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20 - Gadfly by Ethel Lilian Voynich · Gadfly

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Speaker 1: Chapter two. It was market day in Brazigalia, and the
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Speaker 1: country folk had come in from the villages and hamlets
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Speaker 1: of the district with their pigs and poultry, their dairy produce,
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Speaker 1: and droves of half wild mountain cattle. The market place
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Speaker 1: was thronged with a perpetually shifting crowd, laughing, joking, bargaining
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Speaker 1: for dried figs, cheap cakes, and sunflower seeds. The brown,
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Speaker 1: barefooted children sprawled face downward on the pavement in the
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Speaker 1: hot sun, while their mothers sat under the trees with
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Speaker 1: their baskets of butter and eggs. Monsignor Montanelli, coming out
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Speaker 1: to wish the people good morning, was at once surrounded
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Speaker 1: by a clamorous throng of children, holding up for his
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Speaker 1: acceptance great bunches of irises and scarlet poppies, and sweet
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Speaker 1: white narcissus from the mountain slopes. His passion for wild
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Speaker 1: flowers was affectionately tolerated by the people as one of
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Speaker 1: the little follies which sit gracefully on very wise men.
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Speaker 1: If any one less universally beloved had filled his house
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Speaker 1: with weeds and grasses, they would have laughed at him.
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Speaker 1: But the blessed Cardinal could afford a few harmless eccentricities. Well, Mariuca,
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Speaker 1: he said, stopping to pat one of the children on
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Speaker 1: the head. You have grown since I saw you last.
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Speaker 1: And how is the grandmother's rheumatism? She's been better lately,
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Speaker 1: your Eminence, but mother's bad now. I'm sorry to hear that.
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Speaker 1: Tell the mother to come down here some day and
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Speaker 1: see whether doctor Giordani can do anything for her. I
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Speaker 1: will find somewhere to put her up. Perhaps the change
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Speaker 1: will do her good. You are looking better, Luigi. How
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Speaker 1: are your eyes? He passed on and chatting with the mountaineers.
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Speaker 1: He always remembered the names and ages of the children,
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Speaker 1: their troubles, and those of their parents, and would stop
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Speaker 1: to inquire with sympathetic interest for the health of the
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Speaker 1: cow that fell sick at Christmas, or of the rag
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Speaker 1: doll that was crushed under a cartwheel last market day.
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Speaker 1: When he returned to the palace, the marketing began. A
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Speaker 1: lame man in a blue shirt with a shock of
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Speaker 1: black hair hanging into his eyes and a deep scar
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Speaker 1: across the left cheek lounged up to one of the
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Speaker 1: booths and, in a very bad Italian asked for a
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Speaker 1: drink of lemonade. You're not from these parts, said the
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Speaker 1: woman who poured it out, glancing up at him. No,
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Speaker 1: I come from Corsica looking for work. Yes, it will
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Speaker 1: be hay cutting time soon. And a gentleman that has
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Speaker 1: a farm near Ravenna came across to Bastilla the other
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Speaker 1: day and told me there's plenty of work to be
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Speaker 1: got there. I hope you'll find it so, I'm sure.
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Speaker 1: But times are bad hereabouts. They're worse than Corsica. Mother,
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Speaker 1: I don't know what we poor folk are coming to have.
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Speaker 1: You come over alone. No, my mate is with me.
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Speaker 1: There he is in the red shirt. Allah. Paolo Michaela,
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Speaker 1: hearing himself called, came lounging up with his hands in
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Speaker 1: his pockets. He made a fairly good Corsican in spite
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Speaker 1: of the red wig, which he had put on to
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Speaker 1: render himself unrecognizable. As for the gadfly, he looked his
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Speaker 1: part to perfection. They sauntered through the market place together,
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Speaker 1: Mikhaela whistling between his teeth, and the gadfly trudging along
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Speaker 1: with a bundle over his shoulder, shuffling his feet on
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Speaker 1: the ground to render his lameness less observable. They were
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Speaker 1: way for an emissary to whom important directions had to
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Speaker 1: be given. There's Marconi on horseback at that corner, Mikhaelo whispered. Suddenly,
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Speaker 1: the gadfly, still carrying his bundle, shuffled toward the horseman.
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Speaker 1: Do you happen to be wanting a haymaker, sir? He said,
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Speaker 1: touching his ragged cap and running one finger along the bridle.
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Speaker 1: It was the signal agreed upon, and the rider, who
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Speaker 1: from his appearance might have been a country squire's bailiff,
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Speaker 1: dismounted and threw the reins on the horse's neck. What
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Speaker 1: sort of work can you do, my man? The gadfly
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Speaker 1: fumbled with his cap. I can cut grass, sir, and
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Speaker 1: trim hedges, he began, and without any break in his voice,
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Speaker 1: went straight on. At one in the morning, at the
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Speaker 1: mouth of the round cave. You must have two good
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Speaker 1: horses and a cart. I shall be waiting inside the cave,
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Speaker 1: and then I can dig, sir, and that will do.
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Speaker 1: I only want a grass cutter. Have you ever been
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Speaker 1: out before? Once? Sir? Mind? You must come well armed.
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Speaker 1: We may meet a flying squadron. Don't go by the
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Speaker 1: wood path. You're safer on the other side. If you
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Speaker 1: meet a spy, don't stop to argue with him. Fire
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Speaker 1: at once. I should be very glad of work, sir, Yes,
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Speaker 1: I dare say, but I want an experienced grass cutter. No,
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Speaker 1: I haven't got any coppers. To day a very ragged
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Speaker 1: beggar had slouched up to them with a doleful monotonous wine.
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Speaker 1: Have pity on a poor blind man. In the name
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Speaker 1: of the blessed Virgin. Get out of this place at once.
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Speaker 1: There's a flying squadron coming along. Most Holy Queen of
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Speaker 1: Heaven made none defiled. It's you thereafter. Riveres They'll be
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Speaker 1: here in two minutes, and so may the saints reward you.
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Speaker 1: You'll have to make a dash, for there are spies
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Speaker 1: at all the corners. It's no use trying to slip
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Speaker 1: away without being seen. Marconi slipped the reins into the
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Speaker 1: gadfly's hand. Make haste, ride out to the bridge and
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Speaker 1: let the horse go. You can hide in the ravine.
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Speaker 1: We're all armed. We can keep them back for ten minutes. No,
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Speaker 1: I won't have you fellows taken. Stand together, all of
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Speaker 1: you and fire after me in order move up towards
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Speaker 1: our horses there they are tethered by the palace steps,
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Speaker 1: and have your knives ready. We retreat fighting, and when
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Speaker 1: I throw my cap down, cut the halters and jump
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Speaker 1: every man on the nearest horse. We may all reach
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Speaker 1: the wood that way. They had spoken in so quiet
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Speaker 1: an undertone that even the nearest bystanders had not supposed
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Speaker 1: their conversation to refer to anything more dangerous than grass cutting. Marconi,
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Speaker 1: leading his own mare by the bridle, walked toward the
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Speaker 1: tethered horses, the gadflies slouching along beside him, and the
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Speaker 1: beggar following them with an outstretched hand and a persistent whine.
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Speaker 1: Mikaela coming up whistling. The beggar had warned him in passing,
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Speaker 1: and he quietly handed on the news to three countrymen
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Speaker 1: who were eating raw onions under a tree. They immediately
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Speaker 1: rose and followed him, and before anyone's notice had been
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Speaker 1: attracted to them, the whole seven were standing together by
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Speaker 1: the steps of the palace, each man with one hand
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Speaker 1: on the hidden pistol, and the tethered horses within easy reach.
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Speaker 1: Don't betray yourselves till I move, the gadflies, said softly
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Speaker 1: and clearly, they may not recognize us when I fire,
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Speaker 1: then begin in order. Don't fire at the men. Lame
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Speaker 1: their horses, then they can't follow us. Three of you
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Speaker 1: fire while the other three reload. Any one comes between
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Speaker 1: you and our horses, kill him. I take the roan
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Speaker 1: when I throw down my cap, each man for himself.
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Speaker 1: Don't stop for anything. Here they come, said Michaela, and
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Speaker 1: the gadfly turned round with an air of naive and
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Speaker 1: stupid wonder As the people suddenly broke off in their bargaining,
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Speaker 1: fifteen armed men rode slowly into the market place. They
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Speaker 1: had great difficulty to get past the throng of people
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Speaker 1: at all, and but for the spies at the corners
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Speaker 1: of the square, all the seven conspirators could have slipped
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Speaker 1: quietly away. While the attention of the crowd was fixed
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Speaker 1: upon the soldiers, Michaela moved a little closer to the gadfly.
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Speaker 1: Couldn't we get away now? No, we're surrounded with spies,
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Speaker 1: and one of them has recognized me. He has just
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Speaker 1: sent a man to tell the captain where I am.
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Speaker 1: Our only chance is to lame their horses, which is
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Speaker 1: the spy? The first man I fire at? Are you
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Speaker 1: all ready they have made a lane to us. They
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Speaker 1: are going to come with a rush. Out of the way, there,
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Speaker 1: shouted the captain, in the name of his holiness. The
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Speaker 1: crowd had drawn back, startled and wondering, and the soldiers
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Speaker 1: made a quick dash towards the little group standing by
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Speaker 1: the palace steps. The gadfly drew a pistol from his
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Speaker 1: blouse and fired not at the advancing troops, but at
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Speaker 1: the spy who was approaching the horses, and who fell
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Speaker 1: back with a broken collar bone. Immediately after the report,
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Speaker 1: six more shots were fired in quick succession. As the
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Speaker 1: conspirators moved steadily closer to the tethered horses. One of
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Speaker 1: the cavalry horses stumbled and plunged. Another fell to the
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Speaker 1: ground with a fearful cry. Then through the shrieking of
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Speaker 1: the panic stricken people, came the loud, imperious voice of
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Speaker 1: the officer in man, who had risen in the stirrups
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Speaker 1: and was holding a sword above his head. This way men.
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Speaker 1: He swayed in the saddle and sank back. The gadfly
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Speaker 1: had fired again with his deadly aim. A little stream
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Speaker 1: of blood was trickling down the captain's uniform, but He
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Speaker 1: steadied himself with a violent effort, and clutching at his
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Speaker 1: horse's mane, cried out, fiercely, kill that lame devil. If
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Speaker 1: you can't take him alive, it's rivers another pistol. Quick
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Speaker 1: the gad FLI called to his men, and go. He
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Speaker 1: flung down his cap. It was only just in time
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Speaker 1: for the swords of the now infuriated soldiers were flashing
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Speaker 1: close in front of him. Put down your weapons, all
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Speaker 1: of you. Pardonal Montenelli had stepped suddenly between the combatants,
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Speaker 1: and one of the soldiers cried out, in a voice
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Speaker 1: sharp with terror, your eminence, my god, you'll be murdered.
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Speaker 1: Montenelle only moved a step nearer and faced the gadfly's pistol.
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Speaker 1: Five of the conspirators were already on horseback and dashing
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Speaker 1: up the hilly street. Marconi sprang on to the back
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Speaker 1: of his mare. In the moment of riding away, he
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Speaker 1: glanced back to see whether his leader was in need
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Speaker 1: of help. The roan was close at hand, and in
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Speaker 1: another instant all would have been safe. But as the
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Speaker 1: figure in the scarlet cassock stepped forward, the gadflies suddenly wavered,
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Speaker 1: and the hand with the pistol sank down. The instant
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Speaker 1: decided everything Immediately he was surrounded and flung violently to
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Speaker 1: the ground, and the weapon was dashed out of his
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Speaker 1: hand by a blow from the flat of a soldier's sword.
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Speaker 1: Marconi struck his mare's flank with the stirrup. The hoofs
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Speaker 1: of the cavalry horses were thundering up the hill behind him,
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Speaker 1: and it would have been worse than you useless to
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Speaker 1: stay and be taken too. Turning in the saddle as
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Speaker 1: he galloped away to fire a last shot in the
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Speaker 1: teeth of the nearest pursuer, he saw the gadfly with
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Speaker 1: blood on his face, trampled under the feet of horses
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Speaker 1: and soldiers and spies, and heard the savage curses of
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Speaker 1: the captors, the yells of triumph and rage. Montanelli did
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Speaker 1: not notice what had happened. He had moved away from
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Speaker 1: the steps and was trying to calm the terrified people. Presently,
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Speaker 1: as he stooped over the wounded spy, a startled movement
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Speaker 1: of the crowd made him look up. The soldiers were
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Speaker 1: crossing the square, dragging their prisoner after them by the
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Speaker 1: rope with which his hands were tied. His face was
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Speaker 1: livid with pain and exhaustion, and he panted fearfully for breath.
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Speaker 1: But he looked round at the Cardinal, smiling with white lips,
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Speaker 1: and whispered, I congratulate your eminence. Five days later, Martini
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Speaker 1: reached Forley. He had received from Jemma by post a
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Speaker 1: bundle of printed circulars the signal agreed upon in case
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Speaker 1: of his being needed in any special emergency, and remembering
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Speaker 1: the conversation on the terrace, he guessed the truth at once.
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Speaker 1: All through the journey he kept repeating to himself that
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Speaker 1: there was no reason for supposing anything to have happened
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Speaker 1: to the gadfly, and that it was absurd to attach
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Speaker 1: any importance to the childish superstitions of so nervous and
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Speaker 1: fanciful a person. But the more he reasoned with himself
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Speaker 1: against the idea, the more firmly did it take possession
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Speaker 1: of his mind. I have guessed what it is. Riveres
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Speaker 1: is taken, of course, he said, as he came into
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Speaker 1: Jemma's room. He was arrested Thursday at Brazigalia. He defended
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Speaker 1: himself desperately and wounded the captain of the squadron and
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Speaker 1: a spy armed resistance. That's bad. It makes no difference.
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Speaker 1: He was too deeply compromised already for a pistol shot
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Speaker 1: more or less to affect his position much. What do
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Speaker 1: you think they are going to do with him? She
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Speaker 1: grew a shade paler even than before. I think she
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Speaker 1: said that we must not wait to find out what
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Speaker 1: they mean to. Do you think we shall be able
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Speaker 1: to effect a rescue? We must? He turned away and
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Speaker 1: began to whistle with his hands behind his back. Jemma
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Speaker 1: let him think undisturbed. She was sitting still, leaning her
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Speaker 1: head against the back of the chair and looking out
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Speaker 1: into vague distance with a fixed and tragic absorption. When
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Speaker 1: her face wore that expression, it had a look of
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Speaker 1: dirt melancholia. Have you seen him, Martini asked, stopping for
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Speaker 1: a moment in his tramp. No, he was to have
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Speaker 1: met me here the next morning. Yes, I remember. Where
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Speaker 1: is he in the fortress? Very strictly guarded, And they
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Speaker 1: say in chains. He made a gesture of indifference. Oh,
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Speaker 1: that's no matter. A good file will get rid of
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Speaker 1: any number of chains if only he isn't wounded. He
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Speaker 1: seems to have been slightly hurt but exactly how much
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Speaker 1: we don't know. I think you had better hear the
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Speaker 1: account of it from Michaela himself. He was present at
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Speaker 1: the arrest. How does he come not to have been
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Speaker 1: taken too? Did he run away and leave Rivera's in
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Speaker 1: the lurch. It's not his fault. He fought as long
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Speaker 1: as anybody did, and followed the directions given to him
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Speaker 1: to the letter. For that matter, so did they all.
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Speaker 1: The only person who seems to have forgotten or somehow
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Speaker 1: made a mistake at the last minute is Rivera's himself.
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Speaker 1: There's something inexplicable about it altogether. Wait a minute, I
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Speaker 1: will call Michaela. She went out of the room and
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Speaker 1: presently came back with MICHAELA and a broad shouldered mountaineer.
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Speaker 1: This is Marco, she said. You have heard of him.
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Speaker 1: He is one of the smugglers. He has just got
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Speaker 1: here and perhaps will be able to tell us more. Michaela,
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Speaker 1: this is Shassari Martini that I spoke to you about.
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Speaker 1: Will you tell him what happened as far as you
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Speaker 1: saw it. Michaela gave a short account of the skirmish
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Speaker 1: with the squadron. I can't understand how it happened he concluded,
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Speaker 1: not one of us would have left him if we
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Speaker 1: had thought he would be taken. That his directions were
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Speaker 1: quite precise, and it never occurred to us when he
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Speaker 1: threw down his cap that he would wait to let
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Speaker 1: them surround him. He was close beside the roan. I
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Speaker 1: saw him cut the tether, and I handed him a
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Speaker 1: loaded pistol myself before I mounted. The only thing I
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Speaker 1: can suppose is that he missed his footing, being lame
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Speaker 1: in trying to mount. But even then he could have fired. No,
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Speaker 1: it wasn't that Marconi interposed. He didn't attempt to mount.
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Speaker 1: I was the last one to go because my mare
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Speaker 1: shied at the firing, and I looked round to see
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Speaker 1: whether he was safe. He would have got off clear
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Speaker 1: if it hadn't been for the Cardinal. Ah, Gemma exclaimed softly,
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Speaker 1: and Martini repeated in amazement. The Cardinal, Yes, he threw
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Speaker 1: himself in front of the pistol, confound him. I suppose
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Speaker 1: Riverers must have been startled, for he dropped his pistol
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Speaker 1: hand and put the other one up like this, laying
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Speaker 1: the back of his left wrist across his eyes. And
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Speaker 1: of course they all rushed on him. I can't make
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Speaker 1: that out, said Michaela. It's not like Rivera's to lose
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Speaker 1: his head at a crisis. Probably he lowered his pistol
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Speaker 1: for fear of killing an unarmed man, Martini put in.
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Speaker 1: Michaela shrugged his shoulders. Unarmed men shouldn't poke their noses
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Speaker 1: into the middle of a fight. War is war. If
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Speaker 1: Rivera's had put a bullet into his eminence instead of
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Speaker 1: letting himself be caught like a tame rabbit, there'd be
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Speaker 1: one honest man the more, and one priest the less.
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Speaker 1: He turned away, biting his mustache. His anger was very
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Speaker 1: near to breaking down in tears. Anyway, said Martini. The
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Speaker 1: thing's done, and there's no use wasting time in discussing
18:49
Speaker 1: how it happened. The question now is how we're to
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Speaker 1: arrange an escape for him. I suppose you're all willing
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Speaker 1: to risk it. Michaela did not even condescend to answer
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Speaker 1: the superfluous question, and the smuggler only remarked with a
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Speaker 1: little laugh, I'd shoot my own brother if he weren't
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Speaker 1: willing very well, then, first thing, have you got a
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Speaker 1: plan of the fortress? Gemma unlocked a drawer and took
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Speaker 1: out several sheets of paper. I have made out all
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Speaker 1: the plans. Here is the ground floor of the fortress.
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Speaker 1: Here are the upper and lower stories of the towers,
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Speaker 1: and here the plan of the ramparts. These are the
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Speaker 1: roads leading to the valley. And here are the paths
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Speaker 1: and hiding places in the mountains and the underground passages.
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Speaker 1: Do you know which of the towers he is in
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Speaker 1: the east, one in the round room with the grated window.
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Speaker 1: I have marked it on the plan. How did you
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Speaker 1: get your information from a man nicknamed the Cricket, a
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Speaker 1: soldier of the Guard. He is cousin to one of
19:56
Speaker 1: our men, Gino. You have been quick about it it
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Speaker 1: there's no time to lose. Gino went into Brisigalia at once,
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Speaker 1: and some of the plans we already had. That list
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Speaker 1: of hiding places was made by Rivera's himself. You can
20:12
Speaker 1: see by the handwriting what sort of men are the
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Speaker 1: soldiers of the Guard that we have not been able
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Speaker 1: to find out yet. The Cricket has only just come
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Speaker 1: to the place and knows nothing about the other men.
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Speaker 1: We must find out from Gino what the cricket himself
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Speaker 1: is like? Is anything known of the government's intentions? As
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Speaker 1: Rivera is likely to be tried in Brizagala or taken
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Speaker 1: into Ravena, that we don't know. Ravena, of course, is
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Speaker 1: the chief town of the legation, and by law cases
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Speaker 1: of importance can be tried only there in the Tribunal
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Speaker 1: of first instance. But law doesn't count for much in
20:56
Speaker 1: the four legations. It depends on the personal fancy of
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Speaker 1: anybody who happens to be in power. They won't take
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Speaker 1: him into Ravenna, Michaela interposed, What makes you think so?
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Speaker 1: I am sure of it. Colonel Fedari, the military governor
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Speaker 1: at Brizigalia, is uncle to the officer that Rivera is wounded.
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Speaker 1: He's a vindictive sort of brute and won't give up
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Speaker 1: a chance to spite an enemy. You think he will
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Speaker 1: try to keep Rivera's here. I think he will try
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Speaker 1: to get him hanged. Martini glanced quickly at Gemma. She
21:32
Speaker 1: was very pale, but her face had not changed at
21:35
Speaker 1: the words. Evidently the idea was no new one to her.
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Speaker 1: He can hardly do that without some formality, she said quietly.
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Speaker 1: But he might possibly get up a court martial on
21:49
Speaker 1: some pretext or other and justify himself afterwards by saying
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Speaker 1: that the peace of the town required it. But what
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Speaker 1: about the Cardinal? Would he consent to things of that kind?
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Speaker 1: He has no jurisdiction in military affairs, No, but he
22:06
Speaker 1: has great influence. Surely the governor would not venture on
22:11
Speaker 1: such a step without his consent. He'll never get that,
22:15
Speaker 1: Marconi interrupted. Montanelli was always against the military commissions and
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Speaker 1: everything of the kind. So long as they keep him
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Speaker 1: in Brisigalia, nothing serious can happen. The Cardinal will always
22:29
Speaker 1: take the part of any prisoner. What I am afraid
22:32
Speaker 1: of is their taking him to Ravenna. Once there he's lost.
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Speaker 1: We shouldn't let him get there, said MICHAELA. We could
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Speaker 1: manage a rescue on the road, but to get him
22:43
Speaker 1: out of the fortress here is another matter. I think,
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Speaker 1: said Jemma, that it would be quite useless to wait
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Speaker 1: for the chance of his being transferred to Ravena. We
22:55
Speaker 1: must make the attempt at Brisigala, and we have no
22:58
Speaker 1: time to lose. Sorry, you and I had better go
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Speaker 1: over the plan of the fortress together and see whether
23:05
Speaker 1: we can think out anything. I have an idea in
23:08
Speaker 1: my head that I can't get over. One point. Come,
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Speaker 1: Marconi said, michaelab rising. We will leave them to think
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Speaker 1: out their scheme. I have to go across to Foniano
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Speaker 1: this afternoon, and I want you to come with me.
23:23
Speaker 1: Vincenzo hasn't sent those cartridges, and they ought to have
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Speaker 1: been here yesterday. When the two men had gone, Martini
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Speaker 1: went up to Gemma and silently held out his hand.
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Speaker 1: She let her fingers lie in his for a moment.
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Speaker 1: You were always a good friend, Shassarre, she said at last,
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Speaker 1: and a very pleasent help in trouble. And now let
23:48
Speaker 1: us discuss plans and of chapter two of the third
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Speaker 1: part