about the time at which the events here related
took place, they played a very conspicuous part
in the social life of the period and its irregularities.
They took their origin from the wellknown
mediaeval madness of the flagellants; and
mutual " discipline" was the real object of the
meetings in their earlier day. They always met
by night, and professed to pass the whole of the
vigils of the Church in devotion. This specialty
of their rules made membership of them so
extremely convenient a portion of the social life
and manners of the seventeenth century, that the
number of societies of this nature, which had been
seventy-five in the year 1527, had increased to
the extraordinary number of one hundred and
forty-nine in Florence alone! They were finally
suppressed at the extinction of the Medicean
dynasty.

Among all the members of the hundred and
forty-nine confraternities, it must be supposed
that some, at least, proposed to themselves, if
not a literal compliance with the original " discipline"
of the institution, at all events some sort
of practice, such as probably the recitation of
interminable litanies, which was according to the
ideas of that day deemed to possess prophylactic
virtues against the spiritual consequences of
sinful lives. But very few persons in Florence
could have been persuaded to believe that the
gay and pleasure-loving young Duke of San
Giuliano was among these. Least of all would
it have been possible to induce his own wife to
attach a moment's faith to anything of the sort.
That the duke was really enrolled on the list of
one of these brotherhoods was likely enough;
that he even presented himself at the place of
meeting, and was noted as so present, was very
possible; that he might have pushed his regard
for appearances so far even as to have been seen
at the end of the pious mummeries, divesting
himself of the sort of white domino and hood
worn by the members, was also possible. But
who could know what had become of the figure
thus masked, during the many intervening hours,
save the faithful Luigi? And that nothing was
to be gained by interrogating him either personally,
if she could have condescended to do so, or
indirectly, by means of her serving-women, the
Lady Veronica well knew.

The practice of disguising themselves which
was adopted by all these confraternities, ostensibly
that their good deeds might not be seen of
men, was one of the circumstances which made
enrolment among them invaluable to those who
had matters of any sort on hand which required
concealment. It would seem as if nothing had
been neglected by which these professedly religious
institutions could be made perfectly
adapted to every purpose of social disorder
and vice. The long white gown reaching to
the heels, and the capacious hood, with its
two holes for the eyes, descending below the
shoulders, formed a disguise which set at defiance
all possibility of recognition. The well-known
costume was far too common to excite either
surprise or remark let it be seen where it might;
and was, of course, equally available and equally
convenient for the libertine whose object was
another man's wife, as for the street-thief whose
aim was another man's pocket-handkerchief;
for the gallant bent on scaling a nunnery wall, or
the burglar intent on breaking into a dwelling-house;
for the abduction of a damsel, or the
murder of a rival.

The sombre humour and never-sleeping jealousy
of the Duchess Veronica were, as may
easily be imagined, not a little deepened and
exacerbated by the new and sudden fit of devotion
which had shown itself by leading her lord
to enrol himself a member of the "Buca di San
Antonio," in the Borgo Pinti. Her imagination
pictured to her the perfectly disguised white
figure, unobtrusively attended by the trusty
Luigi, gliding out from the assembled congregation,
and betaking himself— whither?— to spend
the intervening hours before stealing back in the
morning's dawn to leave his gown and hood at
the " buca," and starting thence for his deserted
home. Where were those long hours spent?

"Have you learned from Luigi at what hour
his master returned home last night, or this morning
rather, Francesca?" she asked of the maid,
who was arranging her thin and scanty hair.

"It wanted some three hours to dawn, my
lady, old Bindo, the porter, says when he opened
the doors for his excellency. Luigi is heavy-headed
with his night watch, and is yet a-bed,
being sure that his excellency will not yet need
his attendance. The pious brotherhood, my
lady, which my lord has lately joined, do prolong
their saintly exercises, Luigi says, beyond all
reason, begging your ladyship's pardon. He
says, saving your ladyship's presence, that if
godliness keeps such hours, he had rather have
any master than a devout one."

"Know you where the confraternity, whose
devotions my lord attends, holds its meetings?"
demanded the duchess, frowning heavily.

"In Borgo Pinti, my lady, near the church of
Sant' Ambrogio. It is under the invocation of
the holy hermit St. Anthony. They do say,
my lady, that the thongs of the ' disciplines' are
stiff with blood by the time they give over their
holy exercises."

"Silly tales for such silly women as you, Francesca.
Tell Luigi, when he next fools you with
any such stories, that you know better than to
believe him."

The Duchess Veronica felt an uncontrollable
desire to know more. Who was the woman for
whose love the proud and pleasure-loving Salviati
could submit to association with a rabble
of absurd or hypocritical devotees, and to participation
in their mummeries? The unhappy
lady, brooding gloomily and bitterly, was pondering,
as she sat listlessly before her glass, on
the possibility of making this discovery, when
the packet, despatched overnight by the Coutessa
Cecilia, was brought into her chamber, and
placed in her hands by one of her tire-women.