prang at her with his knife in the air. Molly
shrieked for mercy; and before he could be on her Grifone whipped out
his dagger and stabbed his master under the stabbing arm.

Amilcare jerked in mid-career, constricted and turned half. But the blow
had gone too deep and too true. He fell horribly, and Molly knew no
more.

XI

FROM AN AMATEUR'S CABINET

Grifone received his swooning lady into his arms and held her there to
his great content, triumphing in her beauty and successful capture.
Truly the adventure had gone by clockwork: he might say (he thought)
that there was not one step in it but had been schemed to an eighth of
an inch; and when you have to bring temperamental differences into
account, the chances of Italian politics, the influence of climate, the
panic alarms of a ridden mob--and still succeed, why, then you may
lawfully be happy. Happy he was, but Molly was tall and he a
light-weight. Moreover, he wanted to wipe his blade and be off. He
judged it prudent, therefore, to bring her to herself again, and so did
by sousing her liberally with cold water.

Molly, as soon as she could see, was aware of him kneeling by her side
and of his arms about her. Before she had done gasping he began to kiss
her.

"My heart of hearts, my lovely soul, my lady Moll! Mine altogether by
the act of my arm!" were some of his fiery words.

There were others yet more explicit, which left no doubt of his passion,
nor any ray of doubt of his intentions. Grifone took everything for
granted, as he had from the beginning.

"My charmer," he said, "I have saved you from ignominious death; but I
have saved myself also from a death by no means agreeable to me. It was
impossible that our love could have held us much longer at a distance
from each other, impossible that we could have still suffered a third
person to usurp our privileges. If that stabbed stabber under the table
had not misunderstood you so grotesquely--the gross-witted hog!--he
would have lived, and I died of jealousy. A far from pleasant death, you
will allow; worse in that it would have involved your own. For I should
have had to kill you too, my dearest joy: so much would have been owing
to my self-respect. Things, you see, could not have turned out more
fortunately; the fellow trapped himself. We may be happy--we will be
wildly happy--you shall see!"

It may be doubted whether Molly heard anything of this exposition; she
may well have missed one or two