His jaw trembled more than ever. "No use talking of that," he said.

"Mr. Rossi will be the first to feel for you."

He turned his head and looked at her with a look of pity. "She doesn't

know," he thought. "Why should I tell her? After all, she's in the same

case as myself. What hurts me will hurt her. She has been good to me.

Why should I make her suffer?"

"If they've told you falsehoods, Bruno, in order to play on your

jealousy and inspire revenge...." "Where's Rossi?" he said sharply.

"In England."

"And where's Elena?"

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"I don't know."

He wagged his poor head with a wag of wisdom, and for a moment his

clouded and stupefied brain was proud of itself.

"It was wrong of Elena to go away without saying where she was going to,

and Mr. Rossi is in despair about her."

"You believe that?"

"Indeed I do."

These words staggered him, and he felt mean and small compared to this

woman. "If she can believe in them why can't I?" he thought. But after a

moment he smiled a pitiful smile and said largely, "You don't know,

Donna Roma. But I do, and they don't hoodwink me. A poor fellow

here--a convict, he works on the Gazette and hears all the news--he told

me everything."

"What's his name?" said Roma.

"Number 333, penal part. He used to occupy the next cell."

"Then you never saw his face?"

"No, but I heard his voice, and I could have sworn I knew it."

"Was it the voice of Charles Minghelli?"

"Charles Ming...."

"Time's up," said one of the warders at the door.

"Bruno," said Roma, rising, "I know that Charles Minghelli, who is now

an agent of the police, has been in this prison in the disguise of a

prisoner. I also know that after he was dismissed from the embassy in

London he asked Mr. Rossi to assist him to assassinate the Prime

Minister."

"Right about," cried the warder, and with a bewildered expression the

prisoner turned to go. Roma followed him through the open courtyard, and

until he reached the iron gate he did not lift his head. Then he faced

round with eyes full of tears, but full of fire as well, and raising one

arm he cried in a resolute voice: "All right, sister! Leave it to me, damn me! I'll see it through."




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