"You tell him the rest, father," said Katherine, a little nettled, perhaps: "people always suspect a woman of putting a better or worse complexion on everything." "Well, d--n it," he said, "there isn't much to say, except that at first every one hoped to be at war with the French without the French knowing it, and then found the French at war with him without his knowing it. And that's how we were in for it. That miserable shilly-dallying Emperor thought he could avoid war with the the French, but he was only letting them choose their own time; and when they chose it we were at Vienna, for the doctors had recommended a change for Kitty. How we were to get out of it was the puzzle, for the French seemed to be everywhere between us and England. We stayed on for weeks to find out; and last of all there seemed no better way than to make our way to Trieste--that was all through territory at present unoccupied by the enemy--and take ship there for Naples (which we were told had been recovered and was under the guns of the British fleet); and from thence make our way to England by the first of His Majesty's ships which was going home. We did not attempt the Strait of Messina, because there was no sea room to cut and run if we met an enemy, and we gave Sicily a wide berth for the same reason; and finally we made the Bay of Naples at the very time when you had called the blockading squadron off to Maritimo from the intelligence of the French fleet having passed the Straits. There were a few small English craft patrolling, but in the thick weather we missed them, and ran into the midst of Commodore Caracciolo's gunboats. Fortunately we fell into the hands of the Count of Tanagra, who came to see you this morning, a very brave and chivalrous man reduced to a great state of hopelessness from having been induced to embrace the pernicious revolutionary doctrines of the wicked French by the frightful abuses which have been going on in these kingdoms unknown to their Majesties. But he has found that no country in the world could be in so vile a state, under the worst of kings, as under these robbers and murderers; and he and the best of those with him would gladly have left the French and rejoined their Majesties if they could have come to terms." "The Admiral's orders, my Lord, were most positive, not to make any terms with the rebels but unconditional surrender; and I think that anything but hanging is too good for a man who fires upon his own flag." "Agreed, agreed," cried his Lordship. "Agreed: I am not the one to advance that when a king leaves his country the inhabitants should ally themselves with the invaders, though I am convinced that this Count of Tanagra, who is a brave gentleman, honestly thought so. And as most of these d--d little Italian states are for ever being taken by a new master, there is something in his view of the case."