ve been born, should have
lived under your roof. You would not have it. Your punishment shall be
death everlasting!"

The eyes alone, the staring, sad, pitiful eyes said all these things at
once. The Marchesa uttered a long groan, and stretched out her arms
towards the apparition, trying to say something, and succeeding only in
gasping out: "Ah--ah--ah--" while the hands, the arms, the shoulders of
the phantom vanished in a mist, the outlines of its face became blurred,
and only the gaze remained, staring intently, and then finally becoming
veiled was absorbed, as it were, into a deep and distant Self, nothing
remaining of the apparition save a slight phosphorescence which was
presently lost in the darkness.

The Marchesa awoke with a start. In her agitation she forgot the bell,
and tried to call out, but could not raise her voice. By an effort of
her will, which was still strong in spite of her failing bodily
strength, she thrust her legs out of bed, and stood upright. She
staggered forward a step or two in the dark, stumbling against the
easy-chair, and clutched at another chair, dragging it down with her as
she fell heavily to the ground, where she lay moaning.

The noise of the fall roused the maid, who called out to her mistress,
but receiving no answer, and hearing the moaning, she lighted her candle
and hastened into the room, where, in the dim light between the armchair
and the bed she saw something large and white that was writhing on the
floor like some huge marine monster, that has been cast upon the shore.
She screamed and rushed to the bell, rousing the whole house at once,
and then hastened to help the old woman, who was groaning: "The priest!
The priest! The prefect! The prefect!"

FOOTNOTE:

[P] Ambrosian: From St. Ambrose, patron of Milan. Therefore, Milanese.
[_Translator's note._]

CHAPTER XIII

FLIGHT

At half-past two that same night Franco, Lawyer V., and their friend
Pedraglio were sitting in the loggia in the dark, and in silence.
Suddenly Pedraglio started up exclaiming: "What can that fool be about?"
Going out to the terrace he listened a moment and then returned to the
room. "No sign of him," said he. "Oh, I say! Are we to sit here like
idiots and wait for them to come and take us, and all on account of that
silly ass, who has probably fallen asleep? Maironi, you are fairly well
acquainted with the road, and we all three have plenty of courage. If it
should be necessary to