itizens who had been in hot debate through
long hours of daylight and torchlight whether the Appeal should be
granted or whether the sentence of death should be executed on the
prisoners forthwith, to forestall the dangerous chances of delay. And
the debate had been so much like fierce quarrel that the noise from the
council-chamber had reached the crowd outside. Only within the last
hour had the question been decided: the Signoria had remained divided,
four of them standing out resolutely for the Appeal in spite of the
strong argument that if they did not give way their houses should be
sacked, until Francesco Valori, in brief and furious speech, made the
determination of his party more ominously distinct by declaring that if
the Signoria would not defend the liberties of the Florentine people by
executing those five perfidious citizens, there would not be wanting
others who would take that cause in hand to the peril of all who opposed
it. The Florentine Cato triumphed. When the votes were counted again,
the four obstinate white beans no longer appeared; the whole nine were
of the fatal affirmative black, deciding the death of the five prisoners
without delay--deciding also, only tacitly and with much more delay, the
death of Francesco Valori.

And now, while the judicial Eight were gone to the Bargello to prepare
for the execution, the five condemned men were being led barefoot and in
irons through the midst of the council. It was their friends who had
contrived this: would not Florentines be moved by the visible
association of such cruel ignominy with two venerable men like Bernardo
del Nero and Niccolo Ridolfi, who had taken their bias long before the
new order of things had come to make Mediceanism retrograde--with two
brilliant popular young men like Tornabuoni and Pucci, whose absence
would be felt as a haunting vacancy wherever there was a meeting of
chief Florentines? It was useless: such pity as could be awakened now
was of that hopeless sort which leads not to rescue, but to the tardier
action of revenge.

While this scene was passing upstairs Romola stood below against one of
the massive pillars in the court of the palace, expecting the moment
when her godfather would appear, on his way to execution. By the use of
strong interest she had gained permission to visit him in the evening of
this day, and remain with him until the result of the council should be
determined. And now she was waiting with hi