Year: 1878

the trCe-crlCkCts that never ceased, ana was
like the din OF machine wheels.


FacllO stood still, and looked up with his
smarting blood.sh eyes at the pale heavens.
He was pious, tender, God fearing lad, but
as he stood there lac doubted God. He might
have done some desperate thing, for the law,
perhaps makes more criminals than il cures
but at that moment hand touched his, and
starting and looking down, he saw Dea.


II have only five francs but pray take
them" she murmured as she slid the money
toward his fingers ''rell me, could you not
sell that plate they call Marriage Plate p


Faello drew shuddering sigh. SO deep
was his musing, so utterly was his heart with
his imprisoned and martyred dumb friend,
that the presence and touch even Of Dea could
produce no emotion in him. He was in the
desolate abstraction of an overwhelming
grief


''The Marriage Plate :" he echoed. "But
l promised never to move it-I promised"


'But she said, unless God were TO wish it,
Your sisters told me so. God would wish it
now" murmured the girl then hearing a step
fled away back to her fathers house.


Faelo stood alone, her little fve-franc note
curled in the palm of his hand.


God would wish it now.


He muttered the words to himself again and
again Oh, if he could but be sure He
tried to think, and see whether this were but
a temptation assailing him, or whether the
voice of Dea had been as the voice of an an
gel.


He prayed in dumb inarticuate fashion, as
Pastore himself might have prayed, to have
light shed on him to see his path Alright. He
dropped down moment on way-side stone,
and covered his face and tried to think.


Yes surely God would wish it. Surely
God would desire him to save the life Of an
1i.yinu fraattra from fhp
most hellish torments of man, rather than de-
sire him to keep the mere empty form of
soulless promise. Surely the dead would wish
it too.


She saw him now-that Faello believed as
he believed that the sun shone upon him.
She would not be angered she would not
think it disobedence. She had said, 'unless
God were to wish it," And God must wish it
now: God, who had made Pastore, and must
have some little love for him, some little
heed.


Faello rose to his feet.


His face was as white as the dust beneath
him. but his resolve was taken.


Il shall do right God must wish it., he
said in his heart. and felt in a dull, vague
way that if God did not, His service had little
worth in it and little truth.


Then he went straight TO his home, seized
the Marriage Plate from the place where it
had hung for a century, and carried 1t with
him into the open air. At any other time a
terrible fear would have prevented linn from
touching that sacred thing but now all his
mind and heart and soul were with his doomed
friend. lie had room for no other remem-
bance.


Yet as he passed the threshold he uncovered
his head and crossed himself. 'NORRd mia,
You are not angry, nor God either 2 The saints
send me that be in time"


How he reached Florence he never knew.
Showing the plate to a man who had Il fleet
horse, he was taken in by the man and the
horse to the town as fast as the wind would
have blown but he had no cOnciousness of
what he did or how he went.
He made his way straight to the dealer, and
laid the Marriage Plate down before him.


Here it is" he muttered; give me your
hundred francs"


person standing near stretched his hand
out and took the plate before the dealer
| could


Il will have it. but it is worth much more,
surely Wait a wiile-"
Not moment-the hundred francs"
rs the boy honest Z" murmured the per-
son who all the while held the plate.


Quite. The plate is his own"
The other drew out hundred francs in
! gold. and looked curiously at Faello. Faello
| snatched them, and flew as a swallow flies,
straight through the town to the dog prison


Again he beat on the doors and shouted
aloud but this time the doors unclosed and
let him enter, for this time he cried, Let me
| in; / bring the money"
1t is the open, sesame, of the world.
In another moment, weeping and laughing,
| lie held Pastore against his breast and bathed
| with his happy tears the dogs wounds.
Faello was carried home by the shoe-black
1,,- A1,ag o. -oft tha
cart at his feet and on the pallet of his bed
! that night.


! 1t was many weeks before the lad was well
agein the sun had struck him.
| When he could rise at last the great heat
| had passed, the earth was moist and green,
the woods rejoiced, and the vines were heavy
with purpling grapes. He stood at his door
and held the dogs head against him, and
thought how lovely life was.


I'VE shall have to work very hard, PastOre, y
he murmured. The cart is stolen; there is
the stolen mule to pay for; the medicines will
| have cost great deal and the children must
owe to the baker. Never mind we are togeth-
er l am young, and it will soon be all right
again. Oh, my dog, my dear dog :"


And then with a sudden blush he thought
of Dea-Dea, whose little five-franc note he
had unconsciously kept clasped in his hand all
the while, so that it had come home with him,
and throughout his illness could not any way
be loosened out of his grasp.


At that moment there approached him the
stranger who had bought his Marriage Plate.
The stranger greeted him with courtesy and
gentleness, and brought the Urbino Plate
| back with him.


you sold this for a necessity 7"
| Yes"


Have you any idea of its value ~


Il thought it Of none"


The stranger smiled, and turning the back
of the plate, showed him four letters placed
thus