"Certainly yes," he replied; "we did well in the rehearsal, may we not hope to do even better now?"
"I think so," I answered; "you see it is no longer a plan; it is now, as it were, a piece of drill that we have learned."
"Yes," said Mac; "we can go through it now as a soldier goes through the bayonet exercise; yes, let us fight as we fought before."
"If the battle does not go well," said Giulia, "you must not forget me."
"But no," I answered her, "but no; that is the one thing that we others are always thinking about. You must be saved, even though safety lay only in death."
"But the work must be done thoroughly," she insisted.
"Madame need not fear," said the corporal, speaking in a low voice; "even were I in my death agony, I should have strength enough left to kill."
"So should I," said Mac, "but I'd be sorry all the same." I was about to speak, but Giulia put her finger on my lips, and said:
"I am well content, I am almost happy."