Arethusa Part 35

Zoe understood the wisdom of the advice; Tocktamish would drink himself into a stupor in a short time.

'The astrologer is right,' she said to the servants. 'Come in with me, all of you.' She led the way, but Gorlias lingered a moment, stepped upon the stone seat, and spoke to the prisoner in a low voice.

'They will be here in half an hour,' he said. 'Meanwhile I will send you wine to drink. Are you hungry?'

'Hungry?' Tocktamish laughed at the recollection of the peac.o.c.k. 'I never dined better! But send me some wine, and when we divide, I will have that white-faced girl for my share. The men may have the money here. Tell them so.'

He slapped the well-filled leathern sack at his girdle as he spoke.

'As you please,' Gorlias answered indifferently.

He stepped to the ground again and reached the door in time to enter with the last of the train that followed Zoe. In the dining-hall things had been left as they were when Tocktamish and Omobono went out. The table was in confusion, and flooded with wine that had run down to the floor, and two or three chairs were upset. Gorlias filled a silver pitcher with Chian; but when he turned towards the window Zoe was the only one who saw him empty into the wine the contents of a small vial which he seemed to have had ready in the palm of his hand.

He called Carlo's man.

'Take it to him,' he said. 'You can easily pa.s.s it through the bars.'

'It is not much wine,' observed the man doubtfully. 'He will drink that at a draught.'

'If he asks for more, fill the pitcher again,' answered Gorlias. 'If he falls asleep, let me know.'

The man went off.

'Clear away all that,' said Zoe to the men-servants who stood looking on. 'The master must not find this confusion when he comes home.'

Her tone and her manner imposed obedience, and besides, they knew that Tocktamish was safe for a while. They began to clear the table at once, and Zoe left the room followed by Gorlias and her two maids, who had been silent witnesses of what had pa.s.sed.

Upstairs, they left her alone with the astrologer, and disappeared to discuss in whispers the wonderful things that were happening in the house.

'Where is he?' asked Zoe, as soon as the maids were gone.

'He is in a dry cistern near the north wall of the city.'

'Hiding?'

'No--a prisoner. In escaping last night he ran among the soldiers who were to have helped us, and they held him for a ransom. The Tartar came to extort the money. You know all.'

'At least, he is safe for the present,' Zoe said, but very doubtfully, for she did not half believe what she said.

'No,' Gorlias answered; 'he is not safe for long, and we must get him out. They demand a ransom, but they know well enough that even if they get it they will not dare to let him go free, since he could hang them all by a word.'

'What will they do?'

'If they can get the money they will let him starve to death in the cistern. If they do not, they will give him up to Andronicus for the reward. The Emperor has proclaimed that he will give ten pounds of gold to any one who will bring him Carlo Zeno, dead or alive. That is not enough.'

'The Emperor knows it was he?' asked Zoe with increasing anxiety.

'Yes.'

'How?'

'I do not know. Some one has betrayed us.'

'Us all?'

'I fear so.'

'But you yourself? Do you dare go about?'

'I have many disguises, and they who know the fisherman do not know the astrologer.'

'But if you should be taken?'

'A man cannot change his destiny. But look here. I have something from Johannes already. He has changed his mind; he regrets not having let us take him out last night, and he sends me this by the captain's wife.'

Gorlias produced a parchment doc.u.ment.

'What is it?'

'The gift of Tenedos to Venice.'

'Ah! If Messer Carlo were only free!'

'Yes--if!' Gorlias shook his head thoughtfully. 'It will not be easy to send an answer to this,' he went on. 'The woman brought it to me at the risk of her life, and said it would be impossible for her to come again. The guard is doubled, and a very different watch will be kept in future. I do not believe that we can bring Johannes out, as we might have done in spite of those fellows last night. Yet I am sure that if Messer Carlo were at liberty he would try. He would at least send word, in answer to this. But the days are over when we used to send letters up and down by a thread--the tower is watched from the river now.'

'Can you not get in by a disguise?'

'No. There is not the least chance of gaining admittance at present.'

'I could,' said Zoe confidently. 'I am sure I could! If I went in carrying a basket of linen on my head and dressed like a slave-girl in blue cotton with yellow leathern shoes, I am sure they would let me go to the captain's wife.'

'What if your basket were searched and the letter found?'

'I would put it into my shoe. They would not look for it there.'

'You would run a fearful risk.'

'For him, if it were of any use,' Zoe answered. 'But it will not help him at all, and if anything happened to me he would be sorry. Besides, why should we send a message that pretends to come from Messer Carlo when he himself is a prisoner?'

'This is the case,' Gorlias answered. 'The soldiers will never let him out till they feel safe themselves; and the only way to make them sure that there is no danger is really and truly to bring Johannes out and set him on the throne again. So long as Andronicus reigns and may take vengeance on them, they will keep Messer Carlo a prisoner to give up at any moment, or to starve him to death for their own safety--unless they murder him outright. But I do not believe that any ten of them would dare to set upon him, for they know him well.'

Zoe smiled, for she was proud to love a man whom ten men would not dare to kill.

'Then the only way to save him is to free Johannes?' she said. 'Yes,'

she went on, not waiting for an answer, 'I think you are right. Even if we got them their ten thousand ducats they would not let him out as long as Andronicus is at Blachernae.'

'That is the truth of it,' Gorlias answered. 'Neither more nor less.

Messer Carlo's life depends upon it.'