Her tears ceased to flow, and she reflected seriously if it were not her duty to make the sacrifice which her filial love seemed to exact in order to secure her father's happiness.
At this moment the door opened, and Rapallo entered the room. The young man was scarcely above the middle height; his face beamed with frankness and benevolence, though his features were rather agreeable than positively handsome.
"Here you are at last, my dear Rapallo!" said the old man. "We were just speaking of you. You are right welcome now, although you have been neglectful of us lately."
Heribert bowed respectfully to the lady, pressed Bonello's hand cordially, and took a seat by his side.
"I was compelled to accept the invitation sent me by the Lombard confederation, which I am about to join," said he.
Bonello shook his head with a marked expression of disapproval.
"At least, I trust that you have made no positive engagement without consulting me?" he said. "Will you risk your life in an enterprise which has no chance of success? Heribert, Heribert, this is not well done! you have been very imprudent. I augur nothing good from this attempt."
An animated discussion followed between them; Hermengarde profited by it to leave the apartment unnoticed, and retired to her own room, where she could weep at her ease.
"Without doubt, I admit all that," replied Guido, after his guest had explained the motives which had induced his acceptance of the invitation sent to him. "I will even go further. I will suppose that the league increases, that the cities and the nobles have given in their adherence to it, that the necessary funds can be procured, that its generals are skilful, that it can command everything necessary to sustain the struggle: one thing will still be wanting, and that is--unity. So long as Pavia, Genoa, Lodi, Pisa, and Florence, that is to say, the most important cities of Northern Italy, support the Emperor's cause, every attempt at independence will only aggravate our condition."
"Must we then always wear our chains?" cried the young man, in whose eyes shone a fire which Guido had never before observed in him.