sequence, and did not prevent the captain sitting out
of doors with me the next morning when all the rest had gone to their
homes. Only Maddalena in her passionate way, besotted with the man in
spite of her sister's story, could not be tranquillised, and went on
searching for one healing herb after the other, and he had to apply
them all to prevent her becoming quite frantic. The good creature,
whose sleep was like a cat's, was aware of footsteps creeping about the
house even before the dog heard them; and she ran up to wake her
master. On the first bandit who placed a ladder against the balcony,
she bestowed such a blow on the head with the barrel of a gun, that he
fell backwards, and the ladder with him. And so there she was at hand
to load one rifle after the other, and indeed every now and then she
herself took a shot through the window, and swore with might and main
that she had sent a ball through the coat of the murderous villain Il
Rosso himself, and that he gave a great start but went on firing. As
for the room, it had a ruinous aspect, not a pane was whole, the
plaster had fallen in great sheets from the ceiling, and Erminia's
picture had been struck in two places, but fortunately only the dress
and the frame were injured. When the day began to break, the Captain
and the dog too did get a few hours sleep, but Maddalena would not hear
of it, although for the present the cut-throats had been scared away.

"I spent the next day at the villa, and kept imploring my friend to
leave the district. Indeed all the reasonable people from the village
who came to see the battle-field gave the same advice. He most
obstinately refused to do so. It was only on the following day when the
Roman Prefect of Police came over to keep up appearances, and draw up a
protocol, by way of doing something, that he let himself be turned from
his foolhardy resolve. 'I most earnestly advise you,' said the
official, a monsignore N----, 'as soon as possible to leave the
mountains, and indeed the country itself. A youth who witnessed the
attack of the bandits--if indeed he were not one of them--has told me
that more than one bullet has been cast for you; that Il Rosso has
sworn upon the host that he will pay you off. Were I to remain here I
could only protect you so long as you kept by my side. But if you took
again to your lonely wanderings through the ravines you might expect
out of every bush a shot that would consign you to another world.'