"Was it a _ballata_ or a _vocero_?
Mademoiselle understands you, and would like to hear the end." "I have forgotten it, Ors' Anton'," said the sailor.
And instantly he began a hymn to the Virgin, at the top of his voice.
Miss Lydia listened absent-mindedly to the hymn, and did not press the singer any further--though she was quite resolved, in her own mind, to find out the meaning of the riddle later.

But her maid, who, being a Florentine, could not understand the Corsican dialect any better than her mistress, was as eager as Miss Lydia for information, and, turning to Orso, before the English lady could warn her by a nudge, she said: "Captain what does _giving the rimbecco_ mean ?" "The rimbecco!" said Orso.

"Why, it's the most deadly insult that can be offered to a Corsican.

It means reproaching him with not having avenged his wrong.

Who mentioned the rimbecco to you ?" "Yesterday, at Marseilles," replied Miss Lydia hurriedly, "the captain of the schooner used the word." "And whom was he talking about ?" inquired Orso eagerly.
"Oh, he was telling us some odd story about the time--yes, I think it was about Vannina d'Ornano." "I suppose, mademoiselle, that Vannina's death has not inspired you with any great love for our national hero, the brave Sampiero ?" "But do you think his conduct was so very heroic ?" "The excuse for his crime lies in the savage customs of the period.