the first sign of life he gave was an attempt to rise, saying, "no, traitor, thou shalt not carry it off; the picture is mine; it is that of the beloved of my own soul: thou hast stolen it, and now wouldst take my life."
at the unexpected vision of arnoldo, auristella trembled, and although the remembrance of all she owed him inclined her to hasten to his assistance, she durst not from fear of periander, who in a kind and courteous manner took the prince's hand, and in a low voice (lest he should perchance betray the secret of his name, which he might wish concealed) he said, "recover yourself, prince arnoldo, and you will see that you are amongst friends, and that you are not so forsaken by heaven, but that better fortune yet awaits you. open your eyes, and you will see your friend periander, and your grateful auristella, as desirous as ever of serving you. tell us about this misfortune, and all that has befallen you since we parted; on our part we promise to lend you every assistance in our power; tell us where you are wounded, and by whom, that we may try and find some remedy."
at this arnoldo opened his eyes, and recognizing them at once, he attempted, but with extreme difficulty, to throw himself at the feet of auristella, whilst he embraced periander, even at such a moment remembering to respect the modesty of auristella, on whom he fixed his eyes, exclaiming, "is it possible that i see thee, o lady? can it be indeed auristella, and not her image only, for sure no spirit ever dwelt in form so fair? yes, thou art auristella herself, without a doubt, and i too am that same arnoldo who has ever adored thee; even now am i come hither in search of thee, for without thee my soul is desolate."
whilst this was passing, croriano and the rest had heard of the discovery of another pilgrim, who also seemed badly hurt and wounded, and constance having stopped the flow of blood, and bound up the wounds of the duke, now came to see if she could give any assistance to the other wounded person. when she recognised arnoldo, she at first stood still, astonished and confused, but soon overcoming her surprise, she, without asking any other questions, hastened to inquire concerning his hurt. to which the prince replied by pointing to his left arm, where his wound was; constance instantly removed his sleeve, and found the upper part of the arm was pierced quite through. she staunched the blood, which was still flowing in streams, and telling periander who the other wounded man was, she advised that they should both be removed without delay to the nearest house, that they might obtain surgical aid, for the greatest danger was to be feared from the excessive loss of blood.
when arnoldo heard the name of the duke de nemours, he trembled all over, and the cold freezing shudder of jealousy rushed through every bloodless vein, and almost without knowing what he said, he muttered, "whether duke or king, neither the one nor the other can deserve auristella;" and he added aloud, "do not take us both to the same place, for the presence of him who has aggrieved one, will not tend to improve the condition of the sufferer."
some servants now came up, two of whom took up arnoldo, and the others took charge of the duke. they had left their masters alone by their own command, and had gone on before to a place near at hand to prepare lodgings for their respective masters.
"go," said arnoldo, "and look well upon the trees that are hereabouts, to see if there is a picture hanging upon any one of them, which was the cause of the combat that took place between the duke and myself. take it down, and give it to me, for it has caused much blood, and is mine by right."
the duke meanwhile was saying very much the same thing to ruperta and croriano, and those who were about him; but periander satisfied both parties by saying that he had got the picture, and would keep it in his own care as a deposit, which should be restored to the right owner at a better opportunity.
"it it possible," said arnoldo, "that anybody can question my right to that picture? is it not known to every one, that from the first moment i beheld the original, her image has dwelt within my heart? however, let my brother periander keep it at present, for whilst he has it, it will prevent all jealousies, anger, and ill feeling; and now take me away, for i am very faint."
they immediately contrived the best means they could devise for the two wounded princes, whose danger proceeded more from loss of blood than the depth of the wounds; and so they were conveyed to the place where their servants had prepared the best lodging and accommodation it could afford for their masters.
until this moment the duke had not known that his adversary was the prince arnoldo.
