The Daughter of an Empress

"She has therefore come?" cried Corilla, with an outburst of joy.

"She is now here," he laconically said.

Corilla no longer listened to him, she walked back and forth with a

triumphant mien, a cruel, malicious smile playing upon her lips.

At this moment there was a slight knock at the door, which was opened,

and a man who appeared upon the threshold glanced into the room with a

grinning laugh.

Corilla gave him a sign, and at the same time pointed at Carlo, who,

having his back toward her, seemed to have no suspicion of what was

occurring behind him. But he saw it, nevertheless, in the tall mirror

that stood in the middle of the room; he saw Corilla make signs of

intelligence with that man who was in the livery of Cardinal Francesco

Albani; he saw the man make answer with his fingers, and then draw forth

a dagger, which he threateningly swung over his head.

Oh, Carlo had very well understood what that man said, as he also did

that language of the fingers, this much-used language of the Romans and

Neapolitans.

The man had said: "She is here, that beautiful lady! She can no longer

escape us!"

"You will strike her?" had Corilla asked.

The man had swung the dagger over his head and held up two fingers of

his right hand. That signified: "In two hours she will be dead."

"Good! you shall be satisfied with me," had been Corilla's answer.

The door was again closed. Corilla turned smiling to Carlo, her former

rancor seemed to have vanished; she was in high spirits.

"Carlo," said she, "how good you are not to leave me! Let us now begin.

I feel myself glowing with inspiration. Ah, I shall enrapture these good

Romans, I think!"

"How long will this improvisation last?" Carlo gruffly asked.

"Well, one or two hours, according to the delight we give our public."

"If this farce continues longer than an hour and a half, I shall throw

down my harp and go away," said Carlo, in a tone of severity. "I swear

it to you by the spirit of my mother! Remember it; I shall show you the

time every quarter of an hour."

"You are a tyrant," said she, laughing. "But I suppose I must submit.

Give, therefore, the signal that we are ready."