hem quickly."

"Two sorts," said Bratti, separating the wet sheets with a slowness that
tried Romola's patience. "There's `Law,' and there's `Justice.'"

"Which sort do you sell most of?"

"`Justice'--`Justice' goes the quickest,--so I raised the price, and
made it two danari. But then I bethought me the `Law' was good ware
too, and had as good a right to be charged for as `Justice;' for people
set no store by cheap things, and if I sold the `Law' at one danaro, I
should be doing it a wrong. And I'm a fair trader. `Law,' or
`Justice,' it's all one to me; they're good wares. I got 'em both for
nothing, and I sell 'em at a fair profit. But you'll want more than one
of a sort?"

"No, no: here's a white quattrino for the two," said Romola, folding up
the bills and hurrying away.

She was soon in the outer cloisters of San Marco, where Fra Salvestro
was awaiting her under the cloister, but did not notice the approach of
her light step. He was chatting, according to his habit, with lay
visitors; for under the auspices of a government friendly to the Frate,
the timidity about frequenting San Marco, which had followed on the
first shock of the Excommunication, had been gradually giving way. In
one of these lay visitors she recognised a well-known satellite of
Francesco Valori, named Andrea Cambini, who was narrating or expounding
with emphatic gesticulation, while Fra Salvestro was listening with that
air of trivial curiosity which tells that the listener cares very much
about news and very little about its quality. This characteristic of
her confessor, which was always repulsive to Romola, was made
exasperating to her at this moment by the certainty she gathered, from
the disjointed words which reached her ear, that Cambini was narrating
something relative to the fate of the conspirators. She chose not to
approach the group, but as soon as she saw that she had arrested Fra
Salvestro's attention, she turned towards the door of the chapter-house,
while he, making a sign of approval, disappeared within the inner
cloister. A lay Brother stood ready to open the door of the
chapter-house for her, and closed it behind her as she entered.

Once more looked at by those sad frescoed figures which had seemed to be
mourning with her at the death of her brother Dino, it was inevitable
that something of that scene should come back to her; but the intense
occupation of her mind with the present made the remembrance less a
r