dily, that she might see
her friends, and have tidings of her lover and the city. Those baffled
beacon-flames on the heights had become an irritating indicative vision:
she thirsted for the history. Lorenzo offered to conduct her over the
Tonale Pass into the Val di Sole, or up the Val Furva, by the pass of
the Corno dei Tre Signori, into the Val del Monte to Pejo, thence by
Cles, or by Bolzano, to Meran. But she required shoeing and refitting;
and for other reasons also, she determined to go on to Bormio. She
supposed that Angelo had little money, and that in a place such as
Bormio sounded to her ears she might possibly obtain the change for
the great money-order which the triumph of her singing had won from
Antonio-Pericles. In spite of Angelo's appeals to her to hurry on to
the end of her journey without tempting chance by a single pause, she
resolved to go to Bormio. Lorenzo privately assured her that there were
bankers in Bormio. Many bankers, he said, came there from Milan, and
that fact she thought sufficient for her purpose. The wanderers parted
regretfully. A little chapel, on a hillock off the road, shaded by
chestnuts, was pointed out to Lorenzo where to bring a letter for
Angelo. Vittoria begged Angelo to wait till he heard from her; and then,
with mutual wavings of hands, she was driven out of his sight.

CHAPTER XXV

ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS

After parting from Vittoria, Angelo made his way to an inn, where he ate
and drank like a man of the fields, and slept with the power of one from
noon till after morning. The innkeeper came up to his room, and, finding
him awake, asked him if he was disposed to take a second holiday in
bed. Angelo jumped up; as he did so, his stiletto slipped from under his
pillow and flashed.

'That's a pretty bit of steel,' said the innkeeper, but could not get a
word out of him. It was plain to Angelo that this fellow had suspicions.
Angelo had been careful to tie up his clothes in a bundle; there was
nothing for the innkeeper to see, save a young man in bed, who had a
terrible weapon near his hand, and a look in his eyes of wary indolence
that counselled prudent dealings. He went out, and returned a second and
a third time, talking more and more confusedly and fretfully; but as he
was again going to leave, 'No, no,' said Angelo, determined to give him
a lesson, 'I have taken a liking to your company. Here, come here; I
will show you a trick. I learnt it from the Servians whe