wn the Via Condotti again, he looked over his shoulder
towards the steps, and he saw that Stefanone was gone. As he walked
along the street, the whole incident began to fade away in his mind, as
all real matters so often did, nowadays. All at once he stopped short,
and roused himself by an effort--directing his double, as he would have
said, perhaps. There was no denying the fact that a man's life was
hanging in the balance of a chance, and to the man, if not to Griggs,
that life was worth something. If it had been any other man in the
world, even that fact would have left him indifferent enough. Why should
he care who lived or died? But Dalrymple was a man he had injured, and
he was under an obligation of honour to save him, if he could.

There was only one person in Rome who could help him--Francesca
Campodonico. She knew much of what had happened; she might perhaps
understand the present case. At all events, even if she had not seen
Lord Redin of late, she could not be supposed to have broken relations
with him; she could send for him and warn him. The case was urgent, as
Griggs knew. After what he had said to Stefanone, the latter, if he
meant to kill his man, would not lose a day.

CHAPTER XLV.

IT was past midday when Paul Griggs reached the Palazzetto Borgia and
inquired for Donna Francesca. He was told that she was out. It was her
custom, the porter said, always to breakfast on Sundays with her
relatives, the Prince and Princess of Gerano. Griggs asked at what time
she might be expected to return. The porter put on a vague look and said
that it was impossible to tell. Sometimes she went to Saint Peter's on
Sunday afternoon, to hear Vespers. Vespers began at twenty-two o'clock,
or half-past twenty-two--between half-past three and four by French
time, at that season of the year.

Griggs turned away, and wandered about for half an hour in the vicinity
of the palace, uncertain as to what he should do, and yet determined not
to lose sight of the necessity for immediate action of some sort. At
last he went back to the Piazza di Spagna, intending to write a word of
warning to Lord Redin, though he knew that the latter would pay very
little attention to anything of such a nature. Like most foreigners, he
would laugh at the idea of being attacked in the streets. Even in an
interview it would not be easy to persuade him of the truth which Griggs
had discovered more by intuition and through his profound knowledg