. At length _un ricco signore_ found a way out of
the difficulty by purchasing the friar a third-class ticket; with a
grave reproof to the station-master, the friar took his seat, and the
train went its way.

But the matter, of course, did not end here. Indignant and amazed, and
wishing to be revenged upon that _frataccio_, the station-master
telegraphed to Loreto, that in a certain carriage of a certain train
was travelling a friar, whom it behoved the authorities to arrest for
having hindered the departure of the said train for fifteen minutes,
and also for the offense of mendicancy within a railway station.
Accordingly, the Loreto police sought the offender, but, in the
compartment where he had travelled, found no person; there, however,
lay a letter couched in these terms: "He who was in this waggon under
the guise of a humble friar, has now ascended into the arms of his
_Santissima Madre Maria_. He wished to make known to the world how easy
it is for him to crush the pride of unbelievers, or to reward those who
respect religion."

Nothing more was discoverable; wherefore the learned of the Church--_i
dotti della chiesa_--came to the conclusion that under the guise of a
friar there had actually appeared "_N. S. G. C._" The Supreme Pontiff
and his prelates had not yet delivered a judgment in the matter, but
there could be no sort of doubt that they would pronounce the
authenticity of the miracle. With a general assurance that the good
Christian will be saved and the unrepentant will be damned, this
remarkable little pamphlet came to an end. Much verbiage I have
omitted, but the translation, as far as it goes, is literal. Doubtless
many a humble Tarentine spelt it through that evening, with boundless
wonder, and thought such an intervention of Providence worthy of being
talked about, until the next stabbing case in his street provided a
more interesting topic.

Possibly some malevolent rationalist might note that the name of the
railway station where this miracle befell was nowhere mentioned. Was it
not open to him to go and make inquiries at Loreto?

CHAPTER VI

THE TABLE OF THE PALADINS

For two or three days a roaring north wind whitened the sea with foam;
it kept the sky clear, and from morning to night there was magnificent
sunshine, but, none the less, one suffered a good deal from cold. The
streets were barer than ever; only in the old town, where high, close
walls afforded a good deal of shelte