care of than the exterior. Colored prints had
originally ornamented the precious work; they were almost effaced. The
yellow parchment had been torn in places. Indeed, it was a shapeless ruin
which the curious nobleman examined, however, with the greatest care,
while Ribalta made up his mind to speak.

"A widow of Montalcino, in Tuscany, sold it to me. She asked me an
enormous price, and it is worth it, although it is slightly damaged. For
those are miniatures by Matteo da Siena, who made them for Pope Pius II
Piccolomini. Look at the one which represents Saint Blaise, who is
blessing the lions and panthers. It is the best preserved. Is it not
fine?"

"Why try to deceive me, Ribalta?" interrupted Montfanon, with a gesture
of impatience. "You know as well as I that these miniatures are very
mediocre, and that they do not in the least resemble Matteo's compact
work; and another proof is that the prayerbook is dated 1554. See!" and,
with his remaining hand, very adroitly he showed the merchant the
figures; "and as I have quite a memory for dates, and as I am interested
in Siena, I have not forgotten that Matteo died before 1500. I did not go
to college with Machiavelli," continued he, with some brusqueness, "but I
will tell you that which the Cardinal would have told you if you had not
deceived him by your finesse, as you tried to deceive me just now. Look
at this partly effaced signature, which you have not been able to read. I
will decipher it for you. Blaise de Mo, and then a c, with several
letters missing, just three, and that makes Montluc in the orthography of
the time, and the b is in a handwriting which you might have examined in
the archives of that same Siena, since you come from there. Now, with
regard to this coat-of-arms," and he closed the book to detail to his
stupefied companion the arms hardly visible on the cover, "do you see a
wolf, which was originally of gold, and turtles of gales? Those are the
arms which Montluc has borne since the year 1554, when he was made a
citizen of Siena for having defended it so bravely against the terrible
Marquis de Marignan. As for the box," he took it in its turn to study it,
"these are really the half-moons of the Piccolominis. But what does that
prove? That after the siege, and just as it was necessary to retire to
Montalcino, Montluc gave his prayer-book, as a souvenir, to some of that
family. The volume was either lost or stolen, and finally reduced to the
state in w