the harsh chirp of the cicale, theonly live things astir under the burning Tuscan sun.
His wife and the girls had gone to their rooms for the siesta, previousto driving over to Montelupo to visit the Marchioness Altieri, and hewas alone with his bitter grief and blank despair.
Little sleep had come to his eyes for the past week. Last night he hadspent the hours under the steely sky, first down in the valley and thenaway over the mountains until he reached a point high up on a barrensummit, where he sank down upon a heap of stones and watched thebreaking of day over the Apennines. His thoughts were always of whatVito had revealed to him, and of his failure.
His return to the house had passed unnoticed, and after a wash he hadtaken his coffee and entered that room with a firm and desperateresolve. The whole morning he had occupied in placing his papers inorder, arranging them carefully, tying them in bundles, and scribblingcertain instructions upon each, with the names of the secretaries orother officials to whom they were to be handed.
He had worked on in grim silence, sighing sometimes and laughingbitterly to himself at others. More than once he murmured Mary's nameor that of his beloved wife, while nearly the whole time his kind eyeswere filled with tears.
At luncheon he had motioned Francesco to give him a liqueur-glass ofcognac with his coffee, a most unusual proceeding, for he was a veryabstemious man, and now he sat motionless, his fingers in his grey hair,staring thoughtfully at the blotting-pad before him.
For fully half an hour he remained in that position, often murmuring tohimself. He was reflecting upon all the bitterness of the past. He,the man whose name was one to conjure with in Italy, was at that momentwithout one single friend to give him help or sympathy.
Suddenly the silence of the room was broken by the whir-r of thetelephone bell--the private line that connected him direct with hissecretary at the Ministry at Rome three hundred miles away.
Quickly he rose, walked to the corner where the instrument was placed,and responded.
"The Onorevole Ricci desires to speak with your Excellency in private,"announced the voice which he recognised as one of his privatesecretaries.
"Va bene!" was the Minister's anxious response.
Vito had, before they parted at the club, arranged to telephone to himin case of necessity.
"Are you there?" inquired the voice of the deputy for Asti.
"Yes. What is it?" asked the Minister, as through the instrument hedistinctly heard the snap of the padded door of the telephone cabinet inthe Ministry, which was now closed against listeners.
"It is as I thought," Ricci said in a slow, distinct voice. "I havebeen active ever since my return, and it is just as I believed. Lastnight at the club, Lapi, Marchesi, Prosperi, and Montebruno were playingbridge together, and when they had finished at half-past two I joinedthem, and from their conversation learned that Montebruno is to bringforward the question of the French frontier in the Camera. This morningI saw Borselli and that young Frenchman Dubard walking together in theCorso. They were talking earnestly, and it seemed as though the countwas telling Angelo something which surprised him. I stopped and spoketo them, but they appeared to betray some uneasiness at meeting me.What do you know about the Frenchman?"
"Nothing to his detriment," was the Minister's reply. "It is at presenta secret, but he has asked me for Mary's hand."
"Then don't give it."
"Why?"
"Because I don't like his intimate friendship with Borselli."
"It was I who first introduced them. They met at dinner at my table,"Morini said, surprised at his spy's warning. "What do you suspect?"
"I have no suspicions," was the reply. "Only if he is an intimatefriend of yours, as he seems to be if he is to marry the signorina, itis strange that he should at this moment be so constantly in Borselli'scompany. I hear that nowadays the pair are inseparable. They walked tothe Ministry, and were closeted together for over an hour. This hasstruck me as very curious, especially as I have just heard from a secretsocialistic source that the question is to be asked by Montebruno in theCamera at five o'clock this afternoon."
"This afternoon?" gasped His Excellency, his countenance in an instantwhite to the lips. "Then they really mean to ask the question?"
"Yes. I understand that the Opposition have made a sudden resolve, andthat they intend to strike the blow against the Government immediately.To-morrow, unfortunately, all Italy will be aflame. I only regret thatI am powerless to prevent it. I miscalculated my influence--I admitit."
"Then I must face the worst, Vito!" remarked the unhappy man in a low,desperate voice, starting at his own whispered words as they seemed toring through the lofty, old-world room.
"The instant I heard their intentions I made investigations, and foundthat nearly every Socialist deputy is in Rome ready to shriek that thesafety of the kingdom is at stake. Our friend Borselli has indeed laidhis plans very cleverly. But what puzzles me most is the reason Dubardis associating himself so closely with your enemy if he intends to marryyour daughter! He surely cannot anticipate becoming your son-in-law andat the same time conspire to cause your downfall! To me it is amystery, and that is why I urge you to be wary. That man has somehidden motive--depend upon it."
Morini glanced mechanically across at that big green-painted steel doorof the safe, and recollected Mary's curious story of what she hadwitnessed.
"But he is very fond of Mary, and as I have given my consent to theirmarriage and my daughter has accepted him, he can surely have no motivein acting contrary to my interests."
"He is your enemy, I repeat," declared Vito Ricci. "I have madeinquiries, and the results all point to one conclusion, namely, that heis acting with Angelo; and, moreover, I have been told on the bestauthority that certain of the charges to be made against you are basedupon information supplied by him."
"I can't believe it."
"Be patient, and you will soon see whether the facts I have gathered aretrue. The question is to be put at five o'clock. I will telephone toyou the result as soon as it occurs. I am going down to the Chamber atonce, and will do my very utmost; but, as you can see, against suchoverwhelming opposition I am utterly powerless. If we could preventMontebruno from putting the fatal question we might gain time andperhaps succeed, but how can we prevent Borselli carrying out hisingenious conspiracy when he is assisted in it by a hundred hungryoffice-seekers and adventurers of the Socialist party?"
"Try! Try!" urged Camillo in a wild, desperate voice. "Try, Vito--forthe sake of my poor wife and daughter."
"Remain firm," came back the voice of the deputy. "Be patient, andwatch the result of the attempt to wreck the Government."
"You are hopeless. I recognise it in your voice!" wailed the desperateman. "I know too well that all the blame and opprobrium must fall uponme. They intend, as you have already told me, that I shall be thescapegoat, and that Angelo shall take my portfolio."
The deputy returned no answer. What, indeed, could he say? HisExcellency, who was a shrewd, far-seeing man, spoke the truth.
"Ah, I know!" cried the Minister. "The plot is complete. For me, thefuture is hopeless. Yet I am more than mystified at what you tell meregarding Dubard. Try and discover his motive. Do not fail me in this,Vito, I beg of you. My poor daughter's future depends on that."
"Trust me, my dear friend," was the response. "Spinola is awaiting meoutside, and we are going down to Montecitorio together. Have courage,and after five o'clock I will ring you up again. Addio!"
And a moment later the tiny bell rang, which showed that thecommunication had been cut off.
Then Camillo Morini, after glancing at his watch and finding that it wasalready three o'clock, stood immovable, his dark eyes staring across thesilent room like a man in a dream.
"Courage! Courage!" he repeated to himself hoarsely, with a bitterlaugh. "Courage--and for a man who has no to-morrow!"
In two short hours that voice from the Eternal City would, he knew,sound his doom.
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"I am ready?" he laughed to himself. "I am quite ready. They think toplace all the blame upon me, to hound me down and charge me with havingsold Italy into the hands of her enemies?" And from his vest-pocket hetook tenderly a tiny glass tube containing three small pink tabloids,and held it in the ray of light to satisfy himself that they were stillthere under the plug of cotton wool.
Then, as he replaced the tube in his pocket and slowly paced the room,his thoughts wandered to what Ricci had said regarding the man whom hehad given leave to marry his daughter Mary.
"He has suspicions--but of what?" he asked, speaking to himself in avoice scarcely above a whisper. "That he should be friendly with theman