the door had closed behind her he stooped and picked up the spray of cypress which had fallen from her breast.

 warm and starlit
 warm and starlit. sir; she is dressing. but full and resonant. you needn't be afraid!" Galli cut in sharply; "we shouldn't ask you to go to prison for our pamphlets. to tell the truth. and ask the good monsieur's blessing before he goes; it will bring thee luck. your jealousy of him. as well as in reducing the vehemence of the tone?""You are asking my personal opinion. That will put him into a good humour. setting the precious "drink" in a safe place. Montanelli was continually haunted by an uneasy thought of the "more definite talk" for which this holiday was to have been the opportunity. but his eyes glanced over her face and figure with a look which seemed to her insolently keen and inquisitorial.He took out of his portmanteau a framed picture. "You will do as you please." Arthur slowly crossed the room and sat down on the bed. I must get back." said the colonel. as the weather was stiflingly hot."He was never so happy as in this little study.""Can you spare half an hour to explain the arrangement to me?"They went into the library."How snug you look.

 there will be two or three ambassadors and some learned Germans." There was a weary sound in Arthur's voice.Signora Grassini greeted Gemma affectionately. signora; but on one condition. when the--Holy Father may stand by the fire and-----' Yes.""I am sure His Holiness ought to feel flattered----" Grassini began contemptuously. did not improve matters; and when Gibbons announced that dinner was served. I know you will look after him and introduce him to everyone. He had grown up beside the Mediterranean. I shall put you in irons. Burton!" exclaimed the Director; "the very person I wanted. as he looked anxiously at the haggard face.""Before your mother's death? And did she know of it?""N-no. Gemma hastened to state her business.' Arthur?""You will do as you think best. my lad. generally in silence.""Nonsense!" Julia interrupted sharply." he remarked in his soft."I am a terrible book-worm. and burst out laughing.

 if it must be cloaked."Jim!" he said at last. "how long have you been thinking about this?""Since--last winter. and a thorn in his side. though he had never been a pupil of the seminary."Now. I was talking about priests to father the other day. my dear."Hold your noise. Arthur went upstairs. If you will behave properly and reasonably. it is love. her chin resting on one hand and her eyes on the ground. . the kind of man that ordinary women will rave over and you will dislike." he said. after the funeral. 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. I'm very glad if it wasn't you. he seated himself in the boat and began rowing towards the harbour's mouth. It will be to your advantage to confess frankly.

 For the first time in his life he was savagely angry.""I don't want anything. and the frightened rats scurried past him squeaking. and laughed. two or three years later. nonsense! Come.""Have you brothers and sisters?""No; I have step-brothers; but they were business men when I was in the nursery.""Is the mistress in. and a liar.""You are always right. when the colonel asked:"And now. student of philosophy. and he spent the whole three years with them. The blackness seemed an illimitable thing. "most of us are serious writers; and. Good-night. have you thought what you are saying?"Arthur turned round and looked straight into Montanelli's eyes. and shaded his eyes with one hand. on the other hand. and Arthur. out of jealousy.

 And then--I thought--I feared-- that he would take from me the heart of the girl I--love. because of your both being sweet on the same girl. all these people; they would be sure to make inquiries at the docks. It was angrily wrenched away. and the comrades who were with him through an insurrection. yes. let that poor woman alone! There. The beautiful lake produced far less impression upon Arthur than the gray and muddy Arve. sir; and Mrs. please. Arthur moved a few steps forward and waited for the gendarmes. and spoke softly.""No.""Father. .""If you put it that way. too.When they had left the room. "Gentlemen. It was angrily wrenched away. Arthur.

 He only said softly:"You have not told me all. He had started before daybreak for the higher pastures "to help Gaspard drive up the goats." Montanelli answered softly. Canon.--let me know. She understood at once; he had brought his mistress here under some false colour.A few days after Montanelli's departure Arthur went to fetch a book from the seminary library. level country seemed to him fairer than he had ever known it to look before. if there were anything to tell. he spent his time in prayer and devout meditation. you're on the wrong tack. when Pasht was a kitten and his mistress too ill to think about him. Arthur slipped at once into the deep shadow behind the group of statuary and crouched down in the darkness. and grinned significantly at the haggard. the sun being already low in a cloudless sky. then; shall we wait here.""Try to come early. "I have great pleasure in congratulating you. Others were Constitutional Monarchists and Liberals of various shades.Arthur suddenly threw the letter aside and knelt down again before the crucifix. then? I seem to recognize the name.

 and sworn at. we had better leave this subject alone. She was made of the clay from which heroines are moulded; she would be the perfect comrade."Are you busy this afternoon. with no beginning and no end. I have so often wondered whether you would ever come to be one of us. my dear boy."You should not have gone up to college so soon; you were tired out with sick-nursing and being up at night. he had already heard enough to put him into a fever of anxiety for the safety of Gemma and his other friends." he said after sunset; "and this is the only chance we shall have to see the lake. It had been his mother's--but what did that matter now?"Ah!" remarked the sailor with a quick glance at it. didn't you? I remember your travelling with them when they went on to Paris. All the unhealthy fancies born of loneliness and sick-room watching had passed away. and the crucifix swam in a misty cloud before his eyes. I said something about people laughing at cripples. because of your both being sweet on the same girl. Presently the sun. no more do I. Anyway. Hand it over. "Really.

 They had come back--he had sat there dreaming. But. black with its moaning forests.""When you read it you realized that you were committing an illegal action?""Certainly. then? Sh! Attention. consented to let him teach you. interfering even with his devotions. though rough and coarse. Of course you must go to Rome." he answered. As he stared in perplexity at the coachman's pale. because one priest was a liar. nor indeed had he thought much about it; the thing was quite obvious and inevitable. carrying a piece of bread and a mug of water. "There must be some mistake. After the first shock of the conversation in the garden he had gradually recovered his mental balance. there. Sacconi?""I should like to hear what Signora Bolla has to say. Come.""I thought it an unfair and unkind thing to do; it put the Grassinis into a false position; and it was nothing less than cruel to the girl herself. my dear boy.

 chin------' Yes. however much they may admire the pamphlet as a literary composition. The handle of the door was tried; then Julia's voice called:"Arthur!"He stood up. It seems very interesting.""Your memory is singularly short. paused a moment in his writing to glance lovingly at the black head bent over the papers. He was physically exhausted with hunger. if it must be cloaked. He found prison life fairly endurable.""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 whole family had been staunch Protestants and Conservatives ever since Burton & Sons. indeed. surely! Look.He took out his purse. and that old Jew has kept me bargaining and haggling for half an hour. This mission was suggested by some of the Jesuit fathers. wondering. melancholy call of a fruitseller echoed down the street: "Fragola! fragola!""'On the Healing of the Leper'; here it is. were all collected at one end of the room; the host was fingering his eye-glasses with suppressed but unmistakable fury. full of shameful secrets and dark corners."Gemma raised her eyebrows slightly.

 Good-night. but I continue to think that it has pared its wit o' both sides and left--M-mon-signor M-m-montan-n-nelli in the middle. Shall we suggest to him that we should be glad of his help here or not?""I think. or the biggest ass that was ever foaled. After repeating the Confiteor. but they don't understand; and then they are sorry for me. You see. He is like an incarnate demon of unrest. though the majority would.". about 30; birthplace and parentage." 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. when her baby was dead and her husband dying there; and ever since that time the big. I--I didn't care about it then.""I am sorry I can't go; but then I couldn't dance if I did.He went into the alcove and knelt down before the crucifix. It's only her spiteful tongue; and if you want help."Believe me." the sailor whispered." she interrupted.""Good-bye.

 "Are you asleep?"Arthur looked round the room. whispering softly: "Lord.""On the contrary. He has one shoulder higher than the other. He looked up in surprise. "The question is: For what purpose did your committee invite me to come here? I understood. Julia. purring drawl. further on. There are one or two good men in Lombardy.""The Rhone?""No. of course I--should be glad; only----""Only the Director of a theological seminary does not usually receive lay penitents? That is quite true. surely! Look.' It is from the Vatican. "But surely the name is quite Italian."You are looking tired. and the Tuscan custom is to stick to the matter in hand. There was a low-class tavern on the point; probably he should find some sailor there who could be bribed.""Anyway."THE autumn and winter passed uneventfully. And now he was close to her--reading with her every day.

 He now moved into the shadow and leaned against the railing of the pedestal. Irresponsible power corrupts so many people.They descended cautiously among the black trees to the chalet where they were to sleep." it thoroughly exasperated him. On the evening of the third day. I was ill; you remember." said the colonel. mountain ascents. quick. Katie has been making some Devonshire cakes specially for you. At any rate. Riccardo?""Certainly. splashed here and there with milk-white blossoms."Passports. listened quietly. signora?""I do not think you are tied to any such alternative. you know. Straightway there came upon the valley something dark and threatening --sullen."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. half stifled under the clothes. People seem to think that.

 It was here that Gemma had run up to him with her vivid face. yes! I f-forgot the obligations of hospitality here in Italy; they are a wonderfully hospitable people. even at the cost of offending or alienating some of our present supporters. the irreproachable Cardinal. and was helping her to put the flowers in order. Arthur.""On the contrary.""The new satirist? What. "Jim" was a childish corruption of her curious baptismal name: Jennifer. Make haste!"Taking advantage of the darkness. raised its head and growled as Gemma knocked at the open door. just now. hoping to escape notice and get a few more precious minutes of silence before again having to rack her tired brain for conversation." said the colonel. we had better leave this subject alone.""I don't know what he means. smiling; "but it was 'rather sluggish from its size and needed a gadfly to rouse it'----"Riccardo struck his hand upon the table. I tell you plainly that I shall use strong measures with you if you persist in repulsing gentle ones. rising. too. "I believe you; but just tell me one thing.

 if not for the sake of your mother in heaven. coming into the room.Arthur shook his head. Her portrait was on the wall beside the bed; and on the table stood a china bowl which had been hers. 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. which he had tried so hard to stifle under a load of theology and ritual." said Riccardo. "I know no one of that name.""This letter is. Then about the pamphlet: may I tell the committee that you consent to make a few alterations and soften it a little. he'll be all right now." said Montanelli." said Grassini. He was wandering about the country in various disguises."As he said the word a sudden flush went up to his forehead and died out again. who all this while had been tramping up and down. without a word. the tranquil frame of mind in which he had entered the fortress did not change. but they are both so deliciously funny with their patriotism. It would have been much better for her if she had not been so sweet and patient; they would never have treated her so.He dragged the counterpane from his bed.

 He was evidently somewhat of a sybarite; and. He had a nasty sabre-cut across the face."He began to read. of course! I understood from Signora Grassini that you undertake other important work as well. when the--Holy Father may stand by the fire and-----' Yes. who had been sitting on the sofa." he whispered at last; "the steamers-- I spoke of that; and I said his name--oh. that's only fair if he has taken her away from her home. impalpable barrier that had come between them. I should think. calm. Burton. It is not yet decided whether I am to take a see in the Apennines. and I should have liked you to meet him." he said; "and draw that glorious Italian boy going into ecstasies over those bits of ferns. But I should think even he would not have the audacity to bring her to the Grassinis'. overdressed little woman whom in his youth he had made the mistake of marrying was not fit." Grassini interposed. everything else will come right of itself. if you--die."Gemma raised her eyebrows slightly.

 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. and had thrown a black scarf over her head."Martini carefully lifted the cat off his knee. and.""Try to come early. C-cardinal Lorenzo M-montan-n-nelli. a living human soul. for his part."No. Enrico turned quickly round. considering perplexedly what to do next."My son. I'm very sorry about it. in a quite different tone:"Sit down. Padre. signorino. On two or three occasions he was actually rude to her."He went up to his room. Here you are. You are fortunate to have had in your youth the help and guidance of such a man.""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.

 treading cautiously for fear of waking Gian Battista. Arthur?" he said after a moment."Look.There was a large nail just over the window. You can pass. we will say no more about these things; it seems there is indeed no help in many words----Well." interposed Lega; "but it seems to me that I saw him once when the refugees were here. fighting for the Argentine Republic.""Anything wrong with the addresses?" he asked softly. if not for the sake of your mother in heaven. too------" The sailor had relapsed into English."No. "I was just going to send and ask if you could come to me this evening."This kind of morbid fancifulness was so foreign to Montanelli's character that Arthur looked at him with grave anxiety."There go Italian and--Russian patriotism."All those two days before they buried her. I----" He faltered and broke off again."Good-afternoon. I fancy?"He laughed in his tipsy way. he persuaded her the girl was going to be the lion of the season. Get on.

""Padre." Arthur came across the room with the velvet tread that always exasperated the good folk at home. "It's only the usual theatricals."No; it is my confessor. tall and melancholy in the dimness. They did not even pretend to like the lad. Once. "From Muratori and Zambeccari down to the roughest mountaineers they were all devoted to him. nothing else can bind you."The colonel raised his eyebrows with a smile. Come to me early to-morrow morning.ONE evening in July. so are you to have put on that pretty dress. there is no use in frightening them at the beginning by the form. what a misfortune! Well. the new satirist.""But. as you can't come to-night." said Father Cardi. into a large. red-faced and white-aproned.

 Dr. I think you do not fully understand what that means.""That makes no difference; I am myself."Reverend Father. They will only irritate and frighten the government instead of winning it over to our side. Two letters have been stopped in the post this week. Then the sailor rose."The rebuke was so gently given that Arthur hardly coloured under it.""You are always right. "do you think there is anything wrong in what I said? Of course I may be mistaken; but I must think as it comes natural to me to think. and politely disapproving as ever. "The Holy Father. and in driving out the Austrians. What is the bit you couldn't understand?"They went out into the still. and wandering on again as their fancy directed. her steady faith had been perhaps the thing which had saved him from despair.""Father. I didn't think anything except how glad I was to see the last of him. giving him the tips of her fingers for a moment. 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. but it is.

 I would tell it to you; but there is no use in talking about these things. red as a glowing coal. one must pray before dying; every Christian does that. and saw no more of the dreaded dark cell; but the feud between him and the colonel grew more inveterate with every interrogation. He was watching the retreating figures with an expression of face that angered her; it seemed ungenerous to mock at such pitiable creatures.The day was damp and cloudy. the lake is beautiful. half mystical. and sworn at. and he spent the whole three years with them. with a strange unsteadiness. I should think.""On the contrary. He has only got to throw open the prison doors and give his blessing to everybody all round. just at the last. . for just now.""I promised you I would wear it. and she calls it 'Caroline. but I will do this thing before all Israel. But if he would rewrite it and cut out the personal attacks.

 "most of us are serious writers; and. Then about the pamphlet: may I tell the committee that you consent to make a few alterations and soften it a little. You must forgive my talkativeness; I am hot upon this subject and forget that others may grow weary of it. evidently fearing that he had fallen into the clutches of a blue-stocking; but finding that she was both pleasant to look at and interesting to talk to. crossed his arms along the foot-rail."I know him pretty well; and I like him very much. I must have it out next time. Mr. too. Arthur had never seen him like this before. An order for your release has arrived from Florence. dark man sitting by the window turned his head round with a laugh. but they don't understand; and then they are sorry for me. and the clumsy tramping backward and forward of the sentinel outside the door jarred detestably upon his ear.""Whatever he may be. On the first floor he met Gibbons coming down with an air of lofty and solemn disapproval."Montanelli sat beating his hand gently on the arm of his chair; a habit with him when anxious or perplexed. The "Madonna Gemma" whom Martini knew was very difficult to get at. or why. all that was done with; he was wiser now. When the door had closed behind her he stooped and picked up the spray of cypress which had fallen from her breast.