, but to be regulated by the law of God;
neither is obedience toward those in authority to be stolid and blind,
but yielded only when the command is within this divine law. The Holy
Father hath no power to command disobedience to the Prince in his
rightful realm,--which thus he seeketh to do."

She spread out her hands before her and half-turned away her head, as if
in deprecation of some sacrilege, growing very white.

"Is _this_ the answer, my Father?"

"It is the reason for the answer which hath come by unanimous conviction
into the soul of every man of the ruling body of Venice, and hath been
voiced by each, in his vote, with a fullness of consent which is of
God's sending. Thus are they nerved to declare the censure void--and
Venice is unharmed."

"Madre Beatissima! _thus_ hast thou answered me?"

"My daughter, may it not comfort thee to know that that which thou, in
faith and love, hast prayed for Venice--that in this struggle she should
hold God's favor unharmed--hath come to her, though the manner of the
benefit accord not with the manner of the grace which thou hast asked?"

"If my reason is clouded with terror," she said very slowly, as if her
strength were spent, "God hath vouchsafed me no other reason--but only
that which trembles at this broken law of obedience. My Father--I pray
thee--I am very weary----"

XXIV

The nuncio had declared that Venice no longer required his services and
had withdrawn, with every ceremony of punctilious and honorable
dismissal, to Rome, from whence the Venetian ambassador presently went
forth _without_ the customary compliments.

But if diplomatic relations were severed between Rome and Venice, there
were still chances for private communication which sometimes cast a
curious light upon the subject under discussion, but which made no
change in that irreproachable suavity of exterior or that invincibility
of purpose with which the Venetians held in check any attempt at
disaffection through Roman agency, or averted any schismatic movement
within their own dependencies.

To Sarpi, the Chief Counsellor, had been committed the censorship of the
press; and the supervision of those very papers which had been written
by friends of the Republic to scatter broadcast in defense of its
rights, formed not the least delicate part of his task. For the
government demanded that they should maintain a fine reserve in method,
and in spite of examples to the contrary freely given by