Having paced slowly past the pine clump twice
or thrice, he withdrew to a point of rising ground
about a quarter of a mile distant, and there took
up his position.

"Trefalden," said the Earl, " we are watched."

"Evidently."

"What is to be done?"

"Heaven knows!"

"It is my belief that the place swarms with
soldiers."

"And I feel as if the very air were full of eyes
and ears."

"Poor Colonna!"

Then, for a few moments, they were both silent.

"I'll tell you what I think we must do, Castletowers,"
said Saxon. " Seem to sail away, and
then come back again at dusk."

Despite his anxiety, the Earl could not forbear
a smile.

"Decidedly, my friend," said he, "you have
no genius for intrigue."

"Isn't my plan a good one?"

"It is the most artless artifice that ever oozed
from an honest brain. No, no. We must do
something much more cunning than that."

"Then I fear you will have to invent it."

"I think I have done so already. You must
go on sketching for a few hours longer. We
must then pretend to be hungry . . . ."

"No need for pretence on my part," said
Saxon. "I am frightfully hungry now."

"You will have to fast for some time, then,
because it is my object to prolong our stay here
till dusk; and, in order to do that, we must
drive off the dinner question to the last moment.
Having done this, we will go up boldly to one of
the sentries, inquire our way to the nearest inn,
and get something to eat. By the time we have
dined, it will be dusk. Colonna will then only
have to steal down to the shore and hide himself
in our boat; and the object for which we are
here will be triumphantly accomplished."

"It seems to me," said Saxon, "that we
should have done better had we followed
Colonna's own instructions more closely, and not
come till after sunset."

The Earl shook his head.

"Our only course," he replied, "was to land
openly— to sketch, and idle, and play the orthodox
British tourist. By doing this, we disarm
suspicion; by stealing along the coast after sunset,
we should infallibly have aroused the suspicions
of every royalist within half a dozen miles
of the place."

"I dare say you are right," said Saxon; "but,
in the mean while, I am starving."

"I fear you must continue to starve for the
present."

"Then, I beg you to understand that I decline
to sit still under the treatment. Suppose we go
over the ruins."

"Will you not finish your sketch first?"

"My sketch!" ejaculated Saxon, contemptuously.
"Pshaw! my sketches are the most
unsatisfactory daubs in the world. The more I
finish them, the worse they get. If I had put
this down half an hour ago, it would have been
ever so much better than it is now."

The Earl still hesitated. Not knowing where
Colonna might be hidden, he doubted whether
they ought to go up to the ruins or not. At
last they decided that orthodox British tourists
would be certain to see all that could be seen;
and so went across the broiling plain and up to
the foot of the Cumæan Mount. Arrived,
however, at the Arco Felice, they were met by a
third sentry, who interposed his bayonet somewhat
unceremoniously between them and the
gate. The ruins, he said, were closed to the
public, and could only be seen by order of the
Royal Chamberlain.

They tried expostulation, they tried bribery;
but in vain. The man was immovable. So
Saxon had to make another sketch, and then
another, to pass the time away.

At length the day began to decline, and the
Earl judged that they might proceed to the
second step in their plan. So they went back to
the sentinel at the Arco Felice, and inquired if
he knew where they might purchase something
to eat.

The soldier shrugged his shoulders, and
believed there was no albergo nearer than Patria.

"How far are we from Patria?" asked tbe
Earl.

"About eight miles."

"Eight miles! But, amico, we have not eaten
since breakfast—we are starving. Is there no
farm-house near at hand?"

"Oh, sicuro. There is a podere about a
quarter of an hour hence."

"In which direction?"

"Following the coast-road towards
Liternum."

"A thousand thanks. Good evening, amico."

"Buona sera, signore."

With this, the young men turned away, and
hastened in the direction indicated.

COMPLETION OF MR. CHARLES DICKENS'S NEW
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