which was the harshest reproach to her.  Leone was unconquerably gay in spite of his wounds.  He narrated the doings of the volunteers, with proud eulogies of Carlo Ammiani’s gallant leadership; but the devices of Barto Rizzo appeared to have struck his imagination most.  “He is positively a cat—­a great cat,” Leone said.  “He can run a day; he can fast a week; he can climb a house; he can drop from a crag; and he never lets go his hold.  If he says a thing to his wife, she goes true as a bullet to the mark.  The two make a complete piece of artillery.  We are all for Barto, though our captain Carlo is often enraged with him.  But there’s no getting on without him.  We have found that.”

Rinaldo and Angelo Guidascarpi and Barto Rizzo had done many daring feats.  They had first, heading about a couple of dozen out of a force of sixty, endeavoured to surprise the fortress Rocca d’Anfo in Lake Idro —­an insane enterprise that touched on success, and would have been an achievement had all the men who followed them been made of the same desperate stuff.  Beaten off, they escaped up the Val di Ledro, and secretly entered Trent, where they hoped to spread revolt, but the Austrian commandant knew what a quantity of dry wood was in the city, and stamped his heel on sparks.  A revolt was prepared notwithstanding the proclamation of imprisonment and death.  Barto undertook to lead a troop against the Buon Consiglio barracks, while Angelo and Rinaldo cleared the ramparts.  It chanced, whether from treachery or extra-vigilance was unknown, that the troops paid domiciliary visits an hour before the intended outbreak, and the three were left to accomplish their task alone.  They remained in the city several days, hunted from house to house, and finally they were brought to bay at night on the roof of a palace where the Lenkenstein ladies were residing.  Barto took his dagger between his teeth and dropped to the balcony of Lena’s chamber.  The brothers soon after found the rooftrap opened to them, and Lena and Anna conducted them to the postern-door.  There Angelo asked whom they had to thank.  The terrified ladies gave their name; upon hearing which, Rinaldo turned and said that he would pay for a charitable deed to the extent of his power, and would not meanly allow them to befriend persons who were to continue strangers to them.  He gave the name of Guidascarpi, and relieved his brother, as well as himself, of a load of obligation, for the ladies raised wild screams on the instant.  In falling from the walls to the road, Rinaldo hurt his foot.  Barto lifted him on his back, and journeyed with him so till at the appointed place he met his wife, who dressed the foot, and led them out of the line of pursuit, herself bending under the beloved load.  Her adoration of Rinaldo was deep as a mother’s, pure as a virgin’s, fiery as a saint’s.  Leone Rufo dwelt on it the more fervidly from seeing Vittoria’s expression of astonishment.  The woman led them to a cave