She sat down with the paper in her hand and stared hopelessly at the Gadfly.

"W-well?" he said at last, with his soft, ironical drawl; "are you satisfied now that I must go?"

"Yes, I suppose you must," she answered, sighing. "And I too."

He looked up with a little start. "You too? But----"

"Of course. It will be very awkward, I know, to be left without anyone here in Florence; but everything must go to the wall now except the providing of an extra pair of hands."

"There are plenty of hands to be got there."

"They don't belong to people whom you can trust thoroughly, though. You said yourself just now that there must be two responsible persons in charge; and if Domenichino couldn't manage alone it is evidently impossible for you to do so. A person as desperately compromised as you are is very much handicapped, remember, in work of that kind, and more dependent on help than anyone else would be. Instead of you and Domenichino, it must be you and I."

He considered for a moment, frowning.

"Yes, you are quite right," he said; "and the sooner we go the better.

But we must not start together. If I go off to-night, you can take, say, the afternoon coach to-morrow."

"Where to?"

"That we must discuss. I think I had b-b-better go straight in to Faenza. If I start late to-night and ride to Borgo San Lorenzo I can get my disguise arranged there and go straight on."

"I don't see what else we can do," she said, with an anxious little frown; "but it is very risky, your going off in such a hurry and trusting to the smugglers finding you a disguise at Borgo. You ought to have at least three clear days to double on your trace before you cross the frontier."

"You needn't be afraid," he answered, smiling; "I may get taken further on, but not at the frontier. Once in the hills I am as safe as here; there's not a smuggler in the Apennines that would betray me. What I am not quite sure about is how you are to get across."

"Oh, that is very simple! I shall take Louisa Wright's pa.s.sport and go for a holiday. No one knows me in the Romagna, but every spy knows you."

"F-fortunately, so does every smuggler."

She took out her watch.

"Half-past two. We have the afternoon and evening, then, if you are to start to-night."

"Then the best thing will be for me to go home and settle everything now, and arrange about a good horse. I shall ride in to San Lorenzo; it will be safer."

"But it won't be safe at all to hire a horse. The owner will-----"

"I shan't hire one. I know a man that will lend me a horse, and that can be trusted. He has done things for me before. One of the shepherds will bring it back in a fortnight. I shall be here again by five or half-past, then; and while I am gone, I w-want you to go and find Martini and exp-plain everything to him."

"Martini!" She turned round and looked at him in astonishment.

"Yes; we must take him into confidence--unless you can think of anyone else."

"I don't quite understand what you mean."

"We must have someone here whom we can trust, in case of any special difficulty; and of all the set here Martini is the man in whom I have most confidence. Riccardo would do anything he could for us, of course; but I think Martini has a steadier head. Still, you know him better than I do; it is as you think."

"I have not the slightest doubt as to Martini's trustworthiness and efficiency in every respect; and I think he would probably consent to give us any help he could. But----"

He understood at once.

"Gemma, what would you feel if you found out that a comrade in bitter need had not asked you for help you might have given, for fear of hurting or distressing you? Would you say there was any true kindness in that?"

"Very well," she said, after a little pause; "I will send Katie round at once and ask him to come; and while she is gone I will go to Louisa for her pa.s.sport; she promised to lend it whenever I want one. What about money? Shall I draw some out of the bank?"

"No; don't waste time on that; I can draw enough from my account to last us for a bit. We will fall back on yours later on if my balance runs short. Till half-past five, then; I shall be sure to find you here, of course?"

"Oh, yes! I shall be back long before then."

Half an hour after the appointed time he returned, and found Gemma and Martini sitting on the terrace together. He saw at once that their conversation had been a distressing one; the traces of agitation were visible in both of them, and Martini was unusually silent and glum.

"Have you arranged everything?" she asked, looking up.

"Yes; and I have brought you some money for the journey. The horse will be ready for me at the Ponte Ros...o...b..rrier at one in the night."

"Is not that rather late? You ought to get into San Lorenzo before the people are up in the morning."

"So I shall; it's a very fast horse; and I don't want to leave here when there's a chance of anyone noticing me. I shan't go home any more; there's a spy watching at the door, and he thinks me in."

"How did you get out without his seeing you?"

"Out of the kitchen window into the back garden and over the neighbour's orchard wall; that's what makes me so late; I had to dodge him. I left the owner of the horse to sit in the study all the evening with the lamp lighted. When the spy sees the light in the window and a shadow on the blind he will be quite satisfied that I am writing at home this evening."

"Then you will stay here till it is time to go to the barrier?"

"Yes; I don't want to be seen in the street any more to-night. Have a cigar, Martini? I know Signora Bolla doesn't mind smoke."

"I shan't be here to mind; I must go downstairs and help Katie with the dinner."

When she had gone Martini got up and began to pace to and fro with his hands behind his back. The Gadfly sat smoking and looking silently out at the drizzling rain.

"Rivarez!" Martini began, stopping in front of him, but keeping his eyes on the ground; "what sort of thing are you going to drag her into?"

The Gadfly took the cigar from his mouth and blew away a long trail of smoke.

"She has chosen for herself," he said, "without compulsion on anyone's part."

"Yes, yes--I know. But tell me----"

He stopped.

"I will tell you anything I can."

"Well, then--I don't know much about the details of these affairs in the hills,--are you going to take her into any very serious danger?"

"Do you want the truth?"

"Yes."