"Anybody can sail with a fair wind, sir," said Bruno.

"Let us be prudent. There's no need for violence, whether of the hand or

of the tongue. You've found that out this morning. If you had rescued me

from the police, I should have been in prison again by this time, and

God knows what else might have happened. I'm proud of your patience and

forbearance; and now go home, boys, and God bless you."

"Stop a minute!" said the man with the paper. "Something to read before

we go. While the Carabineers kept Mr. Rossi in the Borgo, the Committee

of Direction met in a café and drew up a proclamation."

"Read it, Luigi," said David Rossi, and the man opened his paper and

read: "Having appealed in vain to Parliament and to the King against the

tyrannical tax which the Government has imposed upon bread in order that

the army and navy may be increased, and having appealed in vain to the

Pope to intercede with the civil authorities, and call back Italy to its

duty, it now behoves us, as a suffering and perishing people, to act on

our own behalf. Unless annulled by royal decree, the tax will come into

operation on the 1st of February. On that day let every Roman remain

indoors until an hour after Ave Maria. Let nobody buy so much as one

loaf of bread, and let no bread be eaten, except such as you give to

your children. Then, at the first hour of night, let us meet in the

Coliseum, tens of thousands of fasting people, of one mind and heart, to

determine what it is our duty to do next, that our bread may be sure and

our water may not fail."

"Good!" "Beautiful!" "Splendid!"

"Only wants the signature of the president," said the reader, and Bruno

called for pen and ink.

"Before I sign it," said Rossi, "let it be understood that none come

armed. There is nothing our enemies would like better than to fix on us

the names of rioters and rebels. We must defeat them. We must show the

world that we alone are the people of law and order. Therefore I call on

you to promise that none come armed."

"We promise," cried several voices.

"And now go home, boys, and God bless you."

After a moment there was only one man left in the room. It was the

fashionable young Roman with the watchful eyes and twirled-up moustache.




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