"Ah!" exclaimed Huon, "take me to this guilty uncle. A prince of the
house of Guienne, must he not blush at the cowardly abandonment of the
faith of his fathers?"
"Alas!" replied Floriac, "I fear he will neither be sensible of shame
at your reproaches, nor of pleasure at the sight of a nephew so worthy
of his lineage. Brutified by sensuality, jealous of his power, which he
often exercises with cruelty, he will more probably restrain you by
force or put you to death."
"Be it so," said the brave and fervent Huon, "I could not die in a
better cause; and I demand of you to conduct me to him to-morrow, after
having told him of my arrival and my birth." Floriac still objected,
but Huon would take no denial, and he promised obedience.
Next morning Floriac waited upon the Governor and told him of the
arrival of his nephew, Huon of Bordeaux; and of the intention of the
prince to present himself at his court that very day. The Governor,
surprised, did not immediately answer; though he at once made up his
mind what to do. He knew that Floriac loved Christians and the princes
of his native land too well to aid in any treason to one of them; he
therefore feigned great pleasure at hearing of the arrival of the
eldest born of his family at his court. He immediately sent Floriac to
find him; he caused his palace to be put in festal array, his divan to
be assembled, and after giving some secret orders, went himself to meet
his nephew, whom he introduced under his proper name and title to all
the great officers of his court.
Huon burned with indignation at seeing his uncle with forehead
encircled with a rich turban, surmounted with a crescent of precious
stones. His natural candor made him receive with pain the embraces
which the treacherous Governor lavished upon him. Meanwhile the hope of
finding a suitable moment to reproach him for his apostasy made him
submit to those honors which his uncle caused to be rendered to him.
The Governor evaded with address the chance of being alone with Huon
and spent all the morning in taking him through his gardens and palace.
At last, when the hour of dinner approached, and the Governor took him
by the hand to lead him into the dining-hall, Huon seized the
opportunity and said to him in a low voice, "O my uncle! O Prince,
brother of the Duke Sevinus! in what condition have I the grief and
shame of seeing you!" The Governor pretended to be moved, pressed his
hand, and whispered in his ear, "Silence! my dear nephew; to-morrow
morning I will hear you fully."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account