-
Articles/Ads
Article IL GRAN VASCELLO. ← Page 6 of 8 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Il Gran Vascello.
not have been more agitated had I been myself the culprit . Slowly and silently the young artist traversed the balcony and knocked gently at the prisoner ' s window . 'Twas cautiously opened . "Wha the de'il are wanting ? " demanded Mr . Cackelben in a low
voice . " Hush ! " whispered Herbert , " we have resolved to save you ; here is a purse ivhich we have made up for you amongst ourselves ; you may pass through my room , the carbineer will take you for one of my party . " " Purse ! yan of yaur party ! " iterated the Scot , in a strong accent of surprise ; " what are ye a' been dreaming of ? gin I descend where am I to gang to , and your wee bit purse is no exchange for my braw notes I reckon !"
" For your notes ! " answered the young man , beginning to Jose all patience , " thank your fortune they are in the hands of one who is too generous to permit them to appear in evidence against you ; they are burnt by this time . " ¦ "By God . ' and if they are , " thundered Mr . Cackelben , "he shall pay for them ! fool that I was to trust him ! but I thought that an Englishman might be mair honest than an Italian police officer , wha ivould cut
your throat for saxpence ; gang your gait , and tell your friends they have mistaken their man , and if they do not return me my pocket-book safe wi' its contents , if there ' s law or justice in Rome , —a thing I vara much doubt , they shall pay for it !" "And are these my thanks , " demanded Herbert , "for the risk I have run?—unhappy man !" "What could you expect ? " roughly responded the Scot , "for coming wi' sic a fule ' s errand ! " and to cut short all further parley , Mr . Cackelben shut the window in his face . *
I must confess the conversation I had overheard very much lessened my sympathy for the criminal , O'Carrol was furious , and swore that if the pope did not hang him he would abjure his religion . We all agreed , after some warm discussion , to let things take their course , and attend the police office in the morning ; furthermore , 1 suspended the burning of the forged notes till after the result of the forthcoming investigation . The morning at last dawnedbiwith the fate of Mr . Cackelben . After
, g a hasty breakfast , we al ! repaired to the bureau of the police ; the prisoner was already there , looking , as I thought , with any thing but an expression of innocence ; his sharp grey eyes rolling continuall y from one countenance to another . The money-changer soon after arrived ; he was a character well knoivn in Rome . I felt any thing but prepossessed in his favour ; he was evidentl y dressed out for the occasion—diamond rings and chain ; stillas his respectability was universallacknowledged
, y in Rome , I felt no suspicion of his charge ; the proceedings were , of course , in Italian , which , as I before observed , Mr . Cackelben perfectly understood . The magistrate commenced by an examination of the prisoner ' s passport—it was pronounced regular ; the Jew then stated his charge . The prisoner , it appeared , had entered his bureau on the preceding day , and demanded the rate of exchange . After haggling for some time , he agreed to the terms offered by the money-changer , and
received the value in gold of a 501 . Bank of England note ; which note , on being presented at Tortonis ' s bank , with others , for the purpose of being remitted to England , was pronounced a forgery . Here a clerk of the bank produced the note . W itnesses were about to be called to prove
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Il Gran Vascello.
not have been more agitated had I been myself the culprit . Slowly and silently the young artist traversed the balcony and knocked gently at the prisoner ' s window . 'Twas cautiously opened . "Wha the de'il are wanting ? " demanded Mr . Cackelben in a low
voice . " Hush ! " whispered Herbert , " we have resolved to save you ; here is a purse ivhich we have made up for you amongst ourselves ; you may pass through my room , the carbineer will take you for one of my party . " " Purse ! yan of yaur party ! " iterated the Scot , in a strong accent of surprise ; " what are ye a' been dreaming of ? gin I descend where am I to gang to , and your wee bit purse is no exchange for my braw notes I reckon !"
" For your notes ! " answered the young man , beginning to Jose all patience , " thank your fortune they are in the hands of one who is too generous to permit them to appear in evidence against you ; they are burnt by this time . " ¦ "By God . ' and if they are , " thundered Mr . Cackelben , "he shall pay for them ! fool that I was to trust him ! but I thought that an Englishman might be mair honest than an Italian police officer , wha ivould cut
your throat for saxpence ; gang your gait , and tell your friends they have mistaken their man , and if they do not return me my pocket-book safe wi' its contents , if there ' s law or justice in Rome , —a thing I vara much doubt , they shall pay for it !" "And are these my thanks , " demanded Herbert , "for the risk I have run?—unhappy man !" "What could you expect ? " roughly responded the Scot , "for coming wi' sic a fule ' s errand ! " and to cut short all further parley , Mr . Cackelben shut the window in his face . *
I must confess the conversation I had overheard very much lessened my sympathy for the criminal , O'Carrol was furious , and swore that if the pope did not hang him he would abjure his religion . We all agreed , after some warm discussion , to let things take their course , and attend the police office in the morning ; furthermore , 1 suspended the burning of the forged notes till after the result of the forthcoming investigation . The morning at last dawnedbiwith the fate of Mr . Cackelben . After
, g a hasty breakfast , we al ! repaired to the bureau of the police ; the prisoner was already there , looking , as I thought , with any thing but an expression of innocence ; his sharp grey eyes rolling continuall y from one countenance to another . The money-changer soon after arrived ; he was a character well knoivn in Rome . I felt any thing but prepossessed in his favour ; he was evidentl y dressed out for the occasion—diamond rings and chain ; stillas his respectability was universallacknowledged
, y in Rome , I felt no suspicion of his charge ; the proceedings were , of course , in Italian , which , as I before observed , Mr . Cackelben perfectly understood . The magistrate commenced by an examination of the prisoner ' s passport—it was pronounced regular ; the Jew then stated his charge . The prisoner , it appeared , had entered his bureau on the preceding day , and demanded the rate of exchange . After haggling for some time , he agreed to the terms offered by the money-changer , and
received the value in gold of a 501 . Bank of England note ; which note , on being presented at Tortonis ' s bank , with others , for the purpose of being remitted to England , was pronounced a forgery . Here a clerk of the bank produced the note . W itnesses were about to be called to prove