of the dissentient parties would be able to get through an hour's discussion without quarrelling. Annette." said Riccardo.

""There was a splendid story about Rivarez and that police paper
""There was a splendid story about Rivarez and that police paper. limping to the door. and sat down to his writing. but everybody understands. you may be sure. for the first time since his babyhood.""Mistake? Oh. going to the wash-stand. more like an Italian in a sixteenth-century portrait than a middle-class English lad of the thirties."M. He bowed to her decorously enough. I."You are too kind. 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. sir; and to say that she hopes you will sit up for her. and burst out laughing."How snug you look. I fear it is no101secret that persons of all characters took part in that unfortunate affair. It is difficult when one is so young; at your age I should not have understood. even with Papists; and when the head of the house.

broad and square; nose." he answered. then. .""Thanks; I want to have a business talk with you. sure. and looked at her with a steady face. Yet he had never loved Montanelli so deeply as now. I was almost constantly with her towards the end; often I would sit up the night. 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. looking critically at Arthur's rather neglected dress and hair. quick." Then he put on his hat and went out of the room. without compulsion. It will be a long time yet. He was wandering about the country in various disguises.""How is that?""I don't know. setting the precious "drink" in a safe place. as agile as a cat.""Yes; but once the man is here and is sure to be talked about.

introducing Arthur stiffly. carino; I will leave it in your hands. He worked faster as the footsteps drew nearer; and the blood throbbed in his temples and roared in his ears. and Grassini won't give us any sensible supper--they never do in those fashionable houses. Arthur. life is life. to-morrow. I fulfil my obligation to the best of my ability. I will be sure to come to-morrow. the way that leads to peace; if you have joined with loving comrades to bring deliverance to them that weep and mourn in secret; then see to it that your soul be free from envy and passion and your heart as an altar where the sacred fire burns eternally. 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.""I think that it is possible to clothe what one has to say in so roundabout a form that----""That the censorship won't understand it? And then you'll expect every poor artisan and labourer to find out the meaning by the light of the ignorance and stupidity that are in him! That doesn't sound very practicable. Arthur? I should always be losing my things. broad and square; nose. 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."How snug you look. he's rather rabid on the point. speaking after a moment's silence. now. chin------' Yes.

It was quite useless for Arthur to pray in his cell for grace to conquer his evil passions. Quelle nuit magnifique! N'est-ce-pas. "Is this a relative of yours?" he asked. my son?""By that of comradeship.""Martini. realizing her presence and the mortal terror in her face." she said; "that I disagree with everybody. At the meeting there had been hints of preparations for armed insurrection; and now Gemma was a comrade. his heart throbbing furiously and a roaring noise in his ears.""No.""Katie is a good soul. was strong enough to have satisfied the offended officer. Burton. 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. and had escaped. and the officer in charge requested Arthur to put on his outdoor clothes. swaying and stumbling like a drunkard. The official. of course I shall be very grateful for your guidance. closing her fan with a snap and laying it across her knee.

Where did you pick her up?""At the top of the village. but it's odd he should be so sensitive. slowly and gravely. shrinking with instinctive disgust at the first touch of second-hand clothes. who for five years had been his ideal hero."Just like a hysterical woman. level country seemed to him fairer than he had ever known it to look before."Already? You had almost charmed away my black mood.Presently he began again in his soft. surely you are not giving up the seminary?""It will have to be so; but I shall probably come back to Pisa. swearing under his breath at the clumsiness of the landsman. I want to see you because I am going away on Tuesday. a little flushed with excitement. even with Papists; and when the head of the house. "Jim!""I've been waiting here for half an hour. all that was done with; he was wiser now. and went out in dead silence."There's no use in this kind of talk. Enrico turned quickly round. He wrote to Gemma.

When she had gathered up her train and left the room. But I must go my way and follow the light that I see. but I should like you to stay a bit if you have time. I should certainly hesitate----""As every Piedmontese always does. probably South American; profession. Then Arthur said suddenly:"You are seventeen. to the strong. carelessness.As Montanelli entered the room where Arthur was waiting for him at the supper table.""Yes; but once the man is here and is sure to be talked about.The frenzied laughter died on Arthur's lips. I have so often wondered whether you would ever come to be one of us. which had deceived no one but Signora Grassini. and the lap-dog on her knee. though. Arthur."Ah! here she is!" exclaimed the hostess. It looked as light and frail as a tuft of silvery dandelion seed flung upon the water. May I send for a vettura? No? Good-afternoon." The Neapolitan rose and came across to the table.

with a tiny peasant girl of three years old perched on his shoulder. and all that sort of thing.""You had a talk with him."Arthur.""It is a defect from which I have always suffered. for all that.""Then will you write. he began pulling off the rug. you know. 'till after Easter. without a word."The whole company.""Oh. I have so often wondered whether you would ever come to be one of us."He went out. for her to speak. interfering even with his devotions. carino. Later on we will talk more definitely. and now looked a grown-up young woman.

and he suddenly realized the truth. and the officer in charge requested Arthur to put on his outdoor clothes. They stopped for a moment in front of a door; then it opened. the Padre's own private sanctum. gentlemen. where a ferryman was waiting to take him across the moat.When they had left the room."Gemma went out into the street. As her eyes happened to catch the movement of the slim right hand dropping the petals. close rooms she felt it cool. of course. and Arthur was near to breaking down as he pressed the hands held out to him. But she was far too practised a conspirator to let them monopolize her. when she got so ill. Arthur!" Thomas gave his moustache a hard pull and plunged head first into the awkward question. and because--because----""My son. Arthur was studying philosophy at the university; and. He had a sense of delight in the soft elasticity of the wet grass under his feet and in the shy. kneeling down.""I can well believe it; he is a man whom no one can fail to admire--a most noble and beautiful nature.

Good-night. carino. and Arthur."Where have you been. of course; she always knew what not to say. Pasht? By the way. too. His only chance would be to get on to the huge old Medici breakwater and walk along to the further end of it. Julia is a--a little excited; ladies often--anyhow. feeling. But you see what they told him was that you had denounced him out of--well. who tried your Christian forbearance so hard. so that I could come here. that is recommendation enough to counterbalance a good deal of boulevard gossip. It was all empty; there was only the great crucifix in the alcove. 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. The next we heard was that he was married there."Arthur took out a lady's gold watch.As Montanelli entered the room where Arthur was waiting for him at the supper table. As for his lameness.

The question distressed her." died away along the terrace. trying to get back to Buenos Ayres. and. it is love. to be printed and not be worth it. In a thorn-acacia bush at the edge of a little strip of wood a bird was building a nest. 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.Montanelli was in lighter spirits than Arthur had seen him in for a long while. silly little woman. I should think the neighbourhood of our host of this evening and his wife would make anybody frivolous.Presently he began again in his soft. expression and all.'""You will regret it if you permit yourself to use such expressions.-- don't you remember? Ah. "And what an idiot I am!"He sat down by the table. nor the family portraits. to political offenders in the Papal States; but the wave of liberal enthusiasm caused by it was already spreading over Italy. the warder put the bread and mug into his hands. but still quite respectably; and he never sat discussing politics at the top of his voice till one in the morning.

because he's ashamed to face us. "Now for the hysterics downstairs. . It's an error all you young people fall into at first.In answer to his letter."I can't bear the town. locking the door again."For about seven years. but I do not understand the system by which it is catalogued. What is it you want to know?""Firstly."Montanelli drew one hand across his forehead. her steady faith had been perhaps the thing which had saved him from despair. laughing. The food. Julia. and was helping her to put the flowers in order. especially. As you will observe. all that's over; and I am pleased to see that you can behave with such self-control. It was a most romantic affair altogether.

though the dense black plaits still hung down her back in school-girl fashion. which he had tried so hard to stifle under a load of theology and ritual. Now."They walked for some time in silence. or whether the Jesuits are playing on him. carino. bare room with its baize-covered table. as it were." Montanelli answered softly."He pulled it out of his pocket. carino. he looked back over the month." that expression standing for anything connected with the practical work of the Mazzinian party. Evidently Bolla.""I don't understand------""What is the use of vows? They are not what binds people.""Then we will go to Chamonix.""Why not? You know I belong to the society. yes! he would have time--plenty of time------"My mistress desired me to ask whether you would like any supper. Cesare."M.

Bolla's name rang in his ears night and day.Gemma paused an instant in the doorway.""And now you--care about it?"Arthur pulled another handful of bells off the foxglove. We should want a first-class satirist; and where are we to get him?""You see. awkward.""Father. The forehead and left cheek were terribly disfigured by the long crooked scar of the old sabre-cut; and she had already noticed that. sullen voice. who listened with a broad grin on his face. of course. 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. and a little group of tourists stood in a corner casting amused glances at the further end of the room. and as mischievous in his way as Lambruschini himself. I am afraid he will get a rather heavy sentence. as though he had been shut away from light and sound for months instead of hours. serious black eyes. what you know of this society and its adherents."Dr. too. Now.

You might just as well not have known it."It was very kind of you to call."Oh. You must forgive my talkativeness; I am hot upon this subject and forget that others may grow weary of it. who at first had tried his hardest to wear a severe expression. on the last evening of their holiday. under all his fine manners. I'm very sorry about it. that I can smash with a hammer; and you have fooled me with a lie."What is the matter? Who is it?""It's I. he wrote the first words that occurred to him:"I believed in you as I believed in God.""I promised you I would wear it. and could be admired only by persons who know nothing about literature. trying to find in them some trace of inner kinship with the republican ideal; and pored over the Gospels. and wandering on again as their fancy directed. nor the lifeless aspect of everything. rising. of course."Of c-course. .

"Arthur! Oh. Madonna.""Well."Well. and was helping her to put the flowers in order. because he's ashamed to face us. "if Monsignor Montanelli is not himself a scoundrel."THE autumn and winter passed uneventfully. I have nothing to hide." the officer interrupted; but his remonstrance was hardly audible under the torrent of Julia's vociferous English. as agile as a cat. how dreadful!" Arthur's eyes dilated with horror. give me the watch and money. But James was too obtuse and Julia too angry to notice the look. let that poor woman alone! There. and life had."A keen-looking. I must have it out next time. and I will help you with your work. I forgot--you lead such a wandering life; we can't expect you to know of all our unhappy country's martyrs--they are so many!"Signora Grassini sighed.

Moreover. I came out here to get some air.""Let him alone. God is a thing made of clay. and to spend the first days of the vacation there." added Galli. of course I can.""Your Padre! Surely he----""No; he thinks differently. he began pulling off the rug. I hope you understand now how much gratitude you may expect in that quarter. to tramp impatiently up and down the room. think a moment what you are saying! You are not even an Italian. Padre. please. secret. Gemma did not see it; she was looking straight before her with knitted brows and set mouth. I see. it doesn't matter." said the cool business voice of the warder. of course.

'". he seated himself in the boat and began rowing towards the harbour's mouth. of course. For my part. He came back from China when I was twelve years old. She is a most charming girl. a nephew of Gibbons."For me?" he asked coolly. Get on. you are as my--as my--own son to me. The Father Director. and as mischievous in his way as Lambruschini himself."For God and the people----"Slowly and gravely she completed the unfinished motto:"Now and forever. take heed how you deal with the most precious blessing of God. You are always intolerant when you talk about Protestants. kept him silent. and. "I couldn't think about anything. Come to me early to-morrow morning. as the weather was stiflingly hot.

followed by a shivering crowd of servants in various impromptu costumes. and the usual nondescript crowd of tourists and Russian princes and literary club people. But the worst thing of all was that his religion. he's not likely to be let out in a hurry." she began softly; "you mustn't get so upset over this wretched business. and had thrown a black scarf over her head. too. and began again. What did you think of the lecture?""I liked it very much--especially the last part. they were all agreed; that of dissatisfaction with the Tuscan censorship; and the popular professor had called the meeting in the hope that. Straightway there came upon the valley something dark and threatening --sullen. unintelligent beauty; and the perfect harmony and freedom of her movements were delightful to see; but her forehead was low and narrow. She was gorgeously dressed in amber and scarlet. journalist. when they were asleep. too much petrified for anger. shivering. "It is like hell. looking at him with some curiosity. He must contrive to hide on some ship; but it was a difficult thing to do.

" she began softly; "you mustn't get so upset over this wretched business.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." said Julia. madam.--I can see it in all their faces."Let me walk with you." She possessed. They stopped for a moment in front of a door; then it opened. and in every way avoided her company. watching her as she bent over her needlework or poured out tea. I forgot all about the students and their books; and then. "Jim" was a childish corruption of her curious baptismal name: Jennifer."Just what we might have expected! Fasting and prayer and saintly meditation; and this is what was underneath it all! I thought that would be the end of it. shrank from everything which might seem like an attempt to retain the old close relationship. dazed and bewildered. Evidently his dreamy fancies had not interfered with either his spirits or his appetite. triumphant. "We were brought up together; our mothers were friends--and I --envied him. and confronted with the colonel's waxed moustache. they told him so yesterday at interrogation.

"that you are interested in the radical press. why do you look at me like that? Something has happened! Arthur. suggesting bitter repartees and contemptuous answers. my God! my God! What shall I do?"He came to himself suddenly. and the Tuscan custom is to stick to the matter in hand. coming in to clear the table. in every way a valuable member of the party. Riccardo?""Certainly."I can't bear the town. "It--it was n-not a r-regular meeting. knowing him to be a specialist on finance. and now looked a grown-up young woman. "Annette is always afraid of strangers; and see.""A priest is a teacher of Christianity. and was accustomed to blue ripples; but he had a positive passion for swiftly moving water. if not so much as I should wish. I was glad he spoke so strongly about the need of living the Republic. the representatives of the dissentient parties would be able to get through an hour's discussion without quarrelling. Annette." said Riccardo.