's head and beak of it.
There rolled a corpse down the precipitous wave of green grass on to the
crag, where it lodged, face to the sky; sword dangled from swordknot at
one wrist, heels and arms were in the air, and the body caught midway
hung poised and motionless. The firing deadened. Then Merthyr drawing
nearer beneath the crag, saw one who had life in him slipping down toward
the body, and knew the man for Beppo. Beppo knocked his hands together
and groaned miserably, but flung himself astride the beak of the crag,
and took the body in his arms, sprang down with it, and lay stunned at
Merthyr's feet. Merthyr looked on the face of Carlo Ammiani.

EPILOGUE

No uncontested version of the tragedy of Count Ammiani's death passed
current in Milan during many years. With time it became disconnected from
passion, and took form in a plain narrative. He and Angelo were captured
by Major Nagen, and were, as the soldiers of the force subsequently let
it be known, roughly threatened with what he termed I 'Brescian short
credit.' The appearance of Major Weisspriess and his claim to the command
created a violent discussion between the two officers. For Nagen, by all
military rules, could well contest it. But Weisspriess had any body of
the men of the army under his charm, and seeing the ascendency he gained
with them over an unpopular officer, he dared the stroke for the
charitable object he had in view. Having established his command, in
spite of Nagen's wrathful protests and menaces, he spoke to the
prisoners, telling Carlo that for his wife's sake he should be spared,
and Angelo that he must expect the fate of a murderer. His address to
them was deliberate, and quite courteous: he expressed himself sorry that
a gallant gentleman like Angelo Guidascarpi should merit a bloody grave,
but so it was. At the same time he entreated Count Ammiani to rely on his
determination to save him. Major Nagen did not stand far removed from
them. Carlo turned to him and repeated the words of Weisspriess; nor
could Angelo restrain his cousin's vehement renunciation of hope and life
in doing this. He accused Weisspriess of a long evasion of a brave man's
obligation to repair an injury, charged him with cowardice, and requested
Major Nagen, as a man of honour, to drag his brother officer to the duel.
Nagen then said that Major Weisspriess was his superior, adding that his
gallant brother officer had only of late objected to vindicate his
repu