mo
undertook to manage the boat.

"I am nearly at the close of my story. Sure of my disguise, I got on the
coach-box with Beppo. The count arrived at the spot appointed, and did
not even honour myself with a question or glance. 'Your brother?' he
said to Beppo; 'one might guess that; he has the family likeness. Not a
handsome race yours! Drive on.'

"We arrived at the house. I dismounted to open the carriage-door. The
count gave me one look. 'Beppo says you have known the sea.'

"'Excellency, yes. I am a Genoese.'

"'Ha! how is that? Beppo is a Lombard.'--Admire the readiness with which
I redeemed my blunder.

"'Excellency, it pleased Heaven that Beppo should be born in Lombardy,
and then to remove my respected parents to Genoa, at which city they
were so kindly treated that my mother, in common gratitude, was bound
to increase its population. It was all she could do, poor woman. You see
she did her best.'

"The count smiled, and said no more. The door opened, I followed him;
your daughter can tell you the rest."

"And you risked your life in that den of miscreants! Noble friend!"

"Risked my life,--no; but I risked the count's. There was one moment
when my hand was on my trigger, and my soul very near the sin of
justifiable homicide. But my tale is done. The count is now on the
river, and will soon be on the salt seas, though not bound to Norway,
as I had first intended. I could not inflict that frigid voyage on his
sister. So the men have orders to cruise about for six days, keeping
aloof from shore, and they will then land the count and the marchesa, by
boat, on the French coast. That delay will give time for the prince to
arrive at Vienna before the count could follow him."

"Would he have that audacity?"

"Do him more justice! Audacity, faith! he does not want for that. But I
dreaded not his appearance at Vienna with such evidence against him.
I dreaded his encountering the prince on the road, and forcing a duel,
before his character was so blasted that the prince could refuse it; and
the count is a dead shot of course,--all such men are!"

"He will return, and you--"

"I! Oh, never fear; he has had enough of me. And now, my dear
friend,--now that Violante is safe once more under your own roof;
now that my honoured mother must long ere this have been satisfied by
Leonard, who left us to go to her, that our success has been achieved
without danger, and, what she will value almost as much, without
sca