"The woman pressed a hasty kiss upon my forehead and suddenly vanished. I awoke and stretched out my arms for her in vain. The woman," he continued quickly, before Theodora had time to reflect, "is, of course, Italy." "Kunnioitan unelmiasi, kunnioitan pyhaa kaipaustasi � mutta minulla ei ole niissa osaa. Syntyi kiusallinen hiljaisuus. Schon jagten die verfolgenden Reiter aus dem Wald, [pg 408]voran Cethegus, ihm zur Seite Syphax, eine Fackel hebend. �Hier, im Ufersand, verschwindet die Spur, o Herr.� "Faithless man!" "Kiitos, Camilla. Kuinka sina olet tanaan oikeudenmukainen tai � hyva. Sellaista hyvyytta osoittavalle voin kai kertoa millainen siunaus ja onni on osakseni tullut. "Not even a god could force me to tell that!" "Kreivi Vitiges! Sinun ei sovi ruveta murhaajaa puolustamaan. Olen haastanut hanet bysanttilaisen tuomioistuimen eteen." Rusticiana started. "Why this ill-timed joke?" "Nouse", sanoi Amalasunta kaantyen synkkana poispain, "sinulla ei ole oikeutta tehda tuota kysymysta." "Oh, would that I knew it! I would reach him, even if he lived amid all the horrors of Vesuvius! The priests tormented my mother without cessation, and tried to alarm her conscience. In vain; she stood fast by her God and her husband, and defied the bishop and his messengers. And whenever my father met one of the priests upon his estate, he gave him such a welcome that he took care never to come again. But who can strive with those who speak in God's name! A last term was appointed; if, by that time, the disobedient couple had not separated, they were to be excommunicated, and their property forfeited to the Church. My father now hurried in despair to the King, to beg for the abolition of the terrible sentence. But the verdict of the Conclave was too clear, and Theodoric did not dare to offend the rights of the Orthodox Church. When my father returned from Ravenna, he stared in horror at the place where once his house had stood: the time had elapsed, and the threat had been fulfilled. His home was destroyed, his wife and child had disappeared. He madly sought for us all over Italy, and at last, disguised as a peasant, he discovered Gisa in a convent at Ticinum. They had torn her boy from her arms, and taken him to Rome. My father arranged everything for her flight from the convent; at midnight they escaped over the wall of the cloister garden. But the next morning the sisters missed their prisoner at the hora--her cell was empty. The convent servants followed the track of the horses--they were overtaken. Fighting desperately, my father fell; my mother was taken back to the convent. The pain of her loss and the severe discipline of the order had such a terrible effect upon her brain, that she went mad and died. Such was the fate of my parents." �Ja, ich dich zwingen. (Sie liebt ihn noch immer, den sie zu Grunde gerichtet!) Die zweite Bedingung namlich ist: da? der Gefangene diesen leergelassenen Namen ausfullt � es ist der Name des Schatzschlosses der Goten � und diese Erklarung unterschreibt. Er weigert sich mit einem Trotz, der anfangt, mich zu erbittern. Siebenmal war ich bei ihm � ich, der Sieger � er hatte noch kein [pg 398]Wort fur mich. Nur das erste Mal, da erhielt ich einen Blick � fur den er allein den stolzen Kopf verlieren mu?te.� "Mina aavistan, mutta puhu."