"Shameful!" cried Roma. "Shameful! shameful!"

"Fact two," said the Baron, without the change of a tone. "One night a

little later the body of a woman found drowned in the Tiber was

recognised as the body of Leonora Rossi, and buried in the pauper part

of the Campo Verano under that name. The same night a child was placed

by an unknown hand in the rota of Santo Spirito, with a paper attached

to its wrist, giving particulars of its baptism and its name. The name

given was David Leone."

The Baron ticked off the third of his fingers and continued:

"Fact three. Fourteen years afterwards a boy named David Leone, fourteen

years of age, was living in the house of an Italian exile in London. The

exile was a Roman prince under the incognito of Doctor Roselli; his

family consisted of his wife and one child, a daughter named Roma, four

years of age. David Leone had been adopted by Doctor Roselli, who had

picked him up in the street."

Roma covered her face with her hands.

"Fact four. Four years later a conspiracy to assassinate the King of

Italy was discovered at Milan. The chief conspirator turned out to be,

unfortunately, the English exile known as Doctor Roselli. By the good

offices of a kinsman, jealous of the honour of his true family name, he

was not brought to public trial, but deported by one of the means

adopted by all Governments when secrecy or safety is in question. But

his confederates and correspondents were shown less favour, and one of

them, still in England, being tried in contumacy by a military court

which sat during a state of siege, was condemned for high treason to the

military punishment of death. The name of that confederate and

correspondent was David Leone."

Roma's slippered foot was beating the floor fast, but the Baron went on

in his cool and tranquil tone.

"Fact five. Our extradition treaty excluded the delivery of political

offenders, but after representations from Italy, David Leone left

England. He went to America. There he was first employed in the stables

of the Tramway Company in New York, and lived in the Italian quarter of

the city, but afterwards he rose out of his poverty and low position and

became a journalist. In that character he attracted attention by a new

political and religious propaganda. Jesus Christ was lawgiver for the

nation as well as for the individual, and the redemption of the world

was to be brought to pass by a constitution based on the precepts of the

Lord's Prayer. The creed was sufficiently sentimental to be seized upon

by fanatics in that country of countless faiths, but it cut at the roots

of order, of poverty, even of patriotism, and being interpreted into

action, seemed likely to lead to riot."




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