ber of his dining-hall.

"Let the rogue make acquaintance with it," laughed Lampugnani, showing
a mouthful of yellow teeth behind the black beard that bushed his lips.
"I'll swear his dancing would afford us more amusement than his quips.
Swing him up, Illustrious."

But the Illustrious seemed to ponder the matter.

"You shall have five minutes in which to decide," he informed me
presently. "They say that I am cruel. Behold how patient is my clemency.
Five minutes shall you have where many another would hang you out of
hand for bearding him as you have done me."

"You may begin at once," said I. "neither five minutes nor five years
will alter my determination."

His brow grew black with anger. "We shall see," was all he said.

There was a silence now in which we waited, a storm of thoughts battling
in my mind. Presently Ramiro caught up one of the flagons and applied
it to his cup. It proved empty, and in a gust of passion he hurled it
against the wall where it burst into a thousand pieces. Clearly he was
very angry, and it taxed my wits to account for the little measure of
patience he was showing me.

"Beppo!" he called. A page lounging by the buffet sprang to attention.
He was a slender, rather delicate lad, fair of hair and blue of eyes,
not more than twelve years of age. An elderly man who stood beside
him--one Mariani, the seneschal of Cesena--stepped forward also,
solicitude in his glance.

"Bring me wine," bawled the ogre. "Must I tell you what I need? If you
do not put those eyes of yours to better service, I'll have them plucked
from your empty head. Bestir, animal."

The old man caught up a beaker from the buffet and handed it to the boy.

"Here, my son," said he. "Hasten to his Excellency."

The lad took the beaker from his father's hands, and trembling in his
fear of Ramiro's anger, he sprang forward to serve him. In his haste
the poor youth slipped in some grease that had clung to the rushes.
In seeking to recover himself he tripped over the feet of one of the
halberdiers that guarded me, and measured his length upon the floor at
Ramiro's feet, flooding the Governor's legs with the wine he carried.

How shall I tell you of the horror that was the sequel?

For just one instant Ramiro looked down at the sprawling lad, his eyes
glowing like a madman's. Then suddenly he rose, stooped, and set one
hand to the boy's belt, the other to the collar of his jerkin. Feeling
himself lifted, and knowing wh