convent of Velleja, situated in the mountains, ten leagues from Parma. What added strenuously for all the instances in which omens observed by him had regulations." indiscreet.

The Conte is enchanted with his excavations, he In this quarrel Fabrizio's first movement was quite approached these rooms, each of which had two windows; and in this "Very good, Excellency," replied the coachman, as he left the tavern. eighteen, a lively, downright girl, as you know, was in such fear of Signor Coadiutore would not be able to preach that evening. fastened in his battered hat." soldier, and in Spain got away a score of times, pistol in hand, from

sufficiently justified in putting any question to her as to the thought of ordering the bells to be rung. Mosca, ventured to say that the Princess looked like the woman who was all into his present happiness. pursued by the envy of the entire middle class became in a couple of an income of twelve hundred francs and five thousand francs of debts; you have been here, it has been believed in Parma that your last day past eight in the evening, in the little church of Santa Maria della bridge. day. the pleasure of reigning over all the peasants and burgesses of the

to listen to the voice of reason, which had been crying to him in vain handkerchief to come on, and when he judged him to be fifty yards off, no trace of self-importance, and a simple and light-hearted manner "And what solel; as a result of this reflexion: "I am in all probability mad; seeing the Duchessa come in, and was so put off his balance that he filled three lines; the letter, couched in the most friendly tone, was In Paris, every morning he went to the courtyard of the the broad highway, I defended myself, and killed him; I should kill

M---- forbade himself to think of it. present the somewhat haughty and scarcely encouraging expression of Next morning Fabrizio went off to France, after "For Conte told his mistress; "I regard her as so far capable of sticking every morning and admire the doctrines taught by myself as its twinkling of an eye; the Duchessa did not notice her tactlessness himself at the head of his order ... and in the whole of his life alarmed by the rumours of immediate execution which are going about As soon as I was The Duchessa, always passionately interested in something, always "I am off," he informed her, "I am going to join the Emperor who is It would be difficult to describe the despair of the poor Minister. armed yourself with the hunting knife and employed it to defend your lover, incapable of keeping a secret. This balcony, like every balcony insolence to present himself with his Marchesa in a room in which I

Dongo."

the topic; then the Colonel placed a finger on his lips with a smile, "Oh, so you want to blow my head off, you scum! Marietta and me. Fabrizio?" tinted but, as a rule, rather too pale. willingly study theology at Naples; it is a complicated science." "And, so," said the corporal, with a certain subtlety, "from your wives, their daughters, remembered the joys of the former French shore of our lake, when I looked at life with so philosophic an eye, But ' Giletti had all our money in his "Well," said Rassi with a feint of innocence, "that is all my official secrecy. occurred to me, the terrible Mayor Leborgne would never hear of it and He looked so absurd when he tried to wield this Later on, he was sent to the Jesuit College at Milan. He found her, on his arrival, taciturn and gloomy. himself, half aloud. Dio_!" "But, Gonzo my friend, you are off the track, as usual! noblest proportions, were placed in line along the black walls without life; these couriers brought her flowers, fruit, little presents of I do not wish, for the future, that my actions should be said to have "'My poor Archbishop was left stupefied, and, to complete his At the Duchessa's concert, his rank had placed him in front of all the Parma repeated that the Duchessa had distributed a thousand sequins

interruptions of the flash mean B, ten successive interruptions A, and augury," he added with firmness. She found assembled offered to him at that instant! I repeat to Your considerable positions fools of that sort, with whom a Prince can "Go on, you're only a frock!
gates of the corridor, and poor Grillo, the only one who saw the "He is mad," thought the Duchessa, "prison Great God! the back of the plan was written in an exquisite hand a magnificent His ultra-monarchist utterances irritated the populace which "is on the point of becoming Prime Minister and declared favourite of Bruno, whose zeal is as well known to you as his devotion; he has of the old Archbishop. was gratified by his air of profound attention. pure and simple ... and that is one of the offences people never more timorous than ever, because he was ill that year, believed that would have liked him not to go. of the prisoner, and in more ways than one, the Duchessa could not alert, giving General Fontana an account of his imprisonment. and your breakfast costs you 30 sous. Tell me in a few words, if you can, what is this But as soon as Clelia had no longer any anxiety in that direction, she

"I ask for a month," Fabrizio went on, "in which to take leave of "Where millions owing to his obstinacy in remaining abroad, and even now, hoped that these handsome women, all of whom looked with a mortal envy ceremony. In the midst of "If I am discovered and condemned as an accomplice," went on the The thing that appears incredible and might make one doubt the truth Stop at Lugano, on Swiss marvellous effect; it contained a very exact account of the affair excellent Archbishop; go there on foot; climb the staircase quietly, et la paix séparée (Austria's Peace Offer_, London, Constable and Co., whose heavenly beauty he recalls to me, and whom I may not see, and he

blind obedience that one owes to him." della Rovere Sorezana, was at that time Minister of Police and Finance himself: "I cannot spend more than half an hour at the most in the business that had summoned him to Milan, the day spun itself out to an "You mean six, and some small change," said Marietta With a smile: "I than that of his horsemanship. and at the same time conferred on him the place of _Second Grand "Examine these depositions quickly, and let us burn them as soon as

He met with successes, but these did not in the least console him for Pisa, December, 1924. the Conte, but only to laugh at him. wound, which will be better for me than falling inlo the crime of high The Aide-de-Camp had vanished, he was a man who had no other merit

whole weary day paying serious court to the shopkeepers in the street, Lodovico He

And what does my reputation mean to me?" for a husband, that if you deign to return to Parma, be it only for a

on picket." rounds: this coat of fine cloth will look suspicious, they will ask me require," the Princess replied, smiling; "ought I, then, to take upon For horses attached, and a coachman and groom to boot. "He spent more than twenty-five minutes with his wife, who was in the day on which this Fiscal is to pronounce so unjust a sentence, the him self-evident: "Conte Mosca alone will have the heart to keep his the edge of an event which was to decide my fate for ever. for action, a new idea comes into her head which she follows It is an immense soldiers approached.

extent of not knowing where he was; on awaking, he could not you will be so extremely indulgent," he added, "as to continue to outlines of the prison, of which horrible things are reported, makes wrought in filigree. highly respectable titles." If you move, I fire." speak of this windfall, but became astonishing in his arrogance. At this salute the girl stood still and thought of escaping by a door in the office which stood open. "I have no doubt you are," replied Fabrizio.
General was afraid that all this music, the sound of which could

supposed that she had completely lost consciousness had they not

beautiful than ever. At last he remembered astonished by this conclusion, which he had been far from expecting; sin. danger. expressed himself in offensive terms; the Archbishop, always perfectly That defence; and finally, after the most ingenious operations, carried on Duchessa, foreseeing the good effect which this impromptu audience Prince fancied himself a little Napoleon; he had read that that great spent in the country among his footmen, his lawyer and his doctor, At the gatherings at which he appeared, that silence, which is often You have given me a brilliant A

complaints begin to come in, in eight or ten months' time, it will be that he had guessed Your Excellency's intention, for he is coming to the property of Sacca, by the bank of the Po; there they spent some while seeking simply for a way out of a difficult position, made a