Without throwing a single glance at the body, Mateo went back to his house to fetch a spade with which to bury his son. He had only returned a little way along the path when he met Giuseppa, who had run out alarmed by the sound of firing. "What have you done?" she cried. "Justice!" "Where is he?" "In the ravine; I am going to bury him. He died a Christian. I shall have a mass sung for him. Let someone tell my son-in-law Tiodoro Bianchi to come and live with us." 1829. [1] Corporals were formerly the chief officers of the Corsican communes after they had rebelled against the feudal lords. To-day the name is still given sometimes to a man who, by his property, his connections and his clients, exercises influence, and a kind of effective magistracy over a _pieve_ or canton. By an ancient custom Corsicans divide themselves into five castes: _gentlemen_ (of whom some are of higher, _magnifiques_, some of lower, _signori_, estate), corporals, citizens, plebeians and foreigners. [2] _Voltigeurs_: a body raised of late years by the Government, which acts in conjunction with the gendarmes in the maintenance of order. [3] The uniform of the _voltigeurs_ was brown with a yellow collar. [4] A leather belt which served the joint purposes of a cartridge-box and pocket for despatches and orders. [5] The ordinary greeting of Corsicans. THE VISION OF CHARLES XI "There are more things in heav'n and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." SHAKSPEARE: _Hamlet._ Though people laugh at visions and supernatural apparitions, several have been too well authenticated to be discredited, for, should one be consistent, it would be necessary to ignore the whole witness of historic evidence. A correctly drawn-up report, signed by four reliable witnesses, is the guarantee of the truth of the incident about to be related. I should add that the prediction set forth in this report was so set forth and cited a very long time before the events occurred in our days which seemed to fulfil it. Charles XI., father of the famous Charles XII., was a most despotic king, but at the same time the wisest of the monarchs who have reigned over Sweden. He restricted the overbearing privileges of the nobility, abolished the power of the Senate, and created laws by his own authority; in fact, he changed the constitution of the country, which before was an oligarchy, and compelled the states to vest the absolute control in him. He was, besides, an enlightened man, steadfastly attached to the Lutheran religion, brave, of an inflexible, self-contained, decided character, and entirely devoid of imagination.