LIES THAT SUFFOCATE HONOR
Chaos took over the church. As soon as Don David, Don Sebastian and Kurt left through the church doors, the guests began to retreat in an uproar leaving only those on the altar.
Jeff, worried, asks Nick about Blaine's condition "How's your cousin doing?" And puts a hand on Nick's shoulder trying to get his attention.
"Disagree! Dead!" Nick replied desperately, trying to move his cousin's faint body without reaction. "Blaine! Blaine! Please cousin ... react ! " he spoke with agony in his voice. Turning to the others present at the altar, Nick shouts "Uncle! Help! ... Frei ! ... Uncle! "... and without receiving any response from the men, nor any reaction from his cousin ... Nick turns around with a desperate look, pleading" Oh, Mr. Jeff! Please!" which in turn, takes the turn in the requests for help "Come on Frei, help me here!"
However, don Leonard, advances towards his passed out son and rudely pushes Jeff, who was trying to lift the boy "Don't you dare stop Fate from taking its course.", And snorting like a caged animal, continued "Death is the most veil beautiful that you can aim for this shameful scandal! "
Ignoring his uncle's outburst, Nick touches Blaine's face, who was beginning to open his eyes in disorientation, and carefully draws his cousin's attention to himself, asking "Cousin ..., what's up? What are you feeling? Answer me please"
"Courage, boy ... Take a deep breath" Jeff and Friar Burt spoke together, trying to encourage Blaine to calm down, despite the situation.
Noticing the looks of others towards his son, Mr. Leonard turns to the boy, and asks abruptly: "Are you opening your eyes, unhappy?", Which receives a questioning look from everyone around and makes Frei Burt say "Why couldn't he open them?"
Overwhelmed by the shame of the situation in front of the guests, don Leonard lets his anger take hold of him and starts shouting and gesturing with his arms, "Why is it? Why? Doesn't everything on earth proclaim your shame? Can he deny the story that is printed in the blood? " and in a moment of uncontrollable fury, don Leonard goes after his son "Don't live, Blaine ! Do not you dare open your eyes, because if I could believe that you would not die for the shame of your actions, or if I thought that the spirits were stronger than shame, I myself, ending all curses, would choke you. "
Everyone around is frightened by the action of don Leonard, who with his hands on his son's neck, tries to smother him without forgiveness. Jeff takes action, taking Blaine out of his father's hands, while Nick screams desperately holding his cousin who cries uncontrollably. Helping to separate father and son, don Antony, pulls his brother back with difficulty, pushing him away from the frightened boy.
Don Leonard, letting himself be carried away by his brother, leans over don Antony, dropping his weight in defeat "Did I feel sorry for having one child? Did you say that nature had been cruel to me? Never in my life ... until today ... I never thought like that ... "giving a defeated sigh, she looked again at her son lying on the floor, who was crying in agony holding his own neck, which started showing the offending handprints around him; and pointing to the son, with disgust in his voice, he continued "Why have you always been worthy in my eyes? Why, instead of life giving me you as a son, I didn't have the opportunity to collect the daughter of a beggar who had knocked on my door and called me my daughter? Now so stained, muddy with infamy, I could say that it belonged to me, that this shame comes from a strange source other than my blood. But my own idolized son, whom I loved and praised so much, how proud I was of his honor and ability, that even I myself did not seem to deserve him as a father in confrontation with his gifts ... "
Interrupting don Leonard's angry reverie, Jeff pleads with the noble sir, "Calm down, sir. For my part, I am so astonished that I don't know what to say about what happened! "
In turn, Nick, still hugging his cousin who was crying uncontrollably on the floor, spoke nervously to anyone who wanted to hear him "Oh by the heavens ! For my soul ... My cousin is being slandered! " what got Jeff's attention "My dear Nick, did you share the room last night with your cousin?"
Shaking his head frantically, Nick would say in desperation, "No, not last night, but until yesterday we slept together, in the same room every day. Swear!"
Screaming disapprovingly, Don Leonard speaks, once again pointing to his son who doesn't even have the strength to lift his head "AHHHHH ... Confirm yourself! It is confirmed! Could these two princes lie? Would Kurt slander him, he who loved him to the point that, in speaking of his infamy, he weeped to bathe him? So, let him die! "
Frei Burt, overcome by the sense of injustice that hung over young Blaine, takes a deep breath, places both hands on the upset father's shoulders and makes don Leonard focus his vision on the friar's face and, in a calm yet firm voice he says "Listen to me for a moment, noble sir. I did not remain silent for so long, leaving things on their own course, except to better observe young Blaine. I noticed how a thousand flushes flowed in his face, which can only be seen as messengers of purity, in his eyes I noticed a great fire, ready to burn with shame, due to the injuries these princes against his loyalty sustained. Say that I am varying, if you will; do not trust my knowledge anymore, in my observation, that the seal of experience has always confirmed, and refuse me credit for age, self-dignity, sacred ministry, if this boy, so kind, does not find himself, without being guilty , victim of some clamorous error. "
With his chest heaving, Don Leonard looks into Fr Burt's eyes, with teary eyes, pleading for help from the church man "Frei ... it can't be. You see how much modesty you have left, it only serves to not aggravate the eternal penalty with an ugly perjurer. He doesn't deny it. Why do you want to cover up with those excuses how much he can't do himself? "
Without taking his hands off Don Leonard's shoulder, Frei Burt turns to Blaine and asks in a condescending tone, "What is the name of the man, young man, who you say you were with last night?"
Still crying, in agony, Blaine replies "My accusers who know, not me. I was not with anyone but myself last night in my room. If I am in any way violating dignity, my sins will not be forgiven. My father! Give me the proof that a man at an inappropriate time, talked to me, that I, tonight, with anyone, exchanged a word, and repudiated myself, hated me, killed me with torments "speaking between sobs of tears and sharp breaths, supported by cousin and Mr. Jeff.
"The princes were certainly victims of some strange mistake", practically said to himself, Frei Burt, reaffirmed by the voice of Jeff, who suddenly speaks with a defiant air "Two of them are really honorable people. If there is a malice in which good faith eludes them, we will find it in the bastard Sebastian, who only cares about villains ".
Totally worn out, Mr. Leonard looks sadly at Jeff and says, almost without strength "I can't say it; but if it is true about him they claim, with these hands I will make him pay ... now ... If honor has defamed him, there will be fair accounts with me to settle. " Looking for the last time at his son, lying on the floor with his face washed in tears, who fiercely denied the injuries with his head, he continues "Time did not make my blood dry ... my intelligence did not dull ... age , did not make me weaker ... nor did fortune deprive me of true friends, so that now I can see me without any recourse in any way in the current evil, without fineness or the right means, with the help of good friends, to present them with complete punishment. "
With the intention of calming the spirits of all who were there, and being able to give a direction close to the ideal to the events, Fr. Burt patted Don Leonard on the back, as a form of encouragement, and said to the poor father "Stop a little, consenting to pray as a guide to serve my advice. The princes have left your son faint. In secret we keep it and we will spread the news that he died, in fact. In rigorous regret everyone should dress; in the old family mausoleum I inscribed pitiful epitaphs, the whole ritual, in short, customary on occasions of burials such as this one. "
Interrupting Fr. Burt's speech, don Leonard asks "What is the advantage of all this? And the consequences? ",
Once again, Frei Burt puts all his sensibility and also sensitivity to answer, with a sincere look:
"If this expedient is well conducted, slander will be transformed into compassion. It's already something; but I don't dream about it just by proposing such a unique medium. I foresee that these pains of something better indicate ... a kind of rebirth. Having died, as we will spread the news, at the precise moment when they accused him, his death will be regretted and he will be forgiven by all the listeners. For it is a fact that we never give due appreciation to anything that we have; but, if we happen to lack this, we exaggerate the value and see the virtue that was hidden from us by possession. The same thing will happen with Count Kurt. When he sees that he caused young Blaine's death with his accusations, unconsciously, the guilt of meekness will creep into his mind and the image of Blaine had taken his heart, and the aura that young Blaine, alive, had, will come with more precious garments, more delicate, more touching to the inner vision of his spirit than when he was alive.
Count Kurt will then start to deplore him, in case he really loved him body and soul, and wished he had never attacked him with such injuries.
Proceed in this way, and you may believe that success will make events more beautiful than I can paint you in a crude allegory. The truth will be clarified, and if we fail to fully reveal the truth, the news of the boy's death will erase the astonishment caused by his great infamy. In that case, you will be able to hide it as it does in cases of dishonor, in a secluded and religious life, segregating it from languages, eyes, intrigues. "
Jeff, with sincerity in his eyes, turns to don Leonard advising the noble gentleman "Listen to the advice of this friar, Mr. Leonard. For my part, although I strongly attach myself to Kurt and the prince, brotherly love and intimacy, I give you my word of honor in how I will behave with so much discretion from now on, as your body does with your soul.
Totally worn out by the day's events, don Leonard replies to young Jeff in a defeated tone "In the sea of misfortunes in which I find myself, I accept any encouragement, however insignificant it may be."
Resolved, Friar Burt put his hands together in a sign of prayer, and addressed everyone present "Very well; for such a strange case, medicine must also be rare. ", and reaching out to Blaine, helping the boy to finally get up from the floor, he continues" I died to live; my boy ... maybe the wedding is only postponed. "
Following after Mr. Leonard who was being guided away from the chapel by his brother mr. Antony, Frei Burt asks Blaine's tutor and friend Wes, who was watching in horror, to help the boy retire to his chambers, saying "Go ... rest ... let the defamed person die to be reborn in honor and deserved dignity ".
