s dagger between his teeth and dropped to the balcony of Lena's
chamber. The brothers soon after found the rooftrap opened to them, and
Lena and Anna conducted them to the postern-door. There Angelo asked
whom they had to thank. The terrified ladies gave their name; upon
hearing which, Rinaldo turned and said that he would pay for a
charitable deed to the extent of his power, and would not meanly allow
them to befriend persons who were to continue strangers to them. He gave
the name of Guidascarpi, and relieved his brother, as well as himself,
of a load of obligation, for the ladies raised wild screams on the
instant. In falling from the walls to the road, Rinaldo hurt his foot.
Barto lifted him on his back, and journeyed with him so till at the
appointed place he met his wife, who dressed the foot, and led them
out of the line of pursuit, herself bending under the beloved load. Her
adoration of Rinaldo was deep as a mother's, pure as a virgin's, fiery
as a saint's. Leone Rufo dwelt on it the more fervidly from seeing
Vittoria's expression of astonishment. The woman led them to a cave in
the rocks, where she had stored provision and sat two days expecting the
signal from Trent. They saw numerous bands of soldiers set out along the
valleys--merry men whom it was Barto's pleasure to beguile by shouts, as
a relief for his parched weariness upon the baking rock. Accident made
it an indiscretion. A glass was levelled at them by a mounted officer,
and they had quickly to be moving. Angelo knew the voice of Weisspriess
in the word of command to the soldiers, and the call to him to
surrender. Weisspriess followed them across the mountain track,
keeping at their heels, though they doubled and adopted all possible
contrivances to shake him off. He was joined by Count Karl Lenkenstein
on the day when Carlo Ammiani encountered them, with the rear of
Colonel Corte's band marching for Vicenza. In the collision between
the Austrians and the volunteers, Rinaldo was taken fighting upon his
knee-cap. Leone cursed the disabled foot which had carried the hero in
action, to cast him at the mercy of his enemies; but recollection of
that sight of Rinaldo fighting far ahead and alone, half-down-like a
scuttled ship, stood like a flower in the lad's memory. The volunteers
devoted themselves to liberate or avenge him. It was then that Barto
Rizzo sent his wife upon her mission. Leone assured Vittoria that Angelo
was aware of its nature, and approv