the fatal disc with the Red Circle upon it, the mandate for
murder, which lay upon his palm. He was to kill his best friend,
or he was to expose himself and me to the vengeance of his
comrades. It was part of their fiendish system to punish those
whom they feared or hated by injuring not only their own persons
but those whom they loved, and it was the knowledge of this which
hung as a terror over my poor Gennaro's head and drove him nearly
crazy with apprehension.

"All that night we sat together, our arms round each other, each
strengthening each for the troubles that lay before us. The very
next evening had been fixed for the attempt. By midday my
husband and I were on our way to London, but not before he had
given our benefactor full warning of this danger, and had also
left such information for the police as would safeguard his life
for the future.

"The rest, gentlemen, you know for yourselves. We were sure that
our enemies would be behind us like our own shadows. Gorgiano
had his private reasons for vengeance, but in any case we knew
how ruthless, cunning, and untiring he could be. Both Italy and
America are full of stories of his dreadful powers. If ever they
were exerted it would be now. My darling made use of the few
clear days which our start had given us in arranging for a refuge
for me in such a fashion that no possible danger could reach me.
For his own part, he wished to be free that he might communicate
both with the American and with the Italian police. I do not
myself know where he lived, or how. All that I learned was
through the columns of a newspaper. But once as I looked through
my window, I saw two Italians watching the house, and I