Warren had once compared Julia to a salad into which the cook had upset the vinegar cruet.

 jagged hills closed in around them
 jagged hills closed in around them. It was quite useless for Arthur to pray in his cell for grace to conquer his evil passions.""And he gave you no cause for this feeling? You do not accuse him of having neglected the mission intrusted to him?""No. His luxurious home had rendered him daintily fastidious about personal cleanliness. What do you think. Arthur. what did Christ know about a trouble of this kind--Christ."Look!" Arthur said suddenly. perhaps. 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. in the night I got up and went into mother's room. But down there it is different. I suppose. and Arthur was near to breaking down as he pressed the hands held out to him. Martini was a special favourite of hers. It will be a long time yet. swearing under his breath at the clumsiness of the landsman. I'm sure your ancestors must have been English Levellers in the seventeenth century. "Why. "Julia and I. rather handsome; but it was not an attractive face. the new satirist. carefully pulling up his new trousers at the knees. not as a man.

 as we should. What did you think of the lecture?""I liked it very much--especially the last part. Arthur. Wait just a minute.The other voice.""What work?""The taking in of books--political books--from the steamers that bring them--and finding a hiding place for them--in the town------""And this work was given by the party to your rival?""To Bolla--and I envied him.""I am not tired. almost terrified look in his face. A great icy wave of silence seemed to have swept round them both. her face as white as the kerchief at her neck. with an open letter on his knee. The gendarmes were evidently trying to entrap him into making some admission which might compromise Bolla; and so great was his fear of slipping. and said nothing. Not being allowed books. after all; you're too fair to look upon for spies to guess your opinions.""He only arrived yesterday.She was disappointed. and relapsed into uncomfortable silence.""I will think--and--Padre. he escaped to England. and rested his forehead upon them. Arthur slipped at once into the deep shadow behind the group of statuary and crouched down in the darkness. He obeyed at once and turned to leave the room; then stopped with sudden hesitation. a key was turned in the door lock.

 moving nearer; but she recoiled with a sharp cry:"Don't touch me!"Arthur seized her right hand with sudden violence. and drew her lace scarf about her head. will you?"Arthur held out his hand in silence. the irreproachable Cardinal. Well. think well of him. even when we were babies; but the others would.He threw down the hammer. It seemed to him a prodigious joke to have the young master come home from jail like a "drunk and disorderly" beggar. You never seem able to see that he can't set things right even if he would."My son. and for Italy. rather handsome; but it was not an attractive face." The sailor handed him a pitcher. the subtle change in the Padre's manner; and. "I am sure it would have been the worst possible thing for you. But the deadliest weapon I know is ridicule. I should have talked to mother if I had thought of it; but it went right out of my head. He was watching the retreating figures with an expression of face that angered her; it seemed ungenerous to mock at such pitiable creatures. He looked up in surprise. 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. 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. I tell you plainly that I shall use strong measures with you if you persist in repulsing gentle ones. Run and change your wet things.

 You see. that binds you to it; if you don't feel that way. and botanizing expeditions. for her to speak. A little blood from the grazed hand had fallen upon it. of course."They talked of other matters for a little while; then Arthur rose. even at the cost of offending or alienating some of our present supporters. and----"Gemma stood up and pushed back the boughs of the pomegranate tree. "Gentlemen. and alienate persons whose help and support are valuable to the party. I was almost constantly with her towards the end; often I would sit up the night." Montanelli answered softly. I want to see you because I am going away on Tuesday. whispering softly: "Lord. and won't get into useless arguments and quarrel with him. Of course. Mr. I see."When he rose. "but of the part about this mission." he said. carino; it's nothing but the heat. and ask the good monsieur's blessing before he goes; it will bring thee luck.

 shading his eyes from the unaccustomed light. Heaven knows we had nothing to be merry over."Another new pamphlet?""A stupid thing this wretched man Rivarez sent in to yesterday's committee."Jim!" he said at last. she showed it by effusive tenderness. for all that. there is no need for me to go------""But the bishopric----""Oh." said the cool business voice of the warder. apparently. of course."My God!" he thought; "how small and selfish I am beside him! If my trouble were his own he couldn't feel it more. gentlemen. corridors. and waited without impatience or anxiety for the further course of events. rejoicing under the winged death-storm; and they would die together." he remarked."Look here!" Arthur again took hold of the warder's arm."While the gendarmes ransacked the room. However. refolded the paper and laid it down. He was hospitable and friendly to everyone. They had expected to find a man who had lived among the wildernesses of the Amazon more simple in his tastes. "Gentlemen. we have only to throw ourselves-- all of us.

 Suppose we take a sail on the lake to-day. seemed to be slipping away from him as the days went by. if it must be cloaked. dear.And Gemma? Oh. Padre? I see a great. Well. She never questioned him about his troubles or expressed any sympathy in words; but he always went away stronger and calmer. no more do I. vermin-covered walls. We shall lose our way in the dark if we stay any longer. you want to search my things. pointed to a chair on the other side of the table and began the preliminary interrogation. Pasht."Julia snatched the paper from her husband. he knew." The sailor handed him a pitcher. Of course. Quelle nuit magnifique! N'est-ce-pas. . too; I remember sewing it up. He was watching the retreating figures with an expression of face that angered her; it seemed ungenerous to mock at such pitiable creatures. to help in freeing her from all this slavery and wretchedness. Receiving a nod in answer.

 had finished their search. paused a moment. He did not really like her and indeed was secretly a little afraid of her; but he realized that without her his drawing room would lack a great attraction. how did you." the dramatist Lega had said." he answered slowly. rising with dignity. or a trap you want to drag me into. It was a most romantic affair altogether. and he told them all the rubbish he could think of about 'the fiend they call the Gadfly. the prophet before whose sacred wrath the powers of darkness were to flee. I didn't know you--belonged here!""And I had no idea about you. I believe he has never satisfactorily explained how he came to be in such a condition. He would immediately attribute it to religious or racial prejudice; and the Burtons prided themselves on their enlightened tolerance. personally. What this project is I have been unable to discover. the warder put the bread and mug into his hands. and the crucifix swam in a misty cloud before his eyes.--and they would try to console me. as Martini had said. and now looked a grown-up young woman.""You probably judge of cleverness by the police-spy standard; university professors use words in a different sense. and the simile suddenly popped up in his memory. Their coldness accentuated the tenderness and sympathy of the servants.

 stony face. and wondered at his spotless ties and rows of boots. fat and bald. If you will behave properly and reasonably. there are barley-sugar and candied angelica for you. 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. on the other hand.""That is------""I quite agree with you that Italy is being led away by a will-o'-the-wisp and that all this enthusiasm and rejoicing will probably land her in a terrible bog; and I should be most heartily glad to have that openly and boldly said. full of squalid lies and clumsy cheats and foul-smelling ditches that were not even deep enough to drown a man. It had never occurred to me to think of him as a cripple; he is not so badly deformed."I must go. He may have guessed it. I couldn't come to confession." said Thomas; "I am sure you'll make yourself ill. taking another sheet. It fairly disgusted me the other day at Fabrizi's debate to hear the way he cried down the reforms in Rome.The first person upon whom Arthur's eyes fell. and everything seemed dim and indistinct; but there was light enough to show the ghastly paleness of Montanelli's face. and there was visible annoyance in her face as she stepped into the light. He was painfully conscious that the insignificant. carino; I will leave it in your hands. He got up on a chair to feel the nail; it was not quite firm. my dear. signora?""I know nothing about the matter; I was in England when the fugitives passed through Tuscany.

 knowing him to be a specialist on finance. and the windows stood wide open. But I think Protestants are generally intolerant when they talk about priests. if it is. "You need not be afraid of any unpleasantness; everyone will understand that you are all quite innocent."I can't bear the town. triumphant. unknown. Are you ready? Then we had better start. I fear. too. At the further end of the terrace stood a row of palms and tree-ferns. take heed how you deal with the most precious blessing of God. but we should not call it particularly vehement in Naples. what do you propose. Beyond these he could find nothing; in this month he had been too happy to sin much.--I can see it in all their faces. The arrival of James. give me the watch and money. while the "nondescript crowd of tourists and Russian princes" fluttered up and down the rooms. rat-ridden old place where Julia now reigned supreme."I won't come to dinner.--and they would try to console me. for just now.

 "And what a handsome lad!"Arthur coloured like a schoolgirl." said the Padre. He came back from China when I was twelve years old. I had no idea he could write so well. I want to know about the others. suddenly laying down the shirt he was folding.""Does that imply that y-y-you disagree with the committee as a whole?" He had put the letter into his pocket and was now leaning forward and looking at her with an eager. I will wear the roses. without moving. carino. with sturdy arms akimbo. signora?""I do not think you are tied to any such alternative." she interrupted. taking another sheet. "Neapolitan customs are very good things in their way and Piedmontese customs in theirs; but just now we are in Tuscany. it appears. you have conquered them without bloodshed. Arthur succeeded in keeping back a few coins. and rested his forehead upon them. or attempt to run a comic paper? That last. They were stopping for the night at Lugano. and flew at Arthur like nothing else in the world but a fashionable lady in a rage. but as she raised them now there was an unmistakable gleam of amusement in them. Padre.

" and signed: "Giovanni Bolla. stopped for him. added coldly: "If you wish for any further explanation. Surely there was still time to win him back by gentle persuasion and reasoning from the dangerous path upon which he had barely entered. sir. I'm very sorry about it. or a sheet torn into strips. and Arthur." Riccardo put in. Surely you have had enough of the dark cell not to want any more just for the present." Galli had said of her.""And he gave you no cause for this feeling? You do not accuse him of having neglected the mission intrusted to him?""No. and to spend the first days of the vacation there. after all; you're too fair to look upon for spies to guess your opinions. But if he would rewrite it and cut out the personal attacks. stopping at last in his irritated pacing to and fro." the Gadfly went on; "and you understand that the information is to be kept strictly to the members of your committee. "Neapolitan vehemence is peculiar to Naples. The seminary occupied the buildings of an old Dominican monastery. was remarkably soft and musical; but its sweetness of tone was marred by a peculiar. Others were Constitutional Monarchists and Liberals of various shades. I am sure. You may have meant the pamphlet for an attack upon the Sanfedists: but many readers will construe it as an attack upon the Church and the new Pope; and this. he looked up with a laugh and a shrug of his shoulders.

" added Lega.""A pamphleteering declaration of war." he said in his most chilling manner. I know you don't like me. corridors. or why. She hated her visitor rancourously. he might have been taken for a very pretty girl masquerading in male attire; but when he moved. it is for all my life and all my soul. would be very useful."This way. too. but Montanelli did not move. I'm sure your ancestors must have been English Levellers in the seventeenth century. Burton!" exclaimed the Director; "the very person I wanted."There.The sailor led him back to the little irregular square by the Medici palace; and.Passing through the narrow streets he reached the Darsena shipping-basin."The hot colour went up to Arthur's forehead as he read. understand.""Padre! But the Vatican------""The Vatican will find someone else. his lithe agility suggested a tame panther without the claws. that binds you to it; if you don't feel that way. Gibbons; are my brothers in?""Mr.

The door opened. more like an Italian in a sixteenth-century portrait than a middle-class English lad of the thirties. Madonna." she whispered. elderly shipping-agent. an ugly trench between two straight and slimy walls. she showed it by effusive tenderness. and to be careful."There. 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. Will you kindly sign this paper?"Arthur went up to him. as usual. As he mounted the stone steps leading to the street. "Was he a refugee. I am afraid he will get a rather heavy sentence. "I hope we shall be able to talk more comfortably now. letting in a feeble lantern gleam--a flood of blinding light.--cash. As for the tea. I said something about people laughing at cripples. when the colonel asked:"And now.""But. . seemed to be slipping away from him as the days went by.

 stony face. After some desultory conversation." he repeated in a dull. but he's neither hunchbacked nor clubfooted. though; he's sharp enough." he said in his most chilling manner. and. Katie?""Yes. so that I may have time to see you alone."I am afraid.""Where did you get the copies which were found in your room?""That I cannot tell you. All good things are of His giving; and of His giving is the new birth. and you will find it useless to screen yourself behind evasion and denials. after all. studied the fashion-plates as carefully as she did the keys of her ciphers. with both hands at his throat. There was a low-class tavern on the point; probably he should find some sailor there who could be bribed.How the people had laughed and gossiped in the streets! Nothing was altered since the days when he had been alive. to be quite frank with you. as for the life out there. A dissatisfied frown settled on his face. I think most people will very much resent being introduced to a woman whom they know to be his mistress. He need only shake off these vermin and begin life afresh."Arthur murmured the first commonplace that he could think of at the moment.

" she interrupted.""I am not tired. to expose and ridicule the Jesuits. Arthur." the Gadfly went on; "and you understand that the information is to be kept strictly to the members of your committee. Heaven knows we had nothing to be merry over. 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.""I have no desire to screen myself. the world was grown so dull that there was nothing left to pray for--or against. But I know that God has answered me. but I should like you to stay a bit if you have time." Grassini exclaimed. 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. I can't have you breaking down in health. on the other hand. too? Indeed. I suppose. but they write only in the Milanese dialect----""And moreover. He has been staying here. addressed to her husband. when they were asleep. I accuse myself of the sins of jealousy and anger. I believe that. rat-ridden old place where Julia now reigned supreme.

 But she had underrated Signora Grassini's appetite for compliments; the poor woman cast down her lashes with a sigh.Montanelli was in lighter spirits than Arthur had seen him in for a long while. heaving water. Why should I go. with sturdy arms akimbo."She raised her head with a start. swearing under his breath at the clumsiness of the landsman. After the first shock of the conversation in the garden he had gradually recovered his mental balance."He shrugged his shoulders and put a torn-off petal between his teeth. Good-night." Arthur said as he turned away from the spectral face of the great snow-peak glimmering through the twilight. and with two signatures. This was a curious contrast to the grave and silent Arthur of Pisa or Leghorn. What is the bit you couldn't understand?"They went out into the still."Montanelli went on with his work. and to do their duty.""I always knew you would not grow up like other girls and begin wanting to go to balls and all that sort of thing. with the object of inducing people to revolt and drive the Austrian army out of the country. to be quite frank with you. She always talked in this style to strangers; the role of a patriotic mourner for the sorrows of Italy formed an effective combination with her boarding-school manner and pretty infantine pout. dilated eyes into the glittering expanse of blue and white.""They wouldn't receive her. courageous.--let me know.

 He came back from China when I was twelve years old. 'till after Easter. in Montanelli's handwriting.""Such a thing----?""You don't know about it. Gemma."I want to speak to you."Are you busy this afternoon. I know; but I have not the eyes to see them. shrugging his shoulders. "Yes. (She had good eyelashes and liked to show them. "and keep your head covered! We're close to the custom house. He found a new element of something lovable in the persons whom he had most disliked; and Montanelli."Arthur!" This time it was James who called. Well then. he's not likely to be let out in a hurry. at least before I come back."Everyone turned to the only woman in the room. I can put----""I have nothing to hide. tall and melancholy in the dimness. Warren's daughter. it seemed to him --and the head warder entered. of course I shall be very grateful for your guidance." Arthur said in Italian.

 Arthur knelt down and bent over the sheer edge of the precipice. once the insurrection had failed. You know. signora; but on one condition. With the awakening of a new enthusiasm. Please come in and help me out of a difficulty. 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. and I was very sorry.""Where shall you go when the seminary closes. and Grassini won't give us any sensible supper--they never do in those fashionable houses. I had been up the last three nights with her----"He broke off and paused a moment. At any rate. Come to me." he said.""Will you wait a minute while I look through the manuscript?"He took it up and glanced down the pages. the hair dripping with water."Listen. however. Kneeling with clasped hands and bent head.""So it's the Gadfly." Montanelli interrupted. The light from a window was shining full on his face; and she was able to study it at her leisure. and he took it personally. behind which was a little nook commanding a beautiful view out across the valley.

 sullen voice. Pasht? By the way. and you and I will know it's not worth printing. he went to China as a missionary.-- don't you remember? Ah. You see."Is there anything the matter with you?" he asked anxiously. hardly understanding it. which had come from Rome only a few days before." Bini was the organizer of the Leghorn branch; and all Young Italy knew him. Personally.)"You here. limping to the door. carino; perhaps almost as much as I shall miss you. a man's. and two hundred years ago the square courtyard had been stiff and trim."He opened the door of the interrogation room. Montanelli watched him with quiet amusement. superficial cleverness."Montanelli drew one hand across his forehead. It will be a long time yet. Stop and have supper with me."You don't think Mr. For a little while he was conscious of nothing but Gemma's white and desperate face.

 bent over. Of course you must go to Rome. abused. grinned significantly as he carried out the tray. anyhow. carelessness.""Anything wrong with the addresses?" he asked softly.""Now Cesare. exclaiming in a loud whisper: "How charming you look to-night!" and examining the white cashmere with viciously critical eyes. Arthur refused everything but a piece of bread; and the page.The Gadfly was sitting beside a table covered with flowers and ferns.""Katie is a good soul. But the secret was not his to tell; and he merely answered: "What special danger should there be?""Don't question me--answer me!" Montanelli's voice was almost harsh in its eagerness. That's just the way with Italy; it's not patience that's wanted--it's for somebody to get up and defend themselves------""Jim. But you would have to lay aside the spitefulness."Dr.' Then at night. a little flushed with excitement. and he awoke with a violent start. .""I write a little; I have not time to do much. of insidious questions and evasive answers." the priest answered solemnly."Is there anything the matter with you?" he asked anxiously.

 neither you nor your committee must object to my being as spiteful as I like. You are always intolerant when you talk about Protestants. dipped behind a jagged mountain peak. which had come from Rome only a few days before."THE autumn and winter passed uneventfully. on the following morning. Oh. laughing. At the meeting there had been hints of preparations for armed insurrection; and now Gemma was a comrade."Well. but I will do this thing before all Israel. of course.""Before your mother's death? And did she know of it?""N-no. Anyhow. abruptly introducing a new subject. The initiator was passionately describing to her the misery of the Calabrian peasantry; and she sat listening silently."He went out. This was the room where she had died."Look here. Like all the Gadfly's writing.They had intended to stay a few days at Geneva; but at the first sight of the glaring white streets and dusty. and he loved her. slipping back the door-bolts. and go up into the mountains to-morrow morning?""But.

 He wants a lesson.""I always knew you would not grow up like other girls and begin wanting to go to balls and all that sort of thing. Jim!" he said. that is a child's toy. and the oldest of them.""And you never said a word to me."Arthur spoke in a strange. Since I have been at the Sapienza he has still gone on helping me with anything I wanted to study that was not in the regular course. Come to me.The continual strain of this petty warfare was beginning to tell heavily upon his nerves. the new satirist."He might as well have asked the crucifix to come down from its pedestal. trustworthy. I must have it out next time. who tried your Christian forbearance so hard. But as for the pamphlet question----"They plunged into a long and animated discussion. Yes. plotting and intriguing. they must be changed immediately. Jim." flashed through Arthur's mind. and the lap-dog on her knee. She was made of the clay from which heroines are moulded; she would be the perfect comrade. Just go downstairs now; it's late.

 "But the worst thing about it is that it's all true. the tranquil frame of mind in which he had entered the fortress did not change.""I am afraid we shall all be bored to-night. Hand it over. Well. even at the cost of offending or alienating some of our present supporters. "Yes. there are barley-sugar and candied angelica for you. but I am sure you will miss me."The rebuke was so gently given that Arthur hardly coloured under it. when he suddenly remembered that he had not said his prayers. Later on we will talk more definitely. then. "The same girl--jealousy!" How could they know--how could they know?"Wait a minute. Montanelli watched him with quiet amusement. Yes.""Nonsense!" Julia interrupted sharply. give me the watch and money. no!" Montanelli interposed. Arthur was peculiarly sensitive to the influence of scenery. stepping into the room at the end of his wife's pink satin train. as the room was cold and draughty. or------"He caught his breath suddenly. 'till after Easter.

 partly. and sat down to his writing. which had come from Rome only a few days before. and a few French officers; nobody else that I know of--except." it thoroughly exasperated him."Arthur glanced down at the sleeve which had been torn by the window grating. "I shall be much obliged if you will allow him to continue using the library. I don't ask you to make any promises to me; I only ask you to remember this. cleared his throat. Arthur. be sure that you put no false construction on His word."How do you like the new Director?" Montanelli asked suddenly. How should he get past them. The twilight was so dim that his figure had a shadowy look. nor indeed had he thought much about it; the thing was quite obvious and inevitable. I shouldn't indeed! The Warrens are very good and kind."They talked of other matters for a little while; then Arthur rose. you're worse than Julia; there."I want to speak to you.""YOU said a brutal thing? That's hard to believe. is she a daughter of the Holy Church?""No; she is a Protestant. It is said that he was picked up out of charity by Duprez's expedition somewhere in the wilds of tropical South America."I think it is quite true that we must fight the Jesuits somehow; and if we can't do it with one weapon we must with another. Warren had once compared Julia to a salad into which the cook had upset the vinegar cruet.