messages to Treviso,
to inform his father and uncle of his plans, and of the day when he
purposed entering the gates of Vicenza to demand compensation for the
wrongs endured. They were to hold themselves in readiness to support
him, and with the help of God to place their feet on the necks of their
enemies.

"And thus indeed it came to pass, and was all so judiciously and
zealously carried out, that the men of Treviso succeeded in surprising
the retreating troops on their homeward way to Venice and depriving
them of their booty and hostages; while young Attilio, on the same day
in a hot encounter on the small river Bacchiloni, proved himself
victorious over the men of Vicenza. There was one thing only to trouble
the joy of our good city. The youthful victor had received a deep wound
in the throat from the sword of a Vicentine, and for some days his life
hung on a slender thread. His own father, as well as his noble mother,
nursed him in the conquered town's chief mansion, which belonged to its
most leading citizen, Signor Tullio Scarpa, whose eldest son, named
Lorenzaccio, had always been one of the bitterest foes of Treviso, so
much so indeed, that while the wounded hero remained an inmate of the
paternal abode, he never crossed its threshold. This only led to
Attilio--although a foe to her city--being regarded with greater
tenderness by the young Emilia, the only sister of Lorenzaccio; so that
his father and mother became aware of her partiality, and began to
found thereon a hope that through the union of the two leading families
of both towns, the long-existing bad blood and mutual jealousy might be
transformed into friendship and good will. And while his wound was
healing, in a confidential hour Attilio was induced by his dear mother
to entertain the idea, seeing that he had nothing to urge against it,
as his own heart was perfectly free, and the young Vicentine a comely
maiden. In secret, however, he felt a repugnance to take to wife a
daughter of that city: even after their betrothal he held himself aloof
from the girl, and would gladly have broken off altogether, but that he
feared to sow the germs of fresh hate amidst the up-springing crop of
peace. In this manner six or seven weeks passed by, and the leech
declared that the wounded man would no longer be running any risk by
mounting his horse and bearing shield and lance, even though he had
better for a further season avoid the pressure of his steel haubergeon