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��THE GRANITE MONTHLY.
��mit to her fate. Sometimes she tried to grasp this religion which heals wounded hearts, but suddenly there would come a revolt, and she would reject with fury the evangelists, and turn again to her old heroes. Alas ! these old friends even, had become vague souvenirs, phantoms which she vainly pursued.
The months and years sped by. In spite of her trouble, the nun, as they called her, acquired a sort of dignified character which changed admiration into respect, for since Palandra's arrest she had lived a more severe life than before. Every word, every look, showed her to be so true to Palandra that no one dared to speak of love to her. Tosinghi, whom they had sup- posed killed, returned to Pistoja about three years after the arrest of his rival. He had also been in an Austrian prison. He had gone away a young, handsome man, and he returned old before his time, and with whitened hair. Still he valued neither his long suffering nor his imprisonment in his struggle for her love, and he came to see her, to offer his devotion and to console her.
CHAPTER III.
About this time Lucrecia made a trip to Florence in regard to certain interests of her husband. She re- mained about a month, and frequented the house of the Count D., where she met the elite of Florentine society, and where all the celebrated travelers assembled. Here she met Marcel Capellani.
Marcel Capellani, first an officer of ordnance under Napoleon ; then at the head of one of the most turbulent departments of central Italy ; then one of Marie Louise's ministers, when the treaty of Fontainebleau made her duchess of Parma, Plaisance, and Guastalla. He was considered an able and powerful man ; but no one seemed to know just where his power came from, or what his secret resources were. Some talked of his antecedents,
��believing that he was secretly in favor of Italian liberalism ; others, on the contrary, thought him one of Austria's most trusted agents, because he knew all the resources of the parties in Italy, and could at will direct their move- ments. Meanwhile his conduct kept his judges in suspense, and they could neither accuse him of fanaticism or treason. He was a sort of living enigma, who inspired, at the same time, defiance and respect. This singular person attracted Lucrecia from the first. She saw a man of forty years, with an extremely intelli- gent face. He had fine teeth, a high forehead, black hair, but here and there were silver threads ; his eyes, sur- mounted by heavy brows, had a deep, calm expression ; beside this he was tall, strongly built, and had an almost haughty bearing.
Her first sentiment was one of as- tonishment. "Here," she said, "is a man who resembles as nearly as a modern hero can, one of Caesar's ancient captains. And this man fills the office of chamberlain to an arch- duchess of Austria ! It is true this archduchess is Napoleon's widow, and the motherof the Duke of Reichstadt." Her next feeling was a lively curiosity. "What is he doing here?" she asked herself.
While questioning herself thus Lu- crecia looked at Capellani as though she would read his soul in his face. Their eyes met for an instant. She lowered her own quickly, and blushed as if she had been surprised in a fla- grant indiscretion.
" Has Capellani been one of Napo- leon's aids a long time?" she asked, during the evening, of one of her friends.
" Four or five years. He is a Cor- sican, and was attached to his compat- riot. He took part in the second campaign in Italy, and in that of Austerlitz. You see he is decorated, and they say that he received his cross from Napoleon himself."
She could not help looking at Capellani with a glance of admiration ;
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