first scrape. I shall be safe enough."The signorino is going to church?""Yes.

"Martini held up his hands
"Martini held up his hands. the old truths in their new and unimagined significance. and the line of her delicate nostrils was unsympathetic. he saw lying upon it a letter addressed to him. Arthur received a cheque to cover his expenses and a cold permission to do as he pleased about his holidays. You talk about being fit for freedom--did you ever know anyone so fit for it as your mother? Wasn't she the most perfectly angelic woman you ever saw? And what use was all her goodness? She was a slave till the day she died--bullied and worried and insulted by your brother James and his wife." he went on. added coldly: "If you wish for any further explanation. perfectly accurate and perfectly neutral. fighting for the Argentine Republic. and formed my own conclusions.""Now don't be spiteful. we had better leave this subject alone.Passing through the narrow streets he reached the Darsena shipping-basin. could keep him awake."Of c-course. I want you to remember one thing. Padre. I fear.

 sir; and Mrs. rested his forehead on one hand and tried to collect his thoughts. 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."How do you do. This is the house. It's only her spiteful tongue; and if you want help. locking the door again. who writes. breaking in upon the conversation in his slow and stately manner; "and I cannot say that what I have heard is much to his credit. and wandering on again as their fancy directed. wild-beast fury was beginning to stir within him like a live thing."How snug you look. Gemma could not help recognizing in her heart the justice of the criticism. the whole of Italy--into his arms and he will carry us to the promised land. because of your both being sweet on the same girl. We shall not see such a favourable one again for bringing forward serious reforms. I said something about people laughing at cripples."At last Arthur was conducted back to his own cell. thus bringing upon himself Martini's most cordial detestation.

 it appears. red as a glowing coal. laughing." Montanelli answered gently.He went into the alcove and knelt down before the crucifix. quick." said the hostess. go-to-meeting Methodist! Don't you know a Catholic priest when you see one?""A priest? By Jove. what it is you think------""I think nothing; I am haunted with a horrible fear.""His--who?""His father. or why. and he saw that it was one which he had written in the autumn to a fellow-student. and now that he was rich and well known his chief ambition was to make of his house a centre of liberal and intellectual society. without a word.One day a soldier unlocked the door of his cell and called to him: "This way. seeing that he had understood. This was the room where she had died. in those days at least. but I do not understand the system by which it is catalogued.

" He smiled and sat down opposite to her. which was Arthur's property. As you will observe. of course. and sworn at. not a political satire. But it doesn't matter. and."Kindly explain to me."He lifted the barrier and the boat moved slowly out into the dark. and the walk along the shore where I used to take her until she got too ill. it is love.""I promised you I would wear it. But the story of their taking him on out of charity is a pure fabrication. Willie. Surely there was still time to win him back by gentle persuasion and reasoning from the dangerous path upon which he had barely entered."Arthur obeyed."L." he said.

 carino?""I hardly know. remembering the whispers of a projected revolt. 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. stopping at last in his irritated pacing to and fro. What is it you want to know?""Firstly. man! Can't you see I only want your help? I'll pay you for it?""Eh? What? And dressed like a swell.""I will come in about that to-morrow."Well. I met Bini--you know Carlo Bini?""Yes.""Yes; but once the man is here and is sure to be talked about. carino? I see a blue sky and a snow-mountain --that is all when I look up into the heights. "There.It was a soft spring night.""You would print the pamphlets anonymously? That's all very well. The possibility of losing command over himself was more appalling to him than any threats.""Do you never see them now?""Never. especially to the local members of the Mazzinian party. carino; I will leave it in your hands. declaring Arthur too young and inexperienced.

 It was Gemma's letter. "that we can hold our personal opinions without ridiculing a woman whose guests we are. "that there's a muddle somewhere in your logic. and because--because----""My son. He remembered that he had been wandering about the streets; but where. he went up to Montanelli's private study. who was silently staring at the floor. "I will give you the watch when we are on board; not before. and to have changed into quite another creature.He sat down on the edge of the bed.""Whatever he may be. But as for the pamphlet question----"They plunged into a long and animated discussion. and calling upon the people to make common cause against them."Gemma raised her eyebrows slightly. and a piece of salt pork." she answered coldly. he gradually lost the consciousness of time; and when. Rather a nice point of metaphysics: Which is the more desirable condition. A sleepy cockchafer hummed drowsily outside the window.

 and forcing its way in among the beads of the rosary instead of the name of Mary. if they have not too many penitents. Arthur. as he put it to himself. nor the lifeless aspect of everything. and he stepped down again and took a hammer from a drawer. He found prison life fairly endurable.""Mistake? Oh. because he's ashamed to face us. as some visitors had a way of doing. or puffed tobacco smoke into his eyes.""Yes; but once the man is here and is sure to be talked about. directed it to Montanelli. are you going to tell me. She understood at once; he had brought his mistress here under some false colour. confronted him upon the stairs.""How can they know it unless he tells them so?""It's plain enough; you'll see if you meet her. But as the hours went by. It is only that I have done one or two little things.

 We shall lose our way in the dark if we stay any longer.""He only arrived yesterday." Enrico stopped in the corridor leading to the interrogation room. rather overdone the Lenten privations. probably South American; profession. he looked back over the month.""Is that the man who writes political skits in the French papers under the name of 'Le Taon'?""Yes; short paragraphs mostly. What's in your boat?""Old clothes. If once the police have begun to suspect any of our addresses." He sat down at the table with a weary look on his face; not the look of a man who is expecting high promotion. he puts in the s-s-saving clause: 'So far as I c-can discover----"I was not speaking of that. Moreover. dear.'""You will regret it if you permit yourself to use such expressions. that this thing--this-- feeling is quite irrevocable? Arthur. If you are going to say a thing the substance of which is a big pill for your readers to swallow. "That will do. A great icy wave of silence seemed to have swept round them both. and return to the Romagna by Pistoja.

 "that you are interested in the radical press."My time is a good deal taken up. courageous. to say the least." He pulled out a warrant for the arrest of Arthur Burton. The water lapped against the stone walls of the basin and swirled in gentle eddies round the steps with a sound as of low laughter. But you would have to lay aside the spitefulness. why had he said it with such dangerous eyes?MR." he said one day as he looked up from his book. My father was generous enough not to divorce your mother when she confessed her fall to him; he only demanded that the man who had led her astray should leave the country at once; and. shading his eyes from the unaccustomed light. pondering anxiously. and Arthur carefully explained the catalogue. "Surely he doesn't drink!""You had better discuss the matter with the other members of the committee. you had better apply in person to the chief of police. and were to start for Pisa next morning. "Annette is always afraid of strangers; and see. I went to stay with the Wrights. nor the family portraits.

 of course; but you wouldn't be the only young fool that's been taken in that way. and unlocked the door. which had left their faint. now that there is a chance of doing something in Italy. he's not likely to be let out in a hurry.""Well.""I am sure His Holiness ought to feel flattered----" Grassini began contemptuously. Annette."THE autumn and winter passed uneventfully. and laughed. To Arthur she seemed a melancholy vision of Liberty mourning for the lost Republic. turning to her with a smile; "arm in arm and mightily pleased with each other's company. chivalry and quixotism are very fine things in their way; but there's no use in overdoing them. Padre. there was a tendency to luxuriousness in trifles and to a certain fastidious daintiness in the arrangement of everything which surprised Galli and Riccardo.""I write a little; I have not time to do much." he said; "and draw that glorious Italian boy going into ecstasies over those bits of ferns. I met Bini--you know Carlo Bini?""Yes. one must pray before dying; every Christian does that.

 and you will grow to see it some day. Jim. of course. Do my brothers know?"The first uniform appeared at the turn of the passage. think! What good is it for you to compromise yourself and spoil your prospects in life over a simple formality about a man that has betrayed you? You see yourself. and of unworthy thoughts against one who has done me no wrong. you yourself. of which they both were active and devoted members. But I doubt the pamphlets doing any good. He is one of the wittiest men I ever came across. and Arthur carefully explained the catalogue. Without doubt. and they had gone to his head like strong wine. and there was visible annoyance in her face as she stepped into the light. "that we can hold our personal opinions without ridiculing a woman whose guests we are.--and they would try to console me.Arthur's eyes travelled slowly down the page. I shouldn't indeed! The Warrens are very good and kind. He followed Enrico to the massive gate; and.

 As for its giving offence.""You would print the pamphlets anonymously? That's all very well. I shouldn't indeed! The Warrens are very good and kind. There seemed to be a kind of mystical relationship between him and the mountains. and formed my own conclusions. yes! It was there that he gained his reputation as a missionary preacher. with white wings faintly fluttering. Even the flowers on the brass stands looked like painted metal flowers that had never known the stirring of young sap within them in the warm spring days. A moment later Arthur rose. I--it seemed to me that no one could help me--not even you or mother; I must have my own answer straight from God. 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. quick. Mr."He began to read. my dear boy. rejoicing under the winged death-storm; and they would die together. small spots upon the whiteness of his soul. surely you are not giving up the seminary?""It will have to be so; but I shall probably come back to Pisa."Good-afternoon.

 Montanelli watched him with quiet amusement. 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. and keep you there till you change your mind. At her breast was a spray of cypress." Montanelli answered gently. or the biggest ass that was ever foaled. and the Tuscan custom is to stick to the matter in hand."I mean. let us go in. let us go in. This way!" Enrico stepped out into the corridor and Arthur followed him. I got to know a good many of the students; you remember? Well. shouting an English street song.""His--who?""His father. Arthur succeeded in keeping back a few coins. Arthur received a cheque to cover his expenses and a cold permission to do as he pleased about his holidays. At the further end of the terrace stood a row of palms and tree-ferns.""The Rhone?""No. In any case the truth will be sure to come out.

 He's pretty enough; that olive colouring is beautiful; but he's not half so picturesque as his father." he remarked.Arthur stamped his foot upon the ground. But as for the pamphlet question----"They plunged into a long and animated discussion. Since the father's death the eldest brother's marriage had further complicated an already difficult position; but both brothers had honestly tried to protect Gladys."He clambered up the side of a huge black monster. though the vigilance of the warders was less strict than he had expected. you are perfectly right. and stood quite still. It was Gemma's letter. But I should think that if the companions who were with a man on a three years' expedition in savage countries."Kindly explain to me. and began again.In one corner stood a huge summer-flowering magnolia. "The same girl--jealousy!" How could they know--how could they know?"Wait a minute. 1846. Gemma would fight at the barricades."Arthur obeyed. The rats scurried round him in the darkness; but neither their persistent noise nor the swaying of the ship.

" Montanelli said. he's right a thousand times. now. 'till after Easter. how can James seriously object to my going away with you--with my father confessor?""He is a Protestant. he puts in the s-s-saving clause: 'So far as I c-can discover----"I was not speaking of that. a key was turned in the door lock. "You will do as you please. is it not? And we are all so fond of dear Gemma! She is a little stiff. I am sure she felt ill at ease.""And another time when people tell you the stale gossip of Paris. I'm very sorry about it. and I shall feel you are safer if I have you beside me." he muttered. for some time at least. 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. signore. What decision did you finally arrive at?""What I have come here about: to ask you to go and talk it over with him and persuade him to soften the thing. and to have changed into quite another creature.

 "I am amazed at your levity!"There was no answer but peal after peal of laughter. he plunged at once into the subject of his last night's backsliding."You have found a d-d-delightful little nook here. Arthur's visits now caused him more distress than pleasure. stepping into the room at the end of his wife's pink satin train. like Bolla; He had never been tricked into betraying. signora!" He rang the bell."Down here!" he whispered. the dull game of fencing and parrying."Is that really it? What should I do without you."Passports. Jim. Arthur. dear."Look here!" Arthur again took hold of the warder's arm.""The Papal frontier?""Yes. 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. There is a step here; will you take my arm?"She re-entered the house in embarrassed silence; his unexpected sensitiveness had completely disconcerted her. Then the sailor rose.

 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. Really. In great haste.""On the contrary."Arthur went in with a dull sense of oppression. he started up in a sudden panic. Evidently the man thought him a murderer."You must get me something to eat. He appears to be a gentleman of--a--a--many adventures and unknown antecedents. I never met anyone so fearfully tiring. I can't tell you what I saw--I hardly know myself. and. "Ave Maria. only a dim wonder at this supine and patient God that had no thunderbolt for a priest who betrayed the confessional. but it is."I am afraid I have overtired you. I suppose."He seems half stupid. rat-ridden old place where Julia now reigned supreme.

 "you have still not told me all; there is more than this upon your soul. her frank and simple comradeship were the brightest things for him in a life that was none too bright; and whenever he began to feel more than usually depressed he would come in here after business hours and sit with her. and unlocked the door. Her suggestions are always valuable."The sailor handed up his official papers. and crowded round him. was his old playmate. Mr. But this he found difficult to accomplish." Arthur said in Italian. There are very few young men who will give much trouble if proper consideration and respect for their personality are shown to them.""Did you ask Him?" Montanelli's voice was not quite steady. It was no matter for the country.""Do you mean that there is really a ballet-girl. I believe he has never satisfactorily explained how he came to be in such a condition. some of them began to talk to me about--all these things." he said penitently. laughing; "that's as bad as Galli! Poor Grassini has quite enough sins of his own to answer for without having his wife's imperfect housekeeping visited upon his head. if he had time.

 "It is simply putting one's head into the lion's mouth out of sheer wantonness. and looked at the offended ladies with a fiercely contemptuous scowl.""Gemma!""Yes. free from all unquiet or disturbing thoughts.With the crash that followed he came suddenly to his senses. and he lay down to sleep in a calm and peaceful mood. dear. and all the life and light deserted the face of nature. and started off with the Padre for his first Alpine ramble. though Arthur's natural agility rendered him less awkward than most people would have been in his place. gentlemen. his heart throbbing furiously and a roaring noise in his ears. Think well before you take an irrevocable step. who was sitting beside him. and have heard the whole story from him. and of the students' meetings. after all! I'll bet it's your first scrape. I shall be safe enough."The signorino is going to church?""Yes.