A Sicilian Romance

The father paused--his eyes sternly fixed on Julia, who, pale and

trembling, could scarcely support herself, and who had no power to

reply. 'I will be merciful, and not just,' resumed he,--'I will soften

the punishment you deserve, and will only deliver you to your father.'

At these dreadful words, Julia bursting into tears, sunk at the feet

of the Abate, to whom she raised her eyes in supplicating

expression, but was unable to speak. He suffered her to remain in this

posture. 'Your duplicity,' he resumed, 'is not the least of your

offences.--Had you relied upon our generosity for forgiveness and

protection, an indulgence might have been granted;--but under the

disguise of virtue you concealed your crimes, and your necessities

were hid beneath the mask of devotion.'

These false aspersions roused in Julia the spirit of indignant virtue;

she arose from her knees with an air of dignity, that struck even the

Abate. 'Holy father,' said she, 'my heart abhors the crime you

mention, and disclaims all union with it. Whatever are my offences,

from the sin of hypocrisy I am at least free; and you will pardon me

if I remind you, that my confidence has already been such, as fully

justifies my claim to the protection I solicit. When I sheltered

myself within these walls, it was to be presumed that they would

protect me from injustice; and with what other term than injustice

would you, Sir, distinguish the conduct of the marquis, if the fear of

his power did not overcome the dictates of truth?'

The Abate felt the full force of this reproof; but disdaining to

appear sensible to it, restrained his resentment. His wounded pride

thus exasperated, and all the malignant passions of his nature thus

called into action, he was prompted to that cruel surrender which he

had never before seriously intended. The offence which Madame de

Menon had unintentionally given his haughty spirit urged him to

retaliate in punishment. He had, therefore, pleased himself with

exciting a terror which he never meant to confirm, and he resolved to

be further solicited for that protection which he had already

determined to grant. But this reproof of Julia touched him where he

was most conscious of defect; and the temporary triumph which he

imagined it afforded her, kindled his resentment into flame. He mused

in his chair, in a fixed attitude.--She saw in his countenance the

deep workings of his mind--she revolved the fate preparing for her,

and stood in trembling anxiety to receive her sentence. The Abate

considered each aggravating circumstance of the marquis's menace, and

each sentence of Julia's speech; and his mind experienced that vice is

not only inconsistent with virtue, but with itself--for to gratify his

malignity, he now discovered that it would be necessary to sacrifice

his pride--since it would be impossible to punish the object of the

first without denying himself the gratification of the latter. This

reflection suspended his mind in a state of torture, and he sat wrapt

in gloomy silence.