Fabiola : or, The church of the catacombs - Digital Repository Services

success, when, at the la~t moment, just as he had begun to
and was thinking of returning, a light tud-
;hr'il up .n him. He was informed that MJIIIO time be-
foiv uad been discovered i the vineyards near ArgenteniL
Bigot hastened to view the body, which was already
half devoured by wild beasts, and in the mutilate 1 remains he
easily recognized the tall figure of the unhappy Zambelli,
from the description given by his brother Cornelio.
The bailiff began in a loud voice to state the facts relative to
the i.iscovcry of the corpse, when su idenly a piercing cry interrupted
him, and at the same time an old blind man, whom
no one had before remarked, presented himself before the magis-
trate and his assistants. He seemed a prey to great agitation,
and made a sign that he wished to say something. It was old
L.iui-ent Bigot looked with a sort of respect at the fine noble
figure of the old man.
; happy being," said he "what can you have to tell us."
. recovered
iiu.l nudeci ed.
" Oil ! my
from his first emotion of surprise, which he
it suppress, the blind man now seemed embarrassed
lord, may I speak ?" said he.
THE BLIND MAN Of ARQENTEUIL.
" Is there no dan-
ger 01 my life?"
And he turned his white head on all sides, with an air of
st and affright.
" but once more,
'Speak, speak without fear," sud Bigot ;
wh t ca:i you know ? "
The old man then related, that about eight or nine months
since, gi>ing from Argenteuil on a journey, he was upon the
high gr.mnd which surrounded the parish, when warned by
the barking of his dog, he stopped and listened. A man's
voice, but weak, plaintive, supplicating, was heard.
" Mon-
ster!" it cried. "Thy master! thy benefactor! Mercy!
"
Must I die so far from my country, from my brother !
Then h j had heard a last cry, agonizing, heart-rending, like
that of a m rtal in the last extremity, and afterwards the heavy
steps of a man who walked painfully under the weight of some
great burden.
"
Influenced," said "
Gervais, by an involuntary movement,
I advanced. 'Who have you there,' I cried -who weeps
'
thus ?
It is nothing,' answered a trembling voice 'nothing ;
only a sick man I am carrying, and who has just fainted.
Good man, go about your business. '
And again I heard the
voica speak low and '
menacing. Thank God that you are
I understood
'
blind, or I should have done the same to you.
then that a frightful crime had just been committed, and I cannot
express to you what I felt. All contributed to alarm me ;
for, at that moment, a tremei.dous st rm broke over our heads,
the thunder shook the ground with its loud peals, and seemed
t ) pursue the murderer. The world appeared coming to au
end. Trembling and almost beside myself with terror, I continued
my journey, swearing never to reveal what I had just
heard ; for the cii ninal might belong to this country, and the
hfe of a poor blind old man like myself was at his mercy, if he
wished to take it. But jut now, when the bailiff spoke of a
corpse found a short distance fro ji the place where I heard the
voice, I could not suppress a cry. I hava now told you all,
and I trust no harm will come to me on account of it."
During thu recital of Gervais, Bigot appeared absorbed in a
profound reverie, which lasted sometime after the blind man
h. d caas d speaking. Then suddenly addressing Gervais, he
said,
" Old man, I am going to ask you a question ; reflect well
iweri g. This voice which you hi-ard on the moun-
tain ivllicli imua-iMT'ii 'Mill iiu.i inutiusxu'l v,,-i ,i,.i,u ,,,,.
r 'tain a distinct remembrance of it ? Do you think you could
recogniz-i it again if you heard it ?'
" "
Yes, my lord ! answered Gervais; " as I could recognize
"
the v