right. Luigi, you will be a spy no
more?"

Carlo Ammiani happened to be rolling a cigarette-paper. She put out her
fingers for it, and then reached it to Luigi, who accepted it with
singular contortions of his frame, declaring that he would confess
everything to her. "Yes, signorina, it is true; I am a spy on you. I know
the houses you visit. I know you eat too much chocolate for your voice. I
know you are the friend of the Signora Laura, the widow of Giacomo
Piaveni, shot--shot on Annunciation Day. The Virgin bless him! I know the
turning of every street from your house near the Duomo to the signora's.
You go nowhere else, except to the maestro's. And it's something to spy
upon you. But think of your Beppo who spies upon me! And your little
mother, the lady most excellent, is down in Baveno, and she is always
near you when you make an expedition. Signorina, I know you would not pay
your Beppo for spying upon me. Why does he do it? I do not sing 'Italia,
Italia shall be free!' I have heard you when I was under the maestro's
windows; and once you sang it to the Signor Agostino Balderini.
Indeed, signorina, I am a sort of guardian of your voice. It is not gold
of the Tedeschi I get from the Signor Antonio Pericles."

At the mention of this name, Agostino and Vittoria laughed out.

"You are in the pay of the Signor Antonio-Pericles," said Agostino.
"Without being in our pay, you have done us the service to come up here
among us! Bravo! In return for your disinterestedness, we kick you down,
either upon Baveno or upon Stresa, or across the lake, if you prefer
it.--The man is harmless. He is hired by a particular worshipper of the
signorina's voice, who affects to have first discovered it when she was
in England, and is a connoisseur, a millionaire, a Greek, a rich
scoundrel, with one indubitable passion, for which I praise him. We will
let his paid eavesdropper depart, I think. He is harmless."

Neither Ugo nor Marco was disposed to allow any description of spy to
escape unscotched. Vittoria saw that Luigi's looks were against him, and
whispered: "Why do you show such cunning eyes, Luigi?"

He replied: "Signorina, take me out of their hearing, and I will tell you
everything."

She walked aside. He seemed immediately to be inspired with confidence,
and stretched his fingers in the form of a grasshopper, at which sight
they cried: "He knows Barto Rizzo--this rascal!" They plied him with
signs and countersigns, and spee