ed sullenly among
its ashes, with a long eye like a serpent's.

'Could you sleep here?' said Angelo.

'Anywhere!' Vittoria sighed with droll dolefulness.

'I can promise to keep you warm, signorina.'

'I will not ask for more till to-morrow, my friend.'

She laid herself down sideways, curling up her feet, with her cheek on
the palm of her hand.

Angelo knelt and coaxed the fire, whose appetite, like that which is
said to be ours, was fed by eating, for after the red jaws had taken
half-a-dozen sticks, it sang out for more, and sent up flame leaping
after flame and thick smoke. Vittoria watched the scene through a thin
division of her eyelids; the fire, the black abyss of country, the
stars, and the sentinel figure. She dozed on the edge of sleep, unable
to yield herself to it wholly. She believed that she was dreaming when
by-and-by many voices filled her ears. The fire was sounding like an
angry sea, and the voices were like the shore, more intelligible, but
confused in shriller clamour. She was awakened by Angelo, who knelt on
one knee and took her outlying hand; then she saw that men surrounded
them, some of whom were hurling the lighted logs about, some trampling
down the outer rim of flames. They looked devilish to a first awakening
glance. He told her that the men were friendly; they were good Italians.
This had been the beacon arranged for the night of the Fifteenth, when
no run of signals was seen from Milan; and yesterday afternoon it
had been in mockery partially consumed. 'We have aroused the country,
signorina, and brought these poor fellows out of their beds. They
supposed that Milan must be up and at work. I have explained everything
to them.'

Vittoria had rather to receive their excuses than to proffer her own.
They were mostly youths dressed like the better class of peasantry. They
laughed at the incident, stating how glad they would have been to behold
the heights all across the lakes ablaze and promising action for the
morrow. One square-shouldered fellow raised her lightly from the ground.
She felt herself to be a creature for whom circumstance was busily
plotting, so that it was useless to exert her mind in thought. The long
procession sank down the darkness, leaving the low red fire to die out
behind them.

Next morning she awoke in a warm bed, possessed by odd images of flames
that stood up like crowing cocks, and cowered like hens above the brood.
She was in the house of one of their n