"Yes, Excellency," said the boy.

"But--but Turin--Turin is hundreds of kilometres from here,"

she said, in a kind of gasp.

"Yes, Excellency," said the boy.

"You are going to Turin--you two children--walking--like that!"

she persisted.

"Yes, Excellency."

"But--but it will take you a month."

"Pardon, noble lady," said the boy. "With your Excellency's

permission, we were told it should take fifteen days."

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"Where do you come from?" she asked.

"From Bergamo, Excellency."

"When did you leave Bergamo?"

"Yesterday morning, Excellency."

"The little girl is your sister?"

"Yes, Excellency."

"Have you a mother and father?"

"A father, Excellency. The mother is dead." Each of the

children made the Sign of the Cross; and Peter was somewhat

surprised, no doubt, to see the Duchessa do likewise. He had

yet to learn the beautiful custom of that pious Lombard land,

whereby, when the Dead are mentioned, you make the Sign of the

Cross, and, pausing reverently for a moment, say in silence the

traditional prayer of the Church: "May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed,

through the Mercy of God, rest in peace."

"And where is your father?" the Duchessa asked.

"In Turin, Excellency," answered the boy. "He is a glass-blower.

After the strike at Bergamo, he went to Turin to seek work. Now

he has found it. So he has sent for us to come to

him."

"And you two children--alone--are going to walk all the way to

Turin!" She could not get over the pitiful wonder of it.

"Yes, Excellency."

"The heart-rending little waifs," she said, in English, with

something like a sob. Then, in Italian, "But--but how do you

live by the way?"

The boy touched his shoulder-load of baskets.

"We sell these, Excellency."

"What is their price?" she asked.

"Thirty soldi, Excellency."

"Have you sold many since you started?"

The boy looked away; and now it was his turn to hang his head,

and to let his toes work nervously in the dust.

"Haven't you sold any?" she exclaimed, drawing her conclusions.

"No, Excellency. The people would not buy," he owned, in a

dull voice, keeping his eyes down.

"Poverino," she murmured. "Where are you going to sleep

to-night?"

"In a house, Excellency," said he.

But that seemed to strike the Duchessa as somewhat vague.




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