Indeed, he saw the policy of making friends with the French embassy, and as long as Manasseh was not to accompany the party his professional schemes were in no wise endangered.
When Manasseh returned with the French ladies he sought the lawyer.
"Come, my friend," he urged, "if your legs have nothing to say against it, if your religious belief permits, and if you have studied your Latin speech enough for one day, I will find you a good shady spot where you can witness what no mortal eye has seen in all these eighteen Christian centuries, and is little likely to see again in eighteen centuries to come." "What may that be ?" "A Pope of the Romish Church, pronouncing his blessing from the _loggia_ of St.Peter's on the Roman army, preparatory to its marching forth to fight for freedom.

Durando's troops are now marshalled in St.Peter's Square, awaiting the papal blessing on the swords drawn for liberty and country.

It has, I know, been your dream to witness a sight like that, and now I come to invite you to its realisation." "Well, well, that is something worth while," admitted the advocate.

"The whole Roman army, and Durando himself! Surely, I can't afford to miss it." The invitation had driven quite out of his head all the objections so strenuously urged the day before.
The ladies had no difficulty in reaching the places reserved for them; for the gentlemen, however, it was not so easy to find even standing-room.

But at length Manasseh guided his companion to one end of the scaffolding which supported the ladies' platform, and there found for him a V-shaped seat in the angle of two beams, while he himself stood on a projecting timber which afforded him room for one foot, and clung to the woodwork of the platform with both hands.