go through, below the shoulder-blade, at
the height of the small ribs on the left side. His lips were parted and
dry.

There was a loud scream of anger, a tremendous clattering noise, and a
sound of feet. Stefanone turned suddenly pale, and his hand went to the
bottom of his pocket again.

On an open doorstep lay a copper 'conca'--the Roman water jar--a
wretched dog was rushing down the street with something in its mouth, in
front of Lord Redin, a woman was pursuing it with yells, swinging a
small wooden stool in her right hand, to throw it at the dog, and the
neighbours were on their doorsteps in a moment. Stefanone slunk under
the shadow of the wall, grinding his teeth. The chance was gone. The
streets beyond were broader and more populous.

Lord Redin went steadily onward, evidently familiar with every turn of
the way, down to the Tiber, across the Bridge of Quattro Capi, and over
the island of Saint Bartholomew to Trastevere, turning then to the right
through the straight Lungaretta, past Santa Maria and under the heights
of San Pietro in Montorio, and so to the Lungara and by Santo Spirito to
the Piazza of Saint Peter's. He walked fast, and Stefanone twice wiped
the perspiration from his forehead on the way, for he was nervous from
the tension and the disappointment, and felt suddenly weak.

The Scotchman never paused, but crossed the vast square and went up the
steps of the basilica. He was evidently going to hear the Vespers. Then
Stefanone, instead of following him into the church, sat down outside
the wine shop on the right, just opposite the end of the Colonnade. He
ordered a measure of wine and prepared to wait, for he guessed that Lord
Redin would remain in the church at least an hour.

CHAPTER XLVI.

LORD REDIN lifted the heavy leathern curtain of the door on the right of
the main entrance to the basilica, and went into the church. For some
reason or other, the majority of people go in by that door rather than
the other. It may be that the reason is a very simple one, after all.
Most people are right handed, and of any two doors side by side leading
into the same place, will instinctively take the one on the right. The
practice of passing to the left in the street, in almost all old
countries, was for the sake of safety, in order that a man might have
his sword hand towards any one he met.

The air of the church was warm, and had a faint odour of incense in it.
The temperature of the vast bu