"I have come back to my senses now. I know the future that lies before me, and I shall face it with resignation. I dare not keep this ring you gave me, and which I believed to be a lucky talisman. I fear, Miss Nevil, you may regret your gift has been so ill-bestowed. Or rather, I fear it may remind me of the days of my own madness. Colomba will give it to you. Farewell, mademoiselle!
You are about to leave Corsica, and I shall never see you again.
But tell my sister, at least, that I still possess your esteem--and I tell you, confidently, that I am still worthy of it.
"O.D.R."
Miss Lydia had turned away while she read the letter, and Colomba, who was watching her closely, gave her the Egyptian ring, with an inquiring glance as to what it all meant. But Miss Lydia dared not raise her head, and looked dejectedly at the ring, alternately putting it on her finger and pulling it off again.
"Dear Miss Nevil," said Colomba, "may I not know what my brother says to you? Does he say anything about his health?"
"Indeed," said Miss Lydia, colouring, "he doesn't mention it. His letter is in English. He desires me to tell my father-- He hopes the prefect will be able to arrange----"
With a mischievous smile, Colomba sat down on the bed, took hold of both Miss Nevil's hands, and, looking at her with her piercing eyes--"Will you be kind?" she said. "Won't you answer my brother's letter?
You would do him so much good! For a moment I thought of waking you when his letter came, and then I didn't dare!"
"You did very wrong," replied Miss Nevil. "If a word from me could--"
"I can't send him any letter now. The prefect has arrived, and Pietranera is full of his policemen. Later on, we'll see what we can do. Oh, Miss Nevil, if you only knew my brother, you would love him as dearly as I do. He's so good! He's so brave! Just think of what he has done! One man against two, and wounded as well!"
The prefect had returned. Warned by an express messenger sent by the deputy-mayor, he had brought over the public prosecutor, the registrar, and all their myrmidons, to investigate the fresh and terrible catastrophe which had just complicated, or it may be ended, the warfare between the chief families of Pietranera. Shortly after his arrival, he saw the colonel and his daughter, and did not conceal his fear that the business might take on an ugly aspect.
"You know," he said, "that the fight took place without witnesses, and the reputation of these two unhappy men stood so high, both for bravery and cunning, that nobody will believe Signor della Rebbia can have killed them without the help of the bandits with whom he is now supposed to have taken refuge."
"It's not possible," said the colonel. "Orso della Rebbia is a most honourable fellow. I'll stake my life on that."
"I believe you," said the prefect. "But the public prosecutor (those gentry always are suspicious) does not strike me as being particularly well disposed toward him. He holds one bit of evidence which goes rather against our friend--a threatening letter to Orlanduccio, in which he suggests a meeting, and is inclined to think that meeting was a trap."
"That fellow Orlanduccio refused to fight it out like a gentleman."
"That is not the custom here. In this country, people lie in ambush, and kill each other from behind. There is one deposition in his favour --that of a child, who declares she heard four reports, two of which were louder than the others, and produced by a heavy weapon, such as Signor della Rebbia's gun. Unluckily, the child is the niece of one of the bandits suspected of being his accomplices, and has probably been taught her lesson."
"Sir," broke in Miss Lydia, reddening to the roots of her hair, "we were on the road when those shots were fired, and we heard the same thing."
"Really? That's most important! And you, colonel, no doubt you remarked the very same thing?"
"Yes," responded Miss Lydia quickly. "It was my father, who is so accustomed to firearms, who said to me, 'There's Signor della Rebbia shooting with my gun!' "
"And you are sure those shots you recognised were the last?"
"The two last, weren't they, papa?"
Memory was not the colonel's strong point, but as a standing rule, he knew better than to contradict his daughter.
"I must mention this to the public prosecutor at once, colonel. And besides, we expect a surgeon this evening, who will make an examination of the two bodies, and find out whether the wounds were caused by that particular weapon."
"I gave it to Orso," said the colonel, "and I wish I knew it was at the bottom of the sea. At least---- Plucky boy! I'm heartily glad he had it with him, for I don't quite know how he would have got off if it hadn't been for my Manton."
