Читать «Cup of Gold (Золотая чаша)» онлайн - страница 100

This night he was saddened by these barrels of liquor which were being drunk without any obbligato of coins ringing on the counter. It was unnatural to him and mischievous.

Henry Morgan was sitting alone in the Hall of Audience. He could barely hear the crying music of the dance. Throughout the day little bands of men had come in, bearing bits of belated treasure dug from the earth or drawn with iron hooks from the cisterns. One old woman had swallowed a diamond to save it, but the searchers dug for that, too, and found it.

Now a gray twilight was in the Hall of Audience. All through the day Henry Morgan had been sitting in his tall chair, and the day had changed him. His eyes, those peering eyes which had looked out over a living horizon, were turned inward. He had been looking at himself, looking perplexedly at Henry Morgan. In the years of his life and of his adventuring, he had believed so completely in his purpose, whatever it may have been at the moment, that he had given the matter little thought. But today he had considered himself, and, in the gray twilight, he was bewildered at the sight of Henry Morgan. Henry Morgan did not seem worthy, or even important. Those desires and ambitions toward which he had bayed across the world like a scenting hound, were shabby things now he looked inward at himself. And wonderment like the twilight was about him in the Hall of Audience.

As he sat in the half dark, the wrinkled duenna crept in and stood before him. Her voice was like the crumpling of paper.

"My lady wishes to speak with you," she said.

Henry rose and walked heavily after her toward the cell. A candle was burning before the holy picture on the wall. The Madonna represented was a fat, Spanish peasant, holding a flabby child at which she looked with sad astonishment.

The priest who painted it meant to put reverence on her face, but he had so little experience with reverence. He had been successful, however, in making it a good portrait of his dull mistress and his child. Four reales, the picture brought him.

Ysobel sat under the picture. When Henry entered she went quickly to him.

"It is said I am to be ransomed."

"Your husband sent a messenger."

"My husband! I am to go back to him? to his scented hands?"

"Yes."

She pointed to a chair and forced Henry to seat himself. "You did not understand me," she said. "You could not understand me. You must know something of the life I have traveled. I must tell you this thing, and then you will understand me, and then-"

She awaited his interest. Henry was silent.