f half a dozen men in
her, and the courage of an army, as she rose to her feet once more. She
had seen him. He was not a big man. If she could catch him from behind,
as she had caught the woman, she might perhaps overpower him. With the
thought of near revenge the last ray of caution disappeared, and from
being fearless Regina became suddenly reckless.

But as she rose, she heard a sound overhead, and it was the unmistakable
sound of footsteps. She started in surprise. It was simply impossible
that Settimia should have loosed the cord that bound her. Regina had
been brought up in the low hill country and in the Campagna, and she
could tie some of the knots used by Roman muleteers and carters, which
hold as well as those men learn at sea. She had tied Settimia very
firmly, and short of a miracle the woman could not have freed herself.
Yet the footsteps had been distinctly audible for a moment. Since
Settimia was not walking about, Corbario must have got into the room.
Yet Regina had locked the door, and had the key in her pocket. It was
perfectly incomprehensible. She left the sitting-room again, carrying
her candle as before; but at the door she turned back, and set the
candle-stick upon the table. She would be safer in the dark, and would
have a better chance of taking Corbario by surprise.

Poor Regina had not grown up amongst people who had a high standard of
honour, and her own ideas about right and wrong were primitive, to speak
charitably. But if she had dreamt of the deed that was being done
upstairs, her heart would have stood still, and she would have felt sick
at the mere thought of such villainy.

She had left the room and locked the door, and while her footsteps had
been audible on the stairs no other sound had broken the stillness. But
a few seconds later a whispered question came from some person out of
sight.

"Is she gone?" the whisper asked.

"Yes," answered Settimia in a very low voice, which she knew Regina
could not hear.

Corbario's pale face cautiously emerged from the closet in which he had
been hidden, and he looked round the room before he stepped out.
Settimia could not turn over to see him, but she heard him coming
towards her.

"Cut this cord," she said in an undertone. "Make haste! We can be out of
the house in less than half a minute."

Corbario knelt beside her, and took out a handsome English clasp-knife.
But he did not cut the cord. He looked down into Settimia's face, and
she