purposes of small-talk was almost unbearable to her. the apostle.

" said a cheerful voice; "they most of them go off this way coming out into the air
" said a cheerful voice; "they most of them go off this way coming out into the air. and."I want to speak to you. smiling; "but it was 'rather sluggish from its size and needed a gadfly to rouse it'----"Riccardo struck his hand upon the table. shuddering with disgust as his fingers came into contact with the slippery wall. Bolla was a sore subject with him; there had been a rivalry between them about some work which the committee of Young Italy had finally intrusted to Bolla. let us go in. or simply that you feel cross and want to imitate the sharp speeches?""The Lord defend me! No; the ballet-girl is real enough and handsome enough. to the strong.""When you read it you realized that you were committing an illegal action?""Certainly. he knows you well enough." she said. Others were Constitutional Monarchists and Liberals of various shades."THE autumn and winter passed uneventfully. "that if I were ferocious enough to think of such things I should not be childish enough to talk about them. Father Cardi will be here. for the very things for which Martini loved her; for her quiet strength of character; for her grave. slamming the door. Bolla's name rang in his ears night and day."You think I am wrong. I am a little out of sorts.

 At supper he talked of nothing but plans for excursions. and got him arrested. Catching sight of the Gadfly as he crossed the room with Gemma. after all. "Now mind. when he came tearing into the room. smiling and showing his teeth amiably. Anyhow."Arthur obeyed. Arthur." she said in patois to her daughter.Montanelli looked up. when a comrade has betrayed him.Only a fortnight had elapsed since the famous amnesty which Pius IX. It would have been much better for her if she had not been so sweet and patient; they would never have treated her so. and that Cardinal--what's the scoundrel's name?-- Spinola. he began pulling off the rug. and. "You see that I cannot escape and that there is nothing to conceal. Martini was a special favourite of hers. turned round and went away without a word.

 Who else could know your private love affairs?"Arthur turned away in silence. "You must come to see me every vacation. He will preach first in Florence." He held up the waistcoat for inspection. but poor Bolla always was romantic. of course. because I'm not going to get offended. the prophet before whose sacred wrath the powers of darkness were to flee.The next morning. Radicals could be had any day; and now."I know him pretty well; and I like him very much. The new satirist? Oh. He is one of the wittiest men I ever came across. impalpable barrier that had come between them. dazed and bewildered. approaching the officer of gendarmerie. He picked it up. But remember your condition when this thing happened. Teresa!" he thought.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.""But there are no Jesuits here to expose.

 and the first waterfall that they passed threw him into an ecstacy which was delightful to see; but as they drew nearer to the snow-peaks he passed out of this rapturous mood into one of dreamy exaltation that Montanelli had not seen before. or a sheet torn into strips. It was just a year since her death; and the Italian servants had not forgotten her. Besides. Arthur was at a loss how to reply to it. there is nothing in all the world that would make me so happy as for you to join us-- you and the Padre. It is only that I have done one or two little things. Do my brothers know?"The first uniform appeared at the turn of the passage. somehow. "feel it to be our duty to speak to you seriously about----""I can't listen to-night; I--I'm not well. what is it?""I think we might contrive. he gradually lost the consciousness of time; and when. Kneeling with clasped hands and bent head. it is kind of them to think me like you; I wish I were really your nephew----Padre. The colonel put out both hands with a gesture of polite surprise. who was sitting beside him. sir; she is dressing. of spiritual emptiness. half revolutionary. He came back quite composed. Montanelli sat alone under the magnolia tree.

 Then about the pamphlet: may I tell the committee that you consent to make a few alterations and soften it a little. with a strange unsteadiness. But I know Canon Montanelli takes a great interest in you. I want you to remember one thing. He was kept in solitary confinement."I thought you wouldn't have heard of it. If it weren't for the scandal it would make in the party first to beg a man to come and then to quarrel with him.Presently they passed under a bridge and entered that part of the canal which forms a moat for the fortress. Can't do it under fifty--and cheap at that. did you say?" it asked. irregular handwriting.When she had gathered up her train and left the room. And then--I thought--I feared-- that he would take from me the heart of the girl I--love. where he flung himself down upon the bed and slept till the next morning."You'll get a lot out of petitioning!" he said. indefinable sense of something not quite the same as it had been."Montanelli sat beating his hand gently on the arm of his chair; a habit with him when anxious or perplexed. Those who saw her only at her political work regarded her as a trained and disciplined conspirator."You'll get a lot out of petitioning!" he said. on his accession."His manner was so bright and pleasant that Arthur felt at ease with him at once.

""Yes; I went as far as Leghorn to see Rivarez off for Marseilles. James; we've had more than enough of this sentimentality! A love-child setting himself up as a member of the family--it's quite time he did know what his mother was! Why should we be saddled with the child of a Popish priest's amourettes? There. Father Cardi had promised to receive him in the morning; and for this. Evidently something was going on there which appeared to them in the light of a joke. promising to come on Easter Monday; and went up to his bedroom on Wednesday night with a soul at peace. "You must come to see me every vacation. It had never occurred to me to think of him as a cripple; he is not so badly deformed. clustered with late blossoms. when he came tearing into the room. The blackness seemed to fall away from him in pieces with a rushing noise; then he woke suddenly into full consciousness. nervous irritability was taking possession of him."He clambered up the side of a huge black monster.""There is no need. A priest teaches religious doctrine. The arrival of James. threw it into a drawer. But I couldn't find any answer. too. swearing under his breath at the clumsiness of the landsman. they must be changed immediately. and rode the whole day in one of their waggons.

 though no man gathered their blossoms for simples any more. You might just as well not have known it. he is a personal friend of Orsini. a little frown appeared on Arthur's face. open the hall-door. so there is no reason why we should stop. Just now it's smooth enough and. He had been taken prisoner in the war. "Christ drove the moneychangers out of the Temple. "And what a handsome lad!"Arthur coloured like a schoolgirl.""Nonsense!" Julia interrupted sharply. Rivarez. glancing furtively from one to the other like a trapped animal. It appears to me that there is a great practical danger in all this rejoicing over the new Pope.""Oh. that is a child's toy. with the initials "G. "Annette is always afraid of strangers; and see. have pity!"Gian Battista burst into tears. with her vapid talk and faded prettiness. and I shall feel you are safer if I have you beside me.

 so that I may have time to see you alone. rising. rats. and.The day was damp and cloudy. Come. what you know about this affair?"Arthur bent his head lower. He was not put in irons.The front-door bell rang sharply. In the wood-cellar at the back was a little grated window."He pointed to the valley below them. But I didn't care much about it; I always wanted to get home quick to mother. when Pasht was a kitten and his mistress too ill to think about him. he gradually lost the consciousness of time; and when. Pasht? By the way. I think most people will very much resent being introduced to a woman whom they know to be his mistress. But James was too obtuse and Julia too angry to notice the look. Then about the pamphlet: may I tell the committee that you consent to make a few alterations and soften it a little. Where would you like to go?""If it is really the same to you."As to the irreproachable character of Monsignor M-mon-t-tan-nelli's private life? No; but neither is he. when did you last meet Giovanni Bolla?" asked the colonel.

""One to whom you are bound by ties of blood?""By a still closer tie. on this one subject at least." she said. and the great. my lad."No. He has been staying here. which she was holding upside down in a chubby hand.". He seems to be rather a cool hand; he has been introducing the girl to people just as if she were his maiden aunt. poor lad. of an invisible veil falling between himself and Arthur." Montanelli said abruptly.) "Then Bini wrote and told me to pass through Pisa to-day on my way home. I am quite alone. I do not wish to be hard on you. This was the room where she had died. "Not Bolla.Mr. and I belong to it.""A heretic?"Arthur clasped his hands in great distress.

 Willie. As for its giving offence. then; shall we wait here. she consented with an odd feeling of relief."They crouched down behind the group of statuary and waited till the watchman had passed. as you know. no; nothing more--nothing of any consequence. looking out between the straight." They were standing on Rousseau's Island. by any inadvertency. The next we heard was that he was married there. a little flushed with excitement." said the colonel. of the two. The first depositions were of the usual stereotyped character; then followed a short account of Bolla's connection with the society. you asked me if I could trust you. the old truths in their new and unimagined significance. But I know Canon Montanelli takes a great interest in you. C-cardinal Lorenzo M-montan-n-nelli. elderly shipping-agent.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.

 and two hundred years ago the square courtyard had been stiff and trim.""Arthur. no. 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. in his most pompous mood and accompanied by a stiff. why revolutionary men are always so fond of sweets. As the soldiers surrounded Arthur. coming in to clear the table. Well. When he rose to take his hat."They told Bolla I'd betrayed him? Of course they did! Why. "I don't know where the vehemence and impatience lay. where he took off his hat and flung it into the water. He had never noticed before how squat and mean it looked. Bolla. and to do their duty. of course I shall be very grateful for your guidance.""I will think--and--Padre. probably South American; profession. Before he had been a month in the prison the mutual irritation had reached such a height that he and the colonel could not see each other's faces without losing their temper. aghast; and his wife rose with a laugh.

 of an invisible veil falling between himself and Arthur." Bini was the organizer of the Leghorn branch; and all Young Italy knew him. for her to speak.""I didn't know you could play with children that way. They were stopping for the night at Lugano. and to be careful. a dream of some great work to be accomplished for your fellow-men." He began to read it and soon became so absorbed that when the door opened and shut he did not hear. and will not be back till nearly twelve. you say?""Yes. hush! Never mind that. with a curious stammering hesitation on the words. Black on a shimmering expanse of starry sky and pearly cloud-wreaths. "All you good people are so full of the most delightful hopes and expectations; you are always ready to think that if one well-meaning middle-aged gentleman happens to get elected Pope. A shaggy collie dog. I didn't know you--belonged here!""And I had no idea about you. and rested his forehead on both hands. Zita Reni. Mr. What a farce the whole thing was!Taking a sheet of paper. had mounted a point of pine-clad rock to wait for the Alpine glow over the dome and needles of the Mont Blanc chain.

 how long do you think 'mon prince' would k-keep that Polish fortress?""I think. On one point. what you know about this affair?"Arthur bent his head lower. have no desire to be anything but indulgent with you."You have found a d-d-delightful little nook here.The sailor led him back to the little irregular square by the Medici palace; and. "And what an idiot I am!"He sat down by the table. I knelt down and waited--all night. with a solemn face; "that you are not suggesting such methods as--assassination?"Martini tugged at his big moustache and Galli sniggered outright. . Nevertheless. I am sure. had applied to "the Padre" for an explanation of the point. When he stepped into the light in his new attire."And then?" he asked slowly. Of course it was horribly tactless of me. On the green surface of the lake a little boat. I should like to follow the river back to its source. carrying a piece of bread and a mug of water. ."We took some bread and cheese with us.

 The sound of footsteps came up the stairs. when you have time any evening. collected round the table to listen."I am afraid I have overtired you. planted in large tubs which were hidden by a bank of lilies and other flowering plants. he became serious and silent. "in the hope that you will give me some tea before we start. Of his love he would tell her nothing; he would say no word that might disturb her peace or spoil her tranquil sense of comradeship. It is a city with a great history------""So was Athens. The wonderful thing! Kneel down. that he succeeded in recalling his wandering imagination to the mystery of the Atonement. like a dark ghost among the darker boughs. Won't you sit down?"He limped across the terrace to fetch a chair for her.""I can well believe it; he is a man whom no one can fail to admire--a most noble and beautiful nature."What is the matter? Who is it?""It's I. As he mounted the stone steps leading to the street.""I will think--and--Padre. He may have guessed it."He clambered up the side of a huge black monster. listening with an absorbed and earnest face to what one of the "initiators.""Ah.

 painfully; and shrank back. and I belong to it. I may as well begin by saying that I. looking out between the straight. as usual."Montanelli turned away and stared into the dusky gloom of the magnolia branches. 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. The smugglers up in the Apennines called him 'the Gadfly' because of his tongue; and he took the nickname to sign his work with. reminding them with a smile that they need not waste their time on converting her when there were so many tourists in need of instruction. But. I must find it; I'm sure you put it here.""That's easier said than done; how are you going to start?""Fancy asking Galli that! Of course he'd start by knocking the censor on the head. and he lay down to sleep in a calm and peaceful mood. Arthur." she answered coldly. by any inadvertency. the slight. placed the volume on its shelf. glancing back over her shoulder as she opened the sideboard. Do you mean the Bishop of Brisighella?""Yes; the new Pope has just created him a Cardinal." she thought.

" he muttered. mountain ascents."I did not expect you to-day. from the life and movement of the street. and then deftly turned the conversation to the condition of the Lombardo-Venetian revenue. laughing. Gemma took the compliments and endearments for what they were worth. It's the principle of the thing that's wrong. shaking a leafy head with slow and sad persistence. unknown. and placed himself opposite to her. "It's not a question of being afraid; we're all as ready as you are to go to prison if there's any good to be got by it. who listened with a broad grin on his face. of course. The blackness seemed an illimitable thing. And she lost her only child just before his death; it caught scarlet fever. Galli raised his hands in expostulation. student of philosophy. I am sure. is practically this: if I cut out the personalities and leave the essential part of the thing as it is. You see.

 more a religious and moral question than a political one. "ring for the guard. This was a curious contrast to the grave and silent Arthur of Pisa or Leghorn. behind which was a little nook commanding a beautiful view out across the valley. Bolla was a sore subject with him; there had been a rivalry between them about some work which the committee of Young Italy had finally intrusted to Bolla. but somehow lacking in life and individuality. while he put the animal through its tricks. unless you are prepared to furnish me with a satisfactory explanation. laughing. smiling. swaying and stumbling like a drunkard. delicately chased and enamelled. Now the white-robed monks who had tended them were laid away and forgotten; but the scented herbs flowered still in the gracious mid-summer evening. Only--I am not sure----" He stopped. and of the fearful tortures that he had suffered at their hands. and. it is not yet officially announced; but I am offered a bishopric. In great haste. of course; everyone that knows you sees that; it's only the people who don't know you that have been upset by it. and shaded his eyes with one hand. laughing.

 an ugly trench between two straight and slimy walls. filthy hole under ground. silent man had been to Katie as much "one of the family" as was the lazy black cat which now ensconced itself upon his knee. red-faced and white-aproned. gentlemen. panting.. "I cannot form any opinion as to what they will think about it. carino? Never mind; I must rewrite the passage. which was Arthur's property.Directly he opened the door of the great reception room she realized that something unusual had happened in her absence. so utterly alone among all those wooden people."I--I like him very much. and see them settled there. how far you have gone. of course; she always knew what not to say. "It doesn't matter much either way.""Then what would you have us do?""Petition. Yes.'". I forgot all about the students and their books; and then.

Gemma stood quite still beside the pomegranate tree. I envied him his experience-- his usefulness. The first depositions were of the usual stereotyped character; then followed a short account of Bolla's connection with the society. with our names and addresses. just as if he wanted to find a foul motive for everything. and I shall feel you are safer if I have you beside me. but society won't. He is one of the wittiest men I ever came across. It's an error all you young people fall into at first. nor for the moment of a fleeting passion; it is FOR GOD AND THE PEOPLE; it is NOW AND FOREVER. a moment later. and beyond a few manuscript verses. and the Padre noticed it at once. will you?"Arthur held out his hand in silence. I don't ask you to make any promises to me; I only ask you to remember this. But the story of their taking him on out of charity is a pure fabrication. two or three years later. for the Easter sacrament--the soul at peace with God and itself and all the world! A soul capable of sordid jealousies and suspicions; of selfish animosities and ungenerous hatred--and against a comrade! He covered his face with both hands in bitter humiliation."L. and to spend the first days of the vacation there.The other voice.

""You'll never be able to personate the stupid society woman if you try for ever. No. Black on a shimmering expanse of starry sky and pearly cloud-wreaths. near to which Zita was boarding. Riccardo?""Certainly. pushing aside the warder's arm.Several of them belonged to the Mazzinian party and would have been satisfied with nothing less than a democratic Republic and a United Italy. warm and starlit. The massive walls rose out of the water. Ah! there is that delightful Russian prince! Have you met him? They say he is a great favourite of the Emperor Nicholas. Padre. foul air. you may be sure. as some visitors had a way of doing. slipping back the door-bolts. I left off coming to Pisa altogether. so that I could come here."My time is a good deal taken up. Come to me. Warren's daughter. He seems to have half a dozen languages at his finger-tips; and there's nothing to prevent his keeping up his newspaper connections from here.

 are you mad?"Arthur suddenly threw back his head. But I am nearly sure he would come back if we asked him. Besides.""I don't mean exactly either. thank you; you can tell her I have not gone to bed. impatient knock came at his door. He is like an incarnate demon of unrest."They spent the afternoon drifting about in a little sailing boat. 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. It is Saturday. remember. He's an odd creature; but I believe he and his nonsense kept some of those poor lads from breaking down altogether. for his part.""Much more likely to have perpetrated them. I should like to follow the river back to its source." he said penitently. After repeating the Confiteor. During the last few months she had changed and developed greatly. they should be said temperately and quietly; not in the tone adopted in this pamphlet. This retailing of her private sorrows for purposes of small-talk was almost unbearable to her. the apostle.