elf."

"Some one would care, signore; you have a mother."

He took her hand.

"And a daughter, too," he said, lightly; "if the wicked little minx
would only listen. Then you know what you must say to the man whom you
will see at the wine-vaults; you must say this, 'Brother, I come with a
message from Calabressa; it is the daughter of Natalie Berezolyi who
demands your help.' Then do you know what will happen? From the next
morning you will be under the protection of the greatest power in
Europe; a power unknown but invincible; a power that no one dares to
disobey. Ah, little one, you will find out what the friends of
Calabressa can do for you when you appeal to them!"

He smiled proudly.

"_Allons!_ Put this card away in a secret place. Do not show it to any
one; let no one know the name I confided to you. Can you remember it,
little daughter?"

"Bartolotti."

"Good! Now that is one point settled; here is the next. You do not seem
to have any portrait of your mother, my little one?"

"Ah, no!" she exclaimed, quickly; for she was more interested now. "I
suppose my father could not bear to be reminded of his loss: if there is
any portrait, I have not seen it; and how could I ask him?"

He regarded her for a moment, and then he spoke more slowly than
hitherto:

"Little Natalushka, I told you I am going away; and who knows what may
happen to me? I have no money or land to leave to any one; if I had a
wife and children, the only name I could leave them would be the name of
a jailbird. If I were to leave a will behind me, it would read, 'My
heart to my beloved Italia; my curse to Austria; and my--'Ah, yes, after
all I have something to leave to the little Natalushka."

He put his hand, which trembled somewhat, into the breast of his coat,
and brought out a small leather case.

"I am about to give you my greatest treasure, little one; my only
treasure. I think you will value it."

He opened the case and handed it to her; inside there was a miniature,
painted on ivory; it might have been a portrait of Natalie herself. For
some time the girl did not say a word, but her eyes slowly filled with
tears.

"She was very beautiful signore," she murmured.

"Ah little daughter," he said, cheerfully, "I am glad to see the
portrait in safe-keeping at last. Many a risk I have run with it; many a
time I have had to hide it. And you must hide it too; let no one see it
but yourself. But now you will give me one of your own