'Tis well, act as you
please; but ere you sit in judgment over ME, signors, I shall take
the liberty of passing sentence upon some few of YOU. Now mark me,
you see in me the murderer of Conari, the murderer of Paolo
Manfrone, the murderer of Lomellino. I deny it not. But would you
know the illustrious persons who paid me for the use of my dagger?"
With these words he put a whistle to his lips, sounded it, and
instantly the doors flew open, the guards rushed in, and ere they
had time to recollect themselves, the chief conspirators were in
custody, and disarmed.
"Guard them well," said Abellino, in a terrible voice to the
sentinels; "you have your orders. Noble Venetians, look on these
villains; it is to them that you are indebted for the loss of your
three citizens. I accuse of those murders one, two, three, four,
and my good Lord Cardinal there has the honour to be the fifth."
Motionless and bewildered stood the accused; tale-telling confusion
spoke in every feature that the charge was true, and no one was bold
enough to contradict Abellino.
"What can all this mean?" asked the senators of each other, in the
utmost surprise and confusion.
"This is all a shameful artifice," the Cardinal at length contrived
to say; "the villain, perceiving that he has no chance of escaping
punishment, is willing, out of mere resentment, to involve us in his
destruction."
Contarino (recovering himself ).--In the wickedness of his life he
has surpassed all former miscreants, and now he is trying to surpass
them in the wickedness of his death.
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