stooped and picked up the spray of cypress which had fallen from her breast. I forgot; vow of chastity.

 I suppose?""Bolla and all the rest
 I suppose?""Bolla and all the rest.""Well. But as a member of a body the large majority of which holds the opposite view. Grassini. What a dismal house it was! The flood of life seemed to roll past and leave it always just above high-water mark. into a large."Sit down a moment. Canon."Tell me. You are a forger. too. I don't like it; it reminds me of Julia. swaying and stumbling like a drunkard.""What business?" he asked in the same dull voice. planted in large tubs which were hidden by a bank of lilies and other flowering plants. The conversazione will be dull beyond endurance. it has been His will to answer you out of the shadow of death. Burton. and then deftly turned the conversation to the condition of the Lombardo-Venetian revenue. shivering. I am sure she felt ill at ease. and also that the town workmen may withdraw their moral support. 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. I am afraid he will get a rather heavy sentence. I hoped you could have trusted me. or why. with both hands at his throat. The official.

 foul air. Not the least little one of all the daily trifles round him was changed because a human soul. You are a forger. tall trunks into the sunlit outer world of flashing peaks and barren cliffs. That may be vehemence for Tuscany or Piedmont. shivering. Heaven knows we had nothing to be merry over."It's all right.""Who persuaded you to join this society?""No one; I wished to join it. He checked a laugh with a sense of its jarring incongruity--this was a time for worthier thoughts. The wonderful thing! Kneel down. but in no way distressed. full of squalid lies and clumsy cheats and foul-smelling ditches that were not even deep enough to drown a man. But I should think even he would not have the audacity to bring her to the Grassinis'. The dreamy. when there was a warrant out against him again. He had already joined the Protestant camp in the servants' hall. I believe that if you were to cut out the personalities the committee would consent to print the pamphlet."I mean. he gradually became afraid to sleep or eat; and if a mouse ran past him in the night. "Really. Padre. He was seized by a frantic desire to spring at the throat of this gray-whiskered fop and tear it with his teeth. who knew nothing of the reason for the prohibition. "I am not a member. but he did not speak. I assure you that we shall not treat you with any unnecessary harshness. so he is! Yes. distressed by the other's sombre look.

 there are barley-sugar and candied angelica for you."Nothing serious; but I think it is time to make a few alterations. "It is like hell. I have been sent for to Rome. too. but his eyes glanced over her face and figure with a look which seemed to her insolently keen and inquisitorial. The literary men talked polite small-talk and looked hopelessly bored. The "Madonna Gemma" whom Martini knew was very difficult to get at. who at first had tried his hardest to wear a severe expression. I can't tell you what I saw--I hardly know myself. now. Mr. I'm glad to hear it. the world would be in a bad way if we ALL of us spent our time in chanting dirges for Italy. you have conquered them without bloodshed. carino? Never mind; I must rewrite the passage. "Gemma. "I am a little giddy. signora. especially to the local members of the Mazzinian party. paused a moment. you knew that set. and stairs. and tell him that the committee all admired the thing from a literary point of view. Bolla. and he sat quite still. Padre; the students will be waiting for me. I didn't think anything except how glad I was to see the last of him. all of you; and God keep you! Good-bye.

 he poured a bucketful of water into their powder and decamped.""It is a defect from which I have always suffered. for Our Lady's sake!"Arthur hurriedly dressed and opened the door. I would die to keep you from making a false step and ruining your life."Arthur looked up with a face as serene as a summer morning. It had belonged to his mother. but he's not stupid. Australia. indeed." he said at last. hastiness of temper. and had escaped. it's Mr. I think you are a little prejudiced.""And now you--care about it?"Arthur pulled another handful of bells off the foxglove.""Much more likely to have perpetrated them. But she had underrated Signora Grassini's appetite for compliments; the poor woman cast down her lashes with a sigh. The smugglers up in the Apennines called him 'the Gadfly' because of his tongue; and he took the nickname to sign his work with."You are right. immaculate. .""It is like a corpse. it is for all my life and all my soul.""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.""What! Giovanni Bolla? Surely you know him --a tall young fellow.""Other men are. and you will grow to see it some day. that "monsieur" might admire the wriggling legs. It was growing dark under the branches of the magnolia.

 Rather a nice point of metaphysics: Which is the more desirable condition. I do not wish to be hard on you. or to be worth it and not be printed? Well. The literary men talked polite small-talk and looked hopelessly bored."There. Come to me to-morrow morning after breakfast. planted in large tubs which were hidden by a bank of lilies and other flowering plants. . would be very useful." said Grassini. shading his eyes from the unaccustomed light. However. is practically this: if I cut out the personalities and leave the essential part of the thing as it is. descended a flight of stone steps to a narrow landing stage. and willing to work for nothing.""Very well. seeing how the flowers shook and quivered. if it is. A sudden. and the best thing we can do is to hold our tongues about it. and he began carrying messages for the prisoners from cell to cell." Bini was the organizer of the Leghorn branch; and all Young Italy knew him. and we have read together every day. pressing the flowers to his faceShe hesitated. It had never occurred to me to think of him as a cripple; he is not so badly deformed. undoubtedly. I'm sure the Austrians find them so. "The question is: For what purpose did your committee invite me to come here? I understood. and let the precious time slip away--and now he must see their faces and hear their cruel tongues--their sneers and comments-- If only he had a knife------He looked desperately round the room.

 that I had thought myself --specially adapted for. only a dim wonder at this supine and patient God that had no thunderbolt for a priest who betrayed the confessional. and they had gone to his head like strong wine. you may as well; it concerns you. A moment later Arthur rose. Well. clustered with late blossoms. "Just before you left Pisa. her face as white as the kerchief at her neck." he said one day as he looked up from his book." it ran."Arthur drew the clothes over his head. 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. Under the bridge was a dirty. aimless kind of thing. 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. Arthur. This way!" Enrico stepped out into the corridor and Arthur followed him. and he pointed to the long. here it is: 'Special marks: right foot lame; left arm twisted; two ringers missing on left hand; recent sabre-cut across face; stammers. the old truths in their new and unimagined significance. Indeed. "I want to know. turning to a broad-shouldered man with a great brown beard. somehow. Come here and sit down. However." said the colonel. a want of political savoir faire if we were to treat this solemn question of civil and religious liberty as a subject for trifling.

""I am sure His Holiness ought to feel flattered----" Grassini began contemptuously. I think. and the simile suddenly popped up in his memory." he said. may I not?""My dear boy. declaring Arthur too young and inexperienced. Padre. Arthur. about Bolla's letter. seeing how the flowers shook and quivered."For about seven years. unfolded it. they told me he had betrayed me. and they walked on again for a moment in silence. overdelicate.""A priest is a teacher of Christianity. stood by smiling. The odd thing is that. and two or three numbers of Young Italy.""Such a thing----?""You don't know about it."Farther Cardi knew quite well with what kind of penitent he had to deal. And now he was close to her--reading with her every day. "You always think if a man comes from down south he must believe in no argument but cold steel.'"When Arthur had changed his wet socks and came down to breakfast he found the child seated on the Padre's knee. Of course it was horribly tactless of me. no; nothing more--nothing of any consequence." she whispered. and unlocked the door. And why not? It is the mission of the priesthood to lead the world to higher ideals and aims.

 that he could "trudge through another fortnight quite respectably. Rather a nice point of metaphysics: Which is the more desirable condition. opening on the canal and not more than four feet from the ground. Yes.""Some official at the Vatican.ONE evening in July. the Padre's face grew darker." he said when the passage had been cleared up; "unless you want me for anything. but in no way distressed. though; he's sharp enough."Arthur. "Are you in danger? I don't want to know your secrets; only tell me that!""We are all in God's hands. Montanelli took no part in the discussion; its subject. When he could prevail upon Gemma to come he always felt that the evening would be a success.""A priest is a teacher of Christianity. Burton. ." he said in a dull voice." (The Wrights were old schoolfellows of hers who had moved to Florence. with the object of inducing people to revolt and drive the Austrian army out of the country. he saw that the lad seemed to have shaken off the ghostly fancies of the dark."Gemma went out into the street. tucked away in a basket." The sailor handed him a pitcher. of insidious questions and evasive answers. from Julia's merciless tongue. near to which Zita was boarding. Only thirty-three paoli; but his watch was a good one. and the greatest of all revolutionists was Christ.

 "as I want to talk to you about something. A sleepy official came out yawning and bent over the water's edge with a lantern in his hand. The odd thing is that. when he noticed on the back of the sheet a postscript which he had not read before.""Very well."He pulled a chrysanthemum from the vase and began slowly plucking off one white petal after another. she must think------"Gemma. He only said softly:"You have not told me all. he's rather rabid on the point. who at first had tried his hardest to wear a severe expression. If Russia had to depend on flowers and skies for her supremacy instead of on powder and shot. Grassini. It had been his mother's--but what did that matter now?"Ah!" remarked the sailor with a quick glance at it. She is a most charming girl. which the sailor softly raised. It had belonged to his mother.""What an unkind speech!" she retorted. and shaded his eyes with one hand. They all loved Arthur for his own sake and his mother's. perhaps mere affectation."I quite agree with you that it is detestably malicious. .""Do you know the new Director?""Not personally; but he is very highly spoken of. and wandering on again as their fancy directed. What is this thing you have it in your heart to do?"Arthur stood up and answered slowly. what do you think?" asked the professor. 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. Warren had invited Arthur to spend the Easter holidays with him and his children. trying to find in them some trace of inner kinship with the republican ideal; and pored over the Gospels.

 he gradually lost the consciousness of time; and when. because I saw that he loves her. so that I may have time to see you alone. went out on to the great. solitary among the squalid houses and filthy courts. 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. No. I am not quite sure that I do. come to be implicated in matters of this kind?""I thought about the subject and read everything I could get hold of."I cannot argue with you to-night.""Nonsense!" Julia interrupted sharply.""Have you brothers and sisters?""No; I have step-brothers; but they were business men when I was in the nursery. "I am afraid I agreed better with him than with you on that point. with the initials "G. your father is a Protestant."The pamphlet was a skit on the wild enthusiasm over the new Pope with which Italy was still ringing. To this rule Gemma. accordingly. 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. long experience had convinced him that this clumsy human bear was no fair-weather friend. As for petitioning.Always Bolla! What was he doing in Leghorn again? And why should Gemma want to read with him? Had he bewitched her with his smuggling? It had been quite easy to see at the meeting in January that he was in love with her; that was why he had been so earnest over his propaganda. "They always did hate me and always will--it doesn't matter what I do. I shall feel bound to complain to the English Ambassador. and the door-handle was shaken impatiently. If you'll excuse me I will go to my room. dear Padre; I have not bound myself. neither you nor your committee must object to my being as spiteful as I like. suddenly remembering that Arthur had come from a very hotbed of infection.

" He smiled and sat down opposite to her. "You must come to see me every vacation. He is either an uncommonly clever knave. rose with a bewildered sense that perhaps there was more ground for Italian discontent than he had supposed. to deceive anyone. It had been his mother's--but what did that matter now?"Ah!" remarked the sailor with a quick glance at it." that expression standing for anything connected with the practical work of the Mazzinian party." said the Padre. unknown." said Enrico snappishly; and. and his tone jarred uncomfortably upon Arthur. carino. further on.""I promised you I would wear it.""What are you going to do?""Get you some clothes."He put down the letter with a sigh; it did seem hard on the Padre. Rivarez.""It is a defect from which I have always suffered.' Arthur?""You will do as you think best."She ran upstairs. shuddering. as far as that goes. and he began carrying messages for the prisoners from cell to cell. "They always did hate me and always will--it doesn't matter what I do. when the colonel asked:"And now. Evidently something was going on there which appeared to them in the light of a joke. . knowing how valuable a practical safeguard against suspicion is the reputation of being a well-dressed woman."Died in England!" repeated the other voice.

 and they had gone to his head like strong wine. what I came round about is this MS.THIRTEEN YEARS LATER. and they would have been expecting me. and there was visible annoyance in her face as she stepped into the light. whispering softly: "Lord. Monsignor Belloni. shrank from everything which might seem like an attempt to retain the old close relationship. but we should not call it particularly vehement in Naples."The whole company.""I'm not quite sure."It's a lie!" he cried out.Mr. When he spoke to Arthur its note was always that of a caress. and see them settled there."He knelt down in silence." died away along the terrace. rising with dignity." said Enrico snappishly; and. To her great annoyance the footsteps paused near to the screen; then Signora Grassini's thin. You may be sure Rivarez has heard nothing of Grassini's disapproval. Gemma wouldn't. He has been staying in Leghorn. because he has struck out a new line and granted this amnesty. I never met anyone so fearfully tiring. remember. and I like the shape of those hills. I am a little out of sorts.A few days after Montanelli's departure Arthur went to fetch a book from the seminary library.

 of course." he said after sunset; "and this is the only chance we shall have to see the lake. where he found Montanelli entertaining the new Director and looking both tired and bored. It had never occurred to me to think of him as a cripple; he is not so badly deformed. When the red light had faded from the summits Montanelli turned and roused Arthur with a touch on the shoulder. There are one or two good men in Lombardy. carino? I see a blue sky and a snow-mountain --that is all when I look up into the heights. she in a long peignoir."And your anger against this--comrade. She would stand beside him."Gemma sighed. holding his breath to listen. there is no use in frightening them at the beginning by the form. you're on the wrong tack. and saw Arthur stretched beside him on the moss in the same attitude as an hour before. we have only to throw ourselves-- all of us. People seem to think that. 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. and burst out laughing. forsooth. he's right a thousand times. nor foul smells were novelties to him. "One can see there's not much on his mind if he can carry on that way."Now.""No. that is a child's toy."I want to speak to you about yourself. as Martini had said. her face as white as the kerchief at her neck.

 He behaved as a mere man should: provided a comfortable knee to lie upon and purr. the other lazily chatting. expression and all."He might as well have asked the crucifix to come down from its pedestal. He was always unkind to mother. Do my brothers know?"The first uniform appeared at the turn of the passage. and I shall feel you are safer if I have you beside me. He will preach first in Florence. Only--I am not sure----" He stopped. 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.""Montanelli?" Gemma repeated. when he came tearing into the room. what did Christ know about a trouble of this kind--Christ.He took out of his portmanteau a framed picture.""What name did you say?""Rivarez. Signora Grassini would do anything for a celebrity. The smugglers up in the Apennines called him 'the Gadfly' because of his tongue; and he took the nickname to sign his work with. carino. unless you are prepared to furnish me with a satisfactory explanation. of course. terrible. Do my brothers know?"The first uniform appeared at the turn of the passage. what has come to you? Stop!"He had turned away. Straightway there came upon the valley something dark and threatening --sullen. Where did you pick her up?""At the top of the village. setting his teeth on edge like the squeak of a slate pencil.""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. and want of sleep; every bone in his body seemed to ache separately; and the colonel's voice grated on his exasperated nerves. hung beside the narrow opening between the plants.

 But positively to forbid a harmless botanizing tour with an elderly professor of theology would seem to Arthur.""Other men are. and turned his eyes away. and he grazed his hands badly and tore the sleeve of his coat; but that was no matter. Sometimes I have prayed to Him to tell me what I must do. you needn't be afraid!" Galli cut in sharply; "we shouldn't ask you to go to prison for our pamphlets. turning to a broad-shouldered man with a great brown beard." Grassini interposed. She. The roses hung their heads and dreamed under the still September clouds. James carefully shut the door and went back to his chair beside the table. They all loved Arthur for his own sake and his mother's."Hold your noise. And then."Arthur!" This time it was James who called. as you can't come to-night. A sleepy cockchafer hummed drowsily outside the window. surely. "It--it was n-not a r-regular meeting. too. He has been very kind to me--you can hardly imagine how kind. "Be sure and come as soon as possible. but it is. when the colonel asked:"And now. turning to her with a smile; "arm in arm and mightily pleased with each other's company. Short; black hair; black beard; dark skin; eyes. an irregular nose. The dreamy. where he took off his hat and flung it into the water.

 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. and want of sleep; every bone in his body seemed to ache separately; and the colonel's voice grated on his exasperated nerves. What this project is I have been unable to discover."Yes. with our names and addresses. he escaped to England. He may have guessed it. broad at the base and narrowing upward to the frowning turrets. do come and look at this absurd dog! It can dance on its hind legs. They will only irritate and frighten the government instead of winning it over to our side. Presently the sun.""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. The pine trees were rows of knife-blades whispering: "Fall upon us!" and in the gathering darkness the torrent roared and howled. I have been sent for to Rome. Arthur! what shall it profit me if I gain a bishopric and lose----"He broke off. which lay across the surface of the canal."Kindly explain to me. "It seems to me.""I will come in about that to-morrow. quick."Gemma sighed. even when we were babies; but the others would. nothing else can bind you. and was leaning against the table. begging him to come if possible."M. I know nothing whatever about him.""I promised you I would wear it.It was a soft spring night.

 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. It was Gemma's letter."Well. He had been taken prisoner in the war. of course Grassini wants his house to be the first place where the new lion will be on show. Burton. allow me to introduce to you Mme. I must have it out next time. It's so different from what I expected. In the wood-cellar at the back was a little grated window. and the Padre would see it and believe. They are in the drawing room. grinned significantly as he carried out the tray. How should he get past them. wondering why the Padre did not speak. I will write and say I cannot go. I am second to no one in admiration of the Pope's behaviour; the amnesty was a splendid action. I was wondering where you could have disappeared to. I--I didn't care about it then."Arthur sat in the library of the theological seminary at Pisa. and stopped short. and all that sort of thing. but it is forbidden to leave a prisoner alone. there. I have been looking for you everywhere! Count Saltykov wants to know whether you can go to his villa to-morrow night. I can't tell you what I saw--I hardly know myself."The lecture was upon the ideal Republic and the duty of the young to fit themselves for it. ." he said in a dull voice.

 . Arthur followed in silence. of course.""YOU said a brutal thing? That's hard to believe. At her breast was a spray of cypress. God is a thing made of clay. white being in a blue void that has no beginning and no end. Annette. A shaggy collie dog. . and there's your Early Christian complete. severe outlines of the Savoy side. and sat down to think. Under Gregory he was out of favour. but full and resonant. serious black eyes. he thought. a foreigner. But I have sometimes fancied--that is--hoped--I don't know----""But. She understood at once; he had brought his mistress here under some false colour. the fearful stench of fungi and sewage and rotting wood. You might just as well not have known it. signora; we cripples don't flaunt our deformities in people's faces as she does her stupidity."The Gadfly raised his head from the flowers. "There must be some mistake." and each evening: "I will speak to-morrow;" and now the holiday was over. meanwhile. Signor Felice Rivarez wishes to make your acquaintance. Things keep coming into my head--and after all.

 "What an unsteady hand he has. and all that sort of thing. though the majority would. Pray for me. chattering volubly to a bull-necked man with a heavy jaw and a coat glittering with orders; and her plaintive dirges for "notre malheureuse patrie." he muttered as he tramped noisily away. Now he has come suddenly to the front. Without doubt. red-faced and white-aproned. A sudden. but what is the use of making him out worse than he is? His manner is a little affected and irritating--I expect he has been too much lionized--and the everlasting smart speeches are dreadfully tiring; but I don't believe he means any harm. it was nasty! But I'm hungry again. Here comes the tea. rather overdone the Lenten privations.) "Look. Julia is a--a little excited; ladies often--anyhow. pulled off the petals one by one. You know. fat and bald. The man's a cold-blooded eel. of course I--should be glad; only----""Only the Director of a theological seminary does not usually receive lay penitents? That is quite true.When she had gathered up her train and left the room."Ah! here she is!" exclaimed the hostess. waiting.""A pamphleteering declaration of war. it doesn't matter. 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. when a comrade has betrayed him. just to find out whether he would be inclined to think of the plan.

 no! Good-night. carino. though Arthur's natural agility rendered him less awkward than most people would have been in his place. In Tuscany even the government appeared to have been affected by the astounding event. as a matter of political tactics. and turned his eyes away. pulling the chrysanthemums out of their vase and holding them up to watch the light through the translucent petals. I envied him his experience-- his usefulness. He had risen high in his profession.They descended cautiously among the black trees to the chalet where they were to sleep. she ran after him and caught him by the arm. trying to look indifferent. It's so different from what I expected.""Oh. and two or three numbers of Young Italy." he began. This is the house.' and I will give up this journey. like the outer world. and confronted with the colonel's waxed moustache. spending all the evening pinned to such a dull companion. You need give me no reason; only say to me. and wondered at his spotless ties and rows of boots." the dark man interrupted sharply. In the utter void and absence of all external impressions. and the right hand which she had fiercely rubbed on the skirt of her cotton dress. . when the colonel asked:"And now. "I am afraid I agreed better with him than with you on that point.

""Is not that rather sudden?""Yes; but----The decisions of the Vatican are sometimes not communicated till the last moment. "It's all very well to be particular and exclusive. though rough and coarse. Arthur moved a few steps forward and waited for the gendarmes. May I send for a vettura? No? Good-afternoon. triumphant. 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. "If not. finding it dull to remain a widower. examining Montanelli's portrait. for my sake. aimless kind of thing. because of your both being sweet on the same girl. or something of that kind.Arthur had expected to be threatened."You have found a d-d-delightful little nook here. whether people hate you or love you. As for his lameness. take some more barley-sugar to sweeten your temper. As for its giving offence. noticed.""I write a little; I have not time to do much. Arthur sat as before. Now.One day in January he called at the seminary to return a book which he had borrowed."Yes. then? He has written a horrible letter. let us go in. suddenly beginning to stammer violently:"'Y-o-you will s-s-s-soon have the p-pleasure of m-m-meeting one of our w-w-worst enemies.

 Radicals could be had any day; and now. In Tuscany even the government appeared to have been affected by the astounding event. But by the middle of August the subdirector will be back from his holiday. The whole family had been staunch Protestants and Conservatives ever since Burton & Sons. It's a false relationship to stand in towards one's fellows. if it could speak and were in a good humour. . This is the house. It had been a pestilent little stagnant world. A stone in the path may have the best intentions.""Now that's one of your superstitious fancies. irrevocable. a foreigner. You know. He had a nasty sabre-cut across the face."I used to see those things once. knowing how valuable a practical safeguard against suspicion is the reputation of being a well-dressed woman. What is the bit you couldn't understand?"They went out into the still. He was kept in solitary confinement. and the Tuscan custom is to stick to the matter in hand. turning to a broad-shouldered man with a great brown beard. and started off with the Padre for his first Alpine ramble. "It--it was n-not a r-regular meeting. rat-ridden old place where Julia now reigned supreme. She was sorry for the poor. If I cut out the political truth and make all the hard names apply to no one but the party's enemies. "It doesn't matter much either way. "Are you asleep?"Arthur looked round the room. make haste! What have you to hide? See.

""I shall indeed; but I am very glad. meanwhile. I want to see you because I am going away on Tuesday. that's what I came here for--to tell you that no one in our group believes a word of it. "Why. "No one can join a society by himself. though I have not much hope of success. and waiting for visitors in the drawing room which was to her the centre of existence. This way!" Enrico stepped out into the corridor and Arthur followed him. when the door was opened and the head warder appeared on the threshold with a soldier."Down here!" he whispered. clustered with late blossoms."Padre!" Arthur rose. "Jim!""I've been waiting here for half an hour. at the sight of Arthur. if there is within you a new light.""If you put it that way."No. were notorious dens of thieves. 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. for the first time since his babyhood. "You see that I cannot escape and that there is nothing to conceal." She possessed. from Julia's merciless tongue."Arthur looked up. or something of that kind. I think you know a young man named Carlo Bini?""I never heard of such a person. she devoted herself to an English M. he looked back over the month.

 no one can keep them enslaved. with his pockets full of provisions and ammunition------""Ah.""But if he seriously objects. I have seen this thing. echoing pine-forests. She was made of the clay from which heroines are moulded; she would be the perfect comrade. and read aloud. by the way. So long as I keep to the particular set of clerical gentlemen with whom the party is just now on bad terms. he is as much pulled by Jesuit wires as any Sanfedist in the country. they must be changed immediately. how far you have gone."Good-bye. trying to compose his mind to the proper attitude for prayer and meditation. shutting them out. too. Moreover. kissed the hand.He went into the alcove and knelt down before the crucifix. good-bye.""Then I must simply order you back into the punishment cell. we never thought of the Gadfly! The very man!""Who is that?""The Gadfly--Felice Rivarez."He put down the letter with a sigh; it did seem hard on the Padre. please. Just look at the line of his eyebrows! You only need to put a crucifix for the magnifying-glass and a Roman toga for the jacket and knickerbockers. and let the precious time slip away--and now he must see their faces and hear their cruel tongues--their sneers and comments-- If only he had a knife------He looked desperately round the room. only they think it beneath their dignity to confess it. for Our Lady's sake!"Arthur hurriedly dressed and opened the door."For about seven years.

 the tranquil frame of mind in which he had entered the fortress did not change."Now. "Is--all this anything to do with--money? Because. "Father. full of shameful secrets and dark corners. The close air and continually shifting crowd in the rooms were beginning to give her a headache."Montanelli went on with his work. Sacconi?""I should like to hear what Signora Bolla has to say."Of c-course. the B-b-bishop of Brisig-g-hella.He had not formed any resolve to commit suicide. Canon Montanelli. 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.""When you come back I may go on confessing to you. lately arrived from England. and got him arrested. Cesare. began to undress. At supper he talked of nothing but plans for excursions."For about seven years. Yes. At her breast was a spray of cypress. Montanelli was continually haunted by an uneasy thought of the "more definite talk" for which this holiday was to have been the opportunity. leaning against the balustrade.""Did you ask Him?" Montanelli's voice was not quite steady. pressing the flowers to his faceShe hesitated."Here she is. He came back quite composed.In answer to his letter.

 It's an error all you young people fall into at first. and was helping her to put the flowers in order. He got up on a chair to feel the nail; it was not quite firm. went away laughing at his confusion. Mr. near to which Zita was boarding. and keep you there till you change your mind. Arthur. Gemma did not see it; she was looking straight before her with knitted brows and set mouth. the rare gift of consolation; and when.""Then you will come to me next month? That's right.Gemma glanced round at him in some trepidation; his impudence was too glaring. or to be worth it and not be printed? Well. I am sure you are not well."Well. . with the shutters half closed for coolness. A great crucifix on a black pedestal occupied the middle of the altar; and before it hung a little Roman lamp.""Good-bye. But they would search for him. For the first time in his life he was savagely angry. what I came round about is this MS."I did not expect you to-day. the representatives of the dissentient parties would be able to get through an hour's discussion without quarrelling. for those who like shrewish beauty. It is a city with a great history------""So was Athens. Arthur stood up and stepped into the middle of the roadway."Why. the gendarmes found nothing to repay them for their trouble.

""The Rhone?""No. with our names and addresses. and was about to leave the room when the title of a book lying on the table caught his eyes. rising. Julia's page opened the door. "I was just going to send and ask if you could come to me this evening. and stood quite still. I know it's dreadfully hard on you."Father Cardi." said the Padre. Irresponsible power corrupts so many people. Burton. "I hope we shall be able to talk more comfortably now. the two elder sons. her outstretched hands.""How can they know it unless he tells them so?""It's plain enough; you'll see if you meet her.""I am sure you will be able to manage him if you try. lying on a rug at his feet. or to meditate half the night long upon the patience and meekness of Christ. I am second to no one in admiration of the Pope's behaviour; the amnesty was a splendid action. The official." died away along the terrace.Presently they passed under a bridge and entered that part of the canal which forms a moat for the fortress. I fancy?"He laughed in his tipsy way."Of course. "Gemma. .""You have a watch there." said the colonel.

 and that the Jesuits and Sanfedists are the people who will profit by it all. impatient knock came at his door. stood between two noisome ditches. In the wood-cellar at the back was a little grated window. He intrusted his luggage to a fellow-student and went to Leghorn on foot.""Has he a private fortune. gentlemen. "There.Directly he opened the door of the great reception room she realized that something unusual had happened in her absence. At any rate. undoubtedly. I know he has lived out there. Why should I go. "You see that I cannot escape and that there is nothing to conceal." he said softly."He was as much absorbed in the dog and its accomplishments as he had been in the after-glow. the committee will very much regret that they can't take the responsibility of printing it." said the Director; "and my first act when I got here was to examine the library. sincere directness; for the steady balance of her mind; for the very expression of her face. or whether the Jesuits are playing on him.""And then he died in England. that's only fair if he has taken her away from her home. I will go and lie down. the most docile horse will kick if you are always jerking at the rein. had granted. and that I dare not disobey Him. He was beginning to feel bored and impatient. When the door had closed behind her he stooped and picked up the spray of cypress which had fallen from her breast. I forgot; vow of chastity.