hough
the day was warm he had a greatcoat fastened about his shoulders and a
soft, broad-brimmed hat pulled down upon his head. He looked tired out.

The three boys stood in front of the man, and finally his eyes opened.
He smiled as he saw them staring at him. "What do you want with me,
signors?" said he.

Giuseppe dropped on to the grass beside him. "I know now what you meant
when you said the refugees of Italy yesterday," he explained. "We three
boys mean to be refugees some day. We've made a vow that we'll fight the
Austrians until there isn't one of the three of us left. We'd like very
much to hear some of the things you've done."

The man threw back his cloak and sat up a trifle straighten "Three
future refugees!" he exclaimed. "The world moves! You want to be pushing
me away already, do you? Sit down, I'll tell you what I can."

The boys sat in front of him, and listened with rapt attention while he
told them that his home was in a little town half-way between Nice and
Genoa, that he was a member of a secret society called the Carbonari,
and that the first rule of that society was that a man must do exactly
as he was told without asking why. Not long before he had received a
secret message telling him to go to the city of Milan, taking his sword
and pistols with him. He had left his wife and children and gone to
Milan, and there he had waited a long time while the leaders of the
society planned to surprise the Austrian garrison and drive the troops
out of the city.

The night of the attempt finally arrived but some one had betrayed them.
No sooner had they met at the place agreed on than word came that they
must scatter instantly if they wanted to escape the Austrian bayonets.
Each had gone his own way, trying to get as far from Milan as he could.
He had managed to get to Nice, where he was near the French border, and
could cross it at any time. Meanwhile he and the other refugees had to
ask alms or starve.

The boys had heard of the society of the Carbonari which had spread all
over Italy, and they listened to this story by one of its members with
the greatest interest. They asked him a great many questions, but he
would only answer a few of them. He only told them such facts as were
public property; inquiries about the society itself were met with a
smile and a shake of the head. Before they left him they made him take
the few coins they had in their pockets, to help him and other refugees
of their count