. And Gina Montani pressed her hands upon her chest, which was
throbbing with agitation, but she did not dare to utter a word of
remonstrance.

"Oh, father, father!" cried the Lady Adelaide, sinking at his feet, after
Gina had been conducted to her chamber, and giving vent involuntarily to
sobs of agony, "she has dared to come between me and my husband--he has
known her long, it seems. If she should have tainted him with this black
heresy?"

The monk turned as white as the lady's dress at the suggestion. It was
enough to make him. That that docile and faithful servant of the Church,
the powerful Chief of Visinara, who was ever ready, at only half a hint,
to endow it with valuable offerings and presents--entire robes of point
lace for the Virgin Mary, and flounces and tuckers for all the female
saints in the calendar, not to speak of his donations in hard cash, and
his frequent offerings of paintings, most of them representing the popes
working miracles, particularly that very pious one, Alexander VI.--that
_he_ should have had dissent instilled into him, perhaps even been made
familiar with the principles of this upstart creed! Had his reverence
swooned outright, it would have only been what might be expected.

"It will not be a crime to remove her, father," faltered the Lady
Adelaide.

"_Crime_!" cried the ruffled priest; "canst thou connect the word--in that
sense--with so degraded a being?"

"To remove her in _any way_," persisted the lady, in a whisper. "Yet the
world might call it MURDER."

"No punishment in this world is adequate to her sin," answered the monk.
"And she must not be suffered to remain in it."

"Thou wilt then grant me absolution beforehand, holy father," implored the
Lady Adelaide.

"And what canst thou do, my child?" resumed the monk, smiling upon the
countess. "Thou hast not been used to such work, and wouldst prove a sad
novice at it."

"Too true," she uttered; "my heart is trembling now. Indeed, I could think
but of one way--the moat. And though the order seems easy enough to give, I
fear I should, when the moment came, shrink from issuing it."

"And who hast thou in this castle that will do thy bidding in secret and
in silence? It were better that this deed were not known: and thou canst
not stop tongues, my daughter."

"There are many bound to my interests, who would, I believe, lay down
their lives for me," deliberated the Lady Adelaide; "yet, alas! the tongue
is an unruly memb