at length my painful
duty to communicate in person to your lordship."

"That delay, my faithful Demetrius," said the grand vizier, "was no
fault of thine. Fortunately the squadron was already equipped for sea;
and, instead of repairing to the African frontier to chastise the daring
pirates, it is on its way to the Tuscan coast, where, if need be, it
will land twenty thousand soldiers to liberate my relations and the
young Count of Riverola. A pretext for making war upon the Italian
states has been afforded by their recent conduct in sending auxiliaries
to the succor of Rhodes; and of that excuse I shall not hesitate to
avail myself to commence hostilities against the proud Florentines
should a secret and peaceful negotiation fail. But now that thou hast
recapitulated to me all those particulars which thou didst merely sketch
forth at first, it seems to me fitting that I anchor the fleet at the
mouth of the Arno, and that I send thee, Demetrius, as an envoy in a
public capacity, but in reality to stipulate privately for the release
of those in whom I am interested."

Thus terminated the conference between Ibrahim Pasha and his Greek
dependent--a conference which had revealed manifold and astounding
occurrences to the ears of the Lady Nisida of Riverola. Astounding
indeed! Francisco in the hands of the formidable banditti--Flora in the
prison of the inquisition--and the Ottoman grand vizier bent upon
effecting the marriage which Nisida abhorred--these tidings were
sufficient to arouse all the wondrous energies of that mind which was so
prompt in combining intrigues and plots, so resolute in carrying them
out, and so indomitable when it had formed a will of its own.

Ominous were the fires which flashed in her large dark eyes, and
powerful were the workings of those emotions which caused her heaving
bosom to swell as if about to burst the bodice which confined it, when,
retreating from the partition floor between the two saloons, and
resuming her seat at the cabin-windows to permit the evening breeze to
fan her fevered cheek, Nisida thought within herself, "It was indeed
time that I should quit that accursed island, and return to Italy!"

CHAPTER LVIII.

The roseate streaks which the departing glories of a Mediterranean
sunset left lingering for a few minutes in the western horizon, were
yielding to the deeper gloom of evening, a few days after the scene
related in the preceding chapter, as Nisida rose from h