ady started for the
mainland, with orders to bring him back a prisoner, and the girls are
to appear to give evidence tomorrow. The woman, Castaldi, is to be
interrogated by the council this afternoon, and I have no doubt she
will make a full confession, seeing that my daughters' evidence is, in
itself, sufficient to prove her guilt, and that it can be proved, from
other sources, that it was she who inveigled them away by a false
message from me."

"I am glad indeed, signor, that I am not to be called, and that this
affair of the conspiracy is not to be brought up. I would, with your
permission, now return home. Giuseppi took a message to my father from
me, the first thing, explaining my absence; and I told him, when we
left your house, to go at once to tell him that your daughters had been
recovered, and that I should return before long. Still, he will want to
hear from me as to the events of the night."

"Will you also tell him, Francisco, that I will call upon him this
afternoon. I have much to say to him."

"I am glad Signor Polani is coming," Mr. Hammond said, when his son
gave him the message. "I am quite resolved that you shall quit Venice
at once. I do not wish to blame you for what you have done, which,
indeed, is likely to have a favourable effect upon your fortunes; but
that, at your age, you have mixed yourself up in adventures of this
kind, taken part in the affairs of great houses, and drawn upon
yourself the enmity of one of the most powerful families of Venice, is
altogether strange and improper for a lad of your years, and belonging
to the family of a quiet trader. I have been thinking about it all this
morning, and am quite resolved that the sooner you are out of Venice
the better. If I saw any way of sending you off before nightfall I
would do so.

"Signor Polani has, you say, so far concealed from the council the fact
that you have been mixed up in this business; but there is no saying
how soon it may come out. You know that Venice swarms with spies, and
these are likely, before many hours, to learn the fact of your midnight
arrival at Polani's house; and as no orders were given for the
preparation of this expedition to the island before that time, it will
not need much penetration to conclude that you were the bearer of the
news that led to the discovery of the maidens. Besides which, you
accompanied the expedition, and acted as its guide to the hut. Part of
this they will learn from the servant