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 'They then walked away (continued the monk), and I hastened back to the castle to consult with your wife and her father about you. We soon agreed that a report of your death could alone, in all probability, save your life. I shall therefore send a young man, whom I can depend upon, to-morrow to the castle, for the purpose of declaring that you are no more. He shall say that in a small town in Italy, from whence he is just returned, he met you; that shortly after that meeting, you were taken ill; and, knowing whither he was bound, in your last moments had requested him to call upon your family, and inform them of your fate.

'This report will put a stop to all enquiries; and, as soon as your Geraldine has lain in, I will assist you in escaping with her to a part of the world where there can be no fear of your ever being discovered. To prevent any suspicion, Geraldine is to declare a resolution of renouncing the world as soon as her child is born; and, under the pretext of entering a cloister, she is to quit