rse, which fell heavily at the fisherman's feet.

"I lent you that rifle to fight with me," cried Gabriel, whom surprise
had rooted to the spot.

"Move aside, my lad; you are out of your senses," said the prince,
taking a step towards the door.

"So you refuse to defend yourself?" asked Gabriel in a determined voice.

"I have told you already that I cannot fight with you."

"Why not?"

"Because such is the will of God; because you were born to crawl and I
to trample you under my feet; because all the blood that I could shed in
this island would not purchase one drop of my blood; because a thousand
lives of wretches like you are not equal to one hour of mine; because
you will kneel at my name that I, am now going to utter; because,
in short, you are but a poor fisherman and my name is Prince of
Brancaleone."

At this dreaded name, which the young nobleman flung, like a
thunderbolt, at his head, the fisherman bounded like a lion. He drew a
deep breath, as though he had lifted a weight that had long rested on
his heart.

"Ah!" he cried, "you have given yourself into my hands, my lord! Between
the poor fisherman and the all-powerful prince there is a debt of blood.
You shall pay for yourself and for your father. We are going to settle
our accounts, your excellency," he added, rising his axe over the head
of the prince, who was aiming at him. "Oh! you were in too great haste
to choose: the rifle is not loaded." The prince turned pale.

"Between our two families," Gabriel continued, "there exists a horrible
secret which my mother confided to me on the brink of the grave, of
which my father himself is unaware, and that no man in the world must
learn. You are different, you are going to die."

He dragged him into the space outside the house.

"Do you know why my sister, whom you wished to dishonour, was vowed
to the Madonna? Because your father, like you, wished to dishonour my
mother. In your accursed house there is a tradition of infamy. You do
not know what slow and terrible torments my poor mother endured-torments
that broke her strength and caused her to die in early youth, and that
her angelic soul dared confide to none but her son in that supreme hour
and in order to bid me watch over my sister."

The fisherman wiped away a burning tear. "One day, before we were born,
a fine lady, richly dressed, landed in our island from a splendid boat;
she asked to see my mother, who was as young and beautiful as my
Nis