it
far?" the boy questioned.

"I am afraid it is not very near--three or four kilometres."

Again the children looked at each other, conferring. Afterwards, the boy
shook his head.

"A thousand thanks, Excellency. With your permission, we must not turn
back. We must walk on till later. At night we will find a house."

"They are too proud to own that their house will be a hedge," she said
to Peter, again in English. "Aren't you hungry?" she asked the children.

"No, Excellency. We had bread in the village, below there," answered the
boy.

"You will not come home with me, and have a good dinner, and a good
night's sleep?"

"Pardon, Excellency. With your favour, the father would not wish us to
turn back."

The Duchessa looked at the little girl.

The little girl wore a medal of the Immaculate Conception on a ribbon
round her neck--a forlorn blue ribbon, soiled and frayed.

"Oh, you have a holy medal," said the Duchessa.

"Yes, noble lady," said the girl, dropping a courtesy, and lifting up
her sad little weazened face.

"She has been saying her prayers all along the road," the boy
volunteered.

"That is right," approved the Duchessa. "You have not made your First
Communion yet, have you?"

"No, Excellency," said the girl. "I shall make it next year."

"And you?" the Duchessa asked the boy.

"I made mine at Corpus Christi," said the boy, with a touch of pride.

The Duchessa turned to Peter.

"Do you know, I haven't a penny in my pocket. I have come out without my
purse."

"How much ought one to give them?" Peter asked.

"Of course, there is the fear that they might be robbed," she reflected.
"If one should give them a note of any value, they would have to change
it; and they would probably be robbed. What to do?"

"I will speak to the boy," said Peter. "Would you like to go to Turin by
train?" he asked.

The boy and girl looked at each other. "Yes, Excellency," said the boy.

"But if I give you money for your fare, will you know how to take care
of it--how to prevent people from robbing you?"

"Oh, yes, Excellency."

"You could take the train this evening, at Venzona, about two kilometres
from here, in the direction you are walking. In an hour or two you would
arrive at Milan; there you would change into the train for Turin. You
would be at Turin to-morrow morning."

"Yes, Excellency."

"But if I give you money, you will not let people rob you? If I give you
a hundred lire?"

The boy d