nces.

"Give me the hand," he said.

The Gadfly, with a face as hard as beaten iron, held out the hand,
and Montanelli, after bathing the injured place, gently bandaged it.
Evidently he was accustomed to such work.

"I will speak about the irons," he said. "And now I want to ask you
another question: What do you propose to do?"

"Th-th-that is very simply answered, Your Eminence. To escape if I can,
and if I can't, to die."

"Why 'to die'?"

"Because if the Governor doesn't succeed in getting me shot, I shall be
sent to the galleys, and for me that c-c-comes to the same thing. I have
not got the health to live through it."

Montanelli rested his arm on the table and pondered silently. The Gadfly
did not disturb him. He was leaning back with half-shut eyes, lazily
enjoying the delicious physical sensation of relief from the chains.

"Supposing," Montanelli began again, "that you were to succeed in
escaping; what should you do with your life?"

"I have already told Your Eminence; I should k-k-kill rats."

"You would kill rats. That is to say, that if I were to let you escape
from here now,--supposing I had the power to do so,--you would use your
freedom to foster violence and bloodshed instead of preventing them?"

The Gadfly raised his eyes to the crucifix on the wall. "'Not peace,
but a sword';--at l-least I should be in good company. For my own part,
though, I prefer pistols."

"Signor Rivarez," said the Cardinal with unruffled composure, "I have
not insulted you as yet, or spoken slightingly of your beliefs or
friends. May I not expect the same courtesy from you, or do you wish me
to suppose that an atheist cannot be a gentleman?"

"Ah, I q-quite forgot. Your Eminence places courtesy high among the
Christian virtues. I remember your sermon in Florence, on the occasion
of my c-controversy with your anonymous defender."

"That is one of the subjects about which I wished to speak to you. Would
you mind explaining to me the reason of the peculiar bitterness you seem
to feel against me? If you have simply picked me out as a convenient
target, that is another matter. Your methods of political controversy
are your own affair, and we are not discussing politics now. But I
fancied at the time that there was some personal animosity towards me;
and if so, I should be glad to know whether I have ever done you wrong
or in any way given you cause for such a feeling."

Ever done him wrong! The Gadfly put up the ban