n, kissed them, and, sinking upon his knees,
pressed them to his forehead. How much had he not lived through since
that day when he had cast that look of proud defiance across his
father's grave!

* * *

Mansana never got beyond the corridor of that house. When his mother
and Theresa left him, to take farewell of their hostess, he hurried out
before them, secretly anxious to replace a certain key within a gate,
unseen; anxious also to fling from him, to the bottom of the sea, a
revolver, the very thought of which now filled him with shame and
remorse. This act accomplished, he sank down by the roadside,
overwhelmed by emotions in which fear, joy, thankfulness and
self-distrust were all inextricably mingled; and in this position, with
his face buried in his hands, he was discovered by the other two, who,
followed by the servant with the luggage, soon overtook him, on their
way to the railway station. They travelled together, and in a few words
Mansana heard how this meeting had come about. After information which
Sardi had given them, they had sought Luigi, in the belief that he
would know what had become of the Brandinis, and that, sooner or later,
Mansana would be certain to make his way to them. Luigi's valiant
candour had, no doubt, been due to his knowledge that Mansana's mother
and Theresa had already discovered the Brandinis, and were even then
with them.

Mansana listened to all this, but remained speechless still. His
mother, watching him, grew anxious, and pleading her own fatigue as an
excuse, insisted on resting awhile in Naples. She selected for this
purpose an hotel that was in a quiet and secluded part of the town, and
there at last, after much resistance, she succeeded in inducing Mansana
to go to bed. Once asleep it seemed as though he would never wake, and
it was not until late the following day that he at last opened his
eyes. He found himself alone and felt confused and nervous, but a few
small things about the room soon brought Theresa and his mother to his
recollection, and with his thoughts on them, he lay back quietly and
slept like a contented child. This time, however, it was not long
before he was awakened by a feeling of hunger, and this satisfied, he
slept again, almost unintermittently, for several days and nights. When
at last he awoke he was quite calm, but oppressed by a gloomy reserve
and desire to shrink more and more within himself. T