r fear of detection, and I must not work slowly
if we are to be ready in time. Either send me efficient help at once, or
let the Venetians know that we shall not be ready till the first week in
July."

The Gadfly carried the letter to Gemma and, while she read it, sat
frowning at the floor and stroking the cat's fur the wrong way.

"This is bad," she said. "We can hardly keep the Venetians waiting for
three weeks."

"Of course we can't; the thing is absurd. Domenichino m-might
unders-s-stand that. We must follow the lead of the Venetians, not they
ours."

"I don't see that Domenichino is to blame; he has evidently done his
best, and he can't do impossibilities."

"It's not in Domenichino that the fault lies; it's in the fact of
his being one person instead of two. We ought to have at least one
responsible man to guard the store and another to see the transports
off. He is quite right; he must have efficient help."

"But what help are we going to give him? We have no one in Florence to
send."

"Then I m-must go myself."

She leaned back in her chair and looked at him with a little frown.

"No, that won't do; it's too risky."

"It will have to do if we can't f-f-find any other way out of the
difficulty."

"Then we must find another way, that's all. It's out of the question for
you to go again just now."

An obstinate line appeared at the corners of his under lip.

"I d-don't see that it's out of the question."

"You will see if you think about the thing calmly for a minute. It is
only five weeks since you got back; the police are on the scent about
that pilgrim business, and scouring the country to find a clue. Yes, I
know you are clever at disguises; but remember what a lot of people saw
you, both as Diego and as the countryman; and you can't disguise your
lameness or the scar on your face."

"There are p-plenty of lame people in the world."

"Yes, but there are not plenty of people in the Romagna with a lame foot
and a sabre-cut across the cheek and a left arm injured like yours, and
the combination of blue eyes with such dark colouring."

"The eyes don't matter; I can alter them with belladonna."

"You can't alter the other things. No, it won't do. For you to go there
just now, with all your identification-marks, would be to walk into a
trap with your eyes open. You would certainly be taken."

"But s-s-someone must help Domenichino."

"It will be no help to him to have you caught at a critical