subject of their talk. She shrugged her
shoulders and turned her thoughts to a more important question that was
puzzling her. It was, how to slip out of the house the next morning
without disturbing the already suspicious Beppi.

CHAPTER III

BEFORE DAYBREAK

Lucia found Beppi asleep in the grass, curled up in the same position
that he had been in earlier in the day. One of his little hands had
tight hold of the precious pink bag, and a sticky smile of blissful
content turned up the corners of his full red lips.

Lucia looked at him and shook her head. There might have been
twenty-seven instead of seven years between them, for there was
something protective in her expression.

"Little lazy bones, asleep again!" she said, shaking him gently.

Beppi stirred, one eye opened, and then with a sudden rush of memory he
sat up and began excitedly: "I just this minute fell asleep, just this
very second, truly, Lucia! I have watched the goats, oh, so carefully,
and they have not stirred,--see there they are only a little farther
away than when you left. I only closed my eyes because I thought I
might go on with that nice dream, but I didn't," he finished
sorrowfully.

Lucia laughed.

"Look at the sun," she pointed. "It is late, you should have driven
the goats home long ago. But I knew you would go to asleep after you
ate up all the candy, such a naughty little brother that you are. What
kind of a soldier would you make, I'd like to know, dreaming every few
minutes? Come along, get up,--we must hurry back to Nana, or she will
be worried."

She took his hand and together they drove the goats before them to the
cottage.

[Illustration: "Together they drove the goats before them."]

Nana Rudini was waiting for them at the door. She was a little,
wrinkled-up, old woman with bright blue eyes and thin gray hair. She
spoke very seldom and always in a high querulous voice.

"So you're back at last, are you?" she greeted, when the children were
within hearing. "Supper's been on the stove for too long. What kept
you?"

"Very busy day, Nana," Lucia spoke in much the same tone she had used
towards Beppi. "I had to help Aunt and Maria at market. More troops
have arrived and the streets are crowded."

"Oh, sister, you never told me that!" Beppi said accusingly. "Where
are they from?"

"The south mostly," Lucia replied, "fine soldiers they are too, if you
can judge by their looks."

"Which you can'