:43
  Speaker 4: On the morning of the seventh day, after the promise
• 57:46
  Speaker 4: given by the prince to the fisherman's daughter, Brancleon came
• 57:49
  Speaker 4: into his servants room and shaking him, roughly cried in
• 57:51
  Speaker 4: his ear up odious Marmot. Trospolo, awakened, suddenly rubbed his
• 57:56
  Speaker 4: eyes in alarm. The dead, sleeping peacefully at the bottom
• 57:59
  Speaker 4: of their coffe will be less annoyed at the last day,
• 58:01
  Speaker 4: when the trump of judgment comes to drag them from
• 58:03
  Speaker 4: their slumbers. Fear having, however, immediately dispersed the dark clouds
• 58:08
  Speaker 4: that overspread his countenance, he sat up and asked, with
• 58:10
  Speaker 4: an appearance of bewilderment, what is the matter, your excellency.
• 58:14
  Speaker 4: The matter is that I will have you flayed alive
• 58:16
  Speaker 4: a little if you do not leave off that execrable
• 58:18
  Speaker 4: habit of sleeping twenty hours in the day. I was
• 58:21
  Speaker 4: not asleep, Prince, cried the servant boldly, as he sprang
• 58:23
  Speaker 4: out of bed. I was reflecting. Listen to me, said
• 58:26
  Speaker 4: the prince, in a severe tone. You were once employed,
• 58:28
  Speaker 4: I believe, in a chemist's shop. Yes, my lord, and
• 58:31
  Speaker 4: I left because my employer had the scandalous barbarity to
• 58:34
  Speaker 4: make me pound drugs which tired my arms horribly. Here
• 58:38
  Speaker 4: is a file containing a solution of opium. Mercy, cried Trospolo,
• 58:42
  Speaker 4: falling on his knees. Get up, idiot, and pay great
• 58:45
  Speaker 4: attention to what I am going to say to you.
• 58:47
  Speaker 4: This little fool of a Nuzita persists in wanting me
• 58:49
  Speaker 4: to speak to her father. I made her believe that
• 58:51
  Speaker 4: I was going away this evening to fetch my papers.
• 58:54
  Speaker 4: There is no time to lose. They know you very well.
• 58:56
  Speaker 4: At the fisherman's you will pour this liquid into their wine.
• 59:00
  Speaker 4: Your life will answer for your not giving them a
• 59:01
  Speaker 4: larger dose than enough to produce a deep sleep. You
• 59:04
  Speaker 4: will take care to prepare me a good ladder for tonight,
• 59:07
  Speaker 4: after which you will go and wait for me in
• 59:09
  Speaker 4: my boat, where you will find Numa and Bonnorou. They
• 59:12
  Speaker 4: have my orders. I shall not want you in scaling
• 59:15
  Speaker 4: the fortress. I have my Campo basso dagger. But my
• 59:18
  Speaker 4: lord stammered. Trespolo astounded. No difficulties, cried the prince, stamping
• 59:23
  Speaker 4: his foot furiously. Or by my father's death, I will
• 59:25
  Speaker 4: cure you once and for all of your scruples. And
• 59:29
  Speaker 4: he turned on his heel with the air of a
• 59:30
  Speaker 4: man who is certain that people will be very careful
• 59:32
  Speaker 4: not to disobey his orders. The unhappy Trespolo fulfilled his
• 59:37
  Speaker 4: master's injunctions punctually with him. Fear was the guiding principle
• 59:41
  Speaker 4: that evening the fisherman's supper table was hopelessly dull, and
• 59:44
  Speaker 4: the sham pilgrim tried in vain to enliven it by
• 59:46
  Speaker 4: a factitious cheerfulness. Nsita was preoccupied by her lover's departure,
• 59:51
  Speaker 4: and Solomon, sharing unconsciously in his daughter's grief, swallowed but
• 59:54
  Speaker 4: a drop or two of wine to avoid resisting the
• 59:57
  Speaker 4: repeated urgency of his guest. Gabriel had set out in
• 1:00:00
  Speaker 4: the morning for Sorrento and was not to return for
• 1:00:03
  Speaker 4: two or three days. His absence tended to increase the
• 1:00:05
  Speaker 4: old man's melancholy. As soon as Trespolo had retired, the
• 1:00:09
  Speaker 4: fisherman yielded to his fatigue. Mesita, with her arms hanging
• 1:00:12
  Speaker 4: by her side, her head heavy and her heart oppressed
• 1:00:15
  Speaker 4: by a sad presentiment, had scarcely strength to go up
• 1:00:18
  Speaker 4: to her room, and, after having mechanically trimmed the lamp,
• 1:00:21
  Speaker 4: sank on her bed, as pale and stiff as a corpse.
• 1:00:24
  Speaker 4: The storm was breaking out with violence, one of those
• 1:00:27
  Speaker 4: terrible storms seen only in the South. When the congregated
• 1:00:30
  Speaker 4: clouds parting suddenly shed torrents of rain and of hail,
• 1:00:33
  Speaker 4: and threaten another deluge. The roar of the thunder drew
• 1:00:36
  Speaker 4: nearer and was like the noise of a cannonade. The gulf,
• 1:00:39
  Speaker 4: lately so calm and smooth that the island was reflected
• 1:00:42
  Speaker 4: as in a mirror, had suddenly darkened. The furiously leaping
• 1:00:45
  Speaker 4: waves flung themselves together like wild horses. The island quaked,
• 1:00:49
  Speaker 4: shaked by terrible shocks. Even the boldest fishermen had drawn
• 1:00:53
  Speaker 4: their boats ashore and shut within their cabins, encouraged as
• 1:00:56
  Speaker 4: best they could their frightened wives and children. Amid the
• 1:00:59
  Speaker 4: deep darkness that overspread the sea, Mesita's lamp could be
• 1:01:02
  Speaker 4: seen gleaming clear and limpid as it burned. Before the Madonna.
• 1:01:06
  Speaker 4: Two boats, without rudders, sails, or oars, tossed by the waves,
• 1:01:09
  Speaker 4: beaten by the winds, were whirling above the abyss. Two
• 1:01:12
  Speaker 4: men were in these boats, their muscles tents, their breasts bare,
• 1:01:15
  Speaker 4: their hair flying. They gazed haughtily at the sea and
• 1:01:18
  Speaker 4: braved the tempest once more. I beg you, cried one
• 1:01:22
  Speaker 4: of these men. Fear not for me, Gabriel, I promise
• 1:01:24
  Speaker 4: you that with my two broken oars and a little perseverance,
• 1:01:27
  Speaker 4: I shall get to Torre before daybreak. You are mad, Bastiano.
• 1:01:31
  Speaker 4: We have not been able ever since the morning to
• 1:01:33
  Speaker 4: get near Vico, and have been obliged to keep tacking about.
• 1:01:36
  Speaker 4: Your skill and strength have been able to do nothing
• 1:01:38
  Speaker 4: against this frightful hurricane WHI has driven us back to
• 1:01:40
  Speaker 4: this point. It is the first time you have ever
• 1:01:43
  Speaker 4: refused to go with me, remarked the young man. Well, yes,
• 1:01:45
  Speaker 4: my dear Bastiano, I do not know how it is,
• 1:01:47
  Speaker 4: but to night I feel drawn to the island by
• 1:01:49
  Speaker 4: an irresistible power. The winds have been unchained to bring
• 1:01:52
  Speaker 4: me back to it in spite of myself, and I
• 1:01:54
  Speaker 4: will own to you, even though it should make me
• 1:01:56
  Speaker 4: seem like a madman in your eyes, that this simple
• 1:01:59
  Speaker 4: and ordinary appears to me like an order from heaven.
• 1:02:02
  Speaker 4: Do you see that lamp shining over there? I know it,
• 1:02:05
  Speaker 4: answered Bastiano, suppressing a sigh. It was lighted before the
• 1:02:08
  Speaker 4: Virgin on the day when my sister was born, and
• 1:02:10
  Speaker 4: for eighteen years it has never ceased to burn night
• 1:02:13
  Speaker 4: and day. It was my mother's vow. You do not know,
• 1:02:16
  Speaker 4: my dear Bastiano. You cannot know how many torturing thoughts
• 1:02:19
  Speaker 4: that vow recalls to me. My poor mother called me
• 1:02:22
  Speaker 4: to her deathbed and told me a frightful tale, a
• 1:02:24
  Speaker 4: horrible secret which weighs on my soul like a cloak
• 1:02:27
  Speaker 4: of lead, and which I can only relieve myself by
• 1:02:29
  Speaker 4: confiding it to a friend. When her painful story was ended,
• 1:02:34
  Speaker 4: she asked to see and to embrace my sister, who
• 1:02:36
  Speaker 4: was just born. Then, with her trembling hand, already chilled
• 1:02:39
  Speaker 4: by the approach of death, she desired to light the
• 1:02:42
  Speaker 4: lamp herself. Remember these were her last words. Remember, Gabriel,
• 1:02:46
  Speaker 4: that your sister has vowed to the Madonna. As long
• 1:02:49
  Speaker 4: as this light shines before the blessed image of the Virgin,
• 1:02:51
  Speaker 4: your sister will be in no danger. You can understand
• 1:02:55
  Speaker 4: now why at night, when we are crossing the gulf,
• 1:02:57
  Speaker 4: my eyes are always fixed on that lamp. I have
• 1:02:59
  Speaker 4: a relief that nothing could shake, which is that on
• 1:03:02
  Speaker 4: the day that light goes out, my sister's soul will
• 1:03:04
  Speaker 4: have taken flight to heaven. Well, cried Bostiano, in an
• 1:03:08
  Speaker 4: abrupt tone that betrayed the emotion of his heart. If
• 1:03:10
  Speaker 4: you prefer to stay, I will go alone. Farewell, said
• 1:03:13
  Speaker 4: Gabriel without turning aside his eyes from the window, towards
• 1:03:16
  Speaker 4: which he felt himself drawn by a fascination for which
• 1:03:19
  Speaker 4: he could not account. Bastieno disappeared, and Isida's brother, assisted
• 1:03:23
  Speaker 4: by the waves, was drawing nearer and nearer to the shore,
• 1:03:26
  Speaker 4: when all at once he uttered a terrible cry which
• 1:03:29
  Speaker 4: sounded above the noise of the tempest. The star had
• 1:03:32
  Speaker 4: just been extinguished, the lamp had been blown out. My
• 1:03:35
  Speaker 4: sister is dead, cried Gabriel, and leaping into the sea,
• 1:03:39
  Speaker 4: he cleft the waves with the rapidity of lightning. The
• 1:03:42
  Speaker 4: storm had redoubled its intensity. Long lines of lightning rending
• 1:03:45
  Speaker 4: the skies of the clouds bathed everything in their tawny
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 4: and intermittent light. The fisherman perceived a ladder leaning against
• 1:03:52
  Speaker 4: the front of his home, seized it with a convulsive hand,
• 1:03:54
  Speaker 4: and in three bounds, flung himself into the room. The
• 1:03:57
  Speaker 4: prince felt himself strangely moved on making his way, and
• 1:04:00
  Speaker 4: this pure and silent retreat, the calm and gentle gaze
• 1:04:03
  Speaker 4: of the virgin, who seemed to be protecting the rest
• 1:04:05
  Speaker 4: of the sleeping girl. That perfume of innocence shut around
• 1:04:07
  Speaker 4: the maidenly couch. That lamp, open eyed amid the shadows,
• 1:04:10
  Speaker 4: like a soul in prayer, had inspired the seducer with
• 1:04:13
  Speaker 4: an unknown distress. Irritated by what he called an absurd cowardice,
• 1:04:18
  Speaker 4: he had extinguished the obtrusive light and was advancing towards
• 1:04:20
  Speaker 4: the bed and addressing unspoken reproaches to himself when Gabriel
• 1:04:24
  Speaker 4: swooped upon him with a wounded tiger's fierce gnashing of
• 1:04:26
  Speaker 4: the teeth. Brac a leon by a bold and rapid
• 1:04:29
  Speaker 4: movement that showed no common degree of skill and bravery,
• 1:04:32
  Speaker 4: while struggling in the grasp of his powerful adversary, drew
• 1:04:35
  Speaker 4: forth in his right hand a long dagger with a
• 1:04:37
  Speaker 4: fine barbed blade. Gabriel smiled, scornfully, snatched the weapon from him, and,
• 1:04:42
  Speaker 4: even as he stooped to break it across his knee,
• 1:04:44
  Speaker 4: gave the prince a furious blow with his head that
• 1:04:46
  Speaker 4: made him stagger and sent him rolling on the floor
• 1:04:49
  Speaker 4: three paces away, Then leaning over his poor sister and
• 1:04:52
  Speaker 4: gazing on her with hungry eyes by the passing gleam
• 1:04:55
  Speaker 4: of a flash dead, he repeated wringing his arms in
• 1:04:58
  Speaker 4: despair in the fearful paroxysm that compressed his throat. He
• 1:05:03
  Speaker 4: could find no other words to assuage his rage or
• 1:05:06
  Speaker 4: to pour forth his woe. His hair, which the storm
• 1:05:09
  Speaker 4: had flattened, rose on his head. The marrow of his
• 1:05:12
  Speaker 4: bones was chilled, and he felt his tears rush back
• 1:05:14
  Speaker 4: upon his heart. It was a terrible moment. He forgot
• 1:05:17
  Speaker 4: that the murderer still lived. The prince, however, whose admirable
• 1:05:21
  Speaker 4: composure did not for a moment desert him, had risen,
• 1:05:23
  Speaker 4: bruised and bleeding, pale and trembling with rage. He sought
• 1:05:27
  Speaker 4: everywhere for a weapon with which to avenge himself. Gabriel
• 1:05:31
  Speaker 4: returned towards him, gloomier and more ominous than ever, and,
• 1:05:33
  Speaker 4: grasping his neck with an iron hand, dragged him into
• 1:05:36
  Speaker 4: the room where the old man was sleeping. Father, Father, Father,
• 1:05:40
  Speaker 4: He cried, in a piercing voice, Here is the bastard
• 1:05:42
  Speaker 4: who has just murdered Nsidah. The old man, who had
• 1:05:45
  Speaker 4: drunk but a few drops of the narcotic potion, was
• 1:05:47
  Speaker 4: awakened by this cry, which echoed through his soul. He
• 1:05:51
  Speaker 4: arose as though moved by a spring flung off his coverings,
• 1:05:54
  Speaker 4: and with that promptitude of action, that God has bestowed
• 1:05:56
  Speaker 4: upon mothers in moments of danger, went up to his
• 1:05:58
  Speaker 4: daughter's room, found alone, knelt on the edge of the bed,
• 1:06:01
  Speaker 4: and began to test his child's pulse and watch her
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 4: breathing with mortal anxiety. All this had passed in less
• 1:06:06
  Speaker 4: time than we have taken in the telling it. Bracoleon,
• 1:06:09
  Speaker 4: by an unheard of effort, had freed himself from the
• 1:06:11
  Speaker 4: hands of the young fisherman, and, suddenly, resuming his princely pride,
• 1:06:15
  Speaker 4: said in a loud voice, you shall not kill me
• 1:06:17
  Speaker 4: Without listening to me. Gabriel would have overwhelmed him with
• 1:06:21
  Speaker 4: bitter reproaches, but unable to utter a single word, he
• 1:06:24
  Speaker 4: burst into tears. Your sister is not dead, said the prince,
• 1:06:27
  Speaker 4: with a cold dignity. She is merely asleep. You can
• 1:06:30
  Speaker 4: assure yourself of it. And meanwhile, I undertake upon my
• 1:06:33
  Speaker 4: honor not to move a single step away. These words
• 1:06:37
  Speaker 4: were pronounced with such an accent of truth that the
• 1:06:39
  Speaker 4: fisherman was struck by them. An unexpected gleam of hope
• 1:06:42
  Speaker 4: suddenly dawned in his thoughts. He cast upon the stranger
• 1:06:45
  Speaker 4: a glance of hate and distrust, and muttered in a
• 1:06:48
  Speaker 4: muffled voice, Do not flatter yourself in any case that
• 1:06:50
  Speaker 4: you will be able to escape me. Then he went
• 1:06:53
  Speaker 4: up to his sister's room, and, approaching the old man, asked, tremblingly, well,
• 1:06:57
  Speaker 4: Father Solomon thrust him gently aside, with the solicitude of
• 1:07:00
  Speaker 4: a mother, removing some buzzing insect from her child's cradle,
• 1:07:03
  Speaker 4: and making a sign to enjoin silence, added in a
• 1:07:06
  Speaker 4: low voice, she is neither dead nor poisoned. Some filter
• 1:07:10
  Speaker 4: has been given to her for a bad purpose. Her
• 1:07:12
  Speaker 4: breathing is even, and she cannot fail to recover from
• 1:07:14
  Speaker 4: her lethargy. Gabriel, reassured about Nasita's life, returned silently to
• 1:07:19
  Speaker 4: the ground floor where he had left the seducer. His
• 1:07:22
  Speaker 4: manner was grave and gloomy. He was coming now not
• 1:07:25
  Speaker 4: to rend the murderer of his sister with his hands,
• 1:07:27
  Speaker 4: but to elucidate a treacherous and infamous mystery, and to
• 1:07:30
  Speaker 4: avenge his honor, which had been basely attacked. He opened
• 1:07:34
  Speaker 4: wide the double entrance door that emitted daylight to the
• 1:07:36
  Speaker 4: apartment in which, on the few nights that he spent
• 1:07:38
  Speaker 4: at home he was accustomed to sleep with his father.
• 1:07:41
  Speaker 4: The rain had just stopped, A ray of moonlight pierced
• 1:07:43
  Speaker 4: the clouds, and all at once made its way into
• 1:07:46
  Speaker 4: the room. The fisherman adjusted his dripping garments, walked toward
• 1:07:49
  Speaker 4: the stranger who awaited him, without stirring, and, after having
• 1:07:52
  Speaker 4: gazed upon him, haughtily said, now you are going to
• 1:07:55
  Speaker 4: explain your presence in our house. I confess, said the prince,
• 1:07:59
  Speaker 4: in an easy tone and with the most insolent assurance,
• 1:08:01
  Speaker 4: that appearances our against me. It is the fate of
• 1:08:04
  Speaker 4: lovers to be treated as thieves. But although I have
• 1:08:06
  Speaker 4: not the advantage of being known to you, I am
• 1:08:08
  Speaker 4: betrothed to the fair Nsda, with your father's approval. Of course,
• 1:08:12
  Speaker 4: now as I have the misfortune to possess very hard
• 1:08:14
  Speaker 4: hearted parents, they have had the cruelty to refuse me
• 1:08:17
  Speaker 4: Their consent. Love led me astray, and I was about
• 1:08:19
  Speaker 4: to be guilty of a fault for which a young
• 1:08:21
  Speaker 4: man like you ought to have some indulgence. Furthermore, it
• 1:08:24
  Speaker 4: was nothing but a mere attempt at an abduction with
• 1:08:27
  Speaker 4: the best intentions in the world, I swear, and I
• 1:08:29
  Speaker 4: am ready to atone for everything. If you will agree
• 1:08:31
  Speaker 4: to give me your hand and call me your brother,
• 1:08:33
  Speaker 4: I will agree to call you a coward and a betrayer,
• 1:08:36
  Speaker 4: replied Gabriel, whose face had begun to glow as he
• 1:08:39
  Speaker 4: heard of his sister spoken of with such impudent levity.
• 1:08:42
  Speaker 4: If it is thus the insult are avenged in towns,
• 1:08:44
  Speaker 4: we fishers have a different plan.
• 1:08:46
  Speaker 1: Ah.
• 1:08:46
  Speaker 4: So you have flattered yourself with the thought of bringing
• 1:08:48
  Speaker 4: desolation and disgrace into our home, and of paying infamous
• 1:08:52
  Speaker 4: assassins to come and share an old man's bread so
• 1:08:54
  Speaker 4: as to poison his daughter, of stealing by night like
• 1:08:57
  Speaker 4: a brigand arm with a dagger into my sister's room,
• 1:08:59
  Speaker 4: and of being being let off by marrying the most
• 1:09:01
  Speaker 4: beautiful woman in the kingdom. The prince made a movement listen,
• 1:09:06
  Speaker 4: continued Gabriel, I could break you as I broke your
• 1:09:08
  Speaker 4: dagger just now. But I have pity on you. I
• 1:09:11
  Speaker 4: see that you can do nothing with your hands, neither
• 1:09:13
  Speaker 4: defend yourself nor work.
• 1:09:15
  Speaker 1: Go.
• 1:09:15
  Speaker 4: I begin to understand you are a braggart, my fine sir.
• 1:09:18
  Speaker 4: Your poverty as usurped. You have decked yourself in these
• 1:09:21
  Speaker 4: poor clothes, but you are unworthy of them. He suffered
• 1:09:24
  Speaker 4: a glance of the crushing contempt to fall upon the prince. Then,
• 1:09:27
  Speaker 4: going to a cupboard hidden in the wall, he drew
• 1:09:30
  Speaker 4: out a rifle and an axe. Here, said he are
• 1:09:33
  Speaker 4: all the weapons in the house. Choose. A flash of
• 1:09:37
  Speaker 4: joy illuminated the countenance of the Prince, who had hitherto
• 1:09:39
  Speaker 4: suppressed his rage. He seized the rifle, eagerly, drew three
• 1:09:44
  Speaker 4: steps backward, and, drawing himself up to his full height,
• 1:09:46
  Speaker 4: said you would have done better to lend me this
• 1:09:48
  Speaker 4: weapon at the beginning, for then I would have been
• 1:09:50
  Speaker 4: spared from witnessing your silly vaporings and frantic convulsions. Thanks,
• 1:09:54
  Speaker 4: young man, one of my servants will bring you back
• 1:09:56
  Speaker 4: your gun. Farewell, and he threw him his purse, which
• 1:09:59
  Speaker 4: fell heavily at the f ssherman's feet. I let you
• 1:10:01
  Speaker 4: that rifle to fight with me, cried Gabriel, whom surprise
• 1:10:04
  Speaker 4: had rooted to the spot. Move aside, my lad You
• 1:10:07
  Speaker 4: are out of your senses, said the Prince, taking a
• 1:10:09
  Speaker 4: step towards the door. So you refuse to defend yourself,
• 1:10:12
  Speaker 4: asked Gabriel, in a determined voice. I have told you
• 1:10:15
  Speaker 4: already that I cannot fight with you. Why not because
• 1:10:19
  Speaker 4: such is the will of God? Because you were born
• 1:10:21
  Speaker 4: to crawl, and I to trample you under my feet,
• 1:10:23
  Speaker 4: because all the blood that I could shed in this
• 1:10:25
  Speaker 4: island would not purchase one drop of my blood, because
• 1:10:28
  Speaker 4: a thousand lives of wretches like you are not equal
• 1:10:31
  Speaker 4: to one hour of mine. Because you will kneel at
• 1:10:33
  Speaker 4: my name that I am now going to utter, because
• 1:10:36
  Speaker 4: in short, you are but a poor fisherman, and my
• 1:10:38
  Speaker 4: name is Prince of Brachelon. At this dreaded name, which
• 1:10:42
  Speaker 4: the young nobleman flung like a thunderbolt at his head,
• 1:10:45
  Speaker 4: the fisherman bounded like a lion. He drew a deep breath,
• 1:10:47
  Speaker 4: as though he had lifted a weight that had long
• 1:10:49
  Speaker 4: rested on his heart. Ah, he cried, you have given
• 1:10:53
  Speaker 4: yourself into my hands, my lord, between the poor fisherman
• 1:10:56
  Speaker 4: and the all powerful Prince, there is a debt of
• 1:10:58
  Speaker 4: blood you shall pay for yourself and for your father.
• 1:11:01
  Speaker 4: We are going to settle our accounts, your excellency, he added,
• 1:11:03
  Speaker 4: raising his axe over the head of the Prince, who
• 1:11:05
  Speaker 4: was aiming at him. Oh, you are in too great
• 1:11:08
  Speaker 4: haste to choose. The rifle is not loaded. The prince
• 1:11:11
  Speaker 4: turned pale. Between our two families, Gabriel continued, there exists
• 1:11:15
  Speaker 4: a horrible secret which my mother confided to me on
• 1:11:18
  Speaker 4: the brink of the grave, of which my father himself
• 1:11:20
  Speaker 4: is unaware, and that no man in the world must learn.
• 1:11:23
  Speaker 4: You are different. You are going to die. He dragged
• 1:11:26
  Speaker 4: him into the space outside the house. Do you know
• 1:11:29
  Speaker 4: why my sister, whom you wished to dishonor, was vowed
• 1:11:31
  Speaker 4: to that madonna because your father, like you, wished to
• 1:11:34
  Speaker 4: dishonor my mother in your accursed house. There is a
• 1:11:37
  Speaker 4: tradition of infamy. You do not know what slow and
• 1:11:40
  Speaker 4: terrible torments my poor mother endured, torments that broke her
• 1:11:43
  Speaker 4: strength and caused her to die in early youth, And
• 1:11:46
  Speaker 4: that her angelic soul dared to confide to none but
• 1:11:48
  Speaker 4: her son in that supreme hour, and in order to
• 1:11:50
  Speaker 4: bid me watch over my sister. End of section four.
• 1:12:00
  Speaker 5: Five of Celebrated Crimes, Volume four, Part three by Alexander
• 1:12:05
  Speaker 5: du Mass. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
• 1:12:09
  Speaker 5: are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,
• 1:12:14
  Speaker 5: please visit LibriVox dot org. Celebrated Crimes, Volume four, Part
• 1:12:19
  Speaker 5: three by Alexander du Mass. Section five. The fisherman wiped
• 1:12:25
  Speaker 5: away a burning tear. One day before we were born,
• 1:12:30
  Speaker 5: a fine lady, richly dressed, landed in our island from
• 1:12:34
  Speaker 5: a splendid boat. She asked to see my mother, who
• 1:12:38
  Speaker 5: was as young and as beautiful as minorsdar is today.
• 1:12:42
  Speaker 5: She could not cease from admiring her. She blamed the
• 1:12:45
  Speaker 5: blindness of fate which had buried this lovely duel in
• 1:12:48
  Speaker 5: the bosom of an obscure island. She showered praises, caresses,
• 1:12:54
  Speaker 5: and gifts upon my mother, and after many indirect speeches,
• 1:12:58
  Speaker 5: finally asked her parents for her that she might take
• 1:13:02
  Speaker 5: her her lady in waiting. The poor people, foreseeing in
• 1:13:07
  Speaker 5: the protection of so great a lady a brilliant future
• 1:13:10
  Speaker 5: for their daughter, were weak enough to yield. That lady
• 1:13:14
  Speaker 5: was your mother. And you know why she came thus
• 1:13:18
  Speaker 5: to seek that poor innocent maiden. Because your mother had
• 1:13:21
  Speaker 5: a lover, and because she wished to make sure in
• 1:13:25
  Speaker 5: this infamous manner of the prince's indulgence. Silence, wretch, oh
• 1:13:31
  Speaker 5: your excellency, will hear me out. At the beginning, my
• 1:13:35
  Speaker 5: poor mother found herself surrounded by the tenderest care. The
• 1:13:40
  Speaker 5: princess could not be parted from her for a moment
• 1:13:44
  Speaker 5: the most flattering words, the finest clothes, the richest ornaments
• 1:13:48
  Speaker 5: were hers. The servants paid her as much respect as
• 1:13:52
  Speaker 5: though she were a daughter of the house. When her
• 1:13:55
  Speaker 5: parents went to see her and to inquire whether she
• 1:13:58
  Speaker 5: did not at all regret having left them, they found
• 1:14:02
  Speaker 5: her so lovely and so happy that they blessed the
• 1:14:05
  Speaker 5: princess as a good angel sent them from God. Then
• 1:14:09
  Speaker 5: the prince conceived a remarkable affection for my mother. Little
• 1:14:14
  Speaker 5: by little his manners became more familiar and affectionate. At last,
• 1:14:19
  Speaker 5: the princess went away for a few days, regretting that
• 1:14:23
  Speaker 5: she could not take with her her dear child, as
• 1:14:25
  Speaker 5: she called her. Then the prince's brutality knew no further barriers.
• 1:14:31
  Speaker 5: He no longer concealed his shameful plans of seduction. He
• 1:14:35
  Speaker 5: spread before the poor girl's eyes pearl necklaces and caskets
• 1:14:40
  Speaker 5: of diamonds. He passed from the most glowing passion to
• 1:14:44
  Speaker 5: the blackest fury, from the humblest prayers to the most
• 1:14:48
  Speaker 5: horrible threats. The poor child was shut up in a
• 1:14:52
  Speaker 5: cellar where there was hardly a gleam of daylight, and
• 1:14:55
  Speaker 5: every morning a frightful jailer came and threw her a
• 1:14:59
  Speaker 5: bit of black bead, repeating with oaths that it only
• 1:15:03
  Speaker 5: depended upon herself to alter all this by becoming the
• 1:15:06
  Speaker 5: prince's mistress. This cruelty continued for two years. The princess
• 1:15:13
  Speaker 5: had gone on a long journey, and my mother's poor
• 1:15:16
  Speaker 5: parents believed that their daughter was still happy with their protectress.
• 1:15:21
  Speaker 5: On her return, having no doubt fresh sins for which
• 1:15:25
  Speaker 5: she needed forgiveness, she took my mother from her dungeon,
• 1:15:29
  Speaker 5: assumed the liveliest indignation at this horrible treatment, about which
• 1:15:34
  Speaker 5: she appeared to have known nothing, wiped her tears, and
• 1:15:39
  Speaker 5: by an abominable refinement of perfidy, received the thanks of
• 1:15:43
  Speaker 5: the victim whom she was about to sacrifice. One evening,
• 1:15:49
  Speaker 5: I have just finished, my lord. The princess chose to
• 1:15:52
  Speaker 5: sup alone with her lady in waiting. The rarest fruits,
• 1:15:56
  Speaker 5: the most exquisite dishes, and the most delicate wines were
• 1:15:59
  Speaker 5: so to my poor mother. She gave way to a
• 1:16:03
  Speaker 5: morbid gaiety. Diabolical filters were poured into her cup. That
• 1:16:09
  Speaker 5: is another tradition in your family. My mother felt uplifted,
• 1:16:13
  Speaker 5: her eyes shone with feverish brilliance. Her cheeks were on fire.
• 1:16:18
  Speaker 5: Then the prince came in. Oh, your excellency will see
• 1:16:21
  Speaker 5: that God protects the poor. My darling mother, like a
• 1:16:25
  Speaker 5: frightened dove, sheltered herself in the bosom of the Princess,
• 1:16:29
  Speaker 5: who pushed her away laughing. The poor distraught girl, trembling, weeping,
• 1:16:35
  Speaker 5: knelt down in the midst of that infamous room. It
• 1:16:38
  Speaker 5: was Saint Anne's day. All at once the house shook,
• 1:16:42
  Speaker 5: the walls cracked, Cries of distress rang out in the streets.
• 1:16:47
  Speaker 5: My mother was saved. It was the earthquake that destroyed
• 1:16:51
  Speaker 5: half Naples. You know all about it, my lord, since
• 1:16:55
  Speaker 5: your old palace is no longer habitable. What are you
• 1:16:58
  Speaker 5: driving at, cried Brancholone, in terrible agitation. Oh I merely
• 1:17:04
  Speaker 5: wish to persuade you that you must fight with me,
• 1:17:07
  Speaker 5: answered the fisherman coldly, as he offered him a cartridge.
• 1:17:12
  Speaker 5: And now he added, in an excited tone, say your prayers,
• 1:17:16
  Speaker 5: my lord, for I warn you you will die by
• 1:17:19
  Speaker 5: my hand. Justice must be done. The prince carefully examined
• 1:17:23
  Speaker 5: the powder and shot, made sure that his rifle was
• 1:17:26
  Speaker 5: in good condition, loaded it, and eager to make an end,
• 1:17:31
  Speaker 5: took aim at the fisherman, but either because he had
• 1:17:34
  Speaker 5: been so much disturbed by his opponent's terrible tale, or
• 1:17:38
  Speaker 5: because the grass was wet from the storm, at the
• 1:17:41
  Speaker 5: moment when he put forward his left foot to steady
• 1:17:44
  Speaker 5: his shot, he slipped, lost his balance, and fell on
• 1:17:48
  Speaker 5: one knee. He fired into the air. That does not count,
• 1:17:52
  Speaker 5: my Lord, cried Gabriel instantly, and handed him a second charge.
• 1:17:57
  Speaker 5: At the noise of the report, Saw had appeared at
• 1:18:01
  Speaker 5: the window, and, understanding what was going on, had lifted
• 1:18:05
  Speaker 5: his hands to Heaven in order to address to God
• 1:18:08
  Speaker 5: a dumb and fervent prayer. Elegy uttered a frightful imprecation
• 1:18:14
  Speaker 5: and hastily reloaded his rifle, but struck by the calm
• 1:18:18
  Speaker 5: confidence of the young man who stood motionless before him,
• 1:18:22
  Speaker 5: and by the old man, who, impassive and undisturbed, seemed
• 1:18:27
  Speaker 5: to be conjuring God in the name of a father's authority.
• 1:18:31
  Speaker 5: Disconcerted by his fall, his knees shaking and his arm jarred,
• 1:18:36
  Speaker 5: he felt the chills of death running in his veins.
• 1:18:40
  Speaker 5: Attempting nevertheless to master his emotion, he took aim a
• 1:18:45
  Speaker 5: second time. The bullet whistled by the fisherman's ear and
• 1:18:49
  Speaker 5: buried itself in the stem of a poplar. The prince,
• 1:18:53
  Speaker 5: with the energy of despair, seized the barrel of his
• 1:18:57
  Speaker 5: weapon in both hands. But Gabriel was coming forward with
• 1:19:00
  Speaker 5: his axe a terrible foe, and his first stroke carried
• 1:19:05
  Speaker 5: away the butt of the rifle. He was still hesitating, however,
• 1:19:10
  Speaker 5: to kill a defenseless man, when two armed servants appeared
• 1:19:14
  Speaker 5: at the end of the pathway. Gabriel did not see
• 1:19:17
  Speaker 5: them coming, but at the moment when they would have
• 1:19:20
  Speaker 5: seized him by the shoulders, Solomon uttered a cry and
• 1:19:24
  Speaker 5: rushed to his son's assistance. Help Numa, help Bonnooroo. Death
• 1:19:30
  Speaker 5: to the Ruffians. They want to murder me, you lie,
• 1:19:34
  Speaker 5: Prince of bran Callione, cried Gabriel, and with one blow
• 1:19:38
  Speaker 5: of the axe, he cleft his skull. The two Bravos,
• 1:19:42
  Speaker 5: who were coming to their master's assistance when they saw
• 1:19:45
  Speaker 5: him fall, took flight. Solomon and his son went up
• 1:19:50
  Speaker 5: to a cedar's room. The young girl had just shaken
• 1:19:53
  Speaker 5: off her heavy slumber. A slight perspiration moistened her brow,
• 1:19:58
  Speaker 5: and she opened her eyes to the dawning day. Why
• 1:20:02
  Speaker 5: are you looking at me in that way, father, she said,
• 1:20:06
  Speaker 5: her mind still wandering a little, and she passed her
• 1:20:09
  Speaker 5: hand over her forehead. The old man embraced her tenderly.
• 1:20:13
  Speaker 5: You have just passed through a great danger, my poor Isida,
• 1:20:16
  Speaker 5: said he arise, and let us give thanks to the Madonna.
• 1:20:20
  Speaker 5: Then all three, kneeling before the sacred image of the Virgin,
• 1:20:24
  Speaker 5: began to recite litanies. But at that very instant a
• 1:20:29
  Speaker 5: noise of arms sounded in the enclosure. The house was
• 1:20:32
  Speaker 5: surrounded by soldiers and a lieutenant of gendarmes seizing. Gabriel
• 1:20:38
  Speaker 5: said in a loud voice, in the name of the Lord,
• 1:20:41
  Speaker 5: I arrest you for the murder that you have just
• 1:20:43
  Speaker 5: committed upon the person of his excellency and illustrious lordship,
• 1:20:49
  Speaker 5: The Prince of Brancolone Mesida, struck by these words, remained
• 1:20:55
  Speaker 5: pale and motionless, like a marble statue. Kneeling on a tomb.
• 1:21:00
  Speaker 5: Gabriel was already preparing to make an unreasoning resistance when
• 1:21:05
  Speaker 5: a gesture from his father stopped him. Signor Tonente, said
• 1:21:09
  Speaker 5: the old man, addressing himself to the officer, My son
• 1:21:14
  Speaker 5: killed the prince in lawful defense, for the latter had
• 1:21:17
  Speaker 5: scaled our house, and made his way in at night,
• 1:21:20
  Speaker 5: and with arms in his hand. The proofs are before
• 1:21:24
  Speaker 5: your eyes. Here is a ladder set up against the window,
• 1:21:28
  Speaker 5: and here he proceeded, picking up the two pieces of
• 1:21:31
  Speaker 5: the broken blade, is a dagger with the Brancolione arms. However,
• 1:21:37
  Speaker 5: we do not refuse to follow you. The last words
• 1:21:40
  Speaker 5: of the fishermen were drowned by cries of down with
• 1:21:43
  Speaker 5: the spiry, down with the gendarmes, which were repeated in
• 1:21:47
  Speaker 5: every direction. The whole island was up in arms, and
• 1:21:52
  Speaker 5: the fisherfolk would have suffered themselves to be cut up
• 1:21:55
  Speaker 5: to the last man before allowing a single hair of
• 1:21:58
  Speaker 5: Solomon or of his son to be touched. But the
• 1:22:02
  Speaker 5: old man appeared upon his threshold, and, stretching out his arm,
• 1:22:06
  Speaker 5: with a calm and grave movement that quieted the anger
• 1:22:10
  Speaker 5: of the crowd, he said, thanks, my children, the law
• 1:22:15
  Speaker 5: must be respected. I shall be able alone to defend
• 1:22:19
  Speaker 5: the innocence of my son before the judges. Hardly three
• 1:22:23
  Speaker 5: months have elaps since the day upon which we first
• 1:22:26
  Speaker 5: beheld the old fisherman of Nisida, sitting before the door
• 1:22:30
  Speaker 5: of his dwelling, irradiated by all the happiness that he
• 1:22:34
  Speaker 5: had succeeded in creating around him, reigning like a king
• 1:22:38
  Speaker 5: on his throne of rock, and blessing his two children
• 1:22:42
  Speaker 5: the most beautiful creatures in the island. Now the whole
• 1:22:45
  Speaker 5: existence of this man, who was once so happy and
• 1:22:48
  Speaker 5: so much envied, is changed. The smiling cottage that hung
• 1:22:52
  Speaker 5: over the gulf like a swan over a transparent lake,
• 1:22:56
  Speaker 5: is sad and desolate. The little enclosure, with its hedges
• 1:23:00
  Speaker 5: of Lilac and Hawthorne, where joyous groups used to come
• 1:23:04
  Speaker 5: and sit at the close of day, is silent and deserted.
• 1:23:09
  Speaker 5: No human sound dares to trouble the morning of this
• 1:23:12
  Speaker 5: saddened solitude. Only towards evening, the waves of the sea,
• 1:23:17
  Speaker 5: compassionating such great misfortunes, come to murmur plaintive notes upon
• 1:23:22
  Speaker 5: the beach. Gabriel has been condemned. The news of the
• 1:23:26
  Speaker 5: high born Prince of Brancolone's death, so young, so handsome,
• 1:23:31
  Speaker 5: and so universally adored, not only fluttered the aristocracy of Naples,
• 1:23:37
  Speaker 5: but excited profound indignation in all classes of people. He
• 1:23:41
  Speaker 5: was mourned by everybody, and a unanimous cry for vengeance
• 1:23:46
  Speaker 5: was raised against the murderer. The authorities opened the inquiry
• 1:23:50
  Speaker 5: with alarming promptness. The magistrates, whom their office called to
• 1:23:54
  Speaker 5: judge this deplorable affair, displayed, however, the most irreprochable integrity,
• 1:24:01
  Speaker 5: no consideration outside their duty, no deference due to so
• 1:24:06
  Speaker 5: noble and powerful a family could shape the convictions of
• 1:24:09
  Speaker 5: their conscience. History has kept a record of this memorable trial,
• 1:24:14
  Speaker 5: and has no reproach to make to men which does
• 1:24:18
  Speaker 5: not apply equally to the imperfection of human laws. The
• 1:24:22
  Speaker 5: appearance of things, that fatal contradiction which the genius of evil,
• 1:24:27
  Speaker 5: so often here on earth gives to truth, overwhelmed the
• 1:24:30
  Speaker 5: poor fisherman with the most evident proofs trest below, in
• 1:24:35
  Speaker 5: whom fear had destroyed all scruples being first examined as
• 1:24:40
  Speaker 5: having been, the young prince's confidante declared with cool impudence
• 1:24:45
  Speaker 5: that his master, having shown a wish to escape for
• 1:24:48
  Speaker 5: a few days from the importunities of a young married
• 1:24:52
  Speaker 5: lady whose passion was beginning to tire him, had followed
• 1:24:56
  Speaker 5: him to the island with three or four of his
• 1:24:59
  Speaker 5: most faithful servants, and that he himself had adopted the
• 1:25:03
  Speaker 5: disguise of a pilgrim, not wishing to betray his excellency's
• 1:25:07
  Speaker 5: incognito to the fisher people, who would certainly have tormented
• 1:25:12
  Speaker 5: so powerful a person by all sorts of petitions. Two
• 1:25:16
  Speaker 5: local watchmen, who had happened to be on the hillside
• 1:25:20
  Speaker 5: at the moment of the crime, gave evidence that confirmed
• 1:25:24
  Speaker 5: the Valet's lengthy statement. Hidden by some underwood, they had
• 1:25:28
  Speaker 5: seen Gabriel rush upon the Prince, and had distinctly heard
• 1:25:32
  Speaker 5: the last words of the dying man calling murder. All
• 1:25:36
  Speaker 5: the witnesses, even though summoned at the request of the prisoner,
• 1:25:40
  Speaker 5: made his case worse by their statements, which they tried
• 1:25:44
  Speaker 5: to make favorable. Thus, the court, with its usual purpicacity
• 1:25:49
  Speaker 5: and its infallible certainty, succeeded in establishing the fact that
• 1:25:54
  Speaker 5: Prince Elijah of Brancolione, having taken a temporary disliked townland,
• 1:26:01
  Speaker 5: had retired to the little island of Nisida, there to
• 1:26:05
  Speaker 5: give himself up peaceably to the pleasure of fishing, for
• 1:26:08
  Speaker 5: which he had at all times had a particular predilection.
• 1:26:12
  Speaker 5: A proof appeared among the documents of the case that
• 1:26:15
  Speaker 5: the Prince had regularly been present every other year at
• 1:26:18
  Speaker 5: the tunny fishing on his property at Palermo, that when
• 1:26:22
  Speaker 5: once he was thus hidden in the island, Gabriel might
• 1:26:25
  Speaker 5: have recognized him, having gone with his sister to the
• 1:26:28
  Speaker 5: procession a few days before, and had no doubt planned
• 1:26:33
  Speaker 5: to murder him. On the day before the night of
• 1:26:35
  Speaker 5: the crime, the absence of Gabriel and the discomposure of
• 1:26:39
  Speaker 5: his father and sister had been remarked. Towards evening, the
• 1:26:43
  Speaker 5: Prince had dismissed his servant and gone out alone, as
• 1:26:47
  Speaker 5: his custom was to walk by the sea shore. Surprised
• 1:26:51
  Speaker 5: by the storm and not knowing the byways of the island,
• 1:26:55
  Speaker 5: he had wandered round the fisherman's house seeking a shelter,
• 1:27:00
  Speaker 5: and Gabriel, encouraged by the darkness and by the noise
• 1:27:03
  Speaker 5: of the tempest which seemed likely to cover the cries
• 1:27:07
  Speaker 5: of his victim, had, after prolonged hesitation, resolved to commit
• 1:27:12
  Speaker 5: his crime, and, having fired two shots at the unfortunate
• 1:27:16
  Speaker 5: young man, without succeeding in wounding him, had put an
• 1:27:20
  Speaker 5: end to him by blows of the axe. Lastly, at
• 1:27:24
  Speaker 5: the moment when with Solomon's assistance, he was about to
• 1:27:27
  Speaker 5: throw the body into the sea, the prince's servants having appeared,
• 1:27:32
  Speaker 5: they had gone up to the girl's room, and, inventing
• 1:27:35
  Speaker 5: their absurd tale, had cast themselves on their knees before
• 1:27:39
  Speaker 5: the virgin in order to mislead the authorities. All the
• 1:27:43
  Speaker 5: circumstances that poor Solomon sighted in his son's favor turned
• 1:27:47
  Speaker 5: against him. The ladder at Nsida's window belonged to the fisherman.
• 1:27:51
  Speaker 5: The dagger which young gran Callione always carried upon him
• 1:27:55
  Speaker 5: to defend himself, had evidently been taken from him after
• 1:27:59
  Speaker 5: his death, and Gabriel had hastened to break it so
• 1:28:02
  Speaker 5: as to destroy, to the best of his power the
• 1:28:05
  Speaker 5: traces of his crime. Bastiano's evidence did not receive a
• 1:28:09
  Speaker 5: minute's consideration. He to destroy the idea of premeditation, declared
• 1:28:15
  Speaker 5: that the young fisherman had left him only at the
• 1:28:17
  Speaker 5: moment when the storm broke over the island. But in
• 1:28:21
  Speaker 5: the first place, the young diver was known to be
• 1:28:23
  Speaker 5: Gabriel's most devoted friend and his sister's warmest admirer, And
• 1:28:28
  Speaker 5: in the second he had been seen to land at
• 1:28:31
  Speaker 5: Torrey during the same hour in which he had affirmed
• 1:28:34
  Speaker 5: that he was near Tonsida. As for the Prince's passion
• 1:28:38
  Speaker 5: for the poor peasant girl. The magistrates simply shrugged their
• 1:28:41
  Speaker 5: shoulders at the ridiculous assertion of that, and especially at
• 1:28:45
  Speaker 5: the young girl's alleged resistance and the extreme measure to
• 1:28:49
  Speaker 5: which the Prince was supposed to have resorted to conquer
• 1:28:52
  Speaker 5: the virtue of Issida elegy of BRANCOLIONI was so young,
• 1:28:57
  Speaker 5: so handsome, so seductive, and at the same time so
• 1:29:01
  Speaker 5: cool amid his successes, that he had never been suspected
• 1:29:05
  Speaker 5: of violence, except in getting rid of his mistresses. Finally,
• 1:29:11
  Speaker 5: an overwhelming and unanswerable proof overthrew all the arguments for
• 1:29:15
  Speaker 5: the defense. Under the fisherman's bed had been found a
• 1:29:20
  Speaker 5: purse with the Brancholione arms full of gold, the purse which,
• 1:29:25
  Speaker 5: if our readers remember, the Prince had flung as a
• 1:29:29
  Speaker 5: last insult at Gabriel's feet. End of section.
• 1:29:33
  Speaker 6: Five Section six of Celebrated Crimes, Volume four, Part three
• 1:29:44
  Speaker 6: by Alexander Dumas. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
• 1:29:48
  Speaker 6: recordings are in the public domain. For more information or
• 1:29:52
  Speaker 6: to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Seth Pate.
• 1:29:58
  Speaker 6: Celebrated Crimes, Volume four, Part three by Alexander dumass Section six.
• 1:30:05
  Speaker 6: The old man did not lose heart at this fabric
• 1:30:08
  Speaker 6: of lies. After the pleadings of the advocates, whose ruinous
• 1:30:11
  Speaker 6: eloquence he had bought with heavy gold, he defended his
• 1:30:15
  Speaker 6: son himself and put so much truth, so much passion,
• 1:30:19
  Speaker 6: and so many tears into his speech that the whole
• 1:30:22
  Speaker 6: audience was moved, and three of the judges voted for
• 1:30:25
  Speaker 6: an acquittal, but the majority was against it, and the
• 1:30:28
  Speaker 6: fatal verdict was pronounced. The news at once spread throughout
• 1:30:32
  Speaker 6: the little island and caused the deepest dejection there. The fishers,
• 1:30:37
  Speaker 6: who at the first eruption of force, had risen as
• 1:30:40
  Speaker 6: one man to defend their comrade's cause, bowed their heads
• 1:30:44
  Speaker 6: without a murmur before the unquestioned authority of a legal judgment.
• 1:30:49
  Speaker 6: Solomon received unflinchingly the stab that pierced his heart. No
• 1:30:53
  Speaker 6: sigh escaped his breast, no tear came to his eyes,
• 1:30:57
  Speaker 6: His wound did not bleed. Since his son's arrest, he
• 1:31:01
  Speaker 6: had sold all he possessed in the world, even the
• 1:31:04
  Speaker 6: little silver cross left by his wife at her death,
• 1:31:08
  Speaker 6: even the pearl necklace that flattered his fatherly pride. By
• 1:31:11
  Speaker 6: losing its whiteness against his dear Nasda's throat. The pieces
• 1:31:16
  Speaker 6: of gold gained by the sale of these things he
• 1:31:18
  Speaker 6: had sown into his coarse woolen cap, and had established
• 1:31:22
  Speaker 6: himself in the city. He ate nothing but the bread
• 1:31:25
  Speaker 6: thrown to him by the pity of passers by, and
• 1:31:28
  Speaker 6: slept on the steps of churches or at the magistrate's door.
• 1:31:32
  Speaker 6: To estimate at its full value the heroic courage of
• 1:31:35
  Speaker 6: this unhappy father, one must take a general view of
• 1:31:39
  Speaker 6: the whole extent of his misfortune. Overwhelmed by age and grief,
• 1:31:43
  Speaker 6: he looked forward with solemn calmness to the terrible moment
• 1:31:47
  Speaker 6: which would bear his son, a few days before him,
• 1:31:50
  Speaker 6: to the grave. His sharpest agony was the thought of
• 1:31:54
  Speaker 6: the shame that would envelop his family. The first scaffold
• 1:31:58
  Speaker 6: erected in that gently manner island would arise for Gabriel,
• 1:32:02
  Speaker 6: and that ignominious punishment tarnish the whole population and imprint
• 1:32:07
  Speaker 6: upon it the first brand of disgrace, by a sad
• 1:32:10
  Speaker 6: transition which yet comes so easily in the destiny of man.
• 1:32:15
  Speaker 6: The poor father grew to long for these moments of
• 1:32:17
  Speaker 6: danger at which he had formerly trembled. Those moments in
• 1:32:21
  Speaker 6: which his son might have died nobly, and now all
• 1:32:25
  Speaker 6: was lost. A long life of work, of abnegation and
• 1:32:29
  Speaker 6: of good deeds, a pure and stainless reputation that had
• 1:32:33
  Speaker 6: extended beyond the Gulf into distant countries, and the traditional admiration,
• 1:32:38
  Speaker 6: rising almost to worship of several generations. All these things
• 1:32:43
  Speaker 6: only served to deepen the pit into which the fishermen
• 1:32:46
  Speaker 6: had fallen. At one blow from his kingly height, good fame,
• 1:32:50
  Speaker 6: that divine halo without which nothing here on earth is sacred,
• 1:32:54
  Speaker 6: had disappeared. Men no longer dared to defend the poor wretch.
• 1:32:58
  Speaker 6: They pitied him. His name would soon carry horror with it,
• 1:33:02
  Speaker 6: and Mesita, poor orphan, would be nothing to anyone but
• 1:33:06
  Speaker 6: the sister of a man who had been condemned to death.
• 1:33:09
  Speaker 6: Even Bastiano turned away his face and wept. Thus, when
• 1:33:14
  Speaker 6: every respite was over, when poor Solomon's every attempt had failed,
• 1:33:18
  Speaker 6: people in the town who saw him smiled strangely, as
• 1:33:22
  Speaker 6: though under the obsession of some fixed idea, said to
• 1:33:26
  Speaker 6: one another that the old man had lost his reason.
• 1:33:30
  Speaker 6: Gabriel saw his last day dawn serenely and calmly. His
• 1:33:34
  Speaker 6: sleep had been deep, he awoke full of unknown joy.
• 1:33:38
  Speaker 6: A cheerful ray of sunlight falling through the loophole wavered
• 1:33:42
  Speaker 6: over the fine golden straw in his cell. In autumn
• 1:33:45
  Speaker 6: breeze playing around him brought an agreeable coolness to his
• 1:33:49
  Speaker 6: brow and stirred in his long hair. The jailer, who
• 1:33:54
  Speaker 6: while he had him in his charge, had always behaved humanely,
• 1:33:57
  Speaker 6: struck by his happy looks hes it to announce the
• 1:34:01
  Speaker 6: priest's visit in fear of calling the poor prisoner from
• 1:34:04
  Speaker 6: his dream. Gabriel received the news with pleasure. He conversed
• 1:34:09
  Speaker 6: for two hours with the good priest, and shed sweet tears.
• 1:34:12
  Speaker 6: On receiving the last absolution. The priest left the prison
• 1:34:16
  Speaker 6: with tears in his eyes, declaring aloud that he had
• 1:34:19
  Speaker 6: never in his life met with a more beautiful, pure, resigned,
• 1:34:24
  Speaker 6: and courageous spirit. The fisherman was still under the influence
• 1:34:28
  Speaker 6: of this consoling emotion when his sister entered, and since
• 1:34:32
  Speaker 6: the day when she had been carried fainting from the
• 1:34:35
  Speaker 6: room where her brother had just been arrested. The poor
• 1:34:38
  Speaker 6: girl sheltered under the roof of an aunt and accusing
• 1:34:42
  Speaker 6: herself of all the evil that had Befallen had done
• 1:34:45
  Speaker 6: nothing but weep at the feet of her holy protectress,
• 1:34:49
  Speaker 6: bowed by grief like a young lily before the storm.
• 1:34:52
  Speaker 6: She would spend whole hours pale, motionless, detached from earthly things,
• 1:34:57
  Speaker 6: her tears flowing silently upon her beautiful clasped hands. When
• 1:35:03
  Speaker 6: the moment came to go and embrace her brother for
• 1:35:05
  Speaker 6: the last time, Nsita arose with the courage of a saint.
• 1:35:10
  Speaker 6: She wiped away the traces of her tears, smoothed her
• 1:35:13
  Speaker 6: beautiful black hair, and put on her best white dress.
• 1:35:17
  Speaker 6: Poor child, she tried to hide her grief by an
• 1:35:20
  Speaker 6: angelic deception. She had the strength to smile at the
• 1:35:25
  Speaker 6: sight of her alarming pallor. Gabriel felt his heart wrung.
• 1:35:29
  Speaker 6: A cloud passed over his eyes. He would have to
• 1:35:32
  Speaker 6: run to meet her, but held back by the chain
• 1:35:34
  Speaker 6: which fettered him to a pillar of his prison, stepped
• 1:35:37
  Speaker 6: back sharply and stumbled. Nasita flew to her brother and
• 1:35:42
  Speaker 6: upheld him in her arms. The young girl had understood him.
• 1:35:46
  Speaker 6: She assured him that she was well. Fearing to remind
• 1:35:49
  Speaker 6: him of his terrible position, she spoke volubly of all
• 1:35:53
  Speaker 6: manner of things. Her aunt, the weather the madonna. Then
• 1:35:58
  Speaker 6: she stopped, suddenlyightened at her own words, frightened at her
• 1:36:02
  Speaker 6: own silence, she fixed her burning gaze upon her brother's brow,
• 1:36:06
  Speaker 6: as though to fascinate him. Little by little, animation returned
• 1:36:10
  Speaker 6: to her. A faint color tinted her hollowed cheeks, and Gabriel,
• 1:36:15
  Speaker 6: deceived by the maiden's superhuman efforts, thought her still beautiful
• 1:36:19
  Speaker 6: and thanked God in his heart for having spared this
• 1:36:22
  Speaker 6: tender creature. Nasita, as though she had followed her brother's
• 1:36:27
  Speaker 6: secret thoughts, came close to him, pressed his hand with
• 1:36:31
  Speaker 6: an air of understanding, and murmured low in his ear. Fortunately,
• 1:36:35
  Speaker 6: our father has been away for two days. He sent
• 1:36:39
  Speaker 6: me word that he would be detained in town. For us,
• 1:36:42
  Speaker 6: it is different. We are young, we have courage. The
• 1:36:47
  Speaker 6: poor young girl was trembling like a leaf. What will
• 1:36:50
  Speaker 6: become of you, my poor Nasita? Ah, I will pray
• 1:36:54
  Speaker 6: to the madonna. Does she not watch over us? The
• 1:36:58
  Speaker 6: girl stopped, struck by the sound of her own words,
• 1:37:02
  Speaker 6: which the circumstances so cruelly contradicted. But looking at her brother,
• 1:37:07
  Speaker 6: she went on in a low tone, assuredly, she does
• 1:37:11
  Speaker 6: watch over us. She appeared to me last night in
• 1:37:14
  Speaker 6: a dream. She held her child Jesus on her arm
• 1:37:17
  Speaker 6: and looked at me with a mother's tenderness. She wishes
• 1:37:21
  Speaker 6: to make saints of us, for she loves us, and
• 1:37:23
  Speaker 6: to be a saint. You see, Gabriel, one must suffer well.
• 1:37:29
  Speaker 6: Go and pray for me, my kind sister. Go away
• 1:37:32
  Speaker 6: from the view of this sad place, which will eventually
• 1:37:35
  Speaker 6: shake your firmness, and perhaps mine.
• 1:37:38
  Speaker 1: Go.
• 1:37:39
  Speaker 6: We shall see each other again in heaven above, where
• 1:37:42
  Speaker 6: our mother is waiting for us, our mother, whom you
• 1:37:45
  Speaker 6: have not known, and to whom I shall often speak
• 1:37:48
  Speaker 6: of you. Farewell, my sister, until we meet again, and
• 1:37:54
  Speaker 6: he kissed her on the forehead. The young girl called
• 1:37:57
  Speaker 6: up all her strength into her heart for this supreme moment.
• 1:38:01
  Speaker 6: She walked with a firm step. Having reached the threshold,
• 1:38:05
  Speaker 6: she turned round and waved him a farewell, preventing herself,
• 1:38:09
  Speaker 6: by a nervous contraction, from bursting into tears. But as
• 1:38:12
  Speaker 6: soon as she was in the corridor, a sob broke
• 1:38:15
  Speaker 6: from her bosom, and Gabriel, who heard it echo from
• 1:38:19
  Speaker 6: the vaulted roof, thought that his heart would break. Then
• 1:38:23
  Speaker 6: he threw himself on his knees, and lifting his hands
• 1:38:26
  Speaker 6: to heaven, cried, I have finished suffering. I have nothing
• 1:38:30
  Speaker 6: more that holds me to life. I thank thee, my God,
• 1:38:34
  Speaker 6: thou hast kept my father away, and hast been willing
• 1:38:37
  Speaker 6: to spare the poor old man a grief that would
• 1:38:40
  Speaker 6: have been beyond his strength. It was at the hour
• 1:38:44
  Speaker 6: of noon, after having exhausted every possible means, poured out
• 1:38:48
  Speaker 6: his gold to the last peace, and embraced the knees
• 1:38:52
  Speaker 6: of the lowest serving man, that Solomon the Fisherman took
• 1:38:56
  Speaker 6: his way to his son's prison. His brow was so
• 1:38:59
  Speaker 6: woebe gone that the guards drew back, seized with pity,
• 1:39:03
  Speaker 6: and the jailer wept as he closed the door of
• 1:39:06
  Speaker 6: the cell upon him. The old man remained some moments
• 1:39:10
  Speaker 6: without advancing a step, absorbed in contemplation of his son.
• 1:39:15
  Speaker 6: By the tawny gleam of his eye. Might be divined
• 1:39:18
  Speaker 6: that the soul of the man was moved at that
• 1:39:20
  Speaker 6: instant by some dark project. He seemed nevertheless struck by
• 1:39:25
  Speaker 6: the beauty of Gabriel's face. Three months in prison had
• 1:39:29
  Speaker 6: restored to his skin the whiteness that the sun had
• 1:39:32
  Speaker 6: turned brown. His fine, dark hair fell in curls around
• 1:39:36
  Speaker 6: his neck. His eyes rested on his father with a
• 1:39:39
  Speaker 6: liquid and brilliant gaze. Never had this head been so
• 1:39:43
  Speaker 6: beautiful as now when it was to fall alas my
• 1:39:47
  Speaker 6: son said the old man, there is no hope left.
• 1:39:52
  Speaker 6: You must die. I know it, answered Gabriel, in a
• 1:39:56
  Speaker 6: tone of tender reproach. And it is not that which
• 1:39:59
  Speaker 6: mo flicks me at this moment, but you too. Why
• 1:40:03
  Speaker 6: do you wish to give me pain at your rage?
• 1:40:06
  Speaker 6: Why did you not stay in the town, In the town,
• 1:40:09
  Speaker 6: the old man returned, They have no pity. I cast
• 1:40:13
  Speaker 6: myself at the King's feet, at everybody's feet. There is
• 1:40:17
  Speaker 6: no pardon, no mercy for us. Well, in God's name,
• 1:40:21
  Speaker 6: what is death to me? I meet it daily on
• 1:40:23
  Speaker 6: the sea, my greatest My only torment is the pain
• 1:40:27
  Speaker 6: that they are causing you. And I do you think,
• 1:40:31
  Speaker 6: my Gabriel, that I only suffer in seeing you die? Oh?
• 1:40:36
  Speaker 6: It is but a parting for a few days. I
• 1:40:39
  Speaker 6: shall soon go to join you. But a darker sorrow
• 1:40:42
  Speaker 6: weighs upon me. I am strong, I am a man.
• 1:40:47
  Speaker 6: He stopped, fearing that he had said too much. Then,
• 1:40:51
  Speaker 6: drawing near to his son, he said, in a tearful voice.
• 1:40:55
  Speaker 6: Forgive me, my Gabriel. I am the cause of your death.
• 1:41:00
  Speaker 6: I ought to have killed the prince with my own hand.
• 1:41:03
  Speaker 6: In our country, children and old men are not condemned
• 1:41:06
  Speaker 6: to death. I am over eighty years old. I should
• 1:41:10
  Speaker 6: have been pardoned. They told me that, when with tears
• 1:41:13
  Speaker 6: I asked pardon for you once more. Forgive me, Gabriel.
• 1:41:18
  Speaker 6: I thought that my daughter was dead. I thought of
• 1:41:20
  Speaker 6: nothing else, And besides, I did not know the law father. Father,
• 1:41:26
  Speaker 6: cried Gabriel, touched. What are you saying? I would have
• 1:41:30
  Speaker 6: given my life a thousand times over to purchase one
• 1:41:33
  Speaker 6: day of yours. Since you are strong enough to be
• 1:41:35
  Speaker 6: present at my last hour, fear not, you will not
• 1:41:39
  Speaker 6: see me turn pale. Your son will be worthy of you,
• 1:41:43
  Speaker 6: and he is to die. To die, cried Solomon, striking
• 1:41:47
  Speaker 6: his forehead in despair and casting on the walls of
• 1:41:50
  Speaker 6: the dungeon a look of fire that would fain have
• 1:41:53
  Speaker 6: pierced them. I am resigned, father, said Gabriel. Gently. Did
• 1:41:58
  Speaker 6: not christ ascend the cross, Yes, murmured the old man
• 1:42:03
  Speaker 6: in a muffled voice. But he did not leave behind
• 1:42:06
  Speaker 6: his sister. Dishonored by his death, These words which escaped
• 1:42:11
  Speaker 6: the old fisherman, in spite of himself, threw a sudden
• 1:42:14
  Speaker 6: and terrible light into the soul of Gabriel. For the
• 1:42:18
  Speaker 6: first time, he perceived all the infamous manner of his death,
• 1:42:22
  Speaker 6: the shameless populace crowding round the scaffold, the hateful hand
• 1:42:26
  Speaker 6: of the executioner taking him by the hair, and the
• 1:42:29
  Speaker 6: drops of his blood besprinkling the white raiment of his
• 1:42:33
  Speaker 6: sister and covering her with shame. Oh if I could
• 1:42:38
  Speaker 6: get a weapon, cried Gabriel, his haggard eyes roaming around.
• 1:42:43
  Speaker 6: It is not the weapon that is lacking, answered Solomon,
• 1:42:46
  Speaker 6: carrying his hand to the hilt of a dagger that
• 1:42:49
  Speaker 6: he had hidden in his breast. Then kill me, father,
• 1:42:54
  Speaker 6: said Gabriel, in a low tone, but with an irresistible
• 1:42:57
  Speaker 6: accent of persuasion and entreaty. Oh yes, I confess it now.
• 1:43:03
  Speaker 6: The executioner's hand frightens me. My Nasita, my poor Nasita.
• 1:43:09
  Speaker 6: I have seen her. She was here just now, as
• 1:43:12
  Speaker 6: beautiful and as pale as the madonna dolorosa. She smiled
• 1:43:16
  Speaker 6: to hide me from her sufferings. She was happy, poor girl,
• 1:43:20
  Speaker 6: because she believed you away. Oh how sweet it will
• 1:43:24
  Speaker 6: be to me to die by your hand. You gave
• 1:43:27
  Speaker 6: me life. Take it back, father, since God will have
• 1:43:31
  Speaker 6: it so and Nasita will be saved. I do not hesitate.
• 1:43:37
  Speaker 6: It would be a cowardice on the part of us both.
• 1:43:39
  Speaker 6: She is my sister, she is your daughter. And seeing
• 1:43:44
  Speaker 6: that his powerful will had subjugated the old man, he said, help,
• 1:43:49
  Speaker 6: help father, and offered his breast to the blow. The
• 1:43:53
  Speaker 6: poor father lifted his hand to strike, but a mortal
• 1:43:56
  Speaker 6: convulsion ran through all his limbs. He fell in to
• 1:44:00
  Speaker 6: his son's arms, and both burst into tears. Poor father
• 1:44:05
  Speaker 6: said Gabriel, I ought to have foreseen that. Give me
• 1:44:10
  Speaker 6: that dagger and turn away. I am young and my
• 1:44:13
  Speaker 6: arm will not tremble. Oh no, returned Solomon solemnly, no,
• 1:44:19
  Speaker 6: my son, for then you would be a suicide. Let
• 1:44:23
  Speaker 6: your soul ascend to heaven. Pure God will give me
• 1:44:27
  Speaker 6: his strength. Moreover, we have time yet, and a last
• 1:44:32
  Speaker 6: ray of hope shone in the eyes of the fisherman.
• 1:44:36
  Speaker 6: Then there passed in that dungeon one of those scenes
• 1:44:39
  Speaker 6: that words can never reproduce. The poor father sat down
• 1:44:43
  Speaker 6: upon the straw at his son's side and laid his
• 1:44:46
  Speaker 6: head gently upon his knees. He smiled to him through
• 1:44:49
  Speaker 6: his tears, as one smiles to his sick child. He
• 1:44:53
  Speaker 6: passed his hand slowly through the silky curls of his
• 1:44:57
  Speaker 6: hair and asked him countless questions intermingled with caresses, in
• 1:45:02
  Speaker 6: order to give him a distaste for this world. He
• 1:45:05
  Speaker 6: kept on talking to him of the other. Then, with
• 1:45:09
  Speaker 6: a sudden change, he questioned him minutely about all sorts
• 1:45:13
  Speaker 6: of past matters. Sometimes he stopped in alarm and counted
• 1:45:17
  Speaker 6: the beatings of his heart, which were hurriedly marking the
• 1:45:20
  Speaker 6: passage of time. Tell me everything, my child, Have you
• 1:45:25
  Speaker 6: any desire, any wish that could be satisfied before you die?
• 1:45:31
  Speaker 6: Are you leaving any woman whom you loved? Secretly? Everything
• 1:45:35
  Speaker 6: we have left shall be hers. I regret nothing on
• 1:45:41
  Speaker 6: earth but you and my sister. You are the only
• 1:45:44
  Speaker 6: persons whom I have loved since my mother's death. Well
• 1:45:49
  Speaker 6: be comforted, Your sister will be saved. Oh yes, I
• 1:45:54
  Speaker 6: shall die happy. Do you forgive our enemies? With all
• 1:46:00
  Speaker 6: the strength of my heart, I pray God to have
• 1:46:03
  Speaker 6: mercy on the witnesses who accused me. May He forgive
• 1:46:06
  Speaker 6: me my sins? How old is it that you will
• 1:46:10
  Speaker 6: soon be the old man asked suddenly, for his reason
• 1:46:14
  Speaker 6: was beginning to totter, and his memory had failed him.
• 1:46:18
  Speaker 6: I was twenty five on all Hallow's Day. True, it
• 1:46:23
  Speaker 6: was a sad day this year you were in prison.
• 1:46:27
  Speaker 6: Do you remember how five years ago, on that same
• 1:46:30
  Speaker 6: day I got the prize in the brigata at Venice.
• 1:46:34
  Speaker 6: Tell me about that, my child, And he listened, his
• 1:46:38
  Speaker 6: neck stretched forward, his mouth half open, his hands in
• 1:46:42
  Speaker 6: his son's A sound of steps came in from the corridor,
• 1:46:47
  Speaker 6: and a dull knock was struck upon the door. It
• 1:46:50
  Speaker 6: was the fatal hour. The poor father had forgotten it.
• 1:46:55
  Speaker 6: The priests had already begun to sing the death hymn.
• 1:46:59
  Speaker 6: The executioner was ready. The procession had set out when
• 1:47:03
  Speaker 6: Solomon the Fisherman appeared suddenly on the threshold of the prison,
• 1:47:07
  Speaker 6: his eyes aflame and his brow radiant with the halo
• 1:47:10
  Speaker 6: of the patriarchs. The old man drew himself up to
• 1:47:14
  Speaker 6: his full height, and, raising in one hand the reddened knife,
• 1:47:18
  Speaker 6: said in a sublime voice, the sacrifice is fulfilled. God
• 1:47:23
  Speaker 6: did not send his angel to stay the hand of Abraham.
• 1:47:28
  Speaker 6: The crowd carried him in triumph. The details of this
• 1:47:33
  Speaker 6: case are recorded in the archives of the Criminal Court
• 1:47:36
  Speaker 6: at Naples. We have changed nothing in the age or
• 1:47:39
  Speaker 6: position of the persons who appear in this narrative. One
• 1:47:43
  Speaker 6: of the most celebrated advocates at the Neapolitan bar secured
• 1:47:47
  Speaker 6: the acquittal of the old man. End of section six
• 1:47:53
  Speaker 6: recording by Seth Pate. End of Celebrated Crimes, Volume four,
• 1:47:59
  Speaker 6: Part three by Alexander Dumas