er it
was, it need not disturb me now. Roma Roselli is _not_ dead, and it
would be easy to bring people from England to say so."

"You daren't! You know you daren't! It would expose them to persecution
for perpetrating a crime."

"In England, not in Italy."

Roma's red eyes fell, and the Baron began to speak in a caressing voice:

"My child, don't fence with me. It is so painful to silence you.... It
is perhaps natural that you should sympathise with the weaker side. That
is the sweet and tender if illogical way of all women. But you must not
imagine that when David Rossi has been arrested he will be walked off to
his death. As a matter of fact, he must go through a new trial, he must
be defended, his sentence would in any case be reduced to imprisonment,
and it may even be wiped out altogether. That's all."

"All? And you ask me to help you to do that?"

"Certainly."

"I won't!"

"Then you could if you would?"

"I can't!"

"Your first word was the better one, my child."

"Very well, I won't! I won't! Aren't you ashamed to ask me to do such a
thing? According to your own story, David Leone was my father's friend,
yet you wish me to give him up to the law that he may be imprisoned,
perhaps for life, and at least turned out of Parliament. Do you suppose
I am capable of treachery like that? Do you judge of everybody by
yourself?... Ah, I know that story too! For shame! For shame!"

The Baron was silent for a moment, and then said in an impassive voice:

"I will not discuss that subject with you now, my child--you are
excited, and don't quite know what you are saying. I will only point out
to you that even if David Leone was your father's friend, David Rossi
was your own enemy."

"What of that? It's my own affair, isn't it? If I choose to forgive him,
what matter is it to anybody else? I _do_ forgive him! Now, whose
business is it except my own?"

"My dear Roma, I might tell you that it's mine also, and that the
insult that went through you was aimed at me. But I will not speak of
myself.... That you should change your plans so entirely, and setting
out a month ago to ... to ... shall I say betray ... this man Rossi, you
are now striving to save him, is a problem which admits of only one
explanation, and that is that ... that you...."

"That I love him--yes, that's the truth," said Roma boldly, but flushing
up to the eyes and trembling with fear.

There was a death-like pause in the duel. Both dropped