tened to strike him, and he made two steps backwards. 'You cannot
beat me,' said he; 'you have no right, for you are not my father.'

"We never knew who had revealed this fatal secret, which we had so
carefully concealed from him; however, it was this answer, in which the
child's whole character revealed itself, that almost terrified me, and
my arm fell without touching him. The boy triumphed, and this victory
rendered him so audacious, that all the money of Assunta, whose
affection for him seemed to increase as he became more unworthy of it,
was spent in caprices she knew not how to contend against, and follies
she had not the courage to prevent. When I was at Rogliano everything
went on properly, but no sooner was my back turned than Benedetto became
master, and everything went ill. When he was only eleven, he chose his
companions from among the young men of eighteen or twenty, the worst
characters in Bastia, or, indeed, in Corsica, and they had already,
for some mischievous pranks, been several times threatened with a
prosecution. I became alarmed, as any prosecution might be attended with
serious consequences. I was compelled, at this period, to leave Corsica
on an important expedition; I reflected for a long time, and with the
hope of averting some impending misfortune, I resolved that Benedetto
should accompany me. I hoped that the active and laborious life of a
smuggler, with the severe discipline on board, would have a salutary
effect on his character, which was now well-nigh, if not quite, corrupt.
I spoke to Benedetto alone, and proposed to him to accompany me,
endeavoring to tempt him by all the promises most likely to dazzle the
imagination of a child of twelve. He heard me patiently, and when I had
finished, burst out laughing.

"'Are you mad, uncle?' (he called me by this name when he was in good
humor); 'do you think I am going to change the life I lead for your mode
of existence--my agreeable indolence for the hard and precarious toil
you impose on yourself, exposed to the bitter frost at night, and the
scorching heat by day, compelled to conceal yourself, and when you are
perceived, receive a volley of bullets, all to earn a paltry sum? Why, I
have as much money as I want; mother Assunta always furnishes me when I
ask for it! You see that I should be a fool to accept your offer.' The
arguments, and his audacity, perfectly stupefied me. Benedetto rejoined
his associates, and I saw him from a distance poi