dant of my thoughts, and a fellow-artificer in all my "—he paused for a word. Piero supplied it: "Malpractices." "Well, I forgive the word," said Mosca, "in consideration that I galled you. But do you think that Mosca dei Lamberti" (and he drew himself up proudly) "would stoop to a confidant who had not noble blood in his veins on one side at least; or that a Lamberti would be fool enough to trust in one who was not bound to him by kindred ties? Yes!" (and he assumed a tone of significance, and looked shrewdly at Piero)-"Yes! or one who was not bound to him by ties something stronger than those of half blood-even by considerations for personal safety?" Piero quailed under Mosca's eye, and looked down. Mosca continued in a kind of half raillery, "Believe me, dear Piero, I prize you highly. You are an invaluable fellow to me. I could never match you; for you are just noble enough to be fit for my prime agent, and just ignoble enough to be more useful than any stiff-necked gentleman in full." And he added in a serious voice, and with something like feeling, "And verily, I do love thee, Piero, in some sort. You are the only apology for a brother I ever had, and you were my playmate in happy and innocent years." And even Mosca sighed when he thought of his youth. "But," he resumed, "we have wandered away from the point, which is the Widow Donati. I guess by her manner that she is playing some part. Some thought she hoped to make Buondelmonte break his engagement for the sake of Imma's charms, but that is now out of the question; and I confess I am puzzled to understand her. I perceive she is not acting honestly, though she speaks plausibly. When women of La Donati's stamp talk reasonably, they mean to talk speciously: it is only pure highminded women, like my cousin Amidea, who can be trusted and believed when they speak reason. La Donati has certainly some motive for cajoling me for a time, though what it may be I cannot guess; for if there were a better match in the case, surely she would have refused me at once." "And if," asked Piero, "she should at last refuse you?" 66 Why then," replied Mosca, "she must retract her refusal in all possible haste. I must marry Imma, whether by fair means or foul. And two such experienced hands as you and I are, Piero, cannot fail of finding a way to carry out my determination." "Is there no one else in Florence that would do as well for you?" asked Piero, carelessly. Mosca half rose from his chair and looked at him. "Bestia! could I obtain influence over the Guelph party by any other connection? Have I not explained to you twenty times? รา “Perdonate mi! my very fraternal patron; you have often begun your explanations, and as often turned aside from them in your gibes and jeers, which do generally take from me the desire of hearing, or the ability of comprehending." "Basta! Piero, listen! for as I may want you, I may as well explain. When I was in Germany I made good use of my opportunities with the Emperor Frederic. I possessed him fully of my great zeal for the Ghibelline cause, and my desire to assist him in recovering Florence. We came to an understanding; I agreeing to use all my influence in the furtherance of his object; and he promising, in the event of success, to give me the highest honours and the highest authority in the Florentine territories, with a splendid revenue, under the character of Imperial Governor, and the title of Duke of Florence. Think of that, Piero! think of Mosca the virtual sovereign of Florence! How I would indemnify myself for every offence I have ever received! how I would set my foot on the Guelphs, for I hate them with all the fervour of a partisan. I would as soon marry a she-devil as a she Guelph, but that my marriage with Imma is a necessary step in the ladder of ambition. Frederic told me that he had engaged two young men with fine voices to come hither in the disguise of glee-men or itinerant minstrels, to sing party songs, for the enlightenment of the populace of course; and with these men he desired me to communicate on every necessary occasion, or whenever the time for taking some decided part should arise. It is strange that the Emperor would not tell me their names or history: he said they had reasons for concealment. Now Frederic is a poet, and consequently has a great dash of romance in his composition. There is some Troubadour story of a run-away wife or lady-love among them, and Frederic is working it into some poetic or romantic foolery, and is playing the part of confidant. That is nothing to me: but not choosing to commit myself with men who are guarded with me, I have represented to Frederic, that for the sake of fair play, I begged to remain equally incognito to them, and I requested him to mention me only as the noble Ghibelline.' I have taken care never to meet them myself, but have appointed you my lieutenant and proxy. Frederic told me, that by the marriage of Buondelmonte and Amidea he expected the Ghibellines would obtain an ascendency over the Guelphs, well kno wing the character of the bridegroom, kind and easy, and open to feminine influence. And now I remember, the Emperor said that, though he considered the marriage beneficial to his interest, he regretted it for his dear Florestan's sake; but he supposed it were better now under existing circumstances that it should take place. "Hitherto neither the Glee-singers nor I have made much way, owing to the situation of the factions at this time. But let Buondelmonte be once married among us, and subjected to our influence, and his party shall be unnerved. Let me marry Imma Donati, and gain possession of her wealth, and authority among her kindred, and the power of the Guelphs will be destroyed. At a favourable juncture a body of Ghibelline troops will steal a march on Florence; the gates will be opened to them; the noble Guelphs, without a head, will be unable to offer any effectual resistance, and the populace will be led by the ears by the Gleesingers, and by the nose by Mosca Lamberti, Imperial Governor and Duke of Florence." "And what of Piero?" asked his companion. "Piero shall have his share of wealth-enough to gild over the trifling blot in his escutcheon," replied Mosca. Piero observed, "Frederic, you say, spoke of two singers, here are three.” "Yes," said Mosca, "but only the two elder are accredited by the Emperor: the young lad is some kind of page to the basssinger." "There," replied Piero, "that accounts for my not having seen him in my interviews with the others. But Brunetto, as the treble-singer calls himself, has always concealed his face from me." "I have often thought," said Mosca, "that these young men are here on some business of their own rather than on the Emperor's; for I cannot see that they are very useful, though they may be very zealous. And it would be just in character with Frederic's romantic turn, to pass them off as political agents, and thus make mystery on mystery. But let them work on, they cannot, under any untoward circumstances, betray me." "What will you do about La Donati?" Piero inquired. "I must wait, I suppose, during the time specified." "Would it not be an effectual means of obtaining Imma, to bribe her mother's ambition by confiding to her your brilliant prospects?" "Are you going mad, Piero? Confide such an important secret to a woman! why she could not keep it. She would accept me in too great a hurry, that she might run about tantalizing the other women with hints of her daughter's coming greatness, the future grand-duchess; and Guelphs and Ghibellines, equally envious, would fly at me together and annihilate me. No, no! she must give me her daughter on some other inducement." "Are you the least in the world in love with Imma?" asked Piero, with a sinister smile, "for your love is fatal.” "Imma may live for ever if my love only is to be fatal to her. I think my last adventure has cured me of love. In truth I never intended it to have been so tragical to all parties. I commenced in mere levity-but I got entangled myself; and being unable to untie the knot quietly, I had to cut it. Verily, Piero, if there be such a thing as remorse I should feel it often, but that I lull it with dreams of ambition; and the remembrance of one beautiful face rises so frequently in my mind that it prevents me from doing justice to Imma's charms." "And yet," said Piero, "she is very beautiful.” 66 I care not for her beauty. Were she as ugly as sin she would be equally welcome to me as the heiress of the Donati. But why do people call sin ugly? It seems very lovely and attractive to the generality of the world. They fly to it, and devote themselves to it, body and soul, as completely as the most passionate lover could to the most enchanting nymph. And you and I, Piero, in our days have acknowledged the attractions of the Syren." "I would thank you," replied Piero, "not to remind me of disagreeable things." "Oh, but I must," laughed Mosca, "lest you might forget the hold I have on you in something more than brotherhood. If it were not for my knowledge of your being amenable to what they call offended laws, I should not be quite so sure of your inviolable and invaluable secresy as my bosom friend and half-brother. Come, come! smooth your brow; bring a flask of wine, and let us drown all unpleasant recollections in its rosy tide." CHAPTER XVII. I love you: And what my heart durst never tell my tongue, A Challenge for Beauty.-Haywood. The Widow Donati had been somewhat disconcerted on learning that the day for Buondelmonte's marriage was actually fixed, but she would not yet own herself defeated: while ever the noble Florentine continued free, even up to the last moment, she said, he might be won; but as time grew short, some decisive measures she saw must be adopted, and she desired Carlo to bring Buondelmonte to the Palazzo, that she might have an interview with him. "You must proceed very cautiously now," said Carlo. Nay," replied the Widow, "that is not always the best way. If you want to discover a truth, while you are putting your cautious questions it is ten to one but the person interrogated discovers your drift, and gains time to fabricate answers, and delude you; but make an abrupt and unexpected onset, the person is then taken unawares, and stammers out a good deal of the truth while attempting some thin unprepared disguise, and the confusion of looks and words ekes out your discovery." "And what truth do you want to elicit from Buondelmonte?" "Indeed none; for I well know his only secret, his love for Imma; but I have much to do, and time is too short to admit of wasting any in slow cautiousness. I dare say a great part of the war consists in knowing when to dash boldly on the enemy, and when to steal a march upon him-when to use force-when stratagem. And the great art of civil tactics is to know when to come boldly to the point, or when to work skilfully round. away on your errand." But Carlo soon obeyed his aunt, and brought to her Buondelmonte, who was somewhat uneasy at her summons. When he entered the room where she awaited him, she exclaimed, "What news is this I hear, noble Buondelmonte? They say that on Thursday next you wed with a Ghibelline; I will not believe it till I hear it from your own lips." Buondelmonte in much surprise observed, "I should not have thought this was strange news to you, Madonna. You have long heard of my engagement, and long looked upon the preparations for its fulfilment." 66 "Yes," said La Donati, "I have been looking on, as a spectator at some carnival mummery; but I have been expecting every moment to see the end of the acting-to see the principal player take off his mask, and resume his natural character. How would you have me believe the reality of anything so unnatural as that you, the head, the hope of the Guelphs, would abandon your position, and forsake your father's party, to wed a Ghibelline, and, worse, one who had loved another than yourself-the rejected, the forsaken lady-love of a worthless, criminal Ghibelline? Oh, Buondelmonte! if your noble father lived to see this day!" "Madonna," replied Buondelmonte, with dignity, "Florence is my mother, and Florence has commanded this alliance." 66 Say rather," replied the Widow,“ your step-mother, the Ghibelline part of Florence. Do you seek popularity? The Guelphs are the most numerous among the Florentines, and they would rejoice to see you make an alliance more worthy of you and them." "Then," said Buondelmonte, summoning his firmness, for his heart thrilled," then they should have found it for me earlier. I cannot now retract-my honour is implicated. I should be a mark for the finger of scorn, as the most inconstant, the most vacillating of men. I should, in all probability, be the means of exciting a civil war. But setting aside these considerations, I could not, I would not, treat with such levity and dishonour a noble lady like my betrothed bride." "And yet," said La Donati, "you know you were not the chosen of Amidea's heart; she was forced into accepting you; and if I know anything of womankind, she is just that grave, retiring, and romantic person, that would much rather you left her |