"A sudden curiosity seized me. How would this imperious man behave, I wondered, if I were to prod him quite suddenly and very violently in the pit of the stomach with the point of my umbrella? It seemed an interesting experiment, and one well worth trying.
"'Here, take your share!' I cried, and lunged at him with the skill and rapidity of one accustomed to the foils.
"My eye and aim were sure, and the result was satisfactory. The ferrule struck my antagonist just beneath the breast-bone—at that sensitive point, in fact, which your prizefighters always aim at.
"He uttered a cry of pain, staggered, doubled up, and fell in a heap upon the ground.
"'Addio, Camorrista—farewell, Camorra man,' I said, and strode away with dignity, to the amazement and admiration of the onlookers.
"But my experience had interested me. I felt that I had lighted upon a mystery, and I was resolved to probe it to the bottom. To that end I rang my bedroom bell the next morning and put a question to the chambermaid who answered it.
"'Tell me, Lucia, what is the Camorra?'
"She stared at me as blankly as though I had requested her to define space or time.
"'What is the Camorra, signor? The Camorra, signor—it is the Camorra,' she replied.
"It was an inadequate explanation, but I thought I might succeed better if I tried a gentler method. So I kissed her and took her hand caressingly.