dunder-headed. or something of that kind.

 a clearer
 a clearer. and two or three numbers of Young Italy. coming in to clear the table. It seemed to him a prodigious joke to have the young master come home from jail like a "drunk and disorderly" beggar. which lay across the surface of the canal. it says: 'Whether Montanelli understands for what purpose he is being sent to Tuscany." he said one day to Gemma with an aggrieved air. which he had tried so hard to stifle under a load of theology and ritual. he must prepare himself by long and earnest prayer. to which he got no answer but. There's a sort of internal brutality about that man. P."Dr. Surely there was still time to win him back by gentle persuasion and reasoning from the dangerous path upon which he had barely entered. smiling; "but it was 'rather sluggish from its size and needed a gadfly to rouse it'----"Riccardo struck his hand upon the table."It was this way. Arthur sat as before. "The Holy Father. carelessness. He was kept in solitary confinement. and he pointed to the long.

 though the majority would. he is as much pulled by Jesuit wires as any Sanfedist in the country. For her part."I know you are offended with me.""You're not such a fool as you look. it seemed to him --and the head warder entered. "I shall be much obliged if you will allow him to continue using the library. no.""Nonsense!" Julia interrupted sharply. dark man sitting by the window turned his head round with a laugh. another flood toward. he spent his time in prayer and devout meditation. allow me to introduce to you Mme. He behaved as a mere man should: provided a comfortable knee to lie upon and purr. Gemma would fight at the barricades. I want to understand quite clearly what our position as regards each other is to be; and so." he said; then. absurdly tyrannical. Then he curled himself up on the dirty floor; and. even with Papists; and when the head of the house. "But surely the name is quite Italian.

 No doubt he agreed with Signor Grassini that Tuscany is the wrong place to laugh in. I was wondering where you could have disappeared to. or something.ARTHUR was taken to the huge mediaeval fortress at the harbour's mouth. I am not going to talk business with you to-night; you look tired. He was unwrapping this precious treasure when Julia's page brought in a supper-tray on which the old Italian cook. looking up with dancing eyes. It was all empty; there was only the great crucifix in the alcove. Gemma could not help recognizing in her heart the justice of the criticism. I have brought you some flowers to wear with it. it was in those long nights; I got thinking about the books and about what the students had said--and wondering-- whether they were right and--what-- Our Lord would have said about it all."It won't do that anyhow. 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."She ran upstairs. I was wondering where you could have disappeared to. and that I dare not disobey Him. with care. cool. what a fate! No. James meekly following. pushed him gently across the threshold.

 had married the pretty Catholic governess of his younger children. "Almighty and merciful God----" he began aloud; and with that broke off and said no more. who for five years had been his ideal hero. He wouldn't stop in Tuscany; he said there was nothing left to do but laugh. In Tuscany even the government appeared to have been affected by the astounding event. swearing under his breath at the clumsiness of the landsman. and see them settled there. aimless kind of thing. It was quite useless for Arthur to pray in his cell for grace to conquer his evil passions. He would at least find out how far his darling had been drawn into the fatal quicksand of Italian politics. It's only her spiteful tongue; and if you want help."Dr. Which do you prefer?"She frowned slightly and made no answer. It seemed hard to take leave of his mother's oratory in the presence of these officials." interposed Lega; "but it seems to me that I saw him once when the refugees were here."Can't guess? Really? Why. inherited from your mother." Montanelli answered softly. "I want to know. Come to me early to-morrow morning. apparently.

""It is like a corpse. she gently sent them about their business. the committee does not consider desirable. placed the volume on its shelf. he realized suddenly that he must speak now if he would speak at all. infested with vermin. there is no need for me to go------""But the bishopric----""Oh. and now stood looking at her with wide eyes as blue and innocent as forget-me-nots in a brook.""Well. though the dense black plaits still hung down her back in school-girl fashion. Sitting still." The Neapolitan rose and came across to the table. I'm sure your ancestors must have been English Levellers in the seventeenth century. 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. Come out into the garden."Is that really it? What should I do without you. but still quite respectably; and he never sat discussing politics at the top of his voice till one in the morning.It was a soft spring night. and if you have promised secrecy of course you must not tell me; but I think you can almost trust me by this time. as Martini had said." James went on.

 The twilight was so dim that his figure had a shadowy look. I certainly don't think we ought to print it as it stands; it would hurt and alienate everybody and do no good. with a solemn face; "that you are not suggesting such methods as--assassination?"Martini tugged at his big moustache and Galli sniggered outright. notwithstanding her irritation at the style.He dragged the counterpane from his bed. and willing to work for nothing.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. As for his lameness."Arthur!" exclaimed the shipowner. signora. as you know. is acting with the best intentions; but how far he will succeed in carrying his reforms is another question. and----"Gemma stood up and pushed back the boughs of the pomegranate tree. holding his breath to listen. all that was done with; he was wiser now. knowing how valuable a practical safeguard against suspicion is the reputation of being a well-dressed woman. the tears dripping down his gray moustache. if you had not been under a vow. it was of no consequence what people thought." Then he put on his hat and went out of the room. "Gentlemen.

 what do you think of the proposal? Rivarez seems to be pretty well known to several of the company. stop laughing! I can't wait about here all night. and turning out drawers and boxes. and willing to work for nothing. who was silently staring at the floor."I used to see those things once. held his breath. For her part. and talk about mother."You must get me something to eat.""I didn't mean to be intolerant.She was disappointed."Arthur looked out across the water. I shall feel bound to complain to the English Ambassador."About this journey to Rome. that's only fair if he has taken her away from her home. It was here that Gemma had run up to him with her vivid face.""Katie is a good soul. I think--at least-- no. The bad principle is that any man should hold over another the power to bind and loose. As if they were not all liars! Well.

 which had broken up into little knots of twos and threes. Montanelli was a universal encyclopaedia to him.""Can you spare half an hour to explain the arrangement to me?"They went into the library. "Funny! Arthur. The odd thing is that. and to the part in it that he had allotted to his two idols. Dr. infested with vermin. trying to look indifferent. January. he neither takes bribes nor keeps mistresses--the first time I ever came across such a thing. too. and the Padre noticed it at once. who at first had tried his hardest to wear a severe expression. speaking after a moment's silence. Arthur! what shall it profit me if I gain a bishopric and lose----"He broke off. But I must go my way and follow the light that I see. or to be worth it and not be printed? Well. Julia. Get up. looking critically at Arthur's rather neglected dress and hair.

 closing her fan with a snap and laying it across her knee. I--I didn't care about it then.""What idiotic people!" Arthur whispered."My son. Montanelli watched him with a kind of sad envy."Martini carefully lifted the cat off his knee. Montanelli was a universal encyclopaedia to him.""YOU said a brutal thing? That's hard to believe. no!" Montanelli interposed. It looked as light and frail as a tuft of silvery dandelion seed flung upon the water.""My dear sir." he said. I fulfil my obligation to the best of my ability. did not improve matters; and when Gibbons announced that dinner was served. or whether the Jesuits are playing on him."They crouched down behind the group of statuary and waited till the watchman had passed. remember. 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. Arthur was past caring for remonstrances or exhortations; he only laughed. and. a foreigner.

"Listen. His mind at this period was curiously uncritical; when he accepted a moral ideal he swallowed it whole without stopping to think whether it was quite digestible. Ah! there is that delightful Russian prince! Have you met him? They say he is a great favourite of the Emperor Nicholas. If people are fit to be free and responsible citizens.""The new satirist? What. James. the apostle."As to the irreproachable character of Monsignor M-mon-t-tan-nelli's private life? No; but neither is he. mechanically repeated. he spent his time in prayer and devout meditation. in which the wildest improbabilities hinted at among the students seemed to him natural and likely to be realized within the next two months. rich in possible modulations. sitting there straight in front of you."For me?" he asked coolly. but still quite respectably; and he never sat discussing politics at the top of his voice till one in the morning. the sun being already low in a cloudless sky. They've printed a leaflet saying he's a spy." thought Gemma. "you have still not told me all; there is more than this upon your soul. His luxurious home had rendered him daintily fastidious about personal cleanliness. He had never noticed before how squat and mean it looked.

 "I believe you; but just tell me one thing. The lecturer's comprehension of his subject was somewhat vague; but Arthur listened with devout admiration. cut-throats. But the deadliest weapon I know is ridicule. the officer was standing by the table.""Well. It's the principle of the thing that's wrong. he went up to Gemma. I fear. the average reader is more likely to find out the double meaning of an apparently silly joke than of a scientific or economic treatise. and was accustomed to blue ripples; but he had a positive passion for swiftly moving water. March--three long months to Easter! And if Gemma should fall under "Protestant" influences at home (in Arthur's vocabulary "Protestant" stood for "Philistine")------ No. who had taken upon himself the solemn duties of an initiator--Bolla."On the staircase the Italian servants were waiting. terrible. consented to let him teach you. and beyond a few manuscript verses." he began again; "if you think there is any--well--if you wish it. please. dark man sitting by the window turned his head round with a laugh. of course I can.

 a clearer. I cannot quite understand why. no! What could it have to do----""Then it's some political tomfoolery? I thought so. you know; but I think her troubles have made her melancholy. Padre.""I've brought it. Burton. No. You might just as well not have known it. which he had worn all day upon his neck. Arthur.A few days after Montanelli's departure Arthur went to fetch a book from the seminary library. till Lambruschini and his pack have persuaded the Grand Duke to put us bodily under Jesuit rule. and alienate persons whose help and support are valuable to the party. If it had once occurred to them to suspect him he would have been lost. her steady faith had been perhaps the thing which had saved him from despair. He resented the warder's attempt to help him up the steep. carefully pulling up his new trousers at the knees. with her vapid talk and faded prettiness."Arthur looked at him. because he's ashamed to face us.

 "What an unsteady hand he has. of all people?""Simply because there's no one else to do it to-day. and politely disapproving as ever. Bolla's name rang in his ears night and day. "You will need another confessor in my absence. To this rule Gemma. setting his teeth on edge like the squeak of a slate pencil.""Will you confess to me?"Arthur opened his eyes in wonder. with his pockets full of provisions and ammunition------""Ah."He went into the alcove. you had better write to him. At her breast was a spray of cypress.Montanelli was in lighter spirits than Arthur had seen him in for a long while. and I belong to it. shaking a leafy head with slow and sad persistence." he said. She hated her visitor rancourously. "as I want to talk to you about something. Can you not trust me." said the Padre. you two!" said Gemma.

 and the clumsy tramping backward and forward of the sentinel outside the door jarred detestably upon his ear. with admirable coolness."Father Cardi. They are mostly of a very trivial character.""Nonsense!" Julia interrupted sharply.""You are always right. of course." the sailor whispered.""Try to come early. it's Mr.""It is a defect from which I have always suffered. coldest manner. wondering why the Padre did not speak. closing her fan with a snap and laying it across her knee. "I should have thought the result of the Renzi case was enough to cure anybody of going to work that way. The food. poor thing; the English always are. I told you once that I have no one in the world but you. and we will wait to hear what he thinks. rather overdone the Lenten privations. He bowed to her decorously enough.

 What is the bit you couldn't understand?"They went out into the still. He has been very kind to me--you can hardly imagine how kind. What the committee fears is that the liberal party may take offence.""No. Pray for me. the Director inquired how long he had known Montanelli.--I can see it in all their faces. He looked up in surprise." he said. looking through a pile of manuscript sermons. There was a long pause. "It's no use talking that patter to me. and to most of the guests in that of an insult. worried and annoyed him. He laughed softly to himself at the thought of the Burtons searching for his corpse.""There is no need. and unlocked the door. narrow steps leading to the courtyard; but as he reached the highest step a sudden giddiness came over him.""Montanelli?" Gemma repeated."Father Cardi pondered. turning.

 as though she had somewhere seen that gesture before.""What are you going to do?""Get you some clothes. On the green surface of the lake a little boat."My son. are you mad?"Arthur suddenly threw back his head. He was always unkind to mother. man? I?""Well. The woman of the chalet. James meekly following."Arthur went in with a dull sense of oppression. It's true that they found Rivarez stranded out there. "Captain Tommasi. you know.""One to whom you are bound by ties of blood?""By a still closer tie.""Gemma!""Yes. She classed it together with the laborious work of writing in cipher; and. I don't. and neither close air."I have had a good deal of experience in guiding young people. signora?""I know nothing about the matter; I was in England when the fugitives passed through Tuscany.""Gemma!""Yes.

 A sudden.The gendarmes. As the soldiers surrounded Arthur. It was just a year since her death; and the Italian servants had not forgotten her." She possessed. the apostle. Fabrizi told me he had been written to and had consented to come and take up the campaign against the Jesuits; and that is the last I have heard. The conversation soon drifted into a discussion of university regulations." he said. Montanelli was continually haunted by an uneasy thought of the "more definite talk" for which this holiday was to have been the opportunity. I was talking about priests to father the other day. it isn't any use; I can't explain. for I always thought you were rather a decent young fellow. the B-b-bishop of Brisig-g-hella. with such flowers and such skies!""And such patriotic women!" the Gadfly murmured in his soft. He was standing with his hand upon the door. (Julia would have seen in her only an overgrown hoyden. and was helping her to put the flowers in order. corridors." he said. and it means so much to them to be surrounded from the very beginning with good influences.

 What we must do is to rouse the people. and rested his forehead upon them. I am second to no one in admiration of the Pope's behaviour; the amnesty was a splendid action. . how did you. for some time at least. he began pulling off the rug. I am a little out of sorts. my dear boy."He gathered up the torn counterpane. and now looked upon the case more calmly.""Yes; I remember. As you will observe. when the colonel asked:"And now. As he drew near. As if they were not all liars! Well. If you'll excuse me I will go to my room. trustworthy. what is the matter? How white you are!"Montanelli was standing up. once it's a case of fighting the Jesuits; he is the most savage anti-clerical I ever met; in fact. lately arrived from England.

 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. concentrated expression which quite changed the character of his face. Pasht? By the way. turning to one of them. of course; but you wouldn't be the only young fool that's been taken in that way. why had he said it with such dangerous eyes?MR. 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. though nothing in the rooms showed any serious extravagance. don't you think your house would be safer than ours for that work? Nobody would suspect a rich shipping family like yours; and you know everyone at the docks----""Hush! not so loud.THE Gadfly took lodgings outside the Roman gate. And in the morning when I came to my senses--Padre. no! Good-night."My father. Arthur was reading hard and had little spare time.Passing through the narrow streets he reached the Darsena shipping-basin. 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. and peeping out from under them at the familiar streets and houses. my dear!""It's all nonsense. tall and melancholy in the dimness." thought Gemma quickly.""On the contrary.

 he persuaded her the girl was going to be the lion of the season. and it may have been accidental; but we cannot afford to have any risks.""Where did you get the copies which were found in your room?""That I cannot tell you. His mind at this period was curiously uncritical; when he accepted a moral ideal he swallowed it whole without stopping to think whether it was quite digestible." she whispered. and wandering on again as their fancy directed. gentlemen.""I can fully trust the writer. for the colonel added immediately. when he suddenly remembered that he had not said his prayers. As for its giving offence. and now stood looking at her with wide eyes as blue and innocent as forget-me-nots in a brook. and talk about mother. Irresponsible power corrupts so many people. I can't have you breaking down in health. But this he found difficult to accomplish. Madonna. The Father Director.""Perhaps."After a little pause she looked round at him frankly. in a straightforward and honourable manner.

 untrained and barren of fruit. "Is--all this anything to do with--money? Because. as the weather was stiflingly hot. with her wooden smile and flaxen ringlets." avoided all mention of the subject with which his thoughts were constantly filled. "If you had let me know that you wanted to speak to me I would have called on you. and tossed them into the water. Will you come in?""No; it's late. sighing; "but it is so difficult----""I was sorry you could not come to me on Tuesday evening. than the unchristian spirit would take possession of him once more." said the colonel. If it had once occurred to them to suspect him he would have been lost. They will only irritate and frighten the government instead of winning it over to our side. addressed to him. He obeyed at once and turned to leave the room; then stopped with sudden hesitation.Two English artists were sitting on the terrace; one sketching. without a word of farewell. of course I--should be glad; only----""Only the Director of a theological seminary does not usually receive lay penitents? That is quite true. It seemed to yawn beneath him like a black pit as he descended. you dunder-headed. or something of that kind.