ster) to
prevent their leaving Naples. They declined to interfere, and
advised the mother to go home, and let the matter be settled
between them in England. She took the hint and set off. He
followed, and overtook them at Rome, and there, by representations
to the civil and religious authorities that they were taking away
his wife to prevent her being a Catholic, and make her relapse to
the Protestant faith, he got them to interfere, and their
passports were refused. Such is their story. They have nobody to
advise, assist, or protect them.

[Page Head: MISS KELLY'S ADVENTURE]

I went to La Ferronays, who was all good-nature, and said he
would go with me to Cardinal Albani; but I went first to the
hotel and saw the girl alone, who corroborated all her mother had
said. I wrote down her evidence, and made her sign it, and then
went with the Ambassador to the Cardinal in the Quirinal Palace.
The door of his cabinet was locked, but after a sort of _abbe
suisse_ had knocked a little he came and opened it, and in we
went. He did not recollect my name the last time I saw him, nor
my person this. La Ferronays explained the business, with which
he was already acquainted, partly through Kestner (the Hanoverian
Minister) and partly through the Roman authorities, who had given
him the case of the adventurer, for such he seems to be. The
Cardinal seemed disposed to do nothing (Bunsen assures me he is a
very sensible man, and right-headed and well disposed), and said
she was married. We said, not at all. Then he hummed and hawed,
and stammered and slobbered, and talked of the 'case being in the
hands of the Saint Office [the Inquisition!!] under the eyes of
his Holiness. What could he do?' We fired off a tirade against
the infamy of the action, said that the English tribunals ought
to decide upon the validity of the marriage, that all they wanted
was to go home, that the man might follow and make his claim good
if he could, and that the story (if they were detained here)
would make a noise in England, and would be echoed back to France
by the press of both countries, and that it was very desirable to
avoid such a scandal. He seemed struck with this, and said it
would be best to send them off to settle their disputes at home,
but that they must have patience, that time was necessary and the
case must be examined. We were obliged to be contented with this,
and saying we were sure the case was in good hands (which I
doubt, for he wo