So they
may be--all but one, whose birth marked her for faithlessness.'
As though smitten by a brutal blow, Veranilda bowed her head,
shuddering. Once more she looked at Basil, for an instant, with wide
eyes of fear; then hid herself beneath the veil, and was gone.
CHAPTER XXIV
THE MOUNT OF THE MONK
Basil rode with his own man apart from Venantius and the soldiers
who guarded the conveyance in which sat Veranilda. Venantius, for
his part, would fain have lightened the way with friendly talk, but
finding Basil irresponsive, he left him to his gloomy meditations.
And so they came to Aquinum, where they passed the night.
By way of precaution, the captain set a guard before the house in
which his fellow-traveller slept, and at daybreak, as soon as he had
risen, one of the soldiers thus employed reported to him that the
young Roman had fallen into such distemper that it seemed doubtful
whether he could continue the journey; a servant who had slept at
Basil's door declared that all through the night his master had
talked wildly, like one fever-frenzied.
Pages:
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464