hands of a
huge fellow in a red woollen cap. The _sbirro_ who saw him do it marked
the sailor and his vessel, and never lost sight of him till he hoisted
his jib and floated away down stream. Then the spy took horse and
galloped down to Fiumicino, where he waited for the little vessel,
boarded her from a boat, escorted by a couple of gendarmes, and had no
difficulty in taking the letter from the terrified seaman, who was glad
enough to escape without detention. During the next fortnight several
letters were stopped in this way, carried by different sailors, and the
whole correspondence went straight to the Cardinal. It was not often that
he troubled himself to play the detective in person, but when he did so,
he was not easily baffled. And now he observed that about a week after
the interception of the first letter the small drafts which used to come
so frequently to Del Ferice's address from Florence suddenly ceased,
proving beyond a doubt that each letter was paid for according to its
value so soon as it was received.

With regard to the contents of these epistles little need be said. So
sure was Del Ferice of his means of transmission that he did not even use
a cipher, though he, of course, never signed any of his writings. The
matter was invariably a detailed chronicle of Roman sayings and doings, a
record as minute as Del Ferice could make it, of everything that took
place, and even the Cardinal himself was astonished at the accuracy of
the information thus conveyed. His own appearances in public--the names
of those with whom he talked--even fragments of his conversation--were
given with annoying exactness. The statesman learned with infinite
disgust that he had for some time past been subjected to a system of
espionage at least as complete as any of his own invention; and, what was
still more annoying to his vanity, the spy was the man of all others whom
he had most despised, calling him harmless and weak, because he cunningly
affected weakness. Where or how Del Ferice procured so much information
the Cardinal cared little enough, for he determined there and then that
he should procure no more. That there were other traitors in the camp was
more than likely, and that they had aided Del Ferice with their counsels;
but though by prolonging the situation it might be possible to track them
down, such delay would be valuable to enemies abroad. Moreover, if Del
Ferice began to find out, as he soon must, that his private