He leaned over to me, and gripped my hand where it lay on the saddle-bow
clutching the reins.
"Thus is Giovanni d'Anguissola at last avenged!" he said to me in a deep
voice that thrilled me.
"I would that he were here to know," I answered.
And again Galeotto's eyes grew wistful as they looked at me.
We won out of the town at last, and when we came to the high ground beyond
the river, we saw in the plain below phalanx upon phalanx of a great army.
It was Ferrante Gonzaga's Imperial force.
Galeotto pointed to it. "That is my goal," he said. "You had best ride on
to Pagliano with these lances. You may need them there. I had hoped that
Cosimo would have been found in the castle with Pier Luigi. His absence
makes me uneasy. Away with you, then. You shall have news of me within
three days."
We embraced, on horseback as we were. Then he wheeled his charger and went
down the steep ground, riding hard for Ferrante's army, whilst we pursued
our way, and came some two hours later without mishap to Pagliano.
I found Bianca awaiting me in the gallery above the courtyard, drawn
thither by the sounds of our approach.
"Dear Agostino, I have been so fearful for you," was her greeting when I
had leapt up the staircase to take her hand.
I led her to the marble seat she had occupied on that night, two years ago,
when first we had spoken of our visions.
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