said, "I didn't know about that. Look here, Christina; excuse
the question, but can you communicate with the President?"

"Yes," she said, after a second's hesitation.

This was what I suspected.

"And will he believe what you tell him?"

"I don't know. He might and he might not. He'll probably act as if he
didn't."

I appreciated the justice of this forecast of General Whittingham's
measures.

"Well, we must chance it," I said. "At any rate, better be caught
by him than stay here. We were, perhaps, a little hasty with that
revolution of ours."

"I never thought the colonel was so wicked," said the signorina.

We had no time to waste in abusing our enemy; the question was how to
outwit him. I unfolded my plan to the signorina, not at all disguising
from her the difficulties, and even dangers, attendant upon it.
Whatever may have been her mind before and after, she was at this
moment either so overcome with her fear of the colonel, or so carried
away by her feeling for me, that she made nothing of difficulties
and laughed at dangers, pointing out that though failure would
be ignominious, it could not substantially aggravate our present
position. Whereas, if we succeeded--

The thought of success raised a prospect of bliss in which we reveled
for a few minutes; then, warned by the stroke of twelve, we returned
to business.

"Are you going to take any of the money away with you?" she asked.

"No," said I, "I don't think so. It would considerably increase the
risk if I were seen hanging about the bank; you know he's got spies
all over the place. Besides, what good would it do? I couldn't stick
to it, and I'm not inclined to run any more risks merely to save the
bank's pocket. The bank hasn't treated me so well as all that. I
propose to rely on your bounty till I've time to turn round."

"Now, shall I come for you?" I asked her when we had arranged the
other details.

"I think not," she said. "I believe the colonel has one of my servants
in his pay. I can slip out by myself, but I couldn't manage so well if
you were with me. The sight of you would excite curiosity. I will meet
you at the bottom of Liberty Street."

"At two o'clock in the morning exactly, please. Don't come through the
_Piazza_, and Liberty Street. Come round by the drive. [This was a
sort of boulevard encircling the town, where the aristocracy was wont
to ride and drive.] Things ought to be pretty busy about the bank by
then, and no one wi