The diamond drill., 1921-01-08


and man and the progress OF their
souls, the one upward and the other
downward. as wonderfully drawn as
ever human lives We're portrayed by
pen Of man or woman.
Florence saw Tito Melema ever
making his way upward from the day
when he found himself adrift after
shipwreck. and was carried 10 the
market, by the omnipresent Bratti
merchant and huckster. and introduced
TO breakfast and kiss from pretty
little Tessa, and passed under the deft
hand Of the wonder-working barber,
philosopher Nello. That shrewd crafts
man with edged tools--razor or tongue
introduced him 10 the bright and
powerful folk who frequented his shop
as II IL were y club. and brought him
10 the notice of the blind scholar Bar
do, who needed just such a clever
young student as Tito for helper.
From that his path was easy TO the
confidence OF the great; Latin secre-
tary 10 the state. embassies 10 Rome,
everything was his. even 20 the envy
Of Niccolo Machavelli. The world saw
only the dazzling success; there were
a few who marked "the change that
came from the final departure Of moral
youthfuness," who saw the perfidies
and desertions OF the dextrous and fac
lie Greek, the baseness that smiles
and triumphs; who knew how he had
left 10 slavery the adaptive father who
had rescued him and made him what
he was. how he proved false 10 the
memory Of Romola's father, VINO set
him on his way 20 triumph in Flor
ence. how he betrayed his great pat
rons. how he deceived poor Tessa,
that "Nyeet, pouting, innocent round
thing" how he threw away the great
treasure of Romola's love, and how
his only bitter thought was that
timely, well devised falsehood might
have saved him from every fatal con-
sequence.
over against the figure OF the man
she married stands Romola, fair as
the Florentine lily before II got quar-
relsome and turned red" as the rhap-
sodic Nello described her. Her con-
tempt of all injustice and meanness,
the noble serenity with which she ac-
cepted though not without inward
struggle, all that life and duty brought
her, the willing service she rendered
her father. her husband, the poor, the
sufferers in the plague. Tito's aban-
doned father, even Tessa. her rival TO
the title OF wife, the mother of Tito's
children, the majestic self-possession
which AT the slightest touch on the
fbres Of affection or pity, could be-
come passionate with tenderness-ail
this justified her godfather, Bernardo
del Nero in his exhortation 10 her IA
ther, Remember. Bardo, thou hast
rare gem Of thy own; take care no
man gets IL who is not likely to pay
worthy price. That pretty Greek
has q 1.-THE sickness about him that
seems marvellously fitted for slipping
easily into any nest he fixes his eyes
upon"
But he that smiles and trIumphs
does not always triumph 10 the end |
He is sometimes found out. So IL was
with Tito. He had made the last |
preparation for departure 10 a larger |
field OF action. Pursued In the night |
by crowd OF angry men, he barely |
had time 10 leap from a bridge into |
the Arno. A long swim in the dark
ness--in the tumult OF his blood he |
could only feel vaguely that he was |
safe and might land. But where? The |
current was having its way with him;
he hardly knew where he was; ex- |
haustion was bringing on the dreamy |
state that precedes Inconsistencies.
But now there were eyes that dis
cerned him-aged, strong for the dis
tance. Baldassare-his father-look-
ing up blankly from the search to |
which his poverty had led him, had |
seen white object coming along the |
stream-could that be any fortunate |
chance for himi He looked and looked |
till the object gathered form then he |
leaned forward with ttart as he sat |
among the rank green stems. and his |
eyes seemed 10 be filled with q new |
light-yet he only watched--motion- |
less. Something was being brought to \
him.
The next instant mans body was |
cast violently on the grass two yards
from him, and he started forward like
a panther, clutchlng the velvet tunic
as he fell forward on the body and
flashed a look In the mans face.
Dead-was he desdf The eyes were
rigid. But no. II could not be-justice
had brought him. Men looked dead
sometimes, and yet the life came back
10 them. Baldassare did not feel fee.
BILE In that moment He knew Just |
what he could do. He got his large /
fingers within the neck of the tunic
and held them there. kneeling on one
knee beside the body and watching
the face. In his eyes there was only
fierceness.
Rigid-rigd still. Those eyes with
the half-fallen iids were locked against
vengeance. Could IL be that he was
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