veiled. Natalie glanced at her lover again; there was a strange look in
his face, but not of pain or fear.

"My dear young lady," said Von Zoesch, in his pleasantest way, "we have
nothing but good news to communicate to you, so you must not be alarmed.
You are among friends. We are going away to-day; we all wish to say
good-bye to you, and wish you a happy journey back to England; that is
all. But I will tell you that my first object in asking you to come here
was to give you a good rating; when you and I should have been alone
together I would have asked you if you had no consideration for old
friends, that you should have turned away from my colleague, Calabressa,
and wounded him grievously. I would have reminded you that it was not
he, but you yourself, who put the machinery in motion which secured your
father's righteous conviction."

"I ask you to spare me, signore," the girl said, in a low and trembling
voice.

"Oh, I am not now going to scold you, my dear young lady. I intended to
have done so. I intended to have shown you that you were wrong, and
exceedingly ungrateful, and that you ought to ask pardon of my friend
Calabressa. However, it is all changed. You need not fear him any more;
you need not turn away from him. Your father is pardoned, and free!"

She looked up, uncertain, as if she had not heard aright.

"I repeat: your father is pardoned, and free. You shall learn how and
why afterward. Meanwhile you have nothing before you, as I take it, but
to reap the reward of your bravery."

She did not hear this last sentence. She had turned quickly to her
mother.

"Mother, do you hear?" she said in a whisper.

"Yes, yes, child: thank God!"

"Now, you see, my dear young lady," Von Zoesch continued, "it is not a
scolding, but good news I have given you; and nothing remains but that
you should bid us good-bye, and say you are not sorry you appealed to us
when you were in trouble, according to the advice of your good friend
Calabressa. See, I have brought here with me a gentleman whom you know,
and who will see you safe back to Naples, and to England; and another,
his companion, who is also, I understand, an old friend of yours: you
will have a pleasant party. Your father will be sent to join in a good
cause, where he may retrieve his name if he chooses; you and your
friends go back to England. So I may say that all your wishes are
gratified at last, and we have nothing now but to say good-bye!"

The gir