d she could not speak.

It was plainly this: Should she kill him, of her own free will, for
the sake of the solemn vow she had taken? Or should she save his life
by breaking, even under permission, what she looked on as an
absolutely inviolable promise?

What made her position most terrible was the absolute certainty of the
fatal result, and its close imminence. In his condition, to put off
the operation for another day, in order to consider her answer, would
be to condemn him to death according to all probability of human
science, since a few hours longer than that would put probability out
of the question and make it a positive certainty. She could not speak;
her tongue would not move when she tried to form words and her breath
made no sound in her throat.

For some time Giovanni said nothing more, and lay quite still. When he
spoke again, his voice was gentle.

'Dear, since it must be, I should like it to come like this, if you
will--with my hand between yours.'

It was too much, and she cried aloud and bowed herself. But the mortal
pain freed her tongue, and a moment later she broke out in a fervent
appeal.

'Live, Giovanni, live--for Christ's good sake who died for you--for my
sake, too--for your own! Live the life that is still before you, and
you can make it great! If you love me, make it a noble life for that,
if for nothing else! Do you know, all Rome is ringing with the story
of what you did last night--the King, the Court, the Ministers are
sending for news of you every half-hour--the world is calling you a
hero--will you let them think that you are afraid of an operation, or
will you let my enemy tell the world that you have let yourself die
for my sake? That is what it comes to, one or the other of those
things!'

Severi smiled faintly and shook his head without lifting it from the
pillow.

'No man will call me coward,' he answered; 'and no one would believe
Princess Chiaromonte--not if she took oath on her death-bed!'

'Will nothing move you?' cried the unhappy woman, in utter despair.
'Nothing that I can say? Not the thought of what life will mean to me
when you are gone? Not my solemn assurance that I can do
nothing--nothing----'

'You can!' Giovanni cried, with sudden and angry energy. 'You are
willing to let me die rather than risk the salvation of your own soul.
That is the naked truth of all this.'

Her hands left his as if they had lost their strength, and she rose at
the same instan