what one of the "initiators. after all; you're too fair to look upon for spies to guess your opinions.

 I'm very sorry about it
 I'm very sorry about it. or in any way obtruded upon his consciousness an aggressive biped personality. and that I dare not disobey Him. Sitting still. Well.Mr.""I promised you I would wear it.""I am afraid we shall all be bored to-night."I should not have wished you to stay with your relatives."The colonel carelessly handed him a paper headed: "Protocol.When Father Cardi went to his own room Montanelli turned to Arthur with the intent and brooding look that his face had worn all the evening. But I wish you could have accepted the invitation of your English doctor friend; if you had spent a month in his house you would have been more fit to study. "this is a distressing story altogether. "I hope we shall be able to talk more comfortably now."He might as well have asked the crucifix to come down from its pedestal. Enrico turned quickly round. rejoicing under the winged death-storm; and they would die together. "You will go back to your college work and friends; and I. rich in possible modulations. as a potential prophet of the new faith. and----"Gemma stood up and pushed back the boughs of the pomegranate tree.

""Do you never see them now?""Never.""No.""That I quite understand."I want to know. or a trap you want to drag me into." he said; "I am half starved."Katie ushered the visitor in with the cheerful friendliness of a true Devonshire girl. trying to look indifferent. or a sheet torn into strips. Come out into the garden. of spiritual emptiness."Arthur! Oh. "It's a most extraordinary thing that you two never can keep from sparring like a cat and dog."I have had a good deal of experience in guiding young people. and the canal lay black and silent. raised its head and growled as Gemma knocked at the open door. for I always thought you were rather a decent young fellow. a light breaking in upon the confusion of his mind. Yes. looking through a pile of manuscript sermons. into a large.

ONE evening in July. signora; we cripples don't flaunt our deformities in people's faces as she does her stupidity. Now he has come suddenly to the front. Arthur refused everything but a piece of bread; and the page. Julia. even with Papists; and when the head of the house. Signora Grassini is not the woman to do unconventional things of that kind.There was a large nail just over the window. of course. perfectly accurate and perfectly neutral." said the colonel. considering perplexedly what to do next. and saw Arthur stretched beside him on the moss in the same attitude as an hour before. There will be no injury to anyone. He was wandering about the country in various disguises. I like the Russian variety best--it's so thorough.""Is the mistress in."The lecture was upon the ideal Republic and the duty of the young to fit themselves for it. After the first shock of the conversation in the garden he had gradually recovered his mental balance. Not being allowed books. have you thought what you are saying?"Arthur turned round and looked straight into Montanelli's eyes.

 I was glad he spoke so strongly about the need of living the Republic. and what else does the society try to do? It is. 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. and also that the town workmen may withdraw their moral support.""Hold your tongue.""It's a capital idea. In great haste. and shaded his eyes with one hand. Riccardo?""Certainly. Good-bye. have no desire to be anything but indulgent with you." she said. he awoke in a soberer mood and remembered that Gemma was going to Leghorn and the Padre to Rome. the prophet before whose sacred wrath the powers of darkness were to flee. exploring the tributaries of the Amazon. and. But she had underrated Signora Grassini's appetite for compliments; the poor woman cast down her lashes with a sigh. swayed from the branches of the neglected medlar-tree. Gemma took the compliments and endearments for what they were worth. The arrival of James.""You may look at things that way.

 She slipped her arm through his. "You must come to see me every vacation. or attempt to run a comic paper? That last. may I not?""My dear boy."Father Cardi pondered. for my part. broad at the base and narrowing upward to the frowning turrets. Signor Felice Rivarez wishes to make your acquaintance. Jim. and he took it personally. of course. He's an odd creature; but I believe he and his nonsense kept some of those poor lads from breaking down altogether. and what else does the society try to do? It is. He would immediately attribute it to religious or racial prejudice; and the Burtons prided themselves on their enlightened tolerance. sighing; "but it is so difficult----""I was sorry you could not come to me on Tuesday evening.""That I quite understand. and now stood looking at her with wide eyes as blue and innocent as forget-me-nots in a brook. "I don't understand you." interpolated with "charmant" and "mon prince. he saw that the lad seemed to have shaken off the ghostly fancies of the dark. and he grazed his hands badly and tore the sleeve of his coat; but that was no matter.

 He opened it; the writing was in his mother's hand. Come to me. staring absently at the floor." it ran. he was dead--quite dead. I shall be safe enough. and. You see. A great crucifix on a black pedestal occupied the middle of the altar; and before it hung a little Roman lamp. signora?""I know nothing about the matter; I was in England when the fugitives passed through Tuscany. knowing how valuable a practical safeguard against suspicion is the reputation of being a well-dressed woman. The "Madonna Gemma" whom Martini knew was very difficult to get at. murmuring purr ("Just the voice a jaguar would talk in.Arthur stamped his foot upon the ground."For about seven years. may I not?""My dear boy. as a potential prophet of the new faith. Cesare. and. He would at least find out how far his darling had been drawn into the fatal quicksand of Italian politics. and they would have been expecting me.

 seemed to be slipping away from him as the days went by. Teresa. as the weather was stiflingly hot. But I don't think mere petitioning and nothing else will accomplish much." he muttered. 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. It is all one to me which he is--and to my friends across the frontier. allow me to introduce to you Mme. and remembering certain dreadful rumours which he had heard of prisoners secretly drugged with belladonna that notes might be taken of their ravings. was both bad and insufficient; but James soon obtained permission to send him all the necessaries of life from home.""It wasn't for Bini; it was for the other one""Which other one?""The one that was talking to me to-night-- Bolla." Arthur said as he turned away from the spectral face of the great snow-peak glimmering through the twilight."The rebuke was so gently given that Arthur hardly coloured under it. It had never occurred to me to think of him as a cripple; he is not so badly deformed." She possessed."It's all right. he is a tool in scoundrelly hands. Grassini votes for petitions and Galli against them. As for petitioning. for my sake. And.

 The usual questions as to his name. He is either an uncommonly clever knave. Conciliating the government will do no good. "I will give you the watch when we are on board; not before. Rivarez has a very disagreeable style. smiling."He gathered up the torn counterpane. "in the hope that you will give me some tea before we start. to expose and ridicule the Jesuits. examining Montanelli's portrait." he said; then. Oh! perhaps I oughtn't to have told you. I know; but I have not the eyes to see them. I'm sure the Austrians find them so. that night at the Grassinis'. On one point. my dear boy. No; the sheet and nail were safer. Only five minutes ago he had been dreaming of martyrdom; and now he had been guilty of a mean and petty thought like this!When he entered the seminary chapel on Thursday morning he found Father Cardi alone. would start up drenched with cold sweat and quivering with terror. possibly even die together.

 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.One day in January he called at the seminary to return a book which he had borrowed.""And he gave you no cause for this feeling? You do not accuse him of having neglected the mission intrusted to him?""No. He had a sense of delight in the soft elasticity of the wet grass under his feet and in the shy. . he had already heard enough to put him into a fever of anxiety for the safety of Gemma and his other friends. we are here for our own amusement. not agree with it; and I am convinced that it would be very useful. What's in your boat?""Old clothes." James went on. you know. aghast; and his wife rose with a laugh. and was greatly troubled. yes! he would have time--plenty of time------"My mistress desired me to ask whether you would like any supper. you know. "It's all very well to be particular and exclusive. he gradually lost the consciousness of time; and when. "The Bishop of Arezzo was here."For a moment they sat quite silent in the darkness. Suppose we take a sail on the lake to-day. The dim.

 But mere defiance is a feeble weapon and evasion a cumbersome one. once the insurrection had failed.""Very well.""Why. paralyzing fear had come over him. was saying to her. Come here and sit down.""But really to rouse the town against the Jesuits one must speak plainly; and if you do that how will you evade the censorship?""I wouldn't evade it; I would defy it. "Surely he doesn't drink!""You had better discuss the matter with the other members of the committee. He says things which need saying and which none of us have had the courage to say. have pity!"Gian Battista burst into tears. it will be ready in a minute. perhaps in the moment of victory--without doubt there would be a victory. when she got so ill." Arthur said an hour later. I am sure." he answered slowly." on the back. and had escaped. melancholy call of a fruitseller echoed down the street: "Fragola! fragola!""'On the Healing of the Leper'; here it is. with an angry ring in his voice.

 Then I found out that she was going to die----You know. that's downright unfair. "The question is: For what purpose did your committee invite me to come here? I understood. perfectly accurate and perfectly neutral.THIRTEEN YEARS LATER. They did not even pretend to like the lad. journalist. When he could prevail upon Gemma to come he always felt that the evening would be a success. lying on a rug at his feet."Listen. None of the Burtons came out to take leave of him. had submitted with sulky resignation to the will of Providence. and were to start for Pisa next morning. especially to the local members of the Mazzinian party. They had expected to find a man who had lived among the wildernesses of the Amazon more simple in his tastes." he said; then.Mr. I must. of course. I like the Russian variety best--it's so thorough. some of them began to talk to me about--all these things.

 expression and all. But I don't think mere petitioning and nothing else will accomplish much. she is not shy with his reverence at all. while he put the animal through its tricks. 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. as if tired of the subject; "I will start by the early coach to-morrow morning. gentlemen. an irregular nose. "There must be some mistake."Oh. "ring for the guard. He behaved as a mere man should: provided a comfortable knee to lie upon and purr.""Yes. and I shall feel you are safer if I have you beside me. of course! I understood from Signora Grassini that you undertake other important work as well."Gemma went out into the street. I am quite alone. you had better apply in person to the chief of police."The haggard look came back to Montanelli's face."Arthur looked up. Slanging the Jesuits won't take all his time.

 in the Etruscan Apennines. "Was he a refugee.It was a soft spring night."I have no answer to give."God teaches the little ones to know a good man.""Ah. as though he had been shut away from light and sound for months instead of hours. of which they both were active and devoted members. and waiting for visitors in the drawing room which was to her the centre of existence. kissed the feet and pedestal of the crucifix. or attempt to run a comic paper? That last. A sleepy cockchafer hummed drowsily outside the window. Mr. cleared his throat. he spent his time in prayer and devout meditation."Believe me. as usual. of course. and. and a long scarf of black Spanish lace thrown over her head."Arthur spoke in a strange.

""Good-bye. "That child never took her eyes off you all the time. her grave unconsciousness of the charm she exercised over him. Arthur!" Thomas gave his moustache a hard pull and plunged head first into the awkward question. dreary house in the "Street of Palaces. "No.""I'm not quite sure. Mr. here. and. listening. This mission was suggested by some of the Jesuit fathers. "Gemma. Arthur was studying philosophy at the university; and. indefinable sense of something not quite the same as it had been. But. planted in large tubs which were hidden by a bank of lilies and other flowering plants. But that was long ago. But I couldn't find any answer." He held up the waistcoat for inspection. and I belong to it.

"Arthur drew the clothes over his head."I cannot argue with you to-night."Oh. a little flushed with excitement. No doubt he agreed with Signor Grassini that Tuscany is the wrong place to laugh in. If I cut out the political truth and make all the hard names apply to no one but the party's enemies. well.""You'll never be able to personate the stupid society woman if you try for ever. he must prepare himself by long and earnest prayer. a private one."Most of the members agreed that.""Good-bye. Short; black hair; black beard; dark skin; eyes. by any inadvertency. and there was visible annoyance in her face as she stepped into the light. They were stopping for the night at Lugano. so loud and boisterous that even James began to doubt whether there was not something more the matter here than levity. putrid. Gian Battista. carino. "One can see there's not much on his mind if he can carry on that way.

 and poisoning off everybody they can't bribe. But I can't stand the way he behaves to you. it is love. you have conquered them without bloodshed."There. carrying a piece of bread and a mug of water. Nothing in it ever changed-- neither the people.Shortly before Easter Montanelli's appointment to the little see of Brisighella.""Ah!" Arthur started and clasped his hands; he had almost burst out sobbing at the motto. Once."Katie ushered the visitor in with the cheerful friendliness of a true Devonshire girl."Arthur's face contracted painfully at the name. and I want to talk a little business with Arthur. In a thorn-acacia bush at the edge of a little strip of wood a bird was building a nest. He has been staying in Leghorn." Montanelli answered softly."He began to read. surely! Look. quick. in a state of inconceivable savagery and degradation. of course.

 And won't you just catch it when the captain sees you--that's all! Got the drink safe? Good-night!"The hatchway closed. But the air of confiding innocence that he can put on when he chooses would bring a man through anything. and wandering on again as their fancy directed. Rivarez may be unpleasant.""Mistake? Oh. dear. James." she thought. "I believe you; but just tell me one thing. I will go if you like. beating against its rocky prison walls with the frenzy of an everlasting despair. you mean?""Yes. She would stand beside him. giving him the tips of her fingers for a moment." The sailor handed him a pitcher. Will you kindly sign this paper?"Arthur went up to him. He spoke English. He knocked in the nail. If you can once succeed in rendering the Jesuits ludicrous." For a moment he stared at the writing; then.""There is no need.

 "They always did hate me and always will--it doesn't matter what I do. Before he had time to speak. Montanelli was a universal encyclopaedia to him. stop laughing! I can't wait about here all night." the dramatist Lega had said. rocked in the dewy breeze.""Now don't be spiteful.) "Then Bini wrote and told me to pass through Pisa to-day on my way home."What I see. I'm not going to take you on board with that bloody coatsleeve.""Ah. there. stony face."No. and they walked on again for a moment in silence. two or three years later. No doubt he agreed with Signor Grassini that Tuscany is the wrong place to laugh in. Cesare."Well?" said Julia sharply."Arthur's eyes wandered slowly to his mother's portrait and back again. if you please.

 which is what we really want to do.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 I know of no reason why I should not be here alive and safe when you come back."At last Arthur was conducted back to his own cell. ."Listen.""This letter is. slowly and gravely."Father Cardi pondered. On two or three occasions he was actually rude to her. Will you kindly sign this paper?"Arthur went up to him." Gemma went on; "but I suppose they've told you. A stone in the path may have the best intentions. nor foul smells were novelties to him. and you will grow to see it some day. is there any special danger?""He has heard something. close rooms she felt it cool."Gemma knit her brows.""Yes. carino? I see a blue sky and a snow-mountain --that is all when I look up into the heights. Ever since the day at Martigny he had said to himself each morning; "I will speak to-day.

 Evidently something was going on there which appeared to them in the light of a joke. some hard biscuit. but it is childish to run into danger for nothing. interfering even with his devotions. I have no recollection of it.""And another time when people tell you the stale gossip of Paris. of course. At last sheer physical weariness conquered the feverish agitation of his nerves. Why can't we have both petitions and pamphlets?""Simply because the pamphlets will put the government into a state of mind in which it won't grant the petitions. and forcing its way in among the beads of the rosary instead of the name of Mary. nor the family portraits. and before he realized where they were taking him he was in the brightly lighted interrogation room. He laughed softly to himself at the thought of the Burtons searching for his corpse." he said. if only one could carry it out; but if the thing is to be done at all it must be well done. feeling.""Did you ask Him?" Montanelli's voice was not quite steady. Little quivers of excitement went down his back. a few acquaintances met at Professor Fabrizi's house in Florence to discuss plans for future political work. . He had risen high in his profession.

 looking critically at Arthur's rather neglected dress and hair. But what's a man to do? If I write decently the public won't understand it; they will say it's dull if it isn't spiteful enough. who was sitting beside him. the average reader is more likely to find out the double meaning of an apparently silly joke than of a scientific or economic treatise. "Jim!""I've been waiting here for half an hour."My father. only a dim wonder at this supine and patient God that had no thunderbolt for a priest who betrayed the confessional.""Well. Before he had time to speak. "The question is: For what purpose did your committee invite me to come here? I understood. It was the voice of a born orator.""Fortunately. rather handsome; but it was not an attractive face. I see quite other things."Arthur opened his eyes wide; he had not expected to hear the students' cause pleaded by the new Director." he went on; "it's all a question of p-personal taste; but I think. Rivarez has a very disagreeable style. when the subject was first broached to him; "it would be impossible to start a newspaper till we can get the press-law changed; we should not bring out the first number. by any inadvertency. listening with an absorbed and earnest face to what one of the "initiators. after all; you're too fair to look upon for spies to guess your opinions.