第55章

"I liked this part of the business excessively well at first, and I was flattered and fooled to the top of my bent, and made from the first, the reigning belle and queen.There was more policy in that than admiration, I fancy; for the dwarf was all-powerful among them and dreaded accordingly, and I was the dwarf's pet and plaything, and all-powerful with him.The hideous creature had a most hideous passion for me then, and I could wind him round my finger as easily as Delilah and Samson; and by his command and their universal consent, the mimicry of royalty was begun, and Iwas made mistress and sovereign head, even over the dwarf himself.It was a queer whim; but that crooked slug was always taking such odd notions into his head, which nobody there dared laugh at.The band were bound together by a terrible oath, women and all; but they had to take another oath then, that of allegiance to me.

"It quite turned my brain at first; and my eyes were so dazzled by the pitiful glistening of the pageant, the sham splendor of the sham court, and the half-mocking, half-serious homage paid me, that I could see nothing beyond the shining surface, and the blackness, and corruption, and horror within, were altogether lost upon me.This feeling increased when, as months and months went by, they were added to the mock peers of the Midnight Court, real nobles from that of St.Charles.I did not know then that they were ruined gamesters, vicious profligates, and desperate broken-down roues, who would have gone to pandemonium itself, nightly, for the mad license and lawless excesses they could indulge in here to their heart's content.But I got tired of it all, after a time: my eyes began slowly to open, and my heart -at least, what little of that article I ever had - turned sick with horror within me at what I had done.The awful things Isaw, the fearful deeds that were perpetrated, would curdle your very blood with horror, were I to relate them.You have seen a specimen yourself, in the cold-blooded murder of that wretch half an hour ago; and his is not the only life crying for vengeance on these men.The slightest violation of their oath was punished, and the doom of traitors and informers was instant death, whether male or female.The sham trials and executions always took place in presence of the whole court, to strike a salutary terror into them, and never occurred but once a week, when the whole band regularly met.My power continued undiminished; for they knew either the dwarf or I must be supreme; and though the queen was bad, the prince was worse.The said prince would willingly have pulled me down from my eminence, and have mounted it himself; but that he was probably restrained by a feeling that law-makers should not be law-breakers, and that, if he set the example, there would be no end to the insubordination and rebellion that would follow.""Were you living here or in London then?" inquired Sir Norman, taking an advantage of a pause, employed by Miranda in shaking off the crawling beetles.

"Oh, in London! We did not come here until the outbreak of the plague - that frightened them, especially the female portion, and they held a scared meeting, and resolved that we should take up our quarters somewhere else.This place being old and ruined, and deserted and with all sorts of evil rumors hanging about it, was hit upon; and secretly, by night, these mouldering old vaults were fitted up, and the goods and chattels of the royal court removed.And here I, too, was brought by night under the dwarf's own eye; for he well knew I would have risked a thousand plagues to escape from him.And here I have been ever since, and here the weekly revels are still held, and may for years to come, unless something is done to-night to prevent it.

"The night before these weekly anniversaries they all gather; but during the rest of the time I am alone with Margery and the dwarf, and have learned more secrets about this place than they dream of.For the rest, there is little need of explanation -the dwarf and his crew have industriously circulated the rumor that it is haunted; and some of those white figures you saw with me, and who, by the way, are the daughters of these robbers, have been shown on the broken battlements, as if to put the fact beyond doubt.

"Now, Sir Norman, that is all - you have heard my whole history as far as I know it; and nothing remains but to tell you what you must see yourself, that I am mad for revenge, and must have it, and you must help me!"Her eyes were shining with the fierce red fire he had seen in them before, and the white face wore a look so deadly and diabolical that, with all its beauty, it was absolutely repulsive.He took a step from her-for in each of those gleaming eyes sat a devil.

"You must help me!" she persisted." You - you, Sir Norman! For many a day I have been waiting for a chance like this, and until now I have waited in vain.Alone, I want physical strength to kill him, and I dare not trust any one else.No one was ever cast among us before as you have been; and now, condemned to die, you must be desperate, and desperate men will do desperate things.Fate, Destiny, Providence - whatever you like - has thrown you in my way, and help me you must and shall!""Madame, madame I what are you saying? How can I help you?""There is but one way - this!"

She held up in the pale ray of the lamp, something she drew from the folds of her dress, that glistened blue, and bright, and steelly in the gloom.