"You are the wife of Cacami, the prisoner at the bar?"
"I am proud to acknowledge myself the wife of Cacami," was her earnest reply, accompanied by an affectionate glance at the object of her adoration.
"Did Cacami persuade you to do so unwise an act as to wed with him under the grave circumstances which existed at the time of your marriage?"
"Cacami did not persuade me. My love was pledged to him, and I was the first to say, let us wed, though it be unto death."
This declaration from Itlza was received by the spectators with evident admiration for her courage and fidelity; and, had it not been for the great respect in which the court was held, would have been followed by a demonstration of approval. The gravity of the judges, on the other hand, deepened, for in her answer, so earnestly and honestly given, she had convicted herself of voluntary complicity with Cacami in the offense against the king. It was not necessary to question her further, and she was told to be seated.
The tzin looked perplexed and troubled, on account of the gravity of the position in which his beloved sister's ingenuous reply had placed her.
"Euetzin will rise and answer," said the judge, at which the witness was not a little surprised, as he was not expecting a call at the moment.
"When did you learn of the marriage of your sister with the prisoner?"
"At the time of Cacami's arrest," he replied.
"Had you no previous knowledge or intimation of the sentiments entertained by the young people for each other?"