had misused his treasure, and begged pardon;--'If you please, my poor
bleeding angel, I am sorry. But do not, I entreat, distract me with
petitions of any sort, though I will perform anything earthly to satisfy
you. Be a good little boat in the wake of the big ship. I will look
over at you, and chirrup now and then to you, my dearest, when I am not
engaged in piloting extraordinary.'--Very well; I do not mean to sneer at
the unhappy boy, Merthyr; I love him; he was my husband's brother in
arms; the sweetest lad ever seen. He is in the season of faults. He
must command; he must be a chief; he fancies he can intrigue poor thing!
It will pass. And so will the hour to be forward to Rome. But I call
your attention to this: when he heard of the dagger--I have it from
Colonel Corte, who was with him at the time in Turin--he cried out
Violetta d'Isorella's name. Why? After he had buried his head an hour
on Sandra's pillow, he went straight to Countess d'Isorella, and was
absent till night. The woman is hideous to me. No; don't conceive that
I think her Sandra's rival. She is too jealous. She has him in some
web. If she has not ruined him, she will. She was under my eyes the
night she heard of his marriage: I saw how she will look at seventy!
Here is Carlo at the head of a plot she has prepared for him; and he has
Angelo Guidascarpi, and Ugo Corte, Marco Sana, Giulio Bandinelli, and
about fifty others. They have all been kept away from Rome by that
detestable ----- you object to hear bad names cast on women, Merthyr.
Hear Agostino! The poor old man comes daily to this house to persuade
Carlo to lead his band to Rome. It is so clearly Rome--Rome, where all
his comrades are; where the chief stand must be made by the side of
Italy's Chief. Worst sign of all, it has been hinted semi-officially to
Carlo that he may upon application be permitted to re-issue his journal.
Does not that show that the Government wishes to blindfold him, and keep
him here, and knows his plans?"