punishment. To play the part she ascribed to him
was his only portion; and he resolved at least to play it like a man.

With what composure he might, he assured Fulvia of his desire to serve
her, and asked if she had no hope of obtaining her release from the Holy
See. She answered: none, since enquiry must reveal that she was the
daughter of a man who had been prosecuted for heresy, and that after his
death she had devoted the small sum he had left her to the publication
of his writings. She added that his Holiness, resolved to counteract the
effects of the late Pope's leniency, had greatly enlarged the powers of
the Inquisition, and had taken special measures to prevent those who
entered the religious life from renouncing their calling.

"Since I have been here," she said, "three nuns have tried to obtain
their release, and one has conclusively proved that she was forced to
take the vows by fraud; but their pleas have been rejected, and mine
would meet the same fate. Indeed, the only result would be to deprive me
of what little liberty I am allowed; for the three nuns I speak of are
now the most closely watched in the convent."

She went on to explain that, thanks to the connivance of Sister Mary of
the Crucifix, her actual escape might be effected without much
difficulty; but that she was now awake to the madness of taking so
desperate a step without knowing whither it would lead her.

"To be safe," she said, "I must cross the borders of Switzerland. If I
could reach Geneva I should be beyond the arm of the Holy Office, and at
the University there I should find friends of my father who would surely
take pity on my situation and help me to a living. But the journey is
long and difficult, and not to be safely attempted without some
assurance of shelter on the way."

It was on Odo's lips to declare that he would provide her with shelter
and escort; but at this moment three warning taps announced the return
of Sister Mary of the Crucifix.

She entered merrily and at once laid one hand on Fulvia's brow and
caught her wrist in the other. "The patient's pulse has risen," she
declared, "and rest and a lowering treatment are essential. I must ask
the cavaliere to withdraw."

Fulvia, with an air of constraint, held out her hand to Odo.

"I shall see you soon again?" he whispered; and Sister Mary, as though
she had guessed his words, cried out, "I think your excellency may count
on a recurrence of the seizure two days h