The servant recognized the voice, and ran down without hesitation and unbarred the fastening; but for a moment he thought he must have been mistaken, as Francis ran into the lighted hall.

“Where are the ladies?” he asked.  “Lead me to them instantly.”

But as he spoke a door standing by was opened, and Signor Polani himself, with the two girls, appeared.  They had been on the point of retiring to rest when the knocking began, and the merchant, with his drawn sword, was standing at the door, when he recognized Francis’ voice.

They were about to utter an exclamation of pleasure at seeing him, and of astonishment, not only at his sudden arrival, but at his appearance, when Francis burst out: 

“There is no time for a word.  You must fly instantly.  Ruggiero Mocenigo is close at my heels with a band of twenty pirates.”

The girls uttered a cry of alarm, and the merchant exclaimed: 

“Can we not defend the house, Francisco?  I have eight men here, and we can hold it till assistance comes.”

“Ruggiero has a hundred,” Francis said, “and all can be brought up in a short time—­you must fly.  For God’s sake, do not delay, signor.  They may be here at any moment.”

“Come, girls,” Polani said.

“And you, too,” he went on, turning to the servants, whom the knocking had caused to assemble.  “Do you follow us.  Resistance would only cost you your lives.

“Here, Maria, take my hand.

“Francisco, do you see to Giulia.

“Close the door after the last of you, and bolt it.  It will give us a few minutes, before they break in and discover that we have all gone.

“Which way are the scoundrels coming?”

Francis pointed in the direction from which he had come, and the whole party started at a fast pace in the other direction.  They had not been gone five minutes, when a loud and sudden knocking broke on the silence of the night.

“It was a close thing, indeed, Francisco,” the merchant said, as they ran along close to each other.  “At present I feel as if I was in a dream; but you shall tell us all presently.”

They were, by this time, outside the grounds of the villa, and some of the servants, who knew the country, now took the lead.  In a few minutes the merchant slackened his pace.

“We are out of danger now,” he said.  “They will not know in which direction to search for us; and if they scatter in pursuit we could make very short work of any that might come up with us.”

“I do not know that you are out of danger,” Francis said.  “A hundred men landed.  Mocenigo, with twenty, took the line to your house, but the rest have scattered over the country in smaller bands, bent on murder and pillage.  Therefore, we had best keep on as fast as we can, until well beyond the circle they are likely to sweep—­that is, unless the ladies are tired.”

“Tired!” Maria repeated.  “Why, Giulia and I go for long walks every day, and could run for an hour, if necessary.”