e people, without a thought of what might happen.
Nothing should come between him and his work--nothing whatever--not
even ... but, no, he could not think of it!

VI

Two letters were awaiting David Rossi in his rooms at home.

One was a circular from the President of the Chamber of Deputies
summoning Parliament for the day after to-morrow to elect officials and
reply to the speech of the King.

The other was from Roma, and the address was in a large, hurried hand.
David Rossi broke the seal with nervous fingers.

"MY DEAR FRIEND,--I know! I know! I know now what the obstacle is.
B. gave me the hint of it on one of the days of last week, when I
was so anxious to see you and you did not come. It is your
unflinching devotion to your mission and to your public duties.
You are one of those who think that when a man has dedicated his
life to work for the world, he should give up everything
else--father, mother, wife, child--and live like a priest, who puts
away home, and love, and kindred, that others may have them more
abundantly. I can understand that, and see a sort of nobility in
it too, especially in days when the career of a statesman is only
a path to vainglory of every kind. It is great, it is glorious, it
thrills me to think of it.

"But I am losing faith in my unknown sister that is to be, in
spite of all my pleading. You say she is beautiful--that's well
enough, but it comes by nature. You say she is sweet, and true,
and charming--and I am willing to take it all on trust. But when
you say she is noble-hearted I respectfully refuse to believe it.
If she were that, you would be sure that she would know that
friendship is the surest part of love, and to be the friend of a
great man is to be a help to him, and not an impediment.

"My gracious! What does she think you are? A _cavaliere servente_
to dance attendance on her ladyship day and night? Give me the
woman who wants her husband to be a man, with a man's work to do,
a man's burdens to bear, and a man's triumphs to win.

"Yet perhaps I am too hard on my unknown sister that is to be, or
ought to be, and it is only your own distrust that wrongs her. If
she is the daughter of one brave man and really loves another, she
knows her place and her duty. It is to be ready to follow her
husband wherever he must go, to