My grievance is the
grievance of Venice--of the nobles and the people!"
She spoke with the exaltation of inspiration, and there was a hush in
the chamber, as if she had wrought some spell they could not break.
Presently into this silence a voice--low, clear, emotionless--dropped
the consenting words, "Speak on, that justice be not defrauded by the
half-told tale."
Instinctively the eyes of the senators turned to the face of the Chief
Counsellor, whose opinions had ruled the debate for many days past; but
he sat serene and unmoved among his violet-robed colleagues, with no
trace of sympathy nor speech upon his placid and inscrutable
countenance. If the words were his they were simply an impartial
reminder of duty--they concealed no opinion; the senators were to be the
judges of the scene, and justice required them to listen.
They gave a quickened interest.
"I plead for the people, who have no representatives here--for the
people, who are faithful to the Church and dutiful to the Holy Father;
let not this undeserved horror come upon them.
Pages:
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290