ready for you. What matters it
whether the fiery furnace be heated seven times, or only six;--in
either degree the flames are enough! You may take him;--you may take
him." So saying, Trevelyan walked out of the window, leaving Mr.
Glascock seated in his chair. He walked out of the window and went
down among the olive trees. He did not go far, however, but stood
with his arm round the stem of one of them, playing with the shoots
of a vine with his hand. Mr. Glascock followed him to the window and
stood looking at him for a few moments. But Trevelyan did not turn
or move. There he stood gazing at the pale, cloudless, heat-laden,
motionless sky, thinking of his own sorrows, and remembering too,
doubtless, with the vanity of a madman, that he was probably being
watched in his reverie.

Mr. Glascock was too practical a man not to make the most of the
offer that had been made to him, and he went back among the passages
and called for Catarina. Before long he had two or three women with
him, including her whom he had brought from Florence, and among them
Louey was soon made to appear, dressed for his journey, together with
a small trunk in which were his garments. It was quite clear that
the order for his departure had been given before that scene at the
breakfast-table, and that Trevelyan had not intended to go back from
his promise. Nevertheless Mr. Glascock thought it might be as well to
hurry his departure, and he turned back to say the shortest possible
word of farewell to Trevelyan in the garden. But when he got to the
window, Trevelyan was not to be found among the olive trees. Mr.
Glascock walked a few steps down the hill, looking for him, but
seeing nothing of him, returned to the house. The elder woman said
that her master had not been there, and Mr. Glascock started with his
charge. Trevelyan was manifestly mad, and it was impossible to treat
him as a sane man would have been treated. Nevertheless, Mr. Glascock
felt much compunction in carrying the child away without a final kiss
or word of farewell from its father. But it was not to be so. He
had got into the carriage with the child, having the servant seated
opposite to him,--for he was moved by some undefinable fear which
made him determine to keep the boy close to him, and he had not,
therefore, returned to the driver's seat,--when Trevelyan appeared
standing by the road-side at the bottom of the hill. "Would you take
him away from me without one word!" said Tr