"He did so," Francis said, "and himself engaged hand-to-hand with
Mocenigo, and would probably have killed him, had not his foot slipped
on the deck. I was, of course, by his side, and occupied the villain
until a cross bolt pierced his brain. So there is an end to all your
trouble with him."

"Is he really dead?" Maria said. "Oh, Francisco, how thankful I am! He
seemed so determined, that I began to think he was sure some day to
succeed in carrying me off. Not that I would ever have become his wife,
for I had vowed to kill myself before that came about. I should have
thought he might have known that he could never have forced me to be
his wife."

"I told him the same thing," Francis said, "and he replied that he was
not afraid of that, for that he should have your sister in his power
also, and that he should warn you that, if you laid hands on yourself,
he should make her his wife instead of you."

The girls both gave an exclamation of horror.

"I never thought of that," Maria said; "but he would indeed have
disarmed me with such a threat. It would have been horrible for me to
have been the wife of such a man; but I think I could have borne it
rather than have consigned Giulia to such a fate.

"Oh, here is father!"

"I have got away sooner than I expected," Polani said as he entered.
"The governor was good enough to beg me to come on at once to you. You