us tones.

"Reverend Father," he said, "I am ignorant of the way in which you have
possessed yourself of my secret, but, before a word more is spoken, let
me tell you at once that it is a secret which must be kept strictly and
sacredly between ourselves, unless great trouble is to ensue. It is
absolutely necessary now that Brian Luttrell should be--dead."

"What has Brian Luttrell done," asked the Prior, "that he should be
ashamed of his own name?"

"Ashamed!" said Brian, haughtily; "I never for one moment said that I
was ashamed of it; but----"

He turned in his chair and looked out of the window. A new thought
occurred to him. Probably Padre Cristoforo knew the history of every one
who had lived in San Stefano during the last few years. Perhaps he might
assist Brian in his search for the truth. At any rate, as Padre
Cristoforo already knew his name, it would do nobody any harm if he
confided in him a little further, and told him something of the story
which Mrs. Luttrell had told to him.

Meanwhile, Padre Cristoforo watched him keenly as a cat watches a mouse,
though without the malice of a cat. The Prior wished Brian no harm. But,
for the good of his Order, he wished very much that he could lay hands,
either through Brian or through Dino, upon that fine estate of which he
had dreamt for the last thirteen years.

"Father Cristoforo," Brian's haggard, dark eyes looked anxiously into
the priest's subtilely twinkling orbs, "will you tell me how you learnt
my true name?"

He could not bear to cast a doubt upon Dino's good faith, and the Prior
divined his reason for the question.

"Rest assured, my dear sir, that I learnt it accidentally," he said,
with a soothing smile. "I happened to be entering the door when our
young friend Dino recognised you. I heard you tell him to call you by
the name of Stretton; I also heard you say that Brian Luttrell was
dead."

"Ah!" sighed Brian, scarcely above his breath. "I thought that Dino
could not have betrayed me."

He did not mean the Prior to hear his words; but they were heard and
understood. "Signor," said the Padre, with an inflection of hurt feeling
in his voice, "Mr. Stretton, or Mr. Luttrell, however you choose to term
yourself, Dino is a man of honour, and will never betray a trust reposed
in him. I could answer for Dino with my very life."

"I know--I was sure of it!" cried Brian.

"But, signor, do you think it is right or wise to imperil the future and
the re