would condescend to take the trouble
of coming over to him. A few minutes after this message had been
despatched, Orso came downstairs, and asked his sister whether the
prefect had not sent for him.

With the most perfect assurance she rejoined:

"He begs you'll wait for him here."

Half an hour went by without the slightest perceptible stir in the
Barricini dwelling. Meanwhile Orso asked Colomba whether she had
discovered anything. She replied that she proposed to make her statement
when the prefect came. She affected an extreme composure. But her colour
and her eyes betrayed her state of feverish excitement.

At last the door of the Barricini mansion was seen to open. The prefect
came out first, in travelling garb; he was followed by the mayor and his
two sons. What was the stupefaction of the inhabitants of the village of
Pietranera, who had been on the watch since sunrise for the departure of
the chief magistrate of their department, when they saw him go straight
across the square and enter the della Rebbia dwelling, accompanied
by the three Barricini. "They are going to make peace!" exclaimed the
village politicians.

"Just as I told you," one old man went on. "Ors' Anton' has lived too
much on the mainland to carry things through like a man of mettle."

"Yet," responded a Rebbianite, "you may notice it is the Barricini who
have gone across to him. They are suing for mercy."

"It's the prefect who had wheedled them all round," answered the old
fellow. "There is no such thing as courage nowadays, and the young
chaps make no more fuss about their father's blood than if they were all
bastards."

The prefect was not a little astounded to find Orso up and walking about
with perfect ease. In the briefest fashion Colomba avowed her own lie,
and begged him to forgive it.

"If you had been staying anywhere else, monsieur, my brother would have
gone to pay his respects to you yesterday."

Orso made endless apologies, vowing he had nothing to do with his
sister's absurd stratagem, by which he appeared deeply mortified. The
prefect and the elder Barricini appeared to believe in the sincerity
of his regret, and indeed this belief was justified by his evident
confusion and the reproaches he addressed to his sister. But the mayor's
two sons did not seem satisfied.

"We are being made to look like fools," said Orlanduccio audibly.

"If my sister were to play me such tricks," said Vincentello, "I'd soon
cure her fan