The Midnight Queen [73]
tell you what you
must see yourself, that I am mad for revenge, and must have it,
and you must help me!"
Her eyes were shining with the fierce red fire he had seen in
them before, and the white face wore a look so deadly and
diabolical that, with all its beauty, it was absolutely
repulsive. He took a step from her-for in each of those gleaming
eyes sat a devil.
"You must help me!" she persisted. " You - you, Sir Norman! For
many a day I have been waiting for a chance like this, and until
now I have waited in vain. Alone, I want physical strength to
kill him, and I dare not trust any one else. No one was ever
cast among us before as you have been; and now, condemned to die,
you must be desperate, and desperate men will do desperate
things. Fate, Destiny, Providence - whatever you like - has
thrown you in my way, and help me you must and shall!"
"Madame, madame I what are you saying? How can I help you?"
"There is but one way - this!"
She held up in the pale ray of the lamp, something she drew from
the folds of her dress, that glistened blue, and bright, and
steelly in the gloom.
"A dagger!" he exclaimed, with a shudder, and a recoil. "Madame,
are you talking of murder?"
"I told you!" she said, through her closed teeth, and with her
eyes flaming like fire, "that ridding the earth of that fiend
incarnate would be a good deed, and no murder! I would do it
myself if I could take him off his guard; but he never is that
with me; and then my arm is not strong enough to reach his black
heart through all that mass of brawn, and blood, and muscle. No,
Sir Norman, Doom has allotted it to you - obey, and I swear to
you, you shall go free; refuse - and in ten minutes your head
will roll under the executioner's axe!"
"Better that than the freedom you offer! Madame, I cannot
murder!"
"Coward!" she passionately cried; "you fear to do it, and yet you
have but a life to lose, and that is lost to you now!"
Sir Norman raised his head; and even in the darkness she saw the
haughty flush that crimsoned his face.
"I fear no man living; but, madame, I fear One who is higher than
man!"
"But you will die if you refuse; and I repeat, again and again,
there is no risk. These guards will not let you out; but there
are more ways of leaving a room than through the door, and I can
lead you up behind the tapestry to where he is standing, and you
can stab him through the back, and escape with me! Quick, quick,
there is no time to lose!"
"I cannot do it !" he said, resolutely, drawing back and folding
his arms. "In short, I will not do it!"
There was such a terrible look in the beautiful eyes, that he
half expected to see her spring at him like a wild cat, and bury
the dagger in his own breast. But the rule of life works by
contraries: expect a blow and you will get a kiss, look for an
embrace, and you will be startled by a kick. When the virago
spoke, her voice was calm, compared with what it had been before,
even mild.
"You refuse! Well, a willful man must have him way; and since
you are so qualmish about a little bloodletting, we must try
another plan. If I release you - for short as the time is, I can
do it - will you promise me to go direct to the king this very
night, and inform him of all you've seen and heard here?"
She looked at him with an eagerness that was almost fierce; and
in spite of her steady voice, there was something throbbing and
quivering, deadly and terrible, in her upturned face. The form
she looked at was erect and immovable, the eyes were quietly
resolved, the mouth half-pityingly, half-sadly smiling.
"Are you aware, dear lady, what the result of such a step would
be?"
"Death!" she said, coldly.
"Death, transportation, or life-long imprisonment to them all -
misery and disgrace to many a noble house; for some I saw there
were once friends
must see yourself, that I am mad for revenge, and must have it,
and you must help me!"
Her eyes were shining with the fierce red fire he had seen in
them before, and the white face wore a look so deadly and
diabolical that, with all its beauty, it was absolutely
repulsive. He took a step from her-for in each of those gleaming
eyes sat a devil.
"You must help me!" she persisted. " You - you, Sir Norman! For
many a day I have been waiting for a chance like this, and until
now I have waited in vain. Alone, I want physical strength to
kill him, and I dare not trust any one else. No one was ever
cast among us before as you have been; and now, condemned to die,
you must be desperate, and desperate men will do desperate
things. Fate, Destiny, Providence - whatever you like - has
thrown you in my way, and help me you must and shall!"
"Madame, madame I what are you saying? How can I help you?"
"There is but one way - this!"
She held up in the pale ray of the lamp, something she drew from
the folds of her dress, that glistened blue, and bright, and
steelly in the gloom.
"A dagger!" he exclaimed, with a shudder, and a recoil. "Madame,
are you talking of murder?"
"I told you!" she said, through her closed teeth, and with her
eyes flaming like fire, "that ridding the earth of that fiend
incarnate would be a good deed, and no murder! I would do it
myself if I could take him off his guard; but he never is that
with me; and then my arm is not strong enough to reach his black
heart through all that mass of brawn, and blood, and muscle. No,
Sir Norman, Doom has allotted it to you - obey, and I swear to
you, you shall go free; refuse - and in ten minutes your head
will roll under the executioner's axe!"
"Better that than the freedom you offer! Madame, I cannot
murder!"
"Coward!" she passionately cried; "you fear to do it, and yet you
have but a life to lose, and that is lost to you now!"
Sir Norman raised his head; and even in the darkness she saw the
haughty flush that crimsoned his face.
"I fear no man living; but, madame, I fear One who is higher than
man!"
"But you will die if you refuse; and I repeat, again and again,
there is no risk. These guards will not let you out; but there
are more ways of leaving a room than through the door, and I can
lead you up behind the tapestry to where he is standing, and you
can stab him through the back, and escape with me! Quick, quick,
there is no time to lose!"
"I cannot do it !" he said, resolutely, drawing back and folding
his arms. "In short, I will not do it!"
There was such a terrible look in the beautiful eyes, that he
half expected to see her spring at him like a wild cat, and bury
the dagger in his own breast. But the rule of life works by
contraries: expect a blow and you will get a kiss, look for an
embrace, and you will be startled by a kick. When the virago
spoke, her voice was calm, compared with what it had been before,
even mild.
"You refuse! Well, a willful man must have him way; and since
you are so qualmish about a little bloodletting, we must try
another plan. If I release you - for short as the time is, I can
do it - will you promise me to go direct to the king this very
night, and inform him of all you've seen and heard here?"
She looked at him with an eagerness that was almost fierce; and
in spite of her steady voice, there was something throbbing and
quivering, deadly and terrible, in her upturned face. The form
she looked at was erect and immovable, the eyes were quietly
resolved, the mouth half-pityingly, half-sadly smiling.
"Are you aware, dear lady, what the result of such a step would
be?"
"Death!" she said, coldly.
"Death, transportation, or life-long imprisonment to them all -
misery and disgrace to many a noble house; for some I saw there
were once friends