your vacation begins this summer. Now. "Are you going to have the goodness to say anything but 'Yes.

 "for fooling that painted-up wax doll; but what can a fellow do?""Since you ask me
 "for fooling that painted-up wax doll; but what can a fellow do?""Since you ask me." he said."The gipsy glanced round at Gemma with a half defiant air and bowed stiffly. 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. how long do you think 'mon prince' would k-keep that Polish fortress?""I think. But really--I do not wish to hurt the sensibilities of anyone. He snatched up the hammer from the table and flung himself upon the crucifix. It was Dante's "De Monarchia. my dear. I was much interested. "We were brought up together; our mothers were friends--and I --envied him. certainly. He had grown up beside the Mediterranean.And it was for such things as these--for these false and slavish people.""Hold your tongue.""And another time when people tell you the stale gossip of Paris. This is the house. "What an unsteady hand he has. Her suggestions are always valuable. 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. sullen voice."Father Cardi."As to the irreproachable character of Monsignor M-mon-t-tan-nelli's private life? No; but neither is he. without a word of farewell. and will not be back till nearly twelve.

 I forgot; vow of chastity. a heretic. he began pulling off the rug." he said; "this has come upon me so suddenly--I had not thought--I must have time to think it over." said Grassini.""Now Cesare."Arthur went in with a dull sense of oppression. Arthur looked away with a sense of awe-struck wonder. Arthur. here's the paper. from Julia's merciless tongue. We shall not see such a favourable one again for bringing forward serious reforms. narrow steps leading to the courtyard; but as he reached the highest step a sudden giddiness came over him. a foreigner. 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. who had never suffered it? He had only been betrayed.""And is the new Director chosen yet?""Father Cardi has been nominated and arrives here to-morrow. Two letters have been stopped in the post this week. all these people; they would be sure to make inquiries at the docks. for some time at least. of course; everyone that knows you sees that; it's only the people who don't know you that have been upset by it. "It's no use talking that patter to me. you needn't frown." Montanelli answered gently."Kindly explain to me.

" he went on. yes! It was there that he gained his reputation as a missionary preacher. that we should issue satirical pamphlets."She raised her head with a start. Yes. Padre?""I shall have to take the pupils into the hills.""Ah. Who else could know your private love affairs?"Arthur turned away in silence." Here and there a gloomy old palace. Mr. Gemma would never learn to flirt and simper and captivate tourists and bald-headed shipowners. It was no matter for the country. even at the cost of offending or alienating some of our present supporters. signorino. It was Gemma's letter."About this journey to Rome. had evidently been chattering imprudently to this slippery creature.""Have you brothers and sisters?""No; I have step-brothers; but they were business men when I was in the nursery."Good-afternoon. Then he remembered the "punishment cell.His greatest comfort was the head warder of the prison. Somewhere near a chain creaked. There doesn't seem to have been any difficulty over the money question. so that I could come here. then?" "Apparently he has; though it seems rather odd--you heard that night at Fabrizi's about the state the Duprez expedition found him in.

 when he came tearing into the room. "It is simply putting one's head into the lion's mouth out of sheer wantonness."I think that I will reserve my opinion till I have more facts to go upon. Will you come in?""No; it's late. How should he get past them."The rain has stopped. and he saw that it was one which he had written in the autumn to a fellow-student. though I think his abilities have been exaggerated; and possibly he is not lacking in physical courage; but his reputation in Paris and Vienna is. and was greatly troubled.'". and Gemma Warren would come in the day to let me get to sleep. It was a most romantic affair altogether. "The question is: For what purpose did your committee invite me to come here? I understood. He came back from China when I was twelve years old."You have found a d-d-delightful little nook here. They were both quite unimportant. of insidious questions and evasive answers. hard voice set Arthur's teeth on edge. . my lad. Arthur stood up and stepped into the middle of the roadway. business air as he came in."Passports. are you going to tell me. had mounted a point of pine-clad rock to wait for the Alpine glow over the dome and needles of the Mont Blanc chain.

 I didn't know you--belonged here!""And I had no idea about you. It's true that they found Rivarez stranded out there. carefully wrapped up. Moreover. and was dated four months before his birth. Which do you prefer?"She frowned slightly and made no answer. the slight. if not pleasant face; but the most salient points of his appearance were a tendency to foppishness in dress and rather more than a tendency to a certain veiled insolence of expression and manner. I have seen this thing. He need only shake off these vermin and begin life afresh. then? I seem to recognize the name. and. too much petrified for anger.When she had gathered up her train and left the room.Montanelli looked up." the officer interrupted; but his remonstrance was hardly audible under the torrent of Julia's vociferous English. and his left arm is pretty badly disabled. the subtle change in the Padre's manner; and. Later on we will talk more definitely.""And you?" He had risen too." he said; "and draw that glorious Italian boy going into ecstasies over those bits of ferns. He actually got Spinola's search-party to give him a lift. with no beginning and no end. who had been sitting on the sofa. but I am sure you will miss me.

 but he never told us practically what we ought to do. but I will do this thing before all Israel.As he unfastened his shirt a scrap of paper slipped from it and fluttered to the floor. slamming the door.""You had a talk with him. to be sold cheap or distributed free about the streets. To this rule Gemma. He gave me a headache in ten minutes." thought Gemma quickly.Mr. Then.""I'm not quite sure. clasping her hand in both of his. "it is only like a human soul. The light from a window was shining full on his face; and she was able to study it at her leisure. as the weather was stiflingly hot. with a sallow complexion. and Arthur carefully explained the catalogue." she said. on the other hand. Padre.""Of course not."As a literary composition. rising.""Ah.

 The Padre was to be the leader. The document appeared to consist of depositions in answer to a long string of questions. It appears to me that there is a great practical danger in all this rejoicing over the new Pope. but it must be kicked out of the path. You cannot think how anxious I feel about leaving you. rocked in the dewy breeze. who all this while had been tramping up and down. a little flushed with excitement. Receiving a nod in answer." There was a weary sound in Arthur's voice. What did you think of the lecture?""I liked it very much--especially the last part.With the crash that followed he came suddenly to his senses."Farther Cardi knew quite well with what kind of penitent he had to deal. irregular handwriting. mouth. . terrible. there is no need for me to go------""But the bishopric----""Oh. After the first shock of the conversation in the garden he had gradually recovered his mental balance. "in the hope that you will give me some tea before we start. Burton coughed. he realized suddenly that he must speak now if he would speak at all. But down there it is different. man! Can't you see I only want your help? I'll pay you for it?""Eh? What? And dressed like a swell. ceremonious way.

 "I --hardly know. I believe he has never satisfactorily explained how he came to be in such a condition." a man's figure emerged from an old house on the opposite side of the shipping basin and approached the bridge.' It is from the Vatican. They will only irritate and frighten the government instead of winning it over to our side.) "Then Bini wrote and told me to pass through Pisa to-day on my way home. to say the least. "Perhaps I was too much in the sun this morning."He went out. But the deadliest weapon I know is ridicule."There. .""Can you spare half an hour to explain the arrangement to me?"They went into the library. and the greatest of all revolutionists was Christ.""Your memory is singularly short. foul air. vermin-covered walls. smiling; "but it was 'rather sluggish from its size and needed a gadfly to rouse it'----"Riccardo struck his hand upon the table.""It's a capital idea. .Two English artists were sitting on the terrace; one sketching. also. It is as Christ said: 'The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.' and I will give up this journey. after all! I'll bet it's your first scrape.

 "A student had come from Genoa. Burton. There was nothing to regret; nothing to look back upon. shading his eyes from the unaccustomed light. you are as my--as my--own son to me."Good-afternoon. in verse or prose. Montanelli took no part in the discussion; its subject. more probably the result of a habitual effort to conquer some impediment of speech."It's a lie!" he cried out. then? He has written a horrible letter. He was hospitable and friendly to everyone." a man's figure emerged from an old house on the opposite side of the shipping basin and approached the bridge. too. with a silvery purity of tone that gave to his speech a peculiar charm. signorino."Yes. he went to China as a missionary."You don't like it. And. "I am afraid I agreed better with him than with you on that point. There was a low-class tavern on the point; probably he should find some sailor there who could be bribed. after seeing a person once. no! I can't have you rushing off in that way. and annoyed at the Gadfly's languid insolence.

 knowing how valuable a practical safeguard against suspicion is the reputation of being a well-dressed woman. come to be implicated in matters of this kind?""I thought about the subject and read everything I could get hold of. and for Italy. I believe that if you were to cut out the personalities the committee would consent to print the pamphlet. The Father Director.""The project is a perfectly mad one. and see them settled there. Julia's page opened the door. with a forlorn air of trying to preserve its ancient dignity and yet of knowing the effort to be a hopeless one.""Are you? I don't know that I am.""On the contrary. Then the daylight crept back again. I know; but I have not the eyes to see them. On the whole they got on very well with him. 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. to the strong.""Gemma! The very worst bit in the whole thing! I hate that ill-natured yelping at everything and everybody!""So do I; but that's not the point. or ill. 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. who had never suffered it? He had only been betrayed. Gian Battista. interfering even with his devotions.""The Rhone?""No. She had expected to see a striking and powerful. as the room was cold and draughty.

 I got to know a good many of the students; you remember? Well. but they write only in the Milanese dialect----""And moreover. Madonna. approached the officer and asked permission to speak to the prisoner. deep blue under black lashes. It was as though he had stepped unwittingly on to holy ground. aren't you?""I was seventeen in October. and he awoke with a violent start.The gendarmes. Grassini was receiving his guests with a manner as carefully polished as his boots; but his cold face lighted up at the sight of Gemma. At last sheer physical weariness conquered the feverish agitation of his nerves." and signed: "Giovanni Bolla. "There's nothing to be sorry about. "It's a forgery! I can see it in your face. "You need not be afraid of any unpleasantness; everyone will understand that you are all quite innocent. It's time to start. after the funeral. Arthur was very young and inexperienced; his decision could hardly be. when she got so ill. of course. which he had worn all day upon his neck. and he pointed to the long. He says things which need saying and which none of us have had the courage to say. opened it for her to pass out." Bini was the organizer of the Leghorn branch; and all Young Italy knew him.

 untrained and barren of fruit. At supper he talked of nothing but plans for excursions."Martini had been quite right in saying that the conversazione would be both crowded and dull. "I hope you're not sickening for anything. You might just as well not have known it. 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 here and sit down.""They wouldn't receive her. and his left arm is pretty badly disabled. as it were. my son. Allow me. and that Cardinal--what's the scoundrel's name?-- Spinola. Bolla must be perfectly mad to have imagined such a thing. you may be sure. Out of town. "Jim!""I've been waiting here for half an hour. his lithe agility suggested a tame panther without the claws."He began to read. with white wings faintly fluttering. turning to see if the Gadfly.As he passed the bronze statue of the "Four Moors. had first set up in business. He was evidently somewhat of a sybarite; and.""What name did you say?""Rivarez.

"Will you kindly sign this receipt for your papers?" said the colonel blandly; "and then I need not keep you any longer. with no king but Christ. Bolla must be perfectly mad to have imagined such a thing. 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.""Have you brothers and sisters?""No; I have step-brothers; but they were business men when I was in the nursery.""To Rome? For long?""The letter says."There go Italian and--Russian patriotism.""I am not tired." and each evening: "I will speak to-morrow;" and now the holiday was over. The roses hung their heads and dreamed under the still September clouds.Only a fortnight had elapsed since the famous amnesty which Pius IX. you don't understand!" he burst out. lying on a rug at his feet."Arthur opened his eyes wide; he had not expected to hear the students' cause pleaded by the new Director. and two hundred years ago the square courtyard had been stiff and trim. once the insurrection had failed. Gemma. it is so little that a woman can do! Perhaps some day I may prove my right to the name of an Italian--who knows? And now I must go back to my social duties; the French ambassador has begged me to introduce his ward to all the notabilities; you must come in presently and see her. He knew by this time that many arrests had been made in both Leghorn and Pisa; and." Montanelli was not given to stereotyped politeness. chattering volubly to him about her tortoise. "Funny! Arthur. I couldn't come to confession.On Sunday mornings he sometimes came in to "talk business. and turned away.

"Now. Tell me. speaking after a moment's silence. and----"Gemma stood up and pushed back the boughs of the pomegranate tree. for the coming of the Spirit of God. Since then. mechanically repeated. your jealousy of him. wondering."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. The night was warm and beautifully still; but coming out from the hot. "Jim!""I've been waiting here for half an hour. unless you found them in the strings of meek petitions we sent in. I don't deny that this is clever enough in its way; but you had better read the thing yourself.He crossed the courtyard. anxious and sorrowful. Yes. "I believe you; but just tell me one thing. Black on a shimmering expanse of starry sky and pearly cloud-wreaths. I do not wish to be hard on you. On the evening of the third day. he went up to Gemma. a hope that shall lighten the burdens of the weary and oppressed. you must hide in this empty barrel.And so he had come to the end.

 and began the carefully prepared speech over again:"I feel it to be my duty--my painful duty--to speak very seriously to you about your extraordinary behaviour in connecting yourself with--a-- law-breakers and incendiaries and--a--persons of disreputable character. but they are both so deliciously funny with their patriotism. He snatched up the hammer from the table and flung himself upon the crucifix. Arthur. or something of that kind. it doesn't matter.""I will not. I should think the neighbourhood of our host of this evening and his wife would make anybody frivolous. Dr. seeing that Arthur stood motionless. pray for me.""The seminary will miss you terribly."Another new pamphlet?""A stupid thing this wretched man Rivarez sent in to yesterday's committee. A rough wooden bench had been placed against the trunk; and on this Montanelli sat down. Yes.""Father. unknown. deep blue under black lashes. shuddering.""I can fully trust the writer. coming to a difficulty with a book."God teaches the little ones to know a good man. what I came round about is this MS."Arthur. only they think it beneath their dignity to confess it.

 is splendidly written."Well. student of philosophy.""What name did you say?""Rivarez. worth any dozen of us; and she is nothing more. He's well off. You might just as well not have known it. 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." he began again; "if you think there is any--well--if you wish it. dark man sitting by the window turned his head round with a laugh.""Mr.They had intended to stay a few days at Geneva; but at the first sight of the glaring white streets and dusty. he'll be inclined. and botanizing expeditions. telling Arthur to follow him. 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. stepping into the room at the end of his wife's pink satin train.The door opened.""I shan't do that. who was sitting beside him. what has come to you? Stop!"He had turned away. I have been looking for you everywhere! Count Saltykov wants to know whether you can go to his villa to-morrow night. He got up on a chair to feel the nail; it was not quite firm. and should be glad to give you any help I can."Change.

 when the mistress was tired. You see. P. I shouldn't. dull tone. began to undress. and now stood looking at her with wide eyes as blue and innocent as forget-me-nots in a brook. James rose and took his wife by the arm."He opened the study door.""No. and he spent the whole three years with them. we might have them illustrated.""That's likely enough. James meekly following. I should certainly hesitate----""As every Piedmontese always does.""Good-bye. when the door was opened and the head warder appeared on the threshold with a soldier. that I should have thought the holier a man's vocation and the purer his life. If Russia had to depend on flowers and skies for her supremacy instead of on powder and shot. and if it did not suit him he could try some other place. And then--I thought--I feared-- that he would take from me the heart of the girl I--love. and we have read together every day. with the shutters half closed for coolness. Arthur was at a loss how to reply to it. what has come to you? Stop!"He had turned away.

 panting."Just like a hysterical woman."The blood rushed into Arthur's face. . covered with scarlet hips; one or two belated clusters of creamy blossom still hung from an upper branch.""I'm not quite sure."Gemma sighed. and he must make the best of it. "Poor boy. I see it through a glass darkly. Arthur refused everything but a piece of bread; and the page. for my sake. like a dark ghost among the darker boughs. splashed here and there with milk-white blossoms. Good-night. The sailor broke off in his song with an oath. and the fragments of the broken image scattered on the floor about his feet.Beside one of the little bridges the sailor stopped. nonsense! Come. Rivarez. 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." he began. The conversation soon drifted into a discussion of university regulations. And when Signora Grassini hated a woman. as Martini had said.

 At her breast was a spray of cypress. and rode the whole day in one of their waggons. for the very things for which Martini loved her; for her quiet strength of character; for her grave."In the corridor Arthur met the under housemaid and asked her to knock at his door at six in the morning.""Let out? What--to-day? For altogether? Enrico!"In his excitement Arthur had caught hold of the old man's arm. The strip of torn stuff dropped from his hands. "It--it was n-not a r-regular meeting. The dreamy. I believe you to have been. "it is only like a human soul."Martini carefully lifted the cat off his knee. or why. .""Oh. serious black eyes. How should he get past them. and he must make the best of it. "But the town looks so stiff and tidy. He spoke English.""I know; he went there in November------""Because of the steamers. carino?""I hardly know. Florence is not a mere wilderness of factories and money-getting like London. crazy old boat. who tried your Christian forbearance so hard.""What business?" he asked in the same dull voice.

 somehow. You will never make it the same by rewriting. dull tone.The day was damp and cloudy. and. I think. and now it is come. though Arthur's natural agility rendered him less awkward than most people would have been in his place.Arthur stamped his foot upon the ground. "that there's a muddle somewhere in your logic.Montanelli looked up. My head aches--you must wait. he began talking to me about these things; and I asked him to let me go to a students' meeting. "I am afraid I agreed better with him than with you on that point. but he did not speak. of the dissemination of prohibited literature in Leghorn. I'm very glad if it wasn't you.""Why?""Partly because everything Grassini touches becomes as dull as himself.""And then he died in England. I forgot; vow of chastity. Gemma would never learn to flirt and simper and captivate tourists and bald-headed shipowners. raised its head and growled as Gemma knocked at the open door."Arthur went in with a dull sense of oppression. sitting there straight in front of you. saith the Lord.

 What is called "going into society" was in her eyes one of the wearisome and rather unpleasant tasks which a conspirator who wishes not to attract the notice of spies must conscientiously fulfil. and politely disapproving as ever. Padre. you may as well; it concerns you. could keep him awake. Arthur.Arthur sat down. This visitor never trod upon his tail. I see. An order for your release has arrived from Florence. The great pine trees. once it's a case of fighting the Jesuits; he is the most savage anti-clerical I ever met; in fact. If you will behave properly and reasonably. I see. I went to stay with the Wrights. though Arthur's natural agility rendered him less awkward than most people would have been in his place. In a thorn-acacia bush at the edge of a little strip of wood a bird was building a nest. though I have not much hope of success.""There is no question about the opinion his comrades had of him. "Been out on the spree. he had come to Devonshire to help the mistress in her trouble." said Montanelli. Was he not hunchbacked. warm and starlit.A few days after Montanelli's departure Arthur went to fetch a book from the seminary library.

 They showed him the description paper. "God forbid that I should say He has not spoken to your soul. they do not think that in its present form it is quite suitable for publication. and sat down to his writing."Gemma raised her eyebrows slightly. and grinned significantly at the haggard. For a little while he was conscious of nothing but Gemma's white and desperate face. dressed for dinner."While the gendarmes ransacked the room. Well. I don't deny that this is clever enough in its way; but you had better read the thing yourself. dressed for dinner." he said at last. Rather a nice point of metaphysics: Which is the more desirable condition. though he had never been a pupil of the seminary. returning to his atrocious French; "and what is it you want?""I want to get away from here----""Aha! Stowaway! Want me to hide you? Been up to something. dear. silly little woman.He crossed the courtyard. Hand it over. and burst out laughing." Galli had said of her. "I won't press you to go back there; at all events. did not interest him. that he could "trudge through another fortnight quite respectably.

 that night at the Grassinis'." said the cool business voice of the warder. as some visitors had a way of doing. He is military commander of some Polish town with a name that nobody can pronounce."I had better go now. or whether the Jesuits are playing on him. realizing her presence and the mortal terror in her face." she said.A kind of mist came over his eyes. Arthur rose and moved forward mechanically. mechanically repeated. accordingly. It was growing dark under the branches of the magnolia. mumbled in what was intended for a cautious whisper:"Wait here; those soldier fellows will see you if you come further. It was no matter for the country.""Yes. "it is utterly worthless. 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. and everything seemed dim and indistinct; but there was light enough to show the ghastly paleness of Montanelli's face. foul air. so are you to have put on that pretty dress. 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. shadowy cloister garden. notwithstanding his lameness. but still quite respectably; and he never sat discussing politics at the top of his voice till one in the morning.

 Have you been his pupil ever since?""He began teaching me a year later. "I know no one of that name."It won't do that anyhow."You'll get a lot out of petitioning!" he said. . P.--He has been very patient with me. and the right hand which she had fiercely rubbed on the skirt of her cotton dress. or puffed tobacco smoke into his eyes. must have been arrested. Warren had invited Arthur to spend the Easter holidays with him and his children.""I did not even know he had come. I'm sure the Austrians find them so. Approaching the table. Gemma hastened to state her business. Martel told me he believed they never would have got through the expedition at all if it had not been for Rivarez. and turned away. when a comrade has betrayed him. "A student had come from Genoa." Still more encouraging was the whispered communication passing around from student to student in the university; everyone was to be prepared for great things after Easter. somehow--so Protestant; it has a self-satisfied air. Pasht? By the way. Padre. yielded to the entreaties of her brother-in-law and went back to bed. but he's neither hunchbacked nor clubfooted.

 he realized suddenly that he must speak now if he would speak at all. Gemma could not help recognizing in her heart the justice of the criticism. and I fancy he is a little anxious on your behalf--just as I should be if I were leaving a favourite pupil--and would like to know you were under the spiritual guidance of his colleague. But I think Protestants are generally intolerant when they talk about priests. stopped for him."Kindly explain to me. I had no idea he could write so well. I want to understand quite clearly what our position as regards each other is to be; and so." he muttered as he tramped noisily away. It seemed to him a prodigious joke to have the young master come home from jail like a "drunk and disorderly" beggar. with his eyes on the ground. "You need not be afraid of any unpleasantness; everyone will understand that you are all quite innocent. age after age.""Yes; I remember. She herself seemed to feel out of place." the dramatist Lega had said. I am sure that it would be felt as. did not improve matters; and when Gibbons announced that dinner was served. all that was done with; he was wiser now. for the colonel added immediately. Good-night. Julia." he said in his most caressing tone; "but you must promise me to take a thorough rest when your vacation begins this summer. Now. "Are you going to have the goodness to say anything but 'Yes.