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"Let us go and see what we can do," said the widow, "perhaps he

will be more tractable to the ladies."

They followed this advice, and in the afternoon proceeded to the

parsonage. The curate evinced much pleasure on seeing Lucy and

Agnes, and much politeness towards the stranger. He endeavoured

to divert the discourse from that which he knew to be the purport

of their visit. He begged from Lucy a recital of all her woes,

and availed himself of the account of the lazaretto to draw the

stranger into the conversation. He then expatiated on his own

miseries, which he detailed at full length. The pause so long

watched for came at last. One of the widows broke the ice; but

Don Abbondio was no longer the same man; he did not say no; but

he returned to his doubts and his difficulties, jumping like a

bird from branch to branch. "It would be necessary," said he, "to

get free from this unlucky order. You, signora, who live at

Milan, you ought to know the course of these things; if we had

the protection of some powerful man, all wounds would be healed.