God must be
built by patient day's work. Such builders Europe could not bring to the
front. The Pope retreated before the logical sequence of his own
initiative. France elected for her chief a born despot of the meaner
order, whose first act was to overthrow the Roman Republic. Germany had
dreamed of freedom, but had not dreamed of the way to secure it.
Reaction everywhere asserted itself. The light of the great hope died
down.

Coming to Rome while these events were still fresh in men's minds, I
could see no trace of them in the popular life. The waters were still as
death; the wrecks did not appear above the surface. I met occasionally
Italians who could talk calmly of what had happened. Of such an one I
asked, "Why did Pio Nono so suddenly forsake his liberal policy?" "Oh,
the Pope was a puppet moved from without. He never rightly understood
the import of his first departure. When the natural result of this came
about, he fled from it in terror." These things were spoken of only in
the secrecy of very private interviews. In general intercourse they were
not mentioned. Now and then, a servant, lamenting the dearness of
necessaries, the paper money, etc., would say, "And this has been
brought about by blessed [_benedetto_] Pio Nono!" People of higher
condition eulogized thus the pontiff's predecessor: "Gregorio was at
least a man of decided views. He knew what he wanted and how to obtain
it." Once only, in a village not far distant from Rome, I heard an
Italian peasant woman say to a prince, "We [her family] are
Republicans." Victor Emmanuel, Cavour, Garibaldi, your time was not yet
come.

The French were not beloved in Rome. I was told that the mass of the
people would not endure the license of their conquerors in the matter of
sex, and that assassinations in consequence were frequent. In high
society it was said that a French officer had endeavored to compel one
of the Roman princes to invite to his ball a lady of doubtful
reputation, by threatening to send a challenge in case of refusal. The
invitation was nevertheless withheld, and the challenge, if sent, was
never accepted. In the English and American circles which I frequented,
I sometimes felt called upon to fight for the claim of Italy to freedom
and self-government. At a dinner party, at which the altercation had
been rather lively, I was invited to entertain the company with some
music. Seating myself at the piano, I made it ring out the Marseillaise
with