e meantime he was losing all his youth under military
discipline; he had applied for a permanent government post which might be
given him at any moment, and then he could retire from the coast-guard
service and return to his business; he was a carpenter by trade, and
there would then be no obstacle to his marrying. And sometimes he was in
despair because he could marry at once if only he could deposit 8000
francs--a sum that was beyond his means. He saw no way out of his
trouble. He had been very unfortunate ever since he was born, and
supposed he should continue to be so until he died; but he had always
been economical, and had saved about half the sum required; if only he
could get the remaining 4000 francs it would be a great good fortune, and
in a few days he hoped to send me his photograph together with that of
his young lady.

I replied congratulating him on his engagement and regretting that it was
not in my power to help him to hasten his marriage. Even if there had
been any reason why I should help him I should not have contemplated
mixing myself up with the regulations regarding the marriage of
coast-guards made by a friendly nation. If one were to begin, it would
take a great deal of money to go round Italy endowing all the coastguards
who want to marry; not that he had asked me to do this, he had not even
asked me to help him, but it is as well to be prepared for what seems
likely to happen next, and I was using a sanctified form of refusal.

In his reply he did not mention the subject; he said he had been
transferred to Castellinaria and had been promoted. He was now Caporale
Maggiore. I did not know before that coastguard corporals, like musical
scales and Hebrew prophets, could be either major or minor.

I again congratulated him, and hoped his promotion might help to hasten
his marriage. Next time I was at Castellinaria I asked Peppino where I
should find the caserma of the Guardia di Finanza.

"It is in the church," said Peppino.

"What church? Not the duomo?"

"No; this other church where is no longer the praying and they shall
enchant no more the Glory of the Mass with music and the bells are not
ringing and there is the cortile near the sea. It is not very long far."

Then I knew he meant the disused church of S. Maria dell' Aiuto which I
had often admired. I called there the following day about three in the
afternoon and inquired for the corporal. His comrade who let me in took
me