ted without the fulfilment of various
conditions prescribed by law. One of those conditions is that some one
should be in a position to denounce him."

The Pope half rose from his chair. "You ask me to denounce him?"

The Baron bowed very low. "The Government does not presume so far," he
said. "It only hopes that your Holiness will require your informant to
do so."

"Then you want me to outrage a confidence?"

"It was not a confession, your Holiness, and even if it had been, as
your Holiness knows better than we do, it would not be without precedent
to reveal the facts which are necessary to be known in order to prevent
crime."

The Capuchin's sandals were scraping on the floor, but the Pope raised
his left hand, and the friar fell back.

"You are aware," said the Pope, "that the lady you speak of as my
informant is married to the Deputy?"

"We are aware that she thinks she is."

"Thinks?" said the indignant voice of the Capuchin, but the Pope's left
hand was raised again.

"In short, sir, you ask me to require the wife to sacrifice her
husband."

"If your Holiness calls it so,--to perform an act that will preserve the
public peace...."

"I _do_ call it so."

The Baron bowed, the young King was restless, and there was a moment's
silence. Then the Pope said:

"Putting aside the extreme unlikelihood that the lady knows more than
she has said, and we have already communicated, what possible inducement
do you expect us to offer her that she should sacrifice her husband?"

"Her husband's life," said the Baron.

"His life?"

"Your Holiness may not know that the Governments of Europe, having
ascertained the existence of a widespread plot against civil society,
have joined in measures of repression. One of these is the extension to
all countries of what is called the Belgian clause in treaties, whereby
persons guilty of regicide or of plots directed against the lives of
sovereigns are made liable to extradition."

"Well?"

"The Deputy Rossi is now in Berlin. If he were denounced with the
conditions required by law as conspiring against the life of the King,
we might have him arrested to-night and brought back as a common
murderer."

"Well?"

"Your Holiness may not have heard that since the late unhappy riots the
Parliament, in spite of the protests of his Majesty, has re-established
capital punishment for all forms of high treason."

"Therefore," said the Pope, "if the wife were to denounce her hus