Note in Browning's "Confessions" (p. 7) that the rising inflections on the first words indicate doubt or uncertainty, and seem to say, "Did I hear aright?" But the firm falling inflection in the answer, "Ah, reverend sir, not I!" indicates that the speaker has settled the doubt and now expresses his protest against such a view of life. The inflections after this become more colloquial. There is, however, still a suggestion of earnestness as the description continues until at the last a decided inflection on the word "sweet" expresses his real conviction. Though life may appear but vanity to his listener, such is not his experience. The modulations of the voice in speaking "sad and bad and mad" can show that they embody his hearers' opinions and convictions, not his own, and "it was sweet!" can be given to show that they are his own. Inflection, especially in union with pause, serves an important function in indicating the saliency of specific ideas or words. Note, for example, in Browning's "The Italian in England" that in the phrase "That second time they hunted me," there is a specific emphasis on "second." This word shows that he is talking of his many trials when in Italy and the narrowness of his escape, while also indicating some other time when he was hunted by the Austrians. This sentence, and especially this word "second," should be given the pointedness of conversation, and then will naturally follow the account of his escape. In this poem, Browning suggests what difficulties were encountered by the Italian patriots who labored to free their country from Austrian rule. It is a strange and unique story told in London to some one who is planning with the speaker for Italian liberty. THE ITALIAN IN ENGLAND