In the meantime Bianca had been undergoing a terrible persecution from her father on the subject of Mendez, who had returned from Florence and taken up his abode, as formerly, at Forni.  Her former lover was a condemned man, and altogether hors de combat:  she might regret him as she would, and lament his fate to her heart’s content, but he could never be her husband; and there was the Spaniard, rich and ready; whilst the increasing age and poverty of her parent rendered a good match of the greatest importance.  In short, under the circumstances of the case, it was urged upon her on all hands, that she was bound both by her duty to her father and to evince her abhorrence of Ripa’s crime—­which otherwise it might be supposed she had instigated—­to marry Mendez without delay.

Persuaded of Giuseppe’s innocence, and half believing that the accusation was prompted by jealousy, it may be imagined how unwelcome these importunities were, and for a considerable time she resisted them; indeed she seems only to have been overcome at last by a ruse.  A rumour being set afloat that the day was about to be appointed for Ripa’s execution, a hint was thrown out that it lay in her power to save his life:  she had only to become the wife of Mendez, and her lover’s sentence should be commuted from death to banishment.  This last argument prevailed, and poor Bianca, with a heavy heart, consented to become the mistress of Forni.  The Malfis, however, do not seem to have been amongst those who desired the match; and it would appear that they even made some attempts to prevent its taking place, by circulating a report that she had been privy to the assault and robbery.  Perhaps they hoped, if Gaspar remained unmarried, to inherit his property themselves; but however that may be, their opposition was of no avail, and an early period was fixed for the wedding.

The year had now come round to the summer season again, and it happened, by mere accident, that the day appointed for the marriage was the anniversary of that on which Mendez had been robbed and wounded.  Nobody, however, appears to have thought of this coincidence, till Mendez himself, observing the day of the month, requested that the ceremony might be postponed till the day after:  ‘Because,’ said he, ’I have business which will take me to Aquila on the 7th, so the marriage had better take place on the 8th.’  And thus it was arranged.

This alteration was made about ten days before the appointed period, and nothing seems to have occurred in the interval worth recording, except that as the hour of sacrifice drew nigh, the unwillingness of the victim became more evident.  We must conclude, however, that Mendez, whose object in marrying her appears to have been fully as much the soothing of his pride as the gratification of his love, was not influenced by her disinclination, for when he started for Aquila on the 7th, every preparation had been made for the wedding on the following day.