begin wanting
to go to balls and all that sort of thing. Jim, dear, I have so often
wondered whether you would ever come to be one of us."

"So have I."

"You said you had done things for Bini; I didn't know you even knew
him."

"It wasn't for Bini; it was for the other one"

"Which other one?"

"The one that was talking to me to-night--Bolla."

"Do you know him well?" Arthur put in with a little touch of jealousy.
Bolla was a sore subject with him; there had been a rivalry between them
about some work which the committee of Young Italy had finally intrusted
to Bolla, declaring Arthur too young and inexperienced.

"I know him pretty well; and I like him very much. He has been staying
in Leghorn."

"I know; he went there in November------"

"Because of the steamers. Arthur, don't you think your house would be
safer than ours for that work? Nobody would suspect a rich shipping
family like yours; and you know everyone at the docks----"

"Hush! not so loud, dear! So it was in your house the books from
Marseilles were hidden?"

"Only for one day. Oh! perhaps I oughtn't to have told you."

"Why not? You know I belong to the society. Gemma, dear, there is
nothing in all the world that would make me so happy as for you to join
us--you and the Padre."

"Your Padre! Surely he----"

"No; he thinks differently. But I have sometimes fancied--that
is--hoped--I don't know----"

"But, Arthur! he's a priest."

"What of that? There are priests in the society--two of them write in
the paper. And why not? It is the mission of the priesthood to lead the
world to higher ideals and aims, and what else does the society try
to do? It is, after all, more a religious and moral question than a
political one. If people are fit to be free and responsible citizens, no
one can keep them enslaved."

Gemma knit her brows. "It seems to me, Arthur," she said, "that there's
a muddle somewhere in your logic. A priest teaches religious doctrine. I
don't see what that has to do with getting rid of the Austrians."

"A priest is a teacher of Christianity, and the greatest of all
revolutionists was Christ."

"Do you know, I was talking about priests to father the other day, and
he said----"

"Gemma, your father is a Protestant."

After a little pause she looked round at him frankly.

"Look here, we had better leave this subject alone. You are always
intolerant when you talk about Protestants."

"I didn't mean to be intolerant. Bu