de his gaze.

"Whoever she is she must know more," he said in a severe voice, "and
whatever it is she must reveal it."

Roma got up, looking very pale, and feeling very feeble. When she
reached the door the Baron was smiling and holding out his hand.

"Will you not shake hands with me?" he said.

"What is the use?" she answered. "When people shake hands it means that
they wish each other well. You do not wish me well. You are trying to
force me to betray my husband.... _But I'll die first_," she said, and
then turned and fled.

When Roma was gone the Baron wrote a letter to the Pope:

"YOUR HOLINESS,--Providential accident, as your chamberlain would
tell you, has enabled his Majesty's Government to judge for itself
of that source of your Holiness's information which your Holiness
very properly refused to reveal. At the same time official
channels have disclosed to his Majesty's Government the nature of
the conspiracy of which your Holiness so patriotically forewarned
them. This conspiracy appears to be no less serious than an
attempt to assassinate the King, but as detailed knowledge of so
vile a plot is necessary in order to save the life of our august
sovereign, his Majesty's Government asks you to grant the Prime
Minister the honour of an audience with your Holiness in the cause
of order and public security. Hoping to hear of your Holiness's
convenience, and trusting that your Holiness will not disappoint
the hopes of those who are dreaming even yet of a reconciliation
of Church and State, I am, with all reverence, your Holiness's
faithful son and servant, BONELLI."

IX

Roma went home full of uncertainty, and wrote in a nervous and
straggling hand a hasty letter to Rossi.

"My dearest," she said, "your letter reached me safely last evening, and
though I cannot answer it properly at the present moment, I must send a
brief reply by mid-day's mail, because there are two or three things it
is imperative I should say immediately.

"The first is that I wrote you a very important letter to London twelve
days ago, and it is clear that you have not yet received it. The
contents were of the greatest seriousness and also of the greatest
secrecy, and I should die if any other eye than yours were to read
them; therefore do not lose a moment until you ask for the letter to be
sent after you