The day of the festival, so long and so impatiently looked for by
Julia, was now arrived. All the neighbouring nobility were invited,
and the gates of the castle were thrown open for a general rejoicing.
A magnificent entertainment, consisting of the most luxurious and
expensive dishes, was served in the halls. Soft music floated along
the vaulted roofs, the walls were hung with decorations, and it seemed
as if the hand of a magician had suddenly metamorphosed this once
gloomy fabric into the palace of a fairy. The marquis, notwithstanding
the gaiety of the scene, frequently appeared abstracted from its
enjoyments, and in spite of all his efforts at cheerfulness, the
melancholy of his heart was visible in his countenance.
In the evening there was a grand ball: the marchioness, who was still
distinguished for her beauty, and for the winning elegance of her
manners, appeared in the most splendid attire. Her hair was ornamented
with a profusion of jewels, but was so disposed as to give an air
rather of voluptuousness than of grace, to her figure.
Although conscious of her charms, she beheld the beauty of Emilia and Julia
with a jealous eye, and was compelled secretly to acknowledge, that
the simple elegance with which they were adorned, was more enchanting
than all the studied artifice of splendid decoration. They were
dressed alike in light Sicilian habits, and the beautiful luxuriance
of their flowing hair was restrained only by bandellets of pearl. The
ball was opened by Ferdinand and the lady Matilda Constanza. Emilia
danced with the young Marquis della Fazelli, and acquitted herself
with the ease and dignity so natural to her. Julia experienced a
various emotion of pleasure and fear when the Count de Vereza, in whom
she recollected the cavalier she had observed from the window, led her
forth.
The grace of her step, and the elegant symmetry of her figure,
raised in the assembly a gentle murmur of applause, and the soft blush
which now stole over her cheek, gave an additional charm to her
appearance.
But when the music changed, and she danced to the soft
Sicilian measure, the airy grace of her movement, and the unaffected
tenderness of her air, sunk attention into silence, which continued
for some time after the dance had ceased. The marchioness observed the
general admiration with seeming pleasure, and secret uneasiness. She
had suffered a very painful solicitude, when the Count de Vereza
selected her for his partner in the dance, and she pursued him through
the evening with an eye of jealous scrutiny. Her bosom, which before
glowed only with love, was now torn by the agitation of other passions
more violent and destructive. Her thoughts were restless, her mind
wandered from the scene before her, and it required all her address to
preserve an apparent ease. She saw, or fancied she saw, an impassioned
air in the count, when he addressed himself to Julia, that corroded
her heart with jealous fury.