No More Learning

Before we
entered the room he desired us to take off our shoes, and to appear in
our shirts, stockings, and under-garments. He bolted the doors after us
as before.

We found in the middle of the room a large, black circle, drawn with
charcoal, the space within which was capable of containing us all very
easily. The planks of the chamber floor next to the wall were taken up
all round the room, so that we stood as it were upon an island. An
altar covered with black cloth was placed in the centre upon a carpet of
red satin. A Chaldee Bible was laid open, together with a skull; and a
silver crucifix was fastened upon the altar. Instead of candles some
spirits of wine were burning in a silver vessel. A thick smoke of
frankincense darkened the room and almost extinguished the lights. The
sorcerer was undressed like ourselves, but barefooted; about his bare
neck he wore an amulet, suspended by a chain of human hair; round his
middle was a white apron marked with cabalistic characters and
symbolical figures.

[Amulet is a charm or preservative against mischief, witchcraft, or
diseases. Amulets were made of stone metal, simples, animals, and
everything which fancy or caprice suggested; and sometimes they
consisted of words, characters, and sentences ranged in a
particular order and engraved upon wood, and worn about the neck or
some other part of the body. At other times they were neither
written nor engraved, but prepared with many superstitious
ceremonies, great regard being usually paid to the influence of the
stars. The Arabians have given to this species of amulets the name
of talismans. All nations have been fond of amulets. The Jews
were extremely superstitious in the use of them to drive away
diseases; and even amongst the Christians of the early times
amulets were made of the wood of the cross or ribbons, with a text
of Scripture written on them, as preservatives against diseases. ]

He desired us to join hands and to observe profound silence; above all
he ordered us not to ask the apparition any question. He desired the
Englishman and myself, whom he seemed to distrust the most, constantly
to hold two naked swords crossways an inch above his head as long as the
conjuration should last. We formed a half-moon round him; the Russian
officer placed himself close to the English lord, and was the nearest to
the altar. The sorcerer stood upon the satin carpet with his face
turned to the east. He sprinkled holy water in the direction of the
four cardinal points of the compass, and bowed three times before the
Bible. The formula of the conjuration, of which we did not understand a
word, lasted for the space of seven or eight minutes, at the end of
which he made a sign to those who stood close behind to seize him firmly
by the hair. Amid the most violent convulsions he called the deceased
three times by his name, and the third time he stretched forth his hand
towards the crucifix.

On a sudden we all felt at the same instant a stroke as of a flash of
lightning, so powerful that it obliged us to quit each other's hands; a
terrible thunder shook the house; the locks jarred; the doors creaked;
the cover of the silver box fell down and extinguished the light; and on
the opposite wall over the chimney-piece appeared a human figure in a
bloody shirt, with the paleness of death on its countenance.

"Who calls me? " said a hollow, hardly intelligible voice.

"Thy friend," answered the sorcerer, "who respects thy memory, and prays
for thy soul. " He named the prince.

The answers of the apparition were always given at very long intervals.

"What does he want with me? " continued the voice.

"He wants to hear the remainder of the confession which then had begun
to impart to him in thy dying hour, but did not finish. "

"In a convent on the frontiers of Flanders lives a -------"

The house again trembled; a dreadful thunder rolled; a flash of
lightning illuminated the room; the doors flew open, and another human
figure, bloody and pale as the first, but more terrible, appeared on the
threshold. The spirit in the box began to burn again by itself, and the
hall was light as before.

"Who is amongst us? " exclaimed the sorcerer, terrified, casting a look
of horror on the assemblage; "I did not want thee. " The figure advanced
with noiseless and majestic steps directly up to the altar, stood on the
satin Carpet over against us, and touched the crucifix. The first
apparition was seen no more.

"Who calls me? " demanded the second apparition.

"The sorcerer began to tremble. Terror and amazement kept us motionless
for some time. I seized a pistol. The sorcerer snatched it out of my
hand, and fired it at the apparition. The ball rolled slowly upon the
altar, and the figure emerged unaltered from the smoke. The Sorcerer
fell senseless on the ground.

"What is this? " exclaimed the Englishman, in astonishment, aiming a
blow at the ghost with a sword. The figure touched his arm, and the
weapon fell to the ground. The perspiration stood on my brow with
horror. Baron ------ afterwards confessed to me that he had prayed
silently.

During all this time the prince stood fearless and tranquil, his eyes
riveted on the second apparition. "Yes, I know thee," said he at
length, with emotion; "thou art Lanoy; thou art my friend. Whence
comest thou? "

"Eternity is mute. Ask me concerning my past life. "

"Who is it that lives in the convent which thou mentionedst to me in thy
last moments? "

"My daughter. "

"How? Hast thou been a father? "

"Woe is me that I was not. "

"Art thou not happy, Lanoy? "

"God has judged. "

"Can I render thee any further service in this world? "

"None but to think of thyself. "

"How must I do that? "

"Thou wilt learn at Rome. "

The thunder again rolled; a black cloud of smoke filled the room; when
it had dispersed the figure was no longer visible. I forced open one of
the window shutters. It was daylight.

The sorcerer now recovered from his swoon. "Where are we? " asked he,
seeing the daylight.

The Russian officer stood close beside him, and looked over his
shoulder. "Juggler," said he to him, with a terrible countenance,
"Thou shalt summon no more ghosts. "

The Sicilian turned round, looked steadfastly in his face, uttered a
loud shriek, and threw himself at his feet.

We looked all at once at the pretended Russian. The prince instantly
recognized the features of the Armenian, and the words he was about to
utter expired on his tongue. We were all as it were petrified with fear
and amazement. Silent and motionless, our eyes were fixed on this
mysterious being, who beheld us with a calm but penetrating look of
grandeur and superiority. A minute elapsed in this awful silence;
another succeeded; not a breath was to be heard.

A violent battering against the door roused us at last from this stupor.
The door fell in pieces into the room, and several officers of justice,
with a guard, rushed in. "Here they are, all together," said the leader
to his followers. Then addressing himself to us, "In the name of the
government," continued he, "I arrest you. " We had no time to recollect
ourselves; in a few moments we were surrounded. The Russian officer,
whom I shall again call the Armenian, took the chief officer aside, and,
as far as I in my confusion could notice, I observed him whisper a few
words to the latter, and show him a written paper. The officer, bowing
respectfully, immediately quitted him, turned to us, and taking off his
hat, said "Gentlemen, I humbly beg your pardon for having confounded
you with this impostor. I shall not inquire who you are, as this
gentleman assures me you are men of honor. " At the same time he gave
his companions a sign to leave us at liberty. He ordered the Sicilian
to be bound and strictly guarded. "The fellow is ripe for punishment,"
added he; "we have been searching for him these seven months. "

The wretched sorcerer was really an object of pity. The terror caused
by the second apparition, and by this unexpected arrest, had together
overpowered his senses. Helpless as a child, he suffered himself to be
bound without resistance. His eyes were wide open and immovable; his
face was pale as death; his lips quivered convulsively, but he was
unable to utter a sound. Every moment we expected he would fall into a
fit. The prince was moved by the situation in which he saw him. He
undertook to procure his discharge from the leader of the police, to
whom he discovered his rank. "Do you know, gracious prince," said the
officer, "for whom your highness is so generously interceding? The
juggling tricks by which he endeavored to deceive you are the least of
his crimes. We have secured his accomplices; they depose terrible facts
against him. He may think himself fortunate if he is only punished with
the galleys. "

In the meantime we saw the innkeeper and his family led bound through
the yard. "This man, too? " said the prince; "and what is his crime? "

"He was his comrade and accomplice," answered the officer. "He assisted
him in his deceptions and robberies, and shared the booty with him.
Your highness shall be convinced of it presently. Search the house,"
continued he, turning to his followers, "and bring me immediate notice
of what you find. "

The prince looked around for the Armenian, but he had disappeared. In
the confusion occasioned by the arrival of the watch he had found means
to steal away unperceived. The prince was inconsolable; he declared he
would send all his servants, and would himself go in search of this
mysterious man; and he wished me to go with him. I hastened to the
window; the house was surrounded by a great number of idlers, whom the
account of this event had attracted to the spot. It was impossible to
get through the crowd. I represented this to the prince. "If," said I,
"it is the Armenian's intention to conceal himself from us, he is
doubtless better acquainted with the intricacies of the place than we,
and all our inquiries would prove fruitless. Let us rather remain here
a little longer, gracious prince," added I. "This officer, to whom, if
I observed right, he discovered himself, may perhaps give us some
information respecting him. "

We now for the first time recollected that we were still undressed.
We hastened to the other pavilion and put on our clothes as quickly
as possible. When we returned they had finished searching the house.

On removing the altar and some of the boards of the floor a spacious
vault was discovered. It was high enough, for a man might sit upright
in it with ease, and was separated from the cellar by a door and a
narrow staircase. In this vault they found an electrical machine, a
clock, and a little silver bell, which, as well as the electrical
machine, was in communication with the altar and the crucifix that was
fastened upon it. A hole had been made in the window-shutter opposite
the chimney, which opened and shut with a slide. In this hole, as we
learnt afterwards, was fixed a magic lantern, from which the figure of
the ghost had been reflected on the opposite wall, over the chimney.
From the garret and the cellar they brought several drums, to which
large leaden bullets were fastened by strings; these had probably been
used to imitate the roaring of thunder which we had heard.

On searching the Sicilian's clothes they found, in a case, different
powders, genuine mercury in vials and boxes, phosphorus in a glass
bottle, and a ring, which we immediately knew to be magnetic, because it
adhered to a steel button that by accident had been placed near it. In
his coat-pockets were found a rosary, a Jew's beard, a dagger, and a
brace of pocket-pistols. "Let us see whether they are loaded," said one
of the watch, and fired up the chimney.

"Jesus Maria! " cried a hollow voice, which we knew to be that of the
first apparition, and at the same instant a bleeding person came
tumbling down the chimney. "What! not yet laid, poor ghost! " cried the
Englishman, while we started back in affright. "Home to thy grave.
Thou hast appeared what thou wert not; now thou wilt become what thou
didst but seem. "

"Jesus Maria! I am wounded," repeated the man in the chimney. The ball
had fractured his right leg. Care was immediately taken to have the
wound dressed.

"But who art thou? " said the English lord; "and what evil spirit
brought thee here? "

"I am a poor mendicant friar," answered the wounded man; "a strange
gentleman gave me a zechin to--"

"Repeat a speech. And why didst thou not withdraw as soon as thy task
was finished? "

I was waiting for a signal which we had agreed on to continue my speech;
but as this signal was not given, I was endeavoring to get away, when I
found the ladder had been removed"

"And what was the formula he taught thee? "

The wounded man fainted away; nothing more could be got from him. In
the meantime the prince turned towards the principal officer of the
watch, giving him at the same time some pieces of gold. "You have
rescued us," said he, "from the hands of an impostor, and done us
justice without even knowing who we were; would you increase our
gratitude by telling us the name of the stranger who, by speaking
only a few words, was able to procure us our liberty. "

"Whom do you mean? " inquired the party addressed, with an air which
plainly showed that the question was useless.

"The gentleman in a Russian uniform, who took you aside, showed you a
written paper, and whispered a few words, in consequence of which you
immediately set us free. "

"Do not you know the gentleman? Was he not one of your company? "

"No," answered the prince; "and I have very important reasons for
wishing to be more intimately acquainted with him. "

"I know very little of him myself. Even his name is unknown to me, and
I saw him to-day for the first time in my life. "

"How? And was he in so short a time, and by using only a few words,
able to convince you both of our innonocence and his own? "

"Undoubtedly, with a single word. "

"And this was? I confess I wish to know it. "

"This stranger, my prince," said the officer, weighing the zechins in
his band,--"you have been too generous for me to make a secret of it any
longer,--this stranger is an officer of the Inquisition. "

"Of the Inquisition? This man? "

"He is, indeed, gracious prince. I was convinced of it by the paper
which he showed to me. "

"This man, did you say? That cannot be. "

"I will tell your highness more. It was upon his information that I
have been sent here to arrest the sorcerer. "

We looked at each other in the utmost astonishment.

"Now we know," said the English lord at length, "why the poor devil of a
sorcerer started in such a terror when he looked more closely into his
face. He knew him to be a spy, and that is why he uttered that shriek,
and fell down before him. "

"No! " interrupted the prince. "This man is whatever he wishes to be,
and whatever the moment requires him to be. No mortal ever knew what he
really was. Did you not see the knees of the Sicilian sink under him,
when he said, with that terrible voice: 'Thou shalt summon no more
ghosts? ' There is something inexplicable in this matter. No person can
persuade me that one man should be thus alarmed at the sight of
another. "

"The sorcerer himself will probably explain it the best," said the
English lord, "if that gentleman," pointing to the officer, "will afford
us an opportunity of speaking with his prisoner. "

The officer consented to it, and, having agreed with the Englishman to
visit the Sicilian in the morning, we returned to Venice.

[The Count O-------, whose narrative I have thus far literally
copied, describes minutely the various effects of this adventure
upon the mind of the prince and of his companions, and recounts a
variety of tales of apparitions which this event gave occasion to
introduce. I shall omit giving them to the reader, on the
supposition that he is as curious as myself to know the conclusion
of the adventure, and its effect on the conduct of the prince. I
shall only add that the prince got no sleep the remainder of the
night, and that he waited with impatience for the moment which was
to disclose this incomprehensible mystery, Note of the German
Editor. ]

Lord Seymour (this was the name of the Englishman) called upon us very
early in the forenoon, and was soon after followed by a confidential
person whom the officer had entrusted with the care of conducting us to
the prison.

I forgot to mention that one of the prince's domestics, a native of
Bremen, who had served him many years with the strictest fidelity, and
had entirely gained his confidence, had been missing for several days.
Whether he had met with any accident, whether he had been kidnapped,
or had voluntarily absented himself, was a secret to every one. The
last supposition was extremely improbable, as his conduct had always
been quiet and regular, and nobody had ever found fault with him. All
that his companions could recollect was that he had been for some time
very melancholy, and that, whenever he had a moment's leisure, he used
to visit a certain monastery in the Giudecca, where he had formed an
acquaintance with some monks. This induced us to suppose that he might
have fallen into the hands of the priests and had been persuaded to turn
Catholic; and as the prince was very tolerant, or rather indifferent
about matters of this kind, and the few inquiries he caused to be made
proved unsuccessful, he gave up the search. He, however, regretted the
loss of this man, who had constantly attended him in his campaigns,
had always been faithfully attached to him, and whom it was therefore
difficult to replace in a foreign country. The very same day the
prince's banker, whom he had commissioned to provide him with another
servant, was announced at the moment we were going out. He presented to
the prince a middle-aged man, well-dressed, and of good appearance, who
had been for a long time secretary to a procurator, spoke French and a
little German, and was besides furnished with the best recommendations.
The prince was pleased with the man's physiognomy; and as he declared
that he would be satisfied with such wages as his service should be
found to merit, the prince engaged him immediately.

We found the Sicilian in a private prison where, as the officer assured
us, he had been lodged for the present, to accommodate the prince,
before being removed to the lead roofs, to which there is no access.
These lead roofs are the most terrible prisons in Venice. They are
situated on the top of the palace of St. Mark, and the miserable
criminals suffer so dreadfully from the heat of the leads occasioned by
the heat of the burning rays of the sun descending directly upon them
that they frequently become delirious.
The Sicilian had recovered from
his yesterday's terror, and rose respectfully on seeing the prince
enter. He had fetters on one hand and on one leg, but was able to walk
about the room at liberty. The sentinel at the door withdrew as soon as
we had entered.

"I come," said the prince, "to request an explanation of you on two
subjects. You owe me the one, and it shall not be to your disadvantage
if you grant me the other. "

"My part is now acted," replied the Sicilian, "my destiny is in your
hands. "

"Your sincerity alone can mitigate your punishment.

"Speak, honored prince, I am ready to answer you. I have nothing now to
lose. "

"You showed me the face of the Armenian in a looking-glass. How was
this effected? "

"What you saw was no looking-glass. A portrait in crayons behind a
glass, representing a man in an Armenian dress, deceived you. My
quickness, the twilight, and your astonishment favored the deception.
The picture itself must have been found among the other things seized at
the inn. "

"But how could you read my thoughts so accurately as to hit upon the
Armenian? "

"This was not difficult, your highness. You must frequently have
mentioned your adventure with the Armenian at table in the presence of
your domestics. One of my accomplices accidentally got acquainted with
one of your domestics in the Giudecca, and learned from him gradually as
much as I wished to know. "

"Where is the man? " asked the prince; "I have missed him, and doubtless
you know of his desertion. "

"I swear to your honor, sir, that I know not a syllable about it. I
have never seen him myself, nor had any other concern with him than the
one before mentioned. "

"Proceed with your story," said the prince.

"By this means, also, I received the first information of your residence
and of your adventures at Venice; and I resolved immediately to profit
by them. You see, prince, I am sincere. I was apprised of your
intended excursion on the Brenta. I prepared for it, and a key that
dropped by chance from your pocket afforded me the first opportunity of
trying my art upon you. "

"How! Have I been mistaken? The adventure of the key was then a trick
of yours, and not of the Armenian? You say this key fell from my
pocket? "

"You accidentally dropped it in taking out your purse, and I seized an
opportunity, when no one noticed me, to cover it with my foot. The
person of whom you bought the lottery-ticket acted in concert with me.
He caused you to draw it from a box where there was no blank, and the
key had been in the snuff-box long before it came into your possession. "

"I understand you. And the monk who stopped me in my way and addressed
me in a manner so solemn. "

"Was the same who, as I hear, has been wounded in the chimney. He is
one of my accomplices, and under that disguise has rendered me many
important services. "

"But what purpose was this intended to answer? "

"To render you thoughtful; to inspire you with such a train of ideas as
should be favorable to the wonders I intended afterwards to show you. "

"The pantomimical dance, which ended in a manner so extraordinary, was
at least none of your contrivance? "

"I had taught the girl who represented the queen. Her performance was
the result of my instructions. I supposed your highness would be not a
little astonished to find yourself known in this place, and (I entreat
your pardon, prince) your adventure with the Armenian gave me reason to
hope that you were already disposed to reject natural interpretations,
and to attribute so marvellous an occurrence to supernatural agency. "

"Indeed," exclaimed the prince, at once angry and amazed, and casting
upon me a significant look; "indeed, I did not expect this. "

[Neither did probably the greater number of my readers. The
circumstance of the crown deposited at the feet of the prince, in a
manner so solemn and unexpected, and the former prediction of the
Armenian, seem so naturally and obviously to aim at the same object
that at the first reading of these memoirs I immediately remembered
the deceitful speech of the witches in Macbeth:--

"Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!
All hail, Macbeth! that shall be king hereafter! "

and probably the same thing has occurred to many of my readers.

When a certain conviction has taken hold upon a man's mind in a
solemn and extraordinary manner, it is sure to follow that all
subsequent ideas which are in any way capable of being associated
with this conviction should attach themselves to, and in some
degree seem to be consequent upon it. The Sicilian, who seems to
have had no other motive for his whole scheme than to astonish the
prince by showing him that his rank was discovered, played, without
being himself aware of it, the very game which most furthered the
view of the Armenian; but however much of its interest this
adventure will lose if I take away the higher motive which at first
seemed to influence these actions, I must by no means infringe upon
historical truth, but must relate the facts exactly as they
occurred. --Note of the German Editor. ]

"But," continued he, after a long silence, "how did you produce the
figure which appeared on the wall over the chimney? "

"By means of a magic lantern that was fixed in the opposite
window-shutter, in which you have undoubtedly observed an opening. "

"But how did it happen that not one of us perceived the lantern? " asked
Lord Seymour.

"You remember, my lord, that on your re-entering the room it was
darkened by a thick smoke of frankincense. I likewise took the
precaution to place the boards which had been taken up from the floor
upright against the wall near the window. By these means I prevented
the shutter from immediately attracting observation. Moreover, the
lantern remained covered by a slide until you had taken your places, and
there was no further reason to apprehend that you would institute any
examination of the saloon. "

"As I looked out of the window in the other pavilion," said I,
"I fancied I heard a noise like that of a person placing a ladder
against the side of the house. Was I right? "

"Exactly; it was the ladder upon which my assistants stood to direct the
magic-lantern. "

"The apparition," continued the prince, "had really a superficial
likeness to my deceased friend, and what was particularly striking, his
hair, which was of a very light color, was exactly imitated. Was this
mere chance, or how did you come by such a resemblance? "

"Your highness must recollect that you had at table a snuff-box by your
plate, with an enamelled portrait of an officer in a uniform. I asked
whether you had anything about you as a memento of your friend, and as
your highness answered in the affirmative, I conjectured that it might
be the box. I had attentively examined the picture during supper, and
being very expert in drawing and not less happy in taking likenesses, I
had no difficulty in giving to my shade the superficial resemblance you
have perceived, the more so as the marquis' features are very marked. "

"But the figure seemed to move? "

"It appeared so, yet it was not the figure that moved but the smoke
on which the light was reflected. "

"And the man who fell down in the chimney spoke for the apparition? "

"He did. "

"But he could not hear your question distinctly. "

"There was no occasion for it. Your highness will recollect that I
cautioned you all very strictly not to propose any question to the
apparition yourselves. My inquiries and his answers were preconcerted
between us; and that no mistake might happen, I caused him to speak at
long intervals, which he counted by the beating of a watch. "

"You ordered the innkeeper carefully to extinguish every fire in the
house with water; this was undoubtedly--"

"To save the man in the chimney from the danger of being suffocated;
because the chimneys in the house communicate with each other, and I did
not think myself very secure from your retinue. "

"How did it happen," asked Lord Seymour, "that your ghost appeared
neither sooner nor later than you wished him? "

"The ghost was in the room for some time before I called him, but while
the room was lighted, the shade was too faint to be perceived. When the
formula of the conjuration was finished, I caused the cover of the box,
in which the spirit was burning, to drop down, the saloon was darkened,
and it was not till then that the figure on the wall could be distinctly
seen, although it had been reflected there a considerable time before. "

"When the ghost appeared, we all felt an electric shock. How was that
managed? "

"You have discovered the machine under the altar. You have also seen
that I was standing upon a silk carpet. I directed you to form a
half-moon around me, and to take each other's hands. When the crisis
approached, I gave a sign to one of you to seize me by the hair. The
silver crucifix was the conductor, and you felt the electric shock when
I touched it with my hand. "

"You ordered Count O----- and myself," continued Lord Seymour, "to hold
two naked swords crossways over your head, during the whole time of the
conjuration; for what purpose? "

"For no other than to engage your attention during the operation;
because I distrusted you two the most. You remember, that I expressly
commanded you to hold the sword one inch above my head; by confining you
exactly to this distance, I prevented you from looking where I did not
wish you. I had not then perceived my principal enemy. "

"I own," cried Lord Seymour, "you acted with due precaution--but why
were we obliged to appear undressed? "

"Merely to give a greater solemnity to the scene, and to excite your
imaginations by the strangeness of the proceeding. "

"The second apparition prevented your ghost from speaking," said the
prince. "What should we have learnt from him? "

"Nearly the same as what you heard afterwards. It was not without
design that I asked your highness whether you had told me everything
that the deceased communicated to you, and whether you had made any
further inquiries on this subject in his country. I thought this was
necessary, in order to prevent the deposition of the ghost from being
contradicted by facts with which you were previously acquainted.
Knowing likewise that every man in his youth is liable to error,
I inquired whether the life of your friend had been irreproachable,
and on your answer I founded that of the ghost. "

"Your explanation of this matter is satisfactory," resumed the prince,
after a short silence; "but there remains a principal circumstance which
I must ask you to clear up. "

"If it be in my power, and--"

"No conditions! Justice, in whose hands you now are, might perhaps not
interrogate you with so much delicacy. Who was this unknown at whose
feet we saw you fall? What do you know of him? How did you get
acquainted with him? And in what way was he connected with the
appearance of the second apparition?

"Your highness"--

"On looking at him more attentively, you gave a loud scream, and fell at
his feet. What are we to understand by that? "

"This man, your highness"--He stopped, grew visibly perplexed, and with
an embarrassed countenance looked around him. "Yes, prince, by all that
is sacred, this unknown is a terrible being. "

"What do you know of him? What connection have you with him? Do not
hope to conceal the truth from us. "

"I shall take care not to do so,--for who will warrant that he is not
among us at this very moment? "

"Where? Who? " exclaimed we altogether, half-amused, half-startled,
looking about the room. "That is impossible. "

"Oh! to this man, or whatever he may be, things still more
incomprehensible are possible. "

"But who is he? Whence comes he? Is he an Armenian or a Russian? Of
the characters be assumes, which is his real one? "

"He is nothing of what he appears to be. There are few conditions or
countries of which he has not worn the mask. No person knows who he is,
whence he comes, or whither he goes. That he has been for a long time
in Egypt, as many pretend, and that he has brought from thence, out of a
catacomb, his, occult sciences, I will neither affirm nor deny. Here we
only know him by the name of the Incomprehensible. How old, for
instance, do you suppose he is? "

"To judge from his appearance he can scarcely have passed forty. "

"And of what age do you suppose I am? "

"Not far from fifty. "

"Quite right; and I must tell you that I was but a boy of seventeen when
my grandfather spoke to me of this marvellous man whom he had seen at
Famagusta; at which time he appeared nearly of the same age as he does
at present. "

"This is exaggerated, ridiculous, and incredible. "

"By no means. Were I not prevented by these fetters I could produce
vouchers whose dignity and respectability should leave you no room for
doubt. There are several credible persons who remember having seen him,
each, at the same time, in different parts of the globe. No sword can
wound, no poison can hurt, no fire can burn him; no vessel in which he
embarks can be wrecked. Time itself seems to lose its power over him.
Years do not affect his constitution, nor age whiten his hair. Never
was he seen to take any food. Never did he approach a woman. No sleep
closes his eyes. Of the twenty-four hours in the day there is only one
which he cannot command; during which no person ever saw him, and during
which he never was employed in any terrestrial occupation. "

"And this hour is? "

"The twelfth in the night. When the clock strikes twelve at midnight
he ceases to belong to the living. In whatever place he is he must
immediately be gone; whatever business he is engaged in he must
instantly leave it. The terrible sound of the hour of midnight tears
him from the arms of friendship, wrests him from the altar, and would
drag him away even in the agonies of death. Whither he then goes, or
what he is then engaged in, is a secret to every one. No person
ventures to interrogate, still less to follow him. His features, at
this dread ful hour, assume a sternness of expression so gloomy and
terrifying that no person has courage sufficient to look him in the
face, or to speak a word to him. However lively the conversation may
have been, a dead silence immediately succeeds it, and all around wait
for his return in respectful silence without venturing to quit their
seats, or to open the door through which he has passed. "

"Does nothing extraordinary appear in his person when he returns? "
inquired one of our party.

"Nothing, except that he seems pale and exhausted, like a man who has
just suffered a painful operation, or received some disastrous
intelligence. Some pretend to have seen drops of blood on his linen,
but with what degree of veracity I cannot affirm. "

"Did no person ever attempt to conceal the approach of this hour from
him, or endeavor to preoccupy his mind in such a manner as to make him
forget it? "

"Once only, it is said, he missed the appointed time. The company was
numerous and remained together late in the night. All the clocks and
watches were purposely set wrong, and the warmth of conversation carried
him away. When the stated hour arrived he suddenly became silent and
motionless; his limbs continued in the position in which this instant
had arrested them; his eyes were fixed; his pulse ceased to beat. All
the means employed to awake him proved fruitless, and this situation
endured till the hour had elapsed. He then revived on a sudden without
any assistance, opened his eyes, and resumed his speech at the very
syllable which he was pronouncing at the moment of interruption. The
general consternation discovered to him what had happened, and he
declared, with an awful solemnity, that they ought to think themselves
happy in having escaped with the fright alone. The same night he
quitted forever the city where this circumstance had occurred. The
common opinion is that during this mysterious hour he converses with his
genius. Some even suppose him to be one of the departed who is allowed
to pass twenty-three hours of the day among the living, and that in the
twenty-fourth his soul is obliged to return to the infernal regions to
suffer its punishment. Some believe him to be the famous Apollonius of
Tyana; and others the disciple of John, of whom it is said, 'He shall
remain until the last judgment. '"

"A character so wonderful," replied the prince, "cannot fail to give
rise to whimsical conjectures. But all this you profess to know only by
hearsay, and yet his behavior to you and yours to him, seemed to
indicate a more intimate acquaintance. Is it not founded upon some
particular event in which you have yourself been concerned? Conceal
nothing from us. "

The Sicilian looked at us doubtingly and remained silent.

"If it concerns something," continued the prince, "that you do not wish
to be made known, I promise you, in the name of these two gentlemen, the
most inviolable secrecy. But speak candidly and without reserve. "

"Could I hope," answered the prisoner, after a long silence, "that you
would not make use of what I am going to relate as evidence against me,
I would tell you a remarkable adventure of this Armenian, of which I
myself was witness, and which will leave you no doubt of his
supernatural powers. But I beg leave to conceal some of the names. "

"Cannot you do it without this condition? "

"No, your highness. There is a family concerned in it whom I have
reason to respect. "

"Let us hear your story. "

"It is about five years ago," began the Sicilian, "that at Naples, where
I was practising my art with tolerable success, I became acquainted with
a person of the name of Lorenzo del M-------, chevalier of the Order of
St. Stephen, a young and rich nobleman, of one of the first families in
the kingdom, who loaded me with kindnesses, and seemed to have a great
esteem for my occult knowledge. He told me that the Marquis del M--nte,
his father, was a zealous admirer of the cabala, and would think himself
happy in having a philosopher like myself (for such he was pleased to
call me) under his roof. The marquis lived in one of his country seats
on the sea-shore, about seven miles from Naples. There, almost entirely
secluded from the world, he bewailed, the loss of a beloved son, of whom
he had been deprived by a terrible calamity. The chevalier gave me to
understand that he and his family might perhaps have occasion to employ
me on a matter of the most grave importance, in the hope of gaining
through my secret science some information, to procure which all natural
means had been tried in vain. He added, with a very significant look,
that he himself might, perhaps at some future period, have reason to
look upon me as the restorer of his tranquillity, and of all his earthly
happiness. The affair was as follows:--

"This Lorenzo was the younger son of the marquis, and for that reason
had been destined for the church; the family estates were to descend to
the eldest. Jeronymo, which was the name of the latter, had spent many
years on his travels, and had returned to his country about seven years
prior to the event which I am about to relate, in order to celebrate his
marriage with the only daughter of the neighboring Count C----tti. This
marriage had been determined on by the parents during the infancy of the
children, in order to unite the large fortunes of the two houses. But
though this agreement was made by the two families, without consulting
the hearts of the parties concerned, the latter had mutually pledged
their faith to each other in secret. Jeronymo del M------ and Antonia
C----- had been brought up together, and the little restraint imposed on
two children, whom their parents were already accustomed to regard as
destined for each other, soon produced between them a connection of the
tenderest kind; the congeniality of their tempers cemented this
intimacy; and in later years it ripened insensibly into love. An
absence of four years, far from cooling this passion, had only served to
inflame it; and Jeronymo returned to the arms of his intended bride as
faithful and as ardent as if they had never been separated.

"The raptures occasioned by his return had not yet subsided, and the
preparations for the happy day were advancing with the utmost zeal and
activity, when the bridegroom disappeared. He used frequently to pass
whole afternoons in a summer-house which commanded a prospect of the
sea, and was accustomed to take the diversion of sailing on the water.
One day, on an evening spent in this manner, it was observed that he
remained absent a much longer time than usual, and his friends began to
be very uneasy on his account.