e carriage.
As Jacopo caught sight of Vittoria's face, he fell with his shoulders
straightened against the wall, and cried out loudly that he had betrayed
no one, and mentioned Major Weisspriess by name as having held the point
of his sword at him and extracted nothing better than a wave of the
hand and a lie; in other words, that the fugitives had retired to the
Tyrolese mountains, and that he had shammed ignorance of who they were.
Merthyr read at a glance that Jacopo had the large swallow and calm
digestion for bribes, and getting the fellow alone he laid money in
view, out of which, by doubling the sum to make Jacopo correct his first
statement, and then by threatening to withdraw it altogether, he gained
knowledge of the fact that Angelo Guidascarpi had recently visited the
inn, and had started from it South-eastward, and that Major Weisspriess
was following on his track. He wrote a line of strong entreaty to
Weisspriess, lest that officer should perchance relapse into anger
at the taunts of prisoners abhorring him with the hatred of Carlo and
Angelo. At the same time he gave Beppo a considerable supply of money,
and then sent him off, armed as far as possible to speed Count Ammiani
safe across the borders, if a fugitive; or if a prisoner, to ensure the
best which could be hoped for him from an adversary become generous.
That evening Vittoria lay with her head on Laura's lap, and the pearly
little crescent of her ear in moonlight by the window. So fair and young
and still she looked that Merthyr feared for her, and thought of sending
her back to Countess Ammiani.

Her first question with the lifting of her eyelids was if he had ceased
to trust to her courage.

"No," said Merthyr; "there are bounds to human strength; that is all."

She answered: "There would be to mine--if I had not more than human
strength beside me. I bow my head, dearest; it is that. I feel that I
cannot break down as long as I know what is passing. Does my husband
live?"

"Yes, he lives," said Merthyr; and she gave him her hand, and went to
her bed.

He learnt from Laura that when Beppo mounted the carriage in silence, a
fit of ungovernable wild trembling had come on her, broken at intervals
by a cry that something was concealed. Laura could give no advice;
she looked on Merthyr and Vittoria as two that had an incomprehensible
knowledge of the power of one another's natures, and the fiery creature
remained passive in perplexity of minds as