"Good afternoon, Mr. Burton. "Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info" said the colonel with a grin, in a kind manner, "I am honored to congratulate you. The Florentine side has ordered your release. Would you please sign this document?"

Arthur walked up to him. "I want to know," he asked listlessly, "who betrayed me." ”

The colonel raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Can't you guess? Think about it. ”

Arthur shook his head. The Colonel held out his hands and made a gesture of slight surprise.

"Can't guess? Really? Hey, it's you, Mr. Burton. Who will know your children's affairs?"

Arthur turned silently and saw a huge wooden cross hanging on the wall, his eyes slowly moving to Jesus' face. But there was no supplication in his eyes, only a vague wonder at why this indifferent but patient God did not severely punish the priests who betrayed the confessors.

"Would you please sign the receipt to get your paper back?" said the colonel kindly. "And then I won't keep you anymore. I'm sure you're in a hurry to get home.

I've spent a lot of time this afternoon for the sake of that silly boy with Bora. He put my Christian patience to the test. I'm afraid he'll be sentenced very severely.

See you soon!"

Arthur signed the receipt, took his paper, and walked out without saying a word. He followed Enrico to the gate. He didn't say a word of goodbye, but walked straight to the river. There was a boatman there, waiting to cross him across the moat. As he ascended the steps leading to the street, a girl in a cotton dress and a straw hat ran towards him with her arms outstretched.

"Arthur! Oh, I'm so happy—I'm so happy!"

He withdrew his hand, trembling.

"Jim!" he said eventually, his voice not acting like his. "Jim!"

"I've been waiting for half an hour. They said you'd come out at four o'clock. Arthur, why are you looking at me like that? What's wrong, Arthur, what's going on with you? Don't do that!"

He turned and walked slowly to the other end of the street, as if he had forgotten that she existed. Completely frightened by his appearance, she ran up and grabbed him by the arm.

"Arthur!"

He stopped, looked up, and looked at her timidly. She took his arm, and they were silent and walked together for a while.

"Listen, dear," she whispered, "you need not be upset about this unfortunate thing. I know it's painful for you, but everybody will understand. ”

"What's the matter?" he asked, still as listless.

"I mean the letter about Pola. ”

Hearing the name, Arthur's face twitched in pain.

"I didn't think you would hear about it," Jonma continued, "but I think they told you. Bora must have gone crazy to think that such a thing could happen. ”

"Such a thing—"

"So you don't know anything about it?" He wrote a sensational letter saying that you had told him about the steamer, and that he had been arrested. This is, of course, nonsense, and everyone who knows you will understand it. Only those who don't know you will be upset. That's why I'm here -- just to tell you that no one in our circle believes it. ”

"Joma! But it's- it's true!"

She slowly pulled away from him, and stood there motionless. Her eyes were wide open, full of fear. Her face was as white as the scarf around her neck. The silence was like a cold wave, which seemed to wash over them, drowning them and cutting them off from the noise of the market.

"Yes," he whispered at last, "about the steamer—I told you." I said his name -- oh my God! Oh my God! What should I do?"

He suddenly came to his senses, realized that she was standing right next to him, and noticed a deadly horror on her face. By the way, of course she must have thought-

"Joma, you don't understand!" he blurted out, and then leaned over to her.

But she stepped back and screamed, "Don't touch me!"

Arthur suddenly grabbed her right hand violently.

"Listen, for God's sake! It's not my fault. I-"

"Let go, let go of my hand!

She then wrenched her fingers from his grip and raised her hand to slap him firmly.

His eyes became blurry. For a moment, he could only perceive Jouma's pale, desperate face, and the hand that was pumping him hard. She rubbed her hand against her cotton dress. After a while, the daylight came out again, and he looked around and saw that he was alone.

By the time Arthur rang the doorbell of his lavish home on Avenue Via Bora, it was already dark. He remembered that he had been wandering the streets. But where he wandered, why, or how long, he knew nothing. Julia's little servant opened the door and yawned, grinning meaningfully at the sight of his haggard and expressionless face. When the young master returned home from prison, he looked like a beggar who was "drunk and disheveled", which seemed to him a big joke.

Arthur walked upstairs. He met Gippons on the second floor, and he had a straight face and an unfathomable, disapproving demeanor. He tried to whisper a "good night" and walked over to the side. But if Gippons thinks you're not going with him, you won't let him go past him.

"The gentlemen have gone out, sir. He said, looking critically at Arthur's disheveled clothes and hair, "They went to an evening with the hostess, and they didn't come back until about twelve o'clock." ”

Arthur looked at his watch, it was nine o'clock. Oh, okay! He still has time—some time......

"My mistress wants me to ask you if you would like to have some supper, sir. She also said that she wants you to wait for her, because she especially wants to talk to you tonight. ”

"I don't want to eat anything, thank you. You can tell her I didn't go laid. ”

He walked into his room. Nothing has changed inside since his arrest. The portrait of Montenery was still on the table that day, and the cross was still standing in the shrine as before. He stood in the doorway for a moment, listening intently. But the house was quiet. Apparently no one came to disturb him. He crept into the room and locked the door.