e will spare no sacrifice to save
her husband, but she has brought her mind to look at the worst, for fear
that a shock should destroy her motherly guard."

"Really, duchess," Anna replied, "these are things for married women to
hear;" and she provoked some contempt of her conventional delicacy, at
the same time that in her imagination the image of Vittoria struggling
to preserve this burden of motherhood against a tragic mischance,
completely humiliated and overwhelmed her, as if nature had also come to
add to her mortifications.

"I am ready to confess everything I have done, and to be known for what
I am," she said.

"Confess no more than is necessary, but do everything you can; that's
wisest," returned the duchess.

"Ah; you mean that you have nothing to learn." Anna shuddered.

"I mean that you are likely to run into the other extreme of
disfavouring yourself just now, my child. And," continued the duchess,
"you have behaved so splendidly that I won't think ill of you."

Before the day darkened, Wilfrid obtained, through Prince Radocky's
influence, an order addressed to Major Nagen for the surrender of
prisoners into his hands. He and Count Karl started for the Val Camonica
on the chance of intercepting the pursuit. These were not much wiser
than their guesses and their apprehensions made them; but Weisspriess
started on the like errand after an interview with Anna, and he had
drawn sufficient intelligence out of sobs, and broken sentences, and
torture of her spirit, to understand that if Count Ammiani fell alive or
dead into Nagen's hands, Nagen by Anna's scrupulous oath, had a claim on
her person and her fortune: and he knew Nagen to be a gambler. As he
was now by promotion of service Nagen's superior officer, and a near
relative of the Brescian commandant, who would be induced to justify his
steps, his object was to reach and arbitrarily place himself over Nagen,
as if upon a special mission, and to get the lead of the expedition. For
that purpose he struck somewhat higher above the Swiss borders than
Karl and Wilfrid, and gained a district in the mountains above the
vale, perfectly familiar to him. Obeying directions forwarded to her
by Wilfrid, Vittoria left Milan for the Val Camonica no later than the
evening; Laura was with her in the carriage; Merthyr took horse after
them as soon as he had succeeded in persuading Countess Ammiani to
pardon her daughter's last act of wilfulness, and believe that, duri