manded me to forgive you. You shall not die. The grief that your
treachery caused me made me pass all the night sleepless, since I knew
that the letters you had given to the secretary would prove my ruin--and
my one consolation was to believe that in three days I should see you
die in this very cell. But though my mind was full of my
revenge--unworthy of a Christian--at break of day the image of the
Blessed Virgin that you see moved, opened her lips, and said: "Soradici
is under my protection: I would have you pardon him. In reward of your
generosity I will send one of my angels in figure of a man, who shall
descend from heaven to break the roof of the cell, and in five or six
days to release you. To-day this angel will begin his work at three
o'clock, and will work till half an hour before the sun sets, for he
must return to me by daylight. When you escape you will take Soradici
with you, and you will take care of him all his life, on condition that
he quits the profession of a spy for ever." With these words the Blessed
Virgin disappeared.'

At first even the spy's credulity would hardly be persuaded that
Casanova had not dreamed; but when at the appointed hour the sound of
the angel working in the roof was really to be heard, when it lasted
four hours, and ceased again as foretold, all his doubt vanished, and he
was ready to follow Casanova blindly. The thought of once more betraying
him never entered his mind; he believed that the Blessed Virgin herself
was on the side of his companion.

The angel would appear, Casanova told him, on the evening of October 31.
And at the hour appointed Father Balbi, not looking in the least like an
angel, came feet foremost through the ceiling. Casanova embraced him,
left him to guard the spy, and himself ascending through the roof,
crossed over into the other cell and greeted the monk's fellow-prisoner,
Count Andre, who had all this time kept their secret, but, being old and
infirm, had no desire to fly with them.

The next thing was to return into the garret above the two cells, and
set to work to break through the palace roof itself. Most of this task
fell to Casanova, till he reached the great sheet of lead surmounting
the planks, and there the monk's help was necessary. Uniting their
strength, they raised it till an opening was made wide enough to pass
through. But outside the moonlight was too strong, and they would have
been seen from below had they ventured on the roof. The