"Justifiable!" echoed her father, with an
angry gesture. "In our holy cause, all means
are justifiable. How often must I repeat that?"

"It is a point, padre mio, on which we can
never think quite alike," she replied, gently.
"Let it pass."

He dropped her hand; rose abruptly; and
walked restlessly to and fro, muttering to
himself. She also rose, and stood, waiting till he
should speak again. Then he drew his hand
across his brow, and said, harshly:

"The burden of this work must rest chiefly
on you, Olimpia."

"I will do what l can," she replied.

"Do you know what you have to do?"

"I think so. I have done it often enough
before."

Colonna shook his head.

"No," he said, " that is not enough. You
must make him love you—you must make him
marry you."

"Father!"

"It is the only certain way to achieve our
purpose. He is young and impressionable—you
have beauty, fascination, eloquence, and that
nameless sway over the will and sympathy of
others which has already won hundreds of
ardent spirits to the cause. In a week he will
be at your feet."

"You ask me to sell myself!" exclaimed
Olimpia, with a magnificent scorn upon her lip
that would have become an offended goddess.

"For Italy."

She clasped her hands together, in a wild,
passionate way; and went over to the window.

"For Italy," repeated Coloina, solemnly.
"For the cause to which I have consecrated
you, my only child, since the moment when you
were first laid, smiling, in my arms. For the
cause in which my own youth and manhood have
been spent. For the cause in which I should not
hesitate to go to the stake to-morrow, or to shed
your heart's blood with my own hand."

"I had rather give my heart's blood than do
this thing," said Olimpia, with averted face.

"The martyr may not choose from what palm
his branch shall be severed," replied her father,
sternly.

She made no answer. For some moments
they were both silent. Then Colonna spoke again.

"With money now at our command," he
said, " success would be certain. Without it,
nothing but failure awaits us. Twenty-five
thousand pounds, judiciously spent, would equip
six thousand men; and with six thousand at his
back, Garibaldi would enter Naples in the course
of a few days. But what does he say himself?
—that whatever is done, must be done in the
name of Sardinia? In the name of Sardinia,
that gives neither a soldier nor a scudo to the
struggle! In the name of Sardinia, whose king
dares not countenance our effort, but who is
ready to reap the fruits of our victories! No,
no, Olimpia mia—it is not twenty-five thousand
pounds that we need. It is a million. With a
million, we should free not only the Sicilies, but
the Romagna, and reconstruct the great
republic. With a million, we may reject the
patronage of Victor Emmanuel, and the whole
monarchical party!"

"With but one million?" said Miss Colonna,
doubtfully.

"With but one—or two, if two be needed,
and we have two at command. What is one
man's wealth, or one woman's hand, in
comparison with results such as these? What is
any private interest, when valued against the
honour and freedom of a great country?"

Again Olimpia was silent.

"And then," he pursued, eagerly, "with a
Roman senate at the Capitol, and a Dictator at
the head of the Roman legions, we shall do that
which France and Sardinia together failed to do.
We shall expel the Austrian from the soil, and
buy back Venetia with our blood!"

Olimpia turned at last. Her face was very
pale, and the burnished gold of her hair crowned
her in the sunlight, like a glory.

"Enough," she said, calmly. "This young
man's wealth shall be bought tor Italy, if aught
that I can give will purchase it."

Colonna took her in his arms, kissing her
brow. "There speaks the true Colonna!" he
said. "Had my daughter even given her heart
to some other, I should have expected this                                            concession—ay, though he had been the best and
bravest of our Italian chivalry; but as it is, her
duty and her love may yet go together."

"Nay—we will put love out of the question,"
she said, coldly.

"Heaven grant that I may live to see that
day when, through thy deed, my Olimpia, our
beloved country shall be free—free from the
shores of the Adriatic to the waters of Tarento!"

"Amen," replied Olimpia, and left the room.

          HOW I DISCOUNTED MY BILL.

Some three or four months ago, I wanted to
discount an accommodation bill for fifty pounds,
the proceeds of which were to be divided
between myself, who was the drawer, and a
friend, who was the acceptor. I had asked my
tailor whether he could recommend me to any
one who would "do" the bill without keeping
me hanging about for an answer (as is generally
the custom of the discounting fraternity), until I
was sick and tired of waiting. Mr. Snips merely
made one condition with me, namely, that if
successful in getting the money for the bill, I should
pay a part of his little account, which was of some
twelve months' standing. To this I agreed, and
was forthwith furnished with a letter of introduction
to a large wholesale Jew clothier in the City,
to whom I at once repaired in a Hansom. The
clothier read Mr. Snips's letter of introduction,
and, as a matter of course, at once said—
as all discounters do say—that he would have
been most happy to do the needful for any
gentleman introduced by his good friend Snips,
but that he really had not the money in the
house. To this I suggested an open cheque,
payable either to my order, or to bearer, and