"These are matters the servants should not gossip about."The Duke nodded assent.Both Tato and her grandmother spoke easily the foreign tongue；the Duke was more uncertain in his English，but understood it perfectly.
"I am still the head of this family，"resumed the Duchessa，in a more moderate tone."I insist that my will be obeyed.""Your dignity I have the respect for，"replied the Duke，labouredlyb；"but you grow old and foolish.""Foolish！I？""Yes；you are absurd.You live in past centuries.You think to—day we must do all that your ancestors did.""Can you do better？""Yes；the world has change.It has progress.With it I advance，but you do not.You would murder，rob，torture to—day as the great Duke，your grandfather，did.You think we still are of the world independent.You think we are powerful and great.Bah！we are nothing—we are as a speck of dust.But still we are the outlaws and the outcasts of Sicily，and some day Italy will crush us and we will be forgotten.""I dare them to molest us！""Because you are imbecilea.The world you do not know.I have travel；I see many countries；and I am wise.""But you are still my vassalb，my slave；and I alone rule here.Always have you rebelled and wanted to escape.Only my iron will has kept you here and made you do your duty.""Since you my brother Ridolfo killed，I have littlestomach for the trade of brigand.It is true.But no longer is this trade necessary.We are rich.Had I a son to inherit your business，a different thought might prevail；but I have only Tato，and a girl cannot be a successful brigand.""Why not？"cried the old Duchessa，contemptuously."It is the girl—always the girl—you make excuses for.But have I not ruled our domain—I，who am a woman？"Tato herself answered，in a quiet voice.
"And what have you become，nonnac，more than anoutcast？"she enquired."What use to you is money，or a power that the world would sneer at，did the world even suspect that you exist？You are a failure in life，my nonna，and I will not be like you."The Duchessa screamed an epitheta and glared at the child as if she would annihilateb her；but no ?tting words to reply could she ?nd.
Uncle John smiled delightedly.He felt no sense of humiliation or revolt atc eavesdroppingd in this den of thieves，and to be able to gain so fair a revelatione of the inner life of this remarkable family was a diversion not lightly to be foregone.
"So far，we have managed to escape the law，"resumedthe Duke."But always it may not be our fortune to do this，if we continue this life.It is now a good time to stop.Of one American we will gain a quarter of a million lira—a fortune—and of the other one hundred and fifty thousand lira.With what we already have it is enough and more.Quietly we will disbandf our men and go away.In another land we live the respectable life，in peace with all，and Tato shall be the ?ne lady，and forget she once was a brigand's daughter."The child sprang up in glee，and clasping her father's neckwith both arms kissed him with passionate earnestness.