第56章

"A dagger!" he exclaimed, with a shudder, and a recoil."Madame, are you talking of murder?""I told you!" she said, through her closed teeth, and with her eyes flaming like fire, "that ridding the earth of that fiend incarnate would be a good deed, and no murder! I would do it myself if I could take him off his guard; but he never is that with me; and then my arm is not strong enough to reach his black heart through all that mass of brawn, and blood, and muscle.No, Sir Norman, Doom has allotted it to you - obey, and I swear to you, you shall go free; refuse - and in ten minutes your head will roll under the executioner's axe!""Better that than the freedom you offer! Madame, I cannot murder!""Coward!" she passionately cried; "you fear to do it, and yet you have but a life to lose, and that is lost to you now!"Sir Norman raised his head; and even in the darkness she saw the haughty flush that crimsoned his face.

"I fear no man living; but, madame, I fear One who is higher than man!""But you will die if you refuse; and I repeat, again and again, there is no risk.These guards will not let you out; but there are more ways of leaving a room than through the door, and I can lead you up behind the tapestry to where he is standing, and you can stab him through the back, and escape with me! Quick, quick, there is no time to lose!""I cannot do it !" he said, resolutely, drawing back and folding his arms."In short, I will not do it!"There was such a terrible look in the beautiful eyes, that he half expected to see her spring at him like a wild cat, and bury the dagger in his own breast. But the rule of life works by contraries: expect a blow and you will get a kiss, look for an embrace, and you will be startled by a kick.When the virago spoke, her voice was calm, compared with what it had been before, even mild.

"You refuse! Well, a willful man must have him way; and since you are so qualmish about a little bloodletting, we must try another plan.If I release you - for short as the time is, I can do it - will you promise me to go direct to the king this very night, and inform him of all you've seen and heard here?"She looked at him with an eagerness that was almost fierce; and in spite of her steady voice, there was something throbbing and quivering, deadly and terrible, in her upturned face.The form she looked at was erect and immovable, the eyes were quietly resolved, the mouth half-pityingly, half-sadly smiling.

"Are you aware, dear lady, what the result of such a step would be?""Death!" she said, coldly.

"Death, transportation, or life-long imprisonment to them all -misery and disgrace to many a noble house; for some I saw there were once friends of mine, with families I honor and respect.

Could I bring the dwarf and his attendant imps to Tyburn, and treat them to a hempen cravat, I would do it without remorse -though the notion of being informer, even then, would not be very pleasant; but as it is, I cannot be the death of one without ruining all, and as I told you, some of those were once my friends.No, madame, I cannot do it.I have but once to die and I prefer death here, to purchasing life at such a price."_____________

There was a short silence, during which they gazed into each other's eyes ominously, and one was about as colorless as the other.

"You refuse?" she coldly said.

"I must! But if you can save my life, as you say, why not do it, and fly with me? You will find me the truest and most grateful of friends, while life remains.""You are very kind; but I want no friendship, Sir Norman -nothing but revenge! As to escaping, I could have done that any time since we came here, for I have found out a secret means of exit from each of these vaults, that they know nothing of.But Ihave staid to see him dead at my feet - if not by my hand, at least by my command; and since you will not do it, I will make the attempt myself.Farewell, Sir Norman Kingsley; before many minutes you will be a corpse, and your blood be upon yourself!"She gave him a glance as coldly fierce as her dagger's glance, and turned to go, when he stepped hastily forward, and interposed: