ibre, but the
charge had been heavy and the damage was considerable. Pica had the
sense not to attempt to make any bandage beyond laying two soft folded
handkerchiefs one upon the other to the wound and loosely confining
them with a silk one. While he was busy with this, he explained what
he had done. The Captain, who knew that he was badly hurt and guessed
that he might be lamed for life by unskilful treatment, was glad to
hear that the famous Pieri had been called. He said that he felt no
pain worth speaking of, and he questioned his man as to the latter's
impression of what had happened. Pica did not believe in anarchists
and gave it as his opinion that the ruffian was an ordinary bad
character who was in daily expectation of being arrested for some
crime and who had fallen asleep in his cups, not knowing that he was
close to the magazine. Being awakened suddenly, he had probably
supposed himself overtaken by justice, had fired and run away. The
explanation was plausible, at all events. Neither Ugo nor his man
believed that any one would really try to blow up the place, for they
regarded that as quite impossible without the collusion of some one of
the soldiers, which was not to be thought of.

While they were talking, Pica managed to get off the Captain's outer
clothes; but as they were partly wet with rain, the bed was now damp.
He therefore went and got the new camp bedstead and set it up, spread
dry blankets and sheets over it, and lifted Ugo to it without letting
the injured foot hang down, for he was a fairly strong man and was far
from clumsy.

The change had just been successfully made when a motor was heard
coming up the short stretch from the high-road to the house, and Pica
hastened downstairs to open the door for the surgeon. To his surprise,
but much to his satisfaction, the Princess Chiaromonte was the first
to get out in the rain, bareheaded, but muffled in a waterproof. She
had no footman and no umbrella, and she made a quick dash for the
door, followed at once by Doctor Pieri. She recognised the handsome
orderly and smiled at him as she shook the rain-drops from her hair
and then gave him her cloak.

'Is he badly hurt?' she asked quickly; but she saw from Pica's face
that it was not a matter of life and death, and she did not wait for
his answer. 'We will go upstairs at once,' she added, leading the way
to the steps.

On learning that Ugo was already in bed, she said she would wait in
the large