n
no more."

The carriage was now entering that more lonely and remote part of the
city in which Isabel's house was situated, when it suddenly stopped.

Gionetta, in alarm, thrust her head out of window, and perceived by the
pale light of the moon that the driver, torn from his seat, was already
pinioned in the arms of two men; the next moment the door was opened
violently, and a tall figure, masked and mantled, appeared.

"Fear not, fairest Pisani," said he, gently, "no ill shall befall you."
As he spoke, he wound his arms round the form of the fair actress, and
endeavored to lift her from the carriage. But the Signora Pisani was not
an ordinary person; she had been before exposed to all the dangers to
which the beauty of the low-born was subjected amongst a lawless and
profligate nobility. She thrust back the assailant with a power that
surprised him, and in the next moment the blade of a dagger gleamed
before his eyes. "Touch me," said she, drawing herself to the farther
end of the carriage, "and I strike!"

The mask drew back.

"By the body of Bacchus, a bold spirit!" said he, half laughing and half
alarmed. "Here, Luigi, Giovanni! disarm and seize her. Harm her not."

The mask retired from the door, and another and yet taller form
presented itself. "Be calm, Isabel di Pisani," said he, in a low voice;
"with me you are indeed safe!" He lifted his mask as he spoke, and
showed the noble features of Zicci. "Be calm, be hushed; I can save
you." He vanished, leaving Isabel lost in surprise, agitation, and
delight. There were in all nine masks: two were engaged with the driver;
one stood at the head of the carriage-horses; a third guarded the
well-trained steeds of the party; three others, besides Zicci and the
one who had first accosted Isabel, stood apart by a carriage drawn to
the side of the road. To these Zicci motioned: they advanced; he pointed
towards the first mask, who was in fact the Prince di--, and to his
unspeakable astonishment the Prince was suddenly seized from behind.

"Treason," he cried, "treason among my own men! What means this?"

"Place him in his carriage. If he resist, shoot him!" said Zicci,
calmly.

He approached the men who had detained the coachman. "You are
outnumbered and outwitted," said he. "Join your lord; you are three
men,--we six, armed to the teeth. Thank our mercy that we spare your
lives. Go!"

The men gave way, dismayed. The driver remounted. "Cut the traces of
their c