with flags and
rocking upon the waves as if conscious of the precious treasure about to
be confided to it.

A part of the sailors were occupied in unmooring the vessel; even the
harsh grating sound of the capstan could be heard on the wharf. The rest
of the crew manned the masts, and they waved their caps in the air,
shouting:

"_Benvenuto! benvenuto! Viva, viva la nostra signora!_"

At the same time the sound of five or six cannon from the _Il Salvatore_
boomed over the waters, prolonged by the echoes from either side as it
floated down the river. The multitude replied by three cheers, and the
last reverberation of the cannon was lost in the _vivas_ of those on the
shore and ships.

In the meantime parents and friends were bidding adieu. Many tears were
shed, and it was with tearful eyes that Mary Van de Werve received upon
her brow her brothers' kiss.

The _Il Salvatore_ weighed anchor; the sails caught the wind, and the
vessel floated majestically down the river with the tide.

Mr. Van de Werve, Deodati, and their two happy children, entered the bark
which awaited them. Petronilla seated herself beside her mistress. They
exchanged a last adieu, and the eight oars fell simultaneously in the
water. The bark, under the strokes of the robust oarsmen, cut the waves in
a rapid course.

At this moment Geronimo's eyes were filled with tears. Lifting his eyes to
heaven, he said:

"Blessed be Thou, my God, for all the sufferings Thou hast sent me;
blessed be Thou for Thy infinite goodness. I thank Thee for the wife it
has pleased Thee to give me; she will be my companion in my much loved
country. A thousand thanks for all Thy benefits!"

The bark had reached the galley. A ladder was lowered, and, aided by the
sailors, the party ascended the deck. The pilot gave the signal, the sails
were unfurled, the ship rocked for a moment as if courting the breeze,
and then it rapidly cleaved the waves.

The cannon again boomed from the _Il Salvatore_, and again the
acclamations of the crowd rent the air.

* * * * *

The sounds had hardly died away when the spectators, as if impelled by one
thought, immediately retired, and made all speed to reach the central part
of the city.

The crowd which left the wharf so precipitately soon arrived at the grand
square, but they found it already occupied by so compact a mass of human
beings, that it was impossible for them to penetrate it. As far as the