"Do you know, M. della Rebbia, you frighten me! The air of this island
of yours seems not only to give people fevers, but to drive them mad.
Luckily we shall be leaving it soon!"

"Not without coming to Pietranera--you have promised my sister that."

"And if we were to fail in that promise, we should bring down some
terrible vengeance on our heads, no doubt!"

"Do you remember that story your father was telling us, the other day,
about the Indians who threatened the company's agents that, if they
would not grant their prayer, they would starve themselves to death?"

"That means that you would starve yourself to death! I doubt it very
much! You would go hungry for one day and then Mademoiselle Colomba
would bring you such a tempting _bruccio_[*] that you would quite
relinquish your plan."

[*] A sort of baked cream cheese, a national dish in Corsica.

"Your jests are cruel, Miss Nevil. You might spare me. Listen, I am
alone here; I have no one but you to prevent me from going mad, as you
call it. You have been my guardian angel, and now----!"

"Now," said Miss Lydia gravely, "to steady this reason of yours, which
is so easily shaken, you have the honour of a soldier and a man, and,"
she added, turning away to pluck a flower, "if that will be any help to
you, you have the memory of your guardian angel, too!"

"Ah, Miss Nevil, if I could only think you really take some interest!"

"Listen, M. della Rebbia," said Miss Nevil, with some emotion. "As you
are a child, I will treat you as I would treat a child. When I was a
little girl my mother gave me a beautiful necklace, which I had longed
for greatly; but she said to me, 'Every time you put on this necklace,
remember you do not know French yet.' The necklace lost some of its
value in my eyes, it was a source of constant self-reproach. But I
wore it, and in the end I knew French. Do you see this ring? It is an
Egyptian scarabaeus, found, if you please, in a pyramid. That strange
figure, which you may perhaps take for a bottle, stands for '_human
life_.' There are certain people in my country to whom this hieroglyphic
should appear exceedingly appropriate. This, which comes after it, is a
shield upon an arm, holding a lance; that means '_struggle_, _battle_.'
Thus the two characters, together, form this motto, which strikes me
as a fine one, '_Life is a battle_.' Pray do not fancy I can translate
hieroglyphics at sight! It was a man learned in such matters who
expla