I happened to be on the spot shortly afterwards, and inquired, with some surprise at the escape of the murderer, why he had not been arrested red-handed.

"He had a sword in his hand!" said the person to whom I had addressed myself, in a tone which implied that that quite settled the matter--that of course it was absolutely out of the question to attempt to interfere with a man who had a sword in his hand! It is a very singular thing, and one for which it is difficult to offer any satisfactory explanation, that the change in Florence in respect to the prevalence of crime has been of late years very great indeed I have mentioned more than once, I think, the very remarkable absence of all crimes of violence which characterised Florence in the earlier time of my residence there.

It was not due to rigorous repression or vigilance of the police, as may be partly judged by the above anecdote.

There was, in fact, _no_ police that merited the name.
But anything in the nature of burglary was unheard of.

The streets were so absolutely safe that any lady might have traversed them alone at any hour of the day or night.