e to the usher to be shown to Bruno.

"It is," said Bruno.

"Sure of it?"

"Sure."

"You see it is a letter addressed to your wife?"

"I see. But you needn't go on washing the donkey's head, Mister--I know
what you are getting at."

"You must not speak like that to him, Rocco," said the president.
"Remember, he is the honourable representative of the law."

"Mustn't I, Excellency? Then tell his honourableness that David Rossi
and my wife are like brother and sister, and anybody who makes evil of
that isn't stuff to take with a pair of tongs."

Saying this, Bruno flung the letter back on to the table.

"Don't you want to read it?"

"Not I! It's somebody else's correspondence, and I'm not an honourable
representative of the law."

"Then permit me to read it to you," said the Public Prosecutor, and
taking the letter out of the envelope he began in a loud voice:

"'Dearest Elena....'"

"That's nothing," Bruno interrupted. "They're like brother and sister, I
tell you."

The Public Prosecutor went on reading:

"'I continue to be overwhelmed with grief for the death of our poor
little Joseph.'"

"That's right! That's David Rossi. He loved the boy the same as if he
had been his own son. Go on."

"'... Our child--your child--my child, Elena.'"

"Nothing wrong there. Don't try to make mischief of that," cried Bruno.

"'But now that the boy is gone, and Bruno is in prison, perhaps for
years, the obstacles must be removed which have hitherto prevented you
from joining your life to mine and living for me, as I have always lived
for you. Come to me then, my dear one, my beloved....'"

Here Bruno, who had been stepping forward at every word, snatched the
letter out of the Public Prosecutor's hand.

"Stop that! Don't go reading out of the back of your head," he cried.

No one protested, everybody felt that whatever he did this injured man
must be left alone. Roma felt a roaring in her ears, and for some
minutes she could scarcely command herself. In a vague way she was
conscious of the same struggle in her own heart as was going on in the
heart of Bruno. This, then, was what the Baron referred to when he spoke
of Rossi being untrue to her, and of the proof of his disloyalty in his
own handwriting.

Bruno, who was running his eyes over the letter, read parts of it aloud
in a low husky voice:

"'And now that the boy is gone and Bruno is in prison ... perhaps for
years ... the obstacles must be removed....'