It had occurred to Fabrizi and a few
other leading Florentines that this was a propitious moment for a bold
effort to reform the press-laws.

"Of course," the dramatist Lega had said, when the subject was first
broached to him; "it would be impossible to start a newspaper till we
can get the press-law changed; we should not bring out the first number.
But we may be able to run some pamphlets through the censorship already;
and the sooner we begin the sooner we shall get the law changed."

He was now explaining in Fabrizi's library his theory of the line which
should be taken by liberal writers at the moment.

"There is no doubt," interposed one of the company, a gray-haired
barrister with a rather drawling manner of speech, "that in some way we
must take advantage of the moment. We shall not see such a favourable
one again for bringing forward serious reforms. But I doubt the
pamphlets doing any good. They will only irritate and frighten the
government instead of winning it over to our side, which is what we
really want to do. If once the authorities begin to think of us as
dangerous agitators our chance of getting their help is gone."

"Then what would you have us do?"

"Petition."

"To the Grand Duke?"

"Yes; for an augmentation of the liberty of the press."

A keen-looking, dark man sitting by the window turned his head round
with a laugh.

"You'll get a lot out of petitioning!" he said. "I should have thought
the result of the Renzi case was enough to cure anybody of going to work
that way."

"My dear sir, I am as much grieved as you are that we did not succeed in
preventing the extradition of Renzi. But really--I do not wish to hurt
the sensibilities of anyone, but I cannot help thinking that our failure
in that case was largely due to the impatience and vehemence of some
persons among our number. I should certainly hesitate----"

"As every Piedmontese always does," the dark man interrupted sharply. "I
don't know where the vehemence and impatience lay, unless you found them
in the strings of meek petitions we sent in. That may be vehemence for
Tuscany or Piedmont, but we should not call it particularly vehement in
Naples."

"Fortunately," remarked the Piedmontese, "Neapolitan vehemence is
peculiar to Naples."

"There, there, gentlemen, that will do!" the professor put in.
"Neapolitan customs are very good things in their way and Piedmontese
customs in theirs; but just now we are in Tuscany, and th