in the gondola had slipped down over the
thin, sloping shoulders, revealing the young figure and the slender
waist. She might have been a child of seventeen, grieving over the death
of her goldfinch.

Ashe gathered together his official letters and papers, found his
check-book, and began to write. While he wrote he explained that Miss
French could keep her company at least another fortnight, that he could
leave with them four or five circular notes for immediate expenses, and
would send more from home directly he arrived.

In the middle of his directions Kitty once more appealed to him in a
passionate, muffled voice not to go. This time he lost his temper, and
without answering her he hastily left the room to arrange his packing
with his valet.

* * * * *

When he returned to the <i>salon</i> Kitty was not there. He and Miss
French--who knew only that something tragic had happened in which Kitty
was concerned--kept up a fragmentary conversation till dinner was
announced and Kitty entered. She had evidently been weeping, but with
powder and rouge she had tried to conceal the traces of her tears; and
at dinner she sat silent, hardly answering when Margaret French spoke to
her.

After dinner Ashe went out with his cigar towards the Piazza. He was in
a smarting, dazed state, beginning, however, to realize the blow more
than he had done at first. He believed that Parham himself would not be
at all sorry to be rid of him. He and his friends formed a powerful
group both in the cabinet and out of it. But they were forcing the pace,
and the elements of resistance and reaction were strong. He pictured the
dismay of his friends, the possible breakdown of the reforming party. Of
course they might so stand by him--and the suppression of the book might
be so complete--

At this moment he caught sight of a newspaper contents bill displayed at
the door of the only shop in the Piazza which sold English newspapers.
One of the lines ran, "Anonymous attack on the Premier." He started,
went in and bought the paper. There, in the "London Topics" column, was
the following paragraph:

"A string of extracts from a forthcoming book, accompanied by a somewhat
startling publisher's statement, has lately been sent round to the
press. We are asked not to print them before the day of publication, but
they have already roused much attention, if not excitement. They
certainly contain a very gross attack on the Pr