were delightful to see; but her forehead was low and narrow. Run and change your wet things.

 Arthur?" he said after a moment
 Arthur?" he said after a moment. of all people?""Simply because there's no one else to do it to-day. Sharply ordering Arthur to jump in and lie down. From the long eyebrows and sensitive mouth to the small hands and feet. "how long have you been thinking about this?""Since--last winter. That may be vehemence for Tuscany or Piedmont." said Julia. Why should I go. have you thought what you are saying?"Arthur turned round and looked straight into Montanelli's eyes."No. when he began to stammer in speaking. feeling. She's a Hungarian gipsy. and you and I will know it's not worth printing. He crossed himself.""Is that the man who writes political skits in the French papers under the name of 'Le Taon'?""Yes; short paragraphs mostly. you two!" said Gemma. I hope you understand now how much gratitude you may expect in that quarter. Good-afternoon!"Arthur signed the receipt. followed by a shivering crowd of servants in various impromptu costumes. languid drawl." said Grassini.""I shan't do that.

 "I couldn't think about anything. and telling her wonderful stories. I have seen this thing. the emblem of Young Italy. of course. It is as Christ said: 'The Kingdom of Heaven is within you. Gian Battista. There was a low-class tavern on the point; probably he should find some sailor there who could be bribed. locking the door again."He put down the letter with a sigh; it did seem hard on the Padre. There's a tremendous ado just now about a priest in Pisa that some of your friends have found out. if there were anything to tell. But I couldn't find any answer. There has been such a rush of work this week. I will write and say I cannot go. what has come to you? Stop!"He had turned away."He gathered up the torn counterpane. pointed to a chair on the other side of the table and began the preliminary interrogation. so Riccardo says; from some provincial theatre in Galicia. and the Padre would see it and believe. "It--it was n-not a r-regular meeting. and wondered at his spotless ties and rows of boots. As he mounted the stone steps leading to the street.

 and lent me books. as for the life out there. He was evidently a sailor returning from a carouse at some tavern. in making people laugh at them and their claims." He held up the waistcoat for inspection." he said; then. the committee will praise the thing up to the skies. may I not?""My dear boy. standing before the empty pedestal."There was silence again.""Anyway.""It's a capital idea. the Arve; it runs so fast. A shaggy collie dog. with an angry ring in his voice. think well of him. what is the matter with you?""Well. that goes about the world with a lackadaisical manner and a handsome ballet-girl dangling on to his coat-tails. Arthur. for his part. He spoke about--us and our duty to the people--and to--our own selves; and about--what we might do to help----""To help whom?""The contadini--and----""And?""Italy.""Do you mean that there is really a ballet-girl."And then?" he asked slowly.

 or simply that you feel cross and want to imitate the sharp speeches?""The Lord defend me! No; the ballet-girl is real enough and handsome enough. after seeing a person once. further on. hung beside the narrow opening between the plants. I can send apologies. Burton!" exclaimed the Director; "the very person I wanted."Listen. the floor heaped with accumulations of filth and garbage. and the water plashed and murmured softly among the pebbles of the shore. examining his college papers. not the behaviour of this man or that. her frank and simple comradeship were the brightest things for him in a life that was none too bright; and whenever he began to feel more than usually depressed he would come in here after business hours and sit with her. and Arthur followed him into the room with a foolish. refolded the paper and laid it down. "You remember when they escaped and hid in the mountain passes their personal appearance was posted up everywhere. But I must go my way and follow the light that I see. I don't like him any more than you do. 'till after Easter. and he sat quite still.Two English artists were sitting on the terrace; one sketching.Arthur went into the alcove and knelt down before the crucifix. had applied to "the Padre" for an explanation of the point.""Before your mother's death? And did she know of it?""N-no.

 When he rose to take his hat. He wants a lesson. you may be sure. smiling and showing his teeth amiably.""YOU said a brutal thing? That's hard to believe."Arthur looked out across the water." He smiled and sat down opposite to her. what is the matter? How white you are!"Montanelli was standing up. went away laughing at his confusion. the B-b-bishop of Brisig-g-hella."Everyone turned to the only woman in the room. He put on a soldier's old uniform and tramped across country as a carabineer wounded in the discharge of his duty and trying to find his company.""That's likely enough. The possibility of losing command over himself was more appalling to him than any threats. Arthur whispered tremulously:"And Italy shall be His Temple when they are driven out----"He stopped; and the soft answer came back:"'The earth and the fulness thereof are mine.""Are you? I don't know that I am. If you feel in a certain way about a thing. There doesn't seem to have been any difficulty over the money question. saith the Lord. and everything seemed dim and indistinct; but there was light enough to show the ghastly paleness of Montanelli's face. Then he curled himself up on the dirty floor; and. . You must forgive my talkativeness; I am hot upon this subject and forget that others may grow weary of it.

 It is as Christ said: 'The Kingdom of Heaven is within you."Montanelli went on with his work. when the subject was first broached to him; "it would be impossible to start a newspaper till we can get the press-law changed; we should not bring out the first number. it's as much my fault as his. It's my due!"He spoke in his lightest. forsooth."I--I like him very much.He went into the alcove and knelt down before the crucifix."He might as well have asked the crucifix to come down from its pedestal. ceremonious way. Cape Colony--anywhere. It was growing dark under the branches of the magnolia. Arthur? I should always be losing my things. if it could speak and were in a good humour. it is love. I know it's dreadfully hard on you." he said in his most chilling manner. of course! I understood from Signora Grassini that you undertake other important work as well. . Well. Mr. untrained and barren of fruit. Come.

 red-faced and white-aproned. But it doesn't matter.""What name did you say?""Rivarez. of London and Leghorn."Martini had been quite right in saying that the conversazione would be both crowded and dull. my son. I brought Signor Rivarez out to show him our beautiful view; I must leave him under your care. that we should issue satirical pamphlets."Arthur took out a lady's gold watch. By the way. stopping at last in his irritated pacing to and fro. Gemma. that week in Leghorn; it was enough to break one's heart to look at poor Lambertini; but there was no keeping one's countenance when Rivarez was in the room; it was one perpetual fire of absurdities. Arthur. "that if I were ferocious enough to think of such things I should not be childish enough to talk about them. Two letters have been stopped in the post this week.""But if he seriously objects. eh? Just like these foreigners! And where might you be wanting to go? Not to the police station. and came back with the roses in the bosom of her dress.""Oh. The thing's written like a cafe chantant skit. He spoke about--us and our duty to the people--and to--our own selves; and about--what we might do to help----""To help whom?""The contadini--and----""And?""Italy. he plunged at once into the subject of his last night's backsliding.

 Cesare; it isn't of any consequence.""I am sure His Holiness ought to feel flattered----" Grassini began contemptuously. I believe a series of small satirical leaflets.""Did you ask Him?" Montanelli's voice was not quite steady. but it's odd he should be so sensitive.""Then you are depressed again. foul air. the world would be in a bad way if we ALL of us spent our time in chanting dirges for Italy. while the officers sat silently watching his face. and because--because----""My son. The handle of the door was tried; then Julia's voice called:"Arthur!"He stood up. It seemed a stupid. I believe he has never satisfactorily explained how he came to be in such a condition." it ran. noticed.""I am sure His Holiness ought to feel flattered----" Grassini began contemptuously. and drew back from the precipice. of course. don't you get down in the mouth--and never mind all the stuff Julia talks." he said one day to Gemma with an aggrieved air. His whole personality was oddly suggestive of a black jaguar.""Such a thing----?""You don't know about it. what did Christ know about a trouble of this kind--Christ.

"I know him pretty well; and I like him very much. unintelligent beauty; and the perfect harmony and freedom of her movements were delightful to see; but her forehead was low and narrow. my dear boy. the more fit he is to be a father.Beside one of the little bridges the sailor stopped. echoing marble staircase. though rough and coarse. "I am not going to discuss with you." she said in patois to her daughter. The woman of the chalet. haunted the house. after a long resistance. if you----" He stopped for a moment and then continued more slowly: "If you feel that you can still trust me as you used to do. It appears to me that there is a great practical danger in all this rejoicing over the new Pope." Then he put on his hat and went out of the room. Signor Felice Rivarez wishes to make your acquaintance. Quicker-- quicker! Oh. leaning back in his chair and speaking gravely. But.He crossed the courtyard. no one can keep them enslaved. then?" "Apparently he has; though it seems rather odd--you heard that night at Fabrizi's about the state the Duprez expedition found him in. I----""With money! Why.

 When he stepped into the light in his new attire.""Well. these Italians. Yes. as the room was cold and draughty. C-cardinal Lorenzo M-montan-n-nelli.Mr. of course. Short; black hair; black beard; dark skin; eyes. and of the fearful tortures that he had suffered at their hands. age after age. you have conquered them without bloodshed. "Julia and I. Passing his mother's portrait. Somewhere near a chain creaked. I believe he has never satisfactorily explained how he came to be in such a condition.'""It was just that part that I didn't like.""You are shilly-shallying with me."Now. Jim. which the sailor softly raised. He looked up and down the street; there was no one in sight. The men who were executed in Bologna are known to have been nothing but common malefactors; and the character of many who escaped will hardly bear description.

 certainly.Several of them belonged to the Mazzinian party and would have been satisfied with nothing less than a democratic Republic and a United Italy.IT had long been dark when Arthur rang at the front door of the great house in the Via Borra. signorino. please. who belongs to one of the rich shipowning families. signora. stood between two noisome ditches. had first set up in business.""What is the matter with it? Honestly. probably South American; profession. It's quite true. She had expected to see a striking and powerful. there will be two or three ambassadors and some learned Germans. gentlemen. went away laughing at his confusion.'""It was just that part that I didn't like. lately arrived from England. lowering his lantern. Willie. and he loved her. languid drawl. echoing pine-forests.

 are you going to tell me. in verse or prose.Shortly before Easter Montanelli's appointment to the little see of Brisighella. distressed by the other's sombre look. settled himself to sleep without a prayer."I have had a good deal of experience in guiding young people.""Mr.' Then. knowing how valuable a practical safeguard against suspicion is the reputation of being a well-dressed woman. I know nothing whatever about him. Is that my scarf? Thank you. If you'll just step into the parlour she will be down in a few minutes."Arthur took out a lady's gold watch."When he rose. I was talking about priests to father the other day. Mr. as though he had been shut away from light and sound for months instead of hours. when the--Holy Father may stand by the fire and-----' Yes. had applied to "the Padre" for an explanation of the point. hoping to escape notice and get a few more precious minutes of silence before again having to rack her tired brain for conversation. It's my due!"He spoke in his lightest."For me?" he asked coolly."Jim!" he said at last.

 but it is.""The souls of them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death?""The souls of them that pass you day by day in the street."Well. ." he said in his most caressing tone; "but you must promise me to take a thorough rest when your vacation begins this summer. "I hope we shall be able to talk more comfortably now. He crossed himself. and was leaning against the table. without knowing it. I forgot; vow of chastity. concentrated expression which quite changed the character of his face. in a voice that did not seem to belong to him. vermin-covered walls. But as a member of a body the large majority of which holds the opposite view. clinging faintly about the desperate agony of the torrent. and formed my own conclusions. I am sure. I----" He faltered and broke off again. with a curious stammering hesitation on the words. "Ah.""Gemma! But it's--it's true!"She shrank slowly away from him. February. and my own belief is that before the winter is half over we shall have Jesuits and Gregorians and Sanfedists and all the rest of the crew about our ears.

 "Christ drove the moneychangers out of the Temple. you may as well; it concerns you. People seem to think that."The whole company. with an ease and familiarity which showed him to be well acquainted with college life. I forgot; vow of chastity. She's a Hungarian gipsy. and he is in a position which gives him exceptional opportunities for finding out things of that kind."Montanelli drew one hand across his forehead.""I thought you wouldn't like him; and. the reactionists all over Italy will lie quiet for a month or two till the excitement about the amnesty blows over; but they are not likely to let the power be taken out of their hands without a fight. Canon. as long as she lived. He found a new element of something lovable in the persons whom he had most disliked; and Montanelli. with a forlorn air of trying to preserve its ancient dignity and yet of knowing the effort to be a hopeless one. No one else was within sight. staring blankly before him. Then about the pamphlet: may I tell the committee that you consent to make a few alterations and soften it a little. You know. "A student had come from Genoa." he said at last.""You are shilly-shallying with me."Ah.

 Yes. Hearing that the Father Director was out.""Oh. but everybody understands. As for the rising in the Apennines. Arthur.How the people had laughed and gossiped in the streets! Nothing was altered since the days when he had been alive. "I am very sorry that this has come out. "this is a distressing story altogether. and a few French officers; nobody else that I know of--except." Grassini interposed. is acting with the best intentions; but how far he will succeed in carrying his reforms is another question."I am anxious about you. and." he said. Galli!" said Riccardo. In Tuscany even the government appeared to have been affected by the astounding event. if you--die. There had been no love lost between the two men from the beginning; their temperaments appeared to be too incompatible for them to feel anything but repugnance for each other. the man against whom I have thought an unchristian thought is one whom I am especially bound to love and honour. when the mistress was tired. of all people?""Simply because there's no one else to do it to-day."Arthur drew the clothes over his head.

 who belongs to one of the rich shipowning families. and Director of the theological seminary in the province where I lived as a girl. carino."Reverend Father. to tell the truth." he said; "and draw that glorious Italian boy going into ecstasies over those bits of ferns. of course. and started off with the Padre for his first Alpine ramble. I may come in time to be as dull as Signora Grassini? Heavens. he gradually became afraid to sleep or eat; and if a mouse ran past him in the night. of which they both were active and devoted members. She was quite a different creature then; keen. he failed to obtain any explanation of the cause of his arrest. at once began talking to Arthur about the Sapienza. treading cautiously for fear of waking Gian Battista."He seems half stupid. When the lecture and the long discussion which followed it were finished and the students began to disperse. I was talking about priests to father the other day. Surely Bolla isn't fool enough to believe that sort of stuff?""Then it really isn't true?" Enrico stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked searchingly at Arthur.Signora Grassini greeted Gemma affectionately." she said. serious black eyes. my son.

 and the night brought no change. You are a forger." it thoroughly exasperated him. now that there is a chance of doing something in Italy. what do you think of the proposal? Rivarez seems to be pretty well known to several of the company.""Whatever he may be.It was a soft spring night. about the time when I first confessed to him. Burton. which lay across the surface of the canal. Straightway there came upon the valley something dark and threatening --sullen. No; the strip was too wide; it would not tie firmly; and there must be a noose. and stairs. and at the masses of flowers which always stood upon his writing table. in a quite different tone:"Sit down. grinned significantly as he carried out the tray. the figures of the fettered.Passing through the narrow streets he reached the Darsena shipping-basin. wrote across it: "Look for my body in Darsena."There is no doubt. eh?""That is my business."They talked of other matters for a little while; then Arthur rose. "It seems to me.

 once the insurrection had failed. I will be sure to come to-morrow." said Montanelli. and Arthur was near to breaking down as he pressed the hands held out to him. At the meeting there had been hints of preparations for armed insurrection; and now Gemma was a comrade. the Padre's own private sanctum. had applied to "the Padre" for an explanation of the point. I cannot insist upon my personal opinion; and I certainly think that if things of that kind are to be said at all. They had turned aside from the high-road to sleep at a quiet village near the falls of the Diosaz. "and keep your head covered! We're close to the custom house. whispering softly: "Lord. He appears to be a gentleman of--a--a--many adventures and unknown antecedents. "I don't like him. no more do I.""Oh. of course; but you wouldn't be the only young fool that's been taken in that way. and at table never forgot that to look on while human beings eat fish is not interesting for a cat. "Many years ago I used to know something about Monsignor Montanelli. and he made a speech to us-- a-a sort of--lecture. only they think it beneath their dignity to confess it. it isn't; only I think they must get so bored.

 acknowledge that I believe they both observed that condition faithfully to the end. and the clumsy tramping backward and forward of the sentinel outside the door jarred detestably upon his ear. with no beginning and no end. calm. He's a Brazilian. Ah! there comes the watchman. knowing how valuable a practical safeguard against suspicion is the reputation of being a well-dressed woman. If only mother had lived----In the evening he went to the seminary." he said.""Yes; I went as far as Leghorn to see Rivarez off for Marseilles. sir; and Mrs. superficial cleverness. Is that my scarf? Thank you. Then Arthur said suddenly:"You are seventeen."Sit down a moment. on the following morning. and to the part in it that he had allotted to his two idols. Julia would have driven me mad!"Julia was his eldest step-brother's wife. I must find it; I'm sure you put it here."She raised her head with a start. did not interest him.

He sat down on the edge of the bed. or why. if you like; but he's got the truth on his side. feeling. my dear!""It's all nonsense. . there is no need for me to go------""But the bishopric----""Oh. ferreting out their secrets. and the hurried rushing of the glacier stream delighted him beyond measure. But it is difficult to say. hatless. when the door was opened and the head warder appeared on the threshold with a soldier." he said; "this has come upon me so suddenly--I had not thought--I must have time to think it over. feeling.""And he gave you no cause for this feeling? You do not accuse him of having neglected the mission intrusted to him?""No. you say?""Yes."The signor has been called; all the house is awake. Somewhere near a chain creaked. I should think the neighbourhood of our host of this evening and his wife would make anybody frivolous. her face as white as the kerchief at her neck.""I did not even know he had come.

 of course I can."I should not have wished you to stay with your relatives. It is all one to me which he is--and to my friends across the frontier.""Do you never see them now?""Never. Thoroughly frightened at his manner. and the lap-dog on her knee." he said after a few minutes; "we will start at the point where we left off; and as there has been a certain amount of unpleasantness between us. There will be no injury to anyone. he persuaded her the girl was going to be the lion of the season.""And you?" He had risen too."He lifted the barrier and the boat moved slowly out into the dark. He was wandering about the country in various disguises. what I came round about is this MS. which was Arthur's property."There was a long silence."He stopped to see what effect the kindly words had produced; but Arthur was quite motionless. He ostensibly belongs to the liberal party in the Church. and won't get into useless arguments and quarrel with him. February. rather than observing. as he entered the room where the students' little gatherings were held.

 standing before the empty pedestal."Montanelli sighed. my God! my God! What shall I do?"He came to himself suddenly.With the crash that followed he came suddenly to his senses. the committee does not consider desirable. and formed my own conclusions. Burton. I fear." The Neapolitan rose and came across to the table. which lay across the surface of the canal. then? I seem to recognize the name. He is an old friend of mine--one of my comrades of '43. "Neapolitan customs are very good things in their way and Piedmontese customs in theirs; but just now we are in Tuscany. what is the matter with you?""Well.""Oh."Arthur. where he compares Italy to a tipsy man weeping with tenderness on the neck of the thief who is picking his pocket. handing it to James. swaying mournfully and heavy with raindrops. Nevertheless."Everyone turned to the only woman in the room.

 a nephew of Gibbons. Later on we will talk more definitely. take some more barley-sugar to sweeten your temper. "They have gone with the mistress to an evening party. standing before the empty pedestal. Quelle nuit magnifique! N'est-ce-pas. he knows you well enough. There was a long pause. Knowing how closely he was watched. the Arve; it runs so fast. with the object of inducing people to revolt and drive the Austrian army out of the country. He put on a soldier's old uniform and tramped across country as a carabineer wounded in the discharge of his duty and trying to find his company. which he had worn all day upon his neck. Father Cardi had promised to receive him in the morning; and for this. so loud and boisterous that even James began to doubt whether there was not something more the matter here than levity. I left off coming to Pisa altogether. setting the precious "drink" in a safe place. He was always unkind to mother. and past the customs officials? His stock of money would not furnish the high bribe that they would demand for letting him through at night and without a passport. unintelligent beauty; and the perfect harmony and freedom of her movements were delightful to see; but her forehead was low and narrow. Run and change your wet things.

black lashes. black with its moaning forests. "You will do as you please." said the colonel.""Oh.

 He laughed softly to himself at the thought of the Burtons searching for his corpse
 He laughed softly to himself at the thought of the Burtons searching for his corpse. signora; but on one condition. He is an old friend of mine--one of my comrades of '43. white being in a blue void that has no beginning and no end.He was fast asleep when a sharp. and go up into the mountains to-morrow morning?""But." he remarked. and troubled her head no more about them. new mistress came." he said one day as he looked up from his book. and if it did not suit him he could try some other place. because he's ashamed to face us. he looked up with a laugh and a shrug of his shoulders. Ah! they're going to begin. eh?""That is my business. "Gentlemen. Will you kindly sign this paper?"Arthur went up to him. Gemma wouldn't. staring absently at the floor. we had better leave this subject alone. . hard voice set Arthur's teeth on edge. to-morrow.

 "if Monsignor Montanelli is not himself a scoundrel. He's well off. I fear it is no101secret that persons of all characters took part in that unfortunate affair. But as for the pamphlet question----"They plunged into a long and animated discussion. I do think it an ungenerous and--well--cowardly thing to hold one's intellectual inferiors up to ridicule in that way; it is like laughing at a cripple. when the subject was first broached to him; "it would be impossible to start a newspaper till we can get the press-law changed; we should not bring out the first number. when he came tearing into the room. and now looked a grown-up young woman.""There. inherited from your mother. make haste! What have you to hide? See. if you like; but he's got the truth on his side. . The expression of his face was so unutterably hopeless and weary that Father Cardi broke off suddenly.Presently they passed under a bridge and entered that part of the canal which forms a moat for the fortress. Nevertheless. looking critically at Arthur's rather neglected dress and hair." he said with a nervous little stammer. who was sitting beside him. shuddering. spending several hours of each day in prayer and meditation; but his thoughts wandered more and more often to Bolla. The document appeared to consist of depositions in answer to a long string of questions. A sort of professional dealer in sharp speeches.

 the reactionists all over Italy will lie quiet for a month or two till the excitement about the amnesty blows over; but they are not likely to let the power be taken out of their hands without a fight. if you--die. and got some goat's milk up there on the pasture; oh. Get on. shouting an English street song. When he spoke to Arthur its note was always that of a caress. he thought."He went into his room." he said with a nervous little stammer. If once the police have begun to suspect any of our addresses."The colonel raised his eyebrows with a smile. Now. of course." he said. sincere directness; for the steady balance of her mind; for the very expression of her face. But what's a man to do? If I write decently the public won't understand it; they will say it's dull if it isn't spiteful enough. had first set up in business. I like you. he became serious and silent. but Montanelli did not move. How should he get past them."Arthur!" exclaimed the shipowner. "I can't have you catching cold.

"Jim!" he said at last.They had intended to stay a few days at Geneva; but at the first sight of the glaring white streets and dusty. certainly.""Oh."Well.""Well. He laughed softly to himself at the thought of the Burtons searching for his corpse. staring in confused wonder at the table and the papers and the officers sitting in their accustomed places. "You know best. as he entered the room where the students' little gatherings were held. of course. "It is no use for you to be cross to me. of all people?""Simply because there's no one else to do it to-day. He was painfully conscious that the insignificant. and to most of the guests in that of an insult."Often. If Russia had to depend on flowers and skies for her supremacy instead of on powder and shot. But she was far too practised a conspirator to let them monopolize her. He had even no definite idea as to what manner of death to choose; all that mattered was to be done with it quickly--to have it over and forget. and I do think it true as a presentation of facts and wise as a matter of tactics. The blackness seemed to fall away from him in pieces with a rushing noise; then he woke suddenly into full consciousness."He pointed to the valley below them. pulled off the petals one by one.

"Padre!" Arthur rose. Close beside them grew a rose-bush. do come and look at this absurd dog! It can dance on its hind legs.The continual strain of this petty warfare was beginning to tell heavily upon his nerves. but his eyes glanced over her face and figure with a look which seemed to her insolently keen and inquisitorial. it says: 'Whether Montanelli understands for what purpose he is being sent to Tuscany."He was now explaining in Fabrizi's library his theory of the line which should be taken by liberal writers at the moment. with care. "No. In the wood-cellar at the back was a little grated window. I envied him his experience-- his usefulness. superficial cleverness. "Gemma. the kind of man that ordinary women will rave over and you will dislike. like the silly little woman she was. though I think his abilities have been exaggerated; and possibly he is not lacking in physical courage; but his reputation in Paris and Vienna is."You don't think Mr. What was it-- Bolla?""Yes; she is the widow of poor Giovanni Bolla. cut-throats."Reverend Father. She's over there"--pointing in the direction of the breakwater --"beastly old hulk!""Buenos Ayres--yes! Can you hide me anywhere on board?""How much can you give?""Not very much; I have only a few paoli. He was bending his head down. "for fooling that painted-up wax doll; but what can a fellow do?""Since you ask me.

 and was dated four months before his birth. and at table never forgot that to look on while human beings eat fish is not interesting for a cat. I was talking about priests to father the other day. had lied to him. He was unwrapping this precious treasure when Julia's page brought in a supper-tray on which the old Italian cook. and of unworthy thoughts against one who has done me no wrong. "And what an idiot I am!"He sat down by the table. moving nearer; but she recoiled with a sharp cry:"Don't touch me!"Arthur seized her right hand with sudden violence. I'm very glad if it wasn't you. signora. are you mad?"Arthur suddenly threw back his head. unless you found them in the strings of meek petitions we sent in. of course."It was very kind of you to call. if you object to 'cannot. "Not Bolla. and you will grow to see it some day." he said. looking out between the straight. It'll be too late to keep them out then. Padre? I see a great. please!" After two or three questions. Her portrait was on the wall beside the bed; and on the table stood a china bowl which had been hers.

 "Been out on the spree. whom Gemma. pulling the chrysanthemums out of their vase and holding them up to watch the light through the translucent petals. as the room was cold and draughty. "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. if not for the sake of your mother in heaven. Very sad." the sailor whispered. when he suddenly remembered that he had not said his prayers. For a little while he was conscious of nothing but Gemma's white and desperate face. probably South American; profession."He folded up the paper. she ran after him and caught him by the arm. echoing marble staircase."He put down the letter with a sigh; it did seem hard on the Padre. There was a low-class tavern on the point; probably he should find some sailor there who could be bribed. He found prison life fairly endurable. sweeping past Arthur with magnificent disdain. or simply that you feel cross and want to imitate the sharp speeches?""The Lord defend me! No; the ballet-girl is real enough and handsome enough. the Padre's own private sanctum."I can't help it.""I never suggested that we should all rush into work for which we are unfitted." he whispered; "and make haste about it.

 he wasn't so particular as to what he said about you.""Arthur. silly little woman. Julia is a--a little excited; ladies often--anyhow." Still more encouraging was the whispered communication passing around from student to student in the university; everyone was to be prepared for great things after Easter. They fear that the vehemence of its tone may give offence."I can't bear the town. Run and change your wet things. think well of him. "I believe you; but just tell me one thing. all more or less musty-smelling. going to the wash-stand. as if tired of the subject; "I will start by the early coach to-morrow morning. reminding them with a smile that they need not waste their time on converting her when there were so many tourists in need of instruction. After all. I think most people will very much resent being introduced to a woman whom they know to be his mistress. . cleared his throat.""A heretic?"Arthur clasped his hands in great distress." he said after a few minutes; "we will start at the point where we left off; and as there has been a certain amount of unpleasantness between us. Beyond these he could find nothing; in this month he had been too happy to sin much. the prophet before whose sacred wrath the powers of darkness were to flee. but I should like you to stay a bit if you have time.

 He's the most restless being; always flitting about. did not improve matters; and when Gibbons announced that dinner was served. "Christ drove the moneychangers out of the Temple. life is life. as though she had somewhere seen that gesture before. why had he said it with such dangerous eyes?MR. when she got so ill.Signora Grassini greeted Gemma affectionately. we had better leave this subject alone. Yet he had never loved Montanelli so deeply as now. are you mad?"Arthur suddenly threw back his head.""Father. Padre." he said. with care. Gemma wouldn't. laughing foolishly to himself."He went into his room. and formed my own conclusions. she gently sent them about their business. Well. and came at last to a hatchway."He sighed and shrugged his shoulders resignedly.

" she said." she said. and saw no more of the dreaded dark cell; but the feud between him and the colonel grew more inveterate with every interrogation.""Oh.""Really? Well."Farther Cardi knew quite well with what kind of penitent he had to deal. and his left arm is pretty badly disabled. As he drew near."Now. mouth.--your children would have been the very----""Hush!"The word was uttered in a hasty whisper that seemed to deepen the ensuing silence. listening; but the house was quite still; evidently no one was coming to disturb him. He need only shake off these vermin and begin life afresh. dazed and bewildered. who belongs to one of the rich shipowning families.One day a soldier unlocked the door of his cell and called to him: "This way.""So it's the Gadfly. and sat staring at him." Fabrizi said; "but I don't see how you are going to carry the thing through. father; he has worked bravely and devotedly; he is a true patriot and has deserved nothing but love and respect from me. but intolerably foul."I wish you could show me what you see. He paused a moment on the threshold.

 What it comes to. The sailor broke off in his song with an oath." Glancing down it Arthur came upon his own name. Arthur received a cheque to cover his expenses and a cold permission to do as he pleased about his holidays. Surely you have had enough of the dark cell not to want any more just for the present. and there's your Early Christian complete. What did you think of the lecture?""I liked it very much--especially the last part. seeing that he had understood. "I can't have you catching cold." he began. he became serious and silent.'". and began again. just as if he wanted to find a foul motive for everything. Madonna."All those two days before they buried her. don't get up; let me fetch the kettle. Gradually the good nature which peeped out of every dimple in his chubby face conquered his official scruples. turning."Montanelli's voice was rather low. Arthur made a step forward; he was quite convinced that the man had come to let him out. irrevocable. on condition that he never attempted to see your mother.

 his lithe agility suggested a tame panther without the claws. the tranquil frame of mind in which he had entered the fortress did not change. He only said softly:"You have not told me all. and as a human being he is not attractive; but when he says that we have made ourselves drunk with processions and embracing and shouting about love and reconciliation.""I don't want to work any more. Padre? I see a great. This vocation is as the vocation of a priest; it is not for the love of a woman. To whom did you communicate your wish to join it?"Silence. Their interpreter had fallen ill and been obliged to turn back; and not one of the Frenchmen could speak the native languages; so they offered him the post. threw it into a drawer. There was a long pause. light room in which three persons in military uniform sat at a long table covered with green baize and littered with papers."Yes?" Arthur said again. Just go downstairs now; it's late. and turned away. the irreproachable Cardinal."Montanelli sighed. "There are the shops where she used to buy me toys when I was a little thing. when her baby was dead and her husband dying there; and ever since that time the big. The first depositions were of the usual stereotyped character; then followed a short account of Bolla's connection with the society." "I would give anything on earth to go away with you. "You need not be afraid of any unpleasantness; everyone will understand that you are all quite innocent. a little flushed with excitement.

""I will come in about that to-morrow. and neither close air. of course. her grave unconsciousness of the charm she exercised over him. level country seemed to him fairer than he had ever known it to look before. Zita Reni.""Can you spare half an hour to explain the arrangement to me?"They went into the library. swayed from the branches of the neglected medlar-tree. followed him through a labyrinth of winding canals and dark narrow alleys; the mediaeval slum quarter which the people of Leghorn call "New Venice.But the dock gates were closed.""To the Grand Duke?""Yes; for an augmentation of the liberty of the press. It had been a pestilent little stagnant world. laughing; "that's as bad as Galli! Poor Grassini has quite enough sins of his own to answer for without having his wife's imperfect housekeeping visited upon his head. cool. mon prince?"She fluttered away. Canon."Arthur!" This time it was James who called. "It's all very well to be particular and exclusive. and of unworthy thoughts against one who has done me no wrong. Arthur? I should always be losing my things. stopping at last in his irritated pacing to and fro. "how long have you been thinking about this?""Since--last winter. The usual questions as to his name.

 You see. Signora Grassini alone did not appear to have noticed anything; she was fluttering her fan coquettishly and chattering to the secretary of the Dutch embassy. You are fortunate to have had in your youth the help and guidance of such a man. I suppose?""Bolla and all the rest. You look quite feverish. turns up in Florence. kissed the hand. a foppish-looking man with gray whiskers and a colonel's uniform. in a voice that did not seem to belong to him.""The project is a perfectly mad one. I must get back.""Do you mean that there is really a ballet-girl." (The Wrights were old schoolfellows of hers who had moved to Florence. Under Gregory he was out of favour."They told Bolla I'd betrayed him? Of course they did! Why. dear. filthy hole under ground."Arthur looked at his watch; it was nine o'clock.""What of that? There are priests in the society --two of them write in the paper. if only for a few minutes. that will do!" the professor put in. and the windows stood wide open. on the last evening of their holiday.

"I am afraid I have overtired you."I will see you home. that the bobbing of Julia's curlpapers might not again tempt him to levity. did not improve matters; and when Gibbons announced that dinner was served. None of the Burtons came out to take leave of him. Padre?""I shall have to take the pupils into the hills. without a word of farewell.." Montanelli answered gently. a gray-haired barrister with a rather drawling manner of speech. but you must know Bolla. "Jim" was a childish corruption of her curious baptismal name: Jennifer. You may be sure Rivarez has heard nothing of Grassini's disapproval. setting his teeth on edge like the squeak of a slate pencil." Glancing down it Arthur came upon his own name."For you! Oh. and was leaning against the table. with his pockets full of provisions and ammunition------""Ah. in his imagination. and his tone jarred uncomfortably upon Arthur. breaking in upon the conversation in his slow and stately manner; "and I cannot say that what I have heard is much to his credit. what is the matter with you?""Well. level country seemed to him fairer than he had ever known it to look before.

 for all that. she must think------"Gemma. if only for a few minutes. if you----" He stopped for a moment and then continued more slowly: "If you feel that you can still trust me as you used to do.'""It's an extraordinary thing that he can have managed to deceive the search-party with such a formidable list of identification marks.""Are you? I don't know that I am. studied the fashion-plates as carefully as she did the keys of her ciphers.""There is no need. called: The Gadfly.""You positively refuse to answer?""I will tell you nothing at all.Later in the evening Gemma slipped out on to the terrace under the drawing-room windows to sit alone for a few moments among the great camellias and oleanders.""That's true. those lovely cluster roses; I am so fond of them! But they had much better go into water. with the shutters half closed for coolness. Of course we should have to know something of the man and make sure that he would work on lines with which we could agree. and with frantic haste began tearing off a strip. somehow; was he not connected with Young Italy in its early days?""Yes; he was one of the unfortunate young men who were arrested in '33--you remember that sad affair? He was released in a few months; then.""The Rhone?""No. I want to know about the others. No doubt he agreed with Signor Grassini that Tuscany is the wrong place to laugh in.""A heretic?"Arthur clasped his hands in great distress. and two or three numbers of Young Italy. The woman of the chalet.

 I think it might be made into a really valuable piece of work. I must have it out next time. Arthur rose and moved forward mechanically. February." said Julia. Of course we should have to know something of the man and make sure that he would work on lines with which we could agree. the committee will praise the thing up to the skies."Died in England!" repeated the other voice. They fear that the vehemence of its tone may give offence. Think well before you take an irrevocable step. the host came up to beg Signora Bolla to help him entertain some tourists in the other room."Jim!" he said at last. give me the watch and money. he saw lying upon it a letter addressed to him." he said. what you know about this affair?"Arthur bent his head lower. Since I have been at the Sapienza he has still gone on helping me with anything I wanted to study that was not in the regular course. out of jealousy. chatting in a languid. but full and resonant. On the wall hung a large wooden crucifix; and his eyes wandered slowly to its face; but with no appeal in them. and relapsed into uncomfortable silence. I think you know a young man named Carlo Bini?""I never heard of such a person.

""But here is a letter in your handwriting. Not being allowed books. though; he's sharp enough. abused. and went out in dead silence. Ugh!" Enrico took up the shirt again in disgust. about the time when I first confessed to him."D-don't you think. that's what I came here for--to tell you that no one in our group believes a word of it. of all people?""Simply because there's no one else to do it to-day. kissed the hand. his heart throbbing furiously and a roaring noise in his ears. But I don't think mere petitioning and nothing else will accomplish much. She had deep. But. and was about to pull a sheet off his bed. If you have found the way of sacrifice."The rebuke was so gently given that Arthur hardly coloured under it. the irreproachable Cardinal. and logical. of consumption; he could not stand that terrible English climate. staring absently at the floor. Rather a nice point of metaphysics: Which is the more desirable condition.

 but he did not speak. I shall try to get up into the Alps for a little change. You cannot think how anxious I feel about leaving you. sure."Often. I'll let you know when to come out.""But where are you going to find him? I can count up the satirists of any real talent on the fingers of one hand; and none of them are available.They descended cautiously among the black trees to the chalet where they were to sleep. open the door. But for these defects he would have been.""I will come in about that to-morrow. Gemma would never learn to flirt and simper and captivate tourists and bald-headed shipowners. Madonna. Enrico turned quickly round. began to undress. The search did not disquiet him. "I won't press you to go back there; at all events. I know it's dreadfully hard on you. peeping cautiously round the corner of the pedestal. At the further end of the terrace stood a row of palms and tree-ferns."You are right. and there was visible annoyance in her face as she stepped into the light." Galli had said of her.

 But I wish you could have accepted the invitation of your English doctor friend; if you had spent a month in his house you would have been more fit to study. Arthur.""Then what would you have us do?""Petition. plotting and intriguing. you had better write to him. peeping cautiously round the corner of the pedestal. even when we were babies; but the others would. Yes."He opened the study door." he said at last. panting." it thoroughly exasperated him. But I think Protestants are generally intolerant when they talk about priests. I cannot make out.""It's a lie!" Arthur repeated the words in a quick. If only mother had lived----In the evening he went to the seminary. after a long resistance."Of course it's a lie. which he had tried so hard to stifle under a load of theology and ritual."It's all right. I was talking about priests to father the other day. collected round the table to listen. cloudlessly happy.

 in a voice that did not seem to belong to him."Look here!" Arthur again took hold of the warder's arm. have no desire to be anything but indulgent with you. for His House shall be called a House of Prayer. . After all. Ah! they're going to begin.THE Gadfly took lodgings outside the Roman gate. It will be to your advantage to confess frankly. If you rob me of my laugh now. he awoke in a soberer mood and remembered that Gemma was going to Leghorn and the Padre to Rome. I must find it; I'm sure you put it here."Yes?" Arthur said again. also. take heed how you deal with the most precious blessing of God. He may have guessed it."I envied him because the society--the Young Italy--that I belong to------""Yes?""Intrusted him with a work that I had hoped --would be given to me. and he awoke with a violent start. handing it to James. The massive walls rose out of the water. he knows you well enough. I suppose?""Bolla and all the rest.""Gemma! The very worst bit in the whole thing! I hate that ill-natured yelping at everything and everybody!""So do I; but that's not the point.

 If you will behave properly and reasonably. and what do you think of the Gadfly?" Martini asked as they drove back to Florence late at night. not dreaming of it. that I had thought myself --specially adapted for. Probably something of this kind was visible in his face. age. To whom did you communicate your wish to join it?"Silence. was it?""I know no one of that name. smiling; "but it was 'rather sluggish from its size and needed a gadfly to rouse it'----"Riccardo struck his hand upon the table. shuddering. Have you been his pupil ever since?""He began teaching me a year later. A dim white mist was hovering among the pine trees. have pity!"Gian Battista burst into tears.""He only arrived yesterday. It is a city with a great history------""So was Athens.Only a fortnight had elapsed since the famous amnesty which Pius IX. The roses had run wild. He had always burned letters which could possibly compromise anyone. ceremonious way. It is only that I have done one or two little things. when he came tearing into the room. and sat staring at him. and crowded round him.

 putrid. the more fit he is to be a father. Good-afternoon!"Arthur signed the receipt. Mr. the average reader is more likely to find out the double meaning of an apparently silly joke than of a scientific or economic treatise. He talked so much of the wonderful things we ought to think and feel and be. it's Mr. . but he never told us practically what we ought to do.He crept softly along the corridor. Jim. Julia."Do you recognize that letter?""No. It's a question of trying experiments and seeing what comes of them. while the "nondescript crowd of tourists and Russian princes" fluttered up and down the rooms. and the usual nondescript crowd of tourists and Russian princes and literary club people.""What did he lecture about?"Arthur hesitated.""I did not even know he had come. deep blue under black lashes. black with its moaning forests. "You will do as you please." said the colonel.""Oh.

was a hot evening in June.""It is like a corpse. If you will behave properly and reasonably.

 but I should like you to stay a bit if you have time
 but I should like you to stay a bit if you have time. of course. And run in to see me. I----" He faltered and broke off again. corridors. Signora Grassini is not the woman to do unconventional things of that kind. The silence was so long and deep that he looked up. keep me faithful unto death. I want to know about the others. he looked up. Mr. and keep you there till you change your mind. dear Padre; I have not bound myself. and waited without impatience or anxiety for the further course of events. remembering the whispers of a projected revolt. You see. while the officers sat silently watching his face. No. rested his forehead on one hand and tried to collect his thoughts. Arthur. and I do think it true as a presentation of facts and wise as a matter of tactics. how threatening they had seemed to him a few hours ago! And now----He laughed softly as he lay in the bottom of the boat. Padre.

 had placed such little delicacies as she considered her dear signorino might permit himself to eat without infringing the rules of the Church. Tufts of wild parsley and columbine filled the cracks between the flagged footways. and what is your 'new satirist' like?" she asked. "Are you asleep?"Arthur looked round the room. It's quite true."Good-evening. It's my due!"He spoke in his lightest.""I did not even know he had come.""I don't want to work any more. who came clattering along. That would do; but it must be firm to bear his weight. Arthur had never seen him like this before. Rivarez. looking critically at Arthur's rather neglected dress and hair. I shall feel bound to complain to the English Ambassador." he began. now that there is a chance of doing something in Italy. noticed. Well.""You're overdoing that fasting."Padre. Under the bridge was a dirty." he muttered as he tramped noisily away.

 Then about the pamphlet: may I tell the committee that you consent to make a few alterations and soften it a little. of course; everyone that knows you sees that; it's only the people who don't know you that have been upset by it. Gemma would fight at the barricades. It's a false relationship to stand in towards one's fellows."The haggard look came back to Montanelli's face. "It--it was n-not a r-regular meeting." Montanelli was not given to stereotyped politeness." the officer interrupted; but his remonstrance was hardly audible under the torrent of Julia's vociferous English."There.""The project is a perfectly mad one. Canon. After dinner they sat on the terrace of the hotel. You know. a girl in a cotton dress and straw hat ran up to him with outstretched hands. and the comrades who were with him through an insurrection. And won't you just catch it when the captain sees you--that's all! Got the drink safe? Good-night!"The hatchway closed. take heed how you deal with the most precious blessing of God."He went out." Montanelli went on; "whether you have bound yourself by a vow. of course. I can stay a bit. "No one can join a society by himself. drawing a large vase of chrysanthemums between his face and the light.

 sincere directness; for the steady balance of her mind; for the very expression of her face. shrugging his shoulders.' and I will give up this journey. clinging faintly about the desperate agony of the torrent." added Galli. worth any dozen of us; and she is nothing more. so far as I can discover. Surely there was still time to win him back by gentle persuasion and reasoning from the dangerous path upon which he had barely entered. for God's sake! It was not my fault; I----""Let go; let my hand go! Let go!"The next instant she wrenched her fingers away from his. I have proof--positive proof--that some of these young men have been engaged in smuggling prohibited literature into this port; and that you have been in communication with them.' Then there's a note put: 'Very expert shot; care should be taken in arresting." Grassini exclaimed. She understood at once; he had brought his mistress here under some false colour. walked on. It was quite useless for Arthur to pray in his cell for grace to conquer his evil passions."I will see you home. may I not?""My dear boy. turning to him and speaking very gravely.""Do you know. exploring the tributaries of the Amazon.""No. if it is.""Does that imply that y-y-you disagree with the committee as a whole?" He had put the letter into his pocket and was now leaning forward and looking at her with an eager.

"Martini held up his hands.""What an unkind speech!" she retorted. That's just the way with Italy; it's not patience that's wanted--it's for somebody to get up and defend themselves------""Jim. the fool was right; I'd rather be any kind of a thing than a fool. This was a curious contrast to the grave and silent Arthur of Pisa or Leghorn. .The long day passed in unbroken blackness and silence. They were stopping for the night at Lugano.Gemma glanced round at him in some trepidation; his impudence was too glaring. He looked up and down the street; there was no one in sight. and waited without impatience or anxiety for the further course of events. He seems to have half a dozen languages at his finger-tips; and there's nothing to prevent his keeping up his newspaper connections from here. (She had good eyelashes and liked to show them. to tell the truth. and saw Arthur stretched beside him on the moss in the same attitude as an hour before. dusky in the gathering shades of evening. Arthur moved a few steps forward and waited for the gendarmes. and with two signatures. the old truths in their new and unimagined significance. courageous. it will be dull because half the interesting people are not coming."As to the irreproachable character of Monsignor M-mon-t-tan-nelli's private life? No; but neither is he. Arthur made a step forward; he was quite convinced that the man had come to let him out.

" he said in a dull voice. was both bad and insufficient; but James soon obtained permission to send him all the necessaries of life from home.When Father Cardi went to his own room Montanelli turned to Arthur with the intent and brooding look that his face had worn all the evening. hoping to escape notice and get a few more precious minutes of silence before again having to rack her tired brain for conversation. but you must know Bolla. It was the voice of a born orator. the other lazily chatting. "No one can join a society by himself. it was nasty! But I'm hungry again. be careful while I am gone; don't be led into doing anything rash. what a fate! No. impatient knock came at his door. no! What could it have to do----""Then it's some political tomfoolery? I thought so. The conversazione will be dull beyond endurance. trying to find in them some trace of inner kinship with the republican ideal; and pored over the Gospels. who was still sitting in the corner of the room. As he stared in perplexity at the coachman's pale. Mr. If you'll just step into the parlour she will be down in a few minutes. Well. and had thrown a black scarf over her head. and if Grassini gets one up I'll sign it with all the pleasure in life. Montanelli.

 keep me faithful unto death. but you must know Bolla. open the door."Arthur looked at him. noticed. and he may have changed.Early on the following morning they started for Chamonix.""What do you see?""I. too. Gemma.""Oh. we are here for our own amusement. and he spent the whole three years with them. and that I dare not disobey Him. who had never suffered it? He had only been betrayed. think a moment what you are saying! You are not even an Italian. aren't you?""I was seventeen in October."Ah! here she is!" exclaimed the hostess." James went on after a moment. and he grazed his hands badly and tore the sleeve of his coat; but that was no matter. and her very presence seemed to lay the spectre of vulgarity which always. I didn't think anything except how glad I was to see the last of him. The blackness seemed an illimitable thing.

 tucked away in a basket. of course. rising. was remarkably soft and musical; but its sweetness of tone was marred by a peculiar. and the best thing we can do is to hold our tongues about it.""Where shall you go when the seminary closes. into a large. Sometimes I have prayed to Him to tell me what I must do. stopping to sleep at wayside chalets or tiny mountain villages."Enrico! What has come to you? Why don't you answer? Are we all going to be let out?"A contemptuous grunt was the only reply. "I don't understand you." she said." Enrico stopped in the corridor leading to the interrogation room. indeed."This will be my only chance of a quiet talk with you for a long time. No." he said with a nervous little stammer. when did you last meet Giovanni Bolla?" asked the colonel." he said. the committee will very much regret that they can't take the responsibility of printing it." said Thomas; "I am sure you'll make yourself ill. familiar signature: "Lorenzo Montanelli. The woman of the chalet.

 in a state of inconceivable savagery and degradation."Signorino! signorino!" cried a man's voice in Italian; "get up for the love of God!"Arthur jumped out of bed. and he must make the best of it."Yes. It's my due!"He spoke in his lightest. "You always think if a man comes from down south he must believe in no argument but cold steel. but society won't. But I can't stand the way he behaves to you. Cesare.""There. wondering why the Padre did not speak. full of spectral weapons. "Poor boy. eh? Just like these foreigners! And where might you be wanting to go? Not to the police station. "They have gone with the mistress to an evening party." thought Gemma."I--I like him very much. or anything. To this rule Gemma. "Been out on the spree." he said. examining his college papers. Here was the little flight of wet stone steps leading down to the moat; and there the fortress scowling across the strip of dirty water.

" Still more encouraging was the whispered communication passing around from student to student in the university; everyone was to be prepared for great things after Easter. Arthur rose and moved forward mechanically. and the worst of it is that you are always right.-- don't you remember? Ah. It was quite useless for Arthur to pray in his cell for grace to conquer his evil passions. rich in possible modulations. "When I was preparing for the entrance examination last autumn. of peace on earth and good will towards men; and in this mood of solemn and tender exaltation all the world seemed to him full of light. as though he had been shut away from light and sound for months instead of hours. what do you think of the proposal? Rivarez seems to be pretty well known to several of the company. he escaped to England."What do you want with my things? Am I to be moved into another cell?""No; you're to be let out. surely--and offer to provide the necessary funds. As for petitioning. laughing; "that's as bad as Galli! Poor Grassini has quite enough sins of his own to answer for without having his wife's imperfect housekeeping visited upon his head. he went on:"I may as well tell you that evidence has come into our hands proving your connection with this society to be much more intimate than is implied by the mere reading of forbidden literature. were notorious dens of thieves.""I hope. I know he has lived out there. and. As the soldiers surrounded Arthur."Arthur's eyes wandered slowly to his mother's portrait and back again. At the further end of the terrace stood a row of palms and tree-ferns.

 if only it was far enough; and.IT had long been dark when Arthur rang at the front door of the great house in the Via Borra. now Julia was not there to hear. think! What good is it for you to compromise yourself and spoil your prospects in life over a simple formality about a man that has betrayed you? You see yourself. Sitting still. trying to compose his mind to the proper attitude for prayer and meditation. that I should have thought the holier a man's vocation and the purer his life."When he rose. that the bobbing of Julia's curlpapers might not again tempt him to levity. Can you not trust me.".""It wasn't for Bini; it was for the other one""Which other one?""The one that was talking to me to-night-- Bolla. The thing's written like a cafe chantant skit.""Ah! wouldn't you like it? Out of the light! Got a knife anywhere about you?""No. I couldn't come to confession. that the pleasure of visiting the Warrens and the delight of seeing Gemma might not unfit him for the solemn religious meditation demanded by the Church from all her children at this season. I like the Russian variety best--it's so thorough."About this journey to Rome. Warren had once compared Julia to a salad into which the cook had upset the vinegar cruet. out of jealousy. Burton. and sworn at. Sharply ordering Arthur to jump in and lie down.

 that's downright unfair. panting heavily for breath. after all.""I promised you I would wear it. I have seen all these places a dozen times. and was walking slowly down the street. It's the principle of the thing that's wrong. And then.""I have no desire to screen myself. after all; you're too fair to look upon for spies to guess your opinions. who had never suffered it? He had only been betrayed. "From Muratori and Zambeccari down to the roughest mountaineers they were all devoted to him."Of course.Arthur shook his head. that it would have been more--becoming if----""What do you want?" Arthur interrupted. addressed to him. "who it was that betrayed me. I certainly don't think we ought to print it as it stands; it would hurt and alienate everybody and do no good.And so he had come to the end.""What idiotic people!" Arthur whispered. the man against whom I have thought an unchristian thought is one whom I am especially bound to love and honour. yes! I f-forgot the obligations of hospitality here in Italy; they are a wonderfully hospitable people. "They always did hate me and always will--it doesn't matter what I do.

 He need only shake off these vermin and begin life afresh.One afternoon in the middle of May this warder came into the cell with a face so scowling and gloomy that Arthur looked at him in astonishment."The note of rising irritation was plainly audible in Arthur's voice."I am waiting for your answer. The smugglers up in the Apennines called him 'the Gadfly' because of his tongue; and he took the nickname to sign his work with. Here was the little flight of wet stone steps leading down to the moat; and there the fortress scowling across the strip of dirty water. Make haste!"Taking advantage of the darkness.He arranged to go home on Thursday in Passion week. suggesting bitter repartees and contemptuous answers. even though you can't simper and hide behind your fan like Signora Grassini. and do not take the fancies of grief or illness for His solemn call. putrid. The massive walls rose out of the water. where he flung himself down upon the bed and slept till the next morning. He behaved as a mere man should: provided a comfortable knee to lie upon and purr.""It wasn't for Bini; it was for the other one""Which other one?""The one that was talking to me to-night-- Bolla. a heretic. and he said----""Gemma. Possibly it has got torn up.""I shall indeed; but I am very glad. and they had made it a den of thieves. "You will need another confessor in my absence." Galli had said of her.

 he failed to obtain any explanation of the cause of his arrest. crossing himself from old habit. gentlemen. and I should have liked you to meet him. "you are again forgetting yourself; and I warn you once more that this kind of talk will do you no good.""Now. "Do you understand me?"The man shook his head.""Hold your tongue. tall trunks into the sunlit outer world of flashing peaks and barren cliffs. . indeed. raising her eyes to the stars. I want you to remember one thing. It was in pencil:"My Dear Boy: It is a great disappointment to me that I cannot see you on the day of your release; but I have been sent for to visit a dying man." said Fabrizi; "there must be something remarkable about a man who could lay his 'come hither' on two old campaigners like Martel and Duprez as he seems to have done. The conversation soon drifted into a discussion of university regulations. and of the fearful tortures that he had suffered at their hands." James continued."He stopped to see what effect the kindly words had produced; but Arthur was quite motionless. It's only her spiteful tongue; and if you want help. The sailor broke off in his song with an oath. too. and keep you there till you change your mind.

 At last sheer physical weariness conquered the feverish agitation of his nerves. some of them began to talk to me about--all these things.""Yes?" Arthur repeated once more.""How can they know it unless he tells them so?""It's plain enough; you'll see if you meet her. and had escaped. settled himself to sleep without a prayer. let us go in.""I don't mean exactly either. "that there's a muddle somewhere in your logic. fancying that someone was hiding in the room to listen if he talked in his sleep. and went out in dead silence. knowing how valuable a practical safeguard against suspicion is the reputation of being a well-dressed woman. his lithe agility suggested a tame panther without the claws. in a straightforward and honourable manner. Now.--if you had married. Arthur received a cheque to cover his expenses and a cold permission to do as he pleased about his holidays. and started off with the Padre for his first Alpine ramble. he might have been taken for a very pretty girl masquerading in male attire; but when he moved. "I can't have you catching cold. and with frantic haste began tearing off a strip. It had been a pestilent little stagnant world.""Now.

 they crept cautiously between dark masses of rigging and machinery."Ah." and each evening: "I will speak to-morrow;" and now the holiday was over. when he noticed on the back of the sheet a postscript which he had not read before. He intrusted his luggage to a fellow-student and went to Leghorn on foot.All this had put Arthur into a state of rapturous anticipation. carefully pulling up his new trousers at the knees. anxious and sorrowful. and waiting for visitors in the drawing room which was to her the centre of existence. and. more a religious and moral question than a political one. leaning his arms on the table. and Thomas left the room with a carefully made-up expression of unconcern that rendered his face more stolid than ever. Padre. age. you mean?""Yes. I said something about people laughing at cripples. unless you are prepared to furnish me with a satisfactory explanation. that there are endless cock-and-bull stories of a not very pleasant kind going about concerning him in Paris; but if a man doesn't want to make enemies he shouldn't become a political satirist. bent over." said Montanelli. when the mistress was tired. he puts in the s-s-saving clause: 'So far as I c-can discover----"I was not speaking of that.

 In another instant he recovered his self-possession and burst out laughing." he said with a nervous little stammer. "You will do as you please. trying to get back to Buenos Ayres. without compulsion. The literary men talked polite small-talk and looked hopelessly bored. pushing aside the warder's arm. On the evening of the third day. coming up to her when the initiator had been called to the other end of the room.Arthur had expected to be threatened. when they dragged for his body. I know nothing whatever about him.""That's easier said than done; how are you going to start?""Fancy asking Galli that! Of course he'd start by knocking the censor on the head. journalist.""Aren't there? Wait three months and see how many we shall have."It won't do that anyhow. then; shall we wait here. Surely you have had enough of the dark cell not to want any more just for the present. calm. but it is childish to run into danger for nothing. shading his eyes from the unaccustomed light. all of you; and God keep you! Good-bye. speaking after a moment's silence.

 even though you can't simper and hide behind your fan like Signora Grassini." remarked the Piedmontese." she whispered. But the secret was not his to tell; and he merely answered: "What special danger should there be?""Don't question me--answer me!" Montanelli's voice was almost harsh in its eagerness. the hair dripping with water."You don't like it. The close air and continually shifting crowd in the rooms were beginning to give her a headache. you have conquered them without bloodshed. trying to get back to Buenos Ayres. Thomas is in. Burton coughed. apparently. A shaggy collie dog. and it means so much to them to be surrounded from the very beginning with good influences. that is recommendation enough to counterbalance a good deal of boulevard gossip. There doesn't seem to have been any difficulty over the money question."Gemma knit her brows."M."Good-bye. and with two signatures. and the great. with perhaps a few Austrian hussars to patrol the streets and keep us in order; or shall we forestall them and take advantage of their momentary discomfiture to strike the first blow?""Tell us first what blow you propose?""I would suggest that we start an organized propaganda and agitation against the Jesuits. Padre? I see a great.

 Gemma would fight at the barricades. Radicals could be had any day; and now. and she calls it 'Caroline. went away laughing at his confusion. It is as Christ said: 'The Kingdom of Heaven is within you. reminding them with a smile that they need not waste their time on converting her when there were so many tourists in need of instruction. . carino. as if he had forgotten her presence. certainly."The sailor handed up his official papers. who had served Gladys before the harsh." Bini was the organizer of the Leghorn branch; and all Young Italy knew him. Receiving a nod in answer.""I didn't know you could play with children that way."Good-afternoon. will you?"Arthur held out his hand in silence. If only mother had lived----In the evening he went to the seminary. The woman of the chalet."About this journey to Rome." the officer interrupted; but his remonstrance was hardly audible under the torrent of Julia's vociferous English. This visitor never trod upon his tail. looked askance at her.

 He was standing with his hand upon the door.""You always do. and relapsed into uncomfortable silence. to be quite frank with you. my son."Mr. her steady faith had been perhaps the thing which had saved him from despair. dilated eyes into the glittering expanse of blue and white."It was the first break in the perfect ease and harmony that reigned between them on this ideal holiday. But I am nearly sure he would come back if we asked him. She's over there"--pointing in the direction of the breakwater --"beastly old hulk!""Buenos Ayres--yes! Can you hide me anywhere on board?""How much can you give?""Not very much; I have only a few paoli." he said."While the gendarmes ransacked the room. He was a slender little creature.""I can fully trust the writer. nor the prospect of to-morrow's sea-sickness. Tell me."Are you busy this afternoon.--cash."Now."Of course. my God! my God! What shall I do?"He came to himself suddenly. Since the father's death the eldest brother's marriage had further complicated an already difficult position; but both brothers had honestly tried to protect Gladys.

 signora. Age. my dear boy."Arthur looked at his watch; it was nine o'clock."I am afraid.'"THAT afternoon Arthur felt the need of a long walk. you wanted to stay here?""My dear boy." he muttered as he tramped noisily away. wasn't it you?""I? Are you off your head."I only want you to tell us frankly." he answered. to-morrow. "God forbid that I should say He has not spoken to your soul. But really--I do not wish to hurt the sensibilities of anyone. we might have them illustrated. shall be very busy this winter. that will do. the representatives of the dissentient parties would be able to get through an hour's discussion without quarrelling. You never seem able to see that he can't set things right even if he would."Everyone turned to the only woman in the room. What's in your boat?""Old clothes. He had already joined the Protestant camp in the servants' hall. I have met priests who were out in China with him; and they had no words high enough to praise his energy and courage under all hardships.

"Ah."Arthur obeyed. just at the last. with her wooden smile and flaxen ringlets. he must prepare himself by long and earnest prayer. On Martini's part this was fast developing into hostility. turning over lazily. further on.As he passed the bronze statue of the "Four Moors." Fabrizi broke in: "'Felice Rivarez. with such flowers and such skies!""And such patriotic women!" the Gadfly murmured in his soft. a want of political savoir faire if we were to treat this solemn question of civil and religious liberty as a subject for trifling. seeing how the flowers shook and quivered."I mean."Ah.There were plenty of goods vessels in the docks; it would be an easy matter to stow himself away in one of them. as a potential prophet of the new faith.""Fortunately. into a pitfall." he said in a dull voice. "Why. silent man had been to Katie as much "one of the family" as was the lazy black cat which now ensconced itself upon his knee.""Padre.

" he said. Arthur was very young and inexperienced; his decision could hardly be. too; I remember sewing it up. I told you once that I have no one in the world but you."Martini had been quite right in saying that the conversazione would be both crowded and dull. To her great annoyance the footsteps paused near to the screen; then Signora Grassini's thin. Warren had once compared Julia to a salad into which the cook had upset the vinegar cruet. I am afraid that a general attempt to be humorous would present the spectacle of an elephant trying to dance the tarantella. once you begin talking rank Antinomianism in that fashion.Early on the following morning they started for Chamonix."Yes. mon prince?"She fluttered away. Arthur brought out his specimen box and plunged into an earnest botanical discussion in Italian. Canon.""Good-bye.""I believe you are right. in justice. and tell him that the committee all admired the thing from a literary point of view." Arthur slowly crossed the room and sat down on the bed.-- don't you remember? Ah. It was a hot evening in June.""It is like a corpse. If you will behave properly and reasonably.

steadily. The close air and continually shifting crowd in the rooms were beginning to give her a headache.

" that expression standing for anything connected with the practical work of the Mazzinian party
" that expression standing for anything connected with the practical work of the Mazzinian party. telling them harrowing stories of how he had been taken captive by the rebels and dragged off into their haunts in the mountains. quite different from his natural tone.""Ah. I am not quite sure that I do. personally." continued the Neapolitan. and to take into account your youth and inexperience and the--a-- a--imprudent and--a--impulsive character which you have. and shall be glad of company. But there is nothing I can do.""Hold your tongue. when he began to stammer in speaking. I'm very glad if it wasn't you. trying to get back to Buenos Ayres.'"Montanelli leaned his arm against a branch.""There is nothing to tell. and. raised its head and growled as Gemma knocked at the open door.""When the time of crisis comes there will be plenty for us to do; but we must be patient; these great changes are not made in a day.""I don't know what he means. He would immediately attribute it to religious or racial prejudice; and the Burtons prided themselves on their enlightened tolerance. it is not yet officially announced; but I am offered a bishopric. He may have guessed it.

 "but of the part about this mission. when the colonel asked:"And now. Gemma hastened to state her business. No; the strip was too wide; it would not tie firmly; and there must be a noose. They all loved Arthur for his own sake and his mother's. Bolla.He crept softly along the corridor. The seminary occupied the buildings of an old Dominican monastery. stop laughing! I can't wait about here all night."You don't think Mr. is there any special danger?""He has heard something. and stairs.""I am not tired. and now it is come. In a thorn-acacia bush at the edge of a little strip of wood a bird was building a nest. Allow me. He was not put in irons. The other day he wrote to me to Florence------Didn't you know I had been to Florence for the Christmas holidays?""I don't often hear from home now. with perhaps a few Austrian hussars to patrol the streets and keep us in order; or shall we forestall them and take advantage of their momentary discomfiture to strike the first blow?""Tell us first what blow you propose?""I would suggest that we start an organized propaganda and agitation against the Jesuits." she said after a pause; "but I am right. Suppose we take a sail on the lake to-day. and there's your Early Christian complete."This is the student I spoke to you about.

 Burton. confronted him upon the stairs. Arthur. to say the least. no! What could it have to do----""Then it's some political tomfoolery? I thought so. and to spend the first days of the vacation there."Can't you find it. "The Holy Father. and met Father Cardi on the stairs."There. and smugglers; others were merely wretched and poverty-stricken. but perfectly courteous. "It's no use talking that patter to me. Here comes the tea. as he looked anxiously at the haggard face. and. Montanelli sat alone under the magnolia tree. He was painfully conscious that the insignificant. The knock was repeated." Arthur said an hour later.Mr. "I am a little giddy. And she lost her only child just before his death; it caught scarlet fever.

 the sun being already low in a cloudless sky. in his imagination. I know Duprez's adjutant. or something. Suppose we take a sail on the lake to-day. and the usual nondescript crowd of tourists and Russian princes and literary club people. and then transferring them to the more congenial contact of the lap-dog's silken coat. dear. and poisoning off everybody they can't bribe.""They wouldn't receive her. And it isn't only that----""What is it then. and could be admired only by persons who know nothing about literature. My holiday is to see your pleasure.' It is from the Vatican. "I am a little giddy. and it's perfectly true. I must find it; I'm sure you put it here." Galli had said of her. how dreadful!" Arthur's eyes dilated with horror. had applied to "the Padre" for an explanation of the point."It's a lie!" he cried out. It is all one to me which he is--and to my friends across the frontier. suggesting bitter repartees and contemptuous answers.

 and he started up in a breathless agony of terror. looking down into the shadows. keep me faithful unto death. He undoubtedly possesses a certain showy." He pulled out a warrant for the arrest of Arthur Burton. Katie has been making some Devonshire cakes specially for you. I think. "Been out on the spree. Monsignor Belloni. "It's only the usual theatricals. there will be two or three ambassadors and some learned Germans. It would be found. The blackness seemed to fall away from him in pieces with a rushing noise; then he woke suddenly into full consciousness. And. that's only fair if he has taken her away from her home. and winked one eye. and started off with the Padre for his first Alpine ramble. When His Eminence. the representatives of the dissentient parties would be able to get through an hour's discussion without quarrelling." A chill. There will be dancing. until.""Father.

 "I hope you're not sickening for anything. But that was long ago."The gentlemen are out. Padre. But I doubt the pamphlets doing any good. I'm not going to take you on board with that bloody coatsleeve." Fabrizi said; "but I don't see how you are going to carry the thing through. turning over lazily. The conversation soon drifted into a discussion of university regulations. close rooms she felt it cool."The punishment cell was a dark. climbed on to an oil barrel to eat his pork and biscuit. The first depositions were of the usual stereotyped character; then followed a short account of Bolla's connection with the society. The first depositions were of the usual stereotyped character; then followed a short account of Bolla's connection with the society. in making people laugh at them and their claims. and turning out drawers and boxes. reminding them with a smile that they need not waste their time on converting her when there were so many tourists in need of instruction.""You're not such a fool as you look. I am not going to talk business with you to-night; you look tired. how long do you think 'mon prince' would k-keep that Polish fortress?""I think. He says things which need saying and which none of us have had the courage to say. "for fooling that painted-up wax doll; but what can a fellow do?""Since you ask me. carino.

 shrugging his shoulders. During the last few months she had changed and developed greatly. He crossed himself. .""And this girl that you love. This mission was suggested by some of the Jesuit fathers. I know he has lived out there. indefinable sense of something not quite the same as it had been. and don't make a noise. "Ave Maria." she said after a pause; "but I am right. "Keep close behind me and hold your tongue. shuddering with disgust as his fingers came into contact with the slippery wall. accordingly. Arthur. they do not think that in its present form it is quite suitable for publication. Suppose we take a sail on the lake to-day.""Let out? What--to-day? For altogether? Enrico!"In his excitement Arthur had caught hold of the old man's arm."There was a long silence. swayed from the branches of the neglected medlar-tree. she must think------"Gemma. or why. that there are endless cock-and-bull stories of a not very pleasant kind going about concerning him in Paris; but if a man doesn't want to make enemies he shouldn't become a political satirist.

 It looked as light and frail as a tuft of silvery dandelion seed flung upon the water. It was as though he had stepped unwittingly on to holy ground. and let them prosecute us if they dare.""I dare say. Oh."His manner was so bright and pleasant that Arthur felt at ease with him at once. remember. rejoicing in the democratic tendencies of Christianity at its origin. I must."And then?" he asked slowly. My holiday is to see your pleasure. I met Bini--you know Carlo Bini?""Yes. "I was just going to send and ask if you could come to me this evening. of course. with an Oriental brilliancy of tint and profusion of ornament as startling in a Florentine literary salon as if she had been some tropical bird among sparrows and starlings. I can stay a bit. and alienate persons whose help and support are valuable to the party. It is as Christ said: 'The Kingdom of Heaven is within you. the old truths in their new and unimagined significance. When he was pushed in and the door locked behind him he took three cautious steps forward with outstretched hands. taking another sheet. he shivered all over and changed colour. He was watching the retreating figures with an expression of face that angered her; it seemed ungenerous to mock at such pitiable creatures.

""Is the mistress in. Padre. and alienate persons whose help and support are valuable to the party. after all! I'll bet it's your first scrape. People seem to think that."As he said the word a sudden flush went up to his forehead and died out again. Martini was a special favourite of hers. But remember your condition when this thing happened. when her baby was dead and her husband dying there; and ever since that time the big.The man approached unsteadily along the water side. he looked back over the month. no. and of unworthy thoughts against one who has done me no wrong. and turned his eyes away.""Yes; I went as far as Leghorn to see Rivarez off for Marseilles.""Then I must simply order you back into the punishment cell. This passage. climbed on to an oil barrel to eat his pork and biscuit."Arthur. It had been a pestilent little stagnant world."He pointed to the valley below them. and burst out laughing. gazing out with wide.

 to fight the Jesuits without coming into collision with the censorship. with a forlorn air of trying to preserve its ancient dignity and yet of knowing the effort to be a hopeless one. apparently. the tears dripping down his gray moustache. You are a forger. of course. Arthur." They were standing on Rousseau's Island. paused a moment in his writing to glance lovingly at the black head bent over the papers. is it not? And we are all so fond of dear Gemma! She is a little stiff. and I'll tell him you said so.The continual strain of this petty warfare was beginning to tell heavily upon his nerves. but he did not speak.""Very well. Bolla's name rang in his ears night and day. you needn't frown. I suppose. of course I shall be very grateful for your guidance. paralyzing fear had come over him. with a voluble flood of painfully incorrect French. But I think Protestants are generally intolerant when they talk about priests. ship-owners."They talked of other matters for a little while; then Arthur rose.

 silent man had been to Katie as much "one of the family" as was the lazy black cat which now ensconced itself upon his knee. lying on a rug at his feet. or that----""Don't you think the alterations may succeed in spoiling the beauty of the 'literary composition. her chin resting on one hand and her eyes on the ground. nervous irritability was taking possession of him."Just like a hysterical woman.""Padre. unless you are prepared to furnish me with a satisfactory explanation."Nothing serious; but I think it is time to make a few alterations. The beautiful lake produced far less impression upon Arthur than the gray and muddy Arve. resting her chin on one hand and listening in silence to the discussion. some of them began to talk to me about--all these things. and they would have been expecting me.""And I can assure you that no one has any doubt as to either the ability or the good-will. and the clumsy tramping backward and forward of the sentinel outside the door jarred detestably upon his ear. and the line of her delicate nostrils was unsympathetic." Montanelli answered gently.""I shan't do that. those lovely cluster roses; I am so fond of them! But they had much better go into water." Montanelli was not given to stereotyped politeness. glancing at his lame foot and mutilated hand. Arthur. red as a glowing coal.

 closing her fan with a snap and laying it across her knee. Only five minutes ago he had been dreaming of martyrdom; and now he had been guilty of a mean and petty thought like this!When he entered the seminary chapel on Thursday morning he found Father Cardi alone. Enrico!" he exclaimed; "what on earth is wrong with you to-day?""Nothing. The forehead and left cheek were terribly disfigured by the long crooked scar of the old sabre-cut; and she had already noticed that. Julia. I had been up the last three nights with her----"He broke off and paused a moment. Little quivers of excitement went down his back. I see it waiting.""Did you ask Him?" Montanelli's voice was not quite steady. my son. A great icy wave of silence seemed to have swept round them both. It was in pencil:"My Dear Boy: It is a great disappointment to me that I cannot see you on the day of your release; but I have been sent for to visit a dying man. expression and all. the lake is beautiful. all of you; and God keep you! Good-bye. sir; she is dressing. and drink some water; you are excited. Signora Grassini alone did not appear to have noticed anything; she was fluttering her fan coquettishly and chattering to the secretary of the Dutch embassy. full of spectral weapons.All this had put Arthur into a state of rapturous anticipation. let us go in. dark man sitting by the window turned his head round with a laugh." said Father Cardi.

 "A student had come from Genoa. almost cruel. What the committee fears is that the liberal party may take offence. very slowly and drawling insufferably. you two!" said Gemma. . or simply that you feel cross and want to imitate the sharp speeches?""The Lord defend me! No; the ballet-girl is real enough and handsome enough. "I am amazed at your levity!"There was no answer but peal after peal of laughter.Gemma stood quite still beside the pomegranate tree. you say?""Yes.""Perhaps you remember this one?"A second letter was handed to him." he said. who had been sitting on the sofa. dilated eyes into the glittering expanse of blue and white. This visitor never trod upon his tail. But I wish you could have accepted the invitation of your English doctor friend; if you had spent a month in his house you would have been more fit to study. of course! I understood from Signora Grassini that you undertake other important work as well. Arthur. Arthur. Gemma hastened to state her business. At last sheer physical weariness conquered the feverish agitation of his nerves. shutting them out. The search did not disquiet him.

 Run and change your wet things.""Has he a private fortune. turning over lazily. As political criticism it is very fine. No one else was within sight. rejoicing under the winged death-storm; and they would die together. the more reason to begin at once. He crossed himself."He folded up the paper. The whole family had been staunch Protestants and Conservatives ever since Burton & Sons. When the door had closed behind her he stooped and picked up the spray of cypress which had fallen from her breast. carino.""Your Padre! Surely he----""No; he thinks differently. But that was long ago. I met Bini--you know Carlo Bini?""Yes. He was evidently a sailor returning from a carouse at some tavern. .""I thought you wouldn't like him; and. There was a low-class tavern on the point; probably he should find some sailor there who could be bribed. yes! he would have time--plenty of time------"My mistress desired me to ask whether you would like any supper. was now in his eyes surrounded with an additional halo. I fear it is no101secret that persons of all characters took part in that unfortunate affair. "You see that I cannot escape and that there is nothing to conceal.

 nor the heavy furniture and ugly plate. Arthur. He was aroused from his preoccupation by Montanelli's voice behind him. broad and square; nose.""I've brought it."Arthur spoke in a strange."Jim!" he said at last. with a vivid.""Well. Madonna."Good-bye.""What an unkind speech!" she retorted. But as a member of a body the large majority of which holds the opposite view. he persuaded her the girl was going to be the lion of the season."Will you have the kindness to answer me?""Not when you ask questions of that kind. that's only fair if he has taken her away from her home. who belongs to one of the rich shipowning families." she said; "that I disagree with everybody." he said penitently."A keen-looking. open the hall-door. I am afraid he will get a rather heavy sentence. when the--Holy Father may stand by the fire and-----' Yes.

 Padre. Arthur stood up and stepped into the middle of the roadway."Sit down a moment. It's true that they found Rivarez stranded out there. went away laughing at his confusion. in a voice that did not seem to belong to him."Look here. or simply that you feel cross and want to imitate the sharp speeches?""The Lord defend me! No; the ballet-girl is real enough and handsome enough. ferreting out their secrets."The lecture was upon the ideal Republic and the duty of the young to fit themselves for it. turning to one of them. as the room was cold and draughty. and we have read together every day. that is perfectly sickening to me. or for how long." she said."He pointed to the valley below them.""That's easier said than done; how are you going to start?""Fancy asking Galli that! Of course he'd start by knocking the censor on the head. I want to know about the others. Sometimes I have prayed to Him to tell me what I must do. My idea was that we should try to find a really gifted satirist-- there must be one to be got somewhere in Italy. When he stepped into the light in his new attire.After a fortnight beside the Lake of Lucerne Arthur and Montanelli returned to Italy by the St.

 and the water plashed and murmured softly among the pebbles of the shore. He would at least find out how far his darling had been drawn into the fatal quicksand of Italian politics. seeing how the flowers shook and quivered. probably South American; profession. for His House shall be called a House of Prayer. and you will grow to see it some day. and will not be back till nearly twelve."There was silence again. I fear it is no101secret that persons of all characters took part in that unfortunate affair. the maiden undefiled and unafraid. It won't interest you. He was a slender little creature.""What did he lecture about?"Arthur hesitated. too much petrified for anger. signora." the dramatist Lega had said. and was helping her to put the flowers in order."Arthur pushed aside the glass of water held out to him; and. and----"Gemma stood up and pushed back the boughs of the pomegranate tree. think a moment what you are saying! You are not even an Italian." he said; "and I make it a rule never to prohibit anything without a good reason. "Captain Tommasi.Early on the following morning they started for Chamonix.

 But perhaps it would be rather dull for you alone with me?""Padre!" Arthur clasped his hands in what Julia called his "demonstrative foreign way.The next morning. in fact?""Yes; exposing their intrigues. what do you propose."There was silence again. He was aroused from his preoccupation by Montanelli's voice behind him. sighing; "but it is so difficult----""I was sorry you could not come to me on Tuesday evening." Arthur said an hour later. by any inadvertency. very far from spotless. As for the tea. The colonel was stiff. What the committee fears is that the liberal party may take offence." she said in patois to her daughter. and the crucifix stood in the alcove as before. But positively to forbid a harmless botanizing tour with an elderly professor of theology would seem to Arthur. only a dim wonder at this supine and patient God that had no thunderbolt for a priest who betrayed the confessional.""I am not tired. Allow me. At her breast was a spray of cypress. you mean?""Yes. which he had worn all day upon his neck.""I have no desire to screen myself.

 whom Gemma.""But really to rouse the town against the Jesuits one must speak plainly; and if you do that how will you evade the censorship?""I wouldn't evade it; I would defy it.""I will think--and--Padre. as we feared there would be."Arthur looked up. Besides. with a solemn face; "that you are not suggesting such methods as--assassination?"Martini tugged at his big moustache and Galli sniggered outright. As for the rising in the Apennines. He came back quite composed. yawning. From the long eyebrows and sensitive mouth to the small hands and feet. heaving water. Since the father's death the eldest brother's marriage had further complicated an already difficult position; but both brothers had honestly tried to protect Gladys. B. with a strange unsteadiness. accordingly." said Enrico snappishly; and.""Padre! But the Vatican------""The Vatican will find someone else. What do you think. with the shutters half closed for coolness. He found a new element of something lovable in the persons whom he had most disliked; and Montanelli. and placed himself opposite to her."I have had a good deal of experience in guiding young people.

 But I wish you could have accepted the invitation of your English doctor friend; if you had spent a month in his house you would have been more fit to study. But perhaps it would be rather dull for you alone with me?""Padre!" Arthur clasped his hands in what Julia called his "demonstrative foreign way."I want to speak to you."Often. much as they resented the presence of a step-mother hardly older than themselves. But perhaps it would be rather dull for you alone with me?""Padre!" Arthur clasped his hands in what Julia called his "demonstrative foreign way. to political offenders in the Papal States; but the wave of liberal enthusiasm caused by it was already spreading over Italy. It was growing dark under the branches of the magnolia. which had deceived no one but Signora Grassini. "that we can hold our personal opinions without ridiculing a woman whose guests we are. how far you have gone. They showed him the description paper.As he unfastened his shirt a scrap of paper slipped from it and fluttered to the floor. Burton!" exclaimed the Director; "the very person I wanted." he began slowly; "I have something to tell you.""When you come back I may go on confessing to you. these dumb and soulless gods--that he had suffered all these tortures of shame and passion and despair; had made a rope to hang himself. and logical." it ran. Anyhow." avoided all mention of the subject with which his thoughts were constantly filled. Mr. you dunder-headed.

 and of the fearful tortures that he had suffered at their hands. I left off coming to Pisa altogether. Arthur. at once began talking to Arthur about the Sapienza. to help in freeing her from all this slavery and wretchedness.'"Montanelli leaned his arm against a branch. I shall not see them any more. As for its giving offence. where he flung himself down upon the bed and slept till the next morning. "that we can hold our personal opinions without ridiculing a woman whose guests we are. for my part. man.""Do you never see them now?""Never. My idea was that we should try to find a really gifted satirist-- there must be one to be got somewhere in Italy. carino; all the light is gone. out of jealousy."I only want you to tell us frankly." continued the Neapolitan. The man's as slippery as an eel; I don't trust him. Besides. Arthur?" she said stiffly. opened it for her to pass out. worth any dozen of us; and she is nothing more.

"No. She is a most charming girl. Gian Battista. Jim!" he said."I should think you might at least have obeyed my express request that you should sit up for us. He bowed again and placed a chair for her. and the greatest of all revolutionists was Christ. "But surely the name is quite Italian. "I don't know where the vehemence and impatience lay. who had never suffered it? He had only been betrayed. For the first time in his life he was savagely angry. Jim. and we may expect the millennium within three months. and had thrown a black scarf over her head. covered with scarlet hips; one or two belated clusters of creamy blossom still hung from an upper branch. stood between two noisome ditches."You had something to tell me?" he said. He wouldn't stop in Tuscany; he said there was nothing left to do but laugh. carrying on separate discussions. the censorship would never allow.""Gemma! But it's--it's true!"She shrank slowly away from him. but somehow lacking in life and individuality. "most of us are serious writers; and.

 signora."Let me walk with you. He was kept in solitary confinement. with a silvery purity of tone that gave to his speech a peculiar charm." said Riccardo. just as if he wanted to find a foul motive for everything.""When I come back----Listen."He shrugged his shoulders and put a torn-off petal between his teeth. now Julia was not there to hear. he'll be inclined. At least give us credit for recognizing that crooked backs are no pleasanter than crooked ways. Are you ready? Then we had better start. paused a moment."Arthur!"He stopped and looked up with bewildered eyes. his right hand tightly clenched upon the edge of the bench."My God!" he thought; "how small and selfish I am beside him! If my trouble were his own he couldn't feel it more. near to which Zita was boarding. in a state of inconceivable savagery and degradation. Arthur was past caring for remonstrances or exhortations; he only laughed." Montanelli went on; "whether you have bound yourself by a vow. There doesn't seem to have been any difficulty over the money question. walked along the corridor and up the stairs almost steadily. The close air and continually shifting crowd in the rooms were beginning to give her a headache.