Suddenly he was quite
himself, for his hurt was altogether local and he had lost little
blood; he only felt half paralysed on that side.

'Were there many killed?' he asked quietly.

'We do not know,' the Mother answered. 'When it is a little later I
will telephone for news. It is barely five o'clock yet.'

'Thank you, Mother.' He shut his eyes again and said no more.

The Mother Superior opened the window and let in the fresh morning
air, full of the glow of the rising sun, for the room looked to the
eastward, across the broad bend of the Tiber and towards the Palatine.
She turned out the electric light in the corner, then went to the
window again and refreshed herself by drawing long breaths at regular
intervals, as she had been taught to do when she was a beginner at
nursing. Presently the injured man called her and she went to the
bedside again.

'It would be very kind of you to take down a few words which I should
like to dictate,' he said. 'No,' he continued quickly, as he saw a
grave look in the nun's face, 'it is not my will! It will be a short
report of what happened before the explosion. They will want it at
headquarters and my head is quite clear now. Will you write for me,
Mother?'

'Of course.'

There is always a pencil with a memorandum-pad in every private room
of a hospital, for the use of the nurse and the doctor. The Mother
Superior took both from the table and sat down close to the bed, and
Giovanni dictated what he had to say in a clear and businesslike way
that surprised her, great as her experience had been. When he had
finished, he asked her to read it over to him, and pointed out one
small correction to be made.

'I think I can sign it with my left hand, if you will hold it up for
me,' he said.

His fingers traced his name with the pencil, though very unsteadily,
and he begged her to send it to headquarters at once. There was always
some one on duty there, he explained, if it was only the subaltern
commanding the guard. She need not be afraid of leaving him alone for
a few moments, he added, for he was in no pain and did not feel at all
faint. Besides, she would now send him another nurse--he had not
thanked her for taking care of him herself during the night--he hoped
she would forgive his omission--he was still----

And thereupon, while in the very act of speaking, he fell asleep
again, exhausted by the effort he had made, and still under the
influence of the strong drug. The Mot