Fancy the state of the poor Duchess! She received this letter just before she went, for the first time, with Vittoria, to hear Ochino preach; and however attentive he might have thought her, she was in fact thinking of the lawyer's letter all the while, and writing imaginary letters to the Pope and the Emperor. For, Giulia had overpowering allies; and if her sweet nature were sufficiently stirred to call them to her succour, woe unto those who attacked her! This had been exemplified immediately after the Duke's death, when his kinsmen, Ascanio Colonna and Napoleone Orsini, taking advantage of her supposed helplessness, laid claim to his estates. Up in arms were the Pope and the Emperor directly. The Pope pronounced the will valid, and the Emperor put her in possession of her estates. Yet, now, here was the whole matter to go over again, and with some one much nearer and dearer! Giulia had a fit of crying; and the humid eyes and dejected mien which Ochino and Valdés attributed to her convictions of sin were traceable to a much lower source. "How well dear Ochino laboured the point of justification by faith!" exclaimed Vittoria, after their return from church. "Did you ever hear it better demonstrated?" "To say the truth, dear Vittoria," replied the Duchess, "I scarcely heard two words of it, and do not remember one." The Marchioness looked shocked; but Giulia continued-- "Isabella threatens me with a lawsuit, and I am determined to write to the Pope about it." "Oh, pray do not," cried Vittoria, "you are always a great deal too violent. You use such extraordinarily strong measures when mild ones would do." "_I_, violent? Why, that is the last thing I am! It is because I am unprotected that people trample on me!" "Trample! O, my dear Giulia!" "Why, only remember how Ascanio and Napoleone came down upon me directly my poor Duke was dead!" "Yes, and only remember how _you_ came down upon them. You raised the whole country about it. No one less than the Pope and the Emperor would serve your turn." "Well, and did not they say I was right? and did not they take my part?" "Truly they did!--but it does not follow that they would do so again. Men are apt to fly to the rescue, directly they think a helpless woman is oppressed; but if they find out she is able and willing to fight her own battles, they let her! And indeed, dear Giulia, it does not become a woman to be pugnacious." "Pugnacious!" The word was highly offensive, and the Duchess was deeply hurt. She threw herself on a pile of cushions and began to tear a nosegay to pieces, without saying a word. "Hear what St. Paul says," pursued Vittoria, sitting down beside her, and turning over the leaves of a little book. "St. Paul knows nothing about it," muttered the Duchess.