I had never seen my dear lady so angry; however, she said nothing more then, and presently I took leave of her and worked my way back towards the hall. One glance round the brilliantly-lighted place assured me that neither Piatti nor Mrs. Tadworth was there. I could not tell you what it was that suddenly filled my heart with foreboding. I ran up to the first floor and reached room No. 118. The outer door was open, and without a moment’s hesitation I applied my eye to the keyhole of the inner one. The room was brilliantly lighted from within, and exactly opposite, but with his back to me, stood Piatti, whilst squatting on a low stool beside him was Mrs. Tadworth. A trunk stood open close to her hand, and she was obviously busy turning over its contents. My very heart stood still with horror. Was I about to witness--thus powerless to interfere--one of the most hideous acts of cowardly treachery it was possible to conceive? Something, however, must at that moment have attracted Piatti’s attention, for he suddenly turned and strode towards the door. Needless to say that I beat a hasty retreat. My one idea was, of course, to find Lady Molly and tell her what I had seen. Unfortunately, the Hungaria is a veritable maze of corridors, stairs and passages, and I did not know the number of her room. At first I did not wish to attract further attention by again asking about “Mrs. Carey’s maid” at the office, and my stupid ignorance of foreign languages precluded my talking to the female servants. I had been up and down the stairs half a dozen times, tired, miserable, and anxious, when at last, in the far distance, I espied my dear lady’s graceful silhouette. Eagerly I ran to her, and was promptly admonished for my careless impetuosity. “Mrs. Tadworth is genuinely frightened,” added Lady Molly in response to my look of painful suspense, “but so far she has been able to hoodwink Piatti by opening _my_ trunk before him instead of hers, and telling him that the proofs were not in her own keeping. But she is too stupid to keep that deception up, and, of course, he won’t allow himself to be put off a second time. We must start for Cividale as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the earliest train is not till 9.15 to-morrow morning. The danger to that unfortunate young man over at Palermo, brought about by this woman’s cowardly idiocy and the father’s misguided trust, is already incalculable.” It was, of course, useless for me to express fear now for my dear lady’s safety. I smothered my anxiety as best I could, and, full of deadly forebodings, I bade her anon a fond good-night. Needless to say that I scarcely slept, and at eight o’clock the next morning I was fully dressed and out of my room.