Thus the avenging army fell like a thunderbolt upon the heart of the kingdom,before there was any thought of taking serious measures for defence.There was only one plan possible:the queen assembled the barons who were most strongly attached to her,made them swear homage and fidelity to Louis of Tarentum,whom she presented to them as her husband,and then leaving with many tears her most faithful subjects,she embarked secretly,in the middle of the night,on a ship of Provence,and made for Marseilles.Louis of Tarentum,following the prompting of his adventure-loving character,left Naples at the head of three thousand horse and a considerable number of foot,and took up his post on the banks of the Voltorno,there to contest the enemy's passage;but the King of Hungary foresaw the stratagem,and while his adversary was waiting for him at Capua,he arrived at Beneventum by the mountains of Alife and Morcone,and on the same day received Neapolitan envoys:they in a magnificent display of eloquence congratulated him on his entrance,offered the keys of the town,and swore obedience to him as being the legitimate successor of Charles of Anjou.The news of the surrender of Naples soon reached the queen's camp,and all the princes of the blood and the generals left Louis of Tarentum and took refuge in the capital.Resistance was impossible.Louis,accompanied by his counsellor,Nicholas Acciajuoli,went to Naples on the same evening on which his relatives quitted the town to get away from the enemy.Every hope of safety was vanishing as the hours passed by;his brothers and cousins begged him to go at once,so as not to draw down upon the town the king's vengeance,but unluckily there was no ship in the harbour that was ready to set sail.The terror of the princes was at its height;but Louis,trusting in his luck,started with the brave Acciajuoli in an unseaworthy boat,and ordering four sailors to row with all their might,in a few minutes disappeared,leading his family in a great state of anxiety till they learned that he had reached Pisa,whither he had gone to join the queen in Provence.Charles of Durazzo and Robert of Tarentum,who were the eldest respectively of the two branches of the royal family,after hastily consulting,decided to soften the Hungarian monarch's wrath by a complete submission.
Leaving their young brothers at Naples,they accordingly set off for Aversa,where the king was.Louis received them with every mark of friendship,and asked with much interest why their brothers were not with them.The princes replied that their young brothers had stayed at Naples to prepare a worthy reception for His Majesty.Louis thanked them for their kind intentions,but begged them to invite the young princes now,saying that it would be infinitely more pleasant to enter Naples with all his family,and that be was most anxious to see his cousins.Charles and Robert,to please the king,sent equerries to bid their brothers come to Aversa;but Louis of Durazzo,the eldest of the boys,with many tears begged the others not to obey,and sent a message that he was prevented by a violent headache from leaving Naples.So puerile an excuse could not fail to annoy Charles,and the same day he compelled the unfortunate boys to appear before the-king,sending a formal order which admitted of no delay.
Louis of Hungary embraced them warmly one after the other,asked them several questions in an affectionate way,kept them to supper,and only let them go quite late at night.
When the Duke of Durazzo reached his room,Lello of Aquila and the Count of Fondi slipped mysteriously to the side of his bed,and making sure that no one could hear,told him that the king in a council held that morning had decided to kill him and to imprison the other princes.Charles heard them out,but incredulously:suspecting treachery,he dryly replied that he had too much confidence in his cousin's loyalty to believe such a black calumny.Lello insisted,begging him in the name of his dearest friends to listen;but the duke was impatient,and harshly ordered him to depart.
The next day there was the same kindness on the king's part,the same affection shown to the children;the same invitation to supper.The banquet was magnificent;the room was brilliantly lighted,and the reflections were dazzling:vessels of gold shone on the table,the intoxicating perfume of flowers filled the air;wine foamed in the goblets and flowed from the flagons in ruby streams:conversation,excited and discursive,was heard on every side:all faces beamed with joy.
Charles of Durazzo sat opposite the king,at a separate table among his brothers.Little by little his look grew fixed,his brow pensive.He was fancying that Andre might have supped in this very hall on the eve of his tragic end,and he thought how all concerned in that death had either died in torment or were now languishing in prison;the queen,an exile and a fugitive,was begging pity from strangers:he alone was free.The thought made him tremble;but admiring his own cleverness in pursuing his infernal schemes;and putting away his sad looks,he smiled again with an expression of indefinable pride.The madman at this moment was scoffing at the justice of God.But Lello of Aquila,who was waiting-at the table,bent down,whispering gloomily--"Unhappy duke,why did you refuse to believe me?Fly,while there is yet time."Charles,angered by the man's obstinacy,threatened that if he were such a fool as to say any more,he would repeat every word aloud.
"I have done my duty,"murmured Lello,bowing his head;"now it must happen as God wills."As he left off speaking,the king rose,and as the duke went up to take his leave,his face suddenly changed,and he cried in an awful voice--"Traitor!At length you are in my hands,and you shall die as you deserve;but before you are handed over to the executioner,confess with your own lips your deeds of treachery towards our royal majesty:
