“Why, sir, I rather think the people would be shy,” answered Griffin, with a little hesitation of manner, and yet with the directness and simplicity of a truly brave man.  “We must let them get over the last brush before they are depended on much for any new set-to of that sort.”

“Bon!” muttered Raoul, quite unconscious he was overheard.

“Nevertheless, we must catch this fellow if we wear out our shoes in the chase.”

All this time Andrea Barrofaldi and Vito Viti were profoundly ignorant of what was passing between the two officers, though Raoul listened eagerly and so well understood every syllable they uttered.  Until this moment the vice governatore had been rather indifferent and inattentive as to what occurred; but the two exclamations of Raoul awakened a vague distrust in his mind, which, while it had no direct object, was certainly pregnant with serious consequences to the Frenchman himself.  Deep mortification at the manner in which they had been duped by this celebrated privateersman, with a desire to absent themselves from the island until the edge was a little taken off the ridicule they both felt they merited, blended with certain longings to redeem their characters, by assisting in capturing the corsair, were the reasons why these two worthies, the deputy-governor and the podesta, were now on board the Proserpine.  Cuffe had offered them cots in his cabin and seats at his table in a moment of confidence; and the offer was gladly accepted.  Andrea had not been on board the ship a day, however, before he became thoroughly convinced of his utter uselessness; a circumstance that added materially to the awkwardness of his situation.  Like all well-meaning and simple-minded men, he had a strong wish to be doing; and day and night he ruminated on the means by himself, or discussed them in private dialogues with his friend the podesta.  Vito Viti frankly admonished him to put his faith in heaven, affirming that something worth while would yet turn up in the cruise to render the enterprise memorable; it being a habit with the magistrate to say an ave or two on all trying occasions, and then trust to God.

“You never knew a miracle, vice-governatore,” said Vito Viti one day, when they were discussing the matter by themselves; “you never knew a miracle come to pass that another was not close on its heels; the first being a mere preparation for the last, and the last always proving to be the most remarkable.  Now, when Anina Gotti fell off the cliffs, it was a miracle she didn’t break her neck; but, when she rolled over into the sea, it was a much greater she wasn’t drowned!”

“It is better to leave these things to the church, neighbor Vito,” was the vice-governatore’s answer; “nor do I see that there has been any miracle in the affair to start with.”

“How!—­Do you not call it a miracle, Signor Andrea, that two such men as you and I should be deceived, as we were beyond all doubt, by this knave of a French corsair?  I look upon it as so great a miracle myself, that it ought to follow instead of going before its companion.”