She answered, "I say that I am in love—blindly and madly in love—and the pilgrim is exculpated, and I await the sentence which my lord the governor thinks due for my crime." And she related the whole of what had passed between her and Periander, which made the governor perfectly amazed, more at the boldness of her conduct than at her love, for such sudden passions are common with ladies of her class. He dismissed the case, and entreated Periander's pardon; pronounced him at liberty, and restored his cross to him, without a line having been written about the case,—no small piece of good luck.
The governor wished to know who were the pilgrims that had offered the jewels in pledge for Auristella's picture, and moreover, who she and he were; to which Periander answered, "The portrait is that of my sister Auristella; those two pilgrims could easily have offered far more costly jewels. This cross is mine, and when the proper time comes, and necessity forces me to do it, I shall say who I am, but at present neither I nor my sister wish to declare this. The picture which is now in your lordship's possession is mine. I bought it from the painter at a suitable price, without any of those extravagant outbiddings, which are founded more on rancour and fancy than on reason."
The governor said that he would gladly keep it himself, to add to the pictures in Rome one more admirable than any she now possessed.
"I will give it to your lordship," said Periander; "for it seems to me that it will be duly honoured by giving it such an owner." The governor thanked him, and that day he restored Arnoldo and the duke to their liberty, and gave them back their jewels, he himself keeping the picture, for it was quite reasonable that it should belong to somebody.
FOOTNOTES:
[T] ] Puesto en Cruz sin su Cruz.
CHAPTER VIII.
Arnoldo gives an account of all that had happened since he parted with Periander and Auristella in the Isle of Hermits.