unpaid. It was dark when he left
the inn; he had some difficulty in evading a flock of whitecoats, and his
retreat from the village was still on the Austrian side. Somewhat about
midnight Merthyr reached the inn, heralding the carriage. As Jacopo
caught sight of Vittoria's face, he fell with his shoulders straightened
against the wall, and cried out loudly that he had betrayed no one, and
mentioned Major Weisspriess by name as having held the point of his sword
at him and extracted nothing better than a wave of the hand and a lie; in
other words, that the fugitives had retired to the Tyrolese mountains,
and that he had shammed ignorance of who they were. Merthyr read at a
glance that Jacopo had the large swallow and calm digestion for bribes,
and getting the fellow alone he laid money in view, out of which, by
doubling the sum to make Jacopo correct his first statement, and then by
threatening to withdraw it altogether, he gained knowledge of the fact
that Angelo Guidascarpi had recently visited the inn, and had started
from it South-eastward, and that Major Weisspriess was following on his
track. He wrote a line of strong entreaty to Weisspriess, lest that
officer should perchance relapse into anger at the taunts of prisoners
abhorring him with the hatred of Carlo and Angelo. At the same time he
gave Beppo a considerable supply of money, and then sent him off, armed
as far as possible to speed Count Ammiani safe across the borders, if a
fugitive; or if a prisoner, to ensure the best which could be hoped for
him from an adversary become generous. That evening Vittoria lay with her
head on Laura's lap, and the pearly little crescent of her ear in
moonlight by the window. So fair and young and still she looked that
Merthyr feared for her, and thought of sending her back to Countess
Ammiani.

Her first question with the lifting of her eyelids was if he had ceased
to trust to her courage.

"No," said Merthyr; "there are bounds to human strength; that is all."

She answered: "There would be to mine--if I had not more than human
strength beside me. I bow my head, dearest; it is that. I feel that I
cannot break down as long as I know what is passing. Does my husband
live?"

"Yes, he lives," said Merthyr; and she gave him her hand, and went to her
bed.

He learnt from Laura that when Beppo mounted the carriage in silence, a
fit of ungovernable wild trembling had come on her, broken at intervals
by a cry that something wa