Chapter 17 Suola Sklartica - 2

"Therefore, my dear Rosalind, we are both poor and disinherited. But do you think we are destined to be wretched? We have been driven to despair, and I have the courage to say to you, We love each other, and our will cannot be disturbed by the cruelty and miserliness of our parents. I will take you as my wife after all, and a man of my birth will find a way to live. In this world, I only worry about you being too religious. Do not think that by correspondence with me you are breaking your vows. It is far from it. You are a young wife whose heart has chosen a husband and who is trying to tear you apart. Please have a little courage and above all don't I'm angry. I won't dare you. But I haven't seen you for a fortnight, and it's very painful. My heart is full of love. In the happiest time of my life, we often meet at the festival party, but Out of respect, I have not expressed my feelings so bluntly, and who knows if I will have the opportunity to write to you again in the future? My cousin Sister ×× (I visit her whenever I have time) told me that you should It will take another fortnight to be allowed to go back to the terrace. Every day, at the same time, I will come up to Toled Street, perhaps in disguise, because I don't want to be recognized and laughed at by my new companions, the officers of the Regiment of Guards.

"Since you left, my life has been very different and dull! I only danced once, and it was only when Princess Viciano herself came to my seat and invited me to dance. "We're poor. We need everyone's help. You must be polite, even kind, to your servants. Bepo, the old gardener, worked in my father's garden in Saley for twenty years. He helped me. "I want to tell you something, you probably won't hate it? My mother has a piece of land on the coast of Calapul, two hundred miles from Naples, and the rent is six hundred ducats. My mother loves me very much. As long as I really ask her, she will ask the housekeeper to transfer the land to me at an annual rent of six hundred ducats.I have 120 living expenses per year, and as long as I raise another 480, we can get the renter's income.As this would be considered indecent, I shall have to use the name of the land, which is called... "But I dare not write any further. The thoughts I have revealed to you may offend you: what? To stay away from the noble city of Naples? I am indeed a daredevil to come up with such a crooked idea. But, you have to think, I can also count on the death of some brother.

"Good-bye, Rosalind dear. You may find that I am a serious man. You have no idea how much I have felt since we were separated from you three weeks ago. I feel that this is not life at all. At any rate, please forgive my foolishness." .” Rosalind did not reply to this letter, and several letters followed.During this period, the greatest favor she gave to Genarino was to ask the old Bepo to send him a flower.Now Beppo was friends with Sister Scratica, perhaps because he always told her stories about Genarino's childhood. Genarino hung around the walls of the monastery all day long, and no longer went to society.Except for being fully clothed on duty in the palace, he is not seen in the palace at other times.He led a melancholy life, and it took no exaggeration to convince Sister Sklartica that he would have preferred to die.

This strange love took possession of him, and he was so distressed that he finally ventured to write to his friend, saying that such cold writing could no longer make him happy.He had a thousand words to say to her, and he needed to speak to her face to face and hear her answer right then and there.He asked to hide in the garden of the monastery, accompanied by Beppo, and talk to her under her window. He asked so many times, and Rosalind relented, and allowed him to enter the garden. Such rendezvouses so intoxicated the lovers that they got carried away and often saw each other.Old Bepo, feeling that his presence was superfluous, left the garden gate open and Gennarino closed it when he left.

According to a rule made by St. Benoit himself, in the era of war and chaos, when everyone must be on guard, the nuns must patrol the courtyard and garden when they go to the altar to sing the morning prayer at three o'clock in the morning.In the Abbey of San Petitto, this rule was enforced as follows: the noble girls did not have to get up at two o'clock, and they hired some poor girls to sing the morning scriptures instead of them.When the girls went to the altar, the door of a small house in the garden opened, and there lived three veterans, all over seventy years old.Armed with arms, these veterans appeared to be patrolling the gardens; they also released several large dogs to accompany them in their missions.During the day, the dogs are chained.

Usually, this kind of inspection is silent and nothing happens.But one night, the dog suddenly barked, and the whole monastery was awakened.After releasing the dogs, the veterans went to bed and lay down again. At this time, they ran out quickly, pretended to be patrolling, and fired a few shots.The dean was frightened into panic, not knowing what happened to her family's territory. It turned out that Genarino was so busy talking under Rosalind's window that he forgot the time.With all his strength he was able to escape, but he could not close the garden gate because the dogs were on his heels.The next day Abbot Angela Guestold was very angry when she heard that the dogs were running around in the Arenala woods and even on the plains of Vomero.

She thought the garden gate must be open when the dog barked. Taking into account the reputation of the monastery, the abbot only said that the veterans had neglected their duties and allowed thieves to sneak into the garden.She fired them and replaced them with a new batch.The move caused a stir in the monastery, with many nuns complaining that the measure was too arbitrary. At night, the gardens of the monastery are not deserted.But the nuns just passed by without stopping.Only Don Genarino, so obsessed with love that he almost spoiled all the love in the convent by asking his lover for a tryst in the dormitory.Fortunately, early the next morning, he wrote a long letter to Rosalind, requesting to go to her dormitory.However, his request was not accepted until Rosalind thought of a way to alleviate her inner anxiety.

As mentioned above, Rosalind's dormitory has three rooms, like all the daughters of princes who will become first-class nuns.The last room has never been entered by anyone, and it is only separated from the wardrobe by a wooden wall.Genarino took down a board about a foot square, and every night, after sneaking into the convent from the garden, he stuck his head out of this hole to have long conversations with his girlfriend. This blissful tryst continued for a long time, and Genarino asked for other favors.However, two nuns, already of old age, also received their lovers through the garden.They found that the young Marquis was handsome and personable, and they were moved unconsciously, so they determined to snatch him from Rosalind, an insignificant novice nun.They accosted Genarino, and to get ahead of others, they accused him of sneaking into the convent's gardens and dormitories.

When Gennarino understood their intentions, he told them that he had not come to make love secretly, but only to have fun.He asked them to mind their own business. This answer is extremely dishonest.Even today, on such an occasion, people dare not answer like that.The two elderly nuns suddenly had an unknown fire, and regardless of the time being nearly two o'clock in the morning, they rushed to call the dean. Fortunately the two nuns did not know the young Marquis.The dean was originally his aunt, that is, his grandfather's sister.She is deeply concerned with the honor and prosperity of the family.She knew that the young Sovereign Charles III was stern and decisive in upholding the canons, so she might tell her princely nephew about Genarino's dangerous nonsense.If so, Gennarino might have been sent to Spain, or at least to Sicily, to serve.

The two nuns finally ran to the dean's dormitory and woke her up.As soon as the pious and industrious abbot realized what a terrible crime this was, he ran to Sister Sklartica's dormitory. Genarino did not tell Rosalind about his encounter with the two elderly nuns.While he was chatting leisurely with her in the room next to the wardrobe, he suddenly heard the front bedroom door being pushed open suddenly. The two lovers were originally in the half-bright starlight, and the people who came in following the dean carried seven or eight lamps, and the strong light made them unable to open their eyes.

Everyone in Naples knew what dangers a nun, an ordinary novice, ran when receiving men in rooms called ashrams.Gennarino naturally understood this too.The window of the cloakroom happened to be wide open, and he jumped from there into the garden without hesitation. The crime is obvious.Sklartica made no excuses for himself.Dean Angela Guestodt began the interrogation on the spot.She was a tall, thin, pale woman of forty, of the noblest family in the kingdom.She has dealt with various situations, showing the ability to make good decisions.She had the guts necessary to have the canon enforced.After the young king made it clear that he wanted to be an autocratic monarch, he announced loudly that "everything must have rules", and he must implement the rules meticulously. Since then, the Abbot has enforced the canon more severely.Besides, Abbot Angela Guestold was from the Castro Piano family.Since the Duke of Anjou, brother of Saint-Louis, came to the throne, the family had been at odds with that of the Prince de Viciano. Poor Sklartica was caught red-handed talking to a young man in his room in the middle of the night.Under the light, she covered her face with her hands, feeling extremely ashamed, never expecting to let them see the most important fact at the critical moment when the dean and the others just broke in. She only said one thing that was completely unfavorable to her.She repeated twice: "This young man is my husband!" This sentence brings to mind something that did not happen.The two whistleblowers were very unhappy.Or the dean is just.She reminded everyone that, according to the circumstances of the scene, the damned libertine broke into the inner courtyard of the convent, but at least not into the bedroom of the bewildered novice nun.He just sneaked into the cloakroom and removed a wooden board that separated the cloakroom from Sister Sklartica's bedroom.She was talking to him, no doubt, but he never entered the nun's room, for when they broke into the room and met them on the spot, the rascal was still in the wardrobe, from where he had escaped. Poor Sklartica was devastated.She allowed them to take her to a cell.The cells are almost entirely underground, connected to the "death cell" of this noble monastery. "Death Row" was carved out of a soft rock. On this rock today stands the magnificent Studi Palace.The cell was reserved for nuns or novice nuns who had been sentenced or caught red-handed for serious crimes.This condition was engraved on the door of the cell.This was not the case with Sister Sklartica.In fact, the dean also knew that it was too much, but she thought that the king liked harsh punishments, and, considering that the incident happened in her own dukedom, it would be better to deal with it harshly.She thought it would be good enough for the girl to point out that she was not receiving in her bedroom that odious fellow who had the intention of discrediting the noble convent. Sklartica was kept alone in a dungeon.The cell was five or six feet lower than the nearby flat ground, and was dug out of a piece of soft rock.Just now, the strong light pierced her eyes, and she felt that it was accusing her of doing something ugly.Now, alone, out of the light, she felt a sense of relief. "Which of these proud nuns has the right to do this to me?" She thought, "Yes, I have received at night the young man I love, whom I wish to marry, but never in my bedroom. Many of these women, it is said, have pledged their lives to God , but often tryst with men at night. Since I entered the monastery, I have also seen some things, which made me form the same opinion as the public. "Those women openly declare that San Petitto's is not, as the College of Thirty would like it to be, a place of abstinence. It is only a respectable retreat where poor girls of noble families who are unfortunate enough to have brothers can An austere life is lived here. They are not required to be celibate and shut up, for all this only aggravates their misery of wanting nothing. As for me, to tell the truth, I only come here to obey the will of my parents. But Genarino loves me, and I love him, and we both plan to get married, despite our poverty, and live in a small village by the sea, two hundred miles from Naples, past Salina. Her mother promised to give the land I gave him the rental right because it only brought an income of five hundred ducatos to the family. His living expenses as a son cost forty ducatos a month. After I got married, it was impossible for my family to refuse me the equivalent of this amount. living expenses, there is a lawsuit, and after the fight, there will still be ten ducatos a month. We have made many accounts, and these small sums are added up, and we can live. Although we cannot afford servants, but We have all the necessities of material life, and life is good. The difficulty is to obtain the consent of our proud parents, so that we can live like ordinary people. Genarino believes that as long as he changes his name, his father, the Duke, will not affect the reputation of his father. That's it." These thoughts, and others like them, gave poor Sklartica hope.There are nearly one hundred and fifty nuns in the convent.They thought it would be very beneficial to the reputation of the monastery to catch the tryst on the spot the night before.Since the whole city of Naples is saying that these women receive their lovers, well, now a girl of noble birth has been caught, and she is not good at self-defense, so she can be severely punished according to the canon.The only thing to watch out for is that during the pre-trial period, she should not be allowed to have any contact with her family.When it came time for the official trial, even if her family wanted to intervene, there was nothing they could do to stop the torture in the courtyard.Such a move would restore the honor of the aristocratic monastery in Naples, and indeed in the whole kingdom. Dean Angela Guestold convened the Senate.The Senate is composed of seven nuns.They are elected by everyone from among the nuns over the age of seventy.Sklartica again declined to answer questions.So she was sent to a room with only one window.Outside the window is a high wall.There, two orderly nuns watched her from a distance.She can't talk to anyone. The great families in Naples had relations in the Abbey of San Petitto.This unusual thing happened in the courtyard, and the outside world soon knew it.The archbishop asked the dean to report on the situation.The dean was afraid of affecting the reputation of the courtyard, so he said the matter lightly. The archbishop can hear the case in his own court.But considering that Prince Bisiano's family is related to the nobles and dignitaries of the kingdom, he felt that he should report to the king.The king was a "man of order" and was furious after hearing the archbishop's report.When the King received the Archbishop, the Duke of Vaja del Pardo was present.He didn't know that Sister Sklartica was Rosalind. He heard that the nun had committed promiscuous behavior, and he suggested that the young king should punish him severely. "May Your Majesty always remember: He who does not fear God does not fear the King!" Back at the palace, the archbishop referred the ignominious case to the archbishop's court.A deputy bishop, two prosecutors and a court clerk were stationed in the monastery, preparing for the confession and preliminary hearing.But from Sister Sklartica's mouth, these gentlemen always got only this answer: "I did not commit a crime, I am innocent. That's all I can ever say. That's all I can say. " The legally mandated pre-trial period is almost over.The abbot wishes to do everything possible to avoid dishonoring the monastery.At her request, the pre-trial period was extended.But the extended deadline has come, and the court still has not obtained any incriminating evidence. That is to say, according to the testimony of the dean, the witnesses did not see Sister Sklartica staying in the same room with a man, but only saw a man walk from The separated neighboring room escaped.The nun was sentenced to confinement until she revealed the name of the man she had spoken to in the next room. When Sister Sklartica was brought up the next day for the first trial of the old congregation of nuns presided over by the Abbot, the Abbot seemed to have a change of heart.She thought it was a dangerous thing to let a malicious public know about the chaos inside the monastery. The public will say that what you punished was just an affair that went wrong.But we know that there are hundreds more of these things.Since a young king is in charge, and he professes to have the courage and sense to act according to the law (which has never happened before in the history of our country), why don't we take this opportunity to do something for the monastery?This was more beneficial than condemning ten nuns before the archbishop of Naples and the deliberative priests he had summoned to form the lower court.I wish to punish the man who dared to sneak into the monastery.It is far more useful to put one handsome young man of the palace in prison for a few years than to sentence a hundred nuns.Besides, it was only fair to do so: it was the man who took the initiative. To be sure, Sister Sklartica did not receive the man in her bedroom.May all the nuns in the convent be so cautious!She'll tell the foolish boy, and I'll go to the palace to find out.In fact, she didn't commit any major crimes, we just give her a little punishment. It was not easy for the dean to get the old nuns to accept her opinion, but her background, especially her relationship in the palace was much tougher than theirs after all, and they had no choice but to accept it.The dean thought that the trial would end soon, but the situation was quite different from what she had expected. Sklartica knelt before the judge, prayed, and then, as in the old days, said a few words: "I don't think of myself as a nun. I met the young man in society. Although we were both poor, But we plan to get married." These words violated the basic tenets of the monastery, and in the monastery of San Petitto, it was considered a heinous crime. "But the name! The young man's name!" cried the abbot, who interrupted Sklartica hastily, fearing that Sklartica would speak further about the marriage. But Sklartica replied: "You must never wonder. He will be my husband, and I will not betray him." Sure enough, no matter how pressed by the dean and the old nuns, Sklartica never uttered Genarino's name.The dean even said such words: "As long as you say a word, I will forgive you everything and send you back to the dormitory immediately." But the girl crossed herself, saluted deeply, and then Said she couldn't say a word. She knew that Genarino was the great-nephew of the terrible abbot. "They've said many times," she thought, "that I'll be forgiven if I give his name. But the lightest punishment for him is to send him to Sicily or Spain. Then I'll never see him again." .” The dean took nothing out of Sklartica's mouth, and in his anger and annoyance, he completely forgot about the plan of lenient punishment for her.She hastened to the Archbishop's Palace to report to him the proceedings of the previous night. The king wishes to take the case seriously.The archbishop took the matter very seriously in order to please the king.However, all the parish priests in the capital and the spies directly under the archbishop's jurisdiction were mobilized, but there was still no result.The archbishop reported the situation to the king.The King immediately referred the case to the Minister of Police.The Minister of Police said to the king: "I think that the young man who sneaked into the wardrobe of San Pettito Abbey, whether he belonged to the court or a wealthy family in Naples, would have to bleed. Your Majesty must make an example to others, so that peace can last forever." The king agrees with this reasoning.The Minister of Police then presented him with a list containing the names of two hundred and forty-seven persons.Anyone who had the slightest chance of entering a noble monastery was treated with suspicion. A week later, the police arrested Genarino on the basis of some simple signs observed. For six months, he had become extremely frugal, almost to the point of miserliness, and since the night of the accident in the convent, his way of life seemed to be Totally changed. The minister of police informed the abbot to verify the reliability of these signs.So the dean sent someone to bring Sklartica out of the semi-underground confinement room.Just when the dean urged her to be honest, the Minister of Police came in and told the dean in front of Sklartica that the young Gennarino of Las Flor's family tried to escape and was shot dead by the police. . Sklartica suddenly fainted to the ground. "Finally, we have evidence." The Minister of Police exclaimed triumphantly, "Six sentences from me are more effective than your six-month investigation, Dean!" But the dean's reaction was extremely indifferent, and he couldn't help being stunned. According to the custom of this court, the Minister of Police was no more than a minor lawyer.Therefore, the dean thought it would be wise to appear arrogant in front of him.Besides, Genarino was her great-nephew, and the incriminating materials about him would be presented directly to the King.She fears it will damage her noble family. The Minister of Police knew that he was hated by the nobles, so he only put his hope of promotion and fortune on the king.In spite of all the pleas of Lord Lars Flor, he seized on the clues and pursued him.Things began to circulate in the palace.The Minister of Police has always avoided other people's comments, but this time he went uncharacteristically and tried his best to fuel the flames and incite public opinion. The Minister of Police arranged a confrontation between Gennarino of Lars Flores, standard-bearer of the Guards, and Rosalind of the Viscianos, now San Petitto. Sister Novice, whose given name is Sklartica.It was such a good show.All the ladies of the court came to watch. For this purpose, the inner church of the monastery was hung with curtains and decorated solemnly.The Minister of Police invited the nuns to watch the scene of Gennarino of Lars Flor, the standard-bearer of the Legion of Preliminary Guards.The Minister of Police also spread the word that Genarino would be sentenced to death and that Sister Sklartica would be sentenced to life imprisonment.But it was well known that the King would not have dared to put to death a member of the illustrious Russ Flor family for such a slight transgression. The inner church of San Petitto Monastery is magnificently decorated.Many nuns will inherit all the property left to them by their families in their later years, if they have not made a vow to remain poor.In this case, generally conscientious families spend one-fourth or one-sixth of their property income for their spending, and this is only in their twilight years. The money was used to decorate the outer chapel for the public, and the inner chapel for nuns to pray and hold ceremonies.In the Abbey of San Petitto, the inner chapel, the altar for the nuns, and the outer chapel, where the public is received, are separated by a sixty-foot-high gilded fence. Normally, the huge gates are only opened in the presence of the Archbishop of Naples. Now, the confrontation ceremony is about to begin, and the gates have been opened.All the titled ladies went to the altar.Archbishops, untitled dames and men remain in the outer chapel.Near the door, an iron chain was stretched horizontally, and some believers gathered behind it. A huge green silk drapery, which had hung on the inside of the sixty-foot-high grating, was moved inside the altar and hung from the vault.A ribbon four inches wide, with the name of the Virgin coiled in a beautiful design, shone in the middle of the hangings.Behind the curtain, a little farther on, stands Sklartica's kneeling stool.As soon as her few brief sentences were finished, the curtain fell from the dome and separated her from the public.The confrontation ceremony ended solemnly, leaving a feeling of horror and sorrow in all hearts.The poor girl seemed cut off from the living ever since. To the dismay of the beautiful ladies of the Naples court, the confrontation lasted only a few minutes.Young Rosalind, according to the ladies of the court, looked more attractive than ever in her modest novice attire.She was just as beautiful as when she attended court balls with her stepmother, Princess Piciano.Her countenance grew thin and pale, more pitiful. After all the members of the convent sang "The Creator Comes" by Pegolaz, Sklartica spoke.She had not seen her lover for nearly a year, and was intoxicated with love and happiness.She said softly: "I don't know this gentleman. I haven't seen him." The Minister of Police was furious when he heard this and saw that the curtain had fallen.This meant that the good show he had painstakingly arranged for the court had ended in a hasty way with some absurdity.Before leaving the monastery, he threatened aggressively. When Don Genarino was brought back to prison, he was told all that had been said by the Minister of Police.His friends did not abandon him.They respected him not because of his love.A man of our age tells us his passionate love, don't believe it, we will think he is pretentious, believe it, and we will envy him again. In desperation, Don Genarino told his friends that, as a man of honor, he must save Scolatica from danger.These words left a deep impression on my friends. The jailer who guarded Don Genarino had a beautiful wife.She went to her husband's protector and said that her husband had long asked for the prison wall to be repaired.This is known beyond all doubt. "Well," added the pretty woman, "from this well-known fact, your lordship will reward us with a chance of earning a thousand ducats. This money will make us live well forever. Gennarino, the son of Lars Flor, was imprisoned only because he was suspected of entering a monastery. You know, my lord, that is not an Italian composer (—). The princes and nobles of Les have all found mistresses there, so they should be even more suspicious.The young master's friend gave my husband a thousand ducats to let the young master go away.My husband would spend half a month or a month in prison for this.We beg you to protect him, don't remove him, let him stay in prison for a while and come out of this job. " The protector felt that this method of extra mercy was very simple, so he agreed. This is not the only help that friends give to young prisoners.They both had relatives at the Abbey of San Petitto, and they intensified their concern for them.As a result, Don Genarino knew everything about Sister Scratica. On a stormy night, at nearly one o'clock in the morning, with the help of his friends, Genarino swaggered out of the prison gate.The jailers have pushed down the prison platform.He created the illusion that the prisoner escaped from there. There was a Spanish deserter, with a strong temperament, who liked to do dangerous errands for young people in Naples.Don Gennarino, with his help, on the wind, and at the facility of Beppo (whose friendship remained faithful to him in this perilous situation), finally entered the gardens of the monastery.In spite of the storm, the dogs sniffed him out and sprang at him at once.They were so strong and strong that Genarino might have been frightened by them had he been alone.But they are two people. He fought back to back with Spanish deserters, and finally killed two and wounded one. The barking of the injured dog attracted a night watchman.It was in vain that Don Genarino gave him money and explained to him the truth.The night watchman is a devout believer, extremely afraid of hell, but not afraid of death.Wounded in a fight with Don Gennarino, he was tied to a thick olive tree with a handkerchief stuck in his mouth. The two fight charges went a long way.The storm seemed to be a little smaller.But the most difficult thing was yet to come, and he had to enter the confinement room. Sister Sklartica was brought bread and water by two orderly nuns every twenty-four hours.That night, they were frightened by the thunderstorm and bolted the iron-clad gates.Gennarino couldn't open them with a pry bar or a false key.Spanish deserters can climb walls, and he helps Genarino climb onto a small roof.Below the house was a well dug out of the Arenara rock to serve as a confinement chamber. The two nuns were even more terrified when they saw the two muddy men jumping from above.Two men rushed at them, gagged them and tied them up. The next step is to break into the confinement room.This is not an easy task.Genarino found a large bunch of keys from the Sister Sister, but there were many wells with the same flap door, and the Sister Sister refused to tell them which door Sister Sklartica was locked in.The Spanish deserters drew their daggers and stabbed them in order to force them to speak. But Genarino knew that Sklartica was extremely kind, and worried that such violence would offend her.The Spaniard said over and over again: "My lord, we are wasting time. There is no other way but to use a knife." Genarino didn't listen to him, and insisted on opening the doors one after another. Finally, more than three quarters of an hour later, there was a slight answer.Don Genarino immediately rushed down a winding staircase.The spiral staircase was dug out of soft rock, with as many as 80 steps. After long-term wear and tear, it almost turned into a steep path, slippery and very difficult to walk. Sister Sklartica had not seen the light of day for thirty-seven days, where she had been imprisoned since her confrontation with Genarino.She was dazzled at the sight of the little lamp the Spaniard was carrying, and wondered what was happening.When she finally recognized Don Gennarino, covered in mud and blood, she threw herself into his arms and fainted. Don Genarino was at a loss as to what to do, mixed with grief and joy. "Don't delay, hurry up." The Spaniard was more experienced than him, and reminded loudly. The two of them lifted the unconscious Sister Sklartica and climbed the broken and broken stone staircase with difficulty.After arriving at the room where the nuns lived, the Spaniard had a good idea and found a large gray cloth cape to wrap around the newly awakened Sister Sklartica. The door opens onto the garden.They unbolt the door.The Spaniards charged forward with swords in hand.Genarino followed with Sklartica on his back.But they heard a commotion in the garden, and their hearts trembled: it was some soldiers. Just now, the Spaniard wanted to kill the night watchman with a knife, but was stopped by Genarino. "But, my lord, we invaded the inner courtyard and committed the crime of blasphemy. Whether we kill him or not, we will be sentenced to death. This guy will do us bad things. It's better to kill him." These words did not move Genarino.The fellow was bound in a hurry, and soon broke free from the rope, and ran to wake the other guards, and to the Toled Street Guard for soldiers. "It's not easy to get away from here, especially to send the lady out!" cried the Spaniard. "I was right, and it will take three people to do it together." Hearing the voice, two soldiers came up to them.The Spaniard knocked one down with his sword.The other, trying to raise his gun to shoot, tripped over a bush, and the Spaniards took advantage of the opportunity to cut him down as well.It's just that this guy didn't die immediately, and even yelled a few times. Genarino walked towards the door with Scolatica on his back.Spaniards served as guards.Genarino started to run.The Spaniard swung his longsword and drove back a few soldiers who came too close. Luckily the thunderstorm started again.The downpour made it easier for them to break out of the encirclement.Only one soldier was stabbed by the Spaniards and fired in a hurry.The bullet grazed Genarino's left arm.Hearing gunshots, another eight or nine soldiers ran from the depths of the garden. To tell the truth, Genarino had been brave in the retreat, but the Spaniard had shown his military prowess even more. "We have at least twenty opponents. One wrong move and we're finished. Miss will be poisoned as our accomplice.It is impossible for her to prove that she is not in collusion with the adults.I've seen this happen a lot.We must quickly hide her in the bushes and let her lie on the ground.We cover her with a cape.As for us, first touch the soldiers and lead them to the garden side.We want to convince them as much as possible that we escaped over the wall.Then we come back here and try to get the lady out. " "I don't want to be separated from you," Scolatica said to Genarino, "I'm not afraid, and I feel very happy to die with you." These are her first words. "I can walk," she added. Not far from her, a gunshot sounded, interrupting her speech.Thankfully no one was hurt.Genarino held Sklartica in his arms again.She is thin and small, and it is not difficult to hold her.At this time, there was a flash of lightning, and he saw more than a dozen soldiers on the left, so he ran to the right.Thanks to his quick reflexes, he escaped catastrophe, because at almost the same moment, twelve bullets passed through a small olive tree... "Leave the nun," Beppo called to him, "or it will be the end of both of us." .” ①①This paragraph is supplemented according to an outline fragment. —Original note Genarino left Sklartica in a thick undergrowth.She is still unconscious.士兵们都去追热纳里诺了，贝波便趁机背起罗莎琳德，一直跑到街上，弄来水浇在她脸上，然后关上花园门，去睡觉了。这时大约是凌晨一点。将近三点钟时，一股凉意使罗莎琳德苏醒过来。她走到了沃梅罗平原。因为天要亮了，她便躲到一个农民家里，要求借套服装换一换。 “我要再被抓回去，就难免一死了。”她对农民说。农民听说过禁闭室的残酷，怜悯之情油然而生，便把妻子的衣服拿给她穿。不过他是瓦加·代尔·帕多公爵的佃农。 晚上，主人回到城堡，佃农便把事情一五一十地向他报告。 公爵是个虔诚的天主教徒。他来到田庄，吩咐对逃出来的修女采取严厉措施。可是，当他认出罗莎琳德时，不觉大吃一惊。 ……瓦加公爵认为不幸的罗莎琳德失踪了。他四处奔走寻找，都没有打听到她的下落，因为他不知道她已改名为苏奥拉·斯科拉蒂卡①。 他的本名瞻礼日到了。那一天，他大开府门，接待所有熟识的官员。这些身着戎装的军官看见一个女人，一个杂务①从本段开始，我们原文照录了作者年月日口授的一个简略的提纲。——原注修女模样的人来到候见室，都感到十分惊奇。她在身上裹了一条长长的黑纱，显然是为了不让人根据衣着认出她的身份，这样一来，她就像一个苦修赎罪的平民寡妇。 公爵的仆人准备把她赶出去。她往下一跪，从口袋里掏出一串长长的念珠，念念有辞地祈祷起来。她就用这样的姿态等候公爵出来。不久，公爵的首席内侍过来搀她起来。这时她先不作声，把一枚极为精美的钻戒拿给他看，然后说：“我以圣母的名字起誓，我决不向公爵阁下祈求任何施舍。看到这枚戒指，公爵大人就知道我是以谁的名义来这里的了。” 这些话使得公爵极为好奇。他匆匆忙忙结束了与两三位头等贵宾的谈话，把他们打发走。然后，他以地道西班牙式的高雅的礼貌，请求那些军官允许他先接见一个完全陌生的修女。 杂务修女一进公爵的工作室，看到房里只有她与公爵两人，便跪倒在地。 “斯科拉蒂卡修女不幸之至。似乎整个世界都要与她为敌。 她让我把这枚精美戒指交给大人您。她说您知道在她变得不幸之前送她戒指的人。靠这个人的帮助，您可以获准派遣某个心腹去探望斯科拉蒂卡修女。不过，她关在死牢里，要去看她须得到大主教的特别批准。 " 公爵认出了钻戒。虽然年老了，他仍然激动万分，好不容易才吐出几个字来：“你说，你说，罗莎琳德关在哪家修道院？” “圣·佩蒂托。” “派你来的那个人的吩咐，我一定照办不误。” “我的使命只要引起了上面的怀疑，我就完了。” 公爵迅速扫视了一下书案，拿起一帧钻石镶边的国王画像，说：“这幅神圣的画像，你永远随身带着，就有权在任何时候晋见陛下。这一袋钱，你交给被你称作苏奥拉·斯科拉蒂卡的人。这一袋小点的是给你的，不管出现什么情况，你都会得到我的保护。” 好心的修女接过钱袋，倒在一张桌子上数起金币的数目来。 “尽快回到罗莎琳德身边去。别数了。甚至我都要考虑把你藏起来。我的内侍会领你从花园里的一张门出去，坐上我的马车，到城市的另一端。你小心隐藏好。明天中午十二点到两点钟，你要想尽一切办法到我的阿莱纳拉花园来。那里的人都是西班牙人，靠得住。” 公爵再度出现在军官们面前，向他们表示歉意，但他那惨白的脸色早把歉意表示了出来。 “先生们，有一件紧急事情，使我不得不立即出门。我只能明早七点再接待诸位，并感谢诸位的光临。” 瓦加公爵立即来到王后的宫殿。王后一见到她从前赐给罗莎琳德的戒指，眼泪就不住往下掉。王后一起与瓦加公爵去见国王。他看到公爵神色不安，很是关心。到底他是个英明的君主，最先提出了理智的意见：“千万不要引起大主教怀疑。即使杂务修女不用我的画像做护身符，躲过了大主教的密探，也要注意这一点。现在我明白了两星期前大主教去他在×××地方'茅屋'的用意。” “如果陛下许可，我将派人封锁港口，禁止所有去×××地方的船只出港。登船的人将被带到俄福城堡，他们在那里会受到很好的对待。” “去吧。安排好了再来报告。”国王对他说，“塔律西（堂·卡洛斯的首相）不喜欢这类特殊措施，因为它们容易招来议论。不过我不会跟他说的。他对大主教已经够恨的了。” 瓦加公爵向副官下达了命令，然后又回到国王身边。王后刚才昏了过去。国王正在照料她。王后有副慈悲心肠，她想，假若杂务修女进公爵府时被人发现，那么罗莎琳德就会被人毒死。公爵好言相慰，终于使王后完全放心。 “幸好大主教不在那不勒斯，目前刮的是东南方向的热风，坐船去×××地方，至少要两个钟头。大主教不在那不勒斯时，由议事司铎锡博代行大主教职务。那是个严厉得冷酷无情的人。不过，没有上司明确的命令，他是不敢擅自处决人的。” “我要打乱大主教的部署。”国王说，“我把锡博司铎召到宫里，把他一直留到晚上。这家伙的侄子杀死了一个农民。星期天晋见我的时候，他恳求我开恩赦免他侄儿。” 国王走进理政厅，准备签发命令。 “公爵，你有把握救出罗莎琳德吗？”王后问道。 “与大主教这个家伙打交道，我还真没有把握。” “塔律西推荐他去当红衣主教，把他从我们身边赶走，还真做对了。” “对的。”公爵说，“本来想让他去罗马当驻教廷的使节，把他从这里赶走。不过这家伙到了那边，搞起阴谋来比在这里更坏。” 这番简短的谈话之后，国王回来了。三人又商量了一阵。 最后，公爵得到许可，立即去圣·佩蒂托修道院，以王后的名义，了解比西亚诺亲王家据说已死的罗莎琳德的情况。去修道院以前，公爵去会见了堂娜·费迪南达。这样一来人家就会以为他是从她那儿获悉罗莎琳德遇到了危险。瓦加公爵心急如焚，在比西亚诺亲王家待了不久就告辞了。 公爵来到圣·佩蒂托修道院。从站在外门口的杂务修女开始，他发现这里人人神情怪异，心事重重。他是奉王后之命来的，有权立即见到安琪拉·德·卡斯特罗·皮亚诺修道院长。然而，人家却让他等了要命的二十分钟。在大厅下面，可以见到一道旋梯的出口。旋梯似乎通到很深的地下。公爵认为他可能永远见不到美丽的罗莎琳德了。 院长终于露面了，显得神慌意乱。公爵灵机一动，改变了话题：“比西亚诺亲王昨晚中风，情况危险。临死前他一定要见到女儿罗莎琳德。他让人请求陛下下令把罗莎琳德小姐接出修道院。国王尊重这家贵族修道院的特权，特派一名大员，也就是本人，国王的侍从长前来传达命令。” 一听此话，院长赶忙跪倒在公爵脚下。 “我将向陛下本人报告我无法服从王命的原因。公爵先生，我尊重您本人和您的尊严，我在您面前的姿势就是明证。” “她死了！”公爵吼道，“可是我以圣热纳洛的名义起誓，我非要见到她不可！” 公爵怒不可遏，嚯地一下抽出剑来。他推开门，唤来守在院长的一间头等客厅里的副官，对他说：“抽出你的剑吧，阿特利公爵！叫我的两个传令兵过来。 这里有一桩生死攸关的大事要办。国王要我找到年轻的罗莎琳德公主。 " 安琪拉院长站起来，想溜走。 “别走，院长。”公爵喝道，“你将作为囚犯，关进圣－艾姆城堡。到那时你才能离开我。我们就在这里讲好。” 公爵惶惶不安，试图为自己侵犯修道院内院寻找理由。他寻思：“这家修道院这么大，要是院长不肯带路，两个龙骑兵的长剑又吓不倒她，那我岂不像个迷路人，四处瞎撞。” 公爵紧握住院长的手腕，留心她耍什么花招。院长领公爵来到一道宽大的楼梯前。楼梯通到一间一半在地下的大厅。 公爵看到事情有可能成功，而且除了阿特利公爵与两名龙骑兵（他们的马靴踏得楼梯嘎嘎直响）外，没有别的见证人，认为可以对院长来一番威胁。最后他来到上文所说的大厅。里面光线黯淡，只在祭坛上插了四支蜡烛作为照明。两个还算年轻的修女躺在地上，像是中了毒，全身痉挛，行将死去。还有三个修女，跪在二十几步远的地方，正在作忏悔。议事司铎锡博坐在祭坛前一张圈椅上，脸色苍白毫无表情。他后面站着两个高大的小伙子。都低着头，尽量不看倒在祭坛前的两名修女。那两人穿的深绿色丝袍随着身体的痉挛而颤动。 公爵迅速扫视了一遍这个可怕的场面，看清了场上的所有人物。当他注意到罗莎琳德坐在离三个作忏悔的修女几步远的一个草垫上时，突然喜出望外，也顾不上什么礼仪，就朝她跑过去，用表示亲近的称呼“你”来问她：“你服了毒药？” “没有。我不会服的。”她回答，颇为冷静，“我不愿效法这些冒失的姑娘。” “小姐，你得救了，我带你去见王后。” “公爵阁下，我想您不会忘记大主教法庭的权利。”议事司铎锡博坐在圈椅上说。 公爵明白该和谁打交道，便走到祭坛前跪下，对锡博说：“代理主教议事司铎大人，根据最近的政教和解协议，这类判决只有国王签了字才能执行。” 锡博立即尖刻地反驳道：“公爵阁下出言武断了一点：在场的罪犯都经过合法审判，她们自己也承认犯了读圣罪。但教会并没有对她们处以任何刑罚。根据您对我说的话以及我现在看到的景像，我猜想这两个不幸的女人是服了毒药。” 锡博教士的话，瓦加公爵只听清了一半，因为阿特利公爵的嗓子盖住了他的声音。阿特利公爵跪在两个垂死的修女身边。她们在石板地上抽搐，剧烈的痛苦似乎使她们完全意识不到自己的举动。其中一个大约三十岁，生得天姿国色，好像进入谵妄状态，把自己的袍子撕到胸口，大叫道：“救我呀！救我呀！救一救我这个高贵的姑娘！” 公爵站起来，他在王后客厅里的那副高雅派头又显了出来。 “小姐，你的健康没受一点损害吗？” “我没有服毒，公爵大人，”罗莎琳德回答说，“但这并不妨碍我感觉到，是您救了我的性命。” “我没有任何功劳。”公爵说，“国王从忠实的臣民那里得到消息后，派人把我召来，告诉我有人在这家修道院谋反。我们要制止谋反者的行动。现在，”他望了罗莎琳德一眼，补充说，“我该听您吩咐了。小姐，您是否愿意随我去向王后谢恩？” 罗莎琳德站起身，挽住公爵的手臂，朝楼梯走去。走到门口，瓦加公爵对阿特利公爵说：“我命你把锡博大人和在场的那两位先生关起来，每人一个房间。同样，安琪拉院长也要关起来。你还要下去，把牢房打开，释放所有的女犯人。我是转达陛下的命令，谁敢违抗，就把他关进单人牢房。陛下希望把要求朝见他的人都送进宫里。你别耽搁时间，快把这里的几个人关押起来。我马上给你派几名医生和一营近卫军来。” 说完，他又向阿特利公爵示意还有话要讲。走到楼梯口，他说：“亲爱的公爵，你也明白，不能让锡博和院长统一口径。 过五分钟，一营近卫军将开到这里，由你指挥。在通往大街或花园的门口安排一个哨兵。要出去的放行，要进来的不准。 你派人搜索花园，把所有参与谋反的人，包括花匠在内，都分开关押。好好照料那两个中毒的姑娘。 " ……挑起嫉妒心，使堂·热纳里诺终于开枪自杀①。 ①从此句开始的部分又是一个提纲，口授于年月日。——原注阿卡维瓦大主教答应比西亚诺亲王的指导神甫，只要他使堂娜·费尔南达王妃相信堂·热纳里诺钟情于罗莎琳德，就让他晋升为大教堂的议事司铎。大主教通过这一办法，使头脑简单的堂·热纳里诺痛苦不安。 使用某些语句，如：他戴假发，吸烟，等来改变愚蠢的赞赏风格。 采纳一些主意，如：在那不勒斯，经常看到一些秀美的眼睛，可是它们像荷马笔下朱诺的眼睛，没有任何表情。剔除远离人心的磅礴气势（有一字无法辨认），人心具有谦虚、自然、敏感和德国式的淳朴。 王后说：“我劝你尽早结婚。你有了丈夫，我就让你成为宫中的贵妇。你一旦从属于我，教士就不敢迫害你了。想到这件事，你会有不少苦恼的。我也不想为瓦加说情，以某种方式去劝你和他结婚。但是你如果这样做了，我和国王将很高兴。” ……瓦加派比通托部一个营去把守圣·佩蒂托贵族修道院的大门。国王甚为生气。 “目的都达到了，何必要引起公众议论呢？” “面对这样一个不可一世的教士（他可能里通外国，把敌人引进你的国家），面对罗马教廷，唯一的理由，就是圣·佩蒂托修道院里有人谋反。我看到议事司铎锡博盯着我的探究的目光和冷峻的脸色，我就相信必须不惜一切代价消除这种怀疑：有人想劫走一位初学修女。比通托部那个营的干预震动了那不勒斯所有人的心灵，当然也包括教士们，它使人们相信事情涉及到一起奥地利人的阴谋。” “可是，塔律西气坏了。”国王说，“上哪儿去找这样一位首相呢？又正直，又勤奋，还拒绝了罗马教廷好几百万呢！您愿意接他的位子吗？” “我是怎么也不想干实事了。” 瓦加公爵让那位杂务修女改了姓名，隐居在热那亚，过着宽裕的生活。 堂·热纳里诺像卡波勒卡兹地方美丽的波佳一样，变成了虔诚的信士。 罗莎琳德宽怀大度，又回到修道院。她怕热纳里诺沾染罪孽，不肯在婚前顺从他的要求。热纳里诺大失所望，认为她受了圣母的折磨，被不祥的天眼盯住了。 热纳里诺受不了猜疑和嫉妒的折磨，终于自杀了。罗莎琳德差点因此失去了理智。她真以为自己被不祥的天眼盯住了。有一个宗教狂企图用匕首刺杀她。 瓦加公爵六十九岁时，罗莎琳德嫁给他，条件是她每年去热纳里诺自杀的修道院住三个月。 结婚前夕，她心灰意冷，痛哭一场。“假如热纳里诺从天上看见我，他会怎么想呢？……”