69

VIII. ACROSS THE BAY 76

IX. COUNT FERRALTI 85

X. THE ROAD TO AMALFI 94

XI. THE EAGLE SCREAMS 110

XII. MOVING ON 120

XIII. "IL DUCA" 137

XIV. UNCLE JOHN DISAPPEARS 153

XV. DAYS OF ANXIETY 169

XVI. TATO 180

XVII. THE HIDDEN VALLEY 189

XVIII. THE GUESTS OF THE BRIGAND 202

XIX. A DIFFICULT POSITION 217

XX. UNCLE JOHN PLAYS EAVESDROPPER 228

XXI. THE PIT 241

XXII. NEWS AT LAST 250

XXIII. BETH BEGINS TO PLOT 263

XXIV. PATSY'S NEW FRIEND 272

XXV. TURNING THE TABLES 283

XXVI. THE COUNT UNMASKS 292

XXVII. TATO IS ADOPTED 304

XXVIII. DREAMS AND DRESS-MAKING 312

XXIX. TATO WINS 326

XXX. A WAY TO FORGET 337

XXXI. SAFE HOME 345

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PREFATORY:

The author is pleased to be able to present a sequel to "Aunt Jane's
Nieces," the book which was received with so much favor last year. Yet
it is not necessary one should have read the first book to fully
understand the present volume, the characters being taken to entirely
new scenes.

The various foreign localities are accurately described, so that those
who have visited them will recognize them at once, while those who have
not been so fortunate may acquire a clear conception of them. It was my
good fortune to be an eye witness of the recent great eruption of
Vesuvius.

Lest I be accused of undue sensationalism in relating the somewhat
dramatic Sicilian incident, I will assure my reader that the story does
not exaggerate present conditions in various parts of the island. In
fact, Il Duca and Tato are drawn from life, although they did not have
their mountain lair so near to Taormina as I have ventured to locate
it. Except that I have adapted their clever system o