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“Then you have arranged all for a final settlement?”

“That’s what I am afraid of.”

“And me are going this evening to see the leader of one of these two parties,
no doubt?”

“Exactly so; last night I visited the other.”

“And is it to an Orlandi or a Colonna that we are going?”

“To an Orlandi.”

“Is the rendezvous far from here?”

“In the ruins of the Chateau of Vincentello d’Istria.”

“Ah! is it there? I was told that these ruins are in this vicinity.”

“They are at the distance of about a league from here.”

“Then we shall be there within three quarters of an hour?”

“Yes, in about that time.”

“Lucien,” here interrupted Madame de Franchi, “remember that you speak for
yourself. You can make this distance in less than that time, as well as any
other highlander, but monsieur will not be able to travel the road you usually
pass.”

“That’s true;—it mill then take us an hour and a half at least.”

“You have then no time to lose,” replied Madame de Franchi, with a glance at
the clock.

“Mother, said Lucien, “permit us to leave you.”

She offered him her hand, which the young man kissed with the same respect as
he had done when he came in.

“If, nevertheless, you should prefer finishing your supper quietly, and then
retire to your own room, to warm your feet and smoke a cigar—”

“No, no, no,” exclaimed I, “diable! you have promised me a bandit, and I will
have one.”

“Well, then, let us take our guns, and en route.”

I saluted Madame de Franchi respectfully, and we started, preceded by Griffo,
who lighted us out of the room.

Our preparations were not long. I put round my waist a traveling girdle that
I had procured, before leaving Paris, which contained my powder and shot; a
hunting knife was also suspended from it.

As for Lucien, he re-appeared with his cartouchière, a double-barrelled gun
of Mauton’s, and a pointed cap, a chef d’oeuvre of embroidery, made by some
Penelope of Sullacaro.

“Shall I accompany your eccellenza?” asked Griffo.

“No, that is not necessary,” replied Lucien; “but loosen Diamante; he will
probably hunt up some pheasants, and we can shoot in the bright moonlight as
well as if it were daytime.”

A moment after, a large, splendid spaniel came jumping round us, barking with
joy.

We walked about ten steps from the house— “Apropos,”—said Lucien, turning
back, “tell them in the village, if they should hear the report of guns in the
hills, that we have fired them.”

“I shall do so, eccellenza.”

“Without this precaution,” said Lucien to me, “they might think perhaps that
the hostilities were renewed, and we should hear the noise of our guns re-echoed
from the streets of Sullacaro.”

After proceeding a few steps, we turned on our right into a narrow street,
leading directly to the mountains.

CHAPTER IV

Although it was now only the beginning of March, the weather was truly
delightful, and would have been even warm, had it not been for an invigorating
breeze which cooled the atmosphere, bringing with it that peculiar fresh and
acrid odor of the sea.

The moon appeared, clear and brilliant, above Mount Cagna, and threw a flood
of light over the whole western declivity of the mountain ridge, which here
divides Corsica into two parts. This natural barrier makes, to a great degree,
two different countries of the island, which are always at war, or at least in
enmity with each other. As we ascended, the gorges through which the Tavaro
runs, gradually disappeared in the shades of night, the obscurity of which was
impenetrable to the eye, and we saw spread out on the horizon the Mediterranean,
calm and bright, looking like an immense mirror of burnished steel.

Certain peculiar sounds, distinguishable only in the solemnity of night, and
which made no effect upon Lucien, who was familiar with them, produced in me
sensations of strange and singular surprise, filling my soul with that deep
emotion which gives the highest interest to every thing we see.

We arrived at a point where the road branched off in two directions, the one
of which appeared to go round the mountain, and the other to lose itself in a
path, hardly visible, leading directly to the top of the hill. Lucien stopped.