, flying at gleams of light from closely-curtained
windows. Will you not confide in me? Do! Do! Do!

"Besides, I have the other matter to talk about. You remember
telling me how you kicked out the man M----? He turned spy as the
consequence, and has been sent to England. You ought to know that
he has been making inquiries about you, and appears to have found
out various particulars. Any day may bring urgent news of him, and
if you will not come to me I may have to go to you in spite of
every protest.

"To-morrow is the day for your opening of Parliament, and I have a
ticket for the Court tribune, so you may expect to see me floating
somewhere above you in an atmosphere of lace and perfume.
Good-night!--Your poor bewildered sister, ROMA."

IV

Next morning David Rossi put on evening dress, in obedience to the
etiquette of the opening day of Parliament. Before going to the ceremony
he answered Roma's letter of the night before.

"DEAR R.,--If anything could add to the bitterness of my regret at
ending an intercourse which has brought me the happiest moments of
my life, it would be the tone of your sweet and charming letter.
You ask me if the woman I love is beautiful. She is more than
beautiful, she is lovely. You ask me if she knows that I love her.
I have never dared to disclose my secret, and if I could have
believed that she had ever so much as guessed at it, I should have
found some consolation in a feeling which is too deep for the
humiliations of pride. You ask me if she is worthy of my
friendship and love. She is worthy of the love and friendship of a
better man than I am or can ever hope to be.

"Yet even if she were not so, even if there were, as you say, a
fault in her, who am I that I should judge her harshly? I am not
one of those who think that a woman is fallen because
circumstances and evil men have conspired against her. I reject
the monstrous theory that while a man may redeem the past, a woman
never can. I abhor the judgment of the world by which a woman may
be punished because she is trying to be pure, and dragged down
because she is rising from the dirt. And if she had sinned as I
have sinned, and suffered as I have suffered, I would pray for
strength enough to say, 'Because I love her we are one, and we
stand or