g again immediately with the wine and
glasses.

"Count Cavour!" said Pedraglio in a low tone. All raised their glasses
repeating: "Count Cavour!" Then they drank, even Luisa, who never took
wine.

Pedraglio refilled the glasses and again rose to his feet.

"War!" said he.

The three others sprang up, clutching their glasses in silence, too
deeply moved to speak.

"We must all go!" said Pedraglio.

"All!" Franco repeated. Luisa kissed him impetuously on the shoulder.
Her husband seized her head in both hands, and imprinted a kiss upon her
hair.

One of the windows towards the lake was open. In the silence that
followed the kiss, they heard the measured dip of oars.

"The customs-guards," whispered Franco. While the guards' long-boat was
passing beneath the window, Pedraglio said: "D---- hogs!" in such a loud
tone, that the others hushed him. The long-boat floated past. Franco
looked out of the window.

It was cool; the moon was sinking towards the hills of Carona, streaking
the lake with long, gilded stripes. What a strange sensation it gave him
to contemplate that quiet solitude, with a great war so near at hand!
The dark, sad mountains seemed to be thinking of the formidable future.
Franco closed the window, and the conversation began again in low tones
round the little table. Each one had his own suppositions concerning
future events, and all spoke of these events as of a drama, of which the
manuscript was lying quite ready, down to the very last verse, with all
its stops and commas in place, in Count Cavour's writing-desk. V., who
was a Bonapartist, saw clearly that Napoleon intended to avenge his
uncle, overthrowing one after another, the parties to the Holy Alliance;
to-day Russia, to-morrow Austria. But Franco, on the other hand, who was
mistrustful of the emperor, attributed the Sardinian alliance to the
good-will of England, but acknowledged that as soon as this alliance
would be proclaimed, Austria, sacrificing her own interests to
principles and hatred, would cast in her lot with Russia, and therefore
Napoleon would be obliged to fight her. "Listen," said his wife, "I am
afraid Austria will come over to the side of Piedmont," "Impossible!"
said the lawyer. Franco felt alarmed, and admired the acuteness of the
observation, but Pedraglio exclaimed: "Nonsense! Those blockheads are
too great asses to think out a trick like that!" This argument appeared
decisive, and no one save Luisa gave the possibili