us more wisely, and teaches us not
to be over-squeamish about such a trifle as breaking a given word or
promise. Blessed age of progress! Age of steady advancement when the
apple of vice is so cunningly disguised and so prettily painted that we
can actually set it on a porcelain dish and hand it about among our
friends as a valuable and choice fruit of virtue--and no one finds out
the fraud we are practicing, nay, we scarcely perceive it ourselves, it
is such an excellent counterfeit!

As I walked to and fro, I found myself continually passing the head
office of the Carabinieri, and, acting on a sudden impulse of
curiosity, I at last entered the building, determined to ask for a few
particulars concerning the brigand's capture. I was received by a
handsome and intelligent-looking man, who glanced at the card with
which I presented myself, and saluted me with courteous affability.

"Oh, yes!" he said, in answer to my inquiries, "Neri has given us a
great deal of trouble. But we had our suspicions that he had left
Gaeta, where he was for a time in hiding. A few stray bits of
information gleaned here and there put us on the right track."

"Was he caught easily, or did he show fight?"

"He gave himself up like a lamb, signor! It happened in this way. One
of our men followed the woman who lived with Neri, one Teresa, and
traced her up to a certain point, the corner of a narrow mountain
pass--where she disappeared. He reported this, and thereupon we sent
out an armed party. These crept at midnight two by two, till they were
formed in a close ring round the place where Neri was judged to be.
With the first beam of morning they rushed in upon him and took him
prisoner. It appears that he showed no surprise--he merely said, 'I
expected you!' He was found sitting by the dead body of his mistress;
she was stabbed and newly bleeding. No doubt he killed her, though he
swears the contrary--lies are as easy to him as breathing."

"But where were his comrades? I thought he commanded a large band?"

"So he did, signor; and we caught three of the principals only a
fortnight ago, but of the others no trace can be found. I suppose
Carmelo himself dismissed them and sent them far and wide through the
country. At any rate, they are disbanded, and with these sort of
fellows, where there is no union there is no danger."

"And Neri's sentence?" I asked.

"Oh, the galleys for life of course; there is no possible alternative."

I thanke