e at his side walked a
slim, tall young woman wrapped warmly in a rich fur coat. The diamonds
in her fair hair gleamed in the moonlight, but unfortunately she had
passed into the shadow before I could gain a glimpse of her features.

So that was the intended victim--the woman to whom the dangerous
contents of that tiny glass tube was one day, sooner or later, to be
administered.

They went forward towards the edge of the placid lake, hence I sprang
upon the grass and followed them as noiseless as a cat. Little did the
owner of the great Villa Clementini dream that I was lurking in such
close vicinity.

They halted beside one of the ancient statues of yellow marble, a
heavy-limbed representation of Bacchus crowned with vine leaves, where
they admired the fairy-like scene. It was indeed glorious. Beneath the
pale moonlight lay the placid lake like a mirror, for no breath
stirred from the mountains, and beyond in the mystic light rose the
snow-capped peaks far away beyond the chestnut forests of Vallombrosa.

There is a charm in all seasons and at all hours about those ancient
villas of Tuscany; those country mansions of the nobles which have
seen the tramp of men in armour and in plush, and bear upon them the
crumbling escutcheons of races which have been rulers for five
centuries, and whose present descendants are perhaps waiters in Paris,
London, or New York.

The English visitors to Florence see outside the Florence Club
effeminate elegants in English-made suits of blue serge, and brown
boots, and they sigh to think that such specimens of humanity are the
representatives of a noble race. Disguise it as you may, poor Italy is
sadly decadent. Her glory has passed, her _nobile_ are ruined and her
labour enemies are, alas! bent upon putting her into the melting-pot.
The gallant Italian army fought valiantly against the Tedesci. It
saved Venice from the heel of the invader and it protected Dalmatia,
where the population are Italians. But Italy to-day is not Italy of
pre-war days, thanks to its paid agitators and its political scandals.

With the bright moon shining across the huge oleander beneath which I
had again taken cover, I listened intently. But De Gex speaking with
his guest was too far off for me to distinguish anything he said.

That he treated her with the greatest courtesy was apparent. And that
he spoke to her with the most entire confidence I realized by my own
observation.

At once I stole noiseless