the same moment. It appears that at a few minutes past eleven
o'clock, when the President was peacefully smoking a cigar and
listening to the conversation of his fair guest (whom he had
galvanized into an affected liveliness by alarming remarks on her
apparent preoccupation), there fell upon his ear the sound of a loud
knocking at the door. Dinner had been served in a small room at the
back of the house, and the President could not command a view of the
knocker without going out on to the veranda, which ran all round the
house, and walking round to the front. When the knock was heard, the
signorina started up.

"Don't disturb yourself, pray," said his Excellency, politely. "I gave
special instructions that I was visible to no one this evening. But I
was wondering whether it could be Johnny Carr. I want to speak to him
for a moment, and I'll just go round outside and see if it is."

As he spoke, a discreet tap was heard at the door.

"Yes?" said the President.

"Mr. Carr is at the door and particularly wants to see your
Excellency. An urgent matter, he says."

"Tell him I'll come round and speak to him from the veranda," replied
the President.

He turned to the window, and threw it open to step out.

Let me tell what followed in the signorina's words.

"Just then we heard a sound of a number of horses galloping up. The
President stopped and said:

"'Hallo! what's up?'

"Then there was a shout and a volley of shots, and I heard the
colonel's voice cry:

"'Down with your arms; down, I say, or you're dead men.'

"The President stepped quickly across the room to his escritoire,
took up his revolver, went back to the window, passed through it, and
without a word disappeared. I could not hear even the sound of his
foot on the veranda.

"I heard one more shot--then a rush of men to the door, and the
colonel burst in, with sword and revolver in his hands, and followed
by ten or a dozen men.

"I ran to him, terrified, and cried:

"'Oh, is anyone hurt?'

"He took no notice, but asked hastily:

"'Where is he?'

"I pointed to the veranda, and gasped:

"'He went out there.' Then I turned to one of the men and said again:

"'Is anyone hurt?'

"'Only Mr. Carr,' he replied. 'The rest of 'em were a precious sight
too careful of themselves.'

"'And is he killed?'

"'Don't think he's dead, miss,' he said; 'but he's hurt badly."

"As I turned again, I saw the President standing quite calmly in the
window. W