"Yes, I lied; yes, I am the guilty one. I loved her madly; and you know, master, what love will lead a man to do." "You lied when you said that you were ready to marry her?" "No, no, master; then I didn't lie." "So you really love Scozzone?" "Oh, yes, indeed I love her!" replied Pagolo, realizing that the only way of lessening his guilt in Cellini's eyes was to attribute his crime to the violence of his passion; "yes, I love her." "And you say again that you were not lying when you proposed to marry her?" "I was not lying, master." "You would have made her your wife?" "If she had not belonged to you, yes." "Very well, then, take her: I give her to you." "What do you say? You are joking, are you not?" "No, I never spoke more seriously: look at me if you doubt it." Pagolo glanced furtively at Cellini, and saw plainly in his face that the judge might at any moment give place to the executioner; he bowed his head, therefore, with a groan. "Take that ring from your finger, Pagolo, and put it on Catherine's." Pagolo passively obeyed the first portion of the order, and Benvenuto motioned to Scozzone to draw near. She obeyed. "Put out your hand, Scozzone," continued Benvenuto. Again she obeyed. "Now do the rest." Pagolo placed the ring upon Scozzone's finger. "Now," said Benvenuto, "that the betrothal is duly accomplished, we will pass to the marriage." "Marriage!" muttered Pagolo; "we can't be married in this way; we must have notaries and a priest." "We must have a contract," rejoined Benvenuto, producing the one prepared under his orders. "Here is one all ready, in which the names only need to be inserted." He placed the contract upon a table, took up a pen and handed it to Pagolo. "Sign, Pagolo," said he, "sign." "Ah! I have fallen into a trap," muttered the apprentice. "Eh? what's that?" exclaimed Benvenuto, without raising his voice, but imparting to it an ominous accent. "A trap? Where is the trap in this? Did I urge you to come to Scozzone's room? Did I advise you to tell her that you wished to make her your wife? Very good! make her your wife, Pagolo, and when you are her husband our _rôles_ will be changed; if I come to her room, it will be your turn to threaten, and mine to be afraid." "Oh, that would be too absurd!" cried Catherine, passing from extreme terror to hysterical gayety, and laughing aloud at the idea which the master's words evoked. Somewhat reassured by the turn Cellini's threats had taken, and by Catherine's peals of laughter, Pagolo began to look at matters a little more reasonably. It became plain to him that Cellini wished to frighten him into a marriage for which he felt but little inclination: he considered, therefore, that would be rather too tragic a termination of the comedy, and that he might perhaps, with a little resolution, make a better bargain. "Yes," he muttered, translating Scozzone's gayety into words, "yes, it would be very amusing, I agree, but unfortunately it cannot be."