at him. This piercing gaze went to the bottom
of Rodolphe's soul.

"We want nothing; my work amply supplies our luxuries," she replied in a
grave voice.

"And can I endure that a Francesca should work?" cried he. "One day
you will return to your country and find all you left there." Again the
Italian girl looked at Rodolphe. "And you will then repay me what you
may have condescended to borrow," he added, with an expression full of
delicate feeling.

"Let us drop the subject," said she, with incomparable dignity of
gesture, expression, and attitude. "Make a splendid fortune, be one
of the remarkable men of your country; that is my desire. Fame is a
drawbridge which may serve to cross a deep gulf. Be ambitious if you
must. I believe you have great and powerful talents, but use them rather
for the happiness of mankind than to deserve me; you will be all the
greater in my eyes."

In the course of this conversation, which lasted two hours, Rodolphe
discovered that Francesca was an enthusiast for Liberal ideas, and
for that worship of liberty which had led to the three revolutions in
Naples, Piemont, and Spain. On leaving, he was shown to the door by
Gina, the so-called mute. At eleven o'clock no one was astir in the
village, there was no fear of listeners; Rodolphe took Gina into a
corner, and asked her in a low voice and bad Italian, "Who are your
master and mistress, child? Tell me, I will give you this fine new gold
piece."

"Monsieur," said the girl, taking the coin, "my master is the famous
bookseller Lamporani of Milan, one of the leaders of the revolution, and
the conspirator of all others whom Austria would most like to have in
the Spielberg."

"A bookseller's wife! Ah, so much the better," thought he; "we are on an
equal footing.--And what is her family?" he added, "for she looks like a
queen."

"All Italian women do," replied Gina proudly. "Her father's name is
Colonna."

Emboldened by Francesca's modest rank, Rodolphe had an awning fitted to
his boat and cushions in the stern. When this was done, the lover came
to propose to Francesca to come out on the lake. The Italian accepted,
no doubt to carry out her part of a young English Miss in the eyes
of the villagers, but she brought Gina with her. Francesca Colonna's
lightest actions betrayed a superior education and the highest social
rank. By the way in which she took her place at the end of the boat
Rodolphe felt himself in some sort cut off from her,