The dead was
found near the spot where thou passed the night; I shall not conceal the
unhappy suspicions that are so natural."
"Diamine! where did you pass the night yourself, brave Capitano, if I may
be so bold as to question my superior? Where did the noble Baron de
Willading take his rest, and his fair daughter and one nobler and more
illustrious than he, and Pierre the guide, and--ay, and our friends, the
mules again?"
Maso laughed recklessly once more, as he made this second allusion to the
patient brutes. Sigismund disliked his levity, which he thought forced and
unnatural.
"This reasoning may satisfy thee, unfortunate man, but it will not satisfy
others. Thou wert alone, but we travelled in company; judging from thy
exterior, thou art but little favored by fortune, Whereas we are more
happy in this particular; and thou hast been, and art still, in haste to
depart, while the discovery of the foul deed is owing to us alone. Thou
must return to the convent, that this grave matter may, at least, be
examined."
Il Maledetto seemed troubled. Once or twice he glanced his eye at the
quiet athletic frame of the young man, and then turned them on the path in
reflection.
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