though
moved by a spring, flung off his coverings, and with that promptitude of
action that God has bestowed upon mothers in moments of danger, event up
to his daughter's room, found a light, knelt on the edge of the bed,
and began to test his child's pulse and watch her breathing with mortal
anxiety.

All! this had passed in less time than we have taken in telling it.
Brancaleone by an unheard-of effort had freed himself from the hands of
the young fisherman, and suddenly resuming his princely pride, said in a
loud voice, "You shall not kill me without listening to me."

Gabriel would have overwhelmed him with Bitter reproaches, but, unable
to utter a single word, he burst into tears.

"Your sifter is not dead," said the prince, with cold dignity; "she is
merely asleep. You can assure yourself of it, and meanwhile I undertake,
upon my Honour, not to move a single step away."

These words were pronounced with such an accent of truth that the
fisherman was struck by them. An unexpected gleam of hope suddenly
dawned in his thoughts; he cast upon the stranger a glance of hate and
distrust, and muttered in a muffled voice, "Do not flatter yourself, in
any case, that you will be able to escape me."

Then he went up to his sister's room, and approaching the old man, asked
tremblingly, "Well, father?"

Solomon thrust him gently aside with the solicitude of a mother removing
some buzzing insect from her child's cradle, and, making a sign to
enjoin silence, added in a low voice, "She is neither dead nor poisoned.
Some philtre has been given to her for a bad purpose. Her breathing is
even, and she cannot fail to recover from her lethargy."

Gabriel, reassured about Nisida's life, returned silently to the ground
floor where he had left the seducer. His manner was grave and gloomy;
he was coming now not to rend the murderer of his sister with his hands,
but to elucidate a treacherous and infamous mystery, and to avenge
his honour which had been basely attacked. He opened wide the double
entrance door that admitted daylight to the apartment in which, on the
few nights that he spent at home, he was accustomed to sleep with
his father. The rain had just stopped, a ray of moonlight pierced
the clouds, and all at once made its way into the room. The fisherman
adjusted his dripping garments, walked towards the stranger, who awaited
him without stirring, and after having gazed upon him haughtily, said,
"Now you are going to expla