"but you ought, on the contrary, to be
very proud of having such a beautiful piece in your possession. I should
have thought that you would have wished me to tell every one of my
friends, so as to extend the reputation of your shop; but, of course, I
will do as you like, and lock it up until I leave Rome."

She seemed greatly relieved by this assurance; it must have restored or
confirmed her confidence in me, for after a long pause she said,--

"I will tell you the truth, for you are a friend. You saw that man," she
continued; "that miserable wretch, Emmanuel? Well, although I treated
him in so bold and harsh a manner, I must tell you that I am at heart
bitterly afraid of him. He is at once a coward to the strong, and a
tyrant to the weak; one of those despicable characters which get our
nation unjustly aspersed. He really does possess all those vices and
meannesses which are attributed to many who are as noble, true, and good
as you of the Christian race. You will consider me as unmerciful as my
faith, from the manner in which I speak of this abandoned villain; but
the truth is, that I am in the power of a guardian, who, if he knew that
I had this money, would be the first to take it from me; and Emmanuel,
who finds every thing out, will be certain to inform him. You saw the
look he gave when I pushed the foul creature from me. I know that he is
only waiting his opportunity to be revenged upon me. He had the
insolence to ask me to marry him two years since; and upon my refusing
to accept him, he swore that his hatred should some day or another find
me out; so I quite tremble when I see him, however bold I may pretend to
be. But, oh, my heart! Hush! he is standing there below."

She knelt down on the floor, and touched me gently to make me draw back
so as not to be seen by him; but it was too late, he had caught a
glimpse of her through the crevices of the floor. He did not attempt to
come up the stair, but he stood at the foot of it, heaping upon her the
coarsest and most brutal expressions. For a moment, all the fear that
had shortly before marked her countenance had given way to the most
intense hatred. It flashed from her eyes and dilated her nostrils. My
first impulse was to rush forward and turn the man out of the shop; but
the girl saw the movement, and placed her hand on my arm with a
significant look. The color had left her cheeks, and she was again pale
as star-light.

We waited there some minutes, when Em