SERIAL STORY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 6313, 13 September 1907, Page 2

SERIAL STORY.

(By H. Eider Haggard.)

FAIR mCARET.

CHAPTER XXIII. FATHER HEXEIQUES AND THE BAKER'S OVEN. A week had gone by. Margaret -was in tlio palace, where Peter had been to &O - her twice, and found her brokenhearted. Even the fact that they wore to be wed, upon the following Saturday, the day fixed also for the combat between Peter and Morelia, brought her no Joy or consolation. For on the next day, the Sunday, there was to bo an “Act of Faith,“ an auto da fe, in Seville, when wicked heretics, such as Jews, Moors, and persons who had epoken. blasphemy, were to suffer for their crimes—some by fire on the Quemaclero, or place of burning, outside the city; some by making confession of their grievous sin before they were carried off to jierpetual and solitary imprisonment; some by being garotted before their bodies were given to tho flames, and so forth. In this ceremony it was known that John Casteli had been doomed to play a loading part. On her knees, with tears and beseechings, Margaret had prayed the queen for mercy. But in this matter those tears produced no more effect upon the heart of Isabella than does water dripping on a diamond. Gentle enough in other ways, where questions of the Faith were concerned she had the craft of a fox and the cruelty of a tiger. She was even indignant with Margaret. Had not enough been don© for her, she asked? Had’she not even passed her royal word that no steps should be taken to deprive the accused of such property as he ■ might own in Spain if he were found guilty, and that non© of those penalties which, according to law and custom, fell upon the children of such infamous persons, should attach to her, Margaret? Was she not to bo publicly married to her lover, and, should ho survive the combat, allowed to depart with him in honour, without oven being asked to see her father- expiate his iniquity? Surely, as a good Christian, she should rejoice that ho was given this opportunity of reconciling his soul with God, and be made an example to others of his accursed faith. Was she then a heretic also? So she stormed on, till Margaret crept from her presence wondering whether this creed could be right that* would force the child to inform against and bring the parent to torment. Where were such things written in the sayings of the Saviour and His Apostles? And if they were not written, who had invented them ?

“Save'him !—save him!" Margaret had gasped to Peter in despair. “Save him, or X swear to you, however much I may love you, however much we may seem to be married, never shall you be a husband to me.”

“That seems hard," replied Peter, shaking his head mournfully, "since It was not I who gave him over to those devils, and probably the end of it would be that I should share his fate. Still, I will do what a man can/’

"No, no,” she cried in despair, "do nothing that will bring you Into danger.” But Peter had gone without waiting for her answer. , It was night, and he sat in a secret room in a certain baker's shop in Seville. There were present there beside himself the Pray Henriques, now a secretary to the Holy Inquisition, but disguised as a layman,the woman Inez, the agent Bernaldez, and the old Jew, Israel of Granada.

"I have brought him here, never mind how,” Inez was saying, pointing to Henriques. "A risky business enough. And now what is the use of it?” "No use at all,” answered the Fray coolly, “except to me who pocket my ten gold pieces.” "A thousand doubloons if our friend escapes safe and sound.” put in the old Jew Israel. “God in Heaven! think of it, a thousand doubloons.” The priest’s eyes gleamed hungrily. "I could do with them well enough,” ho answered, “and hell could spare one filthy Jew for ten years or so, but I see no way. What I do see, is that probably all of you will join him- It is a great crime to try to tamper with a servant of the Holy Office.” Bernaldez turned white, and the old Jew bit his nails; but Inez tapped the priest upon the shoulder. "Are you thinking of betraying us?” she asked in her gentle, voice. “Look here, friend, I have some knowledge of poisons, and I swear to you that if you attempt it, you shall die within i week, tied in a double knot, and never know hence the dose came. Or T can bewitch you, I, who have not lived a dozen years among the Moors for nothing, ,so that your head swells and your body wastes, and you utter blasphemies, not knowing what you say, until for very shame’s sake they toast you among the faggots also.” "Bewitch me!” answered Henriques with a shiver. "You have done that already, oy I should not be here.” “Then, if you do not wish to be in another place before your time,” went on Inez, still tapping his shoulder gently. "think, think, and find a way, worthy servant of the Holy Office.” "A thousand doubloons!—a thousand gold doubloons!” croaked old Israel, “or if you fail, sooner or later, this month or next, this year or next, death—death as slow and cruel ,os. we can make it. There are two Inquisitions in Spain, -holy Father; but one of them its business in the dark, and your name is on its ledger.” i Now Henriques was very frightened, as well he might be with all those eyes glaring at him. “You need fear nothing,” he said, "1 know the devilish power of your league too well, and, that if T kill you all, a hundred others I have never seen or heard of would dog me to my' death, who have taken your accursed money." "I am glad that you understand at last, dear friend,” said the soft, mocking voice of Inez, who stood behind the monk like an evil genius, and again tapped him affectionately on the shoulder, this time with the bare blade of a poniard. "Now be quick with that plan of yours. It grows late, and all, holy people should be abed." "I have none. I defy you,” he answered furiously. . "Very well, friend —very well; then I will say good night, or rather farewell; since I am not likely to meet' you again in this world." "Where are you going?” he asked anxiously. "Oh ! to the palace to meet the -Marquis of Morelia and a friend of his, a relation indeed. Look you here. have had an offer of pardon for my part in that marriage if I can prove that a certain base priest knew that ho was perpetrating a fraud. Well, I can prove it—you may remember that you wrote me a note —and, if I do, what happens to such a priest who chances to have incurred the hatred of a grandee of Spain and his noble relation ?" . "I am an officer of the Holy Inquisition ; no one dare touch me,” he gasped.

"Oh! X think that there are some who weald take the risk. For instance—the king." , ,' . ' . Fray Hennques sank back in ms chair. Now he understood whom Inez meant by the noble relative of Morelia/ understood also that he had been trapped. .- 1 "On Sunday morning," he began in a hollow whisper, "the procession will bo formed, and wind through the streets of the city to the theatre, where the sermon will be preached before thosewho are relaxed proceed to the Queraadero. About eight o’clock it turns on to the quay for a little way only, and here there are but few spectators, since j the view of the pageant is bad, nor iej the road guarded there. Now, if a dozen 1

determined men were waiting disguised as peasants with a boat at hand, perhaps they might—" and he paused. Then Peter, who had been watching and listening to ail this play, spoke for the first time, asking: “In such an event, reverend Sir, how would those determined men know which was the victim that they sought?" "The heretic John Castell," he answered, "will be seated on an ass, clad in a zaraarra of sheepskin painted with fiends and a likeness of his own head burning —very well done, for I, who can draw, liad a hand in it. Also, he alone will have a rope round his neck, by which he may be known." ,r Why will he be seated on on ass?" asked Peter savagely. "Because you have tortured him so that he cannot walk?" . “Not so—not so," said the Dominican, shrinking from those fierce eyes. "He has never been questioned at all, not a single turn of the mancuerda, I swear to you, Sir Knight. What was the use, since ho openly avows himself an accursed Jew?"

“Be more gentle in your talk, friend, broke in Inez, with her familiar tap upon tho shoulder. “There are those here who do not think so ill of Jews as you do in your Holy House, and who understand how to apply the uaancuerda, and can make a very serviceable rack out of a plank and a pulley or two such as lie in the next room. Cultivate courtesy, most learned priest, lest before you leave this place you ghould add a cubit to your stature/ “Go on,” growled Peter. “Moreover, added 1 Fray Henriques shakily, “orders came that it was not to be done. The Inquisitors thought that it should be' done, as they believed — doubtless in error—that he might have accomplices whose names he would give up; but the orders said that as he had lived eo long in England, and only recently travelled to Spain, he could have none. Therefore h© is sound—sound as a bell; never before, I am told, has an impenitent Jew gone to the stake in such good case, however worthy and worshipful he might be.” “So much the better for you, if you do not lie/’ answered Peter/ “Continue !” “There is nothing more to say, except that I shall be walking near to him with the two guards, and, of course, if ®o were snatched away from us, and there were no boats handy in which to pursue, w© could not help it, could we? Indeed, we priests, who are men of peace, might even fly at the sight of cruel violence. “I should advise you to fly fast and far/' said Peter. “But, Inez, what hold have you on this friend of yours? He will trick anybody." “A thousand doubloons—a thousand doubloons!” muttered old Israel like a sleepy parrot. “He may think to screw more than that out of the carcases of some of us, old man. Come, Inez, you are quid at this game. How can we best hold him to hie word ?” ~ “Dead, I think," broke in Bernaldez, who knew his danger as the partner and agent of Casteli, and the nominal owner of the ship Margaret, in which' it was purposed that he should ©scape. “We know all he can tell, and if .we let him go he will betray us soon or late. Kill him out of the way, I say, and burn his body in the oven.” ' , Now Henriques fell upon his knees, and with groans and tears began to implore mercy.

“Why do yon complain so?” asked Inez, watching him with reflective eyes, "The end would be much gentler than that you righteous folk mete out to mauy more honest men, yes, and women too. For my • part, I think that tho Senor Bernaldez gives good counsel. Better that yon should die, who arc but one, than all of us and others, for yon will understand that we cannot trust you. Has any one got a rope?” ’ Now Henriques grovelled on the ground, before her, kissing the hem of her robe, and praying her in the name of all the saints-to show pity on one who had been betrayed into this danger by love of her. "Of money 3 t ou moan. Toad/ - * eh® swered, kicking kim with her slippered foot “I bad to listen to your talk o; love while we journeyed together, and before, but here I need net, and if you speak of it again yon shall go Jivinginto that baker’s oven. Oh! you have forgotten it, but I have a long score to settle with yon. You were a familiar of the Holy Office here at Seville—were you not?—before Morelia promoted you for your zeal to Motril, and made you one of his chaplains? Well, I. ha - sister." And she knelt down and whispered a name into his ear. He uttered a sound, it was more of a scream than a gaep. ~ , , ~ ~ "I had nothing to do with her death, he protested. "She was brought within the walls of the Holy House by some one who bad a grudge against her and bore false witness." , , “Yes, I know. It was you who had the grudge, you snake-sonled priest, and it was you w r ho gave the false witness. It was'you, also, who but tho other day volunteered the corroborative evidence that was necessary against Caetell, saying that he had passed the Hood at your house in Motril without doing a reverence,- and other things, .It was yep, too, who urged your superiors to put him bo the question, because you said he was rich and had rich friends, and much money could be wrung out of him and them, whereof you are to get your share. Oh! yes. my information is good, is it not? Even what passes in the dungeons of the Holy House comes to the earn of the woman Inez. Well, do you still think that baker's oven too hot for you? (To he continued In to-morrow's Issue.)