been prompted by a
real belief that Francis would still recover his kingdom. The
precedent of his father's return from Gaeta may have strengthened the
King's illusion; every day he received highly-coloured reports of a
gathering reaction, and as the French fleet in the bay prevented
Admiral Persano from attacking from the sea, he believed that the time
which he could hold out was indefinite. This policy of the French
Government need not have greatly cheered him, as its motive was less
to help Francis than to prepare the way, by hampering the Piedmontese,
for a little fishing in troubled waters. Prince Murat, descendant of
the _Beau Sabreur_, was busy writing proclamations to remind the world
that if Francis were impossible and Victor Emmanuel 'wanted finish,'
there was an eligible young man ready to sacrifice the charms of the
Boulevards for the cares of kingship.

On the representations of the British Government the Emperor withdrew
his fleet in January, advising Francis II. to renounce a hopeless
resistance. But at this eleventh hour the King had adopted the
principle of 'no surrender,' and he meant to stick to it. It is
difficult to blame him; at anyrate, much more serious is the blame due
to the methods of warfare which he was to adopt or to approve
thereafter. His young Queen, who was frequently seen on the ramparts
encouraging the artillerymen at their guns, had probably much to do
with his virile resolution. The fortress was now attacked by land and
by sea, and the bursting of a powder-magazine inside the walls
hastened its doom. On the 15th of January the Neapolitans laid down
their arms, the King having left his dominions by sea. The first act
of the conquerors in the half-ruined town was to attend a mass for the
repose of the souls of the brave men, friends and foes, who had fallen
during the siege. Noisy rejoicings would have been unseemly, for the
vanquished were fellow-countrymen.

The telegram announcing the fall of Gaeta went to Caprera; Garibaldi
read it, and a weight was taken off his mind. 'Civil war is at an
end,' he announced to the little party round the supper-table;
'Cialdini with our army is in Gaeta; now the Italians will not cut one
another's throats any more.' Later in the evening he seemed so
depressed that they thought him ill; Colonel Vecchj went to his
bedside to discover what was the matter. He found him reading the
_Times_, and inquired why he had become so suddenly sad. After a
paus