Page:Dorothy Canfield - Rough-hewn.djvu/478

 afraid I shall have trouble unless you can help me. Promise me you won't tell Mile. Vallet. Or any one."

Impassioned protestations from Mr. Livingstone.

She looked over her shoulder to be sure they were alone, "You know the rule of the Italian government about taking out of Italy any valuable antiquities. They are so afraid that tourists of means will carry off some of the fragments of Greek and Roman sculpture. I knew about it of course, but I'd no idea it was really enforced—those things so seldom are in Europe. And I bought a lovely little antique bas-relief to go over a mantel-piece in my Paris apartment. I had it sent yesterday, up by the Simplon route; it's too late to get it back and now I'm in mortal terror of what may happen at the Italian frontier. I heard last night the most dreadful tales of what they do to any one who tries to smuggle out such things—not only fines, you know, but lawsuits, lawyers to frighten you—publicity!"

She looked very pale and anxious as she explained all this so that Livingstone was deeply touched. But he wondered what she thought he could do about it.

"I'm really ashamed, now I've come to the point, to ask you what I thought. But I will—and if you think it too preposterous—more than I have any right to—it's this. To take a pocket full of money (I don't care what it costs) and go up to the frontier station and when it comes along, bribe it through the inspectors. You see, Mr. Livingstone, it's something that not everybody could manage, even with ever so much money. But you understand the European mentality so perfectly. It would need to be done with just the right manner.… Oh, no, no," she broke off abruptly, getting up from her chair. "What a thing to dream of asking any one to do! What claim have I on your …?"

Livingstone, blinking joyfully, sprang up too, protesting that nothing would amuse and interest him more than such a mission. And for her, any mission would be his joy!

"Well, think it over. Let me know to-night. I'm ashamed to have mentioned it," she said in confusion. "I don't know how I dared. But oh Mr. Livingstone, I am so troubled