“I should have to know where to find you, Monsieur le Duc,” said Ri- naldo, with the insolence of a man who knows himself to be necessary.

“I can see you, my friend, for my eyes are accustomed to the darkness.  Listen:  walk straight forward—­ good; now turn to the left—­come on—­this way.  There, we are close to each other.”

Rinaldo putting out his hands as
a precaution, touched some iron
bars.

“I am being deceived,” cried the
bandit.

“No, you are touching my cage.

         OR ROMAN REVENGE 221

Sit down on a broken shaft of por-
phyry that is there.”

“How can the Duke of Bracciano
be in a cage?” asked the brigand.

“My friend, I have been here for thirty months, standing up, unable to sit down——­But you, who are you?”

“I am Rinaldo, prince of the Cam- pagna, the chief of four-and-twenty brave men whom the law describes as miscreants, whom all the ladies admire, and whom judges hang in obedience to an old habit.”

“God be praised!  I am saved.  An honest man would have been afraid, whereas I am sure of coming to an understanding with you,” cried the Duke.  “Oh, my worthy

  222 OLYMPIA

  deliverer, you must be armed to the
  teeth.”

  “E verissimo” (most true).

  “Do you happen to have—­”

“Yes, files, pincers—­Corpo di Bacco!  I came to borrow the treas- ures of the Bracciani on a long loan.”

“You will earn a handsome share of them very legitimately, my good Rinaldo, and we may possibly go man hunting together—­”

“You surprise me, Eccellenza!”

“Listen to me, Rinaldo.  I will say nothing of the craving for vengeance that gnaws at my heart.  I have been here for thirty months —­you too are Italian—­you will un-

         OR ROMAN REVENGE 223

derstand me!  Alas, my friend, my fatigue and my horrible incarcera- tion are nothing in comparison with the rage that devours my soul.  The Duchess of Bracciano is still one of the most beautiful women in Rome.  I loved her well enough to be jealous—­”

  “You, her husband!”

  “Yes, I was wrong, no doubt.”

  “It is not the correct thing, to be
  sure,” said Rinaldo.

“My jealousy was roused by the Duchess’ conduct,” the Duke went on.  “The event proved me right.  A young Frenchman fell in love with Olympia, and she loved him.  I had proofs of their reciprocal affection

“Pray excuse me, ladies,” said Lousteau, “but I find it impossible to go on without remarking to you how direct this Empire literature is, going to the point without any details, a characteristic, as it seems to me, of a primitive time.  The literature of that period holds a place between the summaries