the deck if I had not put an arm about
him. His poor body was all crate and basket, ribs and spine; and the
wretched man's skeleton figure shook in my arms as if each sob were an
explosion. He laid his head on my shoulder at last, and I put my other
arm round him and held him to my breast. I love my country, and I thank
God for her daily that she is free, and has taught the world the lessons
of freedom, for that is the great and just pride of all Englishmen; but
I never blessed her in my heart as I did then.

"God bless the dear old land," I said. "There is freedom there at
least."

I did not know that I had spoken until he answered me.

"There is freedom there," he said, in his foreign voice, broken with
sobs. "Thank God for freedom."

The town lights were almost blotted out for me; but I hugged him and
patted him with less shame than I should have felt if he had been an
Englishman. He disengaged himself at last and shook me by the hand, and
began his promenade again. Before we had exchanged another word we were
slowing alongside the pier, and men were bustling along the deck
and racing beside us on the land. Brunow came on deck, and Hinge got
together our simple baggage.

We had but just landed when I saw two ladies, whom I recognized at once.
Miss Rossano and Lady Rollinson were waiting to meet us. Miss Rossano
came to me and took my hand in both hers.

"Thank you, Captain Fyffe," she said. "My father is here?"

"You are my daughter?" said the count.

She bent and kissed him on the forehead gravely, and with perfect
self-possession. An onlooker, who had known nothing of the story, would
have guessed little from their meeting. They had a carriage in waiting,
and Miss Rossano led the count towards it.

"You will join us at the Lord Warden?" she said. And at that minute
Brunow approached her. She took his hand in both of her own, precisely
as she had taken mine; but entered the carriage without a word to him.
Now, I have said nothing lately of my feeling for Miss Rossano; but
anybody who reads this record may be sure that what had happened since I
had last seen her had not tended to put her out of my mind. I knew that
I was going to be very happy, or very unhappy, about her. I knew that
the power lay in her hands to make my life mainly cloud or mainly
sunshine. That was quite settled in my own mind by this time, and my
wife and I have laughed a thousand times and more about it. Yes; I knew
scarcely anything